Curiously Awesome

Military families have needs just like all other families do…but these families are likely experiencing greater stress and hardship as they make monumental sacrifices while serving our country. Children are left behind without one of their parents…spouses are left behind to wait, wonder, and worry…while having to continue with the daily life to keep their families functioning. I simply cannot imagine how difficult and stressful this must be for these families. Of course, we cannot forget the service person who is deployed as well! What an act of sacrifice and generosity! These families need all the help and support we can give them.

As I write this, Sears Heroes at Home has reached an amazing number. They have succeeded in collecting almost 1,400,000 contributions to their wildly successful Heroes at Home program. This is a program designed to help our heroes who are deployed and their families.

Note: Donations are NOT tax deductible and the proceeds are given to families in the form of gift cards.

Traditional holiday foods like pumpkin pie, fudge, and gingerbread cookies are a strong temptation for folks to overeat during this time of year. These aren’t the main source of traditional holiday binging, however. Holiday stress seems to be what leads people to gain weight during the holiday season.

Most sources of stress are increased during this time of year. Giving gifts, taking time off from work and traveling are particularly stressful. Add in time for shopping, deadlines for sending gifts and cards, and attending endless parties and this can mean definite expansion for the waistline.

Stress eating often increases during the holidays and usually takes the form of mindless binging. One simple method you can use to reduce this kind of eating is to pay more attention to what you’re eating and why you are eating it.

The next time you’re feeling stressed try taking a deep breath first. If possible step away from the immediate presence of food until you have a chance to regain your sense of control. Identify the cause of your stress and then make a conscious decision to let the stressful feelings go.

Unfortunately, stress doesn’t only cause one to overeat. It also causes more fat to be stored. Cortisol and epinephrine are released during periods of stress and these both encourage the storage of fat. These hormones are meant for short-term release but constant stress causes excessive cortisol release and therefore weight gain.

Exercise can counter holiday weight gain in more than one way. Staying active will help you burn off extra calories and it will also help reduce your stress levels.

Any time you can relax and unwind there will be a positive impact on stress levels. Listen to your favorite music, read for pleasure, or focus on the things in life that bring you happiness. Instead of drowning in your favorite comfort food, minimize your stress this holiday season and you’ll really be treating yourself.

There are some great deals to be had right now at Kmart. Specifically, many last minute gifts from Kmart…if there are still people out there who need a special something coming from you, even though the big holiday is past…you can still find some nice prices and special items at Kmart.

If you are looking for especially inexpensive gifts this year, then you should know that Kmart has lots of great holiday gifts for under $25. Here is a small sampling of some of the wonderful items that can be had for under $25.

• Craftsman hand tool box
• Martha Stewart nickel pillar candleholders
• Route 66 girls hoodies and embellished jeans
• Joe Boxer mens and womens sleep sets
• Just Kidz Deluxe 16 inch doll set with stroller
• LeapFrog Leapster Learning Games

Also, shoppers can sign up at Kmart.com so they will receive the latest Kmart news right in their inbox.  This includes special store hours, in-store deals, and online-only sales.  This will definitely help ensure that you find all of the very best deals available!

Kmart also has a layaway program and no payments, no interest for six months to help consumers afford the items they need and want.

Recent estimates suggest that people are gaining weight despite efforts to the contrary.  Could it be possible that the chemicals in our food, skin care, and detergents is making us fat?

The foundation for most reducing diets is based on the theory that consuming fewer calories than the body needs will force the body to burn up fat stores.

Could it be time to look beyond this and look at the root of weight gain?

One’s own natural weight control system is being poisoned by the toxins that we come into contact with during everyday living.  This damage makes it more and more difficult for our bodies to maintain a healthy weight and people end up gaining weight even if they consume less food.

Following a detox diet will teach us how to avoid the most fattening chemicals in food and in household products.  When we learn how to get rid of the body’s stored chemicals we can learn how to rebuild the body’s natural slimming system.

Synthetic chemicals work against us in two ways.

1. By poisoning us through exposure to large quantities (leads to sometimes violent reactions that are responsible for 222,000 fatalities each year).
2. By long term exposure at much lower levels.

Toxic chemicals (even in very small amounts) can damage muscles and disrupt hormones that control growth.  They interfere with metabolic processes and inhibit the body’s natural slimming systems.

The best thing to do is to replace foods, skin care, cosmetic, and household products that contain toxic synthetic chemicals with organic products.  Also, the highest levels of slimming  nutrients are present in fresh organic produce.

Our faltering economy is having far-reaching effects on many people. One such effect is on the health insurance coverage of people (and their families) who have lost their jobs. These people are either ending up uninsured, or are forced to pay for expensive COBRA coverage.

Please visit  www.mnui.com for a free insurance quote today.

There is an affordable option, however. MultiNational Underwriters has a short-term medical plan called Amigo. This is an alternative to COBRA that is affordable and will help keep individuals and their families covered.

Diseased animals and dead animals removed from farms and/or animal shelters, rendered into animal feed (including pet foods), should be a violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Federal law specifically prohibits any diseased animal or euthanized animal to become part of any food. Despite Federal laws to prevent any food from containing a diseased animal, the FDA allows pet food to contain these rendered illegal ingredients.

Although crayons are not classified as food, most children put them in their mouths. It is almost incomprehensible to think that crayons could contain the remains of a diseased/dead animal.

For at least four years, our Representatives in Congress have been aware of, and done nothing to change the facts that rendered diseased animals and shelter pets become animal feed ingredients. Federal laws, developed by Congress to protect the foods of humans and animals, should have prevented this from ever being a concern. Immediate action is necessary to stop the rendered remains of diseased animals and shelter pets from becoming ingredients of pet foods, soaps, AND CRAYONS.

The Evolution of Dance has been the web’s most watched video ever. The star, Judson Laipply, has now created the second installment of this wildly popular video. It will launch early in the new year…so it’s time to start getting excited!

There is a trailer to this sequel and two great websites have partnered together to make this a very cool thing. These sites exist to help people save money so we know they have some credibility. PeopleJam.com (number one self-improvement site on the internet) along with Saveology.com (number one home comparison shopping site on the internet) have created an interactive application called the Evolution Of Dance starring YOU!. This application allows people to actually upload pictures and dance with Judson. While you’re at it, you will also get a sneak peak of songs and dance moves for The Evolution of Dance 2! Sounds cool, right?

This application has JUST been launched and promises to be very popular. It sounds like something that everyone needs to at least see so that they can say they saw it! I know I will! Hope on over so that you won’t be left out of all of this excitement, too…you know you want to!

Having a healthy body and a healthy immune system go hand in hand. The immune system is vital to our existence.

The immune system is the basis of defense against germs, bacteria, viruses, yeast, fungus, and parasites. It is a complex system involving many different cell types throughout the body.

The immune system is also in charge of guarding the cells in the body and is the watchdog for abnormal or damaged cells. There are always somewhere between 100 and 10,000 abnormal cells floating around in the body. These numbers include cancerous cells produced by the normal body in the course of a day.

Keeping the immune system functioning is critical. When this system is weak it is unable to fight off invaders. A simple cold or even cancer or an autoimmune diseasecan be the result of an immune system that is not functioning at its best.

Eliminate toxic food and drink from your diet – The standard American diet of today relies more and more on chemicals and preservatives. When the immune system is busy fighting the toxins you have put into your body, it can’t do the job it was created to do.

Get rid of personal care products containing toxic chemicals – Most personal care products sold at traditional stores contain toxic ingredients that threaten your health. When these products are rubbed into the skin they enter the bloodstream. Replace these with products that contain only naturally occurring ingredients that your immune system will recognize as belonging in your body.

Get the toxins out of your home and workplace – The cleaning products in a typical house are filled with toxic chemicals that will occupy the attention of your immune system and keep it from doing its job. Replace these with toxin-free products.

Add fresh, clean air to your environment whenever possible – Even in the dead of winter, open your windows for a period of time and let fresh air into your home or workplace. Go out for a walk or sit in the sun and breathe fresh air. When you do this, you are giving your immune system a chance to focus its full attention where it is needed.

Eat healthy fats – Omega-3 fats have the ability to reduce inflammation and regulate the T and B lymphocyte functions.

Detoxify your body – Heavy metals and toxins in the body are a drag on the immune system. This is one reason why health experts recommend frequent body detoxification.

Strengthen your digestive/elimination system – Those bacteria residing in your gut are there to help with digestion and protect you against invaders. If the bacteria population becomes thinned from the use of antibiotics, chlorinated water or pesticides in food, there will not be enough friendly bacteria on the job to keep you healthy.

Ensure optimal immune system functioning – The immune system needs to respond strongly to pathogens, but not too strongly. If it responds too strongly the result can be systemic inflammation, allergies, or autoimmune disorders.

Keep your body well mineralized – Minerals are essential for maintaining your body’s pH in an optimal range. Deficiencies of minerals such as selenium, magnesium, iron, and zinc among others have been shown to impair the immune system.

Get a good night’s sleep – Sleep is your immune system. A full night’s sleep of 8 hours or more will allow the body to complete the cycle that begins with melatonin production and continues with prolactin production. Sleeping less than a full 8 hours will not allow the cycle to be completed resulting in your first line of immune defense being depleted.

I have learned an awful lot over the past few years thanks to the internet. One of the most valuable things I’ve learned has got to be that alternative natural cancer treatments exist and are a real and viable treatment options for cancer patients.

The thought of subjecting the human body to the toxins and poisons that are contained in chemotherapy and radiation just defies reason. It makes no sense why you would want to subject your body to these treatments when what you need is a strong body that can fight.

There are many benefits of alternative therapies. The European Cancer Treatment Clinic is a clinic that can help those that are interested in exploring an alternative route of treatment. They offer Massage Therapy, Oxygen Therapy, High Body Temperature Therapy, and Static Electro Therapy, just to name a few.

These are the therapies and treatments I would be pursuing if I were ill and in need of this kind of treatment.

Lemons and other citrus fruits contain chemicals that can help prevent against kidney stones. Lemons are very high in citrates and these inhibit the growth of kidney stones.

In addition, insufficient fluid intake is the most common cause of kidney stones. This occurs when mineral crystals form in the kidneys or the ureters, which connect the kidney and the bladder.

People who are at risk of kidney stones should not drink large quantities of ice tea. People are told that when it is warm outside they should drink more fluids. Many people then drink more iced tea. Unfortunately, in terms of kidney stones this is not a beneficial beverage. Iced tea contains high levels of the chemical oxalate. This encourages the development of kidney stones.

People who are concerned about kidney stone should eat less chocolate, rhubarb, nuts and spinach. All of these foods are high in oxalates.

Kidney stones are four times more likely to occur in men than in women…especially men over age 40.