Curiously Awesome

Women with a genetic predisposition to breast cancer — as in women with a mother or grandmother diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime — are probably looking for any way to enhance their odds of staying healthy. As it turns out, there is a direct relationship between those at risk of breast cancer and a woman’s diet.

A study shows that there is a higher ratio of women that were identified as having breast cancer if they ate a common unhealthy diet. This unhealthy diet includes ones that are rich in red meats and refined grains. Women who adopt diets that are rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are less likely to contract breast cancer.

Not only can a raw food diet increase a woman’s chances of avoiding breast cancer, but specific raw foods can also minimize many of the negative effects of chemotherapy. Wheat grass juice consumption has been shown to be effective in a reduction of the necessary doses required.

Lavender oil is an effective treatment for insomnia and anxiety, in addition to burn treatment.

Lavender is used as an essential oil for aromatherapy. It can also be made into a tea from the leaves. The oil can be applied to the skin — the inner wrists — and then inhaled through the nose to maximize its effectiveness. The leaves are steeped in hot water for 15 minutes.

MRSA is common in hospitals because of staph infections becoming resistant to the overuse of antibiotics. Testing has demonstrated lavender’s ability to destroy staph infections. To date, lavender hasn’t been used for fighting staph infections.

Regional access to lavender in Europe and the UK is about to have its public access stopped. Lavender for health and therapeutic uses may soon be by prescription only in the EU and UK.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you use Walgreens for prescriptions? If so, I have a big tip for you today.

It’s called the  Walgreens Prescription Savings Club and just wait until you hear all these details! This is an important way to save money on prescriptions.

Pay $35 annually and you get a family membership that covers the prescription expenses of the whole immediate family — including spouse, children 22 and under and even your furbabies (pets)! Don’t have a family? Well, the Prescription Savings Club price is $20 for individuals, too. After you join you get a discount on prescriptions, which includes discounts on over 8,000 generic and brand name prescriptions. You also get discounts on flu shots, nebulizers, prescriptions for your pets and even diabetic supplies. Talk about an effective way to lower your medical expenses, huh?

Show Walgreens your customer support by visiting Walgreens on Facebook  and Walgreens on Twitter ! These social media websites are also the place to get important updates on Walgreens, including special sales and savings. I know I really appreciate how easy it is to stay in touch with what’s going on at Walgreens — a few simple clicks on Facebook or Twitter and I have all the important details I need to make sure I’m saving money every time!

Colon cancer is the third highest cause of cancer deaths each year. Even with increased awareness of colon cancer and strides in diagnosis, colon cancer remains deadly.

New studies lead scientists to conclude that regular consumption of cocoa negates the inflammatory effect of digestive oxidative stress — the chemical process that results in intestinal complaints and is usually a precursor to the onset of colon cancer.

In fact, cocoa is now has “superfood” status because it has been shown to improve blood lipids and it helps prevent cardiovascular disease. Additionally, the protective effects of the compounds in cocoa stopped cell-signaling pathways that often promote cell proliferation and end up with tumor development.

Note: milk chocolate is not a good source of cocoa because of its low concentration of the polyphenol and high sugar content.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sprint for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you in the market for a new phone? I know…it’s a fun an exciting thing to shop for a new phone. Technology is advancing in such a way that there are always such new and neat things that a phone upgrade will give you. I’ve had my phone for almost a year now…don’t get me wrong…I still love it and all…but sometimes I think it would be nice to upgrade already.

Maybe when it’s time for me to upgrade, I’ll go with Nexus S™ 4G  or an HTC EVO™ 3D   . The Nexus 4G can even be had for FREE if you add it to your account or open a new line of service with Sprint. You could also get the Nexus free online only — a $50 MIR will convert to instant savings plus $99.99 Internet-only savings. How cool is that?

Is the HTC more your style? Well, listen to this. Get the HTC for $49.99 if you add it to your account or open a new line of service with Sprint. Or, you could also get it for $49.99 — online only — a $50 MIR will convert to instant savings plus $50 Internet-only savings.

Even better — waive the activation free when you set up new lines and get free shipping!

Mainstream medicine’s answer to the discomforts of menopause is hormone replacement therapy. While this can be an effective way to banish hot flashes and other symptoms, at what price? Breast cancer? Ovarian cancer?

Instead of risking your long-term health to avoid short-term symptoms, opt for simple lifestyle changes that can bring effective relief.

• Get regular cardiovascular exercise. Fight off osteoporosis with strength training work as well.
• Avoid excessive sodium, sugar and caffeine. Spicy foods and processed foods can also contribute to menopausal symptoms so cutting back on these foods can bring relief. Increase fiber and vegetable consumption to help your body acclimate to menopause.
• Try herbal remedies to fight symptoms. Primrose oil, black cohosh, ginseng and gingko biloba can relieve many menopausal symptoms.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you fill prescriptions at Walgreens? If so, I have some information that you may find interesting.

Up until now, Walgreens and Express Script s have been working together to provide customers with the prescription medications they need. Express Scripts is the go-between for pharmacies and employers with health plans that pay for medications.

Unfortunately, this partnership ended with the beginning of 2012 because the two entities could not reach a mutually acceptable agreement. So now, Walgreens is not included in the Express Scripts’ pharmacy provider network.

Walgreens tried very hard to salvage the deal to enable them to continue serving the many people who have come to rely on Walgreens for prescriptions. They even offered to hold rates flat without any increases. Express Script’s response? They insisted on unilateral definition of contract terms. Express Scripts also planned to cut Walgreens reimbursement rates to unheard of levels.

Walgreens is continuing to try to reduce the impact on patients even after this dissolution. They have come up with a way to enable many patients to continue to use Walgreens using a special  Walgreens Prescription Savings Club . Spend $10 annually for a family membership that covers everyone in your immediate family — spouse, dependents 22 and younger and even pets! Individual membership is $5 annually. This means that only a small number of patients are probably affected at this time — check the back of your insurance card – if it says “Express Scripts,” then you may be affected. If it doesn’t say Express Scripts, you are probably OK.

How do customers feel about this? Well, a recent survey showed that 82 percent of employers would not exclude Walgreens if the savings was less than 5 percent on their total expenditure. Sixty percent of of those surveyed said that they would not exclude Walgreens for less than 10 percent savings. A whopping 21 percent said that they would not exclude Walgreens from their network period.

Want to know more and show your support for Walgreens? Check out  Walgreens on Twitter and Walgreens on Facebook  .

Feeding fish to babies under nine months reduces their chances of developing wheeze and asthma. Treatments with broad spectrum antibiotics raises the risk of wheezing, asthma and also allergic reactions.

In a study, researchers gathered data from 8176 randomly chosen families with babies. The parents were asked to answer questions when the babies were six months, 12 months and 4 1/2 years old. The first set of questions included queries on the administration of broad spectrum antibiotics and pregnancy relevant factors in addition to the introduction of fish meat in the baby’s diet. The last set of questions gathered data on current health, past diseases and eating habits. Researchers also examined children that had experienced more than three episodes of wheezing during the last year.

Analysis shoed that a high fish intake during pregnancy and early introduction of fish reduces the risk of wheezing and allergic reactions. Researchers conclude that increased levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids taken from fish meals reduces the chances of wheezing and allergy by up to 50 percent.

Essential B vitamins combat stress resulting in memory loss. Long-term supplementation of folic acid and vitamin B-12 improves cognitive functioning after a period of two years. B vitamins are important for nerve transmission and are necessary as stress level goes up.

Researchers supplemented one group of volunteers with 400 micrograms of folic acid and 100 micrograms of vitamin B-12. This group was compared against a control group that received a placebo. The results were measured at one-year and two-year intervals.

Researchers found that the group receiving the B-vitamins experienced better memory function when compared to the control group. Researchers concluded that stress results in an inflammation to neuron structures in the brain. This inflammation interferes with electrical and chemical transmissions between nerves — the places where new memories form — also necessary in the maintenance of a healthy cognitive function.