How to Protect Yourself Against Infections During Pregnancy

When you’re pregnant, everyone has advice to give. So much so, in fact, that while
their intentions may be good, if you were really honest with them about it, on a good day,
it can get to be a bit annoying, while on a bad one, it has the potential to make you a bit
paranoid; especially when it comes to discussions about your up-and-coming labor or
contracting some kind of illness or infection.

In both instances, remain calm. Being pregnant is a miraculous time that you should
enjoy, and even with all of the information that you are given, simply focus on the things
that will make your pregnancy the most pleasant and stress-less time for
you.

One of the ways that you can do that is to protect yourself. Here are five things that
you can do to guard yourself against the risk of contracting an infection during this very
special time.

Always wash your hands. This is something that we all should be
in the habit of doing, whether we’re pregnant or not. Unfortunately, we tend to overlook it
at times like when we’re eating out or preparing food. If you don’t always have soap and
water nearby, remember to purchase some portable antibacterial gels. You can even
make your own by combining half a cup of alcohol to two cups of Aloe Vera gel.

Don’t share your utensils. The older we get, the less a lot of us
tend to eat after other people unless they are our spouse or child. However, during the
time of your pregnancy, you are far more susceptible to contracting a virus than before,
so even when it comes to your own family members, try and always use your own
utensils and cups.

Make sure it’s “well done”. Before you got pregnant, you might
have preferred to eat your meat with a little pink on the inside. Until that baby is born,
though, that [Read more…]

5 Simply Ways to Save on Medical Expenses

Cutting down on all costs is a necessity for the majority of American families in
today’s economy. With the extra tight budgets many families are facing, affording
healthcare for some is downright impossible but it’s an important budgetary item,
especially if you have kids. You can’t avoid medical costs but there are ways you can
save on them. Below are five simple ways to reduce your family’s medical costs.

Use Preventative Care
Taking the time for routine check-ups, physicals, dental cleanings, and eye exams is a
much cheaper option than letting something go until it’s necessary to see the doctor for
correction. A co-pay for a routine teeth cleaning might cost you 10 or 20 bucks, whereas
having a cavity filled costs hundreds and is painful. Many insurance policies cover
preventative care options like these so check with your insurance company to know how
many visits you have covered each year.

Lead a Healthy Lifestyle
The best way you can ensure that you and your family stays as healthy as possible is
by leading a healthy lifestyle. Be sure at least half your meals consist of fresh fruits and
vegetables and you avoid processed, chemical-infused foods. Teach your kids the value
of exercising by example. Have a weekly family bike ride, hike, or Frisbee game in the
park. Your lifestyle is one of the major factors in preventative care. The more you do to
stay healthy, the less medical care you’ll need.

Avoid the Emergency Room
A good policy to uphold for you [Read more…]

Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Child’s Vision

Not only does a child’s diet play an important role in keeping their eyes healthy, so
does preventing potential injury to the eye and eye area and spotting and treating eye
problems or infections. Here are five ways to make sure your child has the best vision
possible.

1.) Make Sure Your Child Gets Regular Eye Exams– Visiting your doctor regularly
is an important step in maintaining your kid’s eye health because they can monitor
any changes or potential problems. Every time your child goes in for a body checkup
make sure the doctor spends some time on their eyes as well. Children’s eyes change
rapidly and need to be monitored regularly. If your kid wears glasses or contact lenses,
it is even more important because their eyes change and need to keep up with their
corrective lenses, contact or glass. One popular brand of lenses is the Air Optix Aqua
which lets eyes breath and can be easier for kids to wear.

2.) Kid-proof Your Furniture– It is almost impossible to keep accidents from
occurring but you can do your best to make sure you lessen the damage of these
accidents. Hardwood floors can be slippery and rugs that have slip-proof coating can
prevent falls. Look for hard corners and sharp edges on furniture and either remove
those items or buy (or make) rubber sides that take the edge out of them, so to
speak. Block off access to areas that are too dangerous and fence off the stairs when
possible.

3.) Keep Chemicals Out of Reach– Furniture is not the only hazardous [Read more…]

Krill Oil and NovaFlex- a great way to keep healthy

Krill Oil is the newest cure all of the supplement industry. Maybe you have all heard something about it, maybe not. I did a bit of research and found out why krill oil is so good for us. Krill is a very small animal found in deep waters. Krill is the bottom of the food chain, just about everything that eats meat in the ocean eats krill. Krill oil is what the fish digest to have fish oil in them. The fish oil is digested, assimilated krill oil. So if we eat krill oil, we get the benefits of fish oil- only better, because our body will do the same, and that is what is thought to happen to our bodies with krill oil. Krill Oil compares to fish oil like this:


More Omega 3s. Krill Oil contains the richest supply of DHA and EPA attached in phospholipid form. Phospholipids are much more absorbable by the body which means… more DHA and EPA at each serving.

Phospholipids. Krill Oil is rich in brain-essential “good fats” found in phospholipid form – the same as the human body which means there are no conversions or extra work the body needs to do. This makes absorption faster, easier and more effective. You won’t get fish burps, upset stomach or unpleasant side effects from Krill Oil.

Antioxidant power. Krill Oil contains astaxanthin, the carotenoid that gives shrimp, krill, lobster and other foods their pink color. Astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant. Everest Nutrition Krill Oil has an ORAC value of 431 – 54X more antioxidant power than fish oil.
[Read more…]

Text4Baby Offers Health Information to Expectant Mothers

Another Mother’s Day is nearly upon us, and what most new mothers (or mothers-
to-be) could use more than flowers, cards, and even jewelry is the helpful information
provided by the Text4Baby program (okay, go ahead and throw in the jewelry if you
must). In truth, this program is 100% free for anyone with a cell phone; provided you
have coverage with one of the 18 carriers listed on the website, the text messages they
send you will not count against your plan limits. But what is this program and what can it
do for expectant moms?

If knowledge is power, then this program can give pregnant women the diadem
and scepter of parenthood. Every mother’s fondest wish is that her child be healthy
and happy, and by providing you with frequent and targeted health updates, advice,
and reminders (sent to your mobile phone), this program will help you to make the
choices that are best for your health and that of your unborn child. It was developed
in conjunction with Johnson & Johnson (a founding sponsor), the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, or CDC (which provided pertinent information for updates), and
CTIA – The Wireless Foundation, a nonprofit organization acting on behalf of members
in the wireless community (bringing technology to the table). And with these strange
bedfellows working in concert, a program was created to bring important knowledge to
moms that could use a little help on the health front.


The program works quite simply by sending out text messages containing helpful
health information to expectant and new mothers. All you need is a phone that can
receive text messages to get started and you can sign up via the Text4Baby website or
by texting BABY (or BEBE, para [Read more…]

#Win $200 to TriLight Health

I’m so excited to bring you another #SuperEvent Giveaway! This week is all about TriLight Health a high quality liquid herbal product supplier! Hosted by Full Price? Never! with contributing bloggers CuzinLogic and MyCraftyLife.

About TriLight Health: For over 20 years now, TriLight Health (formerly TriLight Herbs) has faithfully supplied their customers nationwide with their high quality line of liquid herbal products. They were the first company to specialize in great tasting, non-alcoholic herbal formulas for pregnancy, children, and the family. Their exclusive 3 Stage Liquid Light Process is what makes their products Fast Acting and Effective for Adults, but Taste so good that Children will Love them!
Please read on for further information and review by Heather- I have personally never tried these products, so all opinions are hers and from the website information provided to me.


Why Do They Offer Liquid Herbs? Consider Six Superior Reasons:

1. Time Honored
For centuries herbs have been utilized in liquid form, from teas and tonics to extracts and tinctures. Wherever you find herbal medicine more highly evolved, liquids continue to be extremely popular and utilized frequently.

2. Taste
According to traditional medicine, tasting the herb plays an important role in effectiveness and assimilation. In Germany, for example, studies suggest that the immune stimulating properties of Echinacea begins when the active ingredient comes in contact with sensors in the mouth. Bitter flavors are particularly valued by herbalists who know that these stimulate and benefit the digestive tract.

3. Bioavailable
By extracting the active constituents of herbs from both indigestible cell wall components and inactive constituents such as starch, herbs in a concentrated liquid form enter the body in a more pre-digested state.This is especially useful for more efficient absorption by those with weak digestion, for children, the elderly, pregnant women and for active people who don’t want energy loss through longer digestion periods.

4. Quick Assimilation
There is some question as to whether dry or pressed herb tablets break down well in the body, if at all. At best, dry herbs may take more than an hour to digest, where liquids begin assimilation in about 15 to 20 minutes, even less if held under the tongue. Absorption through the tissue under the tongue allows the active ingredients to enter the bloodstream directly.

5. Fast Acting
Because the active components are concentrated and more “bioavailable,” absorption is more thorough and results are quicker. Noticeable effects on the body will be much greater than with encapsulated dry herbs or tablets.

6. Superior Extraction Method
We use a unique and trademarked TincTract PlusTM extraction process. Compared to one stage, high heat extraction methods used for most glycerites on the market, our lengthy, painstaking process preserves and extracts more active constituents and naturally occurring vitamins, enzymes, minerals and volatile oils. These are concentrated and preserved into liquid electrolyte form.

What is the Liquid Light Process?

1. One of the first steps in this painstaking process is the 14 day minimum cold stage. In this stage, we utilize light, which not only “marries” the herbs, but also purifies with UV rays without extreme or artificial heat. This slow, yet important stage allows for the preservation of the essential natural enzymes which are extremely beneficial, aiding assimilation and giving added potency to the formulas. In fact, according to enzyme researchers, enzymes are involved in all chemical reactions that occur within the body. Vitamins, minerals and hormones are unable to even work within the body without enzymes. Unlike the one step, high heat methods of most herbal extracts, our cold stage ensures that we preserve nature’s enzyme “labor force” for optimum nutritional value.

2. In the second stage, the herbs that remain after the cold extract has been set aside, are further processed using extremely low heat, low pressure to capture intact, within the glycerine, the natural volatile oils, vitamins and minerals.

3. In the third stage, we use a custom-built, stainless-steel press to cold-press even more nutrients with 6 tons of pressure. Cold pressing is the method used to yield a product of superior nutritional quality, creating the least amount of oxidation with the best extraction. Though labor intensive, the entire Liquid Light process has been created to reduce oxidation, preserve enzymes and amino acids, and to keep intact a full nutritional profile. Added to reverse osmosis water, they become instant Liquid Colloidals, which again dramatically increases the body assimilation rate up to 98%!

By preserving the plant’s natural colloidal delivery system, the bioavailability of these full spectrum nutrients and therapeutic substances are retained and enhanced, giving our formulas the strong potency our customers depend on.

Another important distinction is that they use Glycerine instead of Alcohol? Here is why…

They wanted to offer family herbal products that we could feel 100% good about, with safe ingredients that would raise no concerns over possible negative side effects, especially [Read more…]

Teaching Kids How to Respond to Medical Emergencies

When we have children, it’s our responsibility to mentor and mold them—to teach them all of the things
that they need to know to thrive as adolescents and young adults. In the midst of teaching them about
manners, hygiene and life values, sometimes other things are inadvertently overlooked; things that are just
as important, like how to respond to medical emergencies.

If this is not something that you’ve given a lot of thought to, but you know that it’s vital to your child’s
personal development, here are three things to teach them about what to do should an unfortunate
circumstance like a medical emergency present itself.

Teach them some important phone numbers. Every day, the news features heart-wrenching stories of
children that witnessed a parent, grandparent or babysitter that was hurt in the home, but they didn’t know
what to do. Depending upon the age of the child and the situation at hand, their ability to assist may be
limited, but they can always call someone. Make sure they know how to dial 9-1-1, along with a couple
of other numbers, including a neighbor and your cell number if you happen to be away at the time. In this
cell phone age, a lot of people do not have home phones. However, if you have a child living with you,
[Read more…]

Get Fit with Jari Love’s Get Extremely Ripped 1000 Hardcore

Warm weather is here, and of course this means we need to be thinking about how we look in those new bathing suits. If you still need to shed some extra pounds or tighten up those muscles, then here is an exercise program for you.
Jari Love’s Get Extremely Ripped 1000 Hardcore intense workout keeps your heart rate up, the calories burning, and your workout time maximized.

This DVD Includes:
-6 minutes to RIPPED! Abs
-6 different cardio segments
-8 different strength training segments
-On-screen clock for each exercise segment
-2 different 30 minute segments that can be done separately or together
-Modifications so men and women of all fitness levels can feel success

It is the top ten pick by Fitness Magazine and on Gayle King’s [Read more…]