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 | | Dyana Driscoll
Sales Representative, Senior Real Estate Specialist
Royal LePage Realty Plus, Brokerage | |  | | |
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INTERESTING TOPICS |
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| Monday, 17 January 2011, 11:10:52 AM | Are Mud Baths Healthy?
Published: 1/14/2011
Mud baths are an acquired taste, but they can be healthy and therapeutic. Researchers have found that the application of thermal mud - as opposed to cosmetic mud that often contains alcohol, a drying agent - can give people with dry skin long-lasting beneficial effects. Mud applications may also be helpful for those with fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. Skin problems may also benefit - mud can help reduce pain from burns and bee stings and draw out heat, reducing inflammation. The mud from the Dead Sea in Israel is reputed to have therapeutic effects for diseases like psoriasis, attracting people from all over the world for mud baths.
If you're interested in mud baths, be aware that at home they're perfectly safe, but in a spa setting you can be at risk of contracting a skin disorder if the mud isn't changed as often as necessary. Some of the bugs responsible, such as bacteria known as psuedomonas, thrive in higher temperatures. Make sure you are using fresh mud if you partake at a spa.
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| Saturday, 10 July 2010, 09:06:06 AM | EIGHT WAYS TO STOP PROCRASTINATING NOW
What can you do to accomplish more of what you want to do? Here are some immediate suggestions:
- Choose the easiest place to start
You don't always have to start at the beginning. If that first step seems the hardest, start with another part of the project instead.
- Fix your workspace
If your set-up is simply not convenient, it will definitely hold you back.
- Work from your to-do list
Tackle the more difficult tasks during your prime time.
- Be realistic about what you can do
Procrastinators often have an unrealistic sense of time; you may have the feeling that a project will take forever or that you have “plenty of time.” The more realistic you become, the less likely you'll be to procrastinate.
- Use the minutes available to you
Remember that even five minutes is enough time to get something done. One or two phone calls or more can be returned in that time.
- Reward yourself
After you meet small deadlines, promise yourself a small treat. When the entire project is completed, think on a little grander scale.
- Create more time
If it seems like there really is no time, carve out a half hour or so from your existing schedule. If you really want to take up jogging, try getting up a half hour earlier each day (or on weekends). If you want to do it, you'll find the time.
- Get started
The hardest part is getting started. Once you're in motion, it will be easier to keep going. You may well find that it isn't as bad as you expected, and once you're involved, you've overcome the highest hurdle.
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| Friday, 09 July 2010, 08:55:04 AM |
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer often used in Asian foods dishes as well as in a wide range of commercially prepared foods. Chemically, it is a salt of glutamic acid, one of the amino-acid building blocks of protein. Glutamic acid and its salts, including MSG, stimulate a particular taste receptor, the one responsible for the so-called "fifth taste" or umami (a Japanese word meaning "meaty" or "savory").
MSG is often suspected of causing health concerns such as flushing, general weakness, and heart palpitations, but studies have produced no evidence linking consumption of moderate amounts of MSG with any serious reactions, and have found no links to short- or long-term health problems, including Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease or neurodegenerative diseases. However, people who eat large amounts of MSG (three grams or more per meal) on an empty stomach and people with severe and poorly controlled asthma can develop such symptoms as numbness, burning sensation, tingling, facial pressure or tightness, chest pain, headache, nausea, rapid heartbeat, drowsiness and weakness. (Note that three grams is a lot of MSG - the amount in a typical serving of food to which MSG is added is less than 0.5 grams.)
If you find that you react to foods containing MSG or glutamate, check labels when shopping, and when dining in Asian restaurants, ask that your food be prepared without MSG.
If you want to boost the umami component of foods naturally, try using seaweeds such as kombu and mushrooms such as shiitake in soups and stocks and sauces, or add other foods naturally containing free glutamates: fresh tomatoes, tomato paste and Parmesan cheese.
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| Monday, 05 July 2010, 09:18:19 AM | Natural Summer Medicine Chest
Tip of the Day 7/5/2010
When enjoying the outdoors this season, be prepared to protect yourself against common summer ailments. I have found the following to be naturally effective in preventing and treating a variety of summer culprits:
- Ginger: This may prevent motion sickness or other nausea.
- Stinging Nettles: By far the best remedy I know for hay fever.
- Arnica: The tincture of this plant can help relieve the pain and tenderness of sprains and sore muscles.
- Bromelain: Promotes the healing of soft-tissue injuries, such as sprains and bruises.
- Geraniol: Products made with this oil are an effective way to protect yourself from mosquitoes.
- Tecnu: Helps prevent rashes from poison oak, ivy, and sumac.
- Aloe Vera: For sunburn, thermal burns and any areas of skin irritation or inflammation.
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| Saturday, 05 June 2010, 10:30:28 AM | HOT BEACHES IN ONTARIO TO VISIT THIS SUMMER
Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing. . . at the beach. We’re lucky in Ontario to have so much fresh water and so many beaches. There are too many to mention but here’s a look at five of our favourites:
1. Wasaga Beach. Yeah, it’s crowded in summer. But so’s New York City, and it’s still a great place. Wasaga is wonderful for families, with shallow, warm waters that are perfect for tossing a frisbee or football. Lots of action for teenagers intent on watching other teenagers, too. If you’re looking for a little more quiet, slip away from the main beach for a bit more solitude — and less attitude. 90 minutes from Toronto.
2. Sandbanks, Prince Edward County. The beach goes on forever, and the sand dunes are lovely (but try not to walk on the vegetation). There are plenty of shallow portions and it often gets more waves than Wasaga, so it’s fun for better swimmers when the weather kicks things up. Terrific restaurants, wineries and B and B’s in the area make it a great weekend stop. Less than two hours from Toronto.
3. Bluffers Park, Toronto. Woodbine and Sunnyside are more accessible and have more action. Hanlan’s has more naked bodies. But Bluffers has long stretches of sand backed by the beautiful bluffs, which are quite striking in the morning and at sunset. Check out the still mysterious Guild Inn grounds while you’re in the area. 15 minutes from downtown.
4. Port Stanley. Lots of folks swear by Lake Erie, which is shallower and more southerly than the other Great Lakes and gets warmer sooner. Lots to do in town. And railroad enthusiasts can experience a trip in an authentic 1940s London & Port Stanley railcar. Two hours from Toronto.
5. Port Elgin. You can’t go wrong with the southern part of Lake Huron. The water’s beautiful and the pace is slower and more mellow than Muskoka or other cottage areas. Sunset magazine once deemed this region to have the top end-of-the-day views in North America, and that’s saying something. Two and-a-half hours from Toronto
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| Friday, 12 February 2010, 10:49:52 AM | | 9 Natural High Blood Pressure Cures
By Garry Messick
eDiets Contributor
Thursday, April, 17, 2008
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RSS 4. Salt -- Many doctors will suggest you greatly reduce or cut out salt intake. But recent studies show that only about 30 to 40 percent of people are salt-sensitive. You can check whether you're one of them by greatly reducing your sodium intake for two or three weeks. After that time, take your blood pressure and see if it's any lower. If it makes a difference, stay on a low-sodium diet, but also increase your potassium. (There seems to be a relationship between high-sodium/low potassium in diets.) You can either take supplements or modify your diet to include more bananas, potatoes, peppers, pears, eggplants or tomatoes.
5. Fiber -- A low-fiber diet will promote hypertension, so make a point of eating several servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Also eat whole-grain cereals and breads.
6. Dark Chocolate -- A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that a daily dose of dark chocolate can help reduce blood pressure. The study, headed by Dr. Dirk Taubert of University Hospital of Cologne, found that dark chocolate reduced systolic blood pressure by 2.9 units, and diastolic by 1.9 units. "Our study provides sufficient evidence to recommend low amounts of dark chocolate as an addition to a healthy diet," Dr. Taubert says. Just keep it to no more than a few ounces a day...And sorry, milk chocolate and white chocolate don't do the trick.
7. Celery -- Celery contains a chemical that relaxes the blood vessels, thus lowering blood pressure. Four stalks a day should be sufficient. But celery is also high in sodium, so don't eat it if you're salt-sensitive.
8. Garlic -- Garlic has been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure. Eat it as much as possible. But if you don't want to scare friends, family and co-workers away, there are garlic supplements available that don't affect your breath.
9. Calcium and Magnesium Supplements -- The two go together to reduce blood pressure in some people (but not all), although medical science still doesn't know exactly how the relationship works. Experts recommend you take calcium and magnesium for about two months, then see if they seem to reduce your blood pressure. If they do, keep using them.
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| Posted on Thu, 04 Feb 2010, 08:35:27 AM in Home selling tips | | | |
NEW YORK – Is your closet an overflowing disaster? Clothes packed tight, shoes in a hodgepodge on the floor, purses, scarves and sweaters piled high on the shelves?
Some tips for organizing your closet in 10-minute chunks:
1. Plan. Decide what sizes you are going to keep, what is going to be stored in the closet, where you are going to take things that you no longer want, said Standolyn Robertson, certified professional organizer in Waltham, Mass.
2. Take the dry-cleaning bags off, said Lisa Zaslow of Gotham Organizers in New York. "It takes up space, makes it harder to see your clothes and is actually bad for fabric," she said in an email. Remove empty hangers.
3. Organize clothing by type – blouses, pants, skirts, jackets, suits, etc., said Zaslow. Then spend another 10 minutes arranging by colour. As you go, get rid of anything that is worn or stained, that doesn't fit, that isn't flattering or that you just don't like. Store the things you wear most often in the most accessible parts of your closet.
4. If you have a lot of short-hanging items, use a closet doubler that hangs from the top rod to increase your hanging space, said Zaslow. Put your slacks, blouses, jackets and skirts on the bottom rung.
5. Hang all of your fall clothes backward, said Ecker. As you wear them, put the hanger back on the rod the traditional way. At the end of winter, if an item is still hanging backward, it's probably something you should get rid of.
6. Tackle the shelves. Use dividers to create cubicles, said professional organizer Erica Ecker of The Spacialist in New York. "They slide right in a shelf and make perpendicular barriers so your piles of sweaters, shirts and jeans don't avalanche into each other."
7. Put like with like in terms of shoes, said Robertson, immediate past president of the National Association of Professional Organizers. Stick all the tennis shoes together, the sandals together and so forth. Put a magazine in the boots to get them to stand up. Remove shoes that are too small or need to be repaired.
8. Take advantage of unused space. The dead air between the floor and the bottom of a skirt or dress can hold clear plastic bins on wheels for shoes, belts and other accessories. The back of the door can have hooks or over-the-door pocket-type organizers.
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| Thursday, 04 February 2010, 07:44:49 AM | | Prostate cancer remains the second most common cause of cancer deaths among men. According to the American Cancer Society, when final figures are tallied, about 192,000 new cases will have been diagnosed in the year 2009. The risk of developing prostate cancer increases significantly after the age of 65.
Many cases of prostate cancer are discovered during routine blood work that reveals an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level - a possible indicator of prostate cancer. If you have any of the following symptoms, contact your physician:
Frequent urges to urinate, especially at night.
Difficulty starting urination or holding it back.
Weak or interrupted urinary flow.
Painful or burning urination.
Erectile dysfunction.
Painful ejaculation.
Blood in urine or semen.
Recurrent, persistent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs. | |
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| Thursday, 04 February 2010, 07:40:35 AM | | Panic Attacks (Panic Disorder)
What are panic attacks?
Panic attacks or symptoms of panic disorder are characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms such as chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness or abdominal distress.
What are the varieties?
Panic attacks can range from mild to severe, and can occur infrequently or on a regular basis. It is not unusual for a person with panic disorder to develop phobias about places or situations where panic attacks have occurred, such as in supermarkets or while driving. If the frequency of panic attacks increases, the person may begin to avoid those situations all together, fearing another attack may occur and help would not be immediately available. This avoidance may eventually develop into agoraphobia, an inability to go beyond known and safe surroundings because of intense fear and anxiety.
What are the causes of panic attacks?
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Although scientific research has been conducted on the condition for many years, the exact cause or causes of panic disorder remain unknown. However, several factors may play a role in the onset of panic disorder:
•Heredity
•A tendency toward exaggerated awareness of normal bodily reactions
•Stressful life events
Who is likely to get panic attacks?
About 1.7 percent of the adult U.S. population ages 18 to 54 - approximately 2.4 million people - experience symptoms of panic disorder in a given year. Women are twice as likely as men to develop panic disorder, and it typically first occurs in young adulthood. Roughly half of all people who have panic disorder develop the condition before age 25.
What are the symptoms of panic attacks?
•Palpations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate
•Trembling or shaking
•Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
•Feeling of choking
•Chest pain or discomfort
•Nausea or abdominal distress
•Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded or faint
•Feeling detached from oneself or feelings of unreality
•Fear of losing control or of going crazy
•Fear of dying
•Numbness or tingling sensation
•Chills or hot flashes
How are panic attacks diagnosed?
To make a formal diagnosis of panic disorder, a person must experience either four panic attacks within a four-week period, or one or more attacks followed by at least a month of persistent fear of having another attack. During one of those attacks a minimum of four of the above noted symptoms must reach a peak within 10 minutes.
What is the conventional treatment of panic attacks?
Antidepressant medications are commonly prescribed to help improve or eliminate the symptoms of panic attacks. Cognitive behavioral therapy is also often recommended.
What therapies does Dr. Weil recommend for panic attacks?
Dr. Weil recommends the following to help reduce symptoms associated with panic attacks:
•Breathing exercises. One of the best single anti-anxiety measures, controlling breathing and breath work can offer an immediate lessening of symptoms
•Mind-body techniques such as biofeedback and cognitive behavioral therapy, which can help to encourage healthy coping skills.
•Seeking professional counseling
How can panic attacks be prevented?
Following the practices of a healthy lifestyle can help, including eating well and getting regular exercise. Using mind-body approaches and relaxation techniques to reduce stress and anxiety can also help keep you centered and minimize the impact of panic attacks.
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| Tuesday, 02 February 2010, 10:26:25 AM | | February 02, 2010
And the Oscar nominees are ...
Yay for District 9. Yay for Jeff Bridges! Yay for Woody Harrelson. Go Kathryn Bigelow! And there's a double nod for Up! Maggie Gyllenhaal is a bit of a surprise. As was The Blind Side for best picture. And Star Trek was robbed! And Anna Kendrick's nod for Up In The Air means that a Twilight cast member got nominated. Which is really bleeped up. Leading the nominations pack are Hurt Locker and Avatar with nine nods each. We're going to be reading so many stories about ex vs. ex and how Bigelow and Cameron get along and blah-blah. I feel tired already.
BEST PICTURE Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air.
BEST ACTRESS Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side Helen Mirren, The Last Station Carey Mulligan, An Education Gabourey Sadibe, Precious Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
BEST ACTOR Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart George Clooney, Up in the Air Colin Firth, A Single Man Morgan Freeman, Invictus Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS MoNique, Precious Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air Penelope Cruz, Nine
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Matt Damon, Invictus Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones Christopher Plummer, The Last Station Christopher Waltz, Inglourious Basterds Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
BEST DIRECTOR Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker James Cameron, Avatar Lee Daniels, Precious Jason Reitman, Up in the Air Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Basterds
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, The Messenger, A Serious Man, Up
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY An Education, District 9, In The Loop, Precious Up, in the Air
BEST ANIMATED FILM Coraline, The Secret of Kells, Fantastic Mr. Fox ,The Princess and the Frog, Up
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM Ajami, El Secreto, Milk os Sorrow, The Prophet, The White Ribbon
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Burma VJ, The Cove, Food, Inc. The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, Which Way Home.
ORIGINAL SCORE Avatar, James Horner; Fantastic Mr. Fox, Alexandre Desplat; The Hurt Locker, Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders; Sherlock Holmes," Hans Zimmer; Up, Michael Giacchino.
ORIGINAL SONG "Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog, Randy Newman; "Down in New Orleans" from The Princess and the Frog, Randy Newman; Loin de Paname from "Paris 36," Reinhardt Wagner and Frank Thomas; "Take It All" from Nine, Maury Yeston; "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from Crazy Heart, Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett.
Posted at 08:54 AM in Film | Permalink
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