Grab Bag Risky Business Part II:

So… last week we read about the Top Ten Cancer Risks. Now…. how do we optimize our environment? Dr. Nalini Chilkov proceeds to tell us how we can round up the bad guys and make our home less cancer-friendly:

What can you do? Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference

Tip #1: First of all, you can go through your home — one room at a time. The bathroom is a good place to start. Read labels! You will realize how many chemicals you are being exposed to. Then, decide you will buy only safe products, made with natural ingredients that won’t harm you or your children.   Here is one of my blog posts on that subject. Cancer Causing Chemicals: Poisons in Your Bathroom.

Tip #2: The next room is the kitchen.  Look at cleaning supplies.  Look at packaged food.  Read those labels.  Now make a commitment to replace those products that introduce chemicals into your home environment and your body that alter your health in negative ways.  Make a commitment to buy organic, chemical-free, fresh, unprocessed foods whenever possible so that you are not eating herbicides and pesticides and food waxes with antibiotics or hormone disrupters on a regular basis.  Here is one of my blog posts on this subject: Cancer Causing Chemicals: Dangerous Exposures Everyday

Tip#3 Relax! Meditate, take a nap, get a massage, stop, take some deep breaths.  When you relax deeply your body increases the production of Natural Killer Cells.  Their name says it all — these are immune cells that can kill cancer cells.

When you don’t get enough rest and relaxation, you have fewer NK cells and are more vulnerable to cancer and infections.  Make a window of what I call “Sacred Time” every day.  Start with 5-10 minutes each day. Every one can  hide in the bathroom for that long!  Start by just sitting quietly, closing your eyes and taking long deep breaths or stopping to watch the sunset.  Feel your system switch gears.  As you build this habit and this skill you will find that you are also building a robust immune system.  Here one of my blog posts on that subject: Cancer, Stress and Depression: A Difficult Journey.

Grab Bag CPR Controversy:

This summer my son was required to renew his CPR certification. and I will be doing so soon as well. It’s been a number of years since I was certified. 

I had heard that the “chest compression only” method was being touted as superior to the standard “30 compressions: 2 breaths” method, so I asked him if anything had been changed to reflect the newer idea of chest compression only. Nope. Same old method of compressions and mouth-to-mouth was still being taught.

Reader Corinna G. just sent me the video below, so I decided to do a bit of research.

This excerpt was a published study (Lancet) from last year, and can be found on the National Institutes of Health website:

All three published randomized clinical trials were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled analyses shows that dispatcher-assisted chest compression-only bystander CPR for adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was associated with a 22% improved chance of survival (risk ratio [RR] 1.22 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.01 – 1.47]; I², 0%) compared to standard CPR.

I asked around, and some places are teaching the newer method. But why aren’t all agencies who teach CPR changing to the new “chest compression only” method? My guess is that, when it comes to life-saving techniques, a number of agencies are going to be very wary of mandating change, if only in terms of liability.

Methinks lawyers and their handy work are often more responsible than common sense for how we go about our lives….. but that’s another topic.

Watch this video and you might be 22% more likely to save a life.

Grab Bag Namaste Face Lift:

Botox Buster: Facial Yoga!

Like a mini-lift for your face… this is a real youth-booster that we should all do!

Read. Do. Write down. Remember. Repeat daily.

Marie Veroniqe’s Five Exercises to Smooth Facial Lines and Wrinkles

Grab Bag Man’s Best Defense:

Dr. Andrew Weil’s site outlines a man’s best defenses against the virtual epidemic of prostate cancer:

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in men. Scientists have estimated that lifestyle factors account for about 75 percent of life-threatening prostate cancer cases. So what can you do about prostate cancer? Try the following:

1. Eat a healthful diet. Of all the environmental factors that contribute to the development of prostate cancer, diet appears to be the most influential – and the most easily changed. Avoid a diet high in red meat, saturated fat and dairy products, all of which may increase the risk for prostate cancer. Instead, eat more tomatoes, especially cooked in sauces. Tomatoes contain lycopene, a carotenoid linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer, and cooking boosts lycopene’s bioavailability. Also include whole soy foods, which contain genistein, an isoflavone that helps normalize hormone levels; fish, which may help moderate the inflammation which contributes to prostate cancer; and fiber, which influences the elimination of hormones such as testosterone and estrogen.
2. Drink green tea. Lab studies indicate that an antioxidant compound in green tea called EGCG directly influences prostate cancer cells. Another compound in green tea blocks the actions of an enzyme that promotes prostate cancer.
3. Exercise. Regular aerobic exercise is associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer.
4. Take a multivitamin that includes vitamin D and antioxidants, especially selenium.
5. Have regular screenings. Rectal exams can help provide early detection of problems with the prostate gland.

Grab Bag Burn Balm:

Read on the Huffington Post:

The best food for a sunburn is milk. I know this sounds stupid, but it really works. While on vacation at MB, SC, my friend got a terrible sunburn all over. She was so red, it was a blueish color. My daughters husband saw TJ and immediatel­y went to the kitchen in the condo, got a 11×9 glass pan, poored half a gallon of white milk and then added ice cubes. He then got a towel and put it into the milk. We had no clue what on earth he was doing. To make this shorter, he laid the milk towel on TJs legs and within 10 min, the burning pain she had was completely gone. We then proceded to apply more milk towels to her shoulders, etc. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. After returning home, I stopped by my local pharmachis­t, asked her if she had heard of the milk towel. No, was her reply, but wanted to know exactly how to do it, she has 3 young blonde sons.

Do let me know if you have tried or heard stories of this.

Grab Bag Brain Game:

Complete the sentences written on the card. Do not use numerals like 1, 2, 3, and so on… Not so easy!

Click on the Comments link at the bottom of the page to see 2 solutions from the website and another I thought of as well…

Grab Bag Funny Stuff:

Love this guy….

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Thanks to Deanne T. for sending this in.