Emergencies don’t come with warning bells. They strike at unexpected moments and your response, or lack thereof, could determine how things come out in the end. How much do you think you know about first aid and proper emergency response? Was Mom right about sweating out a cold?
Most people think they know quite a lot, but most of what they have learned consists of myths that could actually do more harm than good. Put yourself to the test and seriously ask yourself: what would I do in these situations?

1. You grab a hot pan with your bare hands
   Do you put butter or mayonnaise on the burn? Hurriedly remove the child’s clothing because it is stuck to the burn? Do you get out the ice? Those are the common reactions in the case of a burn, but all of them are myths. Butter, mayo, or other types of grease may cause even more damage to tender skin. Pulling clothing or other materials stuck to the burn could damage the tissue or pull the skin off completely.
   The correct action is to rinse gently with cool water and coat the burn with antibiotic ointment. If the burn is on a sensitive area of the body such as the face or if there are a lot of blisters, then go to the ER and do not pop the blisters. You also want to seek medical assistance if a burn completely circles a limb or is larger than your hand.
   Further Reading: Burn First Aid at Mayo Clinic
2. Someone is having a seizure
   Do you move them? Do you hold them still? Do you force open their mouth with your finger or another object, or put something between their teeth? Do you simply watch them carefully and time the seizure? Again, most of these answers are commonfirst aid mistakes that could lead to injury of the person seizing.
   Prying the mouth open or moving them could lead to injuries such as muscle tears. The only reason they should be moved is if they are in an unsafe place and will likely fall off something and hurt themselves. Try to put them on their side and call 911. You may want to unbutton the top of their shirt or their belt to help them breathe and try to time the seizure activity. If the person is a known epileptic, emergency services only need to be called if it lasts for longer than five minutes. Never hold someone having aseizure unless you are preventing them from injury!
   Further Reading: How to Handle a Seizure at AETNA.
3. You sprain your ankle
   Is it ice or heat you use? Do you prop it up? Should you rush to the ER? This is a very common injury that many people blow off without seeking medical attention. In most cases that is okay, but you do need to know how to treat it and when to seek help. The biggest problem is remembering when to use ice and when to apply heat.
   For an ankle sprain you want to apply ice. Heat will actually increase the swelling and could slow down the healing process. If it is painful to put any weight down on the foot then it may be a fracture and you should see a doctor.
   Further Reading: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
4. You are bitten by a snake
   Do you rip off your shirt and wrap the wound? Suck out the poison and spit it on the ground? Get out your pocket knife and carefully cut the wound open so the poison can drain?
   These are all myths that can actually be quite dangerous and lead to more injury than is actually necessary. If you cut the wound even slightly you may slice tendons or nerves that cause more damage. Tourniquets often lead to the blood circulation being cut off and could lead to the loss of a limb. The safest response is to immediately splint the wound or wrap it in something clean and get to the ER right away.
   Further Reading: U.S. National Library of Medicine
5. Your nose suddenly starts bleeding
   Should you lean forward and pinch your nose? Or tip your head all the way back so the blood cannot run out? More importantly, how do you know when it is serious enough to seek medical intervention? Nose bleeds are not always emergency situations, but they are the source of a majorfirst aid myth. If you answered that you would lean forward and pinch the nose closed, you were actually correct. The myth is to tip your head all the way back so the blood cannot flow out, but this could be dangerous with a heavy nose bleed that doesn’t stop quickly. For a nose bleed, lean forward and pinch just underneath the bone. If the bleeding does not stop within five minutes seek medical attention.
   Further Reading: Family Doctor
6. Your child eats an entire bottle of Flintstones vitamins
   Do you assume children’s vitamins are safe and they will just be really healthy for a few weeks? Do you grab the Ipecac from the bathroom and force vomiting? Do you simply run to the ER? In the case of vitamins, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Children die every year from an overdose of iron and children’s vitamins are a main source of iron. For poisons in general, you want to keep the product that was swallowed and call poison control immediately. Depending on what was swallowed, different actions will need to be taken so you must remain calm enough to speak clearly and hear what you are instructed to do for the child.
   It is now advised that all Ipecac be thrown out completely. It is no longer considered a safe medical intervention, as some poisons can actually be made worse by vomiting. Also, a patient vomiting can seriously interfere with treatment once they are at the hospital.
   Further Reading: Flintstone Vitamins
   
7. Someone starts to choke across the dinner table
   Do you jump behind them and do the Heimlich maneuver? Hand them their glass and encourage them to drink? Pat them lightly on the back? Your response to someone choking will depend on whether they are able to talk a little bit or if they cannot make any sound. If they are coughing violently and can speak a little, then it is a partial blockage. If they can only nod their head and/or are turning blue, then it is a full blockage that does require you to jump up and start thrusting upward around their stomach.
   The Heimlich maneuver will force air up through the body and help dislodge whatever is choking the person, but only in the case of a full blockage. If some air is getting through, then encourage them to continue coughing and stay close by, but you do not need to take action unless they start to have breathing trouble or turn blue. Do not give them anything to drink, as the fluid will take up what little space is left for air to pass through. In most cases a partial blockage can be coughed out, but if it becomes a full blockage then once again the Heimlich maneuver will be necessary. Do not perform the Heimlich on a child less than a year old. For a refresher, see this video:
8. Your child suddenly has an extremely high fever
   Do you give them Tylenol and wrap them in a warm blanket to sweat it out? Rub them down with rubbing alcohol? Put them in a tub full of cold water? While there are traces of good advice in two of these options, none of them are the best route to take with a fever. The biggest myth is that rubbing a child’s chest or forehead with rubbing alcohol will break a fever. The child will actually breathe in the alcohol, and their young systems are extremely sensitive to this substance. It is not healthy for them.
   While there may be some truth to the old wives tale of sweating out a fever, it is not a good thing to try with a child. Sudden high fevers can lead to febrile seizures, so putting them in a cool bath (not cold!) and giving them something like Children’s Tylenol to break the fever (if they are old enough for medication) is a better course of action. If you cannot get the fever down or if it goes above 104 degrees Fahrenheit, you should seek medical attention.
   Further Reading: Kidshealth.org

How many of these myths did you think were just standard first aid procedure? How many missteps might you have made if these things occurred in your home? Any of these things could happen and cause minor injuries that do not rise to the occasion of a true emergency, but you never know when something seriously tragic may happen. The ability to think on your feet and take the safest and most effective course of action is essential, especially in situations where you may be the only person around to help someone in need.

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE.

Written on 1/26/2010 by DivineCaroline. DivineCaroline a place where people come together to learn from experts in the fields of health, spending, and parenting. Come discover, read, learn, laugh, and connect at DivineCaroline.com.

By: Nicole Williams

10. Make a list. Pre-breakfast, compiling a daily to-do list creates mental order and calms the mind. Effective lists contain only ten things (including one fun task). Each should have an allotted time frame and be planned to fully exploit your daily energy peaks and troughs.

9. Channel Tarzan. With a fist, firmly tap the area over the thymus gland (the center of your sternum) for three deep breaths. (Yelling like the jungle boy is optional.) According to Donna Eden, Ph.D., author of Energy Medicine for Women, this harmonizes the body and strengthens your immune system against the threats of tiredness, germs, and office-borne infections.

8. Assume the Cobra position. This hatha yoga pose energizes, keeps stress levels low, and combats the back stiffness sitting at a desk all day can bring on. Warm up for two minutes with the cat/cow (on all fours, inhale with the head and buttocks up—making the back concave—then exhale, tucking the head and buttocks, curving the back gently up.) Then move into Cobra by lying on your stomach and placing your hands flat on the ground by your lower ribs. Inhale, press through the hands, and lift the torso and waist off the floor, pressing your pelvis and hips down. Tilt your head back slightly and hold for twenty seconds, gently breathing through your nose.

7. Pack a snack. Fill a lunch bag with a half cup of almonds (the B vitamins support mind and body if under stress), dried apricots (to energize brain and muscles), and walnuts (which protect your heart if deadline adrenaline is pumping).

6. Go for green. Receptors in the eye’s retinas are more sensitive to certain light frequencies, and the wavelength of bright green is super-stimulating for the brain—especially good if you’ve got a long, hardcore day ahead.

5. Take a whiff. Peppermint oil improves your brain’s cognitive performance, according to German researchers. Jasmine increases alertness on days full of endless meetings. Lavender reduces pre-presentation anxiety, and citrus aromas oxygenate a brain that didn’t get enough Z’s.

4. Stow the Blackberry. Constantly checking e-mail causes loss of focus and concentration on important tasks. Set three daily read-and-respond times. Then stick to them.

3. Share your schedule. When you arrive at work, send your colleagues an e-mail stating when you’ll be available today and when you cannot be interrupted. If you’re in a cubicle, sit with your back to the entrance and pop on some headphones to discourage distracters.
2. Get fishy. Popping an Omega-3 capsule every morning (450mg) keeps your brain alert, boosts learning power, and fights depression.

1. Use Affirmations. En route to work and throughout the day, mentally repeat, “I am incredibly efficient today. Nothing fazes me.” Positive mantras undermine negative beliefs—and instill everything we say and do in that moment with real conviction. Skeptical? Just try it!

By Annie Tucker Morgan, DivineCaroline

In 2007, I had the good fortune to live on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, for a year. While I was there, fewer than sixty-five thousand permanent residents occupied this 622-square-mile Eden, which meant that there were almost as many roosters as there were humans living there. Far away from the clanging trains, rattling jackhammers, buzzing bumper-to-bumper traffic, and other city background noises that had been my daily soundtrack when I lived in California, I sensed my hearing acclimating to an entirely new set of tones: the music of nature. Each morning, exotic birds burst into song outside my window. Many an evening, deafening tropical rain hammered the roof of my house. And in the middle of the night when the swells were up, I could hear the steady hum of waves crashing in the distance. It was amazing.

Back in the real world, we’re exposed to a cacophony of different noises–some relaxing, some jarring, others so constant or droning as to go largely unrecognized. And though everyone’s aural preferences are individualistic, certain tones have more power than others to lift our mood, wake us up, and even improve our concentration. What are the sweetest sounds we hear?

1. Hydrotherapy
Whether it’s a babbling brook, waves breaking onshore, the steady rush of a waterfall, or the drumming of a rain shower, the sound of water is unprecedented in its ability to calm our jangled nerves and lull us to sleep–just ask the droves of music producers who earn their livelihood by recording aquatic melodies and selling them to insomniacs and stressed-out individuals. The secret to water sounds– relaxing effects may lie in the primal rhythms they contain, which help people regulate their breathing, quiet their minds, and call forth memories of blissful time they’ve spent in nature.

2. Snap, Crackle, Pop
Certain repetitive sounds have the opposite effect water does: each sonic burst is a mini-pick-me-up. These noises include dry autumn leaves, hard-packed snow, or loose gravel crunching underfoot, as well as bacon grease popping in a frying pan. Like a rushing river, such sounds have a rhythm all their own, but it’s more staccato and therefore more invigorating. In addition, the sound of a car rolling up a gravel driveway can fill listeners with excitement as they anticipate the arrival of a long-awaited guest.

3. Light My Fire
Whether it’s outside at a campground or inside in a fireplace, the crackling of a fire is mesmerizing to most people; it hypnotizes them into a drowsy, quiet state, punctuated by an occasional mm-hmm. These hearthside sounds may resonate because of humans’ age-old fascination with fire, one of the first tools they used to consciously manipulate their natural environment to keep themselves warm, cook their food, and even herd animals.

Nocturnal gatherings around fires at night were also some of the earliest social gatherings, spurring communication and fostering relationships. Many millennia later, the sound of a fire may trigger some primitive memory of this turning point in human evolution

4. Laugh-In
If laughter is indeed the best medicine, then an infant’s delighted squeals as she discovers her own toes or a toddler’s raucous giggles when he’s being tickled are the ultimate panacea. The pure, unself-conscious joy that children’s laughter projects is contagious; it liberates adults from their day-to-day stresses by reminding them of more innocent and carefree times. And for the parents of youngsters, their kids’ belly laughs can be a reassuring sign that all is well psychologically and that the parents are making sound child-rearing decisions.

5. Noise Pollution
Ironically, one of the most widely used therapeutic sounds is not a single tone at all, but rather a combination of all sonic frequencies playing simultaneously: white noise. So named for its similarity to white light–which is not an absence of color, but a mixture of all colors–white noise works by absorbing all background noise and “reprogramming” it as a steadier, more calming buzz, not unlike the sound of radio static. As a result, it’s an effective sleep aid, a treatment for tinnitus, and a concentration booster (to block out the distracting sounds of noisy coworkers, for example).

6. And the Winner Is…
In 1935, two Bell Labs researchers named Harvey Fletcher and W.A. Munson conducted an investigation into human hearing that remains the most renowned study of its kind to this day. In measuring the frequencies that the ear is most responsive to, Fletcher and Munson discovered that people’s favorite sound of all is that of the human voice, which falls right within the ideal range of frequencies (300-3,000 Hertz) for our hearing. The only question is, did our voices evolve to suit our ears, or was it the other way around?

At DivineCaroline.com, women come together to learn from experts in the fields, of health, sustainability, and culture; to reflect on shared experiences; and to express themselves by writing and publishing stories about anything that matters to them. Here, real women publish like real pros. Together, with our staff writers, they’re discussing all facets of women’s lives from relationships and careers, to travel and healthy living. So come discover, read, learn, laugh and connect at DivineCaroline.com.

By Vasant Lad, Yoga+

What to Eat and Drink
Thousands of years ago, the Vedic sages understood that the great rhythms and forces of nature- the alternation of day and night, the rhythmic cycle of seasons- all affect us, as do the seasons and cycles of human life. Being in tune with nature, they knew, also means being in tune with your individual constitution, or prakruti, which is comprised of three subtle energies: vata, the energy of movement; pitta, the energy of digestion or metabolism; and kapha, the energy of lubrication and structure.

How to Adapt
While you can’t control the weather, you can control certain factors (the food you eat, the type and amount of exercise you do, the herbs you ingest, and so on), which either build your health, vitality, and resistance to disease, or wear you down. Here is ayurveda’s view on winter- and what you can do to stay balanced this season.

In winter, the sky is often cloudy and gray, the weather is cold, damp, and heavy, and life, even in the cities, moves more slowly. Welcome to the season of kapha. When balanced, kapha supplies strength, vigor, and stability to both body and mind. This subtle energy is responsible for lubricating the joints, moisturizing the skin, and maintaining immunity. But in excess, it can lead to sluggishness, mucus-related illnesses, excess weight, and negative emotions such as attachment, envy, and greed.

In general, we should follow a kapha-pacifying regimen in the winter. But dry, cold, windy weather can provoke vata, too, and can lead to arthritis, indigestion, and other problems. To calm both vata and kapha when temperatures plummet, read on.

Morning Routine
Ayurveda suggests waking up a bit later in the winter (around 7 a.m.) than you would in other seasons. Upon rising, scrape your tongue to remove the dead bacteria and yeast that have accumulated overnight, and to improve circulation to the visceral organs. Then brush your teeth with toothpaste made from heating herbs such as cinnamon, clove, bilva, and haritaki. Next, drink a cup of warm water to stimulate a bowel movement. Then treat yourself to a quick massage. Rub warmed sesame oil all over your entire body (it’s heating and good for all prakrutis in the winter). Let the oil soak in for 5 to 10 minutes, then take a hot shower and exfoliate your skin.

Conclude your morning regimen with yoga, pranayama, and meditation. Surya namaskara (sun salutation) and poses that open the chest, throat, and sinuses remove congestion in the respiratory organs. Try the fish, boat, bow, locust, lion, and camel poses, along with the shoulderstand and the headstand, if you can do it. Follow this with a systematic relaxation and a few rounds of bhastrika, the breath of fire. This breathing practice builds heat and eliminates mucus from the respiratory tract.

After meditating, it’s important to eat a nutrious breakfast. If you don’t feed your digestive fire in the morning, it will dry up bodily tissues and provoke vata. Enjoy a bowl of oatmeal, barley, cornmeal, tapioca, or poha (basmati rice flakes) mildly spiced with cinnamon. An hour after breakfast, boil 1/2 teaspoon of fresh or powdered ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of ground clove in a cup of hot water for 5 minutes. Drink this tea to increase your digestive fire, improve circulation, and reduce excess mucus. (Skip the tea if you have an ulcer or another inflammation-oriented problem).

Indoor Activities
Join a gym, do a workout video, or hit the treadmill to increase circulation and quell kapha. Soak up sunlight, too. Sit by a window to bathe in early morning or evening light. Sun rays relax the muscles, produce vitamin D, soothe Seasonal Affective Disorder, and help the body maintain healthy sleep rhythms.

What to Eat and Drink
Incorporate whole wheat unyeasted bread, buttermilk, cottage cheese, steamed vegetables, warm soup cooked with ghee (clarified butter), and spicy food into your meals. Because your appetite is heartier in the winter, eat more protein- beans, tofu, eggs- and if you’re not a strict vegetarian, chicken, turkey, and fish. Add warming spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper to promote digestion. Drinking a few ounces of sweet or dry wine with your meals will stoke your agni (digestive fire), improve your appetite, and increase circulation. Avoid cold drinks (they aggravate kapha and vata) and opt for hot water, hot tea, and occasionally, hot cocoa or chai.

Staying Warm
Avoid cold drafts, wear warm clothes, and don’t forget to wear a hat outside. (Grandma was right: more than half of the body’s heat is lost through the head.) Also, cover your ears and neck to keep vata and kapha in check.

Curing a Cold
Ayurvedically speaking, colds are a kapha-vata disorder. The body builds up an excess of cool and moist kapha qualities, resulting in congestion and a runny nose, and at the same time it may suffer from excess vata, which reduces agni, leading to chills, loss of appetite, and poor digestion. Here’s help.

Try ginger. It’s the best remedy for colds. Drink ginger tea, take a bath infused with ginger and baking soda (put 1/3 cup of baking soda and 1/3 cup of powdered ginger into a hot tub and then soak the body from the neck down), or try a ginger steam treatment. Boil one teaspoon powdered ginger in a pint of water. Turn off the stove, put a towel over your head, and inhale the steam through your nostrils for about 5 minutes. This will relieve congestion and help you feel much better.

Take vitamin C. Try 500 mg daily for up to three months.

Use natural nose drops. Lubricate the nasal passages and relieve the irritation and sneezing of a cold with nasya. Lie on your back, face up, with a pillow under your shoulders and your head tilted back, so your nostrils are facing the ceiling. Put 3 to 5 drops liquefied ghee in each nostril and gently sniff the oil upward into the nose. You can do nasya in the morning and night (on an empty stomach and at least one hour before or after showering).

Drink hot water. Drinking hot water several times a day removes toxins from the system and speeds up your recovery time.

Avoid dairy products. Strictly avoid dairy products, including yogurt, cheese, milk, and ice cream, until your congestion clears up.

Why Is Your Appetite Stronger in the Winter?
In response to cold weather, the body constricts the skin pores and superficial connective tissue to prevent heat loss, which directs the heat away from the peripheral tissues and into the body’s core, including the stomach. Agni (and, therefore, your appetite) becomes stronger in winter. However, if kapha or vata are provoked, agni plummets, leaving you more susceptible to colds, poor circulation, joint pains, and negative emotions.

Winter no-no’s
Avoid cold drinks, fasting, late nights, naps, exposure to cold drafts and wind, and stay physically active.

Vasant Lad, BAMS, MASc, is a world-renowned ayurvedic physician from India. He is the founder of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the author of numerous books.

Source: Yoga+ is an award-winning, independent magazine that contemplates the deeper dimensions of spiritual life--exploring the power of yoga practice and philosophy to not only transform our bodies and minds, but inspire meaningful engagement in our society, environment, and the global community.

By Timothy Ogden

The news and images from Haiti are heartbreaking. Many individuals and companies are reaching for their wallets; others are wondering what they can do to help. But the best advice for corporate givers trying to figure out how best to respond is the old adage: "Don't just do something, stand there." To understand why, take a look back at the responses to other recent disasters. There is a discernable pattern, and not a good one:

1. Donations spike in the immediate aftermath.
2. A huge portion of the funds donated are spent on setting up disaster-relief operations that are no longer the primary need.
3. A flood of cash and materials cause a logistics nightmare leading to waste and ineffectiveness, if not corruption.
4. Six months later, reconstruction stalls because the world's attention has moved elsewhere.
5. And, finally, a series of reports bemoan the fact that too many funds are devoted to disaster relief and not enough to disaster preparedness and reconstruction.

Companies are in the perfect position to break this cycle: They have the ability (and the obligation) to be thoughtful and strategic about how they handle their charitable giving. Here are a few ways businesses can help — and some principles everyone can apply to post-disaster giving:

Don't earmark your donations for Haiti. Funds for disaster relief are absolutely necessary in the short term — but immediate relief efforts are just one part of a long recovery process. By the time money earmarked for disaster relief arrives in charities' bank accounts for a particular disaster, recovery workers have already moved on to the much harder, much more expensive rebuilding phase. Rather than earmark a gift for Haitian disaster relief, direct your donations toward replenishing the cash and materials that disaster-relief agencies will expend in the next few weeks in Haiti, so they will be ready to respond immediately to the next disaster.

Go with experience. If you feel that you must give to disaster relief in Haiti, make sure you are giving to an organization that has extensive experience in Haiti and people already on the ground. They will be much more effective because of their existing knowledge of communities, cultural norms, and power dynamics.

Give money. Gifts-in-kind may seem like an appealing and useful way to contribute but they tend to cause huge logistical problems that dramatically undermine their value. Money gives those responding to the disaster the ability to act flexibly, according to the needs at hand. If you do have materials you are convinced will be useful (construction supplies, computers, and so on) ask the charity your working with whether it can effectively use what you can give. (And be prepared to hear that they'd rather have the cash.)

Look ahead. Long after their immediate health and safety needs are taken care of and the media spotlight has moved on, Haitians will still benefit from your organization's help in rebuilding their lives and livelihoods. One way to do this — and engage employees and customers — is to match the dollars they contribute for immediate relief with a corporate gift for reconstruction, to be given in six or eight months. By that time it will be clear which areas of the rebuilding effort are underfunded. You'll also have time to thoroughly vet agencies, projects, and so forth, to ensure that your donations will do the most good.

Timothy Ogden is the president of Sona Partners and the editor-in-chief of Philanthropy Action , a journal for high-net-worth donors. He was formerly chief knowledge officer at Geneva Global, an international philanthropy advisory company.

As a society, we are constantly striving to lead healthier, happier lives. But with these efforts, we sometimes run the risk of going too far. As a rule of thumb, any extreme is unhealthy, but rarely are we made aware of the “cons” of healthy habits, instead led to think any good thing is better if done as often as possible. Not so fast …

Here are some examples of healthy habits that can backfire when done in excess:

1. Over-Exercising
Your body and mind do not need more than three to four days a week of 30 to 45 minutes of cardio activity. Cardio/aerobic exercises should be done every other day alternating with Yoga, Pilates, walking, and weight training on the off days. Hiking, swimming, tennis, golf, team sports and a simple variation in exercise over the course of the week, month and season is the best way to stay lean, toned and energized.

3. Staying Out of the Sun
Our bodies need Vitamin D to stay strong by making healthy bones and ward off illness by boosting our immune system. The only way to get Vitamin D into our system is via sun exposure. Don’t make yourself overly neurotic about sunscreen. If you are going to the pool or beach or participating in outdoor sports that involve more than 20 minutes of sun exposure, slather on the SPF 30, but if you are simply doing your daily errands outdoors, enjoy the feeling the sun on your skin. The only part of your body that should always be protected is the face.

3. Using Antibacterial Soaps and Gels
Antibacterial soaps and gels are good to carry in your purse or car but becoming obsessed with the sanitization they promise could weaken your body’s ability to fight off “good bacteria.” Washing your hands with warm water and soap for twenty seconds will do the trick.

4. Sleeping
The average person needs eight full hours of undisturbed sleep at night. If you are regularly getting fewer or more than nine hours sleep, you are not doing yourself much good. Human beings are not built to think, process, or function optimally on more or less than seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Not to mention too little or too much sleep is bad for our skin and causes bloating, overeating, confusion and depression.

5. Relying on Air Conditioning
While air conditioning feels great on a hot, humid summer day, don�t sit and breathe in cold recycled air all day and night long. The air may contain bacteria and germs and certainly all kinds of particles of dust. Every few hours, turn the air off, open the windows, go for a walk outside and breathe in the fresh air–don’t forget to wash your air conditioning filters with warm water and soap and let them air-dry every month you’re using them. And if you work in an office building where windows never open, bring a sweater to keep your core temperature warm and get out of the office at least for lunch and a mid-afternoon break

6. Eating Organic Food
While organic foods–such as fruits, vegetables, and packaged goods–tend to be expensive, the real problem is that they can still be heavily processed. Make sure to read the labels of the food you are purchasing carefully even if you are buying them from the health food store. Foods don’t need to be “organic” to be healthy. Stick with labels that have simple and few ingredients, and a low amount of natural sugars (like honey, turbinado sugar, cane sugar), sodium and processed carbohydrates.

At DivineCaroline.com, women come together to learn from experts in the fields, of health, sustainability, and culture; to reflect on shared experiences; and to express themselves by writing and publishing stories about anything that matters to them. Here, real women publish like real pros. Together, with our staff writers, they’re discussing all facets of women’s lives from relationships and careers, to travel and healthy living. So come discover, read, learn, laugh and connect at DivineCaroline.com.

By Paula Spencer, Caring.com senior editor

If making a commitment to “eating healthfully” seems like an overwhelming chore, think more strategically. Opt for a few simple tweaks. Certain small changes serve up huge, lifelong benefits that can help you lose weight, ward off disease, and sustain a better mood and more energy all day long.

“It’s all about self-care,” says Beth Reardon of Duke Integrative Medicine and Caring.com’s senior food and nutrition editor. “You have to ask, ‘Am I worth a little extra effort to think about what I’m putting in my body?’ You — and the body that you rely on — deserve nothing less.” Start with these six simple diet game-changers:

1. Add more fat–healthy fat–to your diet.
Why? Many adults, especially baby boomers, have been brainwashed into thinking fats equal calories and should be avoided. But the body needs fat to function. (After all, 60 percent of the brain is fat.) Not all fat is alike, and not all fat calories — researchers increasingly believe — are alike either. “Some fats seem to bind with receptors in the nucleus of the cell and cause the body to metabolize them better,” Reardon says.

Healthy fats include many nuts, seeds, avocado, extra-virgin olive oil, and canola oil. “Eating nuts and avocados doesn’t make you fat — but not eating them might,” Reardon says. Unlike calories from saturated (bad) fats, healthy fat calories are essential to the body’s metabolism. They keep you performing well, and they satisfy hunger better.

How? Use extra-virgin olive oil and canola for much of your cooking. Don’t be shy about adding a small amount of olive oil, with flavored vinegar, to a salad if it makes it taste better, so you want to eat more salad. (Bonus: Less sodium and sugar than processed bottled dressings.) Mash avocado and spread it on your sandwich in place of mayonnaise. Snack on raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, and walnuts — four kinds of nuts and seeds with great lipid-lowering ability — or add them as toppings or ingredients to cereal, vegetable dishes, or foods.

Tip: Buy a flaxseed grinder (or coffee grinder) and add freshly-ground flaxseed to anything from cereal and baked goods to vegetables and smoothies. Flax is a rich source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids as well as antioxidants and fiber, and it’s been shown to reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol. Because whole flaxseed tends to be less well used by the body, grinding the seeds before use provides more benefit.

2. Swap what you’re drinking now for water and green tea.
Why? Water is sugar-free, junk-free, and guilt-free. Juice or soda, in contrast, contain unproductive calories (150 calories per cup of grape juice, 150 in a regular 12-ounce can of soda) made up mostly of sugar and few nutrients.

Don’t bank on diet sodas and sugar-free juices, either. They may have no calories, but the artificial sweeteners in them work in the body the same way sugary drinks do: They cause the brain to signal to the pancreas that “sweets are coming!” This causes the pancreas to start pumping insulin. Insulin, in turn, triggers carb cravings and fatigue. “It’s a cheating game,” says Reardon, “that backfires on us.”

Drinks like soda and juice are also habit-forming. The brain tends to associate them with certain foods (chips, fries, hamburgers) or with expecting to eat at certain times. What’s more, liquid calories take up stomach space, making us less likely to eat more satisfying and nutrient-rich foods, so overall nutrition suffers.

Water is less filling and hydrates the body, flushing out toxins, transporting nutrients, and keeping tissues such as the nose and mouth moist and better able to defend against viruses.

How? Aim for 48 ounces of water a day (that’s six eight-ounce glasses), plus two to four cups of antioxidant-rich green or white tea (as a better-for-you coffee replacement). To build an easy water habit, pour glasses of water when you set the table, and set out a carafe for easy refills. Get in the habit of carrying a portable water bottle with you throughout the day. Whenever you would ordinarily reach for another drink, pour water instead. Drink water whenever you’re thirsty and after activity that makes you sweat.

Tip: “I drop a flavored white- or green-tea bag, like mandarin orange, into my water bottle as a quick, amazing-tasting alternative to hot brewed tea,” Reardon says. “You get the antioxidant benefits of tea without the additives, calories, or artificial flavorings of mixes like Propel or Crystal Lite.” The polyphenols in green tea also have mild metabolism-boosting properties.

3. Sample an alternative whole grain once a week.
Why? Whole grains are a critical part of a plant-based diet because they provide essential B vitamins and fiber. But Americans tend to be overly dependent on simple grains, usually white wheat, as well as white rice and white potatoes. “We tend to fall into habits and serve what our mothers did, but there’s a huge world of whole grain variety out there,” Reardon says.

Greater grain variety exposes the body to more nutrients and makes it easier to hit the targeted 45 grams per day of fiber adults need. (Most Americans eat an anemic 15 grams a day.) Another potential plus to weaning from wheat: undiagnosed celiac disease, a wheat intolerance caused by the body’s inability to absorb gluten. The rates of celiac disease have increased 400 percent since the 1950s, according to a 2009 Mayo Clinic study in the journal Gastroenterology. And for every case diagnosed, there are thought to be 30 others not yet detected.

How? Start once a week by swapping out your usual white potatoes, white rice, or white bread with a serving of a new-to-you wheat alternative. Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wa,” it cooks like rice), for example, contains up to 50 percent more protein than other grains, as well as higher fat, calcium, and B vitamins. Other options include millet, barley, spelt, amaranth, wheat berries, buckwheat, and wild rice. Even food superstores, like Target, often now stock these wheat alternatives.

Tip: If you’re nervous about cooking an unfamiliar grain, look for semiprepared mixes or ready-made dishes. (Reardon’s local Whole Foods sells a quinoa mixed with pumpkin, pomegranate, and pine nuts, for example.) “Packaged mixes are higher in sodium but a good alternative if you’re paralyzed by fear of failure,” she says.

4. Eat breakfast–and not just any old breakfast. A big one!
Why? Many people postpone the first meal of the day as long as possible because they’re convinced that once they start eating, they can’t stop. “The reason they can’t stop once they get going isn’t that they’ve eaten but what they’ve eaten,” Reardon says. “If you just grab a bagel or a piece of fruit, it’s a simple carb that’s burned quickly, and you’re soon ravenous with a need to feed a glucose low.” This sets you up for a roller-coaster of blood-sugar highs and lows all day.By eating a more complex breakfast soon after you get up, however, your body is actually sated longer — and you’ll ultimately eat less.

How? Break your overnight fast within an hour of awakening with a balance of four items: a slow-burning whole grain (oatmeal, muesli, whole-grain English muffin, whole-grain cereal), some protein (yogurt, low-fat milk, tofu with scrambled eggs, nut butter, fish, lean meat), healthy fat (almond butter, cashew butter, nuts, ground flaxseed, canola oil — found in some cereals), and a fruit/vegetable (raisins, frozen berries, grapefruit half, grilled vegetables, banana).

Avoid two food categories that contain most “classic” American breakfast foods:

• Simple carbs (frozen waffle, pastry, muffins, sugary cereal, pancakes made with white flour, breakfast bars)

• Fatty foods high in saturated fats (fried eggs and bacon, cheesy omelets, bagels with cream cheese, fast-food breakfast sandwiches)

Tip: For an easy, sustaining, one-bowl solution, microwave plain oatmeal (not flavored) and low-fat milk with walnuts or almonds and dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.). Add ground flaxseed and top with fresh berries, a little cinnamon, and you’re good to go. Even better: Make a batch to get you through a few days; refrigerate and heat up individual servings day by day.

5. Sub the sandwich.
Why? “Most American are inclined to think of lunch as two pieces of bread and a filling,” Reardon says. Too often, this bread is a simple-carb, processed white wheat — and the filling tends to be fatty meats and cheeses. Net result: a midday waste of calories. Better: Move away from the stereotype sandwich for lunch.

How? Most other cultures don’t rely on sandwiches for lunch, Reardon says. Instead, they eat what we traditionally consider “breakfast food” (whole-grain cereal with yogurt and fruit, eggs) or “dinner food” (fish, brown rice with veggies, soup, yesterday’s leftovers).

No microwave available to heat up a meal? Pack a salad topped with canned salmon, chickpeas, tuna, or deli turkey. Roll up veggies and low-fat cheese in a whole-grain tortilla. Munch fruit and nuts.

Tip: Go to a recipe finder such as epicurious.com to experiment with new dishes built around whole grains, soy protein (tempeh and tofu, for example), or squashes or other vegetables. Pay attention to the reviews to find recipes that match your tastes and prep-time preferences. Making enough to brown-bag for lunch saves money — and spares the stressing over “what will I eat?” that too often leads to quick, calorie-stuffed, nutrient-hungry choices

6. Put your proteins into rotation.
Why? Americans eat too much protein, on average, and too much of it comes from animal sources. A meat-heavy diet is linked to a higher risk of heart disease and cancer. Better: a diet that’s primarily plant-based. That’s why introducing more vegetarian meals, ideally three to four times a week, is an easy way to boost overall nutrition — and save money.

How? Shoot for a mix like this: Red meat once a week, poultry one to two times a week, seafood or vegetarian three to four times a week. Eventually, your goal should be to have red meat twice a month or less.

Tip: Train yourself to think of protein as a side dish to the vegetables and grains, not as a main dish. Thomas Jefferson recommended reserving meat for a flavoring — a “condiment for the vegetables,” Michael Pollan writes in In Defense of Food.

Source:Care2.com &

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It’s the dead of winter and you’ve got a miserable cold or the flu—again. Why is it so hard to escape this season without sneezing, coughing, aching, or running a fever?

We often invite these ailments in unwittingly. As the temperature drops and twilight falls earlier and earlier, we’d rather slouch on a couch and eat pizza in front of the TV than take a brisk walk or head to the gym. Throw in a few festive holidays and we’ve got an overburdened, under exercised body brimming with ama (toxic buildup). And because winter is a kapha-dominant season, we begin to feel increasingly cold, heavy, wet, dense, and inert. As kapha rises and ama builds, the body becomes congested.

In its wisdom, the body attempts to slough off this toxic buildup before it causes bigger problems (according to ayurveda, ama is the fertilizer for all the seeds of illness). A cold or the flu can be the mechanism for a little “spring cleaning,” however unpleasant.

So while it’s tempting to raid the medicine cabinet for cough suppressants, decongestants, anti-inflammatories, and anti-nausea medications, ayurveda encourages us to support our body’s cleansing mission, even if it means toughing out uncomfortable symptoms. Here are some natural ways to cope with colds and flus.

At the first sign of sıckness…
Support your body’s cleansing efforts and boost your immune system with the following items:

Vitamin A (20,000 IU once a day for 5 days at your heartiest meal. Contraindicated in pregnancy.)

Zinc lozenges (25 mg up to 3 times per day, best with food to prevent stomach upset.)

Echinacea extract (30 drops in an ounce of hot water, 4–8 times per day. Best absorbed on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before meals or 2 hours afterward.)

Vitamin C (500 mg 4–8 times per day on an empty stomach.)

Sip hot water throughout the day. It will counteract dry indoor environments by hydrating you and liquifying toxins so that they’re easier to move out of the body.

If you have a sore throat…

Take a Ceanothus compound extract (30 drops, 3–4 times per day in an ounce of hot water). It helps soothe a sore throat by releasing lymphatic congestion. Although this product is difficult to find, it’s available through the Wellspring Homeopathic Pharmacy, 570-253-5650, whpklein@epix.net.

Gargle with warm salt water up to every two hours.

If you’re congested…

Rinse your nose with a neti pot 4–5 times a day until your congestion dissipates. After filling the neti pot with warm saline water, tilt your head and let the liquid pass from one nostril to the other and out. Then repeat on the other side. The nasal wash carries away airborne particles—dust, bacteria, viruses, and fungi—and flushes out excess mucus. Neti pots are available online and at many health-food stores.

Put a few drops of eucalyptus oil into a pot of steaming water. Drape a towel over your head, lean over the pot, and breathe in the steam for several minutes up to 5 times a day. Eucalyptus is an anti-kapha aroma that will energize you while increasing the circulation and drainage of mucus.

If you have a fever…

Wait it out. Recent medical studies show that people tend to stay sick longer when they suppress fevers with medication. A fever is your body’s way of destroying an invader, so many ayurvedic practitioners do not treat a fever unless it’s over 102°. Instead, they recommend dressing warmly and using cold compresses or taking tepid baths to alleviate the fever’s discomforts. (And, of course, resting!)

If you’re nauseous…

Don’t suppress the urge to vomit. This purging activity is so kapha-diminishing that ayurvedic physicians use it as a form of therapy for people with sluggish, overburdened systems. Nausea is a sign that your body is unable to digest whatever you’ve eaten. Vomiting relieves the body of that burden.

If your body is strong & the disease is weak…

Follow a modified kapha-pacifying diet for 2–4 days. Eat plenty of fruit and hydrate yourself with vegetable juices, broth, and herbal tea. This gentle fast will stave off hunger while freeing up digestive energy that can be used to fight off disease instead.

Source: Care2.com

By Shannon Sexton, Editor at Large of Yoga+ Magazine

It is the time of year where many people will attempt to develop their New Year’s resolutions. Whether you have one resolution or a thousand, wouldn’t it be a fabulous accomplishment to be able to say to yourself that 2010 was the year you stopped dreaming about accomplishing your resolutions and started to do them?

Dreaming about what you want to get done is not a bad thing, but many of us seem stuck in the days after January 1st thinking about losing weight  , starting a business  , or saving more of our income  instead of making it happen.

To help you start the New Year right, here are 6 ways I have thought of that you make 2010 a year of doing instead of a year of dreaming:

Change Your Mental Map
In the article, “Leading Again for the First Time ,” Dr. Chip Souba makes the assertion that “Sustainable success begins with transforming people first by changing their mental maps and thought patterns.” In my studies of success, the people that are most successful are the ones that change their perceptions of what they can do and as Dr. Souba said, change their mental map.

When you change your mental map, you are not changing what you believe to be true or false, right or wrong, but you are changing how you perceive success in accomplishing your goals   . Many of us fall into the trap of thinking that our past failures signify future failures. That is a mental map we have created that has now defined our future. When we change our mental map, we realize that our past failures do not define our future and that we can accomplish the goals we set this New Year.

Increase Your Learning on the Subject
For many of us, the New Year gives us a few days of rest before we have to go back to work. This is a good time to sneak into the library and research your resolutions. I personally like to do my research in the libraries of a large public university. There I have access to search tools and databases that allow me to find peer reviewed articles and data on the topics I am researching. For non-research types like me, our local public library can give us access to:

1. The forms needed to start a business.
2. Books on how to get our finances in order.
3. Exercise and diet DVDs, books, and magazines
4. Online programs to learn a new language, learn about traveling to other countries, develop a resume and a variety of other self-help topics.
5. A staff of people that are paid to help you find information.

If you need help losing weight, then join a support group. Trying to save money? Join a savings club. Want to start a business? Then join a local chamber of commerce. For many of your goals, there are free or low cost groups that you can join that create a support network that will help you stick with your goals.  

No time to cook healthy meals and still want to eat healthy? Order a Personal Chef To Go meal plan. The Singles menu is perfect for singles or for those who who want to eat a healthy lunch while you’re at work without spending a bundle. The Family Favorites meal plan is great for getting everyone to eat healthier too!

Don’t wait for something to happen, the clock to strike midnight, or a mystic vision to reveal what you are supposed to accomplish in the New Year. IF you want to be successful then pick up the phone, get out and start moving, or pick up the pen in write. Whatever you want to do, get out there and do it right now! It is the best way to get you started in accomplishing your goals.