Winter has been too long here in Michigan! I am ready for spring. I am sitting here thinking about some of the things I have missed these past few months and I look forward to within the month-.
– the fresh smelling breeze coming through open windows
… the smell of freshly cut green grass
– the happy sounds of birds early in the morning
– the smell of dirt in a freshly tilled garden–
–the warmth of the sun in the afternoon
–the change of wardrobe to light and colorful clothes
–more activity outside - walking, sports, just sitting and reading
–hearing the spring peepers in the woods
–the bright yellow forsythia bush and the beauty and wonderful smell of lilacs
–the positive and hopeful attitude that all things are new again
Do you, your family or your friends have asthma or other breathing problems? If so, look under your sink or wherever you keep your household cleaning and laundry products. Using spray cleaners or air fresheners, even only once a week, can increase the risk of developing asthma by nearly 50% according to a study at the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology at the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona, Spain.in October 2007. They stated “cleaning sprays — for sale in all supermarkets — are not harmless, and their use may involve serious health risks.” It is uncertain whether the cleaning products are a direct cause of asthma, or simply a trigger for people who already have the disease.
Jan-Paul Zock, a research fellow, headed the study and wanted to alert people that “Cleaning sprays, especially air fresheners, furniture cleaners and glass cleaners, had a particularly strong effect. The risk of developing asthma increased with the frequency of cleaning and number of different sprays used, but on average was 30 to 50 percent higher in people regularly exposed to cleaning sprays than in others,”
The companies and the government usually only test cleaning products to make sure that they don’t kill people or cause cancer,” Then you can’t even be sure the information is on the bottle or can. One specific spray freshner states on their can—“Danger: Hazardous for Humans and Domestic Animals.
Before spraying throughout home, spray in one room and wait 24 hours to make sure no one and any adverse physical reactions.” The commercial shows the product being sprayed in a baby nursery. Do you want something with that kind of warning label in your baby’s room?
Another study, published in Thorax in 2005, stated Prenatal exposure to the use of disinfectants, bleach, carpet cleaner, window cleaner, air fresheners, paints, dry cleaning fluid, and pesticides increased the risk that the baby would have persistent wheezing, can be a precursor to asthma.
There are alternatives. You can find them in the grocery stores, health food stores or from some catalog companies. I found one company that has safer alternatives that work as well or better than the regular name brands, but are less expensive and they are shipped to my door.
Wow! What an exciting election year! Look at all the diversity of the candidates who have been in the race and who are still leading the race to be President of the United States. If John McCain wins, he will be the oldest to take office. Mike Huckabee is a Pastor. Barack Obama is the first Black to be a serious contender. Hillary Clinton is the first woman to run. Bill Richardson grew up in Mexico. Dennis Kucinich even reported he saw a UFO. What an interesting group of politicians.
This year there is a real sense of “hope” and “change”. People want change. Bush’s approval rating, as of February 8, 2008, was at 30% according to an AP poll. This is his lowest level including an all time low by Republicans. The Economists are talking about whether we are going into a Recession. In that same poll, Congress had only a 22% approval rating. The ecomomy is a mess.
Here in Southeastern Michigan, we have the highest foreclosure rate in the United States. We also have the highest unemployment rate in the United States. Michigan is definitely not alone in these two issues. These issues persist throughout most of the nation. Something has to be done when so many people are losing their jobs and their homes. In many areas, home prices have dropped to such a low level that they owe more than the current appraised value. If they can sell, they may have to bring money to the closing.
People have many thoughts on the war, but most people, are not happy with the way Bush is handling the war. Do our troops have all the supplies they need to be safe? There was another story on the news this morning that another lack of supplies probably resulted in many deaths. Should we be there? If not, should we withdraw immediately? Should we do a partial withdrawal? Do we need to reposition our troops to another area? These are some of the questions people have.
15.8% of Americans have no health insurance. Many have to choose between food and prescriptions. This is horrible! They are not able to obtain adequate health care. Many of these are children or elderly who have no way of making any changes.
Our Presidential candidates are talking change. Hopefully they can and will address these issues and more. People are very hopeful. We are feeling the same hope of change that we felt when John Kennedy ran. We felt like things really could change and we could have a part in the change.
Please be sure to exercise your right to vote this year. We really do have the ability to have our voice heard.
There is an article in the NY Times today Vision: Antioxidents May Cut Cataracts by Nicholas Bakalar. An observational study was done that pointed out the benefits of antioxidents in the prevention of cataracts in 35,000 women over 10 years. It is important to get the antioxidents and Lutein form food and supplements. In the study, the women who took vitamin E reduced their risks 14% and the ones with Lutein by 18%.
When you buy supplements, make sure you buy good quality supplements. Some are not worth the money.You can find good quality vitamins and supplements through many companies.
The author concluded that there may be benefits to the antioxidents. It is also important to eat your fruits and vegetables.
I read an article this evening on MSNBC.com talking about the fact that Phthalates have been found in higher levels in the urine of babies whose parents had just bathed or put lotion on them.
These chemicals are not illegal to use, but California and some countries have limited where they can be used.
This may or may not be a health risk to your baby or child . It is worth the risk to use these products when affordable safe products are available? You don’t want the scientists to say they are fine now and then a few years from now for them to decide that these chemicals cause Cancer, reproductive problems or birth defects in their babies. You can buy safe products from a grocery store or health food store. There are also companies that you can order online. I have found one that is less expensive than the health food store and safer than the general store. I have made the choice that none of my family is going to be a ginnea pig testing potentially dangerous products.
Do you start each day telling yourself you will have a good day or do you just wait to see what will happen?You have the power to decide what kind of a day you want to live.In The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, she talks about the Law of Attraction. We can attract the life we want by making the decision and believing that we will get everything we want. The Universe is there for the taking. Parts of The Secret have been told for centuries throughout the world through religions and philosophies.Think back on the sayings “Ask and ye will receive” The Bible,“Whatever you can conceive and believe, you will achieve”, Napoleon Hill and “Whether you think you can or can’t either way you are right.” - Henry Ford 1863-1947.You have probably heard all those sayings many times.We can make the decision to have a good day and a good life. This can really work.Try it for a week.As soon as you awaken, tell yourself you will have a great day. As you go to bed tell yourself you will have a good day tomorrow. Make yourself a vision board or a dream board with pictures of things you would like and places you would like to go. Be very descriptive. Instead of a new car, what kind of a car do you want? What color? Instead of more money, how much do you want? Instead of a trip, where do you want to go? Don’t be too surprised when you start having a much better life and start getting those things on your dream board.If you haven’t watched The Secret, buy it or rent it and watch the movie.The Secret is also available on CD and in a book, but I like the movie best.
