| Earth Day in Woodbury
WOODBURY - On that first Earth Day, back in the last century, 20 million people gathered in demonstrations around the country to demand protection of the environment. Thirty-eight years later, Earth Day can feel less idealistic, particularly when you see stores at the local mall sponsoring celebrations, their motives, you suspect, more about drawing shoppers than promoting conservation. But the original Earth Day organizers would surely approve of Woodbury's annual event. New Morning Natural and Organic, the host, is part health food store, part community resource center for local farmers, healthcare practitioners, and environmental groups. Many of them will have booths this year, with multiple tents set up for more than 100 groups and companies promoting natural foods, renewable resources, and healing therapies.
Lyme disease makes heavy push over N.H. border
Northeastern Massachusetts has long been plagued by Lyme disease-carrying ticks, but a recent study in Southern New Hampshire shows the problem is spreading rapidly over the state border. The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services released data this week that indicated more than 50 percent of ticks tested last fall in Rockingham County — which includes communities such as Seabrook, Hampton and Portsmouth — were carriers of Lyme disease. That's almost twice as many as experts had initially predicted. Since 2004, the number of confirmed cases of humans contracting Lyme disease in Rockingham County had nearly quadrupled, from 103 in 2004 to 389 last year. While the disease can be treated with antibiotics, it also can lead to serious illness or death if not diagnosed and treated quickly.
Beauty and style tips
Summer brings with it heat rash and prickly heat, and unless you take care of your skin, you could end up with an itchy and sore back.
Put a few neem leaves in your bath water and ensure that your back is dried properly before you put on your clothes. Sprinkle a prickly heat powder on your body liberally, and stick to cotton clothes. Make sure to change your clothes at least twice a day.
Flaunt your tube dresses
The ensembles to flaunt right now are tube dresses and tunics. They will make you stand out when worn by themselves, or when teamed with pants or mini skirts.
They also give you plenty of opportunity to experiment with accessories. Bring out all those chunky neckpieces as they look great with both tube dresses and tunics.
Wedlock mania
Romila Koel wanted to put her best foot forward on her wedding day. Feet actually. So what did she do? Started going for regular pedicures and manicures a couple of months before her wedding. All normal so far. Then 20 days before the wedding, the young bride-to-be took this... well... a step further. She stopped performing household chores for fear of chipping her nails. Even lifting a bucket was banned. Some women who want to lose weight before their wedding day go to the extent of living on laxatives for days before their wedding - Dr Shikha Sharma, dietician.
Wedding stress
This is just one wedding, example of what brides do to shine on their wedding day. Simple things like weight loss are passe for these young brides, who have discovered new ways to look their best, no matter how obsessive or unhealthy they seem.
Health Calendar: 04/17/2008
The Health calendar is published weekly. Information to be included can be mailed to the Record-Eagle, P.O. Box 632, Traverse City, MI 49685; faxed to 946-8632; e-mailed to sbeach@record-eagle.com or delivered to: 120 W. Front St. Traverse City. MICHIGAN COMMUNITY BLOOD CENTER Acme, noon-6 p.m. April 22, Christ the King Church, 3801 Shore Drive. Alba, 1-5 p.m. April 18, Alba School, 5935 Elm St., bus. Brethren, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 25, Brethren School, 4400 N. High Bridge Road. Frankfort, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 21, Frankfort High School, 534 11th St., bus. Honor, 2-6 p.m. April 25, Honor Plaza, Main Street, bus. Manistee, 12:30-4:30 p.m. April 17 and April 24 West Shore Outreach Lab, 332 First St.; 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Greener cleaners can be a step in the right direction
Customers can bring in a toxic cleaner to Whole Foods from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on April 22 and trade it for a free enzyme-based cleaner to replace it. Enzyme cleaners work by utilizing natural proteins that eat whatever it is you're looking to clean. Sounds great, right? Well, the Green Guide says it is ... sort of. Some powdered enzymes can also cause asthma, notes Senior Editor Emily Main. There are other ingredients in the enzyme-based cleaners that aren't so good, either. "Because ready-to-use enzyme cleaners are diluted with water, they require the use of preservatives," Main notes, "and many companies use harsh chemicals like propylene glycol, a skin and eye irritant, and other neurotoxic glycol ethers such as butyl cellosolve." But, she says, if you buy concentrated versions, which have less water, you can avoid some of those preservatives.
Heavy security, protests mar Olympic torch event
Thousands of waiting spectators missed seeing the Olympic torch in San Francisco Wednesday, as protesters forced officials to drastically change the event's relay route and move the closing ceremony to the city's airport. The torch was lit shortly before 4:30 p.m. ET, but the first runner was escorted into a warehouse, causing confusion among the crowds of onlookers -- many of them supportive of the event, in a city with a large Chinese-American population. The Olympic flame re-appeared about 45 minutes later, with two torch-bearers surrounded by police. The runners held the torch jointly and walked, before igniting the torch of another relay team. Security officials took the runners along a different route than had been planned, further inland from the San Francisco Bay.
ADDING MULTIMEDIA AHF's African Doctors and Treatment Clients Lobby Senate for Changes in PEPFAR Global AIDS Bill
Six AIDS medical care providers and treatment clients from Uganda and South Africa are visiting Washington, DC this week for a series of meetings on Capitol Hill with Senate and Congressional leaders to lobby Congress as they consider bills to reauthorize PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), the successful US global AIDS program. The group, all of whom are treatment clients or medical providers of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) (www.aidshealth.org), which provides AIDS medical care to more than 65,000 individuals in 20 countries worldwide, will lobby Congress to reinstate a requirement that a minimum percentage of PEPFAR funding be required to be spent on lifesaving treatment. The original PEPFAR bill, first proposed by President Bush five years ago, has a requirement that 55% of all funds be targeted for treatment.
|
