» Health & Beauty

Listeria Outbreak from Cantaloupes

Carol — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:50:51 +0000

Our area of the country recently had a Listeria outbreak, and since I recently had a nasty, weeklong stomach bug, I called our local Health Department to see if this is what I had.

Listeria is a type of bacteria that are commonly found in soil, stream water, sewage, plants, and food. Listeria are known to be responsible for listeriosis, a rare but potentially lethal food-borne infection. So you can see my concern. In fact, four people died in our recent outbreak.

What I learned from the Health Department surprised me though. Health officials thought the latest outbreak was caused by cantaloupes. They said most people (including myself) don’t wash the outside of the cantaloupe once it’s in their kitchen. The melons grow on the ground the same as watermelons, pumpkins, and other squashes, and dirt can cling to the outside rind. And that dirt can carry Listeria.

I was told to always wash the outside of any melon with soap prior to cutting and eating to avoid stomach infections such as Listeria. Keep your counters clean too. And of course, wash or sanitize your hands regularly to avoid ingesting nasty germs.

Even with a week of “you-don’t-want-to-know” stomach infection symptoms, I never went to the doctor so there’s no way to tell what bacterial infection that I picked up, or from where. But rest assured, I’ll be washing those cantaloupes from now on, just in case.

PS. Just after I posted this, an article came out in our local paper. Listeria Outbreak Linked to Rocky Ford Cantaloupe

Health Benefits of Radishes

Geri — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:38:26 +0000

Who knew!! Radishes are quite the little miracle worker. A radish is a root vegetable that comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. You have your Globe radish, Black radish, White Icicle radish, Mammoth White radish and Daikon radish. Radishes are rich in folic acid and potassium. They are a great source of calcium, magnesium, riboflavin, copper, vitamin B-6 and vitamin C. Here are just a few health benefits that come from eating your radishes:

Helps in maintaining a healthy liver and gallbladder
Improves digestion
Helps with constipation
Enhances appetite (not necessarily what I’m looking for!)
Detoxifies and purifies the blood
Fights against certain cancers
As a diuretic, radishes can help keep the kidneys healthy
As a anti-congestive, radishes can relieve congestion and infection in the respiratory system

I love radishes! I don’t know why I don’t eat them more often, but with this information you can bet I will be eating a lot more!! Thanks Aunt Billie for the heads up and all your research on this topic.

TIP: Placing your radishes in ice water will increase their flavor and keep them crisp.

Homemade Pedialyte for Sour Tummies

Carol — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:19:15 +0000

Whoo Boy! I forgot until last week how much I hate having the stomach flu. For all you bio-techies, I know there’s no such thing as the stomach flu, only stomach viruses or food poisoning. But whatever got me last week, it got a hold of me for a week.

I do not recommend this version of Carol’s quick weight loss diet. For 3 days, I couldn’t keep anything down, not even the ‘rock-steady’ saltines and ginger ale. By the third day, I was getting lightheaded (even more than my usual self). I kept thinking that I needed an electrolyte replacement like Pedialyte, but was too beat up to move from the couch. (Funny how fast you can move to the nearest bathroom, though, when the urge strikes!) Did someone get the number of that truck that hit me?

Now you can make your own Pedialyte without ever leaving your kitchen. Except for packets of Kool-Aid, most everyone has these staples in their kitchen. Here’s the recipe, and hopefully, you’ll never have to use it.

Homemade Pedialyte

Mix 2 quarts of water with:

1 tsp. baking soda

7 tsp. sugar

1 (1/4 oz.) package of powdered drink mix like Kool-Aid

1/2 tsp. salt.

Store this mixture in the refrigerator no more than 3 days. This can be made into ice cubes or frozen in popsicle molds for children or adults.

Is Your Stuff Taking Over Your Life?

Carol — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:14:57 +0000

I just read a great article about how clutter, whether it be from stuff in your house or the stuff in your head, can take over your life. We’ve all seen Hoarders and listened to the Doomsayers on TV. Don’t become one of them…even a fraction of one of them.

This article particularly resonated with me because of my recent, downsizing move to a much smaller home. I had to release a lot of emotion surrounding giving up my long-collected treasured things. Not that they were all that valuable, but they were mine, mine, mine! Lovingly acquired over years of marriage.

But surprisingly, I found a freedom from the confines of consumerism. I’m happy now that I’m more organized and pared down. Read the article below, and tell me how you feel.

Every single person I have met tells me not only about their own clutter problems but about those of a family member, or those of a friend. Nobody seems immune. The stories are not dissimilar—papers and magazines run amok, garages overflow with unopened boxes, kids’ toys fill rooms, and closets are so stuffed that it looks like the clothing department of a major retailer is having a fire sale.

The epidemic of clutter, the seeming inability to get organized, and the sense that “the stuff” is taking over affects us all. We are at the center of an orgy of consumption, and many are now seeing that this need to own so much comes with a heavy price: kids so overstimulated by the sheer volume of stuff in their home that they lose the ability to concentrate and focus. Financial strain caused by misplaced bills or overpurchasing. Constant fighting because neither partner is prepared to let go of their possessions. The embarrassment of living in a house that long ago became more of a storage facility than a home.

This clutter doesn’t come just in the form of the physical items that crowd our homes. We are bombarded every day with dire predictions of disaster and face many uncertainties—some real and many manufactured. Think about the perils that we’ve been warned about in the last decade alone—killer bees, Y2K, SARS, anthrax, mad cow disease, avian flu, flesh-eating bacteria…the list goes on and on. We are also faced daily with reports of war, an unstable economy and global terrorism coming very close to home.

Surprisingly, this endless barrage (its own kind of clutter) inspires many of the families with whom I work to finally take control of their own clutter. In an unpredictable, dangerous world that is out of their control, they look to their homes for stability—to get some degree of organization back into their closets, their garages, their home offices, their lives. This quest for organization is a deeply personal response to the feeling that the rest of the world is out of control. –Peter Walsh

Sleeping with the Enemy–An Old Pillow

Geri — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:11:15 +0000

Many of us have a tendency to hang on to things too long—we become attached. It is hard to part with our “stuff”, but what about our pillows? How long are we suppose to keep them? If you use a pillow to lay your head on at night, I warn you that the following information is less than appealing. However, it is information that I would want to know, therefore I am passing it along to our readers.

Very few studies have been done on our pillows and any negative health effects they may pose, but a recent (2007) study by Researchers at University of Manchester (funded by the Fungal Research Trust) found that our pillows harbor “millions of fungal spores”. Research has found that pillows, “one of many household health hazards, are a breeding ground for dust mites and 16 types of fungi, which can cause major allergies”. If inquiring minds want to know more, please visit Professor Woodcock’s research, otherwise take my word for it, it is not pretty!

So what can we do? Invest in a good pillow protector and then keep a clean pillow case on your pillows weekly. While washing a pillow helps eliminate some of the fungi, it is suggested that you replace your pillows every 18 months. I am betting that your pillow is much older than any 18 months.

While shopping for that new pillow, which is better–feather or synthetic? Both my sons have issues with allergies so I kept them away from feather beds and pillows on the advice of specialists. However, further studies indicate that “synthetic pillows accumulate dust-mite allergen at a rate faster than feather pillows and that synthetic material contain a higher concentration of dust-mite allergen after a given period of use”. This is according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Please visit their website for more information before making your decision.

So, do you think our parents knew more than they shared with us while tucking us into bed at night with, “sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite”!? You knew I had to go there!