Since the United States does not have federal smoking control legislation and each individual state must determine legislative bans, only about half of Americans are covered by a smoke free ordinance of some degree. Efforts to ban smoking have been developing since the early 1990s when research showed that secondhand smoke not only was an annoyance to nonsmokers, but actually was contributing to their death from lung cancer.

So I know some of you feel this subject is beat up but I have to speak out as a cancer survivor and also someone who is presently battling cancer and I am not a smoker. This is my two minutes. Moving back home to Virginia was nice to be around family members and old friends, but it has put a damper on how many times I will actually go out to eat or even go enjoy bowling or other social events. Because it means breathing second hand smoke. Going to a bar or even to a coffee shop to listen to live music is even a health risk and I just won't do it. As a songwriter and performer if I want to get paid shows in this state I have to breathe the smoke that comes with the places I would perform like restaurants, bars, or coffee shops. Could it be the fact that the largest manufacturer of cigarettes, Phillip Morris, is located in the state capital of Virginia in Richmond?

And coincidence or not, to even go south of me 15 minutes into North Carolina is not any relief either because North Carolina is the home of R.J. Reynolds tobacco company located in Winston Salem and legislation to ban smoking in public places has not passed in that state either.

When people talk about freedoms and being able to smoke in public, I think somebody else's freedom ends when it enters my lungs and causes serious health risks and forces me to give up the freedoms of going to places that I enjoy or need to work in to survive. Looking at research it seems for people to escape smoking in public places they have to move to northern states or to the west coast. The R.J Reynolds website states "Adults who smoke should avoid exposing minors to secondhand smoke." Well what about adults? See a map of the states with smoking bans by clicking here.

Not only is the sea calming for our souls by watching the waves coming in and going out and helping us unwind and relieve stress, but it is a provider of that fun summer vacation to soak up the sun we need and the exercise we need by walking, swimming, or biking.

But we need to look to the sea a little more often for the thousands of types of sea vegetables that we can eat. Sea vegetables are classified into categories by colors of brown, red or green. Each having a distinct shape, taste and texture. The sea cucumber sounds like one of our favorite salad foods but it is not a plant or vegetable. But here are some sea vegetables that are an excellent source of iodine, vitamin K, folate, magnesium and are a good source of calcium, iron and tryptophan. These are some of the most popular types of sea vegetables.

Nori is dark purple almost black in color and turns phosphorescent green when toasted. It is famous for its role in making sushi rolls. You can also slice nori into small strips and sprinkle on top of salads. Kelp is light brown to dark green in color and most often is available in flake form. You can sprinkle on salads or add to water to make a delicious broth. Hijiki looks like small strands of black wiry pasta and has a strong flavor. Kombu is very dark in color and generally sold in strips or sheets. It is used mostly as a flavoring for soups. Wakame is similar to kombu and most commonly used to make Japanese miso soup. Arame has a lacy, wiry look and this sea vegetable is sweeter and milder in taste than many others. Dulse is soft and chewy in texture and a reddish brown color.

If you are having trouble balancing during certain exercises using a spotter is a good idea until you build up body muscles that will hold you for that particular exercise. Spotters are not just for weight lifting.

One of the most important things to know with exercise is proper body alignment and balance. Maintaining a good position with your head so that you are not pulling on your neck while doing sit ups or other ab exercises is important to reduce your risks of injuries. If you're doing a set of abdominal exercises and your neck hurts but not your stomach then you might want to look and see how you were lying or how you were holding your head because you're neck shouldn't hurt after you've been doing abdominal exercises. You need to check your body alignment. If you are holding your hands behind your neck and you're actually irritating your neck or straining then you are doing either too much or trying to go too fast and you are straining and that is creating stress on your neck.

One of the top exercises that you can do for abs is a reverse crunch. Lie down on a bench with your knees bent and your upper legs at a 90 degree angle with your torso. Hold the bench above your head for stability. Use your ab muscles to pull your knees toward your chest until they reach your elbows. Hold the crunch position for three seconds and return to the starting position. Doing ten of these in your exercise routine every day will give you a toner midsection.

When sitting down to eat in your favorite restaurant which steak do you order. Beef or Tuna? Tuna is a nutritious source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Everyday we learn more about the health benefits of tuna. Mercury is not the public health risk that some claim. No studies have shown that fish consumption has led to dangerous levels of mercury within the human body. Studies show that eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids may reduce people's overall risk for developing heart disease. Tuna is also a very good source of vitamin B6.

So weigh out the benefits of nutrients in 4 ounces of tuna versus lean organic beef.

4 ounces of tuna contains:
tryptophan 0.38g
selenium 53.07 mcg
protein 33.99g
vitamin B3 (niacin) 13.54mg
vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 1.18mg
vitamin B1 (thiamin) 0.57mg
phosphorus 277.83mg
potassium 645.25mg
magnesium 72.58mg
omega 3 fatty acids 0.33g

4 ounces of lean organic beef contains:
tryptophan 0.36g
protein 32.04g
vitamin B12 (cobalamin) 2.92mcg
zinc 6.33mg
selenium 27.67mcg
phosphorus 269.89mg
vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 0.49mg
iron 4.05mg
vitamin B3 (niacin) 4.44mg
vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 0.35mg

Source

I was buying glucosamine tablets for my dog to cut down on arthritis inflammation. Then saw some in the drug store for people and thought I would give them a try for the pain in my joints from arthritis. I did not notice much change for either of us. Then I read an article today that glucosamine trials show little benefit against arthritis. The results of 15 trials of over the counter glucosamine vary so widely that industry bias may be a factor influencing the more positive outcomes, concludes a team writing in the July issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Click here to read the MSN health news article and you be the judge.

Native Americans have used cayenne pepper as both food and medicine for at least 9,000 years. It has also been used as a topical remedy for arthritis and muscle pain. So I think I will pull one of my favorite spices out of the cabinet and give it a try to remedy the knee joint pain the natural way. The University of Maryland Medical Center has an article on the healing powers of cayenne pepper. Click here to read their report.

Vitamin D is a nutrient that is crucial to bone health. Older Americans greater than age 50 are thought to have a higher risk of developing vitamin D deficiency. It is found naturally in only a few foods like the oily fish salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines and fish liver oil. It is often added to milk, cereals, and orange juice. But sunlight is the main source for most people. The ultraviolet rays from sunlight stimulate the skin to produce vitamin D. Many Americans don't have enough vitamin D in their bodies.

During the winter, sun exposure is considerably less for the average person and vitamin D blood levels are usually lowest from October to April. Many individuals don't spend much time outdoors, even during the summer, and are using sunscreen as a safety measure for skin cancer. But are we at more risk for vitamin D deficiencies or skin cancer. Sunscreens block vitamin D manufacture and decrease natural production even more. In addition, individuals with darker skin make less vitamin D after the same level of sun exposure as a person with lighter skin. Sunscreens decrease natural production of vitamin D even more.

vitamin D lowers the risk of many autoimmune diseases and also lowers the risk for cancers like colon, breast, lung, pancreatic, and endometrial. Taking a daily 15 to 30 minute walk in the sunshine without sunscreen is recommended for your body to produce natural vitamin D.

Source

Want to have the freshest best tasting organic tomatoes to put on your sandwiches, salads or to make your sauces? Tomatoes are full of vitamins and nutrients as well as being a lycopene rich food. You don't have to have a big plot of land to garden and grow these delectable vegetables. All you need is a 5 gallon bucket, a stake and some string, some garden soil, and one healthy tomato plant. Planting your own is a sure fire way to know you are eating organic. When purchasing tomato plants at your local garden center, select stocky, dark green plants. One plant per bucket will produce a lot of tomatoes. Planting tomatoes should be done before the end of June so hurry and get yours planted.

You can use the bucket method to plant tomatoes year round inside. Save your egg containers and use them as seed starters. Fill each cavity with potting soil and put one seed per cavity. Then as the sprouts get 4 inches tall, transfer them to their own bucket. Set plants into the soil up to their first true leaves.

Tomatoes need 6 hours of sunlight a day so if you are starting them inside, be sure to have them near a window that gets a lot of sunlight.

We are so used to negative feedback that we are more aware of our weaknesses than our strengths. So it is often hard to enjoy success, no matter how small each success might be. Celebrating your strengths and achievements is a natural process to building self esteem. Learning to recognize that we are human and that we will make mistakes will also help us build self esteem so we all need to learn to forgive ourselves.

Self acceptance is required before self esteem can develop. Self esteem is built by experiencing success whether small or large. To build self esteem you need to stop dwelling on your weaknesses and learn to forgive yourself for your mistakes. Beating yourself up is only defeating yourself and your energy is better spent if you build positive thoughts about yourself even when things are not as successful as they can be. Learning to recognize if you are judging yourself against unreasonable standards will help you to know your strengths. So setting goals that you can reach is a good way to set yourself up for success and will continue to build strength in yourself.

A self help exercise is to write down the things you do successfully. Every mistake a person makes can be an opportunity to learn. We can't be afraid to make mistakes, this is how we learn to improve. Persistence and learning from past mistakes will help us succeed.

Source

80 percent of all cancers are due to identified factors according to the National Cancer Institute. Which means a lot of cancers can be preventable. So why is the disease increasing and why don't Americans pay more attention to the facts?

30 percent of cancers are due to smoking. Up to 50 percent of cancers are due to the foods we eat. Drinking excessive alcohol raises the risks for breast, mouth, pharynx, and esophagus cancers. Drinking alcohol and smoking makes cancer risks skyrocket as well as raises the risks for stomach, liver, and colon cancers.

In my humble opinion the following basic food facts should be taped to every refrigerator in this country.

Some vitamins in plant foods are known to be cancer inhibitors and dietary fat is known to be a promoter in cancer by helping the abnormal cells grow quickly. Especially animal fat. The best diet for cancer prevention points to a low fat, high fiber diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans and also minimizes or excludes alcohol and eliminates smoking. The best diets are pure vegetarian diets.

Source

Exercising while you are pregnant has proven to help reduce fatigue, build endurance, and can help women have a shorter labor. This is particularly true if you use movement in labor by changing positions. Despite the differences in your body, exercise is still important. One of the things you need to determine before you jump right into an exercise program is how fit you are and if you have not previously been on any exercise routine. There are several exercises that you can do while pregnant, even if you were previously a couch potato or sedentary.

Here are four exercises that are safe while pregnant.

Yoga combines exercise and relaxation.
Walking is a great workout for muscles and aerobic fitness.
Pilates emphasizes balance, strength, and flexibility.
Swimming helps relieve stress and strain on muscles and builds endurance.

Source