Swine Flu! What is it and How to Reduce Your Risk

What is it? Swine Flu is a respiratory viral infection that seems to be very contagious to humans. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir(brand name Tamiflu) and zanamivir(brand name Relenza).
Symptoms? Fever, sore throat, chills, fatigue, cough, body aches and headaches. Vomiting and diarrhea may also be present.
How is it passed in humans? Sneezing, coughing and touch are the most common ways. The swine flu virus can live on surfaces for 2 hours or longer! So cover your nose and mouth should you sneeze or cough. You may be infected and not know it!
How to reduce your risk of catching the flu: Simple common sense things are suggested for this as well as colds and the like. * Stay in good health, get plenty of sleep, exercise regularly, keep your nutrition up and drink plenty of fluids such as water or fruit juices. * Wash hands for 15 seconds, then rinse with warm water. Dry well on disposable towels. * Resist touching surfaces in public areas such as elevator buttons, door knobs, and phones. When greeting friends or business associates don’t shake hands. * Should you have to touch any surface in a public space, avoid touching your face or eyes or mouth till you can wash again. * Please stay at home should you begin to feel ill. Don’t go to work and infect others. * You are contagious about 24 hours before you begin to have symptoms and for at least 7 days or more after the symptoms appear. This means you can pass the swine flu on to others before you know you are sick as well as during the illness. * If you must sneeze or cough in public, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, then discard the used tissue in the trash.

When to seek medical assistance:
Severe vomiting, dehydration, bluish skin color, fast breathing, trouble breathing , confusion, dizziness, fever and rash, sleeping a lot, symptoms that go away only to reappear with even worse fever or cough. In summary, keep your immune system healthy and able to fight for your health. Eat healthy meals, exercise, get plenty of rest and avoid going out in crowds till this passes. You can check with the CDC for updates.

Shaklee Corp. Plants One Millionth Tree on Earth Day 2009

Shaklee Corporation's CEO Roger Barnett, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Dr Wangari Maathai from Kenya, planted Shaklee's One Millionth Tree today at Shaklee Corp. Headquarters in Pleasanton CA. Shaklee’s One Million Trees, One Million Dreams program has planted enough trees to fill Disneyland 18 times, stated Governor Schwarzenegger. Think of all the people who participated in this program, the lives that have been affected by this program in the past 3 years. Governor Schwarzenegger had praise for Shaklee Natural Supplements since he has known the value of Shaklee Supplements, vitamins, minerals and protein from his body building days!
Roger Barnett stated that in using Shaklee’s Green Eco Friendly super concentrated cleaners, we have saved enough plastic bottles from going to the landfills to go around the earth more 19 times in the past 3 years alone. Shaklee has been green since it was started in 1956 by Dr. Forrest Shaklee. Shaklee is about make people and planet healthier. Shaklee is the first company in the world to be Certified Climate Neutral by totally offsetting its carbon footprint.

“You can flourish and do well by doing good at the same time”, according to Roger Barnett. He announced a new campaign to provide an economic opportunity for One Million Americans to become Eco-Entrepreneurs with Shaklee. Shaklee is waiving the entire cost of joining Shaklee for the next 30 days(till mid-May 2009) to help create an income opportunity for One Million People this year, said Barnett. So you can start a Green Business by sharing green and natural and healthy products with friends and family. Dr Shaklee once said that Shaklee might be the last opportunity for the little person to build a business without a lot of money.
Dr. Maathai has been instrumental planting 30 million trees in her home country of Kenya to deal with the de-forestation of the countryside. Her plan not only re-plants much needed trees it also employs women in need of jobs! Dr. Maathai is working with the UN to plant One Billion Trees in the world! She suggests that each individual plant 10(ten) trees in their lifetime. So if you have not planted a tree, now is the time to get started. Dr. Maathai was awarded Shaklee’s First Eco-Entrepreneur of the Year for 2009.

Lower Summer Energy Bills and Get a Tax Credit

Well, Spring is finally here! The sun will be out heating up things and raising your air conditioning bills in the process. While sunlight is important for our health, physically as well as mentally, it is not too good for our heating bills. But don’t despair, there are a few easy tricks to keep the summer sun at bay on those big windows. This is tip #1.

Palladium windows are beautiful, but south or west facing windows let in heat in the summer. Often putting blinds or shades over these windows defeats the purpose of the windows, the view that you paid so much to see! Adding Window Film can solve many problems. Search out local companies online for the products available in your area. The local installers will know which products work best for your location and can easily do the installation on those high windows. Get informed and keep yourself safe while getting a professional installation.
What to look for in a Window Film:
*
Look for films that reflect 97% of the suns infrared light to keep your home cool. The energy coming through the windows is infrared in nature and will not turn to heat unless it bumps into people or furniture. So blocking the infrared light is important in keeping your home cooler. Only a few degrees in temperature reduction can reduce cooling costs by up to 25% according to Solargard.
* Search for films that block 99.9% of the suns UV rays since these cause fading and the risk of skin cancers according to the 3M site.
* Another positive to the window film is holding the glass in place after it has been hit by a tree limb or a burglar trying to enter your home. Check with your local provider to see if their product has this Security Property.
**Finally, a financial incentive to look at using window film this year is the Tax Credit you will receive on the purchase price of the film(labor costs are not part of the credit). The Federal Tax Credit applies to film purchased between Jan 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009. Homeowners can receive 30% credit on the costs of qualified window film products , up to a maximum of $1500. The tax credit comes directly off your tax bill! Check with your personal tax advisor for more information before you purchase.

Now you can save energy on cooling, save on replacing furniture because of fading, save of health costs by reducing the risk of skin cancers and save on your 2009 Federal Tax bill!
More Energy Saving tips Coming on the Next Post! Stay tuned!

Plastic: Friend or Enemy?

I grew up with Tupperware in my home as a child. I loved it since it did not break when I threw it at my little sister! Perfect. But today we have so many more plastic options in our kitchens: deli containers, plastic wraps, water bottles, microwave containers from pre-packaged foods, and so on.
Plastic is a product that has helped our lives in positive ways. Plastics are in our medical environments, our cars, homes, offices, printers, phones, cell phones, computers, credit cards, airplanes and more. Without plastic, so many of our common everyday experiences would not be possible.
However, plastic also has some qualities that makes it unfit for human consumption! Research is showing that we ingest parts of the plastics when we re-heat and reuse plastic containers. While some are ok, some are not. But how can we tell? There are labels on the bottom of containers that will tell you what the code is for this product and then you have to translate. Turn over the container, look at the number on the bottom and then you will know whether to keep that container in the kitchen or in the workshop. Most Tupperware is made of plastics that are safe to reuse and store food according to a recent article in Popular Science.
Here is the list of current options:
#1 Polyethyelene terephthalate (PETE) #2 High-density polyethylene (HDPE) #3 Vinyl, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) #4 Low -density polyethylene (LDPE) #5 Polypropylene (PP) #6 Polystyrene (PS) #7 Other (includes polycarbonate, acrylic, polylactic acid, fiberglass) Use these to help you know which are easy to recycle and which are here forever!

Avoid the #3 and #7 plastics since they are just bad for you! #3 is PVC and shows up in some plastic wraps since it helps improve the function of the warp. PVCs have the potential to cause cancer and other health problems according to researchers.
#7 plastics contain polycarbonate and those contain bisphenol A (BPA). There have been many reports on BPA in water bottles and baby bottles. This plastic compound has hormone leaching properties that can cause problems such as early puberty in young girls. (Laurine Brown Ph.D. in nutrition from Tufts University)
How to stay safe:
*Use waxed paper or butcher paper to wrap foods. *Bring out the glass and ceramic containers for storage. *Keep Plastic wrap from touching hot food since the plastic can migrate into the food and then into us! *Don’t microwave plastics. Even though they say “microwave safe” that only means that the container will not melt or warp when heated. It can possibly still leach into the food & then us!

So appreciate plastic for making our lives easier and lighter! But avoid eating it and leaving it in our landfills for eternity! Think and read the #'s.
Resveratrol has been in the news so much in the past year. I had learned how wonderful Resveratrol is for our cells, but I did not know about its history. From my recent research, it seems Resveratrol was first discovered in the 1940’s in a variety of Japanese & Chinese roots; these roots were dried & used for medicinal purposes. Various skin problems such as athlete’s foot were treated. In the mid 70's, researchers also found Resveratrol in the skin and seeds of grapes. According to one researcher, fresh grape skins contain 50-100 mg Resveratrol per gram, & the concentration in wine ranges from 0.2 mg/l to 7.7 mg/l. This explains the wide range of concentration of Resveratrol in the different varieties of grapes & the resulting wines.
---Some of the current research on the benefits of Resveratrol came about because of the French Paradox. The French Paradox is the relationship between the drinking of wine in France and the low incidents of cardiovascular problems among the French population. Resveratrol benefits have captured the attention of many current researchers; among them are Harvard University, The Linus Pauling Institute in Oregon, Dr. Joseph Maroon of the University of Pittsburg Studies and many more. Research projects include the affects of Resveratrol on cancer, tumors, heart disease, diabetes and other diseases of aging. Resveratrol has also been shown to mimic Calorie Restriction, which extends lifespan.

Shaklee, the #1 Natural Nutrition Company in the U.S., is on the forefront of this emerging scientific research in Resveratrol, & Shaklee scientists have designed a way to create a unique polyphenol blend with ingredients shown in laboratory studies to fight cellular aging. One of its key ingredients, Resveratrol, has been referenced in over 2,000 research publications, including studies conducted by Harvard University, the National Cancer Institute, & the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health.
The name of this remarkable new breakthrough dietary supplement is
VivixCellular Anti-Aging Tonic, and Shaklee has filed patent applications to protect this unique and exclusive blend of polyphenols. Developed after years of research by Shaklee Corporation, Vivix is the world’s best anti-aging supplement and it is all natural with no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives.*
In laboratory studies,
Vivix ingredients have been shown to impact four key mechanisms of cellular aging. In fact, Vivix Cellular Anti-Aging Tonic is a revolutionary breakthrough dietary supplement in the fight against cellular aging. A 30-day supply of Vivix delivers the equivalent amount of Resveratrol found in 3,000 glasses of red wine, and Vivix ingredients were shown in a laboratory study to be 10X more powerful in slowing a key mechanism of cellular aging than Resveratrol alone!To find out more about Vivix Cellular Anti-Aging Tonic, visit my website, www.shaklee.net/elise.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.