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Stop Back Pain!

Health, Sports

So, as someone who has suffered lower back pain for years after an operation to remove part of a disc, I have tried many means to stop the constant back pain that nags me especially when I do a little bit of lifting or gardening.

I have some pills that can really take the edge off the pain but you don’t want to be taking pills all your life. In addition I use heat packs and ice packs and these do help to a certain extent, plus doing the exercises that the doctor has recommended.

However, I recently bought a back brace (or support) which is a sturdy elasticated belt that supports the lower back. It has 2 adjustable heavy velcro straps so that you can get the support to the tightness that you need. The back support that I bought was the Neoprene Double Pull Lumbar Back Support Brace sold by Health & Care. I had looked though quite a number of options for back support braces and this one offered exactly what I wanted in terms of choices of size (many choices and descriptions of the waist sizes that wach one would fit) and also at a good price.

It is a sturdy piece of kit that has massive velcro sections to ensure the fit is tight and secure. It can be worn under or over clothing although I found it more comfortable over trousers as it occasionally needed pulling down after I had sat down with it on.

I did try and buy one on the high street but I had to take it back as it was too big and did not fit round my waist (it came in a one size fit). Plus that one was a bit too bulky.

With this back brace you get a good choice of sizes to fit all shapes so it will be a much better fit when you get it than a one size fits all.

So, after wearing this back brace for 2 days, I have no back pain. This has not happened to me for a long time so I am very impressed. I’m not sure how long that will last when I take it off but I think the idea is to use it only occasionally when you need that extra support. I have read reviews about people wearing it when they play golf which is something that I will need to do and now makes me look forward to a game of golf with much more pleasure.

The above back brace is from the Amazon UK site but you can obviously also get a good selection from the Amazon US site, for example the following:

 

Donating Hair To Charity

Beauty & Personal Care

If you are thinking of donating some of your hair to charity – perhaps it is long and you want to cut it short, or else you maybe know someone who has been affected by hair loss due to cancer or other illness – then you need to make sure you are doing it right before just cutting it all off.

There are a number of criteria that you need to satisfy before you can donate your hair to charity and also different charities have different criterion. To start off with your hair needs to be a certain length – the minimum length is about 7 inches but many charities require longer hair than this, up to as much as 12 inches minimum. There are also stipulations on the condition of the hair – whether it has been permed or coloured etc and you will need to check with the charity of your choice.

However, the main thing is the way that the hair is cut. You will need to tie the hair up into a ponytail before cutting it, with a band on the top and the bottom of the hair. This is to prevent the hair from tangling and rendering it unusable.

So, if you decide to do this, first check out the charity of your choice and see if your hair qualifies. If it does not then it may be possible to choose another charity. Most charities that take hair use it to create wigs and hairpieces for children but there are also a small number who do it for adults so you may have a preference.

Good luck with your hair donation and your new style!

Should 13 Year Olds Get The Pill?

Children, Society

There has been a lot of talk over the last few days in the UK about letting 13 year olds getting hold of the Pill over the counter from chemists without a prescription. Many groups are not happy about this and are calling for it not to happen.

So, do you think that this is a good idea? On the one hand it may mean that there are less teenage pregnancies as the girls will be protected when having sex. However, there is no escaping the fact that it is illegal for girls under the age of 16 to have sex.

But, if these girls are already having sex then shouldn’t they be able to get protection from becoming pregnant? If girls think that they cannot get hold of the Pill easily then they may not bother with contraception.

One thought that comes to mind is that although 13 sounds young for girls to be having sex, we must remember that for hundreds of years, girls were routinely married off at this kind of age and in some countries this was the norm. So they would have been having sex at a young age. In fact the country singer Loretta Lynn was married at the age of 13 as one example.

There are many contradictions in the legal system that seem strange in terms of what you can do at what age but there will always be arguments about what age girls should be legally allowed to have sex at. of course it is the parents that make the laws and they are unlikely to want their children to be sexually active at such an age.

But, if this did take place it would be interesting to see if this did chance the statistics on teenage pregnancies. Are the girls that are getting pregnant mature enough to go and get the pill for themselves or is it more down to a one-off moment of carelessness?

Buy Books In The UK

Internet, Shopping

If you are looking to buy books in the UK, and at a good price then you have a few options.  There are still a few high street shops selling books like Waterstones and Borders but overall book sellers are moving onto the internet where you can search for the best prices on books that you want.

The advantage of book stores is that you can browse through shelves of books until you find one that takes your fancy by reading the back cover etc. Book stores may also have special offers on 3 for 2 books etc that you can’t get online. Also if you need a book straight away then you can just pick one up and take it home.

However, if you are looking for a particular book and you know what you want, then you don’t necessarily need to go to a bookshop. The most popular place to buy books for years has been Amazon, and many people go there by default when looking for books as they know that they are a trusted retailer.

But, there are many more booksellers on the internet and quite often you can find one that will sell the book you are looking for, for less than you have to pay on Amazon. One of these cheaper book stores is Abe Books which source there books from many areas, including abroad. Just enter the ISBN of the book you are looking for and it will give you a selection of sellers to choose from.


AbeBooks.co.uk Book Sale

AbeBooks sells new, second-hand and collectible books. I recently looked for a technical book that was £19.79 on Amazon and I managed to get it for around £3 less on AbeBooks – it was a new book too so I was surprised that I could get it at such a low cost compared to the Amazon price.

Another Hosepipe Ban

Home & Garden,

Another Hosepipe Ban in the UK

It seems that more and more often the UK introduces hosepipe bans in various parts of the country to help save water. This year many people have been surprised by the introduction of a hosepipe ban once again as it has seemed like there has been a lot of rain recently. However, after two very dry winters it is the long term water stocks that are running dangerously low and this has led to low river water levels as well as low levels of water in the reservoirs around the country.

As from 5 April 2012 hosepipe bans were introduced by the following water authorities in the UK:

  • Thames Water
  • South East Water
  • Sutton and East Surrey Water Authority
  • Southern Water
  • Anglian Water
  • Veolia Central
  • Veolia South East

Fines For Using Hosepipes

Although it seems that it might be difficult to police, there will be fines in place of up to £1,000 for anyone who flouts the hosepipe ban. Some businesses, disabled people and sports fields that are used for national or international events are not included in the ban. This will help the Olympic venues for one thing.

Although it is unlikely that Water Authorities will send round employees to check if anyone is using hosepipes, people are being encouraged to use less water as a moral responsibility. There are plenty of ways to save water including the following:

  • Recycling any water that you do use – for example bath water can be used to water the garden
  • Taking baths instead of showers
  • Not running the tap while brushing your teeth
  • Installing water saving devices in the home

Get a Water Butt


If you have a garden that needs a lot of watering, or you are growing your own vegetables then one of the best ways to have the water that you need to use on your garden is to install a water butt. A water butt is a large plastic tank that collects rainwater that is diverted through the guttering system.

Water butts are pretty easy to install and the sooner you get one set up the more water you can accumulate during the rainier Spring months.

Water butts tend to come in two sizes – the smaller ones hold around 100 litres of water and the larger ones around 200 litres. A decent water butt will cost you around £50 and you may also want to have a stand so that you can easily access all of the water down to the bottom of the butt. Most water butts have a tap on that you can open to get the water out but you can also get a water butt pump to make it easier to distribute the water if you have a larger garden. See the water butt on the left and click through on the link to get lots more options on buying water butts.