Category Archives: Health

Cheap Bottled Water

Food & Drink, Health, Shopping, ,

It is important for people to drink enough water but unfortunately some people can be against drinking tap water – whether that be from the taste or the fact that we may not know exactly what chemicals go into our tap water which can be slightly worrying. Although all tap water in the US and UK must meet certain standards, there are some people who, for their own reasons, prefer to drink bottled water. Whether or not bottled water is better for us can be disputed but it looks like bottled water is here to stay for the time being at least.

Personally I have different preferences depending on which country I am in at the time, as tap water tastes different in each country. I would prefer to drink tap water wherever it tastes OK, but maybe in some countries where I am not aware of what is being added to the water I feel like it is advisable to be a bit cautious on this.

However, there is a solution which means that you can drink tap water and filter it while you drink it, so that it tastes and is as ‘clean’ as bottled water, but without the waste of throwing away the empty bottle, and I will give details of this below.

Bottled Water – Too Much Waste

However, I do have an issue with bottled water in that it just produces far too much waste. Bottled water is amongst the highest rising beverage in terms of sales over the last few decades. Although the bottles are recyclable, the incidence of people recycling water bottles is quite low in the USA in particular, but also in other countries. This means that the build up of plastic waste is excessive. Over 50 billion bottles of water are consumed in the US every year and this figure is rising and not enough of these bottles are being recycled. So it is important that we find a way either to recycle more water bottles or to use less of them.

Drinking Filtered Tap Water

So here is a revolutionary new way to effectively drink bottled water, but to drink it out of your tap, and not have the problem of having to keep recycling the bottles, or producing lots of plastic waste.

This new product is called the Bobble and it is an FDA approved, BPA free, refillable, reusable and recyclable bottle that you can use as much as you like.

To use the Bobble, you just fill it up with tap water – it is like a sports water bottle and whenever you drink out of it, it automatically filters the water as you drink it. The filtered water meets all of the FDA standards for drinking water and the filter eliminates toxins and chemicals such as chlorine as well as other organic contaminants.

Each filter lasts for around 2 months or 300 fills of the bottle and is fully recyclable itself. The Bobble comes in 3 sizes, and for around $10 or under you can get the equivalent of 300 bottles of water – so effectively a price of under 4c a bottle, so this also makes financial sense if you are used to buying bottled water.

Check out the links for the Bobble in the UK and the US below:

          

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:

 

Is Bleeding Gums a Pregnancy Symptom?

Beauty & Personal Care, Health, ,

This may seem like a strange question to ask, but when people are trying to get pregnant then all sorts of things can seem like pregnancy symptoms. In some cases they are completely unrelated to any possible pregnancy but in other cases they may be a sign of pregnancy.

Bleeding gums is one symptom that, believe it or not, could be a sign of pregnancy. In fact not only can it be a sign of early pregnancy, but it might also continue further into the pregnancy.

The reason that bleeding gums can be a sign of pregnancy is that when you are pregnant your progesterone levels increase and increased progesterone can increase the susceptibility of gums to the effect of bacteria from plaque, causing gingivitis. Although you should not be too worried about this, you should keep up regular checks with your dentist and if the bleeding and/or swelling of the gums seems excessive then you should make an appointment to see your dentist as it could degenerate into something worse.

So, make sure that you keep up with your dental health routine, flossing and cleaning at least twice a day, so that there is less risk of this occurring. Also, there was a study completed that showed slightly lower conception levels on those women who had worse dental health than those whose overall dental health was good. So if you are trying to get pregnant you should also ensure you are cleaning and flossing regularly.

Walgreens Blood Pressure Tests

Health,

One of the most important things to have checked on a regular basis is your blood pressure. Whether you are worried about high or low blood pressure or if you really have no idea of what your blood pressure is, it is good to have it checked at least once a year, if not more.

However, most people will not go to their doctor to get their blood pressure checked unless they are going for some other reason, and so often high or low blood pressure might go untreated.

So it was good news when earlier this year, as announced on the Oprah Winfrey show, that Walgreens would be giving free blood pressure tests  at their stores and clinics throughout the US for a week in January. Thousands of people took them up on their offer and it was a good bit of promotion for the fact that you can go and get a blood pressure test at the Walgreens clinics.

As well as blood pressure testing at the clinics, Walgreens also sell many products that can monitor your blood pressure for you on a regular basis, if you do find out that you have a problem. In addition to this they also sell natural remedies for keeping blood pressure at the right level as well as obviously doctor prescribed medication.

So if you think you may have an issue with your blood pressure (or even if you don’t but you have not had it checked for a while) then go and get it checked at your doctor’s or your local Walgreen clinic.

Poison Ivy Symptoms

Health,

Poison ivy rash is one of the most common rashes that you can get and can cause a lot of discomfort. The poison ivy plant contains an oil (urushiol) in all parts of the plant and it is this oil that causes an allergic reaction and hence the rash.

Symptoms of the poison ivy allergic rash include red marks on the skin in the form of blisters, streaks or bumps, sometimes filled with fluid. The rash is usually very itchy. These marks are often in lines as this is how the plant will touch the skin as you move past it.

If you have not had a poison ivy rash before then sometimes it can take quite a while for the symptoms to appear (as much as a couple of weeks) – so even if you have not been anywhere where there is poison ivy for a while you could still have a poison ivy rash. Once you have had the rash though, the symptoms will more likely appear much quicker on the next occasion.

If the rash stays for more than 2 weeks or there are other symptoms that accompany it (headaches, fever, or anything else that might give concern) then you should see your doctor as you may need further treatment.