Prevent Suicide Now

A website called Prevent Suicide Now.Com recently came to my attention by chance. I almost sent it back into cyber obscurity with a mouse click as it seemed unlikely to be of any interest or use to me in my carefree home business programme.
My first thought was that a website dedicated to suicide must be macabre. However, a tour of the website revealed that a great deal of loving work had gone into its creation. The site's purpose is to prevent suicide and raise public awareness of the subject. In America alone over 31,000 lives ended in 2002 as a result of suicide. That is one suicide every sixteen and a half minutes. Trends show the suicide rate to be increasing.
There is a touching remembrance section on the site. The first memorial on the "wall of angels" is to a little girl aged 13 who was driven to suicide by school bullies. I could hardly bear to look at the photographs of the other beautiful, bright children who became "angels" in their teenage years. In the year 2002 in America a total of 4,010 people below the age of 24 committed suicide. That equates to 11 young lives destroyed each day. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in the 15-24 age group.
Suicide is a subject which most of us would wish to avoid. We would rather not think about it, let alone discuss it. We are uncomfortable when dealing with people who have been bereaved through suicide and feel helpless when somebody we know is tormented by suicidal thoughts.
Our reluctance to contemplate the issue of suicide is understandable. It is painful and we don't want to be reminded of our own mortality, but we would be better equipped to deal with the issue if we were brave enough to face suicide and become familiar with its features. The ability to recognise the enemy would give us a better chance of knowing when help should be sought.
Seeing the photographs of the young suicide victims reminded me of two young women I used to know but had not thought of for some time. I was friends with both these women but they never met each other. Their lives, however, strangely paralleled each other for a while when they reached the age of 25.
My friend Janet had been engaged for two years and was looking forward to a traditional white wedding. The wedding dress and cake had been made and the big day was only two weeks in the future when her fiancé abruptly broke off the engagement. She was quietly devastated. Janet was a warm person with a wonderful sense of humour but she was not a pretty girl - not ugly - just not a head turner and she was rather shy. Being jilted shattered her self-confidence and she suffered through several lonely years before finding another boyfriend. He treated her abysmally but she felt that it was better to put up with his behaviour than to face the loneliness of being single. By then Janet was approaching the dreaded 30th birthday and felt like everybody else in the world was married. I was relieved when she finally found the courage to end that relationship.
My other friend was Cathy. Like Janet, she was jilted only a couple of weeks before her wedding was due to take place; with impeccable timing her fiancé chose to dump her on the very day her wedding dress was delivered. Cathy was a charming, sweet girl but, unlike Janet, she was also extremely pretty and outgoing. Cathy had many friends and, with her good looks and bubbly character, was very attractive to men. She bounced back from the rejection and had a new suitor within a matter of months. I thought her new boyfriend was much nicer in every way than the former fiancé and that the jilting had been a blessing in disguise.
The last time I spoke to Janet she was blissfully happy. She had met and married a lovely man and was living by the coast with him and their two gorgeous children. Cathy never married; she hanged herself at the age of 26. We were all utterly shocked: we had not realised that Cathy was hiding deep depression behind her pretty smile.
Could I or any of Cathy's friends have saved her if they had known the symptoms of depression? We will never know but 80% of people who seek treatment for depression are treated successfully. Could you help to save a life? Could you comfort someone who has been bereaved through suicide? Advice and details of resources are available free. If you have a website of your own, please offer a link exchange to this not-for-profit site and help to raise its profile. It will cost you nothing but a little of your time.

The Magic of Pain Free Good Health

Has the use of aromas and herbs, only recently been appreciated for their healing, and recuperative qualities? Most certainly not.
Aromas had been used for medicinal, spiritual, and magical purposes going back as far back as Egyptian times 3000 B.C. Even further back in time 5000 B.C. the Tassili cave paintings showed women wearing fragrant flower garlands. There are frequent mentions of the use of potions throughout history - Pliny the 1st century Roman historian, mentions in his Natural History narrative, 32 remedies prepared from roses, 21 from lilies, 17 from violets, and 25 from pennyroyal. Ancient Indian cultures used sandalwood for genito-urinary infections.
Nostradamus, at the age of 21 received a licence, having studied in Montpellier France, to practise medicine. One of the formulae which he used as a remedy for several conditions, has survived to this day, and was compounded of rose petals, cloves, lignum aloes, and the dried roots of iris and sweet flag.
The ancient Greeks also contributed to the origins of herbal medicine. Dioscorides, a military doctor was the author of De Materia Medica a book on herbal medicine, which was the foundation of all subsequent books for a further 1600 years. Galen another Greek doctor also wrote a major book on herbal medicine De Simplicibus in the 2nd century which was used up to the middle ages by the Islamic physicians.
The word of herbalism was carried to Europe via the crusaders, and the texts were translated into Latin, which when printing was developed, the information became more widespread, though only if you could read. So herbal folklore passed on from generation to generation, by word of mouth. In the 16th century John Gerard published in 1597 the "Herbal or General Historie of Plantes". He had been greatly influenced by the great medical scholar Paracelsus.
Now in recent time the medical fraternity is becoming aware of the benefits of some of these ancient methods, and in the United Kingdom some areas are becoming available on the National Health System.

7 Steps to Protect Yourself from the Winter Sun

What outdoor activities did you do this past summer? Maybe you went on a vacation to the beach. Maybe you spent some time playing your favorite sports such as baseball, golf, or tennis. Maybe you went swimming or had a barbeque in the backyard with family and friends. Regardless of the outdoor activities you did over the summer, most likely you were aware that it was important to protect yourself from sun while outdoors.
Now winter is approaching. I am turning my attention to putting away my summer items to make room for the winter ones; long sleeve shirts for short sleeve ones, corduroy pants for shorts, and boots for sandals. Most of the sports equipment I have been using is going to get put away as well. But what about those items I have been using to protect myself from the sun? Things like my sunscreens, sunglasses, and sun protective hats and clothing.
You may be putting these items away and not using them during the winter. The National Council of Skin Cancer Prevention reported in their January 2003 newsletter that research shows only 3 percent of Americans routinely wear sunscreen during the fall months, and only 2 percent during the winter months. However, you can still get a sunburn and snow blindness during these months. The colder temperatures do not block the UV rays and reflections off the snow and higher altitudes can make matters even worse. You may be causing yourself significant, long-term damage by not properly protecting yourself.
How do you protect yourself from the winter sun (or any other season)? Follow these simple sun safety action steps recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency:
1. Limit Time in the Midday Sun - The sun's rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Whenever possible, limit exposure to the sun during these hours.
2. Wear a Hat - A hat with a wide brim offers good sun protection to your eyes, ears, face, and the back of your neck - areas particularly prone to overexposure to the sun.
3. Cover Up - Wearing tightly woven, loose-fitting, and full-length clothing is a good way to protect your skin from the sun's UV rays.
4. Wear Sunglasses that Block 99-100% of UV Radiation -Sunglasses that provide 99-100% UVA and UVB protection will greatly reduce sun exposure that can lead to cataracts and other eye damage. Check the label when buying sunglasses.
5. Always Use Sunscreen - Apply a broad spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15 or higher liberally on exposed skin. Reapply every 2 hours, or after working, swimming, playing, or exercising outdoors. Even waterproof sunscreen can come off when you towel off, sweat, or spend extended periods of time in the water.
6. Avoid Sunlamps and Tanning Parlors - The light source from sunbeds and sunlamps damages the skin and unprotected eyes. It's a good idea to avoid artificial sources of UV light.
7. Watch for the UV Index - The UV Index provides important information to help you plan your outdoor activities in ways that prevent overexposure to the sun. Developed by the National Weather Service (NWS) and EPA, the UV Index is issued daily in selected cities across the United States.
I am going to keep my sun protective items out to use this winter. I am trusting that you will do the same so that you can enjoy the outdoors while in the cold, on the ice, or in the snow. Have a terrific and safe winter!

Improve Your Health While Saving Money on Pure Water

Is Bottled Water the Answer?
Nothing is more important to our health than drinking lots of pure water. All of the complex biochemical functions in our bodies depend on this key substance. Along with regulating the many micro-processes in our cells, it's essential in absorbing and transporting all nutrients and oxygen throughout the body. It's equally critical in eliminating wastes and toxins from the body. At a time when we are exposed to increasing levels of environmental toxins from our food, air, and water, the conventional wisdom to "drink 6 to 8 glasses of clean water per day for optimum health" is more important than ever before.
Unfortunately, as most people now know, most sources of drinking water are also contaminated with a wide variety of toxins. As a result, increasing numbers of people are now using water filters and are spending large sums of money annually on bottled water.
It is not so widely known, however, that an FDA survey has stated that 31% of the 52 brands of bottled water tested were tainted with bacteria. Similarly, a study conducted by the National Resources Defense Council on 103 brands of bottled water found that about one-third of them contained levels of contamination--including synthetic organic chemicals, bacteria, and arsenic. Moreover, there is growing evidence that xenoestrogens can leach out of the plastic bottles into the water when they are stored for long periods in either hot or very cold environments.
So many Americans, in spite of spending over $1,000 a year on bottled water, may still be exposing themselves to a significant level of toxins. These two facts taken together provide a major incentive for considering a new alternative to bottled water. It's called "WELLNESS WATER."
A Brief History of Wellness Water
Around 30 years ago, Haru Naito left Japan to attend the State University of New York. After winning the NCAA swimming championship there, he returned to Japan to coach Japan's National Swimming Team. Through his devotion to improving the performance of his swimmers, he became involved in the emerging field of sports medicine. This led him to start investigating the unusual levels of health, vitality, and longevity of certain ethnic groups, including the Hunza of Pakistan.
As a result of his extensive research with this group, he concluded that their extraordinary health and longevity was largely due to their water supply. Through careful analysis of this water, he discovered that it had certain unique features as a result of being filtered through minerals of volcanic origin.
During the following years, he continued to investigate the effects of filtering water through similar volcanic minerals in Japan until he developed water with properties very similar to those he had discovered with the Hunza. The final result of his ongoing research was the development of the "Wellness Filter."
Following the circulation of many anecdotal reports throughout Japan about the health benefits of drinking water that had been conditioned by this special filter, the Japanese Ministry of Health conducted rigorous scientific testing of this filter. This resulted in an unprecedented governmental endorsement of the filter. It has now been installed in over 100 government hospitals in Japan, and one of its mineral components has been licensed in Japan as a medicinal mineral.
It was introduced into the U.S. for the first time in 2000. Research here has added further documentation of the many health benefits of this enhanced "wellness water," not only for humans, but also for chickens and cows. (A link to an extensive online summary of this research can be found by clicking on the URL provided at the end of this article.)
How to Have Your Own Portable Supply of Wellness Water
Very recently, the "Wellness Filter" has become available in a 16 oz. Wellness Sport Enhanced Water Bottle. Through the use of this unique bottle, ordinary tap water is instantly transformed into purified ENHANCED water. Not only is this water at least as pure as the best bottled water, it also alters the water so that it: 1) increases the ease of absorption, helping your body absorb nutrients and rid itself of toxins; 2) adds trace minerals for cellular health; and 3) adds reduced ions for an anti-oxidant and anti-aging effect.
In additon to being superior in all of these ways to bottled water, Wellness Water is also much less expensive. Depending on the particular brand of bottled water used as a price comparison, the savings can range from $160 to over $1,000 per year.
Finally, using this Wellness Sport Enhanced Water Bottle as an alternative to bottled water eliminates the expense and burden on the environment of disposing of approximately 1,000 plastic bottles per person each year.
The Wellness Sport Enhanced Water Bottle is now being distributed in the U.S. exclusively by only one American company. To get further information, including how to purchase it, please click on the URL below.