Ask any regular long-haul flyer about their experience of flying and you will soon discover that everyone has a different "magic" formula for overcoming or avoiding jet lag.In reality of course no magic formula exists ? and there is certainly no magic pill or tablet. There is, however, a great deal that you can do in preparation for your departure to help you overcome or eliminate jet lag and here are just a few tips:1. Maintain a consistent sleep pattern.If you are not following a consistent routine in the days and weeks before your journey (going to bed and getting up at the same time each day) your body's internal clock will be disrupted even before you start your journey and your flight will simply magnify the effects of insomnia induced by jet lag.2. Ensure you are getting a balanced and healthy diet.Diet plays an important role in ensuring that you get a good night's sleep and an appropriate balance of whole grains, proteins, fruits and vegetables in your diet is essential.Alcohol and caffeine are two elements of your diet that are particularly important in relation to jet lag and these should be reduced, or eliminated, in the run-up to your journey if at all possible. If, however, asking you to give up your twelve cups of coffee each day is rather like asking you to cut off your right hand, then try to limit your intake to the afternoon between about 3 pm and 5 pm.Caffeine when taken late in the day tends to speed up your body clock, while taking it in the morning has the opposite effect. Taken during the middle of the day, caffeine has little or no effect on your body's circadian rhythms.3. Take regular exercise.Regular exercise can significantly improve the consistency, quality and duration of your normal sleep cycle. Some form of daily aerobic exercise, lasting at least twenty minutes, will go a long way to preparing your body for your forthcoming journey.4. Start to slowly adjust your bedtime.You should begin to "manage" your body clock by gradually and slowly adjusting your bedtime and wake up time in the days before your journey, to bring these into line with the local time at your destination.If, for example, you normally go to bed at 10 pm and you are flying to a country that is four hours ahead, at your normal bedtime the time at your destination will be 2 am. So, in this case, you need to slowly bring your bedtime forward a little bit (say fifteen minutes) each night for a week or ten days before your departure. This might mean that immediately prior to leaving you are going to bed at say 7.30 pm. However, when you arrive at your destination this will mean that you are now going to bed at 11.30 pm and that you have narrowed the four hour time difference to just one and a half hours.5. Reduce stress in the days before traveling.One often overlooked factor in the jet lag equation is that of stress and much of this stress is a direct result of the journey itself. How many times have you found yourself running around at the last minute trying to do 1001 things at once?Plan ahead and make sure that, as far as is possible, everything that you need to do both at home and at works is completed well in advance of your journey. In planning for your journey, clear as much as you can as early as you can and make specific time available in your pre-journey planning for plenty of relaxation in the days immediately prior to your departure.These are just a few examples of things that you should pay attention to when planning any long-haul trip and, together with other specific measures taken both during your flight and following your arrival, will considerably reduce the effects of jet lag, or even lead to no jet lag at all!Copyright 2005 Donald Saunders - http://help-me-to-sleep.comDonald Saunders is the author of a number of health-related publications looking in detail at curing insomnia and managing other common sleep disorders. Drop by for more information on jet lag and to pick up your free copy of "How To Get A Good Night's Sleep".

In theory Christmas is a time that is filled with joy and celebration. A joyous holiday when you get together with loved ones and catch up, exchange gifts and generally have a good time.Unfortunately in practice it can be a time of great stress and unhappiness. There is so much to do and so much to organise. And sometimes getting together with your extended family can be uncomfortable and even painful.So here is a plan that will help you to relax a little more this Christmas and hopefully a good time will be had by all.Christmas ShoppingDon't leave everything until the last moment. Rushing will just make you tired and more stressed. Get you Christmas shopping done early, so you don't have to spend hours fighting other shoppers for the last doll or Christmas turkey.Don't over spend. It is very easy at Christmas time to spend too much and put yourself in a financial hole for a good part of the new year. Decide before you go shopping how much you can afford to spend and stick to your budget. Shopping early will help you stick to a budget as you will not be in a last minute panic, picking up anything that may be suitable regardless of the cost.If money is a little tight for you or some of your family members there are a couple of ways you can reduce your spending costs. Together you could decide that all gifts should be handmade or second hand. Or you could all decide that each of you will only buy for one other person. This way instead of spending $5 on 10 people and getting them all little cute but junky things you spend $50 on one person and get them something that they will really appreciate. Decide between the family an amount that everyone is to spend and then draw names out of a hat to see who you will shop for.Wrap the presents as soon as you can after buying them - that will leave one less thing to do on Christmas eve.Christmas CookingAgain planning is very important. You don't have to do it all yourself. Ask members of your family to bring something along. This way the chore is shared amongst many and everyone can feel like they have contributed.See what preparations can be made a few days before hand. The plum pudding and mince tarts can be made weeks before hand. Do what you can, but make sure everything is stored at a safe temperature. You can wash the potatoes but they will go black if you peel them.
Dealing with the Unpleasant RelativesAt Christmas time we can be thrown together with people that we would really rather not have anything with. Do your best to be pleasant to them but if they cross the line and say something that is rude stay calm. Do not attack them back; let them know that you do not appreciate their comments and that you would rather here positive comments about yourself and other members of your family.Do your best not to let the comments of one person spoil your day. Try not to dwell on any negativity. Instead think about the things you are enjoying about the day and go and find someone you do get along well with and talk to them.Alcohol can increase your emotional reactions to any situation so only drink in moderation.One final wordMake sure that you look after yourself with appropriate exercise, relaxation, sleep and a healthy diet on the days leading up to Christmas. When we are feeling fit and energetic we are able to cope so much more easily with the ups and downs of life. However if we are already feeling tired and stressed any little thing can overwhelm us and this can make Christmas day more tension and tiresome.Have a great ChristmasWant more ways to enjoy life? Kerry-Ann Cox, author and healer, has just released her new book "10 Spiritual law for stress reduction" Find our more at http://www.exaltedliving.com/stress.htm

Ten Simple Lifestyle Changes You Can Make to Reduce
Your Risk for Osteoporosis Stop or decrease your meat intake.Stop or decrease your dairy intake.Decrease or eliminate sugar from your diet. Cut back on processed foods. Eliminate highly acid vinegars.Decrease or stop caffeine. Stop smoking. Cut back or eliminate alcohol consumption. Start a weight bearing exercise program.Get plenty of sunshine or supplement vitamin D.
"The myth that osteoporosis is caused by calcium deficiency was
created to sell dairy products and calcium supplements. There's no truth to it. American women are among the biggest consumers of
calcium in the world, and they still have one of the highest
levels of osteoporosis in the world. And eating even more dairy
products and calcium supplements is not going to change that fact."
- Dr. John McDougallDiscussion:The ingestion of milk causes the blood to become acid
ie -pH less than the normal 7.43. The body corrects this via
the calcium phosphate balance which requires mobilization of
additional calcium into the bloodstream to correct the acidosis.
This calcium is obtained by removing it from the bones. Thus, it
is no surprise that milk causes a total body calcium loss.
This is not new information and is well discussed with reference
to the original studies in John Robbins's book "Diet for a New
America."Amazing as it sounds, the ash (residue) from any animal protein
that finds its way to the bloodstream is so acid that the
homeostatic mechanisms of the body that maintain the pH of
the blood at 7.43 are immediately invoked. The prime mechanism
to accomplish this (as noted above) is the calcium / phosphate
balance in the bloodstream. Since calcium acts as a base
(can correct an acid condition of the blood) the body pulls
calcium from the bone to offset or correct the acidosis
caused by the acid residue from the animal protein
(this includes dairy/milk).Over time the continuing ingestion of animal protein
leads to significant loss of bone mineralization and
eventually clinical osteoporosis. Ingesting more calcium
is a very simplistic approach that more often than not
does not help. The problem is that supplemental calcium
seldom finds its way to the bloodstream and the body will
continue to remove calcium from the bone since this is the
pathway that mother nature has established.As a diagnostic
radiologist I had many an occasion to see calcium
tablets of all varieties totally undissolved on abdominal
radiographs. Treating osteoporosis with additional calcium is like replacing the wood in a termite infested house without
eradicating the termites. The only effective (and extremely
simple) answer is to just not consume animal protein. One
of the other complications of the increased mobilization of
calcium is kidney stones. The incidence of kidney stones is
considerably increased in those who consume animal protein.The Bantu women, who are exclusively vegan and live off of a
completely plant based diet in central Africa, get less than
350 mg of calcium in their daily diet. Yet, there is no
osteoporosis in these women since they do not ingest any animal
protein. This is also true for many women in the more remote
portions of mainland China.All the new imaging devices for measuring bone density are
really a large technological waste of time and money.
If you consume animal protein you are at risk for
osteoporosis -period. Just take some of the money you
would spend to have your bone density measured and go out
and buy some good organic veggies. You and your bones
will love you for it.Osteoporosis is not gender specific. Although more women than
men are affected, men also have osteoporosis. I once knew
an Ultrasound technician in his thirties who had osteoporosis.Recipes:The following recipes are good sources of calcium from
totally natural sources as well as recipes that avoid the
foods that cause osteoporosis. For those of you outside
of the US the need for organic foods is not as critical
since the destructive commercial farming practices here
have not reached the rest of the world -yet. This is
especially true in Europe where a tomato, I am told, still
tastes like a tomato.Black bean burritos, tostadas and tacos.Prepare some organic black beans refried style as in the
MericleDiet or however you like to prepare your beans.
Obtain some organic tortillas, taco or tostada shells.
Drop some refried beans into or onto one of the above
and add some chopped lettuce, cabbage or onions. Black
beans and onions really make a good burrito. Wrap the
tortilla around your filling and garnish with salsa
and maybe some more cabbage or lettuce. If you like, you
can fry the burrito to make what we used to call a "Cindy
Special" from an old Mexican restaurant here in Tucson.
The frying is however not without its caloric burden,
although it makes for a real taste treat.Other good sources of calcium are organic kale, collards,
broccoli, bok choy and tofu.A fresh spinach salad makes a nice addition to this meal
and a lot of organic greens really are excellent sources
of calcium that the body can utilize. I have been told
that, although spinach is high in calcium, it is also high
in oxalic acid which is alleged to bind the calcium thus
limiting its absorption. However spinach is still a good
bet since it has been shown to retard the development of
macular degeneration.Summary:Osteoporosis is not a disease of calcium absorption but is
a proactive disease caused by ingesting foods that upset the
acid/base balance of the body thus requiring calcium to be
slowly but constantly leached from your bones in order to keep
the blood (pH) normal (7.43). No amount of ingested calcium
will correct the problem as long as one continues to destroy
their bones by eating the wrong foods. The answer is to
simply stop the destruction of your bones by significantly
reducing or completely stopping the ingestion of animal
protein.We hope you find this informative. Please stay tuned for
the next newsletter that will cover sugar, vitamin C,
insulin, your white blood cells, your immune system
and the very interesting subject of competitive inhibition
or -how much vitamin C should I take? To sign up for the MericleDiet Newsletter / Dr. Mericle Health Tips please follow the link below:http://www.DrMericle.comOne last quote:"In the next 10 to 15 years, one of the things you're bound
to hear is that animal protein ... is one of the most toxic
nutrients of all that can be considered . Risk for disease
goes up dramatically when even a little animal protein is
added to the diet." T. Colin Campbell Ph.D. (Author of
The China Study).Remember the Bantu women.The MericleDiet.The MericleDiet is a completely vegan, 100% Sugar Free and 100% Organic easy to follow diet. It is actually more of a lifestyle than a diet as you never feel deprived or restricted. It also will keep your bone density at the best it can be. Your bones will love you for it. To visit just follow the link below:http://www.DrMericle.comCopyright 2005 J. Mericle M.D. All Rights Reservedhttp://www.DrMericle.com is devoted to achieving optimal health and peak performance through diet and lifestyle change. Dr. Mericle brings together a unique blend of formal medical education, 29 marathons, 3 Hawaii Ironman competitions and a lot of practical real life experience.

The Holiday Season can be a wonderful time of year, filled with lovely decorations, gift exchanges, visits with friends and family and delicious meals. But for many of us, the Holiday Season can also be quite overwhelming with all the added activities such as decorating our homes, selecting, buying, wrapping and exchanging gifts and hosting friends and family while we prepare multi-course elaborate meals! The question is, "What can we do to Overcome Overwhelm during the Holidays?"1. Simplify Your LifeHolidays that are full of complexity are neither fun nor comfortable. Complexity can easily contribute to feeling overwhelmed. We can be invited to numerous events and want to host others ourselves. These activities can be very wonderful experiences, but there can also be too many to prepare for and attend in a short time. You may also have to consider selecting, wrapping and delivering gifts, decorating the house, and, potentially, traveling to visit friends and family across the country. Keeping the holidays simple with a manageable number of events to attend and/or host, can greatly contribute to Overcoming Overwhelm during the Holidays.2. Practice Extreme Self-CareIn our fast paced world, often our physical bodies become the last priority. We drag our bodies around nonstop and we can be indifferent to signs of exhaustion. When we practice extreme self-care, our mind, body and spirit are much more likely to assist us in our other efforts by providing strong support including energy, enthusiasm and presence. With extreme self-care our energy is up, our confidence is high and we feel much more positive. Some examples of self-care activities include sufficient sleep, quiet time, exercise, healthy food, and joyful recreation. Often during the holidays, some of our self-care activities are put on hold with all the hustle and bustle of the season. Taking proper care of ourselves during the Holiday Season can contribute greatly to Overcoming Overwhelm during the Holidays.3. Celebrate the Unique YouSometimes there are "should" or "must" dos on our to-do list that we really don't enjoy doing or don't leverage our best skills. We can end up delaying or not completing these activities. Or if we take these items on, they can contribute to frustration or overwhelm. Instead, we can consider whether there is someone else who can take care of the item for us or determine if the activity really needs to be done now.There are many events and activities that we can participate in during the holidays on top of regular life activities. If we don't know what we really want during the Holiday Season, then it will be much harder to say no to invitations that do not align with our desires. A great place to start is to clearly define our preferences in writing. By sharing our vision of the ideal Holiday Season with our life partner, asking him or her what their desired Holiday Season looks like and integrating these two collaboratively, you have a plan the two of you can action and support together for the Holiday Season. Celebrating the Unique You, by respecting and celebrating your desired Holiday Season, can greatly contribute to Overcoming Overwhelm and experiencing more power, serenity and joy during the Holiday Season.About The AuthorDonna P. Lendzyk is a professional coach and businesswoman who guides women to Overcome Overwhelm and Achieve their Desired Results. She is the author of new multi-media "Overcome Overwhelm eProgram." Do you need any FREE strategies on Overcoming Overwhelm & Achieving Your Desired Results? Sign-up and receive "Overcome Overwhelm Secrets". This free, informative, multi-media enewsletter is available from: http://www.Overcome-Overwhelm.com.

Asthma can be a serous and often frightening condition that is typified by a tightening of the chest, wheezing and difficulty breathing. Asthma is made up of two underlying components: inflammation and constriction. During normal breathing, the bands of muscles that surround the airways are relaxed, and air moves freely. But in people with asthma, the bands of muscle surrounding the airways tighten and air cannot move freely. In addition, individuals with asthma often have airways that are inflamed, irritated and swollen. This can make it hard for them to breathe. This irritation can also cause the mucus membrane that lines these tissues to produce excessive mucus, which can further reduce the flow of air into the lungs.The airways of people with asthma are extremely sensitive. The airways tend to overreact and narrow due to even the slightest trigger. These can include: emotional upsets and stress, upper respiratory tract infections, breathing cold air and even exercising too hard. Airborne allergens, such as bee pollen, animal dander, dust mold and smoke can also trigger an attack, as can certain foods or medications.Asthma attacks can be both mild and severe. The severity of an attack, however, can escalate rapidly, so it is important to treat these symptoms immediately once you recognize them. In any case, it is important to work with your primary health care provider when you look to treat this health concern. Fortunately, there are a number of things that you can do to help reduce the severity or eliminate asthma from your life.Recommendations for WellnessTo help control an attack:Sit leaning forward or in a semi-prone position to help restore normal breathing.Try placing a hot, moist towel over your chest to help relax your chest muscles and restore normal breathing.To help reduce your chances of another attack:Incorporate breathing exercises into your daily routine to help strengthen your respiratory muscles.Keep a health diary. Use it to help you figure out what is triggering your attacks, then reduce your exposure to them or eliminate those things from your life.Don't smoke. Avoid perfumes.Make a special effort to keep your environment allergen free. Get an air purifier. Dust and vacuum often. Change your home furnace or air conditioner filter regular.Stop exercising if you start wheezing or feel an attack coming on.Drink plenty of water to help thin any mucus build-up in the lungs.Eliminate or reduce mucus-forming foods such as milk products, products made with white flower and refined foods.Lobelia has a long history for relaxing respiratory muscles and reducing spasmodic coughing.To help reduce asthma symptoms, including ginkgo biloba into your health care program.Herbal combinations such as Nature's Sunshine's Chinese Lung Support can help to support and protect the lungs.Herbs such as mullein, licorice root, marshmallow root or slippery elm can be taken to soothe irritated tissues.Fenugreek and thyme can help to open the chest as it loosens & stimulates the gentle removal of mucus and phlegm.Incorporate a homeopathic Asthma formula to help with shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, tightness of the chest and wheezing.About The Author

Can you encounter the number of times where a Credit Card Sale was generated, only to receive a "Refund Notification" from your contracted e-commerce processor on behalf the "customer"?
Welcome to the electronic world of "cyber-shoplifting".
Unscrupulous surfers, disguised as potential "customers", systematically opt to ordering goods (using credit cards) in electronic form of delivery, only to request a refund minutes or days later after receiving the product.

As the holidays approach each year, more and more people suffer from Holiday Depression.Some experts blame it on factors relating to nutrition. Nutritional experts believe that depression is caused by the excessive sugar and fatty foods coursing through our bodies.Other experts believe that depression is caused by the lack of natural sunlight that promotes a condition called SAD. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) SAD reduces the amounts of endorphins distributed in our brains. Experts in psychology maintain that many people look back over the year and see themselves as failures. Another year is behind you and your personal goals have not been achieved.Whatever the reason you feel is the cause of your depression, the following 5 simple tips are guaranteed to help you reduce Holiday Depression.1. Do not read newspapers.Newspapers publish negative stories near the end of the year. Stories focused on death, destruction, doom and despair abound around the Holidays. During the week between Christmas and the New Year, stories highlighting the worst tragedies of the year appear daily until January.Stop reading the newspaper during the holidays and reduce the negative input to your brain.2. Turn off your television.End of the year stories about hardship and violence overtake your senses during the Holidays.When visitors come to your home, make sure you turn off your television and keep it off.News television broadcasters are fighting for your holiday guests' attention as they promote despair, war, death and destruction with many headline news interruptions.Television will diminish your festive holiday spirit.3. Say good things about othersMy Mother always says, "if you can't say anything nice about others, don't say anything at all."However, when you find yourself in a conversation and a relative says, "Remember Uncle Phil?" " He was an alcoholic"Respond with " yes, Uncle Phil was an alcoholic and he was the most charitable person, I have ever met."Connect your friend's negative statement about Phil with a positive one.4. Get physical exercisePeople forget about exercise around the holidays. In most parts of the world, the weather is cold and the sky is dark. Make sure you are exercising daily and sending more oxygen to your brain cells.The result of exercise will improve your health as well as your attitude.5. Breathe deep and relax.Practice the following breathing exercise to relax your body and mind.Breathe deeply and relax. For 3 minutes each hour take a short mental vacation.You can engage in this exercise while you are standing in the checkout line at the supermarket or purchasing holiday gifts. You can complete the exercise at home or at work.Take three deep breathes and relax. As you inhale, concentrate on calm and peaceful thoughts.As you exhale, concentrate on pushing any tension out of your lungs.Focus on positive images of the Holidays. Focus on laughter, love, excitement and hope.Reduce your Holiday Depression.Enjoy your holidays!About The AuthorWayne Perkins is a hypnotherapist and author of "How to Hypnotize Yourself Without Losing Your Mind."Hypnotism Education: How to Hypnotize Other Peoplehttp://www.wayneperkins.net/"My mission in life is to help you achieve your mission in life."wayne@wayneperkins.net

While war and poor economic conditions begin to affect people all over the world, more and more people suffer with depression. The more we focus on news events and the business climate, the more we are depressed. Whatever the reason you feel is the cause of your depression, the following five simple tips guarantee you reduce it significantly.1. Do not read newspapers.Newspapers publish negative stories most of the time. Even in peaceful periods, newspapers will find the worst in humanity and place negative stories on display in order to promote sales and subscribers. Stories focused on War, rebellion, death, destruction, doom and despair abound in the newspapers.Stop reading the newspaper and reduce the negative input to your brain.2. Turn off your television.Watching and listening about the horrible economy and the losses associated with War will add to depression. In fact, you guarantee the feeling of helplessness. Helplessness allows depression to nurture. If you really need to watch or listen to these kinds of news stories, promise yourself you will bury yourself in the documentaries that are sure to follow in the next 5 or 10 years. A way you can eliminate most of the negative input to your brain is by setting it aside for a date somewhere in the future. I guarantee in the future, you will not find it very interesting.When visitors come to your home, make sure you turn off your television and keep it off. News television broadcasters are fighting for your guests' attention as they promote despair, war, death, and destruction with many headline news interruptions. Those little banners that run across the bottom of the screen achieve your attention and they take hold of your consciousness. Television will diminish your positive spirit.3. Say good things about othersMy Mother always says, "if you can't say anything nice about others, don't say anything at all." However, when you find yourself in a conversation and a relative says, "Remember Uncle Phil?" " He was an alcoholic" Respond with " yes, Uncle Phil was an alcoholic and he was the most charitable person, I have ever met."Connect your friend's negative statement about Phil with a positive one. Set yourself up to find the positive in anyone's statement and you will keep negative thoughts and depression from overtaking your life.4. Get physical exerciseAdults forget about exercise when suffering from depression. Make sure you are exercising daily and sending more oxygen to your brain cells. The result of exercise will improve your health as well as your attitude.5. Breathe deep and relax.Practice the following breathing exercise to relax your body and mind.Breathe deeply and relax. For 3 minutes each hour take a short mental vacation.You can engage in this exercise while you are standing in the checkout line at the supermarket or when listening to others while talking on a telephone. You can complete the exercise at home or at work.Take three deep breathes and relax. As you inhale, concentrate on calm and peaceful thoughts. You may think about relaxing by a mountain, by the ocean or comfortably in your favorite room at home.As you exhale, concentrate on pushing any tension out of your lungs.Focus on positive images in your life. Focus on laughter, love, excitement, and hope.Keep breathing in and out in this pattern until you feel better. If you practice the exercise often, you will notice wonderful changes in your outlook and in other aspects of your life.Reduce your depression now! Enjoy your holidays, family, your friends, and your life.About The AuthorWayne F. Perkins is a clinical hypnotherapist and author of "How to Hypnotize Yourself Without Losing Your Mind." offers hypnosis scripts for a variety of problems."My mission in life is to help you achieve your mission in life."http://www.wayneperkins.net/; wayne@wayneperkins.net

Imagine leaving a window open all winter long ? the heat loss, cold drafts, and wasted energy! Well if your home has a folding attic stair, a fireplace, and/or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home!These often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause your heat pour out and the cold outside air pour in ? costing you higher heating bills, causing cold drafts, and wasting energy.Air leaks are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home. Air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. We apply caulk and weatherstripping to these areas to minimize heat loss and cold drafts.But what can you do about the three largest "holes" in your home ? the folding attic stair, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes.Attic Stairs:Do you have a folding attic stairway in your house? When attic stairs are installed, a large hole (approximately 10 square feet!) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed. And what is installed to cover this opening? A thin, unsealed, un-insulated sheet of plywood!Did you know that your attic space is ventilated directly to the outdoors? In the winter, the attic space can be very cold, and in the summer it can be very hot. And what is separating your conditioned house from your unconditioned attic? That thin sheet of plywood!Often a gap can be observed around the perimeter of the door. Try this yourself: at night when it is dark, turn on the attic light and shut the attic stairway door - do you see any light coming through? These are gaps - which add up to a large opening where your heated/cooled air leaks out 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year! This is like leaving a window open all year round!An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an attic stair cover. An attic stair cover provides an air seal, reducing the air leaks. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the insulation removed from the ceiling.Fireplaces:Approximately 100 million homes in North America are constructed with wood or gas burning fireplaces. Unfortunately there are negative side effects that the fireplace brings to a home especially during the winter home-heating season. Fireplaces are energy losers!Researchers have studied this to determine the amount of heat loss through a fireplace, and the results are amazing! One remarkable research study showed that an open damper on an unused fireplace in a well-insulated house can raise overall heating energy consumption by 30%!A recent study showed that for many consumers, their heating bills may be more than $500 higher per winter just due to the air leakage and wasted energy caused by fireplaces!Why Does a Home With a Fireplace Have Higher Heating Bills? Hot air rises! Your heated air leaks out any exit it can find, and when your warm heated air is drawn out of your home, cold outside air is drawn in to make up for it. The fireplace is like a giant straw - sucking the heated air from your house. This is like leaving a window open all year round!An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a fireplace draftstopper. A fireplace draftstopper is an inflatable pillow that seals the damper, eliminating any air leaks. The pillow removed whenever the fireplace is used, then reinserted after.Clothes Dryer Exhaust Ducts:Have you ever noticed that the room containing your clothes dryer is the coldest room in your house? Ever wonder why? Your clothes dryer is connected to an exhaust duct that is open to the outdoors. In the winter, cold air leaks in through the duct, through your dryer and into your house, while your heated air just pours right out!Dryer vents use a sheet metal flapper to try to reduce this air leakage. This is very primitive technology that does not provide a positive seal to stop the air leakage. Compounding the problem is that over time, lint clogs the flapper valve causing it to stay open. This is like leaving a window open all year round!An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a dryer vent seal! A dryer vent seal will reduce unwanted air infiltration, and keep out pests, bees and rodents as well. The vent will remain closed unless the dryer is in use. When the dryer is in use, a floating shuttle rises to allow warm air, lint, and moisture to escape.If your home has a folding attic stair, a fireplace, and/or a clothes dryer, you can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes. At Battic Door, we have developed low-cost, green solutions to these and other energy-conservation related issues. For more information please visit our website www.batticdoor.com or send a S.A.S.E. to P.O. Box 15, Mansfield, MA 02048.We manufacture and distribute low-cost, high-value, air-leakage control energy conservation products for the three largest intentional openings in the house - the fireplace, the clothes dryer exhaust duct, and the pull-down attic stair.Our customers are homeowners, weatherization firms and programs, municipals, utilities and contractors. We also sell our product at a wholesale discount to distributors.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of cats and kittens are destroyed because they are unwanted. Animal shelters that take in these animals and try to find them homes are overcrowded. With so many animals in need, they cannot support all animals indefinitely. The solution is not to open more shelters, but for cat owners to become more responsible about spaying and neutering their pets.A female cat can have two litters of kittens each year. The average survival rate is about 2.8 kittens per litter. If her offspring are not spayed or neutered, the result is 12 cats the first year, 66 cats in the second year, and at the end of ten years, the total would be 80,399,780 cats."Spay" is the term used for the surgical removal of a female animal's uterus and ovaries. When a male's testicles are removed, it is called "neutering." Both procedures leave the animals unable to reproduce. Besides preventing unwanted pregnancies, spaying and neutering of pets has other benefits for cats and their owners.Benefits of neutering a male cat* Neutered cats are less likely to spray strong urine* Neutered cats will lose the urge to fight* Neutered cats will be less likely to try to escape* Neutered cats will not suffer the abscesses from fighting* Neutered cats will be less likely to contract diseases such as FeLV and FIV* Neutered cats will not be subject to testicular cancer* Neutered cats will not likely develop "stud tail," caused by overactive glands in the tail* Neutered cats have a decreased risk of mammary cancerSpaying a female cat prevents mating behaviors such as fighting and yowling/hyperactivity in females. Spayed cats don't roam the neighborhood as much, protecting them from the dangers of vehicles and aggressive dogs. Their tendency to stay closer to home also provides protection against deadly diseases such as FeLV and FIV. Finally, "fixed" pets tend to be more loving, because they are not subject to the erratic effects of hormones.One of the biggest benefits of spaying/neutering is that it dramatically reduces the cat's risk of developing cancers of the reproductive system. A female cat spayed before her first cycle, or heat, has a greatly reduced chance of mammary cancer.
Less than a decade ago, conventional wisdom dictated that pets should be neutered at between 5-7 months of age. Recent studies have found that it is not only possible to spay/neuter cats at a younger age, it actually is better for them. Today, cats undergo spay/neuter procedures at about 7 weeks of age. They recover much more quickly than if it was done later, and ensures that a female does not become pregnant with her first heat.In the past spaying was limited for a number of reasons* It was better to let a female cat give birth to one litter of kittens before spaying.* That female cats in particular, might later develop incontinence as a result.* That certain behavioral problems might result.However, these theories have since been disproven.In the past, animal shelters and humane societies sent unaltered cats/kittens to their new home because they wanted them to start their new life as soon as possible. Usually, owners signed documents promising to have the animal neutered. Some facilities took it upon themselves to follow up with phone calls to make sure the owners were living up to their commitment. The overwhelming number of animals coming and going in a shelter today makes this unfeasible. Instead of allowing their charges to add to the overpopulation problem, most animal welfare/adoption groups routinely spay and neuter animals before they are made available for adoption. A number of municipalities have passed laws so that no animal can leave a shelter unless it has been spayed/neutered.Pet Medication Supplies [http://www.pet-medication-supplies.net] can help you get the best possible supplies for your pet. Advantix, Arthramine, Cosequin, Frontline, Heartgard - find the best deals in pet medication for flea and tick control, arthritis and lyme disease. Upto 50% discount everyday on brand names.