Influenza Q&A with Dr. Payam Hakimi

Influenza is still in the news, be it H1N1 or the seasonal flu. But even when the flu isn’t newsworthy, we still need to be aware of it, particularly over the winter season.

With the holiday season quickly taking hold, I interviewed, Payam Hakimi, D.O., American Board of Family Physicians, Medical Director Body of Harmony Institute of Health & Healing, Teaching Faculty Center for Education & Development of Clinical Homeopathy. Dr. Hakimi suggests that everyone have a flu plan, allowing them to be prepared should they be hit with influenza, whatever type.

Dr. Hakimi:

The most important thing a person should know is what actions to take in case they have the signs and symptoms of the flu, which are outlined below.  It is important to know that most of these signs and symptoms are also shared by the common cold viruses; however, the high severity and the suddenness of the symptoms differentiates the flu which is caused by the influenza virus.

First, here are the signs and symptoms of the flu to watch for:

• Fever of 100 to 103 with chills
• Headache
• Flushed
• Sweaty or clammy skin
• Body aches and joint pains
• Fatigue and weakness
• Nasal Congestion
• Sneezing
• Sore Throat
• Cough
• Decreased appetite
• Nausea
• Diarrhea

What treatments should you undertake? Read more

Wrap a greener gift

If you’ve got your holiday gifts gathered up it’s time to get wrapping. You can wrap beautiful and green by doing the following…

Use amazing wrap that doubles as a gift or that doubles as a reusable wrap option. For example, ChicoBags, shown above make lovely wrap AND then your gift recipient will have an awesome reusable bag to use for groceries! See how to wrap a gift in a ChicoBag. You can also use reusable food containers, baskets, and more. See below for other reusable gift wrap options.

1. Modern Twist hide boxes
2. Furoshiki Silk Wrap
3. Gel-Cool Bento Box, Polar Bear
4. Bobo Wrapping Scarf – many colors available.
5. Lucky Crow Reusable Gift Bags, Organic Print, Crop Circles
6. Lucky Crow Reusable Gift Bags, Sock Monkey
7. Driftwood Basket
8. To-Go Ware – 2-Tier Stainless Steel Food Carrier

Use last year’s wrap or buy recycled wrapping paper.

Use the comics, recycled magazine pages, old construction paper your kids drew on and so on instead of new paper.

Top gifts off with cool DIY  gift bows made with recycled magazines. You can also use pine cones, leaves, evergreen branches, or other found nature items instead of paper bows. Or look for natural yarn or organic ribbon.

Make recycled paper gift tags, write directly on the gift with a non-leak-through pen, or get some plantable paper gift tags.

Don’t forget, no matter what wrap you use, reuse it or recycle it after the holidays.

Green issue to take with a grain of salt

Green living is good; great in fact. However, some green issues are more complex than others and require more thought than simply jumping on the bandwagon. Following are some simple green issue that sound good and easy to solve, but in reality there’s more to consider.

Green cars are good! Green cars do save money and reduce your CO2. That said there is a cost to the planet for each new car made; even highly efficient, small cars. If your old car is small, you don’t drive much, or you have a newer car it may not make sense to replace it simply to get a super efficient car. Tires, seats, the body, electrical parts and so on all take energy and materials to make. If you’ve got a big old gas guzzler that you drive non-stop, then yeah, a newer energy efficient car is likely worth it. But if not, you may be better off in the meantime simply using smarter green driving tactics.

Green homes rock! Green homes in general are a good goal. Using green building tactics can make your remodel a healthier experience and green homes can save you money. There are however difference between a healthy home and a green built home. Many of the aspects that go into creating a green home can be healthy – i.e zero voc paint but some green aspects such as solar panels or energy efficient appliances may be healthy for the earth (which is good for humans), but you need to go beyond that for total human health. You need to consider what’s inside your home both related to air quality and furnishings. You need to clean your home with green cleaners.  Your home should have healthy HVAC, ventilation and filtration systems. Green and healthy do come together, but not in total. You need to consider both issues.

Energy efficient appliances save resources! They do to a point but human habits save more. For example if you have an energy efficient washer and dryer, and you always run hot water loads and dry everything, you’re not being as responsible as someone with an older set who washes on cold and hang dries. An energy efficient stove won’t save as much energy as a simple microwave. Energy efficient TVs are swell but watching one all the time is not as eco-friendly as the family with an old set who instead of watching TV gets out into nature for a hike. Along with considering your appliances also consider your actual use habits.

[image via stock.xchng]

Very Berry Holiday Tree

This season, when creating holiday crafts and centerpieces, make them edible! This Very Berry Holiday Tree was created by cookbook author Tish Boyle. You can make it in under an hour and it’s a fabulous alternative to a floral centerpiece. The tree uses fresh Driscoll strawberries and mint.

Makes one table centerpiece

Special equipment:

• 1 floral foam or green styrofoam cone (measuring 4-5 inches in diameter at the base and 12 inches high)
• 1 box of toothpicks

Supplies:

• 4 one pound containers of fresh Driscoll strawberries
• 1 bunch fresh mint
• 1 slice from a carambola fruit (also known as star fruit)*

*Note: If you can’t find a carambola, you can use a 1-inch star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out a star shape from a mango slice instead.

Directions:

1. Wash the strawberries and blot them dry with paper towels. Pull off the green stem from each strawberry. Reserve a perfect strawberry for the top of the ‘tree’.

2. Push a toothpick halfway into the side of the cone, about 1/2 inch from the bottom edge. Secure a strawberry to the toothpick, piercing it through the stem end. Secure another strawberry right next to the first one. Continue securing strawberries to the cone in circular rows up to its top, covering the cone completely. Secure the reserved strawberry to the top of the tree.

3. Remove some mint leaves from the bunch of mint and tuck them between the berries, placing them at about 3-inch intervals.

4. Secure the star-shaped carambola or mango slice to the top of the cone using a toothpick.

About Tish Boyle
Tish Boyle is editor in chief of Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design magazines. A graduate of Smith College and La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris, she has been a caterer, pastry chef, and food stylist. She is the author of The Good Cookie and Diner Desserts, and coauthor of Simply Sensational Desserts (IACP Award Winner), Chocolate Passion, and the Grand Finales series of books.

Insecticides Linked to Autoimmune Disorders

In yet another reason why you should ditch toxic household supplies, recent research shows that there may be a link between exposure to household insecticides which include roach and mosquito killers, and the autoimmune disorders rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

Epidemiologist Christine Parks, and lead investigator of the study, said that while not all correlations can be accounted for, i.e. it’s possible that the women in the study have something else in common that accounts for their higher risk of developing an autoimmune disorder, the findings still do raise a red flag.

Previous research has already linked agricultural pesticides to higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, which is one reason why, in spite of arguments that say otherwise, you should eat organic food. The new research points to even smaller doses of insecticides having the same harmful effects as agricultural pesticides.

According to the research, “Women who reported applying insecticides or mixing them – (about half of the women studied) — had a higher risk of developing the two autoimmune disorders than women who reported no insecticide use. This was the case whether or not they had lived on a farm. Those who used or mixed the insecticides the most — judged by frequency or duration — had double the risk.”

The insecticides that the women reported using included insect killers, such as those designed to eradicate ants, wasps, termites, mosquitoes and roaches but did not include insect repellents.

The end result is that the researchers on the study recommend that people read the labels of the products they use and take precautions to minimize their personal exposure to insecticides. It’s also important to note that insecticides have also been shown to cause male sexual and fertility problems.

Luckily you don’t need toxic products. You can use natural bug fighting methods and keep yourself and your kids safe from insecticides.

*Source

[image via stock.xchng]

Three Spinach Appetizers

Most of us probably ate some Popeye’s canned spinach as a kid. I was a big fan of Popeye the Sailor Man. He was smart as well as strong! Spinach is actually good for you. It’s a great source of iron.

I’ve included below three spinach appetizer recipes from Allens — the largest family owned and operated vegetable company in the US. The recipes are Popeye’s Spinach Triangles (or slices if you’d rather do that), Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms and Hot Spinach Dip. Yum.

Plus, spinach being the festive green that it is, these appetizers would be great for holiday parties.

Popeye’s Spinach Triangles

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 oz.) Popeye Curly Leaf Spinach
• 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 lb. butter
• 6 green onions, minced
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 Tbsp. fresh bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1⁄4 cup minced parsley
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill weed
• Fresh ground pepper
• 8 or 12 phyllo pastry sheets*
• 1⁄2 cup fresh bread crumbs (for slices)

Directions

• Drain spinach well, pressing to remove as much moisture as possible.
• Melt butter; sauté onion in 1 Tbsp. butter.
• Combine onions, spinach, cheese, 2 Tbsp. bread crumbs, egg, parsley, dill, and pepper.

Triangles:

• Brush 1 sheet phyllo dough with melted butter.
• Cut into 2-inch wide strips.
• Cover remaining dough with wax paper and damp towel to prevent drying.
• With 2-inch edge toward you, place 1 level tsp. cheese mixture on left hand corner of strip.
• Fold corner with filling up and to the right, diagonally and straight until a triangle is formed.
• Place on a baking sheet; brush with melted butter. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake in a 375°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes until puffy and brown. Serve warm.

*Refrigerated, canned crescent rolls may be substituted for phyllo pastry sheets.

Slices:

• Place 1 phyllo sheet lengthwise in front of you on a sheet of waxed paper.
• Brush with butter and sprinkle with fresh bread crumbs.
• Repeat until 4 phyllo sheets are stacked.
• Spread 1/3 of spinach mixture over top phyllo sheet.
• Roll tightly as for a jelly roll, using waxed paper to lift and guide the roll.
• Transfer to baking sheet. Brush with melted butter.
• Repeat until 3 rolls are made, keeping the remaining phyllo dough covered with waxed paper and a damp towel as you work to prevent drying.
• Bake in a 375°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
• Cut into 1-inch slices using a serrated or electric knife.

Makes 40 to 50 appetizers.

Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 3 dozen large fresh mushrooms (about 11⁄2 lb.)
• 1⁄4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 can (14 oz.) Popeye or Sunshine Chopped Spinach, drained
• 1⁄2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1⁄2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1⁄4 tsp. pepper
• 1/8 tsp. dry mustard
• 1⁄2 cup dairy sour cream
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Wipe mushrooms.
• Remove and chop stems.
• Set caps on baking sheet. Set aside.
• Melt butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add onion and mushroom stems, and sauté 5 minutes until tender.
• Squeeze spinach dry. Add spinach,bread crumbs, garlic, nutmeg, pepper, and mustard to onion mixture. Mix well.
• Stir sour cream into spinach mixture.
• Fill mushroom caps with spinach mixture. Sprinkle cheese over mushrooms.
• Bake 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Microwave Directions:
Prepare mushrooms following method given above. Arrange 12 mushrooms in a circle around edge of 10-inch microwave-safe plate. Cover lightly with waxed paper. Cook on high (100% power) 4 to 5 minutes until steamed. Repeat with remaining mushrooms.

Yield: 36 appetizers.

Hot Spinach Dip

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 Tablespoons chopped onion
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cans (13.5 oz. each) Popeye Spinach, drain well, reserving 1/2 cup liquid
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1 roll (6 oz.) jalapeno cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of red pepper

Directions

• Combine butter, onion, and flour. Stir well and cook about 1 minute.
• Gradually add reserved spinach liquid and evaporated milk; cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.
• Add cheese and seasonings to sauce, stirring until cheese is melted.
• Add spinach, mixing well.
• Serve hot with party crackers or fresh vegetables. May add fresh or canned chopped mushrooms.

(Recipes via Allens; Image via stock.xchng)

Nine inexpensive green gifts for kids

Earlier this week we looked at 10 inexpensive green gifts for adults. It’s not fair to leave the kiddos out though. Luckily there are tons of eco-friendly kids gifts that can be had for $40 or less. Following are some eco-friendly, non-toxic toys for the holidays that will amaze the kids while keeping your budget in check.

$10-$30 – Sprig toys are battery-free, eco-friendly, paint-free, kid-powered toys made with Sprigwood, a child-safe bio-composite of recycled wood and reclaimed plastic that smells like pine and has visible wood flecks. Sprig makes adventure play sets, trucks, sand and water toys, and much more. AND only one item they sell clocks in at over $40 – all other products can be had from about $10-$30.

$28.99 – Eco-Friendly Tea Set from Green Toys – made with recycled milk cartons AND comes gift ready wrapped for free.

$25.00 – Organic Joobles from Fair Indigo are made of soft organic yarns and eco-friendly dyes and come in many adorable characters from penguins to bears to lions and more.

$20.00 – Eco Playdough all natural, made with plant, fruit and veggie extracts with no chemicals, artificial dyes or metals. Containers are made from cornstarch and are 100% compostable and colors include orange, yellow, green, and pink.

$19.99 – Imaginarium Green Triangle Activity Center – made with eco-friendly rubberwood and non-toxic paint.

$25.00 – Eco-Friendly Tool Set – made by Green Toys with recycled milk cartons.

$24.99 – Cardboard treehouse – totally creative, fun, and 100% recyclable. Comes in unpainted cardboard so kids can paint it however they like.

$38.90 - Plan Toys – Water Blocks made with eco-friendly rubberwood and non-toxic finishes.

$24.95 – Earth-opoly is a game made with all easily recyclable paper, soy inks, and game pieces are made made by nature or completely recyclable. Plus this game celebrates the Earth one turn at a time. “Players buy properties, collect Carbon Credits and trade them for Clean Air. As they travel the board visiting each impressive land form, they will learn about the planet and pick up Go Green tips from each deed card. Learn about Earth and how to care for it as you play. There is Traditional Play or One Hour Version.“

Five Ways to Get Your Bedroom Ready for the Holidays

Now that your kitchen is all spruced up for the holidays, you’re ready to move on to decorating the bedroom. This can be an expensive holiday makeover for some people, but you can do it very cheaply if you have a neutral foundation in the room, such as a solid colored spread and a  tan carpet.

I like to start by switching out my bedspread for one with a holiday design or a solid spread in jewel tone colors. A cheap alternative in a kids’ bedroom is to buy a few yards of fleece on sale and make a holiday spread with it. (Just enlarge the no sew blanket in the tutorial.)

Next, swap out some of the pictures on your walls for holiday swags and artwork.

Put a poinsettia or a Christmas cactus in a window. They aren’t terribly fussy plants once they’re already blooming, so you should be able to keep them looking nice til after the holiday. If you have the thumb of death instead of a green thumb, try a mini swag or a few small ornaments on your window sills. (When I had a house without a fireplace, I treated my windowsills like mini fireplace mantels during the holidays.)

Pull out a holiday throw and a cheery pillow to dress up any chairs you have in the room.

Hang wreaths or stockings on your closet doors. (If you use stockings, you can store scarves or other small items in them.)

Do you decorate your bedroom for the holidays?

Photo: SXC

Find the best eco-sex toys

Currently there are plenty of eco-sex toys sweeping the market – good news for a tree hugger or for someone concerned with their personal health. The problem is that all these choices can be totally overwhelming. Below is a breakdown of some eco-friendly toys and where to find them.

I Rub My Duckie: Bondage a phthalate-free little guy from Big Teaze Toys

JUST THE BASICS:

The first step is to avoid the baddies. This means toys made of plastics which may contain phthalates and other icky chemicals – which are bad enough in bottled water products but to put them you know where, well… Look for sex toys made of medical-grade and body-safe materials that can be recycled. Wood, glass, and silicone are some options. You also can look for sex toys that are rechargeable, use rechargeable batteries, or even find unique hand-cranked, organic, or solar-powered erotic toys.

SILICONE SEX TOYS:

Vixen Creations is a woman owned sex toy company making hand-crafted adult toys with eco-friendly silicone. Silicone has many advantages when used in sex toys. Silicone is flexible and naturally warms up to your body temperature. It’s a toxin free material, vibrates smoothly, cleans easily and silicone sex toys come in a wide array of colors and shapes – enough to please just about everyone. Vixen even offers a great lifetime guarantee on all their silicone sex toys.

You can also shop at sex toy king Good Vibrations through their earth-friendly Ecorotic collection which includes silicone toys as well as many other all-natural and organic sex fun products.

WOODEN SEX TOYS:

Wooden sex toys have the disadvantage of being inflexible BUT are beautiful when well made and long lasting. Plus, if made in an eco-friendly manner won’t contain any of the icky chemicals found in plastic.

NobEssence makes wooden sex toys, or “sculptures” as they call them with hand selected wood and then carve and polish with care using state-of-the-art bio-compatible Lubrosity. Lubrosity coatings and processes meet USP Class IV and VI Medical Standards can be soaked in water, have zero odor, and have no petroleum distillates. Because of the hand crafted process, each sculpture has it’s own unique color, shape, texture and grain.

GLASS SEX TOYS:

Of course the major concern with glass sex toys is breakage – what a way to ruin a fun night right?! Glass sex toys are also, like wood, inflexible and won’t warm in the same natural way that wood and silicone will. However, there are advantages. According to Glass Dildo Me, makers of all things glass and sexy, “Pyrex, Borosilicate glass is hypoallergenic, odor free, and non-deteriorating.” You can also heat or cool glass sex toys manually with warm water or ice water.

Kaleidoscope by Glass Dildo Me shown above

Other advantages of glass include easy recycling and beauty. Glass can be blown in amazing shapes and colors (see above), although for this sort of gorgeous work a downside is cost. Good quality glass sex toys will cost more than other eco-friendly sex toys, and if they don’t you should actually look elsewhere. PS at Glass Dildo Me you can even design your own glass dildo.

OTHER PLACES TO SHOP:

• JuicyLogic makes the only solar-powered vibrator on the market – the Sola Vibe and also carries a wide array of other eco-friendly sex treats.
• Babeland has many eco-friendly sex toys and their website is chock full of sex advice, reviews, and more.
• Jimmyjane offers patented non-toxic vibes that come housed in their own clever recharging cases.
• If bondage is your game, then check out Madame Butterfly for greener ropes made of raw silk and bamboo plus you’ve got a natural dye option. Twisted Monk offers an eco-friendly bondage rope as well made with hemp PLUS has handy bondage safety and use videos to view.
• Big Teaze Toys offers adorable and fun AND phthalate-free little duckie vibes; among other items.
• Smitten Kitten has an array of nice green sex toys to browse.

Coming up soon some extra tips including ideas for eco-friendly lube, eco sex books, and where to recycle those toys.

Edible Coffee Cookie Cup

You can buy a reusable coffee mug for sure, which will keep your coffee experience nice and green, but the typical reusable coffee mug lacks the pizazz and fun factor of the edible Cookie Cup. The Cookie Cup is a totally edible cup designed by Enrique Luis Sardi with the innovation team at the Lavazza Training Centre and Cataldo Parisi, head chef of the confectioner’s kitchen at Number 10 San Tommaso.

Cookie Cup is made of pastry but covered with a special waterproof icing. After you drink your brew you eat the cup, feed it to the birds, or toss it because it’ll simply biodegrade – no waste. I’m not sure if the Cookie Cup is on the market yet and I’m wondering if you could make an organic homemade form for parties. I looked around and found a recipe for cookie cups, but to make them drink ready you’d need to shape them better plus add an inner glaze of sorts.

Still, on the market or not, it’s a pretty swell green idea. Especially if they come out with a chocolate version!

[image via Lavazza]

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