Sunday, August 3, 2014

Cat Joke

A man runs into the vet's office carrying his dog, screaming for help. The vet rushes him back to an examination room and has him put his dog down on the examination table. The vet examines the still, limp body and after a few moments, tells the man that his dog, regrettably, is dead. The man, clearly agitated and not willing to accept this, demands a second opinion.
The vet goes into the back room and comes out with a cat and puts the cat down next to the dog's body. The cat sniffs the body, walks from head to tail, poking and sniffing the dog's body and finally looks at the vet and meows.
The vet looks at the man and says, "I'm sorry, but the cat thinks that your dog is dead, too."
The man, finally resigned to the diagnosis, thanks the vet and asks how much he owes. The vet answers, "$350."
"$350 to tell me my dog is dead?!" exclaims the man.
"Well," the vet replies, "I would only have charged you $50 for my initial diagnosis. The additional $300 was for the cat scan."






'I wish to model today, but no one would hire me': Isabella Rossellini, 60, on fashion's obsession with youth

By Margot Peppers


Isabella Rossellini has confessed that she would love to model, but that the fashion industry today has no room for women her age.

The 60-year-old - who was the face of Lancome for 14 years until she was famously dropped days after her 40th birthday for being 'too old' - told the Huffington Post'I wish to model today, but there are no models who can work [in their] sixties.'

The mother-of-two also explained that the fashion industry has changed significantly since the height of her career in the Eighties: 'It became much bigger,' she said. 'There is a lot of attention paid to fashion that wasn't before.'

Isabella Rossellini 

Young at heart: Isabella Rossellini, 60, has opened up about her disappointment in the fashion industry. 'I wish to model today, but there are no models who can work [in their] sixties,' she said

Isabella Rossellini

Modern times: The actress, who was the face of Lancome for 14 years, said the fashion industry has changed since the Eighties. 'It became much bigger. There is a lot of attention paid to fashion that wasn't before'

Though she has described herself as 'basically retired', the twice-divorced Italian hasn't lost her touch yet - just last year, she modeled for Bulgari in a campaign shot by Annie Leibowitz. 

The daughter of the late Italian film director Roberto Rossellini and Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman began her modelling career at the age of 28, when she was photographed by Bruce Weber for British Vogue.
During her tenure as the face of cosmetics brand Lancome, Ms Rossellini was reportedly the highest-paid actress in the world, with a contract of $2million a year.
But the company abruptly let her go just six days after her 40th birthday, hiring three younger models, including the 33-year-old actress Juliette Binoche, in her stead.

'There is a lot of attention paid to fashion today that wasn't before'
'They sent me so many flowers on my 40th birthday, it was a morgue,' she said in 2002, according to Vogue. 'I knew I was dead. They said, "Be grateful Isabella. You're lucky you lasted so long in the business."'

Now, the multihyphenate philanthropist and author - who is also well-known for her role in David Lynch's 1986 film Blue Velvet - lives in Long Island, New York, and is involved in training guide dogs for the blind.

And this is not the first time she has expressed her dismay at the fashion industry's perception of her as 'too old' to get work.

Isabella Rossellini 

Iconic spokesman: The daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini was the face of Lancome for 14 years, until the brand famously dropped her in 1992 - just six days after her 40th birthday

In a 2006 interview with TIME magazine, she talked about the transitory nature of being a model.

'I had a very long career,' she said. 'Now that seems to be rare.'

Isabella Rossellini

Today: Now, the mother-of-two resides in Long Island, New York, and is involved in film as well as training guide dogs for the blind

Something to think about....







Saturday, August 2, 2014

How To Make Homemade Toothpaste For Tooth Remineralization

This begins in utero (even pre-conception), when the teeth and jaw structure are formed, is well established through breastfeeding, and must be adhered to for one’s lifetime.  Avoiding dental decay and disease through diet is challenging, as it means one must stray far from the standard American diet.

Remineralization

When most dentists detect a cavity, they suggest filling it, usually without thinking twice. However, what if teeth could be remineralized through a proper diet and oral hygiene routine? I believe they can.
Once drilled and filled, teeth are weakened and susceptible to further decay, but I believe that if we focus on prevention, we can avoid most cavities and subsequent oral health decline as a result of filling cavities.
Most of my teeth were drilled and filled in childhood and young adulthood, but I don’t want my children to go down the same path and struggle with susceptibility to decay for a lifetime because of it. I’m trying to learn more about prevention and remineralization so that my children can reap the benefits of a healthy mouth, which contributes to overall health.


Image by makelessnoise

There are several factors involved in tooth remineralization, mainly diet, Ph of saliva, and oral hygiene practices. Diet and saliva are inter-related and quite complex, I encourage you to dig deeply into the link between nutrition and oral health and possibly re-examine your own assumptions there. I hope you will take a closer look at your own oral hygiene routine as well, as what I’m sharing with you today is based solely on my research and conclusions as a mom. I am not a dentist!

Toothpaste cleans teeth and remove plaque, which is beneficial, but if your goal is to maintain healthy teeth through a proper diet, mainstream toothpastes will work against your efforts. Furthermore, they contain questionable ingredients that may do more harm than good.

Glycerin – Certainly not bad in and of itself if properly sourced, but its use in toothpaste may not be ideal. Some suggest it may leave a layer of film on the teeth that prevents remineralization. It can also be dangerous to our health if proce

ssed with dangerous chemicals, and I assume most toothpastes contain the cheapest possible source.
Sodium Laurel Sulfate – SLS is a known carcinogen. Some natural companies still stand behind it’s use and claim it is safe, but I prefer to stay on the safe side here.

Saccharin – This was the first ingredient I questioned when I started to re-think my approach to dental health and toothpaste several years ago. I avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague, as most of them are proven carcinogens, several contribute to obesity and other health problems, and some are excitotoxins, meaning they cause rapid firing and death of brain cells. And yet, we see the artificial sweetener, saccharin, in our toothpaste.

Fluoride - You knew I’d get to this one. I don’t claim to be an expert on fluoride, but from my basic understanding, fluoride is highly toxic in the form found in toothpaste and never found in nature in this state. If you’re trying to rebuild tooth enamel, just like with glycerin, a “protective” layer of fluoride is not ideal. It is also suggested that the layer it forms on teeth is much thinner than originally thought and is useless against protecting teeth from decay anyway.

A Safer Alternative

If you’re looking for a safe alternative to the common toothpastes, there are many options, from the more expensive natural toothpastes (be careful-- some contain some of these questionable ingredients) to simple recipes you can make at home.

I’ve been experimenting with my own homemade toothpaste recipe for a while now, after I realized how easy it is to make on my own and that I don’t need to spend a fortune on store-bought brands.
The most basic toothpaste alternative is a simple tooth powder. You can use baking soda alone or combine it with salt for a gentle yet abrasive clean, or you can use a mineral powder such as calcium and/or magnesium. I use Natural Calm brand. Some prefer to add hydrogen peroxide to their tooth powder right before use. I rinse with hydrogen peroxide, so I don’t add it to my powder or paste.

I began to add coconut oil to my recipe to form a paste (and for its beneficial antibacterial properties) and essential oils for flavor. For a while, my recipe included coconut oil, baking soda, a dash of salt, and essential oil.
I’ve since bee
n searching for a solution to the salty taste of the baking soda and salt, which my children aren’t crazy about, and have recently decided to add xylitol to help combat the saltiness. I’m new to the use of xylitol, but it does appear to be safe and even looks promising for cavity prevention. I also recently added trace mineral drops to my paste. I use these to add minerals back into our reverse osmosis filtered water when making water kefir and I thought it would be a great addition to our toothpaste as well.

Homemade Toothpaste

2 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 Tbps. baking soda
2 Tbsp. calcium magnesium powder
2 Tbps. xylitol or green stevia powder
2 tsp. real sea salt
20 drops essential oil (I use peppermint.)
10 drops trace minerals
 
My style recipe would simply read: equal parts coconut oil, baking soda, calcium/magnesium powder, xylitol with a dash of salt, a few drops trace minerals, and essential oils to taste.
This toothpaste is a great follow up to oil pulling. Have you looked into oil pulling? Both oil pulling and a natural toothpaste like this one, in addition to flossing, can keep your teeth clean and healthy. With a proper diet that supports the necessary minerals for re-mineralization of teeth, I believe teeth can be healthier and whiter.

From what I understand, yellow teeth can be the result of reduced/demineralized enamel that allows the dentin beneath to show through. By strengthening that enamel through re-mineralization, teeth are not only healthier and free of cavities but also naturally whiter.
Stephanie's note: For more on the importance of diet for both preventing and reversing tooth decay, and the process of remineralizing teeth, I would highly recommend the book Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel. I'm currently reading it and even though I had learned some of these things previously (through Weston Price, etc.) I wish that I had looked more specifically into this topic long ago!

 http://www.herbsandoilsworld.com/homemade-toothpaste-for-tooth-remineralization/

Old Refrigerator/New Ice Chest.

Apache Blessing

Friday, August 1, 2014




THE SERENITY PRAYER

GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY
TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE;
COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN;
AND WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.

LIVING ONE DAY AT A TIME;
ENJOYING ONE MOMENT AT A TIME;
ACCEPTING HARDSHIPS AS THE PATHWAY TO PEACE;
TAKING, AS HE DID, THIS SINFUL WORLD
AS IT IS, NOT AS I WOULD HAVE IT;
TRUSTING THAT HE WILL MAKE ALL THINGS RIGHT
IF I SURRENDER TO HIS WILL;
THAT I MAY BE REASONABLY HAPPY IN THIS LIFE
AND SUPREMELY HAPPY WITH HIM
FOREVER IN THE NEXT.
AMEN.

--REINHOLD NIEBUHR