7 Benefits Of Including An Outdoor Cooking Space In Landscape Designs

7 Benefits Of Including An Outdoor Cooking Space In Landscape Designs

One of the most common queries that landscape designers receive from their clients is about the inclusion of a cooking area within the completed garden.

This can be anything from a small space for a portable barbecue grill to a huge cooking area with multiple burners, a double oven, a grill, and possibly even a refrigerator.

Whichever end of the scale you think your garden might be on, you have to know that having a cooking area in your landscaped garden presents you with so many benefits, apart from the obvious one of the ability to cook outdoors.

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5 Core Principles Of Promoting Health And Wellness Within A Landscaping Design

5 Core Principles Of Promoting Health And Wellness Within A Landscaping Design

When a new landscaping design is needed, various approaches can be taken. Some designs are shaped by the limitations of a small budget.

According to Sydney-based landscapers Intreeg, other projects allow landscapers the freedom to create almost anything, thanks to an unlimited budget. In some cases, the design is guided by a specific concept that must be reflected throughout the entire landscape.

Another basis upon which a landscaping design might be founded is the desire to create a garden that promotes health and wellness. On a practical level, this might be due to physical restrictions of the person whose garden it will be and on occasion, there may also be features designed to maximise the experience of being in that garden for those with dementia or Alzheimer’s.

However, if the landscaping design is not for any specific ailment or health issue, but instead to create and generate a sense or a spirit of wellbeing, then there are several ways this can be achieved. If you read on you will discover five landscaping design principles that should be followed to create a garden whose design has wellness at its core.

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How to Avoid Deep Vein Thrombosis

Deep vein thrombosis is not only caused by sitting for long hours in an airplane; it can be caused by sitting at your computer desk for long periods without moving. If you are a website designer, computer programmer or an SEO consultant for instance, you can get so caught up in what you are doing that you forget the time and even where you are.  You can even forget to move for hours at a time.

Exercise is essential for a healthy body, but how can you get enough exercise when you have a sedentary job that requires you to sit for long periods of time?  Here are some tips to help you get the kind of exercise you need to remain healthy and avoid problems such as deep vein thrombosis.

  • Get up at least once every hour and stretch, then walk to the water cooler or around the office for a few minutes.
  • While seated, move your feet and legs around to different positions.
  • Balance your feet on your toes and bounce your heels up and down for five minutes. This is easiest if you place your toes under your chair.
  • Lift one foot off the floor and swing it backwards and forwards several times, then change to the other foot.
  • Have a footstool under the computer desk so you can sit with your feet raised up a little for some of the time.

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3 Must Have Juicing Ingredients

3 Must Have Juicing Ingredients

Fruit and vegetables are good for us. Period. But we’re just not eating enough of them. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) only 49.8% of people aged 18 years and over are meeting the health guidelines for the 2 recommended daily serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables. So how do we fix it? How do we sneak in your kids’ 5+ per day?

Let’s juice it up! Juicing is a quick and effective way to increase the amount of vegetables in your diet. Base your juices on one of these three amazing ingredients:

  • Go green: Spinach contains loads of essential nutrients that our bodies need such as iron, magnesium, calcium, vitamins A and C and potassium.
  • Go red: Beetroot is full of antioxidants and folate which boosts your stamina and supports liver detoxification.
  • Go orange: Carrots are rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene which are both powerful antioxidants and essential for glowing skin.

Be creative with your juices! Add ginger and lemon for a zesty kick start or some cucumber and apple for a refreshing pick-me-up. When juicing the key is to make sure the bulk contain veggies and not too many fruits which, when juiced, increase sugar content. Try adding coconut water if you need some sweetness.

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Vegan Snacks - What’s the Best?

Vegan Snacks – What’s the Best?

Up to 2.5 million Australians are now vegetarian, with a percentage of those also vegan – eating no animal-based food and using no animal products at all. If veganism is something you’ve considered, but you’ve struggled to find delicious recipes, then you’re in the right place. Here are some vegan snacks that may be worth trying to see if this lifestyle is right for you.

Guacamole on Crackers

Whether you buy guacamole or make it yourself, it’s a delicious and nutritious snack option. You can make it from avocado, lime juice, onion, and garlic, and pair it with your crackers of choice. There are many different guacamole recipes online that could be worth a try.

This vegan snack is one you can have at home, take to work, or even bring to a shared lunch. As an added bonus, it’s an excellent source of fibre, potassium, and monounsaturated fats.

Trail Mix

Whether you’re low on energy or you need a delicious animal product-free snack, trail mix can be the answer. Once again, you can make this food yourself or buy it pre-made. The benefit of making it yourself is you can customise what you put in it.

Most people add nuts, seeds, dried fruit, coconut, crackers, and even chocolate. There are plenty of vegan chocolate options on the market to choose from.

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Speech Therapy Goals And Why They Are Important

Speech Therapy Goals And Why They Are Important

There can be very few aspects of our lives that would not be enhanced by setting goals that we then seek to achieve, and for those who work in support of children’s language development, setting speech therapy goals for children that they are treating can play a crucial role. Setting goals allows them, the child’s parents, and others who have the child’s best interests at heart, to strive for and assess the child’s progression.

Anyone reading this who has set goals in the past, whether personal, for their education, for their career, or for a business they own, will be familiar with how to set goals properly. This will involve making goals specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. In other words, they follow the tried and trusted SMART goals method.

As for speech therapy goals, many speech therapists will indeed follow the SMART goal formula, however, each speech pathologist can also use their own goal setting methodology. The crucial test is whether the goals being set are working and helping children’s speech and language development, rather than the specific goal-setting process which is used.

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High Calorie-Burning Exercises You Need to Try

Calorie-Burning Exercises

As you finish off the final chocolate biscuit in the packet, it suddenly dawns on you that you now have to exercise for hours to work them off. After all, if you don’t, that adage may come true: a moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips! However, if you choose the right exercises such as BodyCombat, you may be able to benefit from a far more rewarding calorie-burning experience. Here are some of the best exercises for burning off calories.

BodyCombat

BodyCombat is a high-intensity group fitness class that you can either do with other people or in the comfort of your home. Not only does it push you to your limit by involving many martial arts-inspired exercises, but it enables you to burn up to 740 calories in one session! These sessions run for 30, 45, and 55 minutes – all of which will prove to be one of the best cardio workouts you’ve ever experienced.

Sprinting

Sprinting in intervals can prove to be quite beneficial in the realm of calorie burning, even if it’s not as social as BodyCombat and other group fitness classes. Sprinting can help you to burn around 460 calories in as little as 30 minutes, with two minutes of sprinting then one minute of recovery. What’s more, it’s the pacing that really provides all the benefits. You don’t have to run continuously to work off all those cakes and treats!

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How To Turn Your Landscaping Design Into A Healing Garden

How To Turn Your Landscaping Design Into A Healing Garden

Many products and pastimes without medications can be associated with health, wellbeing, and healing, which most people would consider as alternative therapies. Examples would be the use of pets, art and cooking as therapeutic activities and we can also add into that mix, landscaping.

Whilst landscaping, and the others were have mentioned, might not be the first items your doctor prescribes for you if you are suffering from some kind of ailment, nevertheless, countless examples and case studies show that all of these have offered those who use them, benefits for both their physical and mental wellbeing.

If we focus on landscaping, one of the specific ways in which it can contribute to your well-being is when you have a healing garden created. Given the complexities, planning and implementation work necessary for landscaped gardens, in most cases, they will be created by professional landscaping experts.

However, given that you would have lots of input (after all it is going to be your garden) you can request that your landscaping company include a healing garden within the plans, or go even further, and make your entire landscaped garden a healing garden. Wondering what a healing garden is? Well, read on and we will explain all.

What Is A Healing Garden?

Let us put to bed one misconception and that is a healing garden is not one where you simply grow lots of herbal and plant-based medicines. You could certainly grow them, but they are not the only feature that normally falls under the definition of a healing garden. In truth, the definition is a lot simpler which is a healing garden provides the setting, the ambience, and the surroundings that promote a sense and feeling of peacefulness, relaxation, and harmony.

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7 Options For Removing Red Wine Spillages From Your Carpet

7 Options For Removing Red Wine Spillages From Your Carpet

There are some stain types that you will find mentioned in many articles about carpet cleaning and couch cleaning perth, and some that are less common. If you ask professional carpet cleaners what stains they get asked to advise on and to remove, they will certainly have stains that they are more frequently contacted about than others.

We are sure that one such stain which is far more common than others is red wine. Whilst tea, coffee, paint, and nail varnish will frequently be the cause of the problem, it is red wine that seems to cause the most consternation amongst homeowners when it gets spilled on their carpet, and worse, it dries and stains the carpet.

Even if you are not a lover of red wine yourself, we are sure that when you invite guests for a meal or party, red wine will be on the drinks list. Whether the occasion is a quiet meal or a noisy party with dancing and games, the risk of red wine being spilt is present. So, if the worst happens and red wine does get spilled on your carpets and the stain needs removing, what can you do? Read on, and you will discover no fewer than seven ways to remedy the problem.

Option #1 – Blotting: Unless you are extremely quick and we dare say, lucky, blotting alone will not completely remove red wine from your carpet, however, it can go a long way to minimising the size and severity of the stain. In most cases, it will be part of the overall carpet cleaning process as it removes excess red wine thus reducing the effort required to remove the remainder of the stain.

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7 Reasons Why Dogs Get Dry Skin Dandruff And How To Treat It

7 Reasons Why Dogs Get Dry Skin Dandruff And How To Treat It

One of the things that a visit to a dog grooming service will often highlight is that the dog in question is suffering from dry skin and dandruff. Just as dandruff can be an annoyance to humans, which doubtless accounts for the number of anti-dandruff shampoos which are advertised, dandruff is also a problem for dogs and one which they rely on their owners to resolve for them.

What Causes Dry Skin?

Dry skin and the dandruff which can follow, will occur for several reasons, and the seven most common are outlined below.

  • Skin Infections: Fungal and bacterial skin infections are the primary reason why your dog might suffer from dry skin and dandruff. These infections can make their skin scaly and flaky, and this occurs especially in the folds of their skin. This can also be accompanied by unpleasant skin odours. In the worst cases, you might see evidence of bleeding, pus, and fur loss.
  • Changes in Weather: Although there is much in the news about climate change, we are not suggesting that it is responsible for your dog’s dandruff. However, when the local weather is changeable it can affect your dog’s skin, especially in extremes of hot and cold weather which can cause dry skin and itchiness.

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10 Ways To Ensure You Are Hiring Commercial Carpet Cleaning Professionals

10 Ways To Ensure You Are Hiring Commercial Carpet Cleaning Professionals

Given the significant cost of replacing commercial carpets, especially in larger business premises such as a suite of offices, the need to care for and maintain commercial carpets properly, is key to prolonging their lifespan. There are lots of ways this can be done, but the most effective is to hire professional commercial carpet cleaners.

By doing so, you will have experts in carpet care who can not only keep your carpets looking great for longer, but can also ensure that the lifespan of your commercial carpets is maximised. This all sounds good, but there is one huge caveat. That is you must ensure that the commercial cleaning company you employ, are genuine professionals.

Given the huge demand for commercial carpet cleaning, there will be lots of companies vying for your custom, and as there is with any service industry, there are going to be the great, the good, the average and unfortunately the downright useless when it comes to individual carpet cleaning companies.

So, let us provide you with 10 simple ways you can ensure that the commercial carpet cleaning team you are hiring are genuine professionals and are going to provide you with exceptional service.

Do They Have Testimonials/Reviews?

Something you should look for with any company is their reviews and testimonials. These can be found on their website, social media and review websites like Trustpilot.

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7 Ways Removalists Truck Drivers Can Stay Safe And Healthy During Long Distance Moves

7 Ways Removalists Truck Drivers Can Stay Safe And Healthy During Long Distance Moves

As every removalists business will know, not all moves involve someone moving house from one part of town to another, or a business moving to new offices just two streets away. Whilst these might account for the vast majority of the work they do, removalists are also asked to move belongings or equipment across vast distances.

Whilst they may occasionally encounter long distance moves that involve a business, the vast majority of them is when a family is moving home from one state to another. A prime example is a family relocating from Brisbane to Perth, or even from Darwin to Melbourne. Whilst the respective families might choose to fly from one destination to the other, the moving of their belongings, including their furniture, is usually entrusted to removalists.

This brings us to a health and safety issue for removalist truck drivers having to drive over long distances. The two examples we gave have distances that need to be driven of around 2,600 miles and 2,350 miles relatively. Both of these distances would be considered long haul flights, so they must certainly be considered extremely long distances to drive.

As such it is imperative that any removalist truck drivers who are required to drive long distances such as these, take steps to ensure that their health and well-being is not put at risk as a result. To assist with this aim, here are 7 ways in which removalist truck drivers can stay safe and healthy during long-distance moves.

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3 Tips For Landscaping That Does Not Harm The Environment

3 Tips For Landscaping That Does Not Harm The Environment

One of the misconceptions with landscapes and gardening, is that simply that it is always going to be environmentally friendly. According to professional landscaping company Principal Landscapes, the assumption they make is that because they are working with nature, such as plants, that they are contributing to a greener (no pun intended) world.

Unfortunately, whilst a lot of what landscaping involves is more of a help than a hindrance to the environment, there are also many decisions made and actions taken as part of a landscaping project that might be harmful. This is often done through a lack of awareness rather than any deliberate or belligerent act from someone who cares nothing for green issues.

The simple fact is that landscaping, just as with any other activity you can think of, can impact the environment both positively and negatively. The key point we wish to make in this article is that you can take some simple steps to reduce those negatives, and better still make your landscaping a lot more environmentally friendly. Best of all it need not diminish any landscaping designs you might be planning.

Remember That Water Is Precious

The first consideration we would ask you to make is with respect to how you plan to irrigate your garden and in particular the water that will be used for that purpose. Whilst we might not consider water to be limited in the modern towns and cities many of us live in, nevertheless, anything you do that reduces the amount you use is a step in the right direction.

Instead of spraying haphazardly when watering your plants, be aware of what water you might be wasting and try to use it efficiently. You may even go as far as installing a proper irrigation system which saves even more water. A more basic way to save water is to use barrels to collect rainwater, and then use the water in them to water your plants.

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5 Options For Replacing Your Missing Teeth

5 Options For Replacing Your Missing Teeth

If you have any missing teeth, or it is inevitable that you are going to have to have one or more teeth extracted, then it should reassure you to know that there are several options available for you to replace those teeth. These options range from dental implants on one end of the scale with respect to longevity and cost, to dentures at the other, and of course, there are other possibilities in-between.

One piece of advice we hope you will take on board is that your decision with respect to replacing missing teeth should not be made in haste. Bear in mind, your decision could be one that you have to live with for years. Instead, you should carefully weigh up the pros and cons of each, and also take into account the financial implications of your selection given that there is a huge difference in the costs across all your options.

To start along the path of deciding what tooth replacements you finally opt for, we are going to provide you with a brief outline of five of the main options that are available. We hope you find it helpful.

Option #1: Dentures

The option that most people have heard of simply because it is the most popular. Dentures are basically imitation teeth, usually made from acrylic or other plastic material. The ‘teeth are mounted on a moulding that is designed to fit snuggly on the gums.

Dentures can be used to replace an entire set of top and/or bottom teeth. Where just a few teeth are missing the structure will be much smaller and is called a partial denture. In most cases, dentures are the cheapest option.

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Surprising Benefits of Waist Trainers

Surprising Benefits of Waist Trainers

Waist trainers have been growing in popularity for some time. And most people aren’t surprised. They can take your workout to a new level and are suitable for both men and women.

Still, not everyone is convinced that waist trainers can offer benefits. But there are some quite surprising ones that everyday users are finding out for themselves. Some of these are listed below.

They Can Improve Posture

Because of the framing inside waist trainers, you aren’t able to slouch. As a result, whenever you’re standing or sitting, you’re able to maintain excellent posture while receiving much-needed back support.

You Can Feel More Confident

As more and more people start to wear waist trainers while exercising and eating well, their confidence can improve. They begin to see results, and they feel happier about how they look and feel.

They May Be Able to Assist with Weight Control

Waist trainers do not exist to help you lose weight. Still, they can assist with weight control. When you wear them, you tend to find it uncomfortable to consume large portions. So, you can eat little but often, which is something that may be able to give you more control over your weight.

What’s more, with high-quality waist trainers made from latex, they can increase sweating during workouts.

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Does Your Medical Centre Need Digital Marketing?

Does Your Medical Centre Need Digital Marketing?

Whilst the primary goal of a medical centre or medical advice blog is to treat and care for its patients, there would be no patients were it not for its efforts to make itself known to them via marketing. Experts in the digital marketing field have advised that the number one way medical centres can increase their patient and client numbers is via a digital marketing campaign.

This is not an article where we will explain every single element of digital marketing, first because there are so many ways to market online. Second, if you run or manage a medical centre, you are much more likely to want to know how digital marketing can benefit you rather than its mechanics.

So, to better understand how digital marketing can benefit the medical centre or centres you are responsible for, we will explain three main benefits. They are improved reputation/branding, increased revenues, and the ability to compete on level terms with more significant medical centres.

Improved Reputation and Branding

Given the nature of the services offered by medical centres, it follows that the higher its reputation, the better off it will retain existing clients and gain new ones. This is where digital marketing can have a substantial positive impact on a medical centre. It can ensure that it has a brand seen in those online locations where those researching or looking for a medical centre will likely recognise it.

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Dealing With the Mental Health Effects of Disability Discrimination

Disability Discrimination

Most people don’t realise just how debilitating it can be to have to live with a disability. There are many different types of disability, and a lot of them aren’t even visible on the surface. Instead, they linger as mental health problems, unseen physical health problems and even degenerative diseases.

Because of this, a lot of people suffer from disability discrimination within the workplace. Essentially, this is when a disabled employee (regardless of the disability) is treated differently from their able-bodied coworkers. This can range from not having the tools and training to work effectively to not being granted appropriate time off or breaks to manage your disability.

And unfortunately, ongoing disability discrimination can lead to low self-worth, depression and various mental health issues. Because of this, we’ve put together the following guide to help you deal with the negative mental effects of disability discrimination.

  1. Don’t Suffer Alone

First, it’s extremely important to make sure that you never suffer alone, regardless of how embarrassed you are about your mental health and/or disability. There are thousands of people across Australia suffering from similar problems and discrimination, and support is available.

For starters, tell someone close to you about your struggles. This could be a partner, family member or even just a close friend. Seek advice from a psychologist if required, and don’t hesitate to seek legal advice in the case of ongoing disability discrimination.

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How Speech Pathologists Can Help Children with ADHD

There’s a common misconception that an expert in speech pathology can only help a child learn how to pronounce words or to work with those with a stutter. But according to speech pathologists, speech pathology and language therapy go far beyond those two language disorders. The field can help all children who struggle with idea expression, communication, and language. That includes children with ADHD.

What is ADHD?

ADHD, also known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is a medical condition that can affect many parts of a child’s life. It includes hyperactivity, problems with impulsiveness, and attention difficulties that can impact a child’s schooling, home life, and friendships. It’s also a condition that can last for years or an entire lifetime but can be treated in various ways.

What are the Signs of ADHD?

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), common symptoms of ADHD include problems with attentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. A child may have trouble paying attention or listening and may not find it easy to learn new things, concentrate, focus, or plan. Children with ADHD may also fidget, try to multi-task, and have trouble focusing on one task at a time.

How Can My Child Be Tested for ADHD?

If you suspect your child is showing the signs of an ELD and has a speech or learning condition, then the first port of call should always be your GP. They will want to learn about your child from you, your teachers, and others who spend time with him or her. A speech-language therapist can also help form a diagnosis for the best approach in the future.

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5 Things to Consider Before Getting Laser Eye Surgery

Getting Laser Eye SurgeryLaser eye surgery is an increasingly common procedure used to correct a range of vision problems, including long-sightedness, short-sightedness, and astigmatism. In general, it’s a safe, low-invasion procedure with few side effects and a short recovery time.

However, there are still a few things you should consider before you go in for laser eye surgery. You need to make sure that you have a decent understanding of what your procedure is and what it’s going to involve.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a short list of five things you should consider before committing to laser surgery. They include:

1. The Different Types of Surgery

Basically, there are three different types of laser eye surgery suited to different people. Your surgeon and optometrist will ultimately have the final say on the right surgery for your needs, but you should be aware of the options and the associated risks.

The three main types of laser surgery are ASA, LASIK and SMILE. All three can be used to treat short-sightedness and astigmatism, while ASA and LASIK can both be effective for correcting long-sightedness.

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How to Tell a Loved One They Need Help

Need HelpIn 2017, around 71 million people were estimated to have a drug use disorder or addiction. Not only is that 71 million people who are not living their best life, but tens of millions of families who are trying to convince their loved ones to book into drug rehab.

Most people will know from experience that it’s an uncomfortable feeling to be told to do something you don’t want to do. Drug addiction is a disease, and even if someone knows deep down that they have a problem, they aren’t always willing to combat it.

If you are facing the impossible task of trying to tell someone you love that they need help and possibly drug rehab, then read on. Here are a few things that might assist with the process.

Hold an Intervention

Most people have seen an intervention on TV. Family and friends sit around in a circle and talk about how much they care about the drug user and how they need to get help. Even though it might seem cliché, it remains a highly effective method for helping a loved one understand they have a problem.

Social pressure in any other situation is usually a no-no, but when it comes to an addiction, it can often be the soundest method. The goal of an intervention is to first show the user how many people want them to get better and care about them, then provide them with a solution to their problem.

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You Might be Damaging Your Teeth, And You Don’t Even Know It

Damaging Your TeethThere are several reasons why people visit a dentist for a cosmetic dental service. Some people are not happy with a gap in their front teeth, the colour of them, or they might have a chip or crack they would like to repair to get a near-perfect or the perfect set of teeth.

Other times, daily habits have caused damage, or are causing damage, and you weren’t aware of it until the damage was done. Whatever the reason for your inquiry about a cosmetic dental care service, it’s a good idea to know what could be causing harm to your teeth every day. Here are a few habits that you might like to consider changing.

Eating Too Much Sugar

Dental O So Gentle tell us that children learn from a young age from their dentist (and parents) that too much sugar will rot their teeth. They aren’t lying just to get you to eat your vegetables; instead, sugar really can rot your teeth. However, it’s not just sweet treats, beverages, and lollies that are the culprits.

Dried fruit is full of sugar too, even if it’s also something to eat for an energy boost. If you eat too many sugary foods, you are at risk of cavities. Replace that lollipop with raw vegetables that are both nutritious and beneficial for teeth cleaning.

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ways to save water

Ways You Could be Saving Water

The global population wastes trillions of litres of water every year, and much of this waste goes unnoticed. It’s not until we view water as a limited resource that requires us to focus on sustainability that we realise how much of it we waste.

Think about your five-minute shower. You could be wasting around 70 litres of water just by staying in there a little bit longer than necessary. It’s time to focus on sustainability and sensible water usage, and here’s how.

Shorten Your Showers

While you might feel that you need to wait until you’ve finished singing your favourite song in the shower before you hop out, it’s best that you don’t. Save the encore for when you’re getting dressed.

Your shower is the third-largest water consumer after washing machines and toilets, and it’s wasting more water than necessary. Have shorter showers and do your part for water conservation.

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Root Canal Myths

Common Root Canal Myths You May Have Thought Were Fact

Thousands of people get root canal treatments from their dentist in Australia every year. Even though the procedure is one of the most common, there are still many mistruths in the community. Those mistruths could stop people who desperately need a root canal from getting one.

Here we attempt to dispel some of the more common myths about root canals.

  1. The Treatment is Painful

There’s always an audible groan from at least one person in a group when you utter those dreaded words ‘root canal’. The truth is, the procedure is not as painful as you may think. Your dentist uses a local anaesthetic to numb your tooth and the surrounding area. If you are particularly nervous and think it will be painful, you can also talk to your dentist about nitrous oxide gas to calm your nerves.

  1. No Pain, No Need for a Root Canal

You don’t have to experience pain in your tooth to need a root canal. Sometimes, there’s an infection or damage in the pulp of your tooth that calls for a root canal – even if the pain is not a symptom.

A damaged tooth with something that looks like a pimple is a common sign. That pimple is often a fistula, which is tissue that is draining pus from your infection. That infection can get worse without seeking treatment from your dentist.

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recycle

How to Recycle Appropriately

A significant part of sustainability is focused on making sure products have more than one use. The more you can use a product, the less you deplete the natural resources around you. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to ask yourself the question: am I recycling correctly? Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way to recycle.

Don’t Bag Your Recyclables

It can seem like you’re doing the recycling centres a favour by putting all your plastics inside more plastic, but it’s recommended that you don’t. Many machines can’t handle plastic bags, so workers must throw these bags of possibly clean and recyclable materials into landfills. While you might think they can just open the bags and spill out the contents, that can pose a safety risk.

So, what do you do instead? Clean your recyclable materials to remove food and other debris, then put them loosely into your recycling bin for collection.

Familiarise Yourself with Recyclable Materials and Waste

To recycle responsibly and appropriately requires you to be familiar with what is recyclable and what isn’t. While many products might look recyclable, not all of them will be.

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5 Ways to Know You Need Emergency Dental Care

Emergency Dental CareHow often do you find yourself going to the dentist for anything other than pain and discomfort? An alarming number of people are not seeing their dentist for health checks and instead, wait until something goes wrong to seek dental help. But how do you know when a trip to the emergency dentist could be on the cards? Here are a few tell-tale signs.

You Have a Loose Tooth

As an adult, you should not have any loose teeth. If you do, something has gone wrong, and you now need a trip to the dentist to find out what it is. When you injure a tooth to the point of it being wobbly, nerve or jaw damage can be a risk – especially if you have knocked it loose. Even if you haven’t, seeing your dentist means they can run some tests to work out what is causing the loose tooth. Sometimes gum disease and infection are to blame.

Your Gums are Sore and Bleeding

Bleeding gums is often a sign of gum disease, which is something you can avoid with regular flossing and brushing. However, if your bleeding gums are accompanied by achiness, then that’s something that might require you to see your dentist. If you do not treat these early stages of gum disease, you may not be able to return your mouth to the healthy state it was before.

You Have a Toothache

If severe toothache is starting to impact your daily routine, or even a minor pain is more than you can handle, then it could be time to see your dentist. Your teeth don’t ache for no reason, and a emergency dentist may be able to provide immediate relief. If you notice your teeth are sensitive, sore, and achy, then make an appointment with your dentist today. (more…)

Jewellery for Friendship

Best Jewellery for Friendship

When you visit a jewellers, particularly around Valentine’s Day, you can quickly get the impression that such a store is more suitable for loved-up couples. While many options fit into that category – such as wedding and engagement bands – there are equally as many that can spell friendship too.

If you are on the hunt for something that can cement your friendship, then these options below could be worth your consideration.

Charm Bracelet

A charm bracelet is not only something you can buy for your significant other – or even yourself, but for a near and dear friend as well. You will be surprised at the options available in the charm bracelet market too. Depending on your budget, you can choose something classy and elegant like gold, or something more practical and stylish such as silver. Then, as a token of your friendship, you can include one or two meaningful charms with the present as well.

Locket

A locket is a meaningful piece of jewellery that your local jeweller may recommend for a long-distant friend or one who is planning on moving away from you soon. In one half, you can put a picture of yourself, and in the other, a picture of them. The locket itself usually is quite an elegant necklace too, featuring either gold or silver.

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Hospital Plumbing

Superbugs and Hospital Plumbing

You may not want to know this, but hospital plumbing according to plumbers is a huge reservoir of drug resistant superbug germs. They splash about in the plumbing and share their superpowers with other bacteria. Checks of plumbing in major hospitals show drains can be full of dangerous bacteria.

The thing is that the germs are breeding down there and passing their drug-resistant properties on to other germ species. The superbugs are not found anywhere else in hospitals and as a result are not a threat to the general public. However, hospitals should be aware of the potential problem and keep ahead of any possible risks.

Looking for the Superbug

The search for these germs was brought about by the deaths of 7 patients after an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant infections. They discovered a bug by the name of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae.  Medical centre officials made a concerted effort to find out how the patients became infected. Many of the bugs were found to be living in the plumbing and the sink drains even though these had been scrubbed out. An investigating team, independent to the hospital found that the bacteria could splash back out of sink drains.

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Why Banana Makes an Excellent Hair Care Product

Hair Care

Everyone knows that bananas are one of the most popular fruits on the planet, and are also one of the most delicious, but did you know they make an excellent natural hair care product as well?

Natural skin care and hair care guru this is because they are packed full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, it was only a matter of time before someone was going to say: hey, maybe we could put this fruit in our hair? That time is now, and here’s why it could be something for you to consider.

Health

If your hair is feeling a bit lacklustre, your first thought may be to reach for a chemical-laden product. Instead, why not try a natural hair care product – or, something out of your fruit bowl? Bananas feature plenty of folic acid, which helps to make your hair shiny, hydrated, and moisturised. What’s more, because of the high levels of potassium, they also improve your hair’s overall health.

Softness

Soft hair is something everyone aspires to have. However, some people have to work hard for it by using natural hair care shampoo and conditioner, as well as other tips and tricks from professionals. What if it were as easy as grabbing a banana from your fruit bowl and coconut milk and avocado from the fridge?

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19th Nutrition and Food Summit

19th Global Summit on Nutrition, Health & Food Technology

The International Conference on Nutrition and Food Technology 2018 will be held during September 26-27 in San Antonio, Texas discussing the following scientific sessions but not limited to:

Food Technologies | Green Food and Meat | Aqua, Sea and Dairy Food | Genetic Engineering (GE): The Future of Foods? | Food Process Engineering: Control and Automation| Food Packaging, Preservation and Labeling | Public Health and Community Nutrition: Read more

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Red Wine and Fish

Red Wine and Fish – Hot or Not?

Not everyone knows that it can be tricky to pair red wine and fish together – not even the experienced waiter at your local restaurant, or the supplier of online wine with the help of professional wine reviews. Often, you only find out after it’s too late that maybe that delicate fish would have been better with a Riesling instead.

However, while there are more instances where red wine and fish don’t work than there are situations when they do, you may find this information below helpful. In fact, these tips may be something you can keep in the back of your mind the next time you order fish at your local restaurant.

Chilled for Grilled

If you are going to be eating grilled fish, or fish that has been barbecued, seared, or features an intense marinade or sauce, then chilled red wine is going to pair beautifully. If it’s light enough and it can cut through even the oiliest of fish and intense flavors to gel beautifully in the mouth. Read the descriptions on the bottles when you’re buying from an online wine provider to make sure it’s not going to be too rich.

Served with Meat

There is nothing better than a delicious Surf ‘n’ Turf at your local restaurant. But, it soon calls for a beverage with which to wash it down. Believe it or not, when you pair seafood and fish with meat, red wine seems to work quite well. In fact, in Spanish cuisine, it’s not uncommon for chilled wine to accompany fish and chorizo dishes.

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Wine and Cheese

Wine and Cheese – What Works Best?

It seems to be a classic combination – wine and cheese. It appears on many restaurant menus, and even online wine shops sell cheeseboard utensils so you can make a real event of it. However, did you know not all cheese will work with all wine, and vice versa?

Because of the cheese varieties on offer, as well as the various wine options, it’s fair to say not all are going to be matches made in heaven. If you’re planning a wine and cheese night with the girls and you’re not sure what works and what doesn’t, consider these pairs below.

Aged with Bold

A common rule to follow when trying to match cheese with wine is to think about their intensity. Is the wine or cheese strong in flavour? Or, is one stronger than the other? If you were to select an oaky red and pair it with a mild Gruyere, for example, you would find the wine overpowers the cheese.

Therefore, always match intensity levels. Aged cheese with bold red wine is a good example. As cheese ages, the flavours become more intense. As a result, the high tannin level in the wine begins to complement the fat content and richness of the cheese. Most combinations you see on any restaurant menu will work well, but if you’re not sure, think of the number one rule: equal intensity.

Tip: If you have purchased a rich red wine from your local bottle store or an online wine shop, select Gouda, Parmesan, and Provolone cheese to accompany it.

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Where Will You Go On Your Next Holiday

Next HolidayThere are many different countries to enjoy when you are on holidays, so if you’ve been going to the same one for several years it might be time to think outside the box and choose somewhere different.  So many people go to the closest country, or one that has the cheapest accommodation of flights to get there. But it’s a shame not to travel to other countries that offer a great deal, even if you can’t swim or surf there.

Here are just some ideas –

  • Go to a country covered in snow. The children will love learning how to ski and end up loving it as much as swimming. Switzerland or Norway are good choices, but there are many more European countries that have snow, not to mention Britain and the US. Kids can go tobogganing, snow-boarding and sleigh-riding. They can make snowmen and have snowball fights.  Few children – and adults –  in Australia get to live in snow and learn what it is like.
  • Go to Britain and go boating around all the rivers. Teenagers will love learning how to handle a boat and it’s a great way to see the countryside, not to mention all the historic sites that we’ve all read about or heard about on TV. While there catch a ferry over to France and visit Paris and some of the other many interesting places.

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Are You Depressed?

Depression

Depression is an insidious condition and even though you may easily recognize the symptoms in other people, it is much harder to recognize depression in yourself.  If the depression is not very severe, you may think you are just feeling a bit off, but you don’t know why.  Sometimes, it may just get better by itself, but other times it does not, and may become worse.

If you have had the symptoms for some time, you may forget just how good life used to be and that is the big danger; accepting how you feel now as the norm. If you don’t enjoy life as much as you used to, it is a good idea to ask friends or loved ones if they have noticed any change in your behaviour. It could be that you have become more irritable or you refuse to go out with your friends like you used to.

If you are not as happy as you would like to be, think about why that might be. Naturally, if you have suffered an emotional or even physical trauma of some kind it is going to change you for a while until you come to terms with it. But if you can think of no reason why you should feel down, then it is time to look at what is happening to you.

Here are some of the milder symptoms that can help you to recognize depression in yourself, but they may also have other causes:

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Take Care How You Run

How You Run

Many people run for exercise and this is a good way of burning calories as well as hardening your body. Running uses many of the different parts of the body, however if you run the wrong way it can cause injuries such as shin splints, plantar fasciitis and hamstring pain. Once, these injuries were an accepted part of running and no one thought they could be avoided by running a different way.

Runners often push off with one foot while stretching their other leg as far to the front as possible. This is not good for their balance; the reaching foot will come down heavily and must stay on the ground absorbing the weight of your body as it catches up. If you can hear your feet slapping the ground hard as you run, you may be using this technique.

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How Are Your Stress Levels?

Stress Levels

Most health care professionals now agree that stress has a large part to play in many diseases from the common cold to diseases that are major and can be fatal. When a person has a lot of bad stress in their life, their immune system often gets worn out, or cannot work the way it should to protect them from such diseases. This makes their body far more likely to become a victim of things like heart disease, ulcers, digestive problems and many other enemies of health.

It is well-known also that having a pet can reduce stress levels to the extent that people even live longer when they have a pet to love and care for. Of course, not everyone can have a pet for various reasons. If you are at work all day, leaving a pet alone in the house or chained up in the back yard is cruel. Then there are people who suffer allergies to pet hair and dander, making de-stressing with a pet impossible. So what can you do?

One way to ensure your stress levels don’t get out of hand is to create a quiet place in the back garden or even in the home where you can relax. It should be a private place where there will be minimum noise and interruptions. You can do this by creating an outdoor space using comfortable outdoor furniture that is easy to relax on. Much outdoor furniture is not all that comfortable, so make sure you test it out before purchasing. Back support is important and you may need to have additional cushions, otherwise you won’t want to sit there for long.

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