Entries by tag: respiratory
In the course of the winter's passing my sweetie has been snookered twice by the tricky naming of teas. The brand that I prefer is Traditional Medicinals. I send him to the store with tea on the list and he comes home with Yogi brand tea because the names are similar and because the Yogi teas are cheaper.
Traditional Medicinals has IMO the best blends with the most potent herbs in them. Some of my favorites are Throat Coat, Breathe Easy, Herb Tussin and Gypsy Cold Care. I discovered Throat Coat back when I was a raft guide and used to shout myself hoarse trying to get people down the river. These teas have been made for years and they are excellent.
There's this other brand, called Yogi Tea, which makes some decent teas. They have however been trying to steal the marketshare of Traditional Medicinals by naming their teas in parallel ways to confuse the consumer. Instead of Breathe Easy theirs is Breathe Deep, instead of Throat Coat it's Throat Comfort, right down the product line. It has worked twice on my boyfriend so I have had to drink boxes of Yogi tea, repeatedly testing my perceptions. While their blends are OK, they are nowhere near as good as the Traditional Medicinals herbal teas.
Frankly, even though I used to buy some Yogi Tea I have stopped entirely because I do not like their marketing approach, and the ones I did buy from them were not all that good. It seems normal for tea companies to start out making really good teas, then get bought out by some mega-corporation who starts cheapening the ingredients in a cost cutting exercise. This results in reduced quality. It happens in every industry, and I do not know how Traditional Medicinals has avoided it, but it appears that so far they have. I thank them for their quality. I stopped buying Celestial Seasonings a LONG time ago, when their quality took a dive. We used to joke that they were bagging up floor sweepings. If I end up with Bigelow or Stash brand tea in my tea box, it just sits there until I have a guest that chooses them. Tazo is middle of the road in my view. Trader Joe's is about as good as really cheap tea can be. There's a lot of "tea" out there that gives tea a bad name.
Much tea is bad just because it is old: herbs don't stay potent forever. If that box of tea bags in your cabinet has been open for years and collecting dust, the tea inside is not going to be good. Not liking this does not constitute not liking tea.
Full disclosure: I have no ties to any commercial tea manufacturers, other than I work part-time in a medicinary where we compound our own blends. Nobody is paying me to issue an opinion, but I have one, just like everybody. I think that most people who say "I don't like tea" have never had a really good cup of herbal tea suited to the season and their constitution. I am educated about the medicinal uses of herbs and have created some of my own blends for specific purposes.
Traditional Medicinals has IMO the best blends with the most potent herbs in them. Some of my favorites are Throat Coat, Breathe Easy, Herb Tussin and Gypsy Cold Care. I discovered Throat Coat back when I was a raft guide and used to shout myself hoarse trying to get people down the river. These teas have been made for years and they are excellent.
There's this other brand, called Yogi Tea, which makes some decent teas. They have however been trying to steal the marketshare of Traditional Medicinals by naming their teas in parallel ways to confuse the consumer. Instead of Breathe Easy theirs is Breathe Deep, instead of Throat Coat it's Throat Comfort, right down the product line. It has worked twice on my boyfriend so I have had to drink boxes of Yogi tea, repeatedly testing my perceptions. While their blends are OK, they are nowhere near as good as the Traditional Medicinals herbal teas.
Frankly, even though I used to buy some Yogi Tea I have stopped entirely because I do not like their marketing approach, and the ones I did buy from them were not all that good. It seems normal for tea companies to start out making really good teas, then get bought out by some mega-corporation who starts cheapening the ingredients in a cost cutting exercise. This results in reduced quality. It happens in every industry, and I do not know how Traditional Medicinals has avoided it, but it appears that so far they have. I thank them for their quality. I stopped buying Celestial Seasonings a LONG time ago, when their quality took a dive. We used to joke that they were bagging up floor sweepings. If I end up with Bigelow or Stash brand tea in my tea box, it just sits there until I have a guest that chooses them. Tazo is middle of the road in my view. Trader Joe's is about as good as really cheap tea can be. There's a lot of "tea" out there that gives tea a bad name.
Much tea is bad just because it is old: herbs don't stay potent forever. If that box of tea bags in your cabinet has been open for years and collecting dust, the tea inside is not going to be good. Not liking this does not constitute not liking tea.
Full disclosure: I have no ties to any commercial tea manufacturers, other than I work part-time in a medicinary where we compound our own blends. Nobody is paying me to issue an opinion, but I have one, just like everybody. I think that most people who say "I don't like tea" have never had a really good cup of herbal tea suited to the season and their constitution. I am educated about the medicinal uses of herbs and have created some of my own blends for specific purposes.
If you live and Portland and haven't picked up a copy of this month's Willamette Week (free news weekly, online here: http://www.wweek.com/portland/index.php), this issue is likely to get snapped up. They've named it the 420 Issue and it is all about the businesses and culture incurred by the recent legalization of cannabis in Washington and soon Oregon. What struck me initially is the amount of wordplay around the subject, and the generation of witty new phrases, words and hashtags that accompanies the surge in businesses and products containing cannabinoids. There is great excitement about the new availability and openness that comes with legalization.
I for one am OK with recreational and medical use. I think that the risks to society of adults using cannabinoids are fairly minimal. It certainly doesn't make people drive dangerously the way alcohol does. It does have a whole set of risks that aren't covered in this issue, and that really need to be kept high in our awareness as this drug becomes widely acceptable.
One risk that is coming into focus these days is of extreme overdoses. Back when folks just inhaled smoke, coughing stopped them from partaking too much. Vaporizers now make inhalation gentler and it is easy to overdose when consuming edibles. With either method you can't tell how much intoxicant is in there. With humans ingeniously extracting and concentrating the active principles, it could be very strong, or contaminated with solvents. With edibles the effect takes time to kick in. It is terribly easy to overdose for folks who are experimenting for the first time, and who have no tolerance at all.
The conventional media take on overdose--blaming it for many deaths and claiming that it is deadly--is probably overblown. It takes a massive amount of pot to kill, perhaps more than anybody is likely to actually reach because unlike opioids it is so unpleasant getting there. It is however a relative unknown: having been illegal for so long, we don't have scientific studies about overdose. We hardly have science to justify all the medical uses that have already been approved. We are going to find out now.
Another risk is incurred by the fact that edibles make the drug palatable to people who would never smoke it. It is tempting to children as candy. There is the danger that children, teens and early 20-somethings will enjoy sugary yummies containing cannabinoids and permanently alter their brain development. Later on in life there is still a brain changing effect, but in early life when the brain is still forming, the effect can be severe.
On top of these new risks due to the availability of edibles, there is the old risk of respiratory injuries resulting in sinusitis and bronchitis, and risk of more dangerous conditions like pneumonia and COPD. There is also the fact that marijuana increases heart rate significantly in most individuals. Folks who already have hypertension or heart palpitations might give themselves a heart attack.
I suppose my main message in the light of all this 420 excitement is BE CAUTIOUS and PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN because there is a lot we don't know. I believe in freedom and individual discretion as most Americans do, and I also know that people can be terribly foolish and injure themselves and others, especially when intoxicants are involved. I cannot protect the whole world from poor choices, but I do hope that this warning is heard widely. Please take care of each other and if you are going to play with the newly legalized products, start very small.
I for one am OK with recreational and medical use. I think that the risks to society of adults using cannabinoids are fairly minimal. It certainly doesn't make people drive dangerously the way alcohol does. It does have a whole set of risks that aren't covered in this issue, and that really need to be kept high in our awareness as this drug becomes widely acceptable.
One risk that is coming into focus these days is of extreme overdoses. Back when folks just inhaled smoke, coughing stopped them from partaking too much. Vaporizers now make inhalation gentler and it is easy to overdose when consuming edibles. With either method you can't tell how much intoxicant is in there. With humans ingeniously extracting and concentrating the active principles, it could be very strong, or contaminated with solvents. With edibles the effect takes time to kick in. It is terribly easy to overdose for folks who are experimenting for the first time, and who have no tolerance at all.
The conventional media take on overdose--blaming it for many deaths and claiming that it is deadly--is probably overblown. It takes a massive amount of pot to kill, perhaps more than anybody is likely to actually reach because unlike opioids it is so unpleasant getting there. It is however a relative unknown: having been illegal for so long, we don't have scientific studies about overdose. We hardly have science to justify all the medical uses that have already been approved. We are going to find out now.
Another risk is incurred by the fact that edibles make the drug palatable to people who would never smoke it. It is tempting to children as candy. There is the danger that children, teens and early 20-somethings will enjoy sugary yummies containing cannabinoids and permanently alter their brain development. Later on in life there is still a brain changing effect, but in early life when the brain is still forming, the effect can be severe.
On top of these new risks due to the availability of edibles, there is the old risk of respiratory injuries resulting in sinusitis and bronchitis, and risk of more dangerous conditions like pneumonia and COPD. There is also the fact that marijuana increases heart rate significantly in most individuals. Folks who already have hypertension or heart palpitations might give themselves a heart attack.
I suppose my main message in the light of all this 420 excitement is BE CAUTIOUS and PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN because there is a lot we don't know. I believe in freedom and individual discretion as most Americans do, and I also know that people can be terribly foolish and injure themselves and others, especially when intoxicants are involved. I cannot protect the whole world from poor choices, but I do hope that this warning is heard widely. Please take care of each other and if you are going to play with the newly legalized products, start very small.
Designs for Health Research & Education Blog
Breathe Easier with Bromelain
Posted on Thu, Oct 09, 2014 @ 09:30 AM
Here: http://info.designsforhealth.com/blog/breathe-easier-with-bromelain accessed 10/10/14
( NotesCollapse )
Breathe Easier with Bromelain
Posted on Thu, Oct 09, 2014 @ 09:30 AM
Here: http://info.designsforhealth.com/blog/breathe-easier-with-bromelain accessed 10/10/14
( NotesCollapse )
Arabian peninsula = Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Leb¬anon, Oman, Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
MERS is the viral infection that's causing severe respiratory disease in lots of folks over there. There have been just a few cases in the US, starting in May. I'm wondering if military personel are coming back sick? Apparently pretty much all of the camels on the Arabian peninsula have this virus. We don't know if it causes chronic infections, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did, considering what we are learning about viral DNA mingled with our own.
MERS is the viral infection that's causing severe respiratory disease in lots of folks over there. There have been just a few cases in the US, starting in May. I'm wondering if military personel are coming back sick? Apparently pretty much all of the camels on the Arabian peninsula have this virus. We don't know if it causes chronic infections, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did, considering what we are learning about viral DNA mingled with our own.
Statistics show that the "stroke belt" is also where you have the highest likelihood (in the US) of dying of cardiovascular and lower respiratory disease (smoking), cancer and accidents. Obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome are probable causes, but what about accidents? Why do southerners have the most accidents? Bless their dangerous little hearts....
SOURCE
http://consumer.healthday.com/cardiovascular-health-information-20/heart-attack-news-357/southeastern-states-have-highest-number-of-preventable-deaths-687436.html
SOURCE
http://consumer.healthday.com/cardiovascular-health-information-20/heart-attack-news-357/southeastern-states-have-highest-number-of-preventable-deaths-687436.html
I've been told by meditation & yoga instructors and naturopathic doctors that inhalation is controlled by sympathetic innervation, and exhalation is parasympathetic. Based in this, we are taught to change our meditation breathing based on whether we desire to emphasize activation or calming. The idea is that by extending the inhale and shortening the exhale, you increase your sympathetic activity. More often the idea of extending the exhale to double or more the length of the inhale is used, to help us release the stresses of modern life.
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What can we do
but keep on breathing in and out,
modest and willing, and in our places?
~~Mary Oliver
but keep on breathing in and out,
modest and willing, and in our places?
~~Mary Oliver
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