Monsanto Companies

Cheap and Safe Weed Killer Recipe

Weed-Be-Gone

1 Gallon Vinegar

2 Cups Epsom Salt

¼ Cup Dawn Dish Soap (The Blue Original)

It will kill anything you spray it on.  Just mix and spray in the morning, after the dew has evaporated.  Walk away.  Go back after dinner and the weeds are all gone!  Cheaper than anything you can buy at the store.  Never buy Round-up again!

400 Companies that Don’t Use GMOs in Their Products

Many large agricultural companies partner with Monsanto and use genetically modified seeds, as well as fertilizers and herbicides that make us sick.  Big businesses are able to do this because people continue to buy their products, and they have the financial backing to do so.  

To avoid GMOs and added chemicals, we can grow our own food, or buy from a local farmer. There are also numerous companies out there who practice sustainable methods and source from farmers that do not use GMO. 

For a complete list, click HERE

Allergy Free Cookbooks

Top allergy-free cookbooks to stock in your kitchen cupboard

Living Without Gluten 
Developed by Peggy Wagener to help others with gluten intolerances.  For more information go to 
livingwithout.com

The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook: Over 350 Natural Foods Recipes; Free of all common food allergies.  This book contains updates nutrition information, recipes, tips and more.  For more information, click HERE

The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook: Two Hundred Gourmet & Homestyle Recipes for the Food Allergic Family.  This cookbook contains recipes aimed at eliminating each of the 8 allergens responsible for 90% of food allergies.  For more info, click HERE

What to Eat When You Can't Eat Anything: The Complete Allergy Cookbook.  Offers more than 120 recipes for all types of food sensitivities. For more information, click HERE.

Allergy-free Cookbook: No eggs, no dairy, no nuts, no gluten
Alice Sherwood, a former BBC TV producer whose husband and son have serious food allergies, used her degree in chemistry and love of food to write her own cookbook. For more information, click HERE. 

Lavan Cooks Dairy-Free! A Healthy, Simple Approach to Your Favorite Foods
This cookbook contains lower calorie recipes that use natural dairy substitutes such as soy, rice, oat, and almond milks.  For more information, click HERE. 

The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide: How to Cook with Ease for Food Allergies and Recover Good Health.
This cookbook contains more than 500 sugar-free recipes that work for gluten-free or dairy-free diets.  The book also contains a ton of information about how allergies are developed and how they can be treated.  For more information, click HERE.  


*In case you missed it, check out our newsletter, containing feature article in the Vail Daily, "Clean Out for Spring," earth-day tips, allergy blogs, an immune boosting recipe!*

Study Shows Dementia Patients Benefit from Holistic Exercise Program

"Holistic exercise strives to encourage individuals to not only to take part in the physical activities, but also to become aware of their own physical and psychological states"

Dementia patients can often suffer from depression and declining physical and mental ability, however exercise has been shown to help improve both their physical and psychological state. Researchers at Teesside University in the U.K. investigated how the combination of cognitive activities and elements of yoga, tai chi, qigong and meditation affected dementia patients. It was concluded that a holistic exercise program focusing on both mind and body can help improve quality of life for dementia patients.

For this study, conducted in association with the Alzheimer's Society (UK), researchers developed the Happy Antics program, a holistic exercise plan that integrates physical movements with consideration for the emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual health of the patients. Each Happy Antics session began with a cognitive exercise in which participants were shown a picture of an object while the instructor spoke briefly about it. The patients were then encouraged to discuss the object and ask questions. This activity was followed by warm-up exercises and then physical exercise drawing from principals of tai chi, yoga, qigong, and dance. Each session ended with a short, guided meditation that focused on breathing and mindfulness.

Fifteen participants ranging from 52 to 86 years old attended the program: eight dementia patients, five care-givers, and two volunteers. Some patients said they felt more relaxed after the sessions and experienced some degree of pain relief. Other patients found learning to do the new exercises "empowering," even though sometimes they faced physical difficulty performing the tasks.

"When the wellness approach is applied to exercise, holistic exercise strives to encourage individuals to not only to take part in the physical activities, but also to become aware of their own physical and psychological states, and to perform exercise that is purposeful and meaningful to them," explained lead investigator Yvonne J-Lyn Khoo, BSc (Hons), MS, PhD, of the Health and Social Care Institute, Teesside University.

Top 9 Water Sources

This morning's blog was about the current research on hydrotherapy, and the benefits of regularly soaking in mineral water.  Below are 9 of the most formidable sources for soaking.  

Bad Sulza, Germany

Toskana Therme is known for its natural, warm salt water that springs from an ancient underground ocean, allowing guests to float as if in the Dead Sea.

Ojo Caliente, N.M.

Revered by Pueblo Indians for over 3,000 years, the springs at Ojo Caliente are heated by subterranean volcanic aquifers and fill 11 pools with 80- to 109-degree waters with different combinations of minerals.  One of the pools contains a high arsenic content.  Arsenic is said to relieve arthritis.

Hot Springs, Va.

The Omni Homestead touted as the “oldest spa structure in the U.S,” contains waters that remain a consistent 98 degrees, even in winter.   This spa is where Thomas Jefferson soaked to relieve his rheumatism.  

Saturnia, Italy

Here at the Terme di Saturnia Spa and Golf Resort, the water pours into a large mineral pool fast enough (132 gallons a second) that it is refreshed every four hours.  The spa has been favored by discerning travelers as well as cutting-edge beauty clinics of Switzerland, such as La Prairie. The mineral water is known for having a lot of sulfur which is a building block for collagen and makes skin feel soft and smooth.

Baden-Baden, Germany

Baden means “bath” in Germany, and the old joke is the town is so charming, special and lovely, they named it twice. Situated in the foothills of the idyllic Black Forest, it is one of Europe’s classic spa towns where Roman emperors once came to ease their aches.

The Caracalla Spa is famous for its glass walls.  The mineral waters come in both hot and cold (alternating temperatures are believed to stimulate circulation and build the immune system). The second floor is for those who prefer to go au natural, a common practice for Germans. 

Brittany, France
The Thalasso Center was built by three-time Tour de France winner Louison Bobet after thalassotherapy helped him recover from several surgeries following a car accident. Everything about the property embraces the ocean.

Montauk, N.Y.
The closest the U.S. has to a thalasso center is in Montauk on the tip of Long Island. Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa, pumps ocean water into its heated indoor Olympic-size pool. 

Healing Waters

"The word spa is believed to be an acronym of the Latin phrase ‘salus per aqua’- health through water."

The belief in water’s ability to heal goes back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks who knew the value of a warm bath to sooth aches and pains.  As the population ages, we are increasingly seeking healing waters.

The Romans are credited with the world’s first spas- elaborate bath houses built near mineral springs.  The word spa is believed to be an acronym of the Latin phrase ‘salus per aqua’- health through water. Doctors in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries prescribed drinking and bathing at well-known hot springs and seaside towns, such as Brighton, England and Baden-Baden, Germany.

Resorts became fashionable hang outs for monarchs and artists of the day — some for the social scene and others hoping to relieve ailments including infertility, rheumatism and gout.  Seawater therapy was termed “thalassotherapy” (thalassa means sea in Greek) by a French doctor in 1865. Patients were prescribed a strict regimen of ocean water, sea air, algae wraps, walks on the beach, massage and healthy meals.

In the U.S., many thermal springs were held sacred by Native Americans and later frequented by nobility, celebrities and presidents. Franklin Roosevelt enjoyed many a good soak in mineral waters throughout the country to relieve symptoms from his polio. Proponents of the “water cure” believed that it replenished our bodies as we absorbed needed minerals through our pores.

 A growing body of evidence shows that our ancestors may have been right. A study done in Israel in 2008 indicated that soaking regularly in mineral water can relieve pain and improve motor function in elderly adults suffering from chronic lower back pain and arthritis. Another study from the Italian Board of Medicine looked at data from over 23,000 spa goers and found a major reduction in hospitalizations, sick days and pharmacological drug use. It has been found that hydrotherapies help with common health complaints due to aging.  Others conclude that hydrotherapies help us relax more and worry less.