Cut down on Catalog Waste and Junk Mail

Here are a couple of great resources for cutting down on unwanted catalogs and junk mail...

Register at www.catalogchoice.org and check off the catalogs that you do no want to receive.

To cut down on junk mail, go to www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist. It costs $1 but it's well worth the money.

I've been whittling down the amount of catalogs received and sent in my BRAND: CREATIVE business and I'm making an even bigger jump in 2009 to take in as few as possible and only send out what is requested.

We can all do our part to save a lot of trees from becoming unwanted catalogs and junk mail, not to mention heading off waste before we even get to the point of recycling!

What is Oligofructose Complex?

If I can effectively communicate this to you as a non-science brain then I will feel like a success! This vitamin technology is revolutionary and so important to our health. It's no surprise that in America our diets are not up to par as far as getting all of our vitamins and nutrients our bodies need to be healthy and prevent disease. No matter how stellar your diet is, because of the change in food over the last 50 years, we are not getting everything we need simply from the food we eat.

Traditional vitamins are isolated, making them difficult to absorb. Isolated minerals cause the increase of free radicals in the body and therefore use up the effectiveness of anti-oxidants and vitamins before they are even absorbed into the body.

Oligofructose Complex solves the problems of poor mineral absorption and ineffective anti-oxidant protection. Oligofructose Complex keeps minerals soluble in the intestines where absorption takes place and protects them during digestion to prevent free radical development.

Melaleuca's Oligofructose Complex vitamins are the best on the market by far thanks to this new advancement. Why waste your money on a vitamin that only has a 5-10% absorption rate when you opt for a 90-95% absorption rate?! Melaleuca vitamins and minerals still incorporate the great fructose compounding as well so you are maximizing every bit your body takes in. I repeat my personal testimonial over and over to people I meet- I HAVE NOT BEEN SICK IN A YEAR AND A HALF! A year and a half ago, I made a committment to take my vitamins every single day and I am glad that I did. Life is so much more manageable when you are not sick.

The Journal of American Medecine recommends that everyone take a multi-vitamin each day to fill in nutritional gaps. Melaleuca makes it easy!

Click here to learn more about Oligofructose Complex.

Hanging Out Close to the Ground

The impetus for me to remove the harsh and toxic chemicals from my home was actually getting my puppy 3 years ago. I am definitely a little biased but she is just the cutest little thing you ever have seen and my instinct to protect her was instantaneous. Her name is Girlfriend and the name says it all. When these pictures were taken, I had just brought her home. She was 1 lb. 16 oz. Now when I look at her big girl size of 6-7 lbs. I can hardly believe she was ever this small. When she was a little puppy, she licked and chewed on just about everything (including my refrigerator which still has a hole to show for it). I had a chemical epiphany one day when I was cleaning my house with all of the cleaners that I had been using for years. Right after I was done, Girlfriend started licking the floor and I thought to myself, "that can't be good!". I mentioned it in passing to my friend Jennifer who told me about all of the wonderful eco-friendly products she was using from Melaleuca and the rest is history. I placed my first order and converted my home right away- no harsh chemicals or toxins since then and have had a safer home ever since.

I don't have children but there was recently an article in the paper about how toxic levels in toddlers are amplified, largely because they are crawling on the floor, putting things in their mouths and touching just about everything they can get their hands on. If you are a parent, this may already be on your radar. I know that even just having a dog was enough to get me to change my products, shopping and cleaning habits. We owe it to ourselves, our children and our animals to keep our environments as healthy and non-toxic as possible. This is especially important for little growing bodies that are developing their immune systems, little ones are the most vulnerable to a toxic environment. If getting the toxic chemicals out of your environment and making your home a safer place to live is important to you, let me know- I have just the answer!

Here are a few updated pics so you can see how much she has grown! Always the party girl :)

Begbugs- Yuck!

As always, the newspaper is full of interesting articles! When I was in Salt Lake City a couple of weeks ago and reading USA Today, I am across an article about the return of bedbugs. In the last couple of years, you may have heard that they have made a comeback in hotel rooms. Well now they have worked their way into dorm rooms so if you are sending a kid off to college this fall, this is definitely something to keep on your radar. They are also showing up on public transit, on cruise ships and in all hospitality accommodations- we can't control the situation every where we go but we definitely take some preventative steps in our personal areas.

Bedbugs are blood suckers that don't discriminate and can live up to a year without a blood meal. When these apple seed sized bugs do bite you, they leave hard welts that turn red and are itchy.

Now let's talk about solutions! Most of the time, bedbugs are dealt with by using pesticides. I definitely don't want to be breathing in pesticides inside, especially while I'm sleeping at night. Here's a tip that I utilize when I change my sheets (mostly to keep the dust mites under control but now there is a dual purpose). You can strip everything down to the mattress if you are doing this for the first time. Spray Sol-U-Guard all over the mattress and/or the mattress pad, your pillows, sheets and comforter. Sol-U-Guard kills 99.9% of germs naturally with the power of thyme plus it has a great fresh smell. If you don't have Sol-U-Guard handy, substitute in Sol-U-Mel which contains melaleuca oil and is naturally antibacterial.

If you've already been bitten, the recommended protocol is to use a cortisone cream. DermaCort has hydrocortisone plus melaleuca oil- it is great for any pesky rash or skin allergy. You won't find anything else like it.

Keep your Plants Healthy in a Drought

If you have any plants and are trying to keep them watered and healthy through the drought, you will find this useful!

Tough & Tender is a soil surfactant, you can put it in the ground before you plant will help the water stay in the ground. If you’ve already planted like me, mix 1/8 of a cup of Tough & Tender with 5 gallons of water and use it on your plants, flowers, lawn- anything! I’ve also had somebody tell me that it performs miracles on struggling tomatoes. Why does it work and what the heck is a soil surfactant?? Well, Tough & Tender breaks down the natural surface tension of the water- that helps promote water penetration. If you are watering less this summer, this will help your plants maintain the necessary moisture for longer and get the maximum benefit! I have a feeling that other household cleaners might actually kill your plants! The reason it helps your plants is the same reason it helps you clean more efficiently- because Tough & Tender breaks down the surface tension of water, kick starting the cleaning process. It helps the liquid clean more effectively by allowing the cleaning agents penetrate more easily and lift dirt away. Dirt won’t be left behind or spread around. I could be more technical and scientific (ask me for more info if you are interested) BUT this is what you need to remember- Tough & Tender cleans without caustic chemicals (no ammonia and no chlorine) but instead uses natural biodegradable ingredients! You won’t find any abrasives in Tough & Tender so it won’t harm your delicate surfaces. If you want to find out how to shop for these products yourself, let me know and I will beam you up.

Dehydration and Sustain

I was inspired to write this blog because one of my Freedom United team members was dealing with twins under the age of one a couple of weeks ago that had a bad bad bug that was causing diarrhea. Even though things were crazy, she had the foresight to give them Sustain in their bottles. When she finally took them to their pediatrician, the Doctor was blown away that they were still hydrated and that their "levels" were good. I thought it was a great story (illness aside) and I was interested to dig in a little bit further to find out what Sustain can offer us not only when we are sick but even better, when we are not!

Dehydration is simply the loss of water. Symptoms can range from headaches to muscle cramps, decreased blood pressure or dizziness. Dehydration can be especially serious in little kids and babies. Hydration, conversely, is the presence of water- best case scenario! Water is hands down, the best way to hydrate and is what nature intended. Sometimes we need a little extra value in what we are putting into our body or to hydrate quickly with electrolytes. Sustain offers us that option with less sugar and fewer calories than other brands.

Working out is a time when we naturally lose hydration, critical electrolytes and energy. Our thirst mechanism is a good indicator that we need to rehydrate but we can't always count on thirst alone because we can often maintain below our ideal level of hydration without exhibiting thirst.

Electrolytes come into the picture because they are responsible for regulating the electrical charge and flow of water across cell membranes. Minerals like calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium are known as electrolytes. Sustain contains a proprietary blend of these 4 electrolytes. Other brands only give you 2 electrolytes.

Sustain works through an exclusive blend of fructose and ribose rather than large amounts of simple sugars that can lead to blood sugar spikes and unsustained energy. Too much simple sugar draws water into the intestines and away from the rest of your body, leaving you further dehydrated. Another important point, Sustain contains natural vitamin E, C and B12.

To end, let me link this all back into to diarrhea and say that Sustain is an easy and good tasting way to replace energy and nutrients that are quickly being depleted due to infections, the flu, stress, food poisoning or malabsorption among other things. You can also add in Florify which contains probiotics if you aren't already taking it on a daily basis. That may just lead into next week's blog on probiotics...

Here's to your health and wellbeing!

Staph and a Natural Solution

The Oakland Tribune is my hometown newspaper so that is where I get my daily news and subsequently my information and occasional inspiration for a blog topic. This dates back to July 29th, there was an article about how staph is on the rise. Staph, also know as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), is becoming more resistant to antibiotics. People are at a higher level of risk in doctor's offices and in the hospitals. It is also on the rise in jails and athletic facilities where people are in close contact. We've had some serious outbreaks in schools here in California which leads me to think that we need to be on the careful in daycare centers as well to keep kids safe and healthy. It spreads through direct contact with people or contaminated surfaces. Two symptoms of MRSA are cellulitis and skin abscesses, both skin infections and as I understand from friends who have experienced them- painful and no fun at all.

Well, I have some good news for you. Probably my favorite item from Melaleuca is a cleaner called Sol-U-Guard Botanical. It is made from thyme and smells so good! Even better, it kills 99.99% of all germs without using harsh chemicals, including...

• Staphylococcus aureus (Staph)
• Salmonella choleraesuis
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB)
• HIV-1 (the AIDS virus)

Use it on your kitchen counters to combat the thousands of germs on the loose (especially raw meat). Use it to clean your bathroom, I add a little baking soda for abrasion when I need a deeper clean. Use it on the diaper changing table feeling confident that you are not poisoning your baby with toxic fumes or substances that could irritate tender baby skin. Sol-U-Guard is also approved for use in hospitals, medical offices, nurseries, schools, gyms, spas and most importantly restaurants! This is a big one for me because there are establishments I no longer frequent because the odor that lingers from industrial cleaners is so strong that it seems to permeate the food. As a friend of mine said last Thanksgiving, her house smelled of thyme not only because she was cleaning but because the real deal was cooking in the oven with the turkey- what a great combination that is!

If you know somebody that runs a daycare and wants to go green while still getting the job done when it comes to cleaners, that is a great lead for me!