The recent article by NPR, Flattening The 'Mummy Tummy' With 1 Exercise, 10 Minutes A Day, starts off with a sensational, grabbing title. A click bait title that we wouldn't expect from a trusted news source like NPR. But it certainly got your attention, especially if you recently had a baby and now are feeling a little weak around the core. And since this is NPR this should be safer than something random you pull off the internet, right? Well, yes and no.
With addiction, deep fractures are drawn between our mind and our body, our needs and our habits, our emotions and our actions, and in the relationships that we have to ourselves and to others. Yoga, on the other hand, is connection.
It's a great time to pay attention to how stress is affecting you. Common stressors include work, family, money, children, illness and more. Stress can impact both your body and your mind causing symptoms such as muscular pain, irritability, fatigue, and headaches. Here's how we can help...
According to CDC data, 32% of women delivering a baby did so via C-section in 2015. Some of these are elective (planned) & others unplanned or emergent. If you are one of the 32%, what can you expect following a C-section?
Do you feel like your insurance coverage gets more confusing each year? That’s probably because it does! It seems like each year there is another rule or exception to your plan but the cost keeps going up. Here at Jade, we are often asked, “how much will this cost?” The answer isn’t as easy at it seems.
What better city in which to live then Portland? Add our amazing city with a dash of warm June weather and you have a fun time waiting to happen. At any moment, and on any day, there are a variety of local events that are sure to capture your interests and allow you to enjoy both our city and its dwellers.
Join your loved ones or meet new friends at Movies at the Museum or at Andy’s Old Port Pub for live music. And on every second Saturday, you can shake up your exercise routine by joining Mayo Street Arts for their monthly Swing Lesson and Dance.
While both of the aforementioned events are sure to be interesting, these are not the only events for the month. For more information and event schedules, please visit www.mainetoday.com, www.visitportland.com, or www.portlandmaine.com and you will be sure to find something that peaks your own interest.
Good times await you. Take full advantage and enjoy!
As a means to better prepare you for a summer of worry-free fun, we are debunking these top ten summer health myths:
Myth #1: Going in and out of air-conditioned buildings can make you sick.
According to Neil Schachter, M.D., pulmonologist and author of The Good Doctor's Guide to Colds and Flu, congestion or sniffling is often a sign of allergies, as opposed to a cold. "People who have allergies -- even small sensitivities -- may be affected when moving from a clean-air environment into one that's full of Mother Nature's irritants," he says. To defend against allergies, stay inside on humid days, when allergies are strongest, and keep your home dust free by cleaning your AC filter once a month. (Women’s Health)
Myth #2: A Sunburn Will Fade into a Tan
“Sunburn is a burn, not a prerequisite stage for a tan” (CBS News). Sunburns only result in skin damage, leading to premature aging and an increased risk for skin cancer. Even “healthy” amounts of sun exposure can damage the skin and put you at greater health risks. To avoid sunburn, use protective lotion with a high SPF number, even when in the shade. If it is too late, and find your skin to be burned, treat it with aloe vera or another soothing lotion. (CBS News)
Myth #3: Mosquitoes are Attracted to "Sweet Skin"
While mosquitoes are in fact attracted to some people over others (generally, mosquitos are attracted to one-out-of-ten people), there is no such thing as “sweet skin.” Mosquitos do, however, prefer sweet, flowery, or fruity scents and dark clothing. Unless you want to attract mosquitoes, stay away from perfumes or heavily scented lotions, deodorants, and hair products and wear mosquito repellent for extra protection. (CBS News)
Myth #4: Campfire/Grill Smoke Is Not Dangerous
“Smoke inhalation increases your risk of cancer, and unfortunately, the type of smoke doesn't really matter. According to Clean Air Revival Inc.'s website, the Environmental Protection Administration estimates that wood smoke is 12 times more carcinogenic than equal amounts of tobacco smoke, and that it stays active in the body up to 40 times longer than tobacco smoke” (CBS News).
Myth #5: "Wait a half hour after eating before you can safely go swimming."
Our mothers were wrong. The likelihood of someone drowning from swimming right after a heavy meal is the same as the likelihood of someone dying from blinking too much. “As with any exercise after eating, swimming right after a big meal might be uncomfortable, but it won't cause you to drown” (Medicine Net).
Myth #6: "Dark-skinned people don't need sunscreen."
“People with lighter skins have less melanin, the pigment that absorbs UV radiation and protects skin, than darker-skinned people. While light-skinned people will be very sensitive to the effects of UV rays from the sun, those with darker skin can still be affected by damaging UV radiation.” (Medicine Net). To prevent skin damage, The American Academy of Dermatology recommends regular use of a sunscreen with at least an SPF 15 for dark-skinned people.
Myth #7: Flip-flops are kind to your feet.
The average flip-flop does not provide the proper support for your feet, according to Manhattan-based foot doctor Jacqueline Sutera, D.P.M. “Wearing them all summer, every summer could lead to pinched foot nerves, heel pain, tendinitis, and strained arches. If you can't quit flops entirely, buy ones that have at least a three-quarter-inch semi-cushioned sole and built-in arch support” (CBS News).
Myth #8: Saltwater Helps Wounds Heal
Have you ever been told to dunk a wound in salt water while at the beach for faster healing? Doing so is counterintuitive and can lead to other health concerns. “The sea is FULL of bacteria that can enter your cut and cause sores or even lead to infection. Not only does saltwater not help heal a wound, it does NOT clean it out properly, either.” (CITE SOURCE). While gargling with salt water may sooth a sore or swollen throat by helping the cells in your mouth release water, the salt does not act as an antibacterial agent, according to The British Dental Journal (2004).
Myth #9: Urinating on a Jellyfish Sting Helps Ease the Pain
If you have done this in the past, we’re sorry to inform you, this is a myth. “It doesn't help at all, and in some cases, could even make it worse by setting off the remaining stinging cells, increasing the discomfort. Urine is too much like freshwater, and freshwater will react to the chemicals in the tentacles, increasing the likelihood of greater pain” (CITE SOURCE). Wiping the site of the sting with vinegar is much more productive.
Myth #10: A dip in the pool can do double duty as a shower.
Unless you don’t mind the thought of diarrhea, infection, or rash-inducing bacteria all over your body, you should rinse with soap after taking a dip in the pool. Because the average person does not shower or rinse before entering a pool, personal-care products, makeup, and sweat mix with chlorine, deactivating its bacteria-killing properties (ABC News).
Not just another newsletter, but your chance to write us for a change. Please send us your favorite summertime vacation stories. Funny, sad, best experience or worst. Make us laugh...make us cry. The winning-est story will be rewarded with a free acupuncture treatment or massage.
In the spirit of fair play we are including some of our own. We look forward to hearing from you and good luck!!
John, Nancy, Maura, Laragh, Mary and Sue
My Top 5 Summer Vacation Events
5. Kayaking Kettle cove /Crescent beach area.
4. Sponsoring and attending Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in Deering Oaks Park.
3. Finally having dinner at Fore Street after living in the area for almost ten years.
2. Enjoying every Thursday with my Two boys.
1. Accompanying my six year old for his first hike up Mt. Washington with my two brothers and their kids.
- John Charlesbois L. Ac.
Summer of Metamorphosis - My 5 Favorite Memories
In no particular order:
5. Planting and picking from our summer garden with my son Bowen.
4. Finding a caterpillar in said garden, placing it in a jar, watching it transform into an amazing Swallowtail butterfly and then releasing it back to the garden.
3. Watching Hudson bear crawl towards the ocean like a baby sea turtle heading towards home.
2. Golfing.
1. Visiting the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay.
- Nancy
Books, Food, Smiles and Friends - The Good Things In My Life
This summer has been an incredibly abundant socially, celebrating engagements and marriages of some of my closest friends from backyards in Massachusetts, lobster bakes in Cape Elizabeth, a very Maine inspired wedding on Peaks Island, to a colorful wedding in the botanical gardens in Boothbay Harbor. With two weddings still left this summer, I feel blessed to have such wonderful friends and thrilled that they are finding love and joy in their relationships.
To bring balance into a full social calendar, I have been enjoying time at the beach reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", the first of a new bestselling trilogy, finding inner stillness through my yoga practice and swimming, and experiencing the incredibly interesting and healing effects of acupuncture with John.
This has indeed been a summer that I will not forget.
- Maura
