All posts by Anne Younger

Anne is a 30-something full-time SAHM mom of 5 ranging from 3 to 17 and grandma of 1 who resides in Ashwaubenon (Green Bay) Wisconsin. She started blogging in 2008 as a way to regain her sanity. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, cheeseburgers and vodka along with spending time with her husband and kids.
Health

HIV in Women: Spotting the Stealthy Symptoms That Tell You Trouble is Brewing

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Two-thirds of all new HIV cases in women in the U.S. are due to unprotected sex with an infected partner. Another leading cause is sharing needles that are infected for drug use. The worrying thing is, HIV symptoms can often be dismissed as they are mild, and an infected person can be passing the virus on to others, unaware of what they have contracted.

Anyone who thinks they might have been exposed to any STD, including HIV, should visit one of their local STD clinics to get tested. And there are also a number of symptoms to watch out for:

Symptoms in the Early Stages

After being infected with HIV, a lot of women during the early weeks may be asymptomatic. Others may suffer from flu-like symptoms that are mild, such as lack of energy, headache and fever, but these will often go away after a few weeks and can be dismissed as another type of virus.

Sometimes, it can take ten years for the most severe symptoms to start appearing, and during this time the virus can be transmitted to more people.

Skin Sores and Skin Rashes

Skin problems develop in 90 percent of people who are HIV-positive, with rashes being the most common one. Increased sensitivity to sunlight and irritants can occur when someone is suffering from HIV with rashes appearing as flat red patches with small bumps or flaky skin. Lesions or sores may form on the skin of the anus, genitals or mouth and can be difficult to treat. HIV-positive people are also more at risk of shingles and herpes but with the proper medication, the severity of these skin conditions can be lowered.

Swollen Glands

Lymph nodes can be found all over our bodies, including our groin, armpits, back of the head and neck. These lymph nodes are responsible for helping to fight infections as they filter harmful substances and store immune cells. When the HIV infection spreads, the immune system starts to work overtime and because of this, the lymph nodes become enlarged, creating swollen glands. This is often one of the first signs that someone is suffering from HIV and these swollen glands can last for many months.

Infections

Because the immune system is affected by HIV, it makes it harder for it to fight off viruses, germs and so on, which means opportunistic infections can take hold. These include hepatitis C, tuberculosis and pneumonia. Infections of the brain, digestive tract, kidneys, lungs, eyes and skin are also more likely in an HIV-positive person and treating common ailments also becomes more difficult.

Taking HIV medications and carrying out extra precautions, such as hand washing, can help to prevent some of the illnesses described from taking hold and leading to further complications.

Night Sweats and Fever

A low-grade fever may be experienced for long periods of time by people who are infected with HIV. Temperatures between 99.8˚F (37.6˚C) and 100.8˚F (38.2˚C) are what’s classed as a low-grade fever. Fevers are developed in our bodies when something’s wrong but what’s causing this isn’t always clear, and because this is a low-grade fever, those who aren’t aware that they’ve contracted HIV may just ignore this symptom. The fever can also be accompanied by night sweats which can interfere with sleep.

Reproductive Health

Reproductive health can be affected in women who have HIV, including the absence of periods or menstrual cycle changes. Yeast or bacterial infections may also be common and the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections increases. These include gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, chlamydia and human papillomavirus (HPV).

Women who are HIV-positive are also more prone to inflammatory diseases of the pelvis that can resist treatments.

HIV and AIDS – The Advanced Symptoms

Weight loss, vomiting, nausea and diarrhea in bouts are all common symptoms as HIV progresses. Other symptoms include muscle aches, joint pain, severe headache as well as difficulty swallowing, chronic cough and shortness of breath.

Further down the line, HIV can cause comas, mental confusion and short-term memory loss whilst the most advanced stage is called acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). When HIV reaches this stage, the immune system struggles to fight off infections. Furthermore, aggressive cancers that are difficult to treat are something female AIDS suffers are more at risk of.

The risk of HIV can be reduced by using condoms during sex and not sharing needles. HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids so unless you’re certain your partner is HIV-negative, you should always use protection.

Joshua Morton is at medical school and is keen to enter a career in community sexual and reproductive health in the near future. He writes articles on these topics, and hopes that his writings will reach a wide online audience and help answer questions, raise awareness and alleviate any concerns.

Exercise

Burning Fat Fast: Top High Intensity Interval Workouts for Your Elliptical Trainer

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Exercising at home is an easy way to stay in shape. You can get in a nice workout anytime you can find a half hour or so to spare without having to worry about going to the gym. And while there are many pieces of home exercise equipment you can choose from, and elliptical machine is a great choice.

Many people may see an elliptical as a low-intensity way to get warmed up before moving on to more challenging routines, but you can get a high-intensity workout on the machine without using any other equipment. If you are interested in buying a machine, check out the best elliptical reviews. Once you are ready, here are some pointers on a what makes a great interval workout.

What is an Interval Workout?

Interval training involves a series of low-intensity movement followed by high-intensity movements at regular intervals that feature short rest periods between. Think: fast, slow, fast, rest. Not only are interval workouts great for people who have a limited amount of time — most routines take no longer than a half hour — but science shows that interval training can be just as effective as traditional exercise.

Interval routines work because you push yourself very hard for short burst of time. During the high-intensity portions of the routine, you may find yourself going at 95-100% effort in order to maximize the benefits of exercise in a short period of time. The rest periods are generally short, sometimes even as short as 10 seconds, so that you can give yourself a break but not allow your heart rate to drop, so once you begin again, your body will be ready for the next interval.

The best part is that you don’t even have to exercise every day. Just a couple of days per week of interval training can show the same results as a five-day routine of some other type.

Target Zones

High-intensity interval training on an elliptical machine can target nearly any area of your body that you want to focus on, including a full-body workout. This is because along with the tracks that you move with your feet, there are arm bars that you can use for the upper body, similar to skiing poles. And, by adjusting the resistance, you can really burn fat all over.

Core training is important, so when you exercise, you want to make sure that you keep your belly firm and tight to activate your abdominals. Your glutes can get a killer workout as well, especially when you set the resistance high and really plow through the routine. And, naturally, every routine can help with your cardiovascular health by getting your heartrate up and keeping it up.

24-Minute Explosive Workout

No that you know the basics of elliptical exercise, here are two great workouts to get your heart pumping. Remember, make sure that you are healthy enough for strenuous exercise before trying these. If you are new, start slowly and work yourself up to these after several weeks.

 

For this workout, there are four different intervals, with the resistance set to something you’re comfortable with.  Interval 1: at medium effort, run for one minute using the handle bars, one minute without, and then three minutes with the bars again; recover for one minute with a walking pace. Interval 2: sprint for one minute, recover for one minute. Interval three: sprint for one minute, recover for one minute. Interval four: backward sprint for one minute, backward recover for one minute. Repeat to complete the 24-minute cycle.

That’s it. If you do this three times a week, you should see results.

The Crazy Routine

This routine is two minutes shorter than the other workout, but it’s much more intense and you are going to feel the burn. Make sure you are prepared before you attempt this routine.

Interval one: warm up with a five minute jog at a comfortable pace, then alternate between 40 seconds of sprinting and 20 seconds of jogging for four minutes, then a one minute recover. Interval two: Five minute jog with one minute recovery. Interval three: six minute sprint, all out. Recover however you need to afterward.

This routine will target every muscle in your body and you should feel it when you are finished. As with the other routine, a few times a week will show results quickly.

If you’re thinking about buying an elliptical, these are just some of the high-intensity workouts that you can do to stay fit.

Not interested in any of this? You can also try the Coolsculpting technique and freeze away stubborn fat cells with the fast, effective, non-invasive CoolSculpting procedure. Used in combination with a range of premium body contouring services, you can create the sculpted body of your dreams – no plastic surgery required.

Home Improvement

Damaging Drains: Priceless Pointers to Prevent Sewer Line Backups

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One of the worst experiences homeowners can experience is a sewer backup or overflow. It’s usually foreshadowed by a pungent smell somewhere around the basement or back of the house, wherever the sewer entrance is. Avoiding this can be done through finding the main causes, grease and roots causing overflows.

Primary Causes

Grease is one of the largest offenders of causing a sewage problem. If cooking grease and other oils are put down the drain, eventual problems can occur. The grease will eventually cool down, build up and harden. This affects both home and local jurisdiction sewage lines. Overtime this problem builds up and causes blockage that can’t be avoided.

Plant roots are another unfortunate problem that is caused less by people and more so by the nature around us. Roots growing into the pipes are another major problem. Roots from major pants and trees will naturally go to the water source.  As a pipe is slowly getting weaker through constant use, a root will find the smallest area of weakness and capitalize on that.

Quick Tips to Attack the Cause

One of the more common sense approaches is to simply not pour grease down the toilet or sink drains. Make sure scrape off all types of grease from all kinds of plates and utensils, instead putting them into the trash rather than down the sewage lines. Even plant roots can be taken care of. In order to avoid the root blockage, make sure no trees or shrubs are growing close to the sewage service line or home cleanout system.

If any of these major causes do in fact impair the sewage line, then there’s nothing proactive to do, but get the problem fixed. A water damage cleanup company will be able to come in and fix all of the damage. For most people they aren’t too focused on making sure their sewage is running okay until it’s too late.  But there are other ways to keep a healthy sewer line before it comes to getting damage repaired.

Consistent Maintenance

Major cleanouts are direct lines to the sewer and clean up any blockages forming and eliminates that sewer gas smell. This may eliminate odors, which is usually the first sign of cloggage anyhow.  Sometimes simply pouring some bleach down the drain can be of immense help. 

Most people don’t know but there are usually two separate lines attached into a mainline from the house. One of those lines will carry from the “soil line that takes from the kitchen sink and toilet. While the other one will carry out the waste line from showers and bathroom sinks. What this means is there are two opportunities for potential blockage to occur from two separate lines coming from the house. One of the first parts of identifying any sewer line backup is to determine which line this is coming from.

Taking Action of the Pipes

We’ve mentioned that throwing some bleach down the drain can help at times. Often times it’s much more complicated than that. Experts say that just using a chemical drain cleaner shouldn’t be the only method of attack on a potentially blocked drain.

A sewer jetter has the capability of being able to blast away any potential blockage while also restoring and cleaning the innards of the pipes. After you’ve blasted away the insides, it’s a good time to follow up with what is called a hydrostatic line tester. Any existing leaks that might have been saved by the debris could have been washed away by you cleaning it. Being able to find the new unlocked leaks can be a good area to repair and prevent any new damage.

Simple Common Precautionary Methods

Instead of having to go full attack on the drains, there are simple things that should be added to any house cleaning regiment. One of these is pouring a cup of baking soda and white vinegar down the drain. Flush with warm water after an hour of sitting there. This combination will destroy any new buildup and works well for showers, kitchens and bathroom sinks.

Also be considerate of what you’re actually putting down these drains. Grease should never go down there as previous mentioned. But different foods can be hard for a garbage disposal to grind up and should be avoided. Never flush anything like rags, napkins or hazardous waste, metal objects down the toilet.  Be conscious overall that these pipes are leading somewhere and are not indestructible.

John Madison is a retired plumber. Left with a little too much time on his hands, he was recently encouraged by his granddaughter to start sharing his knowledge by writing articles. So far he’s enjoying it, and hopes his articles are of use.

Parenting

Setting a Good Example: Should you Drink Alcohol in Front of Your Children?

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There is little wrong with having a few drinks in a social situation and many adults like to let their down for a few hours after a busy week at work, but if you regularly drink booze in front of your kids, is that the right example to be setting?

We all know the devastation that some families can feel when a loved one has to get seek help from the Alcohol Recovery Centre, or any other similar support network for people with drink addiction problems, so could you be sending out the wrong message to your kids, if you drink in front of them?

Underage drinking is a significant issue

In a fair proportion of developed countries, underage drinking is a significant issue and in the United States for example, the Surgeon general estimates that almost nine million children and teenagers, between the ages of 12 and 20 to be specific, can be classified as underage drinkers.

There is no question that many teenagers are hard-wired for a bit of risk taking as they explore boundaries and look at try and developing adult habits, which means that there is always a potential temptation there to try some illicit drinking.

If you are a parent, the question you might be asking is whether you might be setting the right example about alcohol consumption, when you drink in front of your children on a regular basis.

Role model

Children are constantly learning from their parents and you could take the view that having a drink in front of your children gives you an opportunity to talk about the consequences of alcohol and underage drinking in particular.

There are a number of respected figures who provide guidance in this field, that take the view which is basically that drinking alcohol around your children is generally acceptable, provided you behave responsibly when doing so.

It is actually a chance to be a positive role model for your children and show them how to develop a healthy respect for drink. The message that you are trying to get across is that you can enjoy an alcoholic drink without resorting to drinking too much and too often.

It is always advisable to set some pretty firm ground rules surrounding alcohol usage in the house and talk to them about the consequences and issues relating to underage drinking and excessive consumption of alcohol in general.

Use your influence

The majority of children take their behavioral cues from their parents, which means that you have a great chance to influence the way your children view alcohol and what is considered to be acceptable and what is not, when it comes to drinking.

If you are drinking regularly as a way of unwinding after a hard day at work, take a moment to consider what sort of message that might be sending to your children, who are watching and learning from what you do and say.

Drinking every night after work at home, could easily be interpreted by your children as a message that you need to consume alcohol in order to be able to unwind. It should be remembered that most teens do have a respect for their parents and they will normally benefit from a frank discussion about alcohol and by following your lead, if you display a healthy attitude towards drinking and setting clear limits.

Reading your child

As a parent, you know your children better than anyone, which means that you can normally spot any potential issues surrounding the use of alcohol and raise concerns where necessary.

It is important to be actively involved with what they are doing and whether they are showing any signs of developing a problem with alcohol.

One of the ways that you can prevent them from potentially developing a problem with alcohol is to talk to them about drink at regular stages during their development. Before they reach their teenage years, children are actively learning about their bodies and their health, by the time they hit their teens, the emphasis is more about exploring new boundaries, which is they need to have a good understanding and take responsibility for their actions surrounding alcohol.

Underage drinking in the house should not be encouraged and it would be wise to try and steer your kids away from parties where you suspect or know that alcohol might be available to them.

Every family is different when it comes to how you gauge the impact of drinking in front of your children, but one thing is certain, you need to try and send out the right message and emphasize the negatives surrounding underage drinking.

Elizabeth Fisher works in the community care field and has worked closely with local schools to teach kids about substance misuse. She is now reaching out to parents in her articles as she discuses kids and alcohol and drug use and educating them on the facts.

Food

Slow Cookers: A First-Timer’s Guide to Preparing Meats in a Crock Pot

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The hunter-gatherer diet. The caveman diet. Whatever you call it, the paleo diet is getting a lot of attention these days. Some tout the paleolithic diet plan as the healthiest diet on the planet. Others warn that a paleolithic, or stone age diet can lead to a number of nutritional deficiencies. Let’s look at what the paleo diet can and cannot do for you.

What is the paleo diet plan

There are a number of diet plans that feature protein and leafy vegetables, but few if any of them restrict legumes and whole grains the way that the paleo diet does. These good sources of vitamins, calcium and fiber are limited due to the fact that they were not readily available during the times of the cavemen. As a rule, the paleo plan focuses on grass-fed meats and wild-caught fish, some poultry and fowl, along with a heaping helping of above-ground vegetables and fruits.

Dairy products are disallowed on the paleo plan. This means no milk, butter, cheese or yogurt. Tree nuts are included in a daily paleo dietary menu, but peanuts are not.

Do you have to give up your favorite foods on the paleo plan?

In a word, no. There are numerous substitutions for the flours and other ingredients that make up some of your favorite foods. For instance, one may find flours made from almonds, coconuts and other nuts that can be used to make pancakes and other typically carbohydrate-rich breakfast foods, says Paleogrubs magazine.

If your favorite menu includes fast foods and a lot of pre-packaged foodstuffs, yes, you will probably have to give up some of the foods you love. Don’t worry, though. Before long, anyone who sticks with the paleo plan is bound to notice healthful changes that may make “giving up” some unhealthy foods an absolute joy.

What not to expect from the paleo or any other diet plan

The paleo diet is not a “magic bullet” to weight loss. While it’s true that sticking to the paleo diet plan can indeed cause you to lose weight and shed inches, the same results may be obtained by following almost any reduction diet, says the Mayo Clinic.

Be careful when switching from a standard diet to one that focuses on protein the way the paleo diet does. Don’t overdo the meat and be sure to eat a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. In fact, your paleo diet ought to comprise at least 60 to 70 percent plant based food.

Paleo-friendly recipes

When time is precious (and when isn’t it these days?) preparing meals in a slow-cooker can leave more room for other things. Start by loading a crock pot with ingredients the night before and allowing it to cook very slowly all day. This can be a super way to turn cheaper cuts of meat into tantalizing meals the whole family can enjoy.

Pork is a great meat for slow cooking, as suggested in this from PaleoHacks. To prepare pulled pork as good as you’ll find in any southern restaurant, start by placing two to four pounds of lean pork loin into your crock pot. Slice an onion and scatter it over the pork. Pour a half-cup of chicken or veggie stock over the meat and sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder and garlic powder. Drizzle with one-half cup of honey. Place lid on crock and cook on low heat for eight to 10 hours. When done, shred or “pull” the pork with two forks and serve on paleo biscuits made with alternative flour.

There is no way that the current population can eat the way our ancient ancestors did. For one thing, most people don’t live anywhere near where they can hunt and gather food on their own. Even when in proximity to wild game and abundant orchards, most modern humans have no interest in gathering and hunting the way that cavemen did. Fortunately, a range of close approximations can be found in most local grocery stores.

If you plan to “go paleo,” don’t be fooled by hipster foods that are labeled to appeal to the latest food craze. “Gluten free” foods are, quite frankly, a bit of a scam. While it’s true that some people diagnosed with something called Crohn’s Disease do indeed have trouble processing gluten in their digestive systems, most people have no reason to skip gluten in their meals.

Anna Khan has tried just about every diet and weight loss gimmick that’s been going. It took her a long time to fall upon the paleo diet but since the initial learning curve it’s something that she has stuck with – learning that it’s not so much a ‘diet’ as a way of life that makes her feel fab.