Stop buying soaps and other home products that contain triclosan and other antimicrobial agents—including toothpaste, cosmetics, carpets, plastic kitchenware, sponges, and even toys. Urge your family, friends, and workplace not to buy them either.

Wash your hands by rubbing thoroughly with ordinary soap and warm water before preparing food and after using the toilet, as this is still the best way to prevent colds and food-borne disease.

For most of human history, soap got rid of germs by making surface dirt and oils slippery enough to be rubbed and rinsed off. Since World War II, however, human-made chemicals have altered the traditional recipe. Manufacturers increasingly fortify liquid soaps, shower gels, and body washes with a wide range of fragrances and other inputs—including germ-fighting “antibacterial” properties—and tout the benefits of doing so.

But the truth is, that antibacterial soaps are not significantly more effective at combating germs than regular soaps. Even worse, their popularity is contributing to the growing problem of drug-resistance—creating greater opportunities for the emergence of deadly “super-bugs” that are immune to germ-fighting agents. As a consequence, many antibiotics and other compounds used to fight life-threatening infections like malaria and tuberculosis are no longer as effective as they once were. When it comes to germ prevention, there’s really no substitute for plain old soap and water.

My Choices.

Good old Ivory Soap one of my favourites or better yet just good old Lye Soap with honey. Can’t be beat in my eyes and so good for you.

The folks that raised me told me this over fifty years ago and they are just finding it out now?  Kind of think they should be asking our elders on how we dealt with things, wouldn’t you think?  It would save millions of dollars a year.   Also save thousands of lives.  Wonder how many thousands of dollars it cost to find this out.  If they would have asked me I wouldn’t have charged them a cent.

to a study conducted by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

“Although sleep’s relationship with the immune system is well-documented, this is the first evidence that even relatively minor sleep disturbances can influence the body’s reaction to cold viruses,” researcher Sheldon Cohen said. “It provides yet another reason why people should make time in their schedules to get a complete night of rest.”   Also don’t forget even a half hour rest at noon helps a lot too.

Good Morning. Here is a good recipe on how to make your own fabric softner. Simple, healthy and saves you some money.

Fabric Softener : homemade

2 c.  baking soda
4 c. water
2 c. white vinegar

Blend all in sealable  jug, shake to blend. Add 
1/4 - 1/3 cup to the final rinse  cycle.

I entered this here before but I will do it again as there is a lot of colds out there this time of year.

Home treatment for colds can be even more effective than medications, and without the harmful side effects. Old-fashioned cold remedies can often be made with what you already have in your pantry, and the cost is much less prohibitive than the expense of a doctor`s visit and several prescriptions. Next time you feel a cold coming on, try some of these simple remedies to alleviate your symptoms and shorten the duration of your cold.

Avoid Over-the-Counter Drugs

Although these medications claim to be helpful, they can turn your cold into a nightmare. A runny nose may be irritating, but drying up nasal passages with decongestants is a sure fire way to encourage the build-up of bacteria. Instead, keep you sinuses clear with natural saline sprays.

You can also make your own saline solution at home with a half teaspoon of salt dissolved in a cup of warm water. Use a bulb syringe to place three or four drops of the liquid into each nostril. Gently breathe in and avoid blowing your nose for at least thirty seconds. This gives the mixture time to break down some of the build-up in your sinuses. Repeat this several times each day until nasal passages are clear.    What I do is, I mix up the salt with warm water in a coffee cup.  I then just put my nose into the solution sniffing it in till I can feel it running into the back of my throat. When doing this remember to hold one side of your nose closed sniffing in the solution through the other side. Then repeat on the other side. I do it twice a day. Sure helps me and easy to do.

Over-the-counter cough syrups should also be avoided. Instead, mix lemon juice with warm water and add a bit of honey. This home remedy can soothe your cough and works equally well for sore throats.

Sinus pressure and pain is often treated with over-the-counter pain medication like acetaminophen and ibuprofen. These are only moderately effective and are known for their potential toxic side effects. Try placing a heating pad or warm washcloth over the area instead. Repeat as needed.

Wild animals, which are constantly on the move and never feed under
artificial conditions, have meat with a higher ratio of protein to
fat than that of domestic animals; for example, while you may see
venison with some distinct fat layering, you will never see it
marbled with fat. And, while it is not inconceivable that some wild
animals may ingest toxic substances, such as residual pesticides that
might have drifted into their feeding area, we can at least say with
some certainty that they have not been fed chemicals for water (i.e.,
weight) retention or to start the tenderization process while still
on the hoof, or hormones for quick growth, etc. In other words, we
can be reasonably sure that the meat from wild animals as nearly
approaches purity as is possible in a society where contamination —
even radioactive fallout — is pervasive. Apart from the favorable
ratio of protein to fat in the meat of game animals, it also contains
certain necessary minerals, in fairly generous amounts. All the red
meats are good sources of phosphorus and iron (but not of calcium).
Of the fifteen different minerals required for human nutrition, most
game meat (notably venison) contains sodium potassium and magnesium,
as well as traces of calcium, cobalt, zinc, manganese and aluminum.
What the hunter does with the meat he has bagged is another question,
and not too infrequently the answer to that question creates a bad
image for game meat. Immediate and proper handling of the kill is
most important in not only how the meat will taste, but also how the
non-hunters of the family will react to it. Aside from proper
techniques of handling, cleanliness is important, from both the
practical and psychological viewpoint. A perennial complaint from the
female non-hunter, who is ultimately asked to prepare the meat, is
about the careless manner in which the animal is handled, transported
and processed. Once you understand this attitude, it is not difficult
to understand why so much excellent food has gone to waste, just
because the cook was unwilling to work with it. Finally, the cook
should understand that the meat from all species of wild animals does
not taste the same. Some animals, such as deer, caribou, elk and
moose, are somewhatsimilar to beef in their taste, texture and
cooking requirements. Others, such as beaver and bear, are somewhat
similar to pork. The flavor of game meat can even vary within a
species, depending upon the age of the animals, the type of diet it
lived on, and — to perhaps belabor a point – how it was handled
after being killed. A good, taste-satisfying meal of game meat is the
result of a well-planned hunting trip. Hunting isn’t — or shouldn’t
be — a haphazard process, in which by some fortuitous circumstance
you bag your game, then somehow manage to get it home, where you look
it over and decide what to do next. On the contrary, the successful
hunting trip that ends up with a great eating experience is no
unplanned accident. Most expert hunters believe that a satisfying
meal of wild game actually begins with the way the animal is killed.
Next in the process is field dressing the animal; then, transporting
it home — and finally, processing the meat. After that, it’s up to
the cook.