Earth Week Tip #3: Get Out!

Pay attention to your vistas.

How does going outside help with being green? Well, there are a few, but don't think of it as just being green (or "blue" as I like to call it), think of it as a key to better overall health and yet ANOTHER money saving tip!

People who go out in nature have the tendency to have a better appreciation for the natural world. Not only that, but there is strong evidence that people who have more green spaces around (i.e. parks and gardens) have better cognitive functions, less anxiety, lower blood pressure, can stabalize blood sugar better, and have better immune system functionality.

You may see critters!

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food for thought

I'm back in St. Thomas and got some computer time (WOOT!), but I will keep this short and sweet. It's all about agriculture.

There are sheep shrinking on a Scottish isle. Since 1985, the weight and stature of sheep on the isle of Hirta has declined 5%. What is causing this? Surprisingly, it's mild temperatures. Normally, with a grazing season longer than norm, one would assume that the sheep would be bigger and fatter, so what is the issue? Well, milder weather means the weaker and smaller sheep are surviving more, mixing in their genes. Also, with more surviving sheep, the smaller sheep are at an advantage if there is a food shortage since they won't have to eat as much. They are going through a period of natural selection.

Dairy is getting a lot of grief. I understand it. Mass dairy farming practices are a little gross, and the ammount of hormones used is outrageous. A lot of people think that dairy is bad for you. However, despite big farms' bad reputations, dairy itself is actually a healthy and cost effective way to get 9 super essential vitamins. You can find out more here.

The ADA (American Dietetic Association) did a study stating that if properly approached, a vegetarian diet can be healthy at any stage in life.

"Vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates. Vegetarian diets tend to be lower in saturated fat and cholesterol and have higher levels of dietary fiber, magnesium and potassium, vitamins C and E, folate, carotenoids, flavonoids and other phytochemicals. These nutritional differences may explain some of the health advantages of those following a varied, balanced vegetarian diet."

You can find out more on the ADA website.

Sorry this was short. Be back later!

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Yum Yum Strawberies are Healthy!

I love strawberries. A lot. They are yummy and sweet and refreshing and juicy... and pretty darned healthy, too. Besides just having a bunch of good vitamins and being great jams, strawberries are appearing to be beneficial in another way: boosting red blood cells.

The boost they get is in how responsive they are to anti-oxidants. Oxitative stress (the "oxi" you are trying to "anti") is associated with various diseases.

The study was done by Spanish and Italian researchers. Subjects were given 1/2 kilogram of berries a day or roughly the equivalent of one pound. That's a lot of berry. The pound was spread throught the day and this was done for two week. The results? Blood plasma had increased antioxidant capacity and red blood cells resisted fragmentation.They are now doing the studies with a quarter to half that amount: average strawberry consumption.

How delicious! What a yummy study in which to participate. You can read more at ScienceDaily.

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Have No Fear

According to a paper released in February, a team of Dutch researchers have found a way to reduce the fear response. Using propranolol, the researchers were able to weaken the fear memory in human test subjects. They started by giving all of the test subjects a similar fear using images of spiders with an associated pain. When the image of the spider associated with pain stimulus was show, the subjects acted in "fear." The subjects were then treated with either the propranolol or a placebo and the ones with the placebo still reacted in fear. The ones given the propranolol did not startle.

I think it is okay to have a healthy fear of things. I love the ocean and all sports associated. I still have a healthy fear. It is powerful and I must maintain a certain level of awareness at all times. However, this is not something that is an overpowering fear. I know there are certain people with very different and extreme phobias. This can hinder various activities in their lives. This could work great for numbing those types of extreme responses from people.

Now a confession:
I fear bugs. A lot. Odd since I love practically any other type of invertebrate like centipedes, worms, spiders, etc... but there is something about 6 legs and 2 compound eyes that really freak me out. That is why I study them. It is an irrational fear. I know this. I was terrified of the butterflies when I started at the farm. Really. Who is scared of butterflies? I was. Forcing myself to work with insects has really put an end to my phobia. I love bugs of any kind now! A lot! Ok, except for roaches... I still have an issue with them.

What's your phobia?

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Olive Oil For Your Health

In an article posted earlier today on ScienceDaily, it was revealed that there are anti-cancer components to olive oil. According to the article, good quality olive oil contains "phytochemicals" which can kill off cancer cells. The research was done to determine if Mediterranean diets were the reason breast cancer rates were lower in the region. Researchers were from the Catalan Institute of Oncology and the University of Grenada in Spain. It was found that Extra Virgin Olive Oil is best for these "phytochemicals" as the oil is extracted from pressed olives. No heat is involved therefore leaving the chemicals in tact. The oil was tested on cultured breast cancer cells and really worked; however, no testing has been done on humans and the researchers are uncertain of how it would work since the human body is more than a few cancerous cells.


In other good olive oil related science, it is just good for you. Olives have great fatty acids and good cholesterol too! Pair this with some wine high in resveratrol (and good at determining climate change) and you have one heart healthy snacking opportunity. I love food and science so this is perfect! Doesn't Alton Brown have the best job? A food scientist! Nice.

Photo is licensed under Creative Commons to Grace on Flickr.

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Year of Biodiversity and Tiger Updates

UN's International Year of Biodiversity is really taking off. Besides educating about biodiversity, there is a PUMA ad campaign, constant press releases, inspiring stories of people and groups doing what they can to promote a healthy world, and so much more! They are even partnering with WWF to promote Earth Hour, which is coming soon.

The website is loaded with all kinds of informative videos, podcasts, photos, and other goodies designs to inspire and educate. There is even a calendar with all the events that are going on for this year. Truly, UNEP has done a fabulous job with trying to get the message out there.

On the other end, the WWF year of the tiger isn't doing so bad either! They are constantly releasing articles on the fight for the tiger like this one about Chinese medicine societies rejecting tiger bones. This is a very big step to conserving these amazing creatures.

So between learning about awesome animals here on Potspoon!, reading up on biodiversity, learning about tigers and how you can help, and the upcoming Earth Hour, how have you been impacting your world?

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Doggy Depression

Today's post was inspired by my little Floyd. It appears my child is suffering a bit of doggy depression and I don't know why. She seemed out of it yesterday, but she didn't even touch her food last night. This morning she wasn't sleeping on the couch or her doggy bed (the usual places). Instead, she was curled up on a bit of carpet underneath our weight bench. This isn't normal. She looked spooked. Bad.

This isn't like her. Her tail is chronically between her legs. She isn't excited when I call her. There is no jumping when I bring out the lamb bones. I am giving it a week. If she is still mopey, she is going to the vet. She is my child and I hate to see her suffer.

Doggy depression is a real thing. Suprisingly, the symptoms are similar to a human's. They will become lethargic, seem indifferent to the world, stop eating, stop drinking water, and they whimper instead of cry. This can be triggered by many things. If your dog has a "sibling" and they die, this can trigger depression. Also, a change a scenery, severe weather, loss of a person at home, physical trauma, or illness. This is why I am giving it a week. If she isn't better I want to be sure that she isn't sick.

If your dog is depressed there are many things you can do if the options are there:

• go for a ride in the car. Floyd usually loves this but seemed uninterested this morning.
• go to a dog park
• get a new toy
• lots of snuggling
• get another dog. Dogs are pack animals so maybe Floyd feels lonely?
• sit on the floor with your dog... which I do a lot
  
• make sure your dog is healthy
• and last... antidepressants.

Dogs can feel depression too and keeping an eye on sysmptoms can let you know if something is wrong. If they go too long it may be an underlying problem. Dongs can't speak so it is their behaviors that let us know when something is amiss.

You can find out more here, here, and here.

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A Mid -Week Visit From Omar

Well, since most of my readers don't live in the tropics, I figured I would give you an update on our conditions. Classes for the remainder of the day were canceled and will be until further notice. Why? Well, Omar is supposedly coming to visit and we need time to tidy up the place for our last minute guest. As I sit here eating my delicious puttanesca, I am glad that the hubs and I eat at home often because it means we have a ton of food at the house. Our pantry is well stocked. Part of it is our zombie escape plan. Another part is our healthy fear of starvation. Overall, it's nice that we have so much food in the house. We even have 72 hour kits. For those not in the know, a 72 hour kit is a kit that is updated hopefully twice a year, usually once a year (that's us), and sometimes not at all (shame on those people). It contains enough food and supplies (i.e. rope, flashlight, medications) to last you the first 3 days after an emergency. It is like hurricane preparedness for everything else that could happen. If the zombies come, we are ready!

Now back to our guest. As you can see, the projected path centers him right over us. Not cool. If you didn't notice, I have a little countdown clock on the top left of this page. I anxiously await the end of hurricane season. While hurricanes are awe inspiring (to me) and beautifully vicious, I live on a REALLY small island. So you really think the US is going to help us, a little cruise ship harbor, before it helps Puerto Rico? Nope. Puerto Rico has more pull. They have factories and coffee and chocolate and stuff. We have jewelry stores. They win. I know it is only a Tropical Storm, but those are the ones that fall apart and turn into a bunch of little storms with tornadoes! Yikes!

So now that I am done eating and typing, I am going to attempt to button down the hatches or whatever they say. Good thing... I have a gas stove so we can still cook yummies! WOOT!

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Migraines

For the past two days I have had a bad headache. It actually started between my shoulder blades and crept its way up on to (yes it feels "on") my head while I was sleeping. I don't really know what causes them. Everyone has different warning signs for getting one. Since it shows no sign of letting up, I felt it was an appropriate time to write about migraines. Please remember, I am not a physician and this is just a post about what causes them and is not intended to diagnose or aid in treatment. Please seek advice from a professional. (WOW, that is a lot of legal jargon!)

Now, since my headache started between my shoulders, it is very easy to assume it is a tension headache. Besides, at first, I am pretty sure that is what all of my migraines start as. However, by the end of the day, I have full-blown migraine like symptoms. WebMD includes the following as a list of symptoms:

• Moderate to severe pain (often described as pounding, throbbing pain) that can affect whole head, or can shift from one side of the head to the other
  
• Sensitivity to light, noise or odors
• Blurred vision
• Nausea or vomiting, stomach upset, abdominal pain
• Loss of appetite
• Sensations of being very warm or cold
• Paleness
• Fatigue
• Bright flashing dots or lights, blind spots, wavy or jagged lines (aura)

and a few more...

So what causes these things? Well, at the root of it, it appears to be hereditary. Four of five migraine sufferers had family members who also suffered from attacks. Mom, do you get real migraines?

Besides this, there are also certain triggers for certain people. I have enough to worry about avoiding my triggers for bipolar disorder, so I don't know if I have any. Regular exercise, eating healthy, and relaxation techniques can help with this. Believe it or not, taking medications for your headache may result in a rebound headache. Lucky for me, I hate pills.

Some of the foods that cause migraines, I hate to say, are some of my favorites. However, I will have you know that I haven't eaten anything on this list the past week.

• Red wine
• Some alcoholic beverages
• Old/aged cheese
• Processed meats
• Nitrates and nitrites in processed foods (what gives ham its pink color)

Can you believe after all of this, I still haven't found the source. What is it that happens in your head that causes this pain? I even found out that 70% of all migraine sufferers are female and 60% of those women get them before menstruation. I am a woman but am not pre-menstruation so I am at a loss. What is it? I still don't know the secret "what." I have triggers, symptoms, histories, statistics, but no answer? Do you know?

If you want to find out more, check the links above or visit WebMD's migraine and headache page.

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EPA Visits VI

Fig. 1Not related to visit, but they ARE in the VI. :D

The EPA is celebrating their 40th birthday. Part of the celebratory festivities included a visit to the Virgin Islands. The reason for the visit? Well, they help a public conference in St. Croix to talk about air quality in the USVI and to discuss methods of waste reduction, which is an ongoing issue here. Underlying many of the things discussed was the urgent need for job creation and economical effects locally.

The conference brought up two very valid suggestions for waste management in the VI, hoever, true to VI form, instead of viewing the two suggestions as a tag-team effort to better things, it became more of a battle in "one vs. other" style. The two suggestions were a waste to energy project and a reduce-reuse initiative. They were brought to the table by Alpine Energy Group and Dr. Paul Connett, author of "Zero Waste for Sustainability," respectively. To quote the Virgin Islands Daily News article:

In the first discussion of the day, it was clear where the people stood.

Reduce, reuse vs. waste-to-energy

As the two presenters each approached the podium separately, it was clear by the audience reaction that they favored Paul Connett, the author of "Zero Waste for Sustainability" over those who represented Alpine Energy Group's waste-to-energy project.

While healthy and respectable applause was offered the Alpine representatives, Connett received a loud ovation.

Connett's position was that, through education and community buy-in, the territory can expect to divert a large percentage of waste from its landfills within 18 months.

The idea, which is similar to that being promoted by the EPA's V.I. Recycling Partnership initiative, is to reduce the amount of waste produced while increasing the amount that is reused through recycling and composting.

At the end of it all, though, it was clear that the people of the VI are very aware that something needs to be done. The EPA made is stance clear, as well, informing of the measure taken to reduce cruise ship emissions between islands. This is important for us as mroe cruise ships visit St. Thomas more than any other Caribbean port. THere will be new requirements placed on HOVENSA as well. There was a consent decree filed by the EPA agaisnt HOVENSA require upgrades to reduce emissions. WHy are these things so important to a small island territory? To quote EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck, "More cruise ships visit St. Thomas than any other place in the Caribbean. By protecting your land, your air, your water, you will ensure that tourists will come back."


To read the details of the visit, read the article at Virgin Islands Daily News and to see what the EPA has succeeded in doing the past 40 years, click here.

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Local Science

Here in the VI, science based articles seem to be in the news a lot lately. It makes me feel especially nice as a lot of them are (while technically political news) pertaining to the environment.

• The first one I want to talk about is the fact that our current governor is trying to tackle the problem of fossil fuel usage in the VI. As laughable as it may seem, we still burn oil for electricity here. The governor laid out a plan that has the VI reducing usage and using different sources of energy within the next 14 years. While to some of my readers, this may seem like a long time, most of you know that this doesn't seem like enough at all in the Virgin Islands. Some of the renewable energy sources he mentions include solar, waste-to-energy, wind, and landfill gas. 
• Some of the members of the 29th legislature of the Virgin Islands are stalling a measure that would make an Emission Control Area around the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The people stalling are claiming that they knew nothing of this proposal and haven't carefully thought out how it could affect tourism to the VI. Again, this is about their bottom line, and forget the health and safety of the islanders. They have had sufficient time to consider this. I wonder why they are stalling....
• The Caribbean Fishery Management council approved cuts in the amount of parrotfish local fishermen are allowed to take from federal waters. The measure came after preliminary biological opinion showed that parrotfish are vital to a healthy reef ecosystem.
• One of the local hospitals had an open forum and the CEO heard quite the community outcry on how the facility handles dialysis and mental healthcare. Not only does the facility not have any staff psychiatrists, but many of their patients cannot even get dialysis there and have to move to private facilities. The mental healthcare on these islands is deplorable at best. This is something that is near and dear to me and I hate the struggle. It's sad, really.

In the very least, well, for the moment... The VI seems to be incorporating more science related things! Woohoo!

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