Hydrate Yourself into Health

“I hate plain water. It’s so boring.”
No, it’s not. You just need to get Creative! 

WATER: Dihydrogen Monoxide: H2O

This amazing little molecule is the entire basis of our existance on our planet. Imagine a world without water- no oceans, no rivers, no icecaps, no LIFE. Your body can’t function without it. You can’t think or move. Do yourself a favor and get a glass of water right now. Go ahead. You know you’re thirsty. It’s good for you. This will be here when you get back…

Got it? Drink up! Ahhhh. Isn’t that better? 

Need some flavor? Fruit! Veggies! Herbs! Not only are they naturally sweet, they also add vital nutrients to the water. Try cucumbers, lemon + lime + orange, strawberry + kiwi, fresh mint, blueberrry + raspberry, cranberries + mint, cucumber + lemon + lime, pomegranate + blueberry, or any combination of your favorites. Chop them, slice them, or mash them. Let them infuse the water for about 30 minutes. You can keep adding more water to the same fruit for about 48 hours, then use new ingredients to keep it fresh. You’ll be amazed how much you’ll enjoy staying hydrated.

If you simply can’t live without your bubbles, get a water carbonating machine**  By using plain water as a base, you control the quality of your beverage by choosing well, tap, or filtered water. Do the environment a favor here and don’t use bottled water. Then pour your fizzy water over your ingredients or throw them directly into the (reusable) bottle for on the go.

Toss some fruit or mint into an icecube tray and make delicious icecubes. As they chill your water, they’ll add flavor. My mom always used to use a bundt cake pan to make gorgeous ice full of colorful fruit for in a punchbowl.

Water, boring?

I hear this all the time as an excuse for excessive soda and sweetened beverage consuption. It isn’t that we are unaware of water’s benefits in hydrating, detoxifying, and energizing, but the marketing of beverages is big business (Coca-Cola’s 2010 advertising budget: $2.9 billion).  There are fizzy, sugared or artificially sweetened, caffeinated option that are marketed to seem more interesting, despite the proven health risks they carry including diabetes, bone calcium depletion/osteoporosis, tooth decay and discoloration, hormone balance disruption, obesity, and cancer- and we drink them because advertising works, not because they are good for us.

The beverage industry rakes in 60 BILLION dollars in soft drink sales annually. This means, each year, people spend $191.83 per man, woman, and child in America* on sodas and sports drinks. According to Static Brain, the average male in the 12- to 19-year age group drinks 868 cans of soda every year! Assuming they mean the standard 12 oz can, that’s 81.375 Gallons of unhealthy chemicals, sugars, and toxins, each. We don’t need sports drinks either. Our diets are laden with sodium and “enriched” foods, providing more than enough electrolyte. Even someone eating a balanced, 100% vegan diet is not going to need electrolyte supplementation.

So, now you know. Set down that curvy little bottle and go get some good ol’ H2Oooooohhhh!

*Population calculation based on U.S. Census Bureau’s end-of-2011 estimate

**If you can hold a wrench, make one yourself (this handy fellow made one for $163.94 that will make thousands of liters.) Sodastream have several home models from $79.95 to $199.99. Carbon cartridge refills are about $30-50 and make 60-130 liters of carbonated water, depending on refill size.

Military Pokes Holes In Acupuncture Skeptics’ Theory

February 16, 2012 from WPLN
 (by BLAKE FARMER)

In a fluorescent-lit exam room, Col. Rochelle Wasserman sticks ballpoint-size pins in the ears of Sgt. Rick Remalia.

Remalia broke his back, hip and pelvis during a rollover caused by a pair of rocket-propelled grenades in Afghanistan. He still walks with a cane and suffers from mild traumatic brain injury. Pain is an everyday occurrence, which is where the needles come in.

“I’ve had a lot of treatment, and this is the first treatment that I’ve had where I’ve been like, OK, wow, I’ve actually seen a really big