I am Dr Patrick Flanagan, and this is the latest edition of my Dr Health Secrets newsletter.

Lately I have written about toxins in our water and food supply. This installment is about a toxin that got a lot of attention in Hollywood. This newsletter is about chromium 6 and its effects on your body.

Hollywood, Hollywood, Here I Come…

My guest today in my focus on toxic water can easily say, and with confidence, that it owes all of its success and great notice to one little Hollywood movie.

Yes, that movie was year 2000’s Erin Brockovich, starring the caustic chromium 6, and co-starring the fabulous Mrs. Julia Roberts. The film publicized the chromium 6 poisoning of Hinkley, California by the powerful and successful PG and E Corporation, which ultimately resulted in an Oscar win for Julia Roberts, and the highlighting of a growing concern over toxic chemical plants and their poisoning of public drinking water.

Chromium-6 is used in dyes, pigments, leather tanning, wood preserving, and chrome plating.

Chromium-6 is a by-product of metal plating and is classified as a carcinogen when inhaled as particles or fumes. When chromium-6 gets into water, the effects are equally as damaging.

Out of 1,591 National Priority List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 1,036 were found to have chromium-6 in them.

Scientists as well as many health officials argue that no level of chromium 6 is safe for the human body. Water officials, however, argue that there is no scientific proof that any of these allegations are true. These “officials” say that there is not enough proof to verify that chromium-6 truly causes health problems, but a judge in Hinkley, CA readily disagreed.

This disagreement cost PG&E hundreds of millions of dollars, and cost a town pain, anguish, and devastating disease.

I am willing to stand behind hundreds of sick individuals much faster than I am willing to stand behind a state official that is required to make budget concessions as well as health decisions.

What’s The Verdict?

The health implications of chromium-6 run far and wide, and exposure, even in small amounts, can be deadly. Major corporations know the cost of cleanup, and even more importantly, they know the cost of lawsuit. What people don’t know won’t hurt them, but what they do know already has.

Health problems listed among those who have suffered from chromium-6 exposure include liver cancer, kidney failure, respiratory distress, circulatory problems, gastrointestinal ailments, reproductive problems, and other cancers of the brain and bodily organs.

Also cited as “lesser side- effects” were nosebleeds, headaches, benign tumors, hair loss, and many more. I have said it before and I will say it again; being bald with a bleeding nose while nursing a headache is not exactly my idea of “lesser side-effects.”

Light At The End of The Tunnel

Aside from educating millions of people on the hazards of chromium-6, Erin Brockovich also managed to scare scores of people into hospital rooms nationwide, searching and looking for any signs of toxic chemical exposure.

The fear is understandable, and it is much more real than many would care to think, but there are things that can be done to better the situation.

The best solution is get information about your local water supply (see RESOURCE BOX) and then to get a highly advanced water filter for your house. Quality filters can range in the thousands of dollars, but clean water is much cheaper and easier than medical problems later in your life. Nothing feels as good as a shower without chlorinated water!

Remember, the problem with drinking distilled water is that your body is designed to drink water with minerals in it. So try adding minerals to your water and see how you feel. And some mineralized bottled water sources are great, as long as they are rigorously tested as many premium bottled waters are.

About the Author

For more information about your local water supply, visit: http://www.enprotec.net/chandyosh.html, http://www.nrdc.com and look for The Clean Water Action Project of 2002, performed by the Ralph Nader Group.

www.DrHealthSecrets.com

BPH, or benign prostate hyperplasia, is a standard medical term for an enlarged prostate gland. This means that the prostate, a mass which encloses the urethra and lies just below the bladder, becomes bigger this can reduce or possibly even block urination. The prostate enlarges as the years pass and as a result may lead to complaints such as difficulty passing water, a weak flow, and also urinary retention. Frequent urination during the night and inflammation of the urinary pathway may also be arise from a swollen prostatic gland. BPH – Medical Therapies: Males over 60 frequently have a swollen prostate gland. Current recommendations are that men in their fifties undergo an exam by their physicians on a yearly basis, irrespective of the occurence of any problems, to aid in maintenance of improved prostate wellness. Get medical intervention directly if the urine or if unable to urinate. Traditional treatments for an enlarged prostate can be surgical operations and drug therapy. However, surgery can lead to more symptoms some of which are impotence or even incontinence. An alpha blocker and medicines that shrink the swollen prostate gland are often prescribed to improve prostate health, however, medication will often have undesirable results. So what holistic options are available?

Suffering From an Enlarged Prostate Gland? A Holistic Way to Better Prostatic Fitness: – To assist in the reduction of the problems associated with prostate enlargement and to encourage improved prostate gland fitness, a few remedies are recommended. African pygeum cuts swelling, controlling most of any symptoms. The herb African Pygeum has been prescribed regulary for quite a few years by Europeans as a treatment for improved prostatic health, it is made from a tree indigenous to southern Africa. A reduction of dietary fat may provide relief, as well as excercising more often, pressure in the prostate should also be lessened thru ejaculating more regularly, and trying to avoid sitting for a long time. Consumption of non prescription anti-histamines or decongestants can worsen the problems related to a swollen prostate gland, use these medicinal drugs with care. Cut down on caffeinated drinks and alcohol, avoid drinking near retiring this should reduce nighttime visits to the toilet.

Prostate Gland function can also be improved with other supplements for example saw palmetto, Borago officinalis oil, the chemical element selenium, and lycopene, a molecule extracted from tomatoes. Please talk over your plans with your doctor before introducing the holistic treatment of an enlarged prostate.

Most of us think only of weddings when considering party favors. However, they are often given at birthday parties or any social gathering at which the host wants to thank their guests for coming. These favors can range from very simple items, such as a small parcel containing a sweet or two, to extravagant gifts. The history of the favor reveals that the first to give them were the Italian nobility and their wealth permitted them to give items made of silver or gold.

The majority of us do not have the money to be able to buy our guests anything extravagant. However, there are simple ways to show your appreciation which do not have to cost a lot of money. If your gathering involves a formal, seated meal favors can double as place settings. For example, at a wedding each place setting could be marked by a miniature champagne bottle with a label displaying the name of the person who is to sit there. Then, all of the guests will have their own cork to pop for the toast.

If your budget allows, you could purchase a small photo frame for each guest at your party. Inside you could place a piece of paper with their names on. This would then give your guest a keepsake of the event. In addition, when you send them a thank-you card after the occasion you can include a photo taken at the time for them to place in their frame. This ensures that every guest has something to cherish from your gathering.

Another way to add life to traditional favors is the way in which you display them. If your party has a theme then you can incorporate this into their decoration. If you are having a beach themed party, for example, you could place a children’s bucket, filled with sand, in the center of each table and place the favors in there.

If you are creative you could make bookmarks or embroider handkerchiefs for each guest with their initials on. Alternatively, if your guests are friends you made through a shared hobby you could incorporate that into your favors. For example, a group of golfers may appreciate a ball or a couple of tees more than chocolate. Also, this adds the personal touch as your gifts are relevant to your guests and this makes them feel appreciated and valued.

There is no limit to what you can offer your guests as party favors. All you need is a little bit of imagination and enthusiasm and yours can be the party everyone wants an invite to, just for the favor!

The author is a regular contributor to Best Party Favors where more party organization and party favor advice is freely available.

First, let me just stomp my feet, throw my arms up (with tongue firmly planted in cheek) and ask, “Why doesn’t everyone in the world respect my boundaries?” Haven’t I made them abundantly clear with my bellowing voice and my assertive demeanor? Yeah, I’m about as loud and scary as a ladybug!

Second, let me put my thoughts on the table. I believe that children who grow up without boundaries given to them (structure, rules, consequences, and consistent adult role models who display socially appropriate expressions of feelings), grow to be adults who don’t know how to create boundaries for themselves and don’t respect others’ boundaries. I’ve been confronted with one of those adults lately and I suspect it’s my call to action to beef up my own focus on this topic.

Third (and the reason for this article), how the heck does this relate to running a business? Well, that part is easy. A home-based without boudaries business in its infancy is bound to become an unfocused business as it matures. I’ve learned a bit about this…the hard way.

On the Personal Front

I am one of those people who goes to bed early and gets up early. So, I don’t answer the phone after 9 p.m. Everyone who knows me knows this is my rule. This is my home and that’s my rule. It’s non-negotiable. Last night, the phone rang at 9:05, 9:30, and again just around 10 (same person each time). I have caller ID and knew the call was something that did not require immediate attention. I felt my boundaries and my privacy had been violated. So what did I do? I fumed and ranted about rude people until about 11:30. Yeah, that was really productive. The solution which didn’t occur to me at the time was to simply turn the phone ringer off.

The point? I have no control over life’s little interruptions. I have no control over other’s behavior. I am always at choice about my response. I forgot that last night.

From now on, my phone ringer is OFF after 9. I’ll call you back at 4:30 a.m. when I usually get up. Okay?

On the Home-Based Small Business Front

Okay, here’s where it gets humbling. This morning as I reflected upon this issue, I began to think about all the areas of my businesses where I am not being clear about my boundaries and other areas where there’s a bit of wiggle room. Am I raising a small business that’s growing up to be a unfocused adult with no respect for boundaries?

For me the non-negotiable boundary areas are as follows (do any of these sound familiar?). I must:

• Designate one day a week as a day of rest. No phone calls, no computer, no obsessive checking of e-mail. I don’t have to respond to every e-mail within two seconds of receiving it.
• Define work/personal areas in my house (a challenge for any home-based business).
• Define and communicate the rules around others using my work space (e.g., desk, computer, Palm Pilot).
• Designate work hours and non-work hours and make this boundary clear to family and friends.
• Practice better self-care. How can I run a business if I’m not taking care of my basic needs? What is the balance, for me, between utter laziness and frenzied workaholism?
• Close the door, not answer the phone, not clean the toilet when I say I’m working on my marketing plan.

What are your home business boundaries? Where are you feeling wishy-washy? Do you REALLY need to be “on” all the time to make YOUR business a success or to be a good parent/friend/spouse? Do you have to be perfect all the time? I’d wager a big, fat NO. Have I been practicing what I preach? Another big, fat NO.

Here’s to imperfection, life’s little calls to action, and clear boundaries.

Copyright 2005, Ann Zuccardy, All rights reserved.

Ann Zuccardy is a freelance technical and copy writer with 17 years of industry experience in marketing and technical communication. She currently consults with IBM in Essex Junction, Vermont where she writes software user manuals, training guides, and release notes. Ann is also the owner of Vermont Shortbread Company. She can be reached at Wordbrains.com.

The milliondollarhomepage was a great innovative marketing success in 2005. On this site a million pixels were sold to advertisers at a dollar each for five years. Uniqueness saw it become an advertising icon.

Since then there have been countless imitations. The cost of pixels has varied and they have emanated from many countries.

Anyone can now have a pixel page and maybe hope to make a fortune.

There has now been many variations on the pixel marketing idea. Some sites sell space on particular themes so as to assist the advertiser in targetting the market sought. Others have large background images which produce a jigsaw effect, which rather detracts from the advertising! Another has a battleships idea involving the advertising! There is a very good element of raising money for charity on some sites. This is a thoughtful use of this trend.

Some sites have reverted to conventional identical blocks. Rather strangely, this is in order to move away from the random patchwork effect of the pixel site! Can’t quite see the point!

All in all these sites are now so numerous that the concept may have seen its best days. Pixels are now often being offered at “cut price” as most sites are very short of advertising. They do of course advertise on rival sites.

Maybe there should be a “million million pixel sites” page! On the other hand, maybe not!

http://www.writingup.com/blog/rambler

Thinking of creating a new patio in your backyard? Need a few backyard patio ideas? Let us help. After a quick brainstorming session, we came up with these five backyard patio ideas that will be sure to please.

Combine Patios and Decks

A common, yet still exciting backyard idea is to combine a patio built of stone, brick, concrete or other typical patio materials with a traditional wooden or composite deck. Or try building a patio with a wooden decked gazebo or observation area. This effect makes for a great private area to set up a dining or conversational enclave, really setting your patio apart from the rest!

The Ultimate Outdoor Kitchen

While not one of the cheapest backyard patio ideas, creating a gourmet outdoor kitchen will be sure to impress everyone! Think about the perks and advantages of being able to entertain exclusively outdoors without even having to go inside. For the cook, there’s a huge variety of grills and ranges specifically designed for permanent patio installation. We’re not talking your ordinary everyday charcoal or gas grill here (although there’s certainly nothing wrong with that either).

How about an outdoor built in refrigerator or wine cooler? Or design a built in ice pit to chill your favorite beverages on a warm summer night. Oh, and for those cool nights, to get some extra life from your patio, don’t forget to add an outdoor patio fireplace. They can be had to burn wood or propane, or you can go all out and have a pro install a gas line for you.

Old Fashioned Style and Charm

Bring back the Victorian age with a patio that is designed to fit the time period. Porch swings and old fashioned rocker chairs can help to evoke the feeling of a bygone era. Or perhaps you want something a little more modern, but still with a funky retro vibe. Find some old metal rocking chairs at an auction and build in an area for shuffleboard. Eclectic, yet fun backyard patio ideas!Soothing Water Garden

The idea for a backyard patio water garden can be simple to accomplish or can be taken to any level of extremes you desire. Put in a simple patio fountain to create the atmosphere of nature that only trickling water can do. Or combine that with a full blown water garden including a fish pond with a water fall. You decide how far to take this idea…

Nothing Wrong With Turf

For another unique backyard patio idea, think about inverting the whole layout. If you have a small back yard or area for your patio, install edging for your patio made of common backyard patio materials like brick or stone. This will define the patio.

Then fill in the useable area of the patio with a thick and dense grass turf. This idea is sure to give you the feel of a traditional patio without giving away the luxury of still having grass in your backyard.

Does one these backyard patio ideas appeal to you? If not, don’t be discouraged. You can make your backyard patio fantastic in so many ways. Just be creative and the right idea will come to you!

http://www.patio-ideas-guide.com

How To Pass A Hair Sample Drug Test

Drug examine has grown into a popular phenomenon across the globe. Some parties do drug screens on freshly working people or active employees to ensure a drug-free surrounding at workplace.

Insurance authorities and courts carry out drug trials on a regular basis on distrusted individuals. The key question that comes to your brain, when you go for such screen is how to beat the drug trial?

Cyber sites such as Ways To Pass A Drug Test proposes the most advanced detox products including perm cleansers, synthetic urine products, and saliva cleaning products, health drinks and home drug test kits.

Student Drug Testing

Pass The Drug Test proposes master support for every item, with support allowed by drug test counselors who are extremely seasoned with several types of drug testing methodologies and issues. Support is available by email and telephone. Shipping is quick, with complete secrecy assured, using plain and discrete boxing materials to uphold total client privacy.

Pass Drug Test Opiate

Embedded on the new internet site is a sizable order of products for detox and screening aims. Permanent cleaners are proposed in 3, 5 and 7, 10, 14, 21 and 30 day systems, with a assortment of herbs, roots, barks and minerals that are well-known lipides destroyers which make to break down fat cells and do away with toxins entirely. Fake urine is offered, which contains all components ordinarily found in weewee, especially balanced for pH with specific gravity, creatin and other wee wee features. A saliva cleaning mouthwash is proposed will eliminate toxins from the mouth with exactly 3 minutes of use. We provide a range of cleansing drinks, to each one containing the most active herbs and fiber to help free the body of toxins that may have piled up.

If you use Ask to look the internet for us here are 10 Enormous phrases to use to find our site.

How To Pass A Drug Test

Drug Testing Info also proposes drug screening kits including saliva, hair and piss based tests to verify that detoxify efforts are effective. For more information, visit How To Pass A Urine Test For Alcohol If you have any questions, please call us at: 877-727-7123

I wish I had more time.

How often have you said that to someone?

Some say that time is much more important than wealth. Most effective people think so and top business leaders mention this in interviews and biographies. They know how to get more time in a day, and they have mastered the art of utilizing time effectively to do more productive things that contribute to their advancement or success. So how do they do it? What is different about their time management and ours?

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. Some people do seem to have more time than others, but no one gets it any differently. So what is the difference? What can we do to become like them? Don’t you deserve to find the time to get things done, have time for your family and enjoy the freedom you desire? Time management is about you being in control of your time instead of letting it control you.

Anyone with a dust-covered day planner on the shelf, or a PDA with nothing entered in the calendar knows that the concept of “time management” can seem like a hollow promise. The harder we try to get a handle on those passing minutes, the more minutes that seem to pass by. Perhaps it is time for you to look at your paradigm of time management. Are you really in control?

The less time you think you have, the more critical it is for you to plan. You might say that you’re so busy you don’t even have time to plan. If this is you, then you know where you need to change. If you want to enjoy the harvest, so you must plant. Can you imagine a farmer that doesn’t put out any seed and then expects a bountiful crop? The planning phase is very important in organizing your thoughts to carry out the desired effects.

Your plan will be your road map for time management. Spend enough time to ponder through the different approaches and activities. Stephen Covey, in his new book The 8th Habit, explains an excellent metaphor of “big rocks.” Your important tasks are the “big rocks” and all the other things are like “sand.” If you let the sand fill up your day, you will not be able to fit in the big rocks, but if you instead schedule in the big rocks, you’ll have room for the sand as it easily fits in between the big rocks.

Know what your big rocks are. The key to effective time management is to honestly manage all of the things which need you. Is spending time with your family important to you? Then it is a big rock and should be in your schedule.

Time management skills require practice and balance. If you only apply time management to work, you will still have the feeling you lack control outside of work. Effective time management is about striving to be effective and honest with yourself when things don’t work the way you planned. It is through this adaptive learning process that we can achieve freedom and balance in life.

Dave Saunders is a professional lecturer, and successful entrepreneur. He enjoys creating interconnections through his writings and lectures to help others create context and see new discoveries and technologies in more a practical light. You can find more time management tips at http://www.endless-abundance.net

The Shocking Truth about How to Make Money on the Internet!

You know… for a few years even I doubted that network
marketing was a real business… Sure, I read about how to
make money at home and how easy it was to make money online.

Burning the candle at both ends… listening to seminars that
told me all about residual income, how to achieve the status of
network marketing professional, reading e-books that told me how
great life is at the top…Sound familiar?

But hey… Hold On! How do you get there?

I have joined an online business but my upline does not respond
to my questions… the company are brain dead and I do not
really know what I am doing exactly… is that how people make
money on the Internet? Is that any way to start off in network
marketing? Will that keep me in the business? It certainly did
not.

Then along came another business and a support team that I never
even contemplated could exist anywhere on the Internet. That was
many years ago… but still exists today.

If I ever had any advice to pass on to people who are
considering network marketing as a profession, then it would be
to take a good look at what support is available, before even
thinking about making money online.

Next, have a look at how the company is structured. Do not ever
sign up for anything until you have checked it out very
thoroughly. How open to scrutiny is the business you are
considering? If there are any adverse conditions before you have
a look, run for cover and take your money with you!

Now… back to the subject. Is the ability to make money online
for real?

Yes, it is. I would ask anyone to dispute that fact. So many are
disgruntled by their failure in network marketing but how many
actually stood the test of time and worked at it as hard as they
would with a boss standing over them?

How many worked the same hours as they would in a job?

I can honestly tell you that not many do the above and most have
higher Online expectations than the network marketing company
can deliver, or the average person can hope to accomplish.

Building a downline is not easy but can be achieved with the
right people duplicating your learning process and getting the
right online support.

Network Marketing is the only way to produce a lasting residual
income. To make money at home, without having to find the funds
that would normally be required to pay you a similar amount each
month from a large investment.

Why do people give up this retirement plan so easily? Why do
people work 40 plus hours a week just to pay the bills and yet
do nothing to make money on the Internet and build a residual
income for themselves?

Why is a process that takes 40 years to accomplish considered a
better alternative than a network marketing plan that can
accomplish this task within 4-5 years, with a similar amount of
work?

Yes, there are some scoundrel companies out there. That is why
due diligence is so important. How many people actually do any?
Then they wonder why they are failing at it…

Would you buy something from someone that you could not see,
could not talk to and had no visible representation, no
credibility and no experience in what they were doing or trying
to sell you? No, you would not, yet it happens on the Internet
every day!

Yes, network marketing is a real business and you can make money
on the Internet. It produces real full-time residual incomes for
thousands of people worldwide but you must choose the right
business with the right people and take the time to build your
dream of Financial Freedom.

Every time you think of quitting, stop and look at the
alternatives…

All people see, is what it is costing them. Does that ever
amount into what you would pay for a franchise or alternative
business? No, it does not. Whatever you may think of network
marketing, it is still the only way that the small guy can
achieve financial freedom and success.

Millions of people are making their money at home. Do they need
expensive premises and huge overheads? No, they make money
online, on the Internet.

I am sure that you have been watching the hurricane recovery effort in New Orleans. It is a slow, painstaking process that can be excruciatingly hard to watch. At times it seems so surreal…is this happening in the United States? Yes it is. Before I comment further the people who are attempting to leave New Orleans are American citizens. They are evacuees, not refugees.

I realize that the news media likes to pick up on popular, “for the moment” terms to describe events as they unfold. Still, like wildfire, the wrong terms are given and repeated over and over again until they become the most commonly used and accepted phrases. Might I say that the description of many of our fellow Americans as refugees is repugnant?

When the term is used in its proper sense, refugee means the following as per the Merriam-Webster Legal Dictionary of 1996:

A refugee is an individual seeking refuge or asylum; especially : an individual who has left his or her native country and is unwilling or unable to return to it because of persecution or fear of persecution (as because of race, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion)

Um, excuse me…there is no persecution going on in New Orleans. There was a hurricane, the levees were breached, and the city was flooded. Yes, there is lawlessness going on but the people are leaving because their homes were destroyed. The lawlessness is a side issue; if there was law and order New Orleans residents would still be leaving. The evacuees are leaving one city or state for another. They are not leaving the United States!

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt when terms are used erroneously, but part of me wonders if the term “refugee” would have been used if the evacuees were white. I certainly hope that I am wrong, but it is a thought that has crossed my mind.

Matthew Keegan is the owner of a successful article writing, web design, and marketing business based in North Carolina, USA. He manages several sites including the Corporate Flight Attendant Community and the Aviation Employment Board. Please visit The Article Writer to review selections from his portfolio.