Sleep Deprivation
Posted in health and wellness, parenting

Sleep Deprivation: How it Affects your Health.

Posted on by Loreeebee

Sleep deprivation can be caused by hormone imbalance, sleep apnea, snoring, room temperature, stress/anxiety, and poor sleeping conditions.  It is a known fact that sleep deprivation is the most common cause of many health issues affecting both adults and children.

How Much Sleep is Enough?

If you are not getting an average of eight hours (more for children and teens) of restorative sleep a day,  your long-term good health may be at risk.  In fact, it is now being suggested that sleep deprivation can be worse for you than lack of exercise.

Every part of our bodies needs sleep to function properly.  Our cells rejuvenate and grow, our energy levels are boosted, our brains refuel with energy and reboot our memories, our aching joints and muscles repair and strengthen, and our organs release essential hormones, all when we are asleep.

Diseases and Conditions Caused by Sleep Deprivation

If you research the causes of many illnesses or conditions including ADD/ADHD, (both childhood and adult forms) anxiety, depression and other psychiatric illness, heart problems, type II diabetes, obesity, brain fog, difficulty focusing and/or concentrating, poor/slow reaction time, memory loss, lethargy, irritability, headaches and loss of energy, just to name a few, you will find sleep deprivation at or near the top of the list.

Screen Time Enhances Sleep Deprivation

Taking cell phones or tablets to bed with them delays sleep for teens. Don’t let yours tell you differently, using the argument that their phone actually helps them fall asleep.  Research shows that electronic devices of any kind keep the brain stimulated, delaying and preventing restful sleep.  Sleep deprivation is caused by many things, but I am sure stimulation by electronic devices is way up at the top of the list for many teens and adults.

Daylight Savings Time

It’s simply amazing that one single hour can affect our lives so drastically.  When my children were small, daylight saving time would really send them for a loop, affecting their nap times and altering their internal clocks.  I thought adults would adjust better, but apparently, there are a lot of people out there who do not adjust well, with shift workers at the top of the list.  I’ve also read that within the three days following daylight saving time, there are significantly more heart attacks reported.  On the flip side, in the fall when our clocks fall back, and we gain one hour of sleep, there are significantly fewer heart attacks reported.

This research has tired me out, I think I will take a nap to rejuvenate!

Posted in health and wellness, weight management

Sugar: Kick The Habit To Improve Your Health

Posted on by Loreeebee

In the diet or health and wellness world, sugar is a bad word these days.  Apparently, processed foods, even the fat-free, fat-reduced, or light products are not the way to go as they are making us fatter and fatter.  Why?  Because of the large amounts of sugar they contain.

Other Names for Sugar

Sugar comes in many forms and names.  Packaged, processed or prepared foods may be convenient and tasty, but are loaded with various forms of sugar:

  • sucrose, maltose, fructose, dextrose, glucose (anything ending in ‘ose’)
  • honey, syrup, nectar, sweetener, cane crystal, molasses, cane juice, malt

Sugar is Addictive

Sugar has been clinically proven to be addictive, producing symptoms typically associated with substance abuse, including cravings, tolerance and withdrawal. 

In fact, one study showed that given the choice, lab rats choose sugar over cocaine!

Just How Does Our Body React to Sugar?

Sugar in any form causes our blood sugar (glucose) levels to rise and fluctuate, causing weight gain and more.  When sugar is metabolized in our bodies, it is stored as fat. Sugar is fattening, promotes tooth decay, and puts you at risk for a myriad of diseases. A level, controlled blood sugar level is the best way to maintain a healthy weight and ward off diseases such as:

  • diabetes
  • breast, endometrial, and colon cancers
  • heart disease and high blood pressure
  • infertility
  • sleep apnea
  • osteoarthritis
  • liver and gallbladder disease
  • stroke

Listen to this video to hear the scientific explanation of just why sugar is killing us! Our bodies glycate (a chemical process) naturally as we age but added sugar speeds up the process. Who wants to age faster?

How to Control Your Sugar Intake

Starting your new weight loss program does not have to be difficult.  Aim to eat more fresh, non-processed foods. If you are tempted to buy convenient, processed foods, beware of the hidden sugars; read the labels!

Cut out sugar from your diet for a healthier, slimmer you.

autoimmune disease
Posted in health and wellness

Big Pharma Has a Pill for That

Posted on by Loreeebee

This article was posted back in 2017, but not much has changed. I’ve added a personal update at the bottom. Today’s society seems to rely on a pill or medication for everything, with many doctors quick to write a prescription to get their patients out the door.  Everything from acne, anxiety, mood swings, constipation, mental decline, and insomnia to Attention Deficit (ADD), high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, asthma, and more are treated with medication instead of researching why the problem exists in the first place. Big pharma companies are the winners with this attitude.

Fixing the symptoms instead of fixing the underlying issue is what I call a “band-aid fix.”

autoimmune disease
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Big Pharma Wants you to Pop a Pill

Reasons like an unhealthy lifestyle, poor diet, lack of exercise, increased sugar and GMO consumption, reliance on man-made drugs, as well as sensitivities to foods and environmental toxins are often overlooked because they take too much time to pinpoint and change.  It is faster and more convenient to pop another pill.

Today we are finding out just how dangerous these prescription drugs from big pharma can be.   Throughout the years it has been common for high school and college/university students to experiment with alcohol and drugs.  The relaxed to euphoric feelings and reduction of negative emotions associated with their use are enticing.  

Dangerous Side Effects of Pills and Big Pharma

What the users often do not realize is that both alcohol and drugs depress the nervous and respiratory systems so too much of either can diminish that euphoric feeling or buzz pretty quickly.

The problem today lies within the type of drugs being used as well as the combination of drugs and alcohol.  Painkillers such as Fentanyl and Percocet are a prevalent choice because they are readily prescribed, easy to get (often from household medicine cabinets), and result in a quick buzz.

Fentanyl, Percocet and Xanax

  • Fentanyl is an opiate, prescribed for moderate to severe pain (often for cancer patients) but is fifty to one hundred times more powerful than morphine, and up to forty times more powerful than heroin.
  • Percocet is prescribed for mild to moderate pain, but in addition to the opiate oxycodone, Percocet contains acetaminophen (aka tylenol) which is toxic to the liver.  Alcohol use alone causes liver stress and damage; adding Percocet to the mix can cause complete liver failure, coma, and death.

If the availability of stronger drugs isn’t enough of a problem, counterfeit drugs such as fentanyl-laced Xanax are popping up in communities everywhere adding unknown lethal chemical compounds in unknown doses to the mixture.  These synthetic versions, often produced in China, shipped to Mexico then smuggled into the USA and Canada, are readily available in large amounts on our streets. They are causing a rampant amount of overdoses causing liver and respiratory failure and often leading to death.

Personal Update

I underwent a hip replacement three weeks ago as my hip was ravaged by osteoarthritis and the pain was keeping me from doing the things important to me. After surgery, I was prescribed lots of medication: an anti-inflammatory pill, two pain pills (one of which is a narcotic), a laxative in case the other pills constipated me, and a sleeping pill. I get it, my doctor was trying to cover all the bases. I did get them filled (just in case I needed them in the middle of the night), but did not take the narcotic, the laxative, or the sleeping pill. Three weeks later, I started getting diarrhea and an upset stomach that I believe was caused by an accumulation of medication in my gut. My stomach and GI tract are weak to start with, so I was not surprised. My doctor agreed I could stop taking them. Guess what? The symptoms disappeared within 24 hours. I continued to take extra-strength Tylenol (acetaminophen) for pain, but only as needed.

The bottom line? We have to be more aware of what we are feeding our gastrointestinal (GI) systems if we want them to function properly.

Posted in health and wellness, loreeebee.ca, nature

Ticks: What You Need to Know

Posted on by Loreeebee

I had the misfortune of finding a tick bite this morning while checking for black fly bites. Well, discovering the tick in my arm was good, receiving the bite in the first place was the unfortunate part.

How much do you know about Ticks?

I have to admit, my first reaction on seeing this critter trying his best to invade my arm was to panic. That’s because I do know enough to realize they can wreak havoc in your body in the form of Lyme Disease and other nasty afflictions.

Once my heart rate slowed to normal, I removed the tiny tick, transported it to a plastic baggie .(in case I have to visit a doctor), cleaned the bite area (with rubbing alcohol), then did some research on what my next steps should be.

What Exactly is a Tick?

Their description sounds gross; they are parasites that feed on the blood of mammals. That includes humans and animals. So check your pets too.

Do Ticks Totally Embed in Your Skin?

No, only the head does. The remaining body parts stick out of your body, making it fairly easy to find them. Once they begin feeding, they get engorged (swollen) which makes them even more visible.

Use tweezers, as close to your skin as possible, to remove the tick, straight (no twisting etc) out. If all of the head doesn’t come out, don’t worry, leave it in there and your skin should heal…just like a sliver.

You can tell if the tick has attached by how difficult it is to remove it. Although my little one had attached pretty well, you can see in my picture that I think I got most of him out.

How Long Does it Take Before Ticks are Fully Engorged?

I read this happens anywhere from 24 to 36 hours after ticks attach to their host.

I estimate that my new buddy was only on my arm for less than 20 hours. That would explain why he was still flat, not engorged with my blood.

This fact also reduces the chance of me getting infected.

Photo Credit

Infection Symptoms To Watch For

Bites from ticks can result in symptoms that are common to most infections: fever, rash, headache etc.

Specific to infected tick bites are a “target” shaped red welt, swelling, streaks around the bite etc. More severe reactions include flu-like symptoms, paralysis, arthritis, and irregular heartbeat.

I’m happy to report that my bite looks much like a mosquito bite, unremarkable. So far. I will be keeping a close eye on it.

Yard Maintenance to Prevent Ticks

Keeping your lawn short and well hydrated can help at home. Avoiding leaf and brush piles also helps.

Yesterday afternoon I was raking leaves off our lawn at the cottage, a prime spot for ticks. I did have on protective (not very stylish) gear in the form of long pants and sleeves, socks tucked into my pants, shirt tucked into my pants and sleeves tucked into my gloves, a bug jacket that includes a hat with a mesh face cover.

I’m not sure how that tick snuck onto my body!

Homeopathic Prevention

Avoiding habitats that ticks love is another suggestion but if you are a nature lover as I am this can be difficult.

Ticks don’t like scents such as orange, cedarwood, lemon, cinnamon, lavender, or thyme. I create a concoction of these essential oils that I spray on myself and my grandchildren when I take them on our treks in nature. I do insist that we stay on maintained pathways too, although my eldest grandson pushes the boundaries.

It’s also a good idea to inspect your skin after outings in tick prevalent areas. Common body parts to check are those that are warm and damp such as behind the knees, underarms, in the groin area, around the waist, and in and around the ears, hair, and belly button.  I will have to be more diligent at these types of inspections.

Researching and Reporting Tick Bites

There are plenty of websites with useful information on how to avoid ticks and how to treat their bites if you do find one on your body.

There are also several public platforms to report tick bites and submit pictures for identification for monitoring.

I used eTick.ca; they have identified my tick (from uploaded pictures) as a lxodus scapularis or blacklegged tick, AKA deer tick. (Pictured above) These ticks are the variety that carry the bacteria (borrelia burgdorferi) causing Lyme disease, transmitting it from animals to humans.

dream garden
Posted in garden design, gardens

Dream Garden, How To Create Yours

Posted on by Loreeebee

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s garden is not one of the ten commandments but it’s close. In fact, your neighbour would probably be tickled pink if you admired their garden and asked them for advice.  Better yet, use other people’s gardens as your inspiration for your own dream garden. Follow these simple steps to create your own!

Create a New Garden in the Fall

Fall is the perfect time to plan and start or restore a garden.  If you do not yet have a garden or would like to modify the one you have, follow this back-ache-free method.  I have not yet tried this method, but it appears reasonably easy and scientifically sound.  I would be willing to help anyone wishing to give it a try. Update: I did try this method, and it worked like a charm!

Determine the Shape of Your Dream Garden

First, decide the shape you want: do you like straight edges or do you prefer rounded, curved edges?  An easy way to visualize the shape is to lay a garden hose on the grass where you want your garden to be, adjusting the hose around the perimeter until you arrive with a shape you like.  A general rule of thumb is to have the garden’s width a minimum of one-third its length.  In other words, a foot-wide garden around the perimeter of your yard will not be as visually appealing as a wider one.  Remember though, it is your garden, use your artistic genius and go with the shape YOU like!

Smother the Grass with Layers

When the shape has been determined, cut the grass short within the designated area.  You are going to be smothering this grass, so short is best.  Next, lay non-glossy newspaper over the area, wetting each layer, until you have a 3 cm thick soggy mess!  Sprinkle the newspaper layer with a dusting of blood meal for nitrogen.  Then add a 4 cm layer of garden soil that has compost added. (not potting soil or topsoil) or composted manure. Your final layer should be 6 cm of organic, hardwood mulch to hold the other layers in place and to keep weeds from germinating.  It must be organic to decompose and enrich the soil.   Continue to water well between layers and after the mulch for the next few months; do not let your creation dry out!

Plant Your Dream Garden the Following Spring

In the spring, when the soil has warmed up, your garden will be ready to plant.  You do not have to disturb your layers, simply dig out a “plug” of mulch a bit bigger than the size of your plant, add the plant, and replace the mulch.  Remember, to prevent your plants from rotting,  keep the mulch away from the crown of perennials as well as the stems or trunks of shrubs and trees…

While thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s garden, you can admire your own dream garden!

Posted in facebook, gardens, loreeebee.ca, nature

The Last Bee

Posted on by Loreeebee

2035 The Last Bee is a fascinating movie produced about the looming extinction of bees. It was released around February 2021, and their numbers have not improved since then.

Watch the movie’s trailer to get a glimpse of what is to come.

I learned about the movie from Project Bee. My interest was piqued when I read their Facebook article about creating wildflower gardens on city boulevards. I would love to initiate such a program in my hometown of Kanata, a suburb of Ottawa. In the meantime, I plant and encourage others to plant perennials that the bees love…

I am all about respecting, conserving, protecting, and enjoying what Mother Nature provides us with. That includes bees, in fact, I have been known to talk to the bees I encounter in my own and my clients’ gardens. I never use toxic chemicals to remove bugs, weeds, and the like in these gardens.

Even though I had a painful encounter with a bumblebee last summer I do appreciate their unique contribution to our landscape.

To learn more about the movie 2035 The Last Bee and the dedication of the production team behind it, check out this website. Support them any way you can, the bees depend on it!

the last bee
Photo by Lisa on Pexels.com

chewed bark
Posted in gardening, gardens

Chewed Bark on Shrubs and Trees, Will They Survive?

Posted on by Loreeebee

Have you noticed chewed bark on the branches of your shrubs and trees this spring? That’s not good and signifies that they are in trouble. Those adorable rabbits, majestic deer, and their furry friends can cause lots of damage to your garden plantings. Even death.

How do You Know if Your Plant will Survive?

If the tree or shrub has the bark chewed all the way around the branches or trunk, the plant will most likely not survive. However, if only a portion of the trunk or branch circumference reveals chewed bark, you may be able to salvage the plant. Cut the plant back severely, almost to ground level, and wait.

The Remedy

For example, this shrub rose had lots of bark missing from its lower branches, but there were patches of healthy bark still intact…

chewed bark
shrub rose with some chewed and some intact branches

To rectify the damage, using a heavy-duty lopper, I cut all branches back to 8 inches from the ground. Three weeks later, the new growth was a foot tall. Isn’t nature amazing?

Other similarly damaged shrubs I encountered in this same client’s garden were weigela and ninebark. The stems of the weigela were almost totally stripped of their bark, leaving the branches white. I was pleasantly surprised to see they both recovered.

You don’t have much to lose if your shrubs or trees have suffered a similar fate this past winter. Cut them back and cross your fingers!

Preventing Chewed Bark on Branches

If you live in a rural area where furry critters visit your garden searching for food in the winter, consider wrapping the tasty trunks and stems of your plants next fall, before the snow falls. There are many products available for this purpose. Be sure to get tall ones as you have to ensure they are above the snow line. Or, you could keep adding smaller ones after each big snowfall.

early spring chores
Posted in gardening, gardens, weather

Early Spring Garden Chores

Posted on by Loreeebee

There are a few things you can get started on in your gardens in late winter or early spring. If you’re like me, you’re itching to get out there. But you really shouldn’t do much….yet. I don’t know about your gardens but mine were still covered in snow last week. However, after the warm weather and rain we’ve had the past few days, things are looking much more like spring!

Pruning Shrubs While Dormant

Dogwood are examples of shrubs that prefer to be pruned in late winter or very early spring. So are purple smoke tree, black lace elderberry, and viburnum. Snowball and panicle hydrangeas can be trimmed a bit later, still before new growth appears though.

Wait to prune spring flowering shrubs like forsythia, lilacs, magnolias etc until after they bloom.

Ornamental Grasses

All of the ornamental grasses you left to blow in the wind over the winter should be cut back as early as you can get to them, right back to about 4 inches tall. Don’t wait until they start to grow as it will be difficult to single out the dead (brown) stalks from the new green ones.

Edging

If you have trenched edging (my personal favourite) on your garden beds, these can be touched up as soon as the ground thaws enough to do so.

Jobs to Leave for a Bit

Cutting back stalky perennials or raking leaves and debris from your garden beds should wait until the weather stays above ten degrees C (50F) This gives bees and beneficial insects a chance to warm up from their winter hibernation to find somewhere else to live.

If you discover rabbit poop in your yard, leave it in the garden or rake it from your lawn into your garden. It makes great fertilizer, needing no composting stage.

Many seeds (zinnias, sunflowers, and other annuals) must wait until after the last frost to survive. Some you can start indoors if you are really impatient.

early spring garden chores

zinnias, cosmos, and poppies grown from seed

AI definition by Investopedia
Posted in science, technology

AI, The Death of Freelance Writers and More

Posted on by Loreeebee

Artificial Intelligence, referred to as AI, is great for many things and people. Not so great though for freelance writers and our brains.

A Simple Definition of AI

AI is a machine’s ability to perform the cognitive functions we associate with human minds, such as perceiving, reasoning, learning, interacting with the environment, problem-solving…

McKinsey.com

Advantages of AI

Don’t get me wrong, there are several advantages, especially to those of you who have embraced the fact that it’s here to stay:

  • investors playing the stock market. The future of AI is looking bright but becoming more competitive. If you were savvy enough to get in early, you’re probably laughing all the way to the bank. Just don’t expect to see a teller, their jobs are about to become obsolete.
  • writers in a hurry to create essays, reports, and the like will love AI, assuming they don’t mind using the same content as the rest of the world. I wonder how plagiarism-checking programs monitor AI-generated work.
  • removes mundane jobs involving repetitive and routine tasks. These jobs may include those in legal, finance, manufacturing, and even healthcare services.

Disadvantages of AI

After years in the freelance writing industry, where I spent many hours trying to make my words special and unique, I feel using AI for writing is a version of cheating, perfect for lazy writers.

I realize how much it simplifies things for many but it takes the artistic (personal) creativity out of the picture, which to me is a shame.

The worst feature of AI has to be the audio version used in GPS systems. The mis- pronunciation of street and city names can be quite comical. I live in a region where many are based on Indigenous names which are admittedly difficult to pronounce. Also annoying is the robotic cadence and lack of emotion or empathy in the voices.

Job displacement has to be a huge factor and disadvantage of AI that speaks for itself. Freelance writers like myself are just the tip of the iceberg.

The way the world is going these days, is no one else worried that AI might overtake human brains in intelligence? You know, you don’t use it, you lose it?

photo from Investopedia

dementia
Posted in health and wellness, loreeebee.ca

Dementia: Can You Prevent it?

Posted on by Loreeebee

As I get older, every time I forget something I wonder if dementia is imminent. Forgetfulness is common as we age, but just how forgetful is normal, and what level is more worrisome? We all joke about having “senior moments” but when do the jokes become reality?

What is Dementia

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes dementia as the following:

Dementia is not a specific disease but is rather a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Though dementia mostly affects older adults, it is not a part of normal aging

CDC

Excess Protein in the Brain

Current research is showing that protein buildups in the brain and nerve cells, known medically as proteinopathies, are culprits in the group of diseases causing several forms of dementia. Other common causes of dementia are brain injuries like strokes, as well as repeated physical injuries such as concussions.

Normal Aging

CDC assures that these age-related changes in our memory are perfectly normal:

  • Occasionally misplacing items
  • Struggling to find a word but remembering it later
  • Forgetting the name of an acquaintance
  • Forgetting the most recent events

This list also includes going upstairs for something, then forgetting why you went upstairs. Phew, I bet that’s a pretty common occurrence for many of us within my generation.

Worrisome Symptoms

As well as problems with memory, dementia symptoms include issues with communication, attention, problem-solving or judgment, and behavior or personality changes.

For example, if you get lost in a familiar neighbourhood, forget the name of a close friend or family member, find yourself unable to complete familiar tasks, organize or plan, notice decreased coordination, or start using inappropriate/wrong words in a conversation, you should seek medical help.

Warding off Dementia

Any activity that exercises your brain helps to keep dementia at bay. Referred to as cognitive engagement, this includes reading, puzzles, word games, and more.

Physical exercise also helps as it forces more oxygen into your brain. Low or inadequate levels of oxygen, medically called hypoxia, is defined by the National Library of Medicine (NLH) as:

Hypoxia, a condition where oxygen supply to tissue is inadequate, induces free radical generation leading to oxidative protein modifications and tissue damage [24–27]. Oxygen supply also acts as a modulator of aging processes [28]. The cerebrovascular disorders and hypoxia-ischemia injuries in the brain are projected as a primary cause of protein pathologies that leads to cognitive impairment and dementia [29, 30]. In short, hypoxia-ischemia injury in the brain persuades DPMs that can lead to aging, age-associated diseases, and neurodegeneration.

NIH

Social interaction has also been shown to reduce the risk of dementia and slow down its progression if it does happen. Maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure helps lower the risk of dementia as does avoiding/quitting smoking. Avoiding or reducing saturated fats, salt, and sugar is key to a healthy diet, which in turn helps maintain that healthy weight.

Do your part to reduce your risk!

photo credit: pexels-photo-8172897