If you’re already on the second month of wearing your two-week lenses and don’t really clean and refill your case after every use, here’s another reason to clean up your entire contact lenses wearing routine. According to a study published in the journal mBio, contact lenses wearers had higher-than-normal amounts of skin bacteria (specifically Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Methylobacterium, and Lactobacillus) on their eyes. How the contact lenses alter eye bacteria? The study, led by Maria Gloria …
While we all know to wear sunglasses to protect ourselves from the summer sun, there are other steps we can take to maintain our eye health all year long. For example, your diet plays an important role in your overall vision. To keep your peepers in tiptop shape, opt for foods rich in vitamin C (berries), vitamin E (olive oil), beta carotene (carrots), zinc (nuts), …
In nature, there is no such thing as waste. Fallen leaves, twigs, and bits of plant material fall to the ground, where they are broken down by microorganisms, and their nutrients recycled back into the soil to feed another generation of plants. You can mimic this elegant cycle by using your yard waste as mulch, or by turning it into compost. You’ll be keeping a …
Nine percent of Americans have diabetes. That’s 29.1 million people. It’s the seventh leading cause of death and costs the U.S. $245 billion annually. Fortunately, you’re not powerless against this condition. Plenty of research suggests that there are easy lifestyle steps you can take to reduce your risk for diabetes—and this goes beyond the standard recommendations of just lose weight and exercise. Here are 8 things …
While many of the nutrients we eat are released in a convenient liquid form (which is why diluted urine is great for immediate use in the garden or compost pile), the residual bulk and nutrients are delivered in a somewhat more problematic form: poop. Why problematic? Well, it’s heavy, bulky, and smelly, but, most importantly, in its raw form, poop is significantly more likely to contain …
When referring to CBD oil and other cannabis-related products, they often get mixed up between the concepts of THC and CBD. THC, which stands for Tetrahydrocannabinol is one component that is found in the resin of the plant, while cannabinoid oil, or CBD as it is more commonly referred to is the other. Both these components of the plant work on the cannabinoid receptors in …
The fourth and final generation of Monarchs for the year emerge from their pupae around late summer. External natural cues, perhaps the waning length of the day and cooler temperatures, cause a change in their bodies; their reproductive organs are immature, they are in a state of reproductive diapause. Unlike their parents that lived for only 2 to 5 weeks as butterflies, these fall adults …
You’ve bored yourself of sleepless nights, to tears counting sheep – and when that didn’t work, you moved on to goats, cows and former child stars who’ve turned their sorry lives into talk show fodder. The fact is, trying to force yourself to sleep is stressful business. And the harder you try to drop off insomnia, the more your body rebels, knotting itself into a …
Many wildflowers bloom early in spring, making use of sunlight that reaches the ground before the trees leaf out. Some are ephemeral, disappearing in summer’s heat. I prefer double-duty plants, whose foliage remains as a groundcover or background. The Phlox wildflowers are among the loveliest of these. Wild Blue Phlox One of my favorites is Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata). It has the familiar phlox-type …
Meteorite ALH84001 was found in 1984, lying like a chunk of black coal on the dazzling white ice wastes of the Allan Hills region of Antarctica. According to National Science Foundation geologist Roberta Score, who first picked up the meteorite and held it in her hand, it looked “kind of weird”. Now this unassuming stone has proved to be weird indeed, but also wonderful. And …
To fend off age-related ailments, James Duke prefers his own garden path to the drugstore aisle. His 10,000-square-foot “Garden of Youth” contains medicinal plants to ease everything from bursitis to heart disease. We consulted his Prescriptions (Rodale) and Dr. Duke himself for 10 of his favorite “youth preservers”— each anti-aging herb presented here with an epigram from Duke (James A. “Jim” Duke – Born in Birmingham, …
South American fire ants are on a rampage and have blazed their way through a growing number of southern U.S. states. Now, scientists are seeking a way to fight the deadly insects that are destroying crops and terrorizing small mammals as well as humans. Fire ants – known for their burning sting – are believed to have spread into the U.S. while aboard ships from …
