Monthly Archives: November 2017

Learning to Cope with Product Sensitivities

Organic baby clothes

Are you the type of person that is sensitive to strong scents and new products? Some people can sense when a product contains certain ingredients and they might experience rashes, congested feelings, or allergy symptoms. If you tend to be one of these people, you are probably used to taking notice of the products you use and put a lot of effort into the products that you purchase. These tips will help you be even more aware of the items you use.

Pay special attention to the products you sleep on
Besides your clothing, your bed is the one product that you spend the most time on. If your bedding contains harsh chemicals or ingredients that activate your allergies, it is not going to be very comfortable. It could even affect your sleep quality. Organic bedding sets are a great option for those with multiple sensitivities. Organic bedding sets are made out of all natural materials and are unlikely to trigger any allergies. You can purchase every needed bedding material in organic bedding sets too, including both mattress pads and mattress bed sheets.

Your shower should be your refresh time
Many people are unaware of the harsh ingredients of the items they shower with. Your shower should be your chance to start fresh. You are washing all of the previous day?s products off of you and starting over. Make sure your shower materials are organic and made from all natural of products. Additionally, make sure the towel that you are drying off with is also hypoallergenic. Bath towels that are used once a day to dry off after a shower can be used up to three times before needing to be washed. However, if you are extremely sensitive to some products, it might be a good idea to wash every time.

Pay attention to kid?s sensitivities
Children can also be prone to allergies and sensitivities. It can be more difficult to distinguish this in children. However, if you notice that your child is sneezing more or having trouble sleeping, it could be due to the products you are using. Younger children, especially newborn babies should only be exposed to natural baby products. It will take them some time to develop their immune systems and in the meantime, you don?t want to expose them to any products that are going to aggravate them. Organic bedding sets and even organic toys are also a good idea for young children and babies.

Be mindful of the detergent you are using
All of your sensitivity awareness habits could be pointless if you are washing your bedding and clothing in a harmful chemical detergent. Many of the detergents on the market today contain very strong of ingredients. Choosing the wrong detergent can affect you on a daily basis. Detergent sensitivities can show in the form of rashes, itching, or even cold symptoms. Find a detergent that is made out of organic materials and experiment with different types to see which works the best. Approximately 85% of people rated a comfortable feel of sheets and bedding as important to good sleep, in the National Sleep Foundation?s Bedroom Poll. The detergent that you use on both your bedding and your pajamas can make a difference.

An international study by Unilever revealed that one third of consumers are not buying brands based on their social and environmental impact. Additionally, many consumers are turning to organic materials like organic bedding sets because of sensitivities and allergies. When you have a sensitivity to certain chemicals and ingredients, you have to become more aware of the products that you are using on a daily basis.

Why You Need Outdoor Furniture Covers in Your Life Right Now

Dog coop

Americans love the great outdoors, and perhaps the greatest thing about the great outdoors is that you don’t have to go all that far in order to experience the benefits of time spent outside. In fact, sometimes the best way to get away from it all is simply spending time in your own backyard.

Patios, kitchens, pergolas, and other kinds of outdoor spaces or rooms have become increasingly popular, and it’s easy to see why. These spaces not only serve as a functional extension of the home, but they’re also multipurpose areas that can be used for cooking, entertaining, relaxing, and much more.

According to the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association, outdoor leisure lifestyle is a rapidly expanding $6.2 billion industry with more and more Americans investing in adding, creating, and designing their own outdoor spaces. And like any investment or home remodeling project, proper maintenance is key to supporting a healthy financial return.

Just like any other multipurpose living space, furniture plays an important role in both the aesthetic and functionality of outdoor rooms. A room wouldn’t be a room without furniture, even if its outdoors! Similarly, outdoor furniture requires maintenance in order to remain up to snuff. Outdoor furniture covers are one of the best ways to maintain outdoor furniture and can help to preserve its functionality and overall quality.

If you have outdoor furniture, outdoor furniture covers are a must. Here’s why:

Bugs be gone

You may be wondering why you should invest in outdoor furniture covers when you can simply cover your outdoor furniture with a tarp or another kind of material. But when it comes to properly storing and maintaining outdoor furniture, DIY hacks just won’t cut it. Outdoor furniture covers are designed to provide protection from bugs and pests, which may eat or burrow into outdoor furniture and cause serious damage.

Mold and mildew

If you think you don’t need outdoor furniture covers because you store your outdoor furniture in your garage, pool house, or wooden sheds then think again! Mold and mildew not only look bad, but they’re also bad for you! Even if you store your outdoor furniture is in a covered area, moisture can still contribute to mold and mildew growing both in and on your furniture. The best way to avoid this is to use mold and mildew resistant outdoor furniture covers and a find a cool, dry storage area.

Not so much fun in the sun

The sun’s UV rays can damage outdoor furniture by causing its color to fade, which is why simply covering your outdoor furniture with a tarp or inexpensive material simply won’t work. Outdoor furniture covers are designed to withstand penetrating UV rays, while also providing protection against heat, salt, and harsh outdoor elements.

Outdoor rooms and spaces, including outdoor furniture, can be costly but they’re also a wise and worthwhile investment. Using outdoor furniture covers is the best way to ensure you can enjoy your personal backyard oasis season after season!

Emergency Care Services How They Provide the Best Urgent and Emergency Medical Care

Emergency medical and urgent services

There are approximately 110 million emergency room visits every year. While a substantial percentage of these visits may be for life-threatening situations, others could be treated at an urgent care clinic. Recent data shows that emergency room visits have actually increased more than 22% within the past ten years. This is due, in part, to how Americans expect and rely on 24-hour access to medical services.

According to a 2009 RAND Corp. study, approximately $4.4 billion in health care costs could be saved by people visiting urgent care clinics. This is due to their finding that 14% to 27% of the issues that lead people to go the emergency room could have been evaluated and treated at an urgent care center. Since some of these facilities also have 24 hour walk in clinics, they are a welcome alternative to the traditional hospital emergency room.

The Urgent Care Association of America reports that in 2011, the average urgent care center saw 342 patients on a weekly basis. Furthermore, these urgent care centers also had an increase of 28 new patients per month. This demonstrates that more people are becoming aware of the effective care that is being provided by urgent care facilities.

About half of the urgent care centers are owned by a physician or group of physicians. When visiting 60% of these facilities, patients usually only need to wait for up to 15 minutes to see a physician or mid-level provider, such as a physician’s assistant. There is also a physician on-site at all times with 65% of urgent care facilities.

The American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine indicates that on average, physicians will see 4.5 patients per hour. This will, of course, depend on whether or not each patient is presenting with a serious health problem. In some instances, these individuals may need to be admitted to the hospital.

It’s also important to note that the best urgent care also costs less than a traditional hospital emergency room visit. More specifically, when someone is treated at a hospital emergency room for an issue such as the flu, this can cost an average of $2,039.00. When someone visits an urgent care clinic for the same issue, the costs would average $226.00.

Since the best urgent care facilities can treat a wide range of illnesses and injuries as well as provide advanced diagnostic and laboratory services, it makes sense for people to visit these medical centers. This is even more the case with hybrid medical centers. These centers have emergency departments as well as the best urgent care clinics within the same building. As a result, patients do not have to make a choice as to which would be better because they will have access to both under the same roof.

Changes in the Medical Field Growing Urgent Care Industry

After hours pediatrics

Did you know that you have options when it comes to what type of doctor?s visit you have? Year after year, you probably continue to set up appointments with your primary care physician. This means calling in and hoping they have an appointment slot with a date and a time that fits in your schedule. You also hope that it?s not too far in the distant future if you?re sick or injured. Once you arrive, you never know how long your wait time will be. What if you had the choice to go to a different type of doctor, especially for illnesses and injuries that needed quick attention? Now, this option exists with offices like urgent care and clinics.

Interested in learning more about walk-in urgent care clinics and why they might be the
right option for your medical needs? Keep reading for more information about the benefits of using an urgent care clinic.

Growth of the Urgent Care Industry Over the Years

urgent care and clinics that offer 24 hour walk in availability are on the rise in the United States. The demand for options like these has resulted in more and more doctors becoming certified and more locations opening all throughout the country. For instance, when it comes to Urgent Care Medicine, more than 20,000 physicians practice in this field. Those numbers are expected to increase greatly, as well. No longer is this a small field that is underrepresented and not recognized in the medical industry. Instead, it is considered a fast-growing speciality that many are choosing to practice in. In addition to this field gaining numbers, other medical fields are losing numbers. The Family Medicine specialty is actually seeing a drop in numbers as many doctors choose to specialize in Urgent Care Medicine instead.

Across the country, you won?t find a shortage of these types of urgent care and clinics facilities. In fact, there are around 9,300 locations operating as stand-alone centers that offer walk-in appointments. Every year, more clinics open in different areas throughout the United States. Currently, it is estimated that around 50-100 new clinics open per year.

Benefits of Visiting an Urgent Care Facility

So, why should you opt for a urgent care and clinics that offer 24-hour walk-ins? There are plenty of reasons this choice is more beneficial than visiting your primary physician or attempting to get into an emergency room attached to a hospital.

One benefit is the wait time. At your primary care physician, even if you have an appointment, there?s no saying how long you could wait in the waiting room. When you visit urgent care centers it is estimated that more than 60% of these clinics have less than a 15 minute wait time. On top of that, you don?t have to make an appointment beforehand. That already cuts wait time down because you can simply walk-in and see a doctor.

Since 97% of these clinics are open every day of the week and 99% of the clinics are open for 24 hours, you can rely on urgent care clinics when you have an illness or injury that needs direct and immediate attention. Many times people get sick or injured but it?s not dire enough to visit the emergency room. On the other hand, you don?t want to wait for an open appointment during normal operating hours at your primary care physician. This is when urgent care clinics turn out to be extremely beneficial. You can drop in on any day, at any time, and know that your wait time won?t be very long. You?ll leave shortly after your visit with a doctor with a diagnosis and the treatment you need to feel better.

Statistics also show that you are likely to save money on an appointment like this in comparison to visiting an emergency room. You could spend more than $2,000 in a hospital emergency room where the same treatment could be given for around $200 at an urgent care facility.

Are you going to try visiting an urgent care and clinics that offer 24 hour walk-ins near you? Let us know in the comments your thoughts on the changing medical field.

Quilting A Five Millenia Old Tradition

Memory quilt patterns

They are for graduation. The birth of a child. Marriage. Even a family member leaving home. And while throughout most of history they were used for bedding to keep warm, today’s can be seen as art. There are even exhibitions.

Quilting dates back to 3400 BC, to the times of the Egyptian dynasties. In fact, quilting can be traced back to Ancient Egypt and also Ancient China. Both traditions used three layers (the top, the batting (for warmth), and backing) were stitched together to keep the middle layer from slipping and clumping.

Quilting, as a process, still involves those basic principles. There is a woven cloth “top,” a layer of batting or wadding, and then a woven “back”; quilters, then, sew all three parts together.

Today, 21 million people quilt in the United States. At the time of the study, which was 2014, the quilting industry in the United States was a $3.7 billion industry. In fact, 14% of U.S. households are home to at least one active quilter.

Quilts today are often used as gifts to commemorate occasions. There are bereavement quilts, for instance, as well as the custom memory quilt. Many in the United States today design handmade quilts, which is more detailed and differs from the process of factory made quilts.

But while quilts today are used as gifts and not always as bedding (which will be covered later), quilts were initially used for keeping someone warm. In fact, the American quilting tradition is especially strong because early settlers in America needed to keep warm throughout the northeastern winter spells.

Those settlers would use textiles and design quilts by hand. The settlers encountered the problem of not having enough fabric. Importing fabric was expensive, while making local textiles was time-consuming. Families would save scrap pieces of fabric that would later be sewn together, creating the “community quilt.”

Quilting has often been a communal activity, with girls and women coming together to design and sew quilts. Often, the actual knitting was completed by multiple people and for many different occasions. Wedding and the birth of a baby were two occasions where quilts were more often sewn.

And while that is monolith picture of quilting traditions, it is important to note that many different cultures had their own traditions and styles and designs. They include:

  • The Amish: They traditionally use solid color on a white background. While quilting used to be solely community activity, today there are Amish quilt factories.
  • Baltimore quilts: Using motifs and a highly detailed design to create memorable on typically white or off-white background to enhance the designs.
  • African American quilts: Taken from textile traditions in Central and West Africa, along with various other peoples and traditions in Africa.

Today, quilt makers may use different types of fabric than cloth to apply to a “top” of the quilt. There are t-shirt quilt makers, for instance, who specialize in the custom t-shirt quilt. A custom quilt is also a great way to give a gift to someone who has had a special moment in their life

A custom quilt may not even be used for bedding; often they are works of art and can be hung up on walls to show off the artistry. A custom quilt can also be useful to capture the moment and personality of the individual.

Why Alzheimer’s Care Is Important

Alzheimers care facilities

In the United States and across the globe there is no industry more important to the day to day health of people than the medical industry. Even though this is true, many overlook just how important the industry is in terms of how they work to help make peoples lives better and healthier. While some of these instances will deal with minor colds and unimportant illnesses, there are other instances in which the medical industry works to combat serious diseases.

A very dangerous disease amongst older citizens in the United States, Alzheimer’s diseases is one of the different types of dementia and is incredibly dangerous. As a matter of fact, it is the only top ten cause of death in the United States that cannot be prevented, slowed, or cured. Here is what you need to know about getting help with Alzheimers care.

Right now in the United States, almost two-thirds of all patients that need help with Alzheimers care are women. This is important to know because many people will often assume that only men can get Alzheimers disease, even though it shows no favoritism amongst different genders. Statistics have also shown that in teh United States, Alzheimers is the sixth leading cause of death.

If you want to get help with Alzheimers care then look into care options for Alzheimers patients. These can include dementia long-term care facilities or Alzheimer cares homes that exist within assisted living facilities. These types of places work hard to help people get help with Alzheimers care. Just about one in three seniors will suffer a fatal case of Alzheimers and as a result, it is important you get them help with Alzheimers care.

A study was conducted by Genworth Financial and this study revealed that over 55% of all older citizens stated their greatest fear in terms of coming down with a long-term illness is being a burden on their family. Understand that most people reported that they are five times more concerned with being a burden than they are dying. So these people would probably prefer to be placed in assisted living apartments.

Right now, just about 26% of all assisted living residents are male while almost 74% are female. More than 75% of all assisted living residents have at the very least high blood pressure or some form of dementia. These people usually end up in assisted living apartments because they need help with Alzheimers care Just about 40% of all assisted living residents will get help with three or more of their daily living activities.

While most people will worry about living in assisted homes, they will be surprised to find out how fun they are. Most people have reported that they are likely to make new friends and will also be open to trying new things while also stating they had a better experience than they expected. Also, most assisted living residences will provide 24-hour supervision, three meals a day which includes snacks, group dining, health care services, help with Alzheimers care, social services, and even housekeeping and maintenance.

In Conclusion

Getting help with Alzheimers care is no joke and it is something that people across the world need to begin taking more seriously. People who come down this serious disease need all of the help they can get. It is not an easy issue to deal with and anyone that suffers from Alzheimers is going to have a rough time coming to full health.