Keep Asthma and Allergies in Check with These Simple Home Improvements

Suffering from asthma or allergies can really affect your quality of life, particularly when you can't even find relief in your own home. Homes should be a place of comfort and relaxation, not somewhere to suffer from indoor allergy-related issues. Yet, this is a problem that about 25 percent of American face, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Luckily there are a number of ways to keep allergies and asthma in check. Here are three simple and effective strategies for an allergy-free home. 

Clean or Replace Your Carpet

Carpeting is one of the number one sources of indoor allergens. Dust, pollen, and mold get caught in the carpet fibers and wreak havoc on your health. There are a few ways to deal with this. First, you can be extremely diligent about cleaning your carpet. This includes regular vacuuming and washing, as well as regular professional cleaning. If this still does not help the problem, you may want to consider replacing your carpet altogether. You can replace it with a carpet that is more resistant to indoor allergens or install hardwood floors. Though the most expensive route hardwood floors are often the most effective way to deal with indoor allergens originating in your carpet. This is particularly true for those who have animals. 

Get Rid of Excess Fabric

Like carpet, fabric is another hotbed of allergen offenders. If you have a lot of heavy curtains in your home, this could be contributing to your indoor allergies. Like carpet, you can commit to diligent cleaning and dusting, or you could replace them. There are tons of stylish, fabric-free options for adorning your windows, such as wooden blinds, roman blinds, and window shutters. These are all stylish options that will ensure that you do not have to sacrifice your home's style. 

Improve Your Home's Indoor Air Quality

Another source of allergens in your home is the air itself. Indoor air can actually be more polluted than the air outside. If you suffer from asthma or indoor allergies, you may considerindoor air quality testing in order to determine whether there is mold in your home and if so, what the exact nature of it is. Companies such as MoldGone in D.C. offer such services. With more detailed information about your home's indoor air quality, you can make more informed decisions about what kind of treatment will be best for your allergies. Solutions may include an air purification system, mold remediation, or another route.You will immediately notice the difference to your health once airborne pollutants have been removed.

5 Hydration Facts To Enhance Your Life

You've heard that hydration is important, but just how important is it to stay hydrated during the day? Those who lead athletic lifestyles are more prone to dehydration, yet it remains an issue among athletes. Here are five compelling hydration facts to help you out.

#1: You can hydrate with more than just water.

Foods are also a good source of hydration. Consider these edible water sources: 

• Oatmeal: 84% water. 
• Low-fat milk: 90% water. 
• Lettuce: 96% percent water. 
• Tomato: 95% water. 
• Broccoli: 89% water. 

It's a good idea to vary your liquid intake among different sources. Vling hydration mixers available at VlingMixers.com are designed to be a good source of hydration at any time of the day.

#2: You need water for proper digestion.

Water is very important for your body to fully digest the food you eat. It's necessary to moisten and break down the food with saliva, further break it down gastrointestinal secretions, and transport nutrients to your entire body via the bloodstream.

#3: Your body can't function without water.

Aside from contributing to digestion problems, a lack of hydration can cause your body to shut down completely. Every process in your body requires water, including waste elimination, muscle growth, and wound healing. In fact, you're made up of at least 75% of it.

#4: Sweating causes you to lose water on the inside and outside of your cells

Did you know that the water on the outside of your cells contains the electrolytes sodium and potassium? electrolytes help your body to retain a healthy amount of water. When you lose them, your body loses its ability to retain water. This is why it's a good idea to drink an electrolyte-rich source of liquid if you live an active lifestyle.

#5: A high amount of certain chemicals in the blood triggers thirst

When exercising, your body loses water in the form of sweat. When it loses enough water, certain chemicals in the blood become concentrated. When the concentration is high enough, your body signals that you need to take in more water.

Staying hydrated is important in more ways than one. Make sure that you get enough water each day to support your active lifestyle.

Savor the simple Things

As a mother of two, I truly understand what Denise Austin is trying to say in her article that I copied below. It is very true that simple things make our children happy, that is why we have to value every little moment that we shared with our kids. Photos were taken at the lobby of the hotel in Legazpi City where we stayed.

Have you ever noticed how easily most children are made happy? Simple things — a colorful sticker, a trip to the park, hugging a cuddly puppy — make them squeal with delight and smile for hours.

Naturally, it's not as easy for adults to be so easily satisfied. While simple things should make us happy, life has gotten more complicated. Cute as they are, puppies just won't do it anymore — our happiness too often comes from big paychecks and expensive purchases. We've got less time to enjoy life and we're more stressed out. It's enough to make you wish you were a kid again!

chapped hands

Do you experienced having chapped hands. My husband and I experiences that with our fingers during winter. It is painful, good thing when we came here, my Korean friend gave me this moisturizer that really works..

Hands can become so dry and chapped -- especially during winter -- that they can become very painful.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these suggestions to help prevent chapped hands: 1. Keep them covered, avoiding exposure to sun, cold or wind. 2. Don't wash your hands with water that's too hot. 3. Wash your hands when necessary to prevent the spread of germs, but don't overdo it. 4. Use a humidifier at home. 5. Stay away from harsh soaps. 6. Moisturize your hands frequently

6 Easy ways to SAVE on your commute!

It's not news that ever-rising gas prices can be a burden on your bank account. The average family doles out about $100 a week on gasoline—almost the same as what they spend on food, according to the New Jersey Public Interest Group (NJPIRG). If you're looking for ways to spend less on gas and keep a little more of your hard-earned cash in your pocket, try these easy ways to save on your commute.

The price of gas here in Korea is enormous, it is 8 something dollars a gallon, can you imagine that? good thing we can buy ours inside the base where we live, though it still a little bit high but not much. The bad thing is that the supply is out sometimes, just like this month.. We don't have supply from the 8th till the the 28th... sigh...
source: qualityhealth.com

Kamatis (Tomato)

Food fight! Today thousands of revelers in Buñol, Spain, will pick up their weapon of choice—tomatoes—to take part in the annual throwing festival, la Tomatina. You can celebrate this fruit in a more civilized way with cooking club's trio of recipes. They'll give you all the satisfaction, without all the mess: Pesto-Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes With the tip of a paring knife, hollow out small V-shaped cavities in the tops of plump cherry tomatoes. 

Fill with a dab of purchased pesto. Tomato and Cheese Melts Top 4 slices of rustic bread with slices of tomato and smoked Gouda cheese. Place on a baking sheet; broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts and browns. Sliced Summer Tomatoes Thinly slice 1 lb. tomatoes; arrange overlapping on platter. Sprinkle with scant 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste; drizzle with 5 teaspoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar. Garnish with 3 sliced green onions. Let stand 5 to 15 minutes before serving.