Interesting read about foods to ease the pain of arthritis sufferers

SCIENTISTS REVEAL THE MOST EFFECTIVE SUPPLEMENTS AND FOODS TO EASE THE PAIN OF ARTHRITIS!                        

• Just one-and-a-half fish oil supplements a day reduces inflammation to ease pain
• Vitamin K, which is found in kale and parsley, promotes bone and cartilage repair
• Weight loss in the obese helps to reduce the strain on patients' joints
• Researchers emphasise the importance of lifestyle choices in managing arthritis 
• Osteoarthritis affects up to one third of people over 45 in the UK

Scientists have revealed the most effective ways osteoarthritis (OA) suffers can ease their agonising pain.  

After analysing more than 60 studies, the researchers discovered just one-and-a-half fish-oil supplements, or one gram, a day significantly reduces crippling discomfort in OA sufferers by easing inflammation.

Vitamin K, which is found in kale, spinach and parsley, also relieves patients' symptoms by promoting bone and cartilage repair, the study review found. 

Among obese OA patients, weight loss helps to minimise pain by reducing the strain put on joints, as well as excessive weight loss being linked to inflammation, the research adds.  

Study author Professor Ali Mobasheri, from the University of Surrey, said: 'Lifestyle should also be considered when attempting to reduce the pain of osteoarthritis. 

'Patients can’t expect miracles with dietary interventions if they are overweight and drink or smoke heavily.'

OA affects up to one third of people over 45 in the UK. The condition is caused by the cartilage at the ends of bones breaking down over time.

Results further suggest that eating whole fish has the same benefits as taking oil supplements, however, many people fail to meet the American Dietary Guidelines of one portion a week.

Taking supplements may be more convenient than incorporating fish into people's diets. 

High cholesterol levels are also associated with OA due to them causing inflammation and accumulating in cartilage, leading to its destruction. 

Eating more fibre, as well as adding oats or nuts to OA patients' diets may help to reduce their cholesterol levels. 

Calorie restriction does not benefit OA patients who are of a healthy weight.

Study author Professor Margaret Rayman said: 'The importance of a good diet and regular exercise should never be underestimated. 

'Not only does it keep us fit and healthy, but as we have learned from this study, it can also lessen painful symptoms of osteoarthritis. 

'We are what we eat and it is important that we have the right amount of nutrients from our food to ensure that our body systems work as they should.' 

The researchers wrote, in the journal Rheumatology, that given the limited treatment options available to OA patients, 'any risk-free means of reducing progression or relieving debilitating symptoms in such a large patient group should be given a try'. 

This comes after scientists ranked the five most effective, non-surgical treatments for knee OA in research released earlier this month.

For pain reduction, cortisone injections provide the most effective short-term relief, followed by ibuprofen, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, and the non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) naproxen and celecoxib, a study by the non-profit health system Dartmouth-Hitchcock, New England, found.

Yet, naproxen is the best overall remedy to both improve joint function and minimise discomfort, the research adds.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) injections appear to be relatively ineffective at relieving pain or boosting knee function, with 12 out of 53 studies finding such therapies are no better than placebo, the study found.

The researchers believe their findings support the use of naproxen as a first-line drug-based treatment for knee OA.

Previous research also suggests naproxen causes less heart attacks and strokes than other drugs of its class.

Original Post - Click HERE! Credits to Daily Mail

This song does things to me........

To Build a Home

The Cinematic Orchestra

There is a house built out of stone
Wooden floors, walls and window sills
Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust
This is a place where I don't feel alone
This is a place where I feel at home

'Cause, I built a home
For you
For me

Until it disappeared
From me
From you

And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust

Out in the garden where we planted the seeds
There is a tree as old as me
Branches were sewn by the color of green
Ground had arose and passed it's knees

By the cracks of the skin I climbed to the top
I climbed the tree to see the world
When the gusts came around to blow me down
I held on as tightly as you held onto me
I held on as tightly as you held onto me

And, I built a home
For you
For me

Until it disappeared
From me
From you

And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust

Summertime Must-Do List

If You Love Lobster, You’ll Want To Visit This Tiny Village In Connecticut
(click this link)

Starting my MUST-DO list for the Summertime!!  I am not going to miss out this year.  Last year was kind of a dud because I worked so much but this Summer, I am going to be sure to make it a priority to do lots of fun things!!! If you know me, you know that lobster is one of my FAVORITE food on the planet!  My family is from the Northeast and we have always had lobster multiple times a year.  I will want to visit one or all of the places listed on the site when you click the link above.  They all look amazing! 



I love this website, ONLY IN YOUR STATE.  I go to this site quite often to get ideas on things to do that I haven't done yet or would like to do again.  They have a website for each and every state.

RIP - To a True Hero....

I HOPE YOU REST IN PEACE, MY GOOD MAN, YOU DESERVE IT

Click this link to read about this incredible human being.  People like this wonderful person are the people I look up to, not celebrities.  People that stand up for what they believe in.  I would like to think I would have tried to do the same thing.  I hope his soul is at peace.

What a clever girl!

I want to be friends with this chick!

This is on my bucket list of things to see in my lifetime...

"Cherry Blossoms Have Just Bloomed In China, And It’s Probably One Of The Most Amazing Sights On The Planet"

Cherry Blossoms - Click this link for more info

Incredible story about how TURMERIC is the bomb diggity!

A woman who battled blood cancer for years without success finally halted the disease with turmeric, it has been reported.

Dieneke Ferguson is now leading a normal life after giving up on gruelling treatments that failed to stop it.

Doctors say her case is the first recorded instance in which a patient has recovered by using the spice after stopping conventional medical treatments.

With her myeloma spreading rapidly after three rounds of chemotherapy and four stem cell transplants, the 67-year-old began taking 8g of curcumin a day – one of the main compounds in turmeric.

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Dieneke Ferguson had been diagnosed with the blood cancer myeloma 
in 2007 and had undergone three rounds of chemotherapy 
as well as four stem cell transplants

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Dieneke is still taking 8g of curcumin in tablet form daily 
— the equivalent of about two teaspoonfuls of pure powdered curcumin

The cancer, which has an average survival of just over five years, was causing increasing back pain and she had already had a second relapse.

But it stabilised after Mrs Ferguson, from north London, came across the remedy on the internet in 2011 and decided to try it as a last resort.

 The tablets are expensive – £50 for ten days – but as kitchen turmeric contains just 2 per cent curcumin it would be impossible to eat enough to get the same dose.  Mrs Ferguson, who was first diagnosed in 2007, continues to take curcumin without further treatment and her cancer cell count is negligible.

Her doctors, from Barts Health NHS Trust in London, wrote in the British Medical Journal Case Reports: ‘To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in which curcumin has demonstrated an objective response in progressive disease in the absence of conventional treatment.’

The experts, led by Dr Abbas Zaidi, said some myeloma patients took dietary supplements alongside conventional treatment but ‘few, if any, use dietary supplementation as an alternative to standard antimyeloma therapy’. 

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Doctors say Dieneke Ferguson's case is the first recorded instance in which a 
patient has recovered by using turmeric (pictured) after stopping conventional 
medical treatments

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Since the turn of the century, more than 50 studies have tested curcumin 
– the pigment in turmeric that gives it its bright yellow colour

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Dieneke tried Curcumin, a component of turmeric, and five years on, 
her cancer cell count is negligible. Pictured: Dieneke Ferguson 
with the Olympics Torch in Brazil

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But they added: ‘In the absence of further antimyeloma treatment the patient plateaued and has remained stable for the past five years with good quality of life.’

Since the turn of the century, more than 50 studies have tested curcumin – the pigment in turmeric that gives it that bright yellow colour.

A CENTURIES-OLD EASTERN REMEDY

• Turmeric is a yellow spice widely used as a flavouring in the Indian subcontinent and as a food colouring by industry
• It is ground from the dried root of an Asian plant called Curcuma longa and has been used in Eastern medicine for centuries
• Curcumin - turmeric’s active ingredient - has significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties
• Studies have shown it is an effective painkiller and also reduces the risk of lung disease, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and depression.

But although it is widely used in Eastern medicine, and has been studied for its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effects, curcumin is not widely prescribed because it has never been tested in large-scale trials.

The doctors wrote that the ‘biological activity of curcumin is indeed remarkable’, including its ‘anti-proliferative effects in a wide variety of tumour cells’. 

But Professor Jamie Cavenagh, one of the authors of the paper, stressed it may not work for all patients. He said: ‘A lot of my patients take curcumin at different stages of their treatment. I don’t object to it.

‘Dieneke’s is the best response I have observed and it is clear-cut because we had stopped all other treatment.’

Mrs Ferguson, who runs Hidden Art, a not-for-profit business helping artists market their work, is frustrated doctors cannot recommend the spice and wants more research carried out.

She said: ‘I hope my story will lead to more people finding out about the amazing health benefits of curcumin.’

Myeloma affects some 5,500 people in the UK every year, killing nearly 3,000.

CLICK THIS LINK FOR A VIDEO.

I did not write this post.  I reposted this from DAILYMAIL.  Click the original link HERE.

Errrrbody in the Club Gettin' Tipsy

If you're looking for THE BOMB alcoholic recipes, look no further..  if you don't know about the Tipsy Bartender then you better learn.  I have made it easy for you to click below and be redirected to all kinds of YUMMMY! 

Sangria's and anything wine related!

A good vodka drink...   go here!

Some rum...  here!

Tequila aka Ta Kill Ya...  YUP!

Mimomas... MMMMMM!

Mojito's...  you bring JOY to my life!

Shots Shots Shots Shots!

Jello Shots.... jiggly goodness that goes down smooth!

Frozen Drinks

Layered Shots

Punches and Jungle Juices

Margarita's

ALL KINDS OF DRUNKENNESS IS LOCATED HERE!


Check out this video for the Fruity Pebble Shot!!

How about some Amaretto Cherries!!!!

This makes my mouth water!!  The Fruit Loop!!

You're Killing Me Smalls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How am I supposed to work when I can't see through my tears?????    

Where has this dude/group been all my life?? 

I am LOVING his music and lyrics!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Below is another one to his baby girl...   WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Intense right?  So beautiful.....  

Light

May these words be the first to find your ears
The world is brighter than the sun now that you're here
Though your eyes will need some time to adjust
To the overwhelming light surrounding us

I'll give you everything I have
I'll teach you everything I know
I promise I'll do better
I will always hold you close
But I will learn to let you go
I promise I'll do better
I will soften every edge
I'll hold the world to its best
And I'll do better
With every heartbeat I have left
I will defend your every breath
And I'll do better

Cause you are loved
You are loved more than you know
I hereby pledge all of my days
To prove it so
Though your heart is far too young to realize
The unimaginable light you hold inside

I'll give you everything I have
I'll teach you everything I know
I promise I'll do better
I will always hold you close
But I will learn to let you go
I promise I'll do better
I will rearrange the stars
Pull 'em down to where you are
I promise I'll do better
With every heartbeat I have left
I'll defend your every breath
I promise I'll do better
I will soften ever edge
Hold the world to its best
I promise I'll do better
With every heartbeat I have left
I'll defend your every breath
I'll do better

Unfriggenbelievable Lyrics...

I just found this song online on a blog I follow.. 

 I wonder what this man's daughter will feel when she hears these lyrics written about her...     makes my heart want to explode!

"Life"

It began

With a whisper in my ear:

"I think it's time."

Suddenly all we held dear was on the line.

As your heart measured in mountains fell and climbed.

You're okay, you're okay, you're okay, you're okay.

Amen.

We were changed in an instant.

We became so much more.

Our definition of perfect was written when she was born.

She drew her first breath out of what love meant.

In my heart, reconciled all the darkness and light inside my chest.

As her hands held tight.

And her eyes met mine, I saw the future unfold in sliver and gold.

And I'm already proud.

Beautiful like your mother,

You are grace, you are light.

The better version of our past.

From the start of life.

We will learn from each other.

As you grow up, we will too.

And our reflections of one another.

We will start something new.

We were changed in an instant.

We became so much more.

Our definition of perfect was written when you were born.

There is so much to tell you.

There is so much to see.

We will show you the oceans, and everything in between.

What a privilege to love you,

To teach you all that we know.

To watch you build a collection of dreams that you can call your own.

You are beautiful like your mother.

You are grace, you are light. Oh.

A better version of our past.

From the start of life.

We were changed in an instant,

When we became so much more. Oh.

Our definition of perfect was written when you were born.

Cry Fest

So I'm at work minding my own business and it's about lunch time so I do a little light reading... I come across this video...   I lost it at my desk.  I dare you to watch this and not get emotional.  I had to leave my office.  This really touched my heart.  So beautiful to see a father love his son like this.  GET A WHOLE BOX OF TISSUES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5381293/The-heartbreaking-moment-father-sings-son.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

We could learn a lot about love and tolerance from animals....

Just a beautiful Shepard and his Owl....

Breathtaking Photos





Click the link above to see the photographer info etc.

Old Photos - Only in CT

I signed up for ONLY IN YOUR STATE emails to arrive daily.  So many cool and amazing things come through about Connecticut. This photo below was taken on Main Street in Hartford in 1885 at a bicycle parade.  Look at the horses!  Look at those old bicycles with the huge front wheel!  It's amazing to this people lived this way.  I love this website.  Each state has their own and you can sign up for as many as you like.  CLICK HERE for more old photos like the one below.

PHOTO CREDIT: Frank L. Hale/SSF - Bicycles and Tricycles/Library of Conress


President Roosevelt was in Willimantic in 1902 on a Tour of the Northeast.

PHOTO CREDIT: Underwood & Underwood/STEREO PRES FILE - Roosevelt, Theodore
Tour through New England--1902 /Library of Congress

A few of the park in downtown Hartford.  Look at the old car!!  The Capital!!  How did they construct all of these things back in the day?  So cool!  This is from 1906.

Old Images of Connecticut/Facebook

I love a good tearjerker!!!!

I am a HUGE movie buff.  H.U.G.E.  Especially if it's about love or relationships...  LOVE EM!

If you haven't seen this movie, YOU MUST!  Not only do I love Richard Gere, J. Lo. and Susan Sarandon but the story line and all around acting was fabulous. 

I get weepy watching this clip.

Plus, this song!!!!!!    The Book of Love by Peter Gabriel.. 

Pass the tissues!!!!!

Purify Your Home with These 7 Houseplants

The month of January is usually all about improvement. You get a gym membership, you begin eating healthier, you buy a planner, and you start recycling. In this season of self-care, it's good to reflect on how our home benefits us - specifically, the things within our home. Houseplants are a great addition to any dwelling, not only because they visually make spaces feel more "alive," but because they are also good at improving health and productivity. Want some more good news? There are also air-purifying houseplants that can naturally clean out organic pollutants in your home. Check out these attractive plants that can make your home happier and healthier in the new year.          

According to a NASA study of houseplants for indoor air pollution abatement, there are certain plants that are way better at air purification than others. The study found that low-light plants were among the best at being able to remove trace amounts of organic formaldehyde and benzene from the air. Here are seven of my favorite plants from that list. Bonus: they're all really easy to care for.

Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)

A number of the greens on this list of air-purifying houseplants are tropical. When you think tropical, think the rainforest. High moisture, but not constant rainfall, with sunlight filtering through the dense trees. Tropical plants love being misted with a spray bottle, and their soil should be kept damp but not soaking wet. They love warm climates, and indirect light. The Chinese Evergreen is classic, and well-loved due to its ease of care and big, beautiful leaves. 

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Janet Craig (Dracaena)

Meet Janet. She's from Africa, and she is a no-fuss type of gal. She likes low light, doesn't care for hot climates, and requires infrequent watering. When indoors, she can grow anywhere from 6 to 8 feet tall!

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Spider plant (Chlorophytum elatum)

This plant can adapt to a variety of situations, but is happiest when in bright, indirect light, seated in well-draining soil. It likes taking showers, and prefers to stay moist, but not soaking wet. It is one of the best at maintaining air quality control, but is picky when it comes to what kind of water it likes. Give your spider plant filtered water if possible, as the extra fluoride in regular tap water tends to turn the tips of the leaves brown. 

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Aloe vera

You know it for its ability to soothe burns, but aloe vera makes it on my air-purifying houseplants list for being able to remove pollutants from the air. Aloe vera is a plant that can do a lot, and it doesn't ask for much in return. It likes to stay on the dry side, prefers quick-draining soil, and enjoys indirect light. 

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Pothos (Scindapsus aures)

NASA's study on air-purifying houseplants determined that it's the low-light plants that are the best for air quality. This is great news if you don't live in a particularly sunny place, or are needing a plant for the more poorly-lit areas in your home (like the restroom). The pothos can grow in all kinds of light conditions, including low light. Their outreaching limbs make them great plants to hang or drape from up high - which is the best place for them if you have kids or pets, as they are considered poisonous.

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Snake plant (Sansevieria)

This plant, also known as "Mother-in-law's tongue," is infamous for its ability to survive in the midst of total neglect. It's hard to kill, and easy to take care of. It's also pretty good at removing pollutants from the air! To keep a snake plant happy, don't over-water it, and do allow the soil to dry completely in between waterings. While they can deal with most light conditions, their favorite kind of light is indirect.

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Warneck dracaena (Warneckii)

Our last plant is another classic, and requires the same conditions as the Chinese Evergreen. I.e., think rainforest.

I copy and pasted this post.  This is not my post.  You can find the full post here.