Cure 101: Bad Breath

Is your breath repungent and disgusting?

Dearest readers,

Bad Breath is definitely something everyone has suffered from. Not only is it displeasing for people around you but also for yourself. It's definitely off putting and can possibly be the reason you failed that job interview (EEK!) So I've devised a couple of ways to help overcome it and have a lovely smelling breath next time.

1. Be sure to first go to the doctors. Bad Breath could be a serious underlying issue you don't know about yet. If you're a smoker. Stop immediately.

2. Be orally hygenic. Take the following three steps: Brush your teeth. Use a tongue scraper. Floss your teeth thoroughly and finally use mouth wash. I suggest Listerine.

3. An old remedy is to use lemon diluted with water. Personally I haven't tried this myself but it looks promising.
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4. Eat a lot of yoghurt. One traditional bad breath cure which is backed up by modern research is yogurt. Yogurt has always been used to combat yeast infections and anaerobic bacterial infections because the 'good' bacteria in yogurt compete with the pathogens and actively destroy them. Now research backed by the International Association For Dental Research seems to show that eating plain live yogurt for six weeks can reduce levels of oral bacteria by up to 80%.

5. Bring mint flavoured gum. Although it shouldn't be used as a cure, it certainly can cover your smelly breath for a short amount of time. Also use breath fresheners throughout the day.


So here are just a few tricks and tips you can try at home. Remember, some of the information here may be wrong. Please always talk to a doctor if you feel something is not quite right.

As always, look forward to more Cure 101's!

Earth Hour

Will you do what's right?

Dearest readers,

Earth Hour is coming up in three days. It'd be really great if everyone could just spare an hour to turn off all their lights to help save the planet. It's really simple and doesn't require you to go and buy anything. Just a flick of the switch and bam!

I know a lot of people think it's really boring and therefore they think they'd rather leave all the lights on and do things but you can still have fun while doing it!

1. Bring your friends over an hour or two beforehand and tell eachother scary stories in the dark (I did this last year)

2. Have a sleepover

3. Try and see if you can navigate your way through the house with your eyes closed.

4. Sleep!

So yeah, these are just some really great ways you can still have fun while doing something good. Don't forget it's important to make sure you don't forget! Write yourself a reminder now and tell all your friends and family. Spread the word!

This years earth hour ambassador is supermodel Miranda Kerr. You can see more about earth hour here: http://www.earthhour.org/

Have a great day!

The Wan Language

Dearest readers,

The Wan Language is an invented language created by myself and my friend Jasmine. Unlike German, English, Japanese or Chinese, it requires no level of skill to learn it. It's not very hard and can be learnt by even the most intellectually challenged.

Currently the language is going through it's very first stages of development. Basically, all words are expressed through "Wahhhs" The language is rather easy to master as it only requires the correct emotion to express what youre feeling. Although you cannot use the Wan Language for everything, you can skip the occasional words or feelings and use Wan instead.

For example:

(High Pitched, Short Sharp) Wah! ------------> excited, happy
(Low, sad, long) Wahhhhhh....------------------> Dissapointed
(confused) Wan-Wan? ---------------------------> what? What does that mean?

They are just a few of the ways you can express yourself.

Until next time x

Introducing my newest piggie :)

Dearest readers,

I'm so excited to say, I got a new guinea pig! It's a boar this time and we've decided to name him Oreo because that was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw him...(it may have also been because I was hungry!) But another name I had for him was Mr. Rumbles, because he wouldn't stop rumbling when I bought him.

Anyway, he's around 10 weeks old. Still a wee little thing but he'll grow bigger in no time. He's so beautiful :)

Oreo

Oreo compared to Latte

Pinecone #4 + PICS!!!

Dearest readers,

So I'm super excited to tell you guys, I finally managed to get Pinecone into my house! It doesn't mean he'll stay with me though, I just was lucky today in coaxing him in! Anyway, he was being a naughty cat and biting the electrical wires in my room and I had to immediately take him outside again.

He's not very well trained but he's a funny kitty :) He thinks he's a monster hunter and loves chasing me. I think it's so adorable and cute but he is feisty!

I haven't had any experience with cats except for a cat I had when I was eight (that died) so I don't have much memory of it but I'd really love to get a kitty of my own sometime. I think they're such a ball of energy and so fun to have!

After the death of Truffles (My rabbit incase you didn't know) My mum has been thinking of replacing him with a kitty, although my parents are still deciding on that. I know you can't "replace" an animal but I really miss Truffles and I just want something to take my mind off him.

Usually my photo's are taken with my DSLR (Canon 60D) camera but for on-the-go photos I use a GE digital camera.

Pinecone ready to pounce at me :)

Getting ready...

Cure 101: Migraine/Headaches

Dearest readers,

Is your headache killing your mood?

A couple of days ago, a viewer by the name of Samantha Rubine asked if I could do a Cure 101 on migraine and headaches. I thought it was an excellent idea because let's face it, how many of us gets headaches? I know I do. So without furtherado, I'll be giving some tips and tricks for conquering these nasties!

1. The first thing I recommend you is SLEEP. You'd be surprised the number of people who say they have headaches/migraines, lack adequate or effective sleep. Aim for at least 8 hours per day and do by all means take small siesta's during the day. For more information on better sleep, check this site out: http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_tips.htm and download this app for your ipod/iphone: BetterSleep

2. Drink Iced Coffee. Both ice and coffee contain vascoconstrictors, which mean they shrink the blood vessels that are making your head throb.

3. Putting an icepack on your neck has been proven to be useful to some people. If not, then try and massage your temples and the area of pain.

4. Drink honey and ginger water or tea. Honey has both potassium and magnesium which relax arteries, allowing more blood to flow to the brain. Two teaspoons three times should do it. Ginger contains a substance called thromboxane A2 that prevents blood vessels from dilating. 

5. Soaking your feet in warm water also helps relieve a headache.  Close your eyes and listen to some mediatating music while doing this  Try adding some Epsom salt if it doesn’t work.

6. Take whatever is on your head off! This includes: Hats, headbands, your hairdo (ponytail, etc), earrings and other little accessories. Let your hair loose!

7. Buy a memory foam pillow. I use one myself and I've noticed the difference straight away. Their affordable and very good for your neck and head. You can purchase one from here: http://www.the-pillow.com.au/

If you suffer from chronic headaches, I suggest you seek a doctors help. I am no means a doctor and information I have written may not be 100% accurate.

If you have a suggestion for Cure 101's, please leave it in the comments and I'll get back at you soon! But you can look forward to a cystic acne 101 next week!

Help the Homeless: True Story

What will you do?

Dearest readers,

I thought today I'd share with you my personal experience with a homeless.I was in the CBD the other day and I saw a homeless man sitting in a corner next to Flinder St Lane. He had barely any clothes on and was covered in a thin layer of meshy-fabric and old torn through shoes. Next to him was a small coin holder and a cardboard poster that said in incorrect spelling: "Please Help Me. I'm hungry." I was furious that nobody was paying attention to him. Workers/buisnessman walked past him like he was a fly or some insignificant human being. Others made it more obvious that they wanted nothing to do with this man by walking away from him or staring at him with disgust. He smelt very unhygenic but that was no reason for people to be walking away when a man needed help.

I was absolutely disugsted seeing these men and women parading around in their fancy suits and yet wouldn't spare the second to donate or help him. Sure, all of our lives are hectic and busy but show a little initiative right? At school we're always being taught about taking initiative and helping the needy and everybody agrees in theory, but in practise--it's a whole other story.

So you might have asked, what did I do? I couldn't give him a $1000 or buy him a full course meal but I felt extremely guilty just idly watching him. I had three options at that point:

a) Ignore him.
b) Walk towards him and  stare pity but continue walking.
d) Do something


I looked in my purse and found I still had $10. I thought about just handing him the $10 and walking away but I wanted to show him that I did care for his needs. So I walked into McDonalds and bought a double cheeseburger ($4) and then went to a small shop adjacent McDonalds and bought him a pair of socks ($3). I came back and walked up to him. He didn't look up. I don't think he was expecting anything. His coin holder was empty, save for a few 20c pieces. I dropped the remaning $3 in and handed him the cheeseburger and socks.

His face was a picture. He didn't say anything but I could tell from his eyes what he was feeling. I walked home that day feeling prouder than I ever was. No A+ test would have made me feel like that. I felt like I had saved someone that day.

The next day I walked past him again. He was still a homeless and I still felt bad but at least he had something to eat that day and well, he was wearing the socks I had bought him.
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Things like this happen everyday. Homeless people are being disregarded all the time and it's a big issue that needs to be solved. It doesn't make you weird if you help a homeless in any way. It makes you powerful.
Check out: www.salvationarmy.org.au, www.streetsmartaustralia.org, www.homeless.org.au for more ways you can help!