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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Misted bathroom mirrors

Do misted bathroom mirrors bother you? I have a great remedy for this. Put a little shampoo in your hand and rub it all over the mirror. Dry the mirror with a towel afterwards. For at least half an hour your mirror will be mist free  .

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Why do people yawn?

Let's start watching what yawning, really is. According to the dictionary, yawning is the "frenetic opening of the mouth because of lethargy or fatigue". Yawning is a reflex that originates in the brain stem. A yawn usually begins with a feeling in your mouth. Once it happens, it is almost impossible to avoid: your muscles tighten, your mouth opens and lungs suck air inside. With a full yawn, you close your eyes and you stretch out. Some people get watery eyes from yawning: This is because while yawning, the facial muscles are pressing on the tear duct.

Also during yawning some changes occur in your body: your heart rate goes up (up to 30% more), your blood pressure rises and your small blood vessels constrict.

But why do we do it now?

There is still no agreement why people yawn. There are some theories:

  • People yawn to rise the oxygen level in the blood. This theory assumes that people yawn to increase the oxygen level in the blood and decrease the carbon dioxide content. Yawning would then be a reflex as a result of a high carbon dioxide content in the air. Because everyone in one room breaths the same air, the same reflex will work on several people. That's the reason that it gives you the impression that yawning is contagious, when in fact it's the simultaneous occurrence of the same reflex. This could also explain why people yawn when they are tired or bored. When people are tired or weary, they will automatically breath slowly. Less oxygen reaches the lungs and decreases the oxygen content of the blood. Also, the carbon dioxide content rises. The reflex is now put in motion and you have to yawn. Because many people are tired around the same time, people will therefore yawn at about the same time.
  • Yawning in preparation for exercise. This theory says you're yawning to prepare for your effort.You should therefore only yawn when you have to stay awake. This theory is supported by the fact that a yawn increases heart rate, the blood pressure rises and by yawning you stretch and tighten your muscles.

Unfortunately, none of these theories are supported by science and it remains a mystery why we yawn.


Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Homemade laundry soap

Recipe for 2.5 liters detergent for white laundry and 2.4 liters for coloured laundry

  • 80 grams grated Marseille or Marseilles Soap Flakes. 
  • 40 grams of soda
  • 5 liters of water (boiling)

Boil 1 liter of water. Add the grated or chopped marseille soap. Stir well and keep stirring until all the soap is dissolved. Add four liters of boiling water.
Pour half of the suds into another pan and add the soda. Soda has a light bleaching effect and therefore it is suitable for white laundry. (Note: not all laundry machines tolerate soda, it may damage the aluminium parts).
Pour the detergent into empty, well-rinsed detergent bottles, specially saved for this occasion. Cool off the detergent and then add the cap on the bottle.

You now have five liters homemade and unscented detergent. This detergent is basically suitable for all laundry at low and at high temperatures (although it is not recommended on some websites to use for towels). The amount to use for doing the laundry is a whole laundry ball.

Good luck!

Friday, January 4, 2013

Vitamin C 1000 mg (ascorbic acid)

I've found a great solution for when you have the flu, the cold, in short terms: when you feel sick. Vitamin C 1000 mg really helps to improve your health, makes the illness go away. I noticed that whenever I use it for 2 or 3 days a week, I hardly have or way less cold problems.

The role of Vitamin C
"Ascorbic acid" or Vitamin C is a water-soluble substance. The main sources of vitamin C are citrus and other fruits. Derived salts of ascorbic acid are called ascorbates (for example, calcium ascorbate).

Why should I take Vitamin C supplements?
Plants, and most of the animals are able to get their own vitamin C to make. Humans, apes, fruit bats and guinea pigs are virtually the only species that have no vitamin C to make, caused by a defective gene in the latest of a series of five genes that provide the enzymes that convert glucose to ascorbic acid.

What does Vitamin C for me?
Vitamin C has many functions:
  • It is involved in the synthesis of collagen, the most common building material of the human body.
  • Functions as a coenzyme in over 800 different biochemical reactions in the body. 
  • It plays an important role in the immune system.

Homemade fabric softener recipe

  • 2 cups baking soda
  • 2 cups vinegar
  • 4 cups water
 Put the ingredients in a large jar (you can use an old gallon milk jug) and be careful! It will fizz up a lot if you go too fast! Shake the jug really well. You can put in a little bit of fragrance if you like, or just use any old fabric softener container (the smell stays forever; after using it 5 times, it still smells just like the store bought stuff).

Use 1/4 - 1/3 cup (or the lid from a fabric softener bottle is perfect, entirely filled up) for every load, and voila!

For about $0.25 you've got about a dozen loads of fabric softener!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Solution for an irritated palate

Have you ever suffered from painful little bumps on your tongue or is your palate irritated? I have a great solution here for you: rinse your mouth with chamomile tea! I even use two bags of chamomile tea if the irritation is a persistent one. Dissolve 1 full teaspoon of salt in the tea and then cool the tea until lukewarm, and rinse your mouth 5 times. Do this  the whole day through and every day until the symptoms have disappeared
Sometimes it's also an indication there is a lack of a vitamin in your body, so use supplements to speed up the healing process. Success guaranteed!

What Is Science?


The Scientific Method

The scientific method goes something like this:

  • Make an observation or observations. 
  •  Ask questions about the observations and gather information. 
Some key underpinnings to the scientific method:

  • The hypothesis must be testable and falsifiable. 
