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7 Day Australia Tour
Brief Introduction:
Australia is the sixth biggest country in the world and the smallest continent. It lies between the Pacific and Indian Ocean, about 3,000 km from mainland Asia.
It is quite far from Europe and will take 20 hours by plane to get there. Australia is often called "Down Under" because the whole continent lies south of the equator.
All the world's climates are found on the continent – from the tropical rainforest in the north to the cool and temperate climates in the south and southeast. The continent is also one of the richest countries in the world. It produces wool and meat on one side, as well as gold, bauxite and other minerals on the other. Australians have a high standard of living.
Australia is a continent and a country in the Southern Hemisphere, lying to the south of Southeast Asia, and dividing the Indian and South Pacific Oceans.
Best time to go:
Airfares to Australia are lowest from mid-April to late August – the best time to visit the Red Centre, the Top End, and the Great Barrier Reef. The peak travel season in the most popular parts of Australia is the Aussie winter. The best months to visit Australia are September and October, when it's often still warm enough to hit the beach in the southern states, it's cool enough to tour Uluru, the humidity and rains have not come to Cairns and the Top End (although it will be very hot by October), and the wildflowers are in full bloom in Western Australia.
Arrive in Sydney. You will arrive in Sydney and clear customs. After you have completed the Australia immigration formalities a representative of Australia 2000 Travel will meet you and accompany you as you are transferred to your hotel in downtown Sydney via a chauffeur driven car. While traveling to your hotel, our agent will deliver your additional Australia travel documents and answer any questions you might have relating to the adventure awaiting you. The remainder of the day is yours to discover Sydney at your leisure.
During your 6 nights stay in Sydney you will be accommodated at one of Sydney's most restored Neo-Gothic Heritage listed buildings located in the very heart of Sydney's business district. Darling Harbour, the Opera House, shops, theaters, the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Sydney night life are just minutes away.
Sydney Secrets Private Tour. (L)
Your specialist guide will meet you at your hotel the morning after for a delightful day discovering the Secrets of Sydney and its best sights. You will enjoy an exclusive inside look at this cosmopolitan city with its impressive Harbor foreshores, glamorous homes and coastlines dotted with jagged sandstone cliffs and golden beaches. Discover the beauty of the Australian bush in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park overlooking the shimmering waters of Broken Bay with its ancient Aboriginal sites and engraved rock art, topped off with a relaxing gourmet luncheon on the water's edge. You will be privy to a rare glimpse of Sydney, far off the tourist tracks, with secrets even the locals do not know. Your guide will be certain that you return to you hotel with plenty of time to prepare for any evening activity.
Day at leisure. Dinner and evening performance at Sydney Opera House. (D)
You have the day to explore Sydney at leisure. The staff at Australia 2000 Travel will provide an information package on spending leisure time in Sydney.
The famous Sydney Opera House is a matter of minutes' walk from your hotel. This evening you will enjoy the spectacle as you attend a performance of opera, ballet, music or drama in one of the three halls of at the world renowned Sydney Opera House. Your package for this evening's performance will include a guided tour of Sydney Opera House, dinner at a leading restaurant overlooking Sydney Harbour and seats booked in the A Reserve Section for the performance of your choice.
Sailing on Sydney Harbour. (L)
Today you will discover beautiful Sydney Harbour during a 5-hour cruise on board a 40 ft. beneteau sailboat. You will see the beautiful homes lining its foreshore and explore some of the picturesque coves. As the skipper, always has fishing tackle fins, masks and snorkels aboard, you may wish to try your hand at catching a Sydney fish or swimming like a fish in Sydney Harbor. At about 3.00 PM, you will return to Darling Harbor where you might enjoy stopping at one of the wide variety of restaurants and cafes, the Sydney Aquarium, The Powerhouse or Maritime Museums The Japanese Gardens, Chinatown or the IMAX Cinema before returning to your hotel.
The Blue Mountains derive their name from the oil released into the air by the native gum trees. This oil reacts with sunlight to produce a blue haze. Sydney people have long enjoyed the Blue Mountains as an ideal place to escape for a few days. The area is famous for bushwalking, horse riding, private garden tours, dining at cafes and restaurants. And, of course, the traditional Devonshire teas loved by many Aussies.
Full Day Private Tour to the Blue Mountains. (L)
Today discover the spectacular World Heritage listed Blue Mountains with your private wilderness guide. Your day begins as you drive out through Sydney's south-western suburbs to Wirrimbirra Sanctuary where you will have the opportunity to view some native wildlife up close, including emus, dingos and a variety of birds including parrots, galahs, kookaburras and the uniquely Australian frogmouth owl.
Your tour continues on to one of Australia's oldest and most charming country towns, Berrima, which retains most of its early 19th century convict and colonial architecture including the old jail and courthouse. From Berrima, you will set off for a bush walk in search of koalas and lyrebirds amidst the eucalypt trees before stopping off at Joadja Vineyard, a small boutique family operated winery where you will sample a variety of the region's cool climate wines. From Joadja your guide will head west into some of Australia's most spectacular wilderness scenery. Your drive takes you into the Nattai National Park you will witness spectacular views over the Blue Mountains National Park and a chance to take in the breadth and beauty of this wilderness on Sydney's doorstep.
This afternoon you will enjoy an Aussie BBQ lunch and a bottle of wine in quiet seclusion on a private property on the banks of the Wollondilly River where you will have the opportunity to spot one of Australia's more elusive mammals, the platypus. After lunch enjoy a short bush walk where you have the chance to see a variety of Australian animals including a goanna, grey kangaroo, wallaby and echidna before wrapping up your day with a drink and then returning to Sydney late this afternoon.
At leisure in Sydney. Sunset Harbour Bridge Climb.
You have the day at leisure to explore Sydney. This afternoon at sunset you will greet Sydney in unique style. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is classified as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World and is yours to climb to the very top with your specialist guide. Not only is the view breathtaking you will encounter one of Sydney historic gems and an engineering wonder.
Depart Sydney.
You will be met and transferred to Sydney Airport in time to board your onward flight. During your brief stay, you will have experienced Sydney and the surrounding areas at their best and gained an understanding as to why we think Sydneysiders are amongst the luckiest people in the world.
Flight schedule
Package inclusion:
- Return airfare including air taxes
- Meals plan as per your request
- Entrance fees and meals as mentioned
- Private car or van with English speaking guide
- Six nights' accommodation at the designated Hotels above with daily breakfast
- The above private escorted tour is customized for you, your family or your friends exclusively. No other travelers will join in your group.
Price exclusion:
- Tips to your tour guide and driver
- Travel insurance


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My husband and I could not be happier with the Robert Mack Group! We have been using Robert and his team since our first FHA purchase back in 2011 and we couldn't be happier. Robert is always prompt and makes the process as easy and hands off as possible for us. When we decided to sell our property, Robert promptly set up an in home meeting with us and set us up with a painter and stager, who did a wonderful job! He then marketed our property on multiple fronts and set up an open house. We got multiple serious offers right away and started escrow within two weeks!! There was a problem between the buyer and getting FHA approval through the HOA, but Robert was on top of the issue right away and got it solved as quickly as possible. We didn't have to do a thing. Escrow was mainly conducted via digital documents, which really made the process convenient for us and our busy schedules. Our home was sold at asking price and my husband and I are very happy in our new home. We look forward to using the Robert Mack Group when we are ready to purchase again! Highly recommended.
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On 10/08/2012 08:51 PM, li guang wrote: > 在 2012-10-08一的 20:05 -0600,Eric Blake写道: >> On 10/08/2012 07:51 PM, liguang wrote: >>> this usage was suggested by man-page of waitpid, >>> returns true if the child terminated normally >> >> NACK. virCommandRun already did this for you. > > right, but not exactly, > virCommandRun will leave raw exit-status out of there, Ah, after re-reading the code, so it does (I had thought we changed it to guarantee a return of -1 on any !WIFEXITED() exit, and a sanitized WEXITSTATUS() value, rather than making all the callers do that, but I guess not). > so if the waited-command exit with a code '1', > then the caller of virCommandRun will see exit-status > value 0x100, and report an odd '256' exit-status. That depends on your OS. There are some systems out there where normal exit is in the low-order rather than high-order byte. But that's why we have virProcessTranslateStatus(), to do the work correctly. >>> ret = virCommandRun(cmd, &exitstatus); >>> - if (ret == 0 && exitstatus != 0) { >>> + if (ret == 0 && WIFEXITED(exitstatus) == 0) { You have a logic bug - the old code was checking for non-zero status, and you switched it to check for zero status. >>> virReportError(VIR_ERR_HOOK_SCRIPT_FAILED, >>> _("Hook script %s %s failed with error code %d"), >>> path, drvstr, exitstatus); This is not a correct error message - if you ever use WIFEXITED, you must also use WEXITSTATUS, otherwise you have a mismatch. And for this particular error message, I think we are losing useful information; I argue that we'd probably get a much better error message if we changed this to let virCommandRun do ALL the work: ret = virCommandRun(cmd, NULL); -- Eric Blake eblake redhat com +1-919-301-3266 Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org
Description: OpenPGP digital signature


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Gerson diet that involves lot of juicing developed by Max Gerson is promoted as an alternative cancer treatment. Gerson Institute which is a non-profit organisation claims 70% to 80% recovery although National Cancer Institute found no evidence.
According to Gerson, cancer is caused by alteration of cell metabolism by processed food and other harmful stuff which changes its sodium and potassium content. So in Gerson cancer therapy, patient consume juice to increase potassium level and balance other minerals. A typical patient under Gerson cancer therapy consumes 15- 20 pounds of organically grown fruits and veggies daily. Patient consume one glass of freshly made juice every hour along with plant-based meals prepared from organically grown vegetables.
But patient under Gerson therapy should not use any ordinary juicer to juice organic produce. Typical household juicers are centrifugal type and should not be used for this alternative therapy. Centrifugal juicers rotates very fast and heat up organic produce which kill enzymes and essential nutrients present inside juice. Instead of fast juicers a slow juicer sometime are also referred as masticating juicers should be used to prepare juice. Slow juicers rotate at low rpm and keep all nutrients and enzymes intact in juice. Gerson patient should buy a slow juicer to make their juice. You can visit Best Juicer to find the best juice maker within your budget. Gerson recommends Norwalk juicer for juicing. But Norwalk juicer costs around $3000. Buy a Norwalk if you can afford it otherwise you can use other slow juicer such as Angel juicer as alternative. Super angel costs around $1000.
Gerson therapy has worked for many but no treatment works for everyone. It's a alternative therapy and you can certainly give it a try. But don't start without Doctor approval. To get started with Gerson program or for any consultation you can contact Gerson clinic.


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An athlete from central Wisconsin is heading to the Olympics.
SPASH alumnus Ben Provisor made the USA Olympic team as a wrestler.
But before he heads to London,
he's returning home to Stevens Point.
The wrestler has always wanted to go to the Olympics, but his
path there would have been much different, if not for a special coach.
"I saw it in him early that he had a special talent,"
said Dennis Hall
Dennis Hall coached Provisor since he was a kid. Throughout
the years their relationship has grown.
"I treat him like my own kids," said Hall. "I push him
hard and there were a couple times were we butted heads a little bit, but
ultimately I was doing it for his own good."
Hall knows wrestling. As a three time Olympian he won silver
in the 1996 games in Atlanta.
"To me it was neat to be able to represent the state of
but more importantly represent my country, it was, it is a lifetime experience."
That's experience he's passed down to Provisor.
"Ben is a lot like me," said Hall. "I think from that
perspective that makes me be able to coach him better."
Provisor is just days away from his first Olympics. Back in 2005, he told Newsline 9 that was his lifelong
"I want to be just like Dennis," said Provisor in 2005.
"I want to be the world champ but I want to go one step further. I want to be
an Olympic champ."
It's a dream that could soon come true.
"I believe 100 percent in my heart that he can," said Hall.
"It's just going to come down to going out there and performing."
Hall says he'll be will Provisor in London for the Olympics
The Olympic team is paying for Provisor's trip to London. But he needs to
raise money to take friends and family.
He's raising money for that at a special sendoff event, Thursday
in Plover.
You can meet the wrestler from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Five Star
Lanes in Plover.
A Wausau family is turning their tragedy into hope for anyone struggling with thoughts of suicide.
1908 Grand Avenue, Wausau, WI 54403
News Tips: firstname.lastname@example.com or 715-842-9293


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- Description
- View Full Specifications
New arrival
- Year:
- 1985
- Length:
- 36'
- Engine/Fuel Type:
- Single / diesel
- Located In:
- Chicago, IL
- Hull Material:
- Fiberglass
- 5106-2942510
- Current Price:
" See Full Specifications tab for detailed equipment listing." This highly prized boat is new on the market ... in very good condition. Call for more information and pictures. The sellers have already purchased their new boat, and have priced this to move quickly.
This is a beautiful, classic boat, with 2 private staterooms, a great galley and a private head.
Please contact Jan Guthrie at 847-338-8808
Additional Specs, Equipment and Information:
Keel: Fin
LOA: 36 ft 6 in
Beam: 12 ft 4 in
LWL: 29 ft 7 in
Maximum Draft: 6 ft 6 in
Displacement: 15000 lbs
Ballast: 5800 lbs
Engine 1:
Engine Brand: Yanmar
Year Built: 1985
Engine Model: 3HM30
Engine/Fuel Type: Diesel
Fresh Water Tanks: (100 Gallons)
Fuel Tanks: (22 Gallons)
The Pearson 36 is noted to be a quality performance cruiser. With comfortable and spacious accommodations, and still maintaining good sailing abilities ... it is a great choice.
Her classic lines attract you at the dock. And as you go below, the first thing that you notice is the beautiful woodwork and the teak and holly cabin sole throughout the boat. The rich dark blue upholstery sets of the wood perfectly and gives you that classic feeling as you enter. The interior is warm and welcoming. Lots of opening ports and large hatches, give you the light and ventilation that you always hoped for. There are custom made dark blue with white trim curtains made for the entire boat for privacy and beauty. The cabin sole was completely refinished in 2006.
Starting forward, there is a forward stateroom with a vee berth and a filler cushion. There are cubby holes all around the sides of the berth, storage racks under (perfect for seabags) and a shelf in the bow .... giving you lots of secure storage for your books, glasses and other needs. To port there is a built in storage bureau ... it looks like drawers, but actually opens to reveal a wonderful set of oh so useful shelves. To starboard, you find a hanging locker. With a large overhead hatch with screen and vent, and two opening ports, the stateroom is spacious and comfortable. With the filler cushion in place, there is still lots of room for dressing in privacy. The berth has custom cut white sheets with blue stripes, with a matching custom cut dark blue (the underside matches the sheets) comforter.
Next aft is the salon. The large U-shaped dinette is to starboard, with a single settee to port. The dinette converts easily to a spacious double berth, and the settee can sleep an additional guest. The cabin is lined with storage compartments on both sides with sliding panels to close. Forward of the port settee in the built in liquor cabinet, with room on top for the TV or other items. The cushions are in very good condition, and the deep firm foam offers comfort. It is a beautiful space. The door into the forward stateroom is framed by the large Weems and Plath clock and barometer on each side. The overhead hatch has a screen, and a spare. There is also a dorade vent in front of mast and a 12V fan wired in for even more ventilation.
Aft of the settee on the port side is the outboard facing nav station. The navigator's seat pivots out for use, and then back under for storage and locks in position both times. This is also the electrical hub for the boat, with an electrical panel that hinges out for access and locks closed. There is plenty of room for addition nav instruments.
Next aft on port, and just at the base of the companionway is the generous hanging locker. Easy to reach and very useful.
And aft on port is the head. Bright, light and well ventilated with an opening port and an overhead hatch. The striking dark blue countertop with teak trim highlights the style of the boat. Hot and cold pressure water with hand held shower and shower sump with teak grate. Newer manual Raritan head with larger holding tank custom are installed. There are provisions for hanging a shower curtain, and the head is easy to clean. Matching towels are also included. The teak shower grate was refinished in 2006. It even comes with "supplies".
The U-shaped galley is aft of the salon to starboard. The centerline deep double Stainless Steel sinks are over the engine. Using this location for the engine, keeps the weigh low and in the center of the boat, as well as keeping any heat or vibration away from the staterooms.
Outboard of the sinks is the large icebox with new refrigeration with freezer section and a double opening hinged top. Drawer and a cabinet for storage are built in below and around the icebox. Turning along the side of the boat is the gimbaled 2 burner stove with over. There is more storage behind the stove with secure cabinets, with accessible dish and cup rack above those.
Aft of the galley to starboard is the private aft stateroom. Featuring a large King sized berth, with a back rest support along the top for reading or relaxing. There are 2 opening ports and a overhead hatch for comfort. A 12V fan has been hard wired to help with extra ventilation. There is also extra head room along the entire top of the berth for comfort, and adjustable reading lights are installed at both sides of the berth. There is a small shelf along the head of the berth for your books, glasses and other necessities. Just inside the door is a large hanging locker. There is a storage compartment under the berth, and plenty of room to stand and dress in the privacy of your own stateroom. This berth has king sized white with blue striped sheets. The king sized Navy blue comforter has an underside that matches the sheets.
Deck & Hull
- All new Beckson portlight lenses (8) - 2014
- Custom full Fairclough canvas boat cover with steel frame in 2007.
- New bow navigation light -2013
- Canvas enclosure for the cockpit including dodger, bimini, connector, side curtains and screens by Boat Tailors New stitching and zippers 2015
- Steering wheel with pedestal
- Richie compass with light on pedestal
- Bottom professionally soda blasted, stripped and barrier coated w/ Interlux 2000 in 2007.
- Antifouling paint applied annually.
- Anchor: 33 lb Bruce w/25" chain and 125' rode (rode new in 2005)
- Dorade box w/ new cowl vent
- Shore water connection for pressure water (in addition to water pump for tanks)
- Custom screens for all port openings and companionway (with center zipper)
- Emergency tiller
- Hand operated bilge pump in cockpit
- Sealed Propane locker and tank
- Bosun chair
- Manual bilge pump in cockpit
- Stern gate with fold down swim ladder
- Full complement of docklines and fenders
- 2 new Schaefer midship cleats on adjustable on fairlead track in 2007
- Folding teak cockpit table and drink holder on binnacle
- Force 10 propane gas grill, mounts on rail
- Lifesling man overboard system – 2003 – new cover 2015
- Jim Buoy throw buoy
- Custom cockpit cushions
- Removable helm seat
Sails & Rigging
- Aluminum double spreader tapered
Keel stepped mast with baby stay
- Mainsail: New from Nielson Sailmakers in 2005 – professionally cleaned and repaired 2015
- Furling genoa from Sails East 135%
- Spinnaker: Quantum Vision V3 Asymmetrical with ATN sleeve 2002
- Roller furling: Hood 900SL single line system
- Lazy Jack system
- All lines run back to cockpit
- 2 Garhauer quad deck clutches
- Garhauer boom blocks in 2005
- Garhauer rigid vang in 2005
- Garhauer traveler in 2005 with 6:1 purchase
- Four-to-one purchase adjustable Garhauer genoa fairlead system
- Inboard genoa tracks
- 3 Lewmar winches on the mast (2x16, 1x8)
- 2 Lewmar ST30 Self Tailing winches on cabintop (one new in 2004)
- 2 Lewmar ST48 Self Tailing winches in cockpit
- 3/8" StaSet 1st and 2nd reef lines in 2005
- 1/2" XLS main and jib halyards in 2005
- 2 Standup blocks for spinnaker sheet leads
- All lines run back to cockpit in 2003
- Garhauer mast block bales in 2003
- Starboard side flag halyard rig in 2003
- Sail cover with custom slots for lazy jack lines by Boat Tailors
- Spinnaker halyard
- Main sheet
- Outhaul
- 3x Lewmar winch handles - 2 locking
- New CD player with USB and Bluetooth 2013
- Raymarine RL70 chart plotter/radar display
- New Davis Windex in 2012
- Standard Horizon Intrepid RAM microphone on pedestal
- Edson pedestal guard and NavPod instrument housings
- Autohelm ST4000 autopilot and wheel drive
- Raymarine speed and depth transducers in 2004
- Raymarine GPS antenna in 2004
- Newer Raymarine ST60 Tridata display
- Autohelm Raydome (not connected) with pole mount on stern of vessel
- Raymarine ST60 Wind display and upgraded long arm masthead vane in 2010 2
- Mobi radar reflectors
Electrical and Mechanical
- 2 New Lifeline AGM GPL-31XT batteries, 125 amp hours each, w/ ANL fuses
- 2015 Mastervolt ChargeMaster 35 Amp Battery Charger,3 Bank - 2015
- New Adler/Barbor/ Dometic refrigeration and freezer system 2015 12v or 110V
- New Seaward 6 gallon hot water heater - 2013
- DC plug in cockpit added 2003
- Automatic electric bilge pump with Auto/Manual switch at nav station
- Manual bilge pump in cockpit with 2 handles
- Shore power connection
- 2 Shore power cables 50ft. 30 amp
- Battery test switch added in 2003
- Guest A, B, Both, Off battery switch
- Electric shower sump pump
- Head replaced in 1996, Raritan PH-II manual 1
- 100 gallon fresh water capacity
- New head discharge hose - 2014 (Trident Sani-Shield)
- 4 Marinco pigtails including 50amp/250V to 30amp adapter
Yanmar 3HM30 FWC diesel engine
AutoProp three blade feathering prop with new bearings in 2014
Partial replacement of engine compartment sound insulation (Soundown) - 2015
22 gallon aluminum fuel tank
Prop shaft aligned and cutlass bearing replaced 2015
Professionally rebuilt transmission in 2005
Engine mounts replaced in 2005
New throttle and transmission linkage in 2008
Solenoid added between starter button and starter solenoid for instant starts
Sacrificial anode new on propeller shaft in 2012
Replaced various steering parts in binnacle by Palmer Johnson's in 2003
Replaced raw water pump and parts in coolant circulating pump in 2001
Replaced impeller in 2014
Additional Information
2 Overhead hatch screens w/ 2x spares
New four pack of PFDs in 2003
4 C-cushion seat cushions in 2003
Extensive owners manuals
Key rack
Galley includes:
- 3 Frying pans
- West Marine navy blue dishes
- silverware for four
- 3 dish towels
2 Fire extinguishers
3 Dish towels
Diesel can
Assorted lifejackets
2 Funnels
The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.
Other Boats from Jan Guthrie Yacht Brokerage
Racine, WI, United States


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A New York Times Notable Book of 2012
One of The Telegraph's Best Fiction Books 2011
One of Esquire's Best Books of 2012
One of TIME's Top-10 Fiction Books of 2012
Here, from the writer described by The Guardian as "our purest living prose stylist" and whom Alan Hollinghurst has called "the most brilliant English novelist of his generation", is a work of glittering social comedy, profound emotional truth, and acute verbal wit. At Last is also the stunning culmination of one of the great fiction enterprises of the past two decades in the life of the English novel. As listeners of Edward St. Aubyn's extraordinary earlier works - Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, and the Man Booker Prize finalist Mother's Milk - are well aware, for Patrick Melrose, "family" has always been a double-edged sword.
At Last begins as friends, relatives, and foes trickle in to pay final respects to his mother, Eleanor. An American heiress, Eleanor married into the British aristocracy, giving up the grandeur of her upbringing for "good works" freely bestowed on everyone but her own son, who finds himself questioning whether his transition to a life without parents will indeed be the liberation he had so long imagined. The service ends, and family and friends gather for a final party. Amid the social niceties and social horrors, Patrick begins to sense the prospect of release from the extremes of his childhood, and at the end of the day, alone in his room, the promise some form of safety.
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The "body blues" are characterized by 10 symptoms. A woman with the disorder will have three or more of the following:
- Eating too much and gaining weight
- Lack of energy
- Irritability or tension
- Difficulty concentrating
- Sleep problems
- Daytime drowsiness
- Decreased interest in sex
- Mild anxiety
- Mild depression
- Heightened sensitivity to rejection or criticism
One of the most common complaints is feeling tired and sluggish much of the time. To their dismay, women with the body blues often lack the energy to be the patient moms, supportive partners, or fun-loving friends they would like to be. Although they know that exercise would help revive them, they rarely have the time or the motivation. (How tired is too tired? The answer, here.)
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Difficulty concentrating is another telltale sign, especially in women 35 and older. Trouble focusing on tasks, absorbing complex information, and remembering names can be a source of embarrassment.
But the most common and vexing symptoms of all are overeating and weight gain.
Most women with the body blues have little trouble controlling their appetite in the morning. But sometime in the afternoon, they begin to snack. A craving for sweets and starches is one of the defining characteristics of this syndrome. You might expect women with this disorder to have serious mood problems. But they don't. Unlike women with clinical depression, women with the body blues don't feel sad or tearful most of the time. When something good happens to them, they feel genuinely happy. Nonetheless, they can be very distressed by their fatigue, eating problems, irritability, confused thinking, or sleep difficulties.
These symptoms interfere with relationships, frustrate ambitions, and rob women of the full enjoyment of life. It's as though their bodies were depressed, but not their minds.
More from Prevention: 4 Tips For Fighting Food Addiction
One Woman's Story
At any given time, tens of millions of women are troubled by a syndrome for which they have no name. (Sad? Depressed? Take our quiz to find out.) Take one of my patients; I'll call her "Joanne." She has four of the most common symptoms—fatigue, irritability, low sexual desire, and weight gain. To the casual observer, she appears to be a competent, confident woman who happens to be slightly overweight.
Most nights she gets 7 to 8 hours of sleep, but by early afternoon she is overwhelmed by the need to take a nap. Because her office is in her home, she can lie down whenever she needs to, but she resents taking the time. "I'm only 39," she told me. "I shouldn't have to take a nap!"
Joanne also feels stressed and irritable much of the time. "My employees and clients soak up most of my patience during the day," she explains. "My son gets what's left. And I'm much more critical of my husband than I want to be." (Feel a fight coming on with your hubby? Here's how to stop it in its tracks.)
Even though Joanne listed fatigue as her reason for seeing me, I could tell she was even more concerned about her weight. At 5'6" and 172 lb, she's about 30 lbs. overweight. "I have no problem controlling what I eat for breakfast and lunch," she told me during our first appointment, "but everything falls apart in the late afternoon. I eat before, during, and after dinner. Now I'm back in my fat clothes."
As a nurse practitioner at the University of Washington's Women's Health Care Center in Seattle, I've been trained to look at the whole person, not just her symptoms. I ordered blood tests for Joanne to rule out some common physical problems linked with fatigue, such as underactive thyroid, diabetes, and anemia. They all came back negative. I also interviewed her extensively and gave her several tests for underlying mood problems. As I had begun to suspect during her first appointment, Joanne is one of the millions of women with the most misdiagnosed, undertreated, and mistreated mood problem: the body blues. Many of my patients think that their symptoms are caused by a lack of willpower, laziness, or sheer gluttony. This is rarely the case. In the past 10 years, scientists have learned that every symptom of the body blues can be traced back to some aspect of a woman's physiology. Here's how women's hormonal swings contribute.
Why Women Are At Risk
Estrogen: The Energetic Hormone Low or falling estrogen levels are one of the main triggers of the body blues. Estrogen rises from the lowest to the highest level during the first 2 weeks of the menstrual cycle. This monthly surge influences virtually every aspect of a woman's being, including her supply of serotonin, the brain's primary feel-good chemical.
When estrogen levels are high, women have more serotonin activity in their brain. Greater serotonin activity is linked to better mood, reduced appetite, more physical energy, and more resilience to stress. This makes serotonin a potent antidote to the body blues.
More from Prevention: 11 Fast Fixes For Energy
Estrogen also increases the amount of blood that flows to a woman's brain. It relaxes key arteries, allowing more blood to pass through. When cerebral bloodflow is high, people have better memory and are less likely to be depressed.
When estrogen levels are low or falling, women have less serotonin activity. Women have low levels of estrogen in the days before menstruation, after giving birth, while breastfeeding, during perimenopause, and during the years following menopause. These are the very times when they are most likely to have the body blues.
Progesterone: The Calming Hormone Progesterone also influences the symptoms of the body blues. High levels during the final 2 weeks of the menstrual cycle may cause a slight decrease in serotonin activity in the brain. But these levels of progesterone do have some positive effects, including enhancing sleep, calming anxiety, and soothing irritability. When progesterone falls off at the end of the cycle, women lose its tranquilizing, sleep-enhancing properties and are more vulnerable to the body blues. (Nip insomnia in the bud with our 24 Hours To Dreamland plan.)
Testosterone: The Pleasure Hormone Testosterone is the hormone that fuels sexual desire and enhances pleasure—in women as well as men. As is true for estrogen and progesterone, testosterone levels also vary across the menstrual cycle. Testosterone is low during the first part of the cycle, peaks at ovulation, and then declines during the final two weeks of the cycle. When a woman has relatively high levels, she is more likely to think about sex, respond to a partner's advances, and initiate sex. There is growing evidence that some symptoms of depression and the body blues—especially fatigue, anxiety, and low sexual desire—may be due to a woman's variable supply of testosterone.
Are You Getting Enough Light?
It's not just fluctuating hormones that bring on the body blues; light deprivation can contribute as well. The more time you spend in low light conditions, the more likely you will feel tired, eat too much, gain weight, and feel drowsy during the day—key symptoms of the body blues.
Most people underestimate the difference in light levels between indoors and out. Surprisingly, there is as much as 1,000 times more light available to us once we step outside. Surveys show that most of us spend 23 hours a day indoors. As soon as we leave our home in the morning, we duck into a car, bus, or train. When we arrive at work, we scurry inside. After work, we run a few errands and then hurry back home. We spend most of our evenings cocooning indoors—reading, watching TV, catching up on paperwork, or being "mouse potatoes," slang for those of us who've become addicted to our computers. As a result, we get just a fraction of the light our bodies require. Surveys show that women get even less light than men.
Your 20-Minute Prescription Fortunately, you can beat the body blues in just 20 minutes a day by following a clinically proven, scientifically sound program developed by me and my colleagues at the University of Washington. It's called the LEVITY program, a drug-free solution based on three common sense activities:
- Creating a more natural lighting environment
- Going for a brisk 20-minute outdoor walk, five or more times a week
- Taking six common and inexpensive vitamins and minerals
The success of our program was demonstrated by a study at the university that was published in the journal Women & Health in 2001. In just eight weeks, the women who took part in the program felt more energetic, reduced their appetite, began thinking more clearly, and had a more positive sense of well-being. On one of the tests, their depression scores were cut in half!
Why does the program work? Getting more bright light, engaging in moderate-intensity exercise, and taking the right vitamins and minerals reverses many of the physical changes brought about by low or fluctuating hormones and living a light-deprived existence. These three activities boost serotonin activity in your brain, increase your cerebral bloodflow, and reduce your stress hormones. (Yoga works well, too. See which moves to do at your desk.)
Step 1: Recharge Your Solar Batteries
There are three ways that bright light can help relieve the body blues. First, when sunlight falls on your bare skin, your body produces more vitamin D, a vitamin with proven mood-elevating properties. Second, when light enters your eyes, it triggers the production of a variety of feel-good chemicals. Third, bright light increases bloodflow to your brain, which relieves depression and helps you concentrate and remember.
Studies have confirmed that brightening your environment boosts physical energy, helps you sleep better at night, and stimulates bloodflow to the brain to boost mood and relieve confused thinking.
There's one additional benefit of getting more bright light that has gotten very little media attention: Bright light alone can help you lose weight. It's a four-in-one diet aid. Light does the following:
- Lifts your spirits, which reduces your need to self-medicate with food
- Increases your activity level, which helps you burn more calories
- Suppresses your appetite, which lowers your caloric intake
- Helps boost your metabolism
Until modern times, women got all the benefits of bright light simply by going about their normal routines. But today we have to consciously seek out the sun. All the billions of dollars that people spend on diet programs might be better spent on skylights, sunrooms, outdoor recreation, and all-weather walking gear.
Light Up Your Life Here are a number of ways to light up your environment. Put a check beside those that seem most practical and helpful for you, and plan to act upon them within a week.
- Go for outdoor walks five or more times a week
- Look straight ahead rather than down at the ground when you walk. A level gaze can more than double the amount of light that enters your eyes.
- Use a transparent umbrella when it rains or snows
- Wear lightly tinted sunglasses to block ultraviolet light but let in all the mood-boosting visible light
- Open the blinds or curtains while you're home
- Rearrange your furniture to face the windows
- Paint walls a brighter color
- Add windows, skylights, glass doors, or a sunroom
- Install the brightest light bulbs your lamps will safely allow
- Choose window seats on public transportation whenever possible
- Plan a winter vacation in a sunny location
Step 2: Walk Away from the Body Blues
New research shows that you don't have to break a sweat to get mood-enhancing benefits from exercise. Nor do you have to join a gym, buy special equipment, put on a skimpy leotard, or even change clothes. All you need to do is put on a pair of comfortable shoes, open the door, and start walking. (Seriously. See how one Prevention reader walked off 149 pounds!)
Imagine that you've just stepped out the door and started to walk. You are swinging your arms and aiming for a pace that is midway between a stroll and a jog. As your heart rate increases, more blood flows to your brain. The increased bloodflow enhances your ability to think and concentrate.At the same time, the brisk walk revs up your body, triggering the release of the same activating substances that are triggered by stress. But the amounts generated by walking make you feel energized and alert, not tense and irritable. In technical terms, walking produces an "energetic arousal" rather than a "tense arousal."
Though many women turn to food to relieve their anxiety, low mood, and fatigue, walking is a much better way to ease tension, reduce anxiety, and help buffer yourself against stress. A brisk 20-minute walk outdoors, 5 days a week, offers these benefits:
- Increases your energy level
- Increases the serotonin activity in your brain
- Burns fat
- Decreases your appetite
- Connects you with nature
- Reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure
Get the Most from 20 Minutes of Movement Choose any type of moderate-intensity exercise you wish as long as it meets these criteria:
- You enjoy it
- You stay within the "feel-good zone," which means exercising fast enough to stimulate your mind and body but not so fast that you feel out of breath or stressed
- You exercise five or more times a week for 20 minutes or more
- You exercise outdoors or find some other way to get 20 minutes of very bright light—1,000 lux or more—each day. (Lux is a way to gauge the intensity of light; 1,000 lux is the amount you'd get from about 10 desk lamps.)
Overcome Exercise Inertia Do you have doubts that you'll be able to motivate yourself to go for frequent walks? The good news is that the more sedentary you are, the more you'll benefit physically and mentally from exercise. But first you need to overcome your inertia and find ways to look forward to your 20-minute exercise session.
To do that, print out this page and circle the letters of the activities below that will make your exercise session more appealing to you. Then write down how you plan to put them into action. (If that doesn't work, your workout may need a makeover. Here's how to tell.)
Making Exercise More Appealing
- Exercise by myself so I can be free of the demands of other people and think my own thoughts
- Exercise with a group of friends
- Listen to my favorite music
- Listen to educational or inspirational tapes
- Walk in a beautiful setting
- Use a pedometer or heart rate monitor
- Have a destination such as a friend's house or local store
- Walk a dog
- Discover new parts of the city
- Come home and treat myself to a favorite ritual, such as drinking a hot cup of tea and reading the paper, or taking a soak in the tub
Step 3: Take Your Antidepressant Cocktail
Brightening your indoor environment and going for regular brisk walks can jump-start the production of a number of mood-enhancing, stress-relieving, and appetite-suppressing chemicals.
But your body cannot manufacture those chemicals unless it has the raw ingredients necessary to make them. The third and final component of the LEVITY program supplies these essential ingredients. When you add this antidepressant "cocktail" to a program of bright light and moderate-intensity exercise, you have our clinically proven remedy for the body blues.
While nutrient/mood research is still in its infancy, enough reliable information exists about the safety and effectiveness of these six nutrients that I decided to make them an integral part of our program.
- Thiamin (vitamin B1)—50 mg; relieves fatigue and improves memory
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2)—50 mg; essential for the production of the mood-boosting chemicals serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)—50 mg; stimulates serotonin production
- Folic acid—400 micrograms (mcg); helps relieve depression
- Vitamin D (cholecalciferol)—400 IU; stimulates production of serotonin
- Selenium—200 mcg; enhances dopamine activity in the brain, increasing sense of arousal and pleasure
Taking your daily supplements will be the easiest part of the LEVITY program. It requires just a few seconds of your time. The only work involved is deciding what you need to buy and then developing a simple strategy to make sure you take the tablets regularly.If you are presently taking nutritional supplements, check how much thiamin, riboflavin, B6, folic acid, D, and selenium you're getting. Make sure that adding these to your current regimen will not put you above the safe limits. (Still confused? Check our definitve guide to the supplements your body really needs.)
With Vitamins, Don't Exceed These Upper Limits
- Thiamin: 100 mg a day
- Riboflavin: 200 mg a day
- Vitamin B6:100 mg a day
- Folic Acid: 1,000 mcg a day
- Vitamin D: 2,000 IU a day
- Selenium: 400 mcg a day
More from Prevention: 5 New Ways To Cope With SadnessTags: depressionCopyright © 2017 Rodale Inc.
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Announcement Vintage jewelry, ceramics, china...so many fun things with memories attached.
Vintage jewelry, ceramics, china...so many fun things with memories attached.
bluebird538 on Apr 15, 2014
Even more pretty than in the pictures! Seller is awesome. Strongly recommended!
Dawn Michelle on Feb 13, 2014
Fantastic Seller, beautiful pin, thoughtful & generous! Very Fast shipping. Beautiful packaging. Highly recommend. Thank you so much!!! :-)
Leslie on Feb 11, 2014
These are so delicate and pretty. I had to go right out & buy some sherry to serve in them. Easy transaction, quick shipping.
I live surrounded by antique house built in 1891
A beavy of Great Aunts all collected antiques - mostly furniture. As we all got older when one would have a spectacular new find I would get a call and head over to admire and be educated.
For many, many years I have haunted a few antique shops, 2nd hand shops, and thrift stores. Always yearning to have my own shop. While out on my lunch hour investigating a small town near the college where I work --I noticed and went into an antique shop. The British War Bride and I became friends as I stopped in on my lunch hour three times a week. Edna shows me her many years old photos and shares her knowledge about many pieces that surround her. Edna and the great Aunts have shared a love of vintage and antiques with me and I am honored.
Wow, now the yearning really set in. I bought a few items and tried to sell them at another auction site. It just wasn't a shop. Then I found etsy. I now have my antique and collectible shop! Under the training of Edna (92 years old) I have so enjoyed the researching, organizing, buying and selling. I enjoy relationships on etsy and relationships with my buyers and in the buying. I am so astounded by the creativity that surrounds me when I am onsite. Wow to all the amazing shops and incrediable talent.
ETSY...There are so many features that every day I learn something new. This is a marveously supportive Co. and the people or other shop owners do all they can to assist.
Shop members
Owner, Friend
Living a busy life and enjoying it along the way. I seek the unique and deal honorably with all that I encounter both face to face and online.
Shop policies
Accepted payment methods
- Accepts Etsy Gift Cards and Etsy Credits
- Money Order
If you require special handling such as next day express we will discuss the price and I will ship as soon as the extra charges are paid into paypal.
Refunds and Exchanges
US Returns: I must be notified within 10 days of item shipping that there is an issue.
Return shipping cost is the buyers responsibility. Item must be returned with tracking number within 15 days of shipping. I will promptly refund your pay pal account when I receive item back in original shipping from my end condition.
Items such as glass broken in sipment must be returned to me with the same timiming as above.


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I'm thinking about getting a GAG shirt. I just want to know if they are nice or not? Also how accurate are they with the sizes.
Has anyone here redeemed a Girlsaskguys shirt?
Have an opinion?
What Guys Said 3
Since they don't ship it to India :P :P
I previously redeemed my Xpers for featuring my questions but that time it was like 1000 Xpers and now it's almost 500.11|00|0
Since they didn't mention the sizes, you can contact them directly by "Contact Us" option.
Why not just give the address of any of your friends in the US or Canada or Europe wherever GAG ships to and they can FedEx it to you :)
Smart thinking
No way, go with netflix or amazon!00|00|0
Lol I already have Netflix.
What Girls Said 4
I haven't redeemed anything yet. Most people seem to redeem the Amazon cards, I'm not sure about the shirt. I've thought about getting one myself at some point.11|00|0
I haven't redeemed a GAG Shirt but I did redeem 3 Amazon gift cards recently. All these points won't go to waste or just sit there. :)00|00|0
No... I haven't... I don't really find it to be too appealing.11|00|0
No don't like the look better to get one of the cards.11|00|0
Learn more
Select as Most Helpful Opinion?
You cannot undo this action. The opinion owner is going to be notified and earn 7 XPER points.


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Gift Premium Subscription To Tiny_MN
Join Date:12-25-2011
Last Activity:09-20-2012 10:51 AM
Posted in thread: Shotgun vs. Rifle for deer hunting on 09-08-2012 at 02:03 PM
Most shotgunners are just as good with a rifle as a shotgun. Plus they practice shooting things
besides static targets.Exactly. To me, I don't see a need to hunt with a rifle where I'm at. I
have plen...
Posted in thread: Disappointed with the KA-BAR knife. on 09-08-2012 at 01:37 PM
People feel the same way about 1911's and prefer Glock, Sig, etc. Yet, it's been around for
100+ years and still a model which all others are compared to.
Posted in thread: Swords more than just a cutting utensil. on 09-08-2012 at 01:33 PM
You may want to look into an ax or halberd instead. To truly use a sword it takes a long time
of practice, and the build of the sword decides the style of use. An ax, however, can just be
swung and it...
Posted in thread: Lansky sharpening system review on 04-22-2012 at 05:44 PM
That's the only downside is that there is only two angles. But, I didn't think it was a deal
breaker. Most of my knives have those angles so not a real issues
Posted in thread: got a new bow on 04-22-2012 at 11:42 AM
Flinging arrows is great fun! Enjoy it.Agreed, I prefer archery over firearms myself. But, I do
enjoy a good round or two of trap and skeet with friends. :)
Posted in thread: Lansky sharpening system review on 04-22-2012 at 11:40 AM
Nice review. I have the Smith's kit which is similar. About the only difference I saw is that
mine is capable of doing serrated as well. I've only had to use it occasionally so far.
Posted in thread: what was your first pistol on 04-22-2012 at 11:36 AM
First was a Kimber Raptor II, second was a Sig P220.
Posted in thread: Ladies at the range on 04-22-2012 at 11:28 AM
I think my next purchase may be a rifle if I can find one that fits me well. I looked at a
Henry Lever action Repeater and liked it. I've also looked at some youth model rifles.Have you
looked into so...
Posted in thread: She smoked me on 04-22-2012 at 11:21 AM
Very cool! I'm hoping my wife learns to enjoy shooting. :)
Posted in thread: Let's see some of you scatterguns... on 02-11-2012 at 09:57 PM
All of what you said is true, but why post pics of your guns on the internet just to make it
even easier for them? I try not to tell anyone about the guns I own. I know, just being on a
gun forum is a...


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Please join Racing Dog Rescue Project's efforts to support the retired racing Greyhounds.
GREYT ANGEL: $5000 and up
GREYT BENFACTOR: $1000 to $4999
GREYT PATRON: $500 to $999
GREYT FRIEND: $100 to $499
For only $780 a year, you can help keep our beautiful pups warm, dry and safe by being a kennel sponsor for a year! This amount may be paid monthly through a draft at your bank or by credit card. With your tax-deductible donation, you will have a personalized 5″ x 8″ plaque adorn one of the dog kennels. This is a unique opportunity for you to show the animals – and community – you care! In addition, all kennel sponsors are recognized in the newsletter!
By becoming a Kennel Sponsor, you are making a promise to help ensure that these dogs have the necessary veterinary treatment, clean bedding, fresh food and water and a gentle hand to care for them, possibly for the first time in their lives.
When you become a Kennel Sponsor, a plaque will be placed on a Sponsor Kennel, so that everyone knows that you care about these dogs. You will also receive a certificate stating that you have sponsored a kennel at Racing Dog Rescue Adoption Center; updates on some of the dogs that have resided in the sponsor kennels twice yearly and you will be put on our newsletter subscription list.
Sponsor a Dog Kennel
As an individual or family
As a shared sponsorship
As a gift for a special occasion
In honor of a special friend
In memoriam
As a project for your work colleagues
As a school or church project
A limited number of kennels are available for sponsorship.


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Posted at 12:52 PM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0)
First of all, I can't believe it's been nearly a year since I've posted anything! I read my last post from February of last year and wow, yeah, I was having a hard time then. Still am, actually. Nothing's changed, except, I DID try to put Mom in an adult family home, but in the end, I just couldn't do it. Adult family homes are full of people that are REALLY out of it, and my Mom isn't there yet. So I'm still doing the same thing......BUT, things have improved in that I get every 3rd week off and have a care company come in and take over for me. So I get some full weeks at home. SUCH a stress reliever!
The really sad thing is I totally stopped exercising because of the drama at home and at Mom's. I was just too depressed to get off my fat butt. Gained all my 25 lbs back and then some. Sad face indeed. But, I'm climbing back on the wagon, uh, er, treadmill.
But actually the point of this post is something that has gotten my panties in a wad for some time now. Yep. I'm opening a can 'o worms here, but here goes.
It's the Gluten-Free fad. And yes, I'm calling it a fad. Remember the Oat Bran craze? Food manufacturers really got on that bandwagon. Oat bran items were everywhere. Then there was the whole Atkins/Low Carb thing. A low-carb store even opened in my Mom's neighborhood (which is now closed...hmmmm). Then it was the focus on trans-fats. And high fructose corn syrup.
The thing with oat bran is that it's not restrictive.......add oat bran to whatever you want, it's not gonna kill you. Baking with it......well, I don't really recommend that, as a professional baker myself, using oat bran in place of other ingredients, well, just screws it up the recipe, and frankly it tastes like shit. I never found an oat bran recipe that tasted decent. The Atkins/Low Carb thing wasn't/isn't so bad. It gets people to eat more protein and produce and less carbs, which is a good thing. In restaurants it's easy to order low-carb items too. Manufacturers got on the bandwagon by labeling foods that were already low-carb to begin with as "low carb". Gotta love marketing. Trans-fats? I agree, bad, bad. Trans-fats are chemically created by humans, as are genetically modified food and high fructose corn syrup. And the sheer amount of these ingredients in commonly purchased foods is NOT a good thing. Again, it's easy to steer clear of these things by not buying products with high fructose corn syrup, or trans-fats. Just requires a little label reading. As far as genetically modified food, buy organic. But in the case of products produced with GMO's, they aren't required to label it, which is kinda scary. Yeah, those "Corn Puffs" you eat every morning? They could be made with GMO corn, and you'd never know it. The FDA needs to change this.
As a pastry chef, I can tell you, that less than a few years back, not a whole lot of people knew what gluten WAS. In pastry school, I learned about gluten in 1991. About how important it was in the application of producing baked goods. I learned about different flours and how much gluten they contained; for instance, cake flour=low gluten, bread flour=high gluten. Believe me, I know my gluten. And as important as sugar, butter, and eggs......gluten is a tool of my trade. So yeah, I'm a little upset by the gluten-free "fad" because now we have to cater to the self-diagnosed gluten-free consumer. Baking certain items gluten free isn't so bad, like cakes, cookies, brownies, scones, biscuits......anything that doesn't require a high gluten content to begin with. You can easily substitute all-purpose and cake flours with rice flour, soy flour, etc. But when it comes to bread, and I mean GOOD BREAD, people, it's REALLY hard to bake gluten free. And if you do come up with a gluten-free loaf, it's NOTHING like really good artisan bread made the usual way. And it's damn near IMPOSSIBLE to make a good croissant, danish or puff pastry without flour that isn't high in gluten. Those things require it. And if someone is producing gluten free croissants, danish or puff pastry SUCCESSFULLY, then what in the heck is in there, replacing the gluten? One can only imagine.
Sure, restaurants and food manufacturers are making it easier to order and buy gluten free items. Because they have to. If you don't jump on the bandwagon, you're behind the times and you lose sales. Money is the bottom line to them......food trend......go with the flow. The world of food is a low-profit margin business, and manufacturers and restaurants are pretty much forced to follow trends.
I've asked people who are eating gluten free why they are doing it. Some say they do it to lose weight. Well of COURSE going gluten free will help you lose weight. That's because they are replacing gluten rich items (which are also high carbohydrate items) with healthier things, like more veggies and fruits, nuts, seeds, unthickened soups, etc. Sure you're going to lose weight on that kind of diet. It has nothing to do with whether you're eating gluten or not. Some people say they have "self diagnosed" themselves as being "gluten intolerant". I must ask, how did you come to this conclusion? Did you eat gluten free for a week and discover you felt better than you previously did? Why would you say it was because of the gluten? Maybe it's because you made better food choices, like vegetables and fruits that are high in fiber and other nutrients. You eat more healthy whole food, sure you're going to feel better. I'm not against self-diagnosing, but if you are going to go that route, you need to do it right. From research that I have done on this subject, first a person should try eating completely gluten-free for at LEAST two weeks. Then slowly introduce low gluten items back into their diet. Then if they feel OK, have a little more food with higher gluten content, like a piece of french bread. Then if symptoms come back, like gastro-intestinal distress, general malaise, weight gain, headaches, etc. It COULD be gluten intolerance. To really be sure though? See a friggin' doctor. Because the general symptoms of gluten intolerance are also indicators of other problems and diseases. So what ARE the symptoms of gluten intolerance?
If you really read through these symptoms, you come to realize that they are also symptoms of any number of maladies. My mother has Crohn's Disease. A lot of her symptoms are on this list. But her symptoms are not caused by gluten. For one reason or another, she developed this disease over 20 years ago for unknown reasons. It's an auto-immune disorder, which also helped her develop Myasthenia Gravis, another auto-immune disorder. So what I'm really saying is, that self diagnosing isn't really a bad thing, but if you want to be SURE that gluten is your enemy, you can only find that out by a trip to the doctor. They have two tests for this, a blood test, and a biopsy taken from the small intestine.
So if you self-diagnose AND follow up with a doctor's visit and everything points to a gluten allergy, or even celiac disease, then by all means, eliminate your gluten.
Here, though, is the question that I believe trumps all other questions. And that is, would you really have attributed your symptoms to gluten had it not been for all the media hype and coverage about it? Like I said, not too many years ago, nobody really knew what gluten was, or what it did. Now, because so much attention has been drawn to it and explained to the general public, they now think it's a cure-all for symptoms such as being overweight, bloated, exhaustion, achy joints, depression.....see list above.
I also researched another article, which said basically this, if you feel fine, and eat a healthy diet, exercise and have none of the above problems or only some, there is no added health reason to go gluten free.
Sure, I'm depressed, but that's because my life sucks right now. Sure, I've gained weight, but that's because I eat like shit, and don't exercise. Sure, I have achy joints because I have osteo-arthritis. Sure, I'm exhausted because I'm a caregiver and I run two households. Sure, I'm irritable, but that's because my life sucks right now. Sure, I have irregular menstrual cycles, but that's because of menopause. Sure, I have tingling and numbness, because I have carpal-tunnel syndrome. My point here is that it has nothing to do with gluten. People shouldn't be so quick to blame JUST ONE THING, because it could be something else. Bloating? That could point to a possible tumor, for one thing. Decline in dental health? Maybe you don't brush right or floss. Low iron levels? Maybe you're anemic.
I guess my point here is, that people are always looking for the "magic pill". The one solution that will cure everything. That magic pill doesn't exist. As the medical community has pointed out for years.......diet, exercise, stress management and good life choices are the "cure" to most maladies pointed out above. If you do all these things and still don't feel right.......really......go see a doctor. It's the safest thing you can do.
As I said, I'm SURE this will open a can of worms, and I'm certainly not opposed to civil discourse on the matter. But keep the hate speech to yourself; this could indicate narrow mindedness, and irritability, and I would diagnose you as an asswipe.
Posted at 04:35 PM in Food and Drink, Health and Wellness, Science | Permalink | Comments (5)
I guess what's kept me from blogging all this time is that I've waited for things to get better before I post. You know, happy blogging. Nobody wants to read about the latest whine-du-jour. But frankly, things have basically sucked since my last post and have gotten suckier. So it's either post something whiny or post nothing at all.
Ready for the whine fest?
On a positive note, I did lose 25 lbs after joining the gym. My problem now, is that I haven't been to the gym in 2 months and I can't seem to make myself go because I'm so depressed. Remember that word, "depressed" because that's my whole problem in a nutshell. I know exercise elevates one's mood, and I've experienced it, but I just can't seem to break a sweat to be happy. I just want to curl up in a ball and stay in bed all day, getting up is such a chore. Like the rest of my life. A big fat freakin' chore.
I'm still traveling back and forth between Port Townsend and Redmond to take care of my mom. I've been doing this, what, 3 years now? I can't believe it. I'm only home in Port Townsend on the weekends, and I feel like I don't live in any one particular place. Picking up and switching residences every 3-4 days is disconcerting and difficult. I have not just one house but two houses to keep up the chores and finances in and I'm tired, tired, tired.
Mom is doing well physically, but her memory problems are a little worse. She doesn't pick up after herself very well (she waits for me to get there to do it), and she lies to me about what she's doing on the weekends when I'm not there. I know she lies in bed all day, but she tells me she's up and watching TV when we talk on the phone. I wish. Instead, she stays in bed and forgets to take her medicine. Oh, she would do SO MUCH BETTER in assisted living, but she doesn't want to move out of her house. The question is, when do I say, "Mom, I know you don't want to, but you're going into assisted living and that's it." When do you take their independence away? I think the time is now, but it's so hard to just go and make that decision against her will.
Taking care of mom entails cleaning up after, and feeding her, and making sure she takes her medicine. I fill up a month's worth of medisets, each day box having a morning, noon, night, and bedtime compartment. She's pretty good about remembering to take her medicine, but like I say, on the days I'm not there, she'll just sleep all day, and miss her doses. This hasn't seemed to affect her health negatively in any way but it still drives me nuts. So when I'm not taking care of her in Redmond, at home I spend all my time worrying about her. So it's like 24/7 mom, mom, mom.
Over Christmas, my brother and I shipped her off to his house in Minnesota so I could have a break. It was a great break, but the three weeks slipped by so fast. I could use another break. In general, I need a big break. Something that will change this circumstance of mom care. I can't stand to think I'll be doing this another year, or two years or three, or 10.......aaaaaaaaahhhhhh! I wouldn't make it. I'd crumble. I think I'm crumbling now.
Then at home.......well, that's another story. It used to be a place of respite from Mom, but now it's just a place chock full of it's own problems, so I'm never away from some sort of drama. As I write this, I realize, hells yeah, I know why I'm depressed! No big mystery. I'm living in a vortex of misery. No amount of prescriptions can medicate it away. I feel very overwhelmed and trapped at the same time. It's hell. I feel for any person who has to take care of a parent. I know I'm not the only one.
I'm also angry at my mom for putting me through this. She had always said she "didn't want to interfere with my life", but here she is doing just that by being so stubborn and not going into assisted living like a reasonable person. Is it too much to ask her to be reasonable? Yes. She's so out of it, she doesn't realize there's people's lives outside of her own. I'm missing so much time with my husband, and that's something I'll never get back.
I want my life back.
Next chapter, professional counseling. I can't seem to break out of this rut I'm in or make a change in my surroundings. I need to deal with certain people better. I need to be happy or somewhat content. I'll take anything that's better than this.
Hopefully, my next post will be sooner and happier!
Posted at 01:39 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (3)
Hi Kids! Long time no bloggy. It's because everything's been the same old, same old........stay with Mom Tuesday through Fridays in Redmond, and back to Port Townsend for the weekends. My life, in short, is in a huge rut.
I'm in a rut spiritually, physically, and emotionally. The spiritual and emotional I can't do much about, but I can bring about change physically. So I figured, I'm at Mom's 4 days a week anyway, why not join a gym? I needed to face the fact that I'm so out of shape I can't even keep up with my 62 year old husband, and I'm 48! I have some poundage on him too. Not much, but enough to be embarrassed about. For crying out loud, you shouldn't outweigh your husband, unless he's a dwarf or something.
So I took the big step and joined 24 Hour Fitness. Hey, it's open 24 hours and it never rains in there, so it takes away two big excuses that I had not to exercise. Time and crummy weather, which here in the good ol' PNW is abundant. The crummy weather that is. So far it's been a cold miserable Spring, and I just don't like walking in inclement weather. It's only 30 bucks a month to belong to the gym, so there's another excuse taken away. That's a pretty good deal, which I can afford.
Made the appointment to talk to the membership counselor, and signed on. I even went the extra step to hire a personal trainer, because when it comes to all things fitness, I'm a moron. I've never been fit in my life, and dammit, I want to be before I turn 50 in 2012. Hopefully the world won't end then. According to the Mayan calendar, as soon as I become fit, the world will end. Luckily I don't believe in the Mayan calendar crap. When I become fit, hell may freeze over but the world won't end.
Do you think a year is enough time for me to become fit and slender? I do. At least I'm realistic. I've been at this daily exercise thing since March 23rd, and I've lost close to 6 lbs already, which isn't too bad. I need to lose about 60 more lbs. It's going to be a haul, but I've decided to do it. Why am I following through this time?
Because I've been around too many sickly old people lately. Because I outweigh my husband. Because I want some energy, and to feel stronger. Because I'm sick of feeling fat. Because I'm sick of mail ordering my clothes from Lane Bryant. Sick sick sick. Lane Bryant clothes are ugly, because they're made to hide folds of fat. Might as well shop at the local tent and awning company really. I want to buy clothes off the rack again.....go to REGULAR (ie. cheap) stores like Target and Wal Mart and just pick anything out that's on sale. Size 1X is for the birds!
I've learned something. When you're out of shape like I am, starting a physical fitness program is HARD. Especially when you have a personal trainer pushing you. The first couple, well, no, make that all the sessions I have with him are intense, and they make me sweat like the late James Brown.
He has me do squats, in three sets of 30, and I can barely finish them. He wants me to be able to do 20 minutes of hard cardio on the elliptical machine or the stair stepper or the treadmill, still which I cannot do. I can manage 10 minutes on the elliptical and then my legs give out. My goal is to work up to 20 minutes but I can't do it right now. What I can do is a good 35 minutes on the treadmill, and another 30 minutes on the exercise bike, which equals about an hour of medium to upper cardio for me (according to my heart rate).
Marcus, my trainer, is a good guy, although he's mean to me. He makes me do stuff I don't think I can do. But I'm not one to say "I can't", I'm more one to say, "I will" or "I'll try". And I do. Marcus is young and cute (not to mention fit), and I'm not about to wimp out on such a young 'un. I've still got enough ego in these folds of fat to push my own limits. Geez, I remember when I was running and jumping around as a kid, with no effort at all, and now I have to re-learn the effortlessness again. I want to be able to run a reasonable distance without collapsing on the ground, clutching my chest.....is that too much to ask?
Of course Marcus had to laugh when he found out my trade was Pastry Chef. I'm his biggest challenge. And he's making ground meat outta me. He makes me write down all the food I eat in a journal and he checks it. At first he was disgusted with my eating habits, like half and half in my coffee, and bread all over the place. He scowled as he looked over my journal the first time, grumbling "this is crap, this is crap and this is crap." Well, duh, how do you get to my condition if you don't constantly eat crap?
So my eating crap is definitely on hold. No bread, no rice, no corn, no potatoes, no sugar, no pasta. More fruits and veg, fiber and protein. It's been hard, since I'm not much of a meat eater. Not that I dislike meat, I just dislike preparing it. I'm bad with meat.........I either undercook it or overcook it, and either one is just plain yukky, so I stick with what I know, fruits and veg. They're easy to eat, cook, and or prepare. I'm bad with fish too. REALLY bad. I've got a freezer full of fish out in the garage, but I'm so scared I'll screw it up, I don't cook it. I know I should eat more fish. Did I mention chicken? I can actually DO chicken, but dammit it has to be skinless. I love chicken skin! But it's pure fat. Sigh.
In my journal, I had written down that I ate an innocent hard boiled egg. And Marcus says, "did you eat the yolk?" and I said, "Well of COURSE!" and he says, "after all that work, you want to put a ball of yellow fat in your body? That's all it is is cholesterol and fat. You don't want that do you?" And I'm like "well no". But inside I'm thinkin', "who eats a hard boiled egg white?" Apparently a lot of people that don't include me. So scratch hard boiled eggs for me. Without the yolk, they're tasteless little orbs of tastelessness. And secretly, yes, I DO want to put a little yellow ball of fat inside my gut. It's yummy.
I thought I'd be more self conscious working out at a gym. But it turns out there's people there of all sizes. True, most of them are fit, but there's balls of flab there just like me, and some are worse off than me. And most people are there just concentrating on their workouts, not trolling for dates, or flexing muscles for the sake of flexing muscles. There ARE mirrors everywhere, so you can't avoid looking at your bod when you're working out. There must be some psychological reason for this, and right now, I don't appreciate looking at my flab as I struggle on a weight machine or exercise ball. But those mirrors do keep you grounded, and say to me, "see why you're here?" Oh yeah.
This blog entry is about pastry, as in, too much of it can lead you down my path. I haven't baked in months and I miss it. I won't be baking for several more months either. Would be too much of a slippery slope. I remember the days when I worked in pastry and people would say "how do you stay so thin?" When they stopped asking me, I knew I wasn't skinny anymore. And that was a long time ago.
So here I go, starting on my quest to be fit, not fat. Strong, not weak, Smokin' hot, not some dumpy housewife. Marcus kicks my ass. And if I pay him more money, he'll keep kicking my ass. And soon, I'll kick my own ass.
6 lbs down, 64 to go.
Posted at 05:25 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (5)
I haven't totally abandoned this blog. It's just there isn't much pastry going on in my life right now, and this blog is supposed to be about all things pastry plus extra bonuses, like how great my life is. Ha.
Actually I did get to do a little pastry work at The Famous Northwest Catering Co. in the Madison Park area of Seattle over the Christmas holidays. I got to reprise my role of working with the famous, ass-kicking Jewlz, who in her words calls herself "chumpy". If being a great pastry chef who cranks out delicious and numerous goodies on a seemingly effortless basis is "chumpy", then I'm less than chumpy. I aspire to be chumpy.
It was fun to work with Jewlz, and not have to sit around with Mom all day. No offense Mom, but you're not the most exciting company in the world these days. More on that later.
Christmas for the catering co. was very very busy, and Jewlz' regular assistant chose that particular time to go to China for two weeks. What I did was travel into the city on Tuesdays like usual to stay with Mom, I worked with Jewlz on Wednesdays and Thursdays, then went back to Port Townsend on Friday. I did this for two weeks. Like I said it was fun, and good to get my hands back in the dough again. I felt far more useful doing that, than watching my Mom just veg her life away.
I made dozens of mini tart shells, cookie doughs, macaroons, batters, tea breads, etc. What I found interesting was the "if you don't use it" you lose it syndrome. Things didn't come to me as easily as they used to, and I was extra careful not to make a mistake, so I worked a bit slower than I usually do, but I did pretty well for a kitchen I wasn't used to. That kitchen was definitely stuffed to the rafters with ingredients, dishes, baskets, equipment, etc. Things were behind things that were behind things that were behind things. The walk in refrigerator was the fullest walk in I'd ever seen, and when I first went in there, I thought I'd never find what I was looking for. Eventually I stopped being overwhelmed by it, and just dug around for stuff like everybody else did. I was amazed that such a relatively small space could crank out so much food. I've worked in larger spaces that didn't do nearly the production.
I don't have nearly the self-confidence in a kitchen as I used to. Kitchens used to be my "comfortable place", now they're my "nervous place". I think getting back to work is the only way I'll get my mojo back.
To be blunt, my life sucks right now. I've been caring for my mom for over 2 years, and it's kinda taken it's toll on me. The traveling back and forth, 2 hours each way, not including the ferry ride, the cost in gas and ferry fare, the time lost at home, missing my husband, not being able to work, being responsible for mom's well-being and her household chores as well as mine at home....well, it's just too much. Things have to change.
I've called my brother in to help me with the task of convincing Mom that she needs to go into assisted living. This will not be easy. Mom is adamant about staying in her own house, but the fact is, the only way she's able to do that is because of what I'm doing. I can't continue it anymore, so we have to come up with alternative solutions. She has to stay near Group Health territory, since that is her health care provider, so having her come live with us is out of the question. Besides, none of us would be happy with that. Mom needs more socialization, not isolation, as is the situation now. When I'm not at her house on the weekends, she is totally alone, and does nothing but sit on the couch and watch TV in her pajamas. She barely eats, and doesn't take care of herself very well. Surely, there has to be a better life for her than that. I can't provide her with 24/7 care and activities, which is what she really needs, and assisted living seems to be the only solution that I can come up with. My brother and I need to do an "intervention" of sorts. I'm really glad he's coming out to help me with this, because I've been slowly going crazy for a while now.
He'll be out after the middle of February and it can't come soon enough. Hopefully things will be looking different and better soon.
We now resume our regularly scheduled suckage.
Posted at 01:55 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Well, due to the poor economy I guess, the host of my blog, Vox, is closing at the end of September, so I've had to move my blog over to this Typepad thingy. It's a major pain in the ass to learn and I'm cranky about it. Why can't things just stay the same?
I've always wondered why old people seemed cranky. Now I think I know. It's change! I've mastered setting the clock on my VCR so it doesn't flash 12:00 all the time, but who needs a VCR? I need a Blu Ray and a plasma TV but can't afford those and that also makes me cranky.
I do have a new computer and cell phone though. If it weren't for iPhone 4 fever, which my husband and I caught, we wouldn't have upgraded at all. We were one of the first in line for the iPhone 4 on launch day, and we were so happy with our purchases......until we found out our phones were not compatible with our "old" computers. Now I don't know if it's just 'cause I'm old and crabby, or what, but I don't think 10 years is old. To me, OLD, for an object, is like 30 years. My parent's dishwasher lasted 30 years. That's how long things should last.......til you can afford a new object. I didn't think my 10 year old computer was "old". It was working just fine for me! But I guess 10 was bordering on obsolete for Apple.
So, in order for us to sync our phones to our computers (and you have to be able to do that, especially with an iPhone), we had to get new computers. Yay. Sort of. I was really attached to my old "basketball iMac".....it had so much character. Now I have a new iMac and it's speedy and cool, but nowhere as cool looking as my basketball. I haven't yet parted with it......it's on my back desk, just in case I need it or just want to look at it. Soon though, it will make the trip over to my Mom's to replace her computer which is an iMac G3, which is WAY old.......so old in fact, that you can't even give the things away. I absolutely HATE our "disposable" way of life these days. The world is a big oil slicked garbage heap.
On the subject of dishwashers, we had to replace our "old" dishwasher this summer also. It was just over 10 years old too. Why can't they make things like they used to? I'm sure this new dishwasher we bought will bite the dust even sooner than our "old" one did. I can tell. It just "feels" cheap and flimsy.
So if you wonder why old people are cranky it's because nobody makes quality stuff anymore (well, maybe except Apple), and we don't like change. Change just means we have to learn something. I'm too cranky to learn anything new and learning new things makes me cranky. It's a vicious circle.
Sorry about the small font. As far as I can tell, there's nothing I can do about it, except get out my reading glasses.
Now you kids get off of my lawn.
Posted at 03:46 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Posted at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Posted at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
The Village Baker bakery and all it's entities are now closed. Recession blues, and being in a tourist town in the off season took it's toll. My stepson is now out of a job. To say he is bummed is an understatement.
To all my ex-coworkers, I hope you find other employment soon. I know it's not going to be easy here. Especially now.
I'm very sad about all this........not a great thing to happen just before the holidays.
Take care my friends!
Posted at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Well, kids, my good buddy Rick who owns Cakelava in Hawaii, has asked me to be his assistant in a Food Network Cake Challenge. I'm going to do it. He's the main competitor......I'll just be the dork in the background, but that's good enough for me! I have to be all hushy hush about the details, but it will be a challenge that's right up my alley. I promise I'll tell ya all about it as soon as it's ok for me to do so...........
Posted at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Remember this post?
Well, after 8 months, the cafe is closing, along with the original one in Poulsbo. Part of it has to do with the recession, and I'm sure there's other reasons too. One being that my kick-ass co-worker, Jewlz, finally found a great job with an easier commute and more money. If anyone knows that it's hard to replace Jewlz, it's me. Her leaving had a lot to do with the decision to close the cafes. Around here in these parts, it's hard to find people like Jewlz and me.
So that's the end of the Village Baker Cafes, but there will still be wholesale bread and danishes coming out of the bakery. And the first of the year, they will be selling the bread and danishes right out of the bakery Tuesdays thru Saturdays. So they are scaling down by closing the cafes but not the bakery. Some of my pals get to keep their jobs, in fact most of them. The ones that are hitting the unemployment line are the ones that manned the cafe counters. It's all very sad to me, since I was involved with the cafe openings from the very beginning.
Since this is a tourist town, recessions really hit us hard. The rumor is that a lot of businesses here won't make it through the winter with the gloomy holiday season forecast.
Here in the Welch household, we are "canceling" Christmas. No gifts this year. We'll spend family time together and have a nice dinner, but that's it. No presents, no stockings, none of it. Our non-spending won't help the economy, but the economy isn't helping us either. Times are really tight for us right now. All I want for Christmas this year is to be less in debt. Besides the last thing I need, or any of us need is more "stuff". I don't have any room for any more stuff anyway. You should see my office.......
So I have this whole section of my garage full of pastry equipment. Should I keep it? Will I get back into pastry again, or what? I have no idea what will happen in the future; I don't know how long I'll be taking care of my mom.....it could be a couple of years or maybe 10-15.........I wish I had a crystal eclair to tell me.
For now I'll just take things as they come and try not to worry about what I can't control.
If you live in Seattle, you lucky people get to taste Jewlz talents at The Famous Northwest Catering Co.
Posted at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)


text:
Doctor insights on:
Small Red Itchy Bumps On Palm
What are small red itchy bumps on palms of hands? Some tiny bit raised some under skin.
Bumpy rash: A rash is best diagnosed and treated when a physician can actually look at it. It could be hives but it could also be a contact dermatitis or infection. ...Read more
Itchy Rash (Definition)
Most itchy rashes are called eczema or dermatitis. Both are due to ...Read more
I have some small red itchy bumps on the back of my hand. They come and go every week or so. What is this?
Hand eczema: The most common causes are irritant (too much hand washing) or contact allergy. Pay attention to the type of soap and hand preparation to see it changing the brand would help (no scented, anti-bacterial soap) or gel). If you wash you hands too often, consider wearing a non-latex glove on some of the chores and apply a lotion after washing whenever possible as well as reducing hand washing ...Read more
What is typically associated with red and white itchy bumps all over palm of hands?
Could be an eczema.: It could be from a particular type of eczema (dermatitis)called pompholyx or dishydrotic palmoplantar ecz. Where we don't know the cause . Are you allergic to any particular agent like chemicals, soaps, any agents at work place asit could be an allergic type of exzema- allergic dermatitis/contact dermatitis. Other rare cond. Like pustular dermatitis, some autoimmune dz +. See your dr, can be treated. ...Read more
I have non-itchy bumps, flat raised, and with a brownish or red central area, on the back of my hands, forearms and top of feet and one two on the palms.
Bumps: This definitely merits an exam. It is a possible contact dermatitis , but your dermatologist is the doc to see. Good luck. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
I have a 1st degree burn on my hand and arm, treated with aloe but now I have red itchy bumps on top of my hand around the burn?
Reaction to aloe: Sounds like good possibility. Try topical Hydrocortisone 1% cream otc. If that doesn't work, time to see the dermatologist. ...Read more
I have had a very itchy rash on the back of my right hand for the past several days. Its a cluster of raised red bumps. Any ideas for relief?
Try hydrocortisone : Try over the counter Hydrocortisone cream. Contact allergy, insect bites and the like will generally respond. If the rash looks infected however, the cream will not help. ...Read more
What can cause small itchy bumps on the palm of my hands?
Rash: Really should see a doctor since a rash is best diagnosed and treated when it is seen by a physician. Could be hives, contact dermatitis, infection, etc..... ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
What are small red itchy bumps on back of neck symptoms of?
Several causes: Little itchy bumps on the nape, several forms of dermatitis (skin inflammation), folliculitis (inflammation ofthe hair follicles) , ? Psoriasis ( a scaly skin condition), or seborrhea (part of it is dandruff) u may want 2 c ur 1ry md or a referral to a dermatologist 2 sort it out see less. ...Read more
There's small red itchy bumps on stomach and side after showering?
See below: Problems like these can only be correctly handled by your doctor in person. He/she needs to listen to you, perform an examination and possibly run labs or other tests. That's the only way he/she can find out what's going on and what to do about it. ...Read more
I have small red itchy bumps on my back and near my ribs what is it?
Outbreaks of itchy: red bumps are very common and have many different causes: allergy related hives, especially if you've contacted something new (natural/leaves/plant or artificial/household chemicals). A red itchy rash can go along with being sick (chicken pox/impetigo) or parasites (scabies). Try some OTC cortisone cream and antihistamine for a day or two ... then to Derm if persists. Good wishes:) ...Read more
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- Small itchy bumps on palm of hand
- Small red bumps on palms of hands
- Small red bumps on palm of hand
- Red itchy bumps on palms of hands
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text:
Superfund Site: ALADDIN PLATING
Superfund Site Profile
The 8.5-acre Aladdin Plating site is located in Scott Township, Pennsylvania. A small electroplating business operated on site from 1947 to 1982, when it closed following a fire. Facility activities included rinsing electroplated items in water, sulfuric acid, chromic acid and cyanide. Operators disposed of contaminated rinse water and sludge in two unlined lagoons at the site. These lagoons occasionally overflowed, contaminating soil and ground water with chromium and other metals from electroplating process wastes. Following cleanup, ground water monitoring is ongoing. EPA took the site off the Superfund program's National Priorities List (NPL) in 2001.