UnGoogle Yourself

I received an interesting article from one of my business subscriptions today by Mark Macias, author of Beat the Press: Your Guide to Managing the Media.  He tells us 'How to UnGoogle' ourselves when someone
publicly makes malicious comments about us.

I have mostly viewed such comments as idle gossip on the part of people who have fairly unsatisfying lives.  However, I recall being shocked and upset a few years ago after seeing some factually incorrect comments made about me by someone who knew absolutely nothing about me.  Having an unusual name has huge benefits - clients who are seeking me don't have to search far, unlike my husband whose name is very common.

The comment which upset me was on a forum where David and I were referred to as a 'shack-up couple'.  It would seem that the writer had not encountered the fact of women retaining their own names after marriage.  What a narrow world this person must live in.  I originally chose my name in honour of my great grandmother, Emily Milsom, greatly loved and respected by all and one of the 'quiet support' suffragettes.  She didn't make headline news or take part in demonstrations, but taught her several children and grandchildren who, in turn, educated their own families to respect the rights of individuals.  Emily enabled me to choose my own name as a dancer and business owner.  She and countless other people, both men and women, of her generation made it possible for me to have a career, own a house and decide on and personally pay for the education of my daughters. 

I originally used Emily Milsom as my designer label for the period gowns I created for theatrical performances and musicals.  David's artistic and technical talents resulted in him teaching himself as a very good pattern cutter, and together with my own intuitive sewing skills, Emily Milsom became renowned for its 20th Century womens clothing.  It is amusing that the name was so powerful that not only did clients prefer to call me Emily, they also assumed that David's second name was Milsom too!  I wonder how the writer of the comments on that forum would respond to that - complete electrical brain failure perhaps!

After reading a couple of posts on that gossip laden thread, I quickly realized that my time was too precious to waste on such inarticulate nonsense written by individuals who don't even care to put a name to their comments by registering as a user of the forum.   Having administered a forum for one client, I consider it very poor form when adminstrators allow unregistered 'guests' to place comments.

The comment in question was brought up on the first page of Google searches, not because it was valuable or interesting, but because the forum had an enormous amount of links going to and from it.  This is why forum administrators allow unregistered posts; in order to increase the chance of being returned on search engines.

Using the old adage that 'All publicity is good publicity', David soon put this seemigly 'bad publicity' to good use.  He posted his thanks on his own blog including the link to the forum thread.  Bingo!  David's blog was brought up on Google's first page too!  Thank you to the individual who posted that funny little comment.  Meanwhile, I think David should choose a nom de plume, something more unusual.  I'll still keep my own name though!

Here again is the link to UnGoogle Yourself.

End Artificial Sweeteners and Reduce Body Fat

In my earlier post, I explained briefly the dangers of using chemically produced artificial sweeteners such as:

Aspartame
Acesulfame Potassium
Splenda (sucralose)
Saccharine

It's terrifying to recall how the paternal grandmother to our granddaughters used to ensure that the girls always had a plentiful supply of the artificially sweetened Ribena Lite. I know she thought she was doing the best that any caring grandmother would do, but even then, the effects of Aspartame on the behaviour of children was known. What was not known widely then, was that insulin levels go crazy when this and other artificial sweeteners are regularly ingested.  Here are a few of the other potential dangers:

• some have been linked to potential cancer risks
• negative effects on the liver, kidneys, and other organs
• stimulating cravings
• gastrointestinal problems
• developmental problems in children and fetuses
• headaches
• and too many more issues to list

Years ago, whilst still in England, I had heard of a natural sweetener produced from a herb called Stevia with upto 300 times the sweetness of sugar.  It seemed incredible and I wondered how anyone could manage to measure accurately to achieve the desired level of sweetness in, for instance, a cup of tea.  I teaspoon of sugar would require 1/300 of a teaspoon of stevia.  At that time we were selling our organic restaurant and smoothie bar and emigrating to Canada, so I had other things on my mind!

Since we moved here and I had to learn to grow vegetables I have wondered about growing the herb Stevia, but unfortunately it needs a long growing season.  It was in thinking of growing it now we have moved to the fruit growing region of British Columbia that I decided to research Stevia again.  I was amazed at how popular it has become and that my concerns about adequate measurement have been resolved.



Now Stevia is available in a form that can give the same pleasing results as sugar when used in baking, etc.  Although I am very resourceful at sweetening huge crumbles, cakes, etc with just a few drops of liquid stevia, I am pleased to be able to be able to return to the more conventional methods (as conventional as my methods ever have been that is!) and not have to work out ingredients scientifically anymore.

There is something immensely satisfying about sprinkling a spoonful of granulated crystals onto a bowl of strawberries or porridge or whatever your fancy might be and Steviva 'does it for me'!  If you would like to try for yourself, use the discount coupon below and tell me your views/feelings.

Weight Loss versus Fat Loss

I have never subscribed to nor been impressed with the idea of dieting.  Many would say 'it's alright for you' but I have every sympathy with people who have difficulty in losing weight.  I see many people really committing themselves to a regime then being utterly demoralized at their apparent lack of success once they return to normal life and their work is rapidly undone.

I have maintained for years that the 'low calorie' diet plans are harmful and ineffective.  They don't deal with the root of the weight problem, worse they contribute.  It's difficult to penetrate the brainwashing that countless numbers of people have been subjected to.  Living an organic lifestyle would not allow me to substitute real food with harmful chemicals, even though I do have a 'sweet tooth' and thrive on foods cooked in fats.  According to the diet industry, I should be a colossus, but I am not.

I was delighted recently to encounter the Diet Solution Program.  At last, someone who has made available to the masses, the 'permission' to eat fats, eat plenty and not starve themselves.  Isabel explains how we have different metabolic typing and provides the formula with which anyone can determine their own.  This explains why my husband can enjoy a very physical day and gather enough energy from fruits and nuts, whereas with that same activity, a day eating fruit and nuts would not only make me very uncomfortable, but physically weak and emotionally miserable.  We have different metabolic typing.  If only everyone could understand this simple fact.

The next very simple fact that the Diet Solution Program covers is that we all need fats and that there are many easy sources of good fats and bad fats.  The Canola Oil industry very successfully convinced the public that coconut oil is harmful because it is a saturated fat, which it is, but they persuaded people that ALL saturated fats are bad for us.  Most people don't know that some fats become very dangerous once they are heated.  It isn't the potato part of the french fries that makes you fat, it's the kind of oil they are cooked in.  Change to cooking in olive oil or coconut oil (which I highly recommend - potato wedges will never taste so good to you again!) and you have a very good food.  In fact, coconut oil can actually assist in burning unwanted fat off of your body.  It goes straight to the liver where it is immediately converted into energy instead of being stored in the body.

Most diets lead to weight loss, which is actually water loss (dehydration) and once you end the diet, you will regain that weight as your body rehydrates.  What most people really want to achieve is fat loss and you need maximum hydration to achieve this.  It is well known that drinking good, clean water (especially ice cold if you can manage it!) will assist in burning calories.  I won't detail all the other needs your body has for drinking water, as it is very aptly and simply discussed in the Fat Burning Furnace.

Simply altering the fats you eat, rather than embarking on a tasteless, unsatisfying, fat free or low fat diet, will radically alter the way your body metabolizes food and actually ASSIST in losing weight or fat.  What's more - the weight will stay off, as long as you keep to this simple culinary change.  You may not be able to buy fries from McDonalds again, but neither will you continue to look like most of the regular customers there!

The question of artificial sweeteners is also successfully covered in the Diet Solution Program.  The idea that dieters can drink alcohol mixers as long as they use low calorie sodas ludicrous and should be punishable for affecting the health of so many.  Isabel explains, in simple language, how artificial sweeteners send messages to the brain to retain fat - at all costs!  Each time the sensors on the tongue send the message to the brain 'here comes something sweet' our insulin levels go crazy, waiting in preparation for the 'sugar' that never arrives.  Eventually, use of these artificial sweeteners destroys our ability to manage insulin levels completely.  Have you wondered why diabetes is so prevalent now?  Yet people recovering from heart attacks are 'told' they must eat artificial sweeteners and what's the next crisis they have to overcome - yes - diabetes!

The great thing about the  Diet Solution Program
is that YOU take control of your health. You feel better emotionally, and I am certain you will feel motivated to make the effort it takes to make the small changes necessary to your food shopping habits.

I know people are tired of the 'lose weight fast' adverts and they are right to be.  I am certain that you will understand more about your bodies needs with Diet Solution Program and attain a healthy body/fat ratio.

I was especially impressed that both the Fat Burning Furnace and the Diet Solution Program tell us that we do not have to do those incredibly boring sessions on treadmills. The exercise routines that most professional trainers advise us to use actually work against fat loss. Not only is it better to do a 15 minute workout 3 times a week, it means you can fit this in at home and not have to make the journey to a gym, or set aside one hour each day for exercising.

Both programmes also include recipes and workouts for all levels of fitness with diagrams.  For a little extra the Fat Burning Furnace provides videos, which really appeals to me.  The Diet Solution Program (the most expensive at $47) also includes a journal, manual and shopping tips.

If you follow either of these programmes, not only will you attain your healthy weight, you will keep it and that makes for happier people.  To assist with the emotional aspects of trying to lose weight, I recommend EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), commonly being called Meridian Tapping.  I will explain more in my next post.

Moving - They say it's one of the most stressful life events ....

It is said that moving house is one of the life events that cause us greatest anxiety.  This might be true for many people and having just completed a house purchase and long distance move, I can agree that it does create a lot of work.  There were many 'firsts' involved in our recent move - obtaining a mortgage, finding a suitable property, and then the usual logistics and ensuring non-interruption for our business clients.  As for being one of the most stressful events; for us it was a relief.  There can be few situations that cause greater constant aggravation than living next door to a nasty, greedy individual, who will stop at nothing to drive you away.

It is so easy in these situations to dig in your heels and say 'I'm not moving', but it's necessary to 'think laterally'.  We bought our piece of paradise with cash from the sale of our very large, heritage building in England which we had rescued and renovated.  We aggravated many developers in so doing, as the building was city centre, and soon to have all protective building restrictions removed, making it a prime site.  However, we knew none of this when we saw the perfect property for our business needs and set to work, lovingly restoring and renovating this historic building.  To give you an idea of it's size, when we decided to move to Canada, we sold it to a developer who built four town houses inside it!

It seems that we stepped on the toes of another greedy developer with our purchase in Canada.  He didn't expect us to stay in our wilderness, lakeside property and became very frustrated as each of his increasingly nasty attempts to re-acquire our land and rights failed.  We spoiled his plans.  Eventually, having 'ignored the whispers' we had to 'listen to the shouts' (Stuart Wilde), we decided that we would not continue to live with the constant campaigns against us and to move away.  We haven't attempted to sell the property, how could we possibly put anyone else into the hands of this lunatic.  We are happy to let it continue to increase nicely in value, whilst the Universe decides what to do about the protagonist and we enjoy another of Canada's beautiful and vastly different regions. 

The difference this decision has made to our lives is immense. Strangely, one of the hardest things to leave was the soil we had rebuilt, creating good hayland and pasture and beautiful gardens.  The locals would often ask to bring their visitors to see our 'amazing gardens'.    It's distressing to see those gardens overgrown, even though we have someone 'keeping an eye on the place', it's a hugely time consuming task to keep it all in trim and nature works much faster than we did!

It wasn't easy making the decision to leave our seven years of loving work behind, but success comes from moving out of your comfort zone.  It stretches you in ways you can't foresee and ultimately, increases your personal resources.  Thankfully, we attracted the most incredibly dedicated professionals to assist us in our house purchase.  It's impossible to overstate the qualities of our mortgage broker, Dara Fahy, who was always supportive, caring and effective.  Only after we completed did we learn of his non-business philanthropy.  Visit Dara's Facebook Fan Page to see what this extraordinary young man does to help those in need:  Mortgages For a Cause.

So, having neglected this blog for the month of June whilst unpacking and rediscovering our cherished items which haven't been seen since we left England, it's back to business as usual!

Get Organized - Get Rid of Piles and Improve Your Health

Whether in business or simply managing home accounts, time is wasted for many people through poor organization of incoming paperwork.  There was always much more important work to do, earning an income and I personally, often found myself struggling to keep abreast.  I know that it was a drain on my health and body, especially at the end of the tax year, when sorting through the mass of paperwork couldn’t be put off a day longer.  If I only just met the filing deadline some years, it wasn’t due to a reluctance to pay taxes, but a dread of having to make sense of the mass of paperwork that had arrived during the year.    Once filed, I would heave a great sigh of relief …. And start building next year’s mountain.

I have commented in a previous article about the strange paradox that many people easily make the decision to employer a cleaner to help with housework, but struggle bravely with mountains of paperwork and other mundane matters that could also be easily delegated. Not everyone has a need for a Virtual Associate, even though a VA can be employed for as little as 15 minutes.

However, I KNOW that EVERY adult will benefit from a marvellous little system called Freedom Filer.  You will love it!  For the amazingly low price of $32.95, it will revolutionize your paperwork nightmares in just half an hour and NEVER have to sort through papers annually again!

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Just think of all the time you could transfer to income earning or leisure/pleasure activities!  The benefit to your health would be immense!  I wish I had found it and rid myself of paper piles years ago.

Don't waste another minute of your precious time Click Here

General Tips for Healthy Skin

Exercise - This is crucial to keep you young and aid cell regeneration. I prefer to exercise in my own home and it doesn't have to involve costly equipment. A tin of baked beans in each hand can very effectively be used as dumbbells, enabling you to exercise anywhere, at any time. Saunas and steambaths will improve your circulation, in addition to burning calories, but should never be considered a substitute for regular exercise. You must work your muscles to keep them toned.

Drink Clean Water - Chlorine is added to tap water and is very damaging, whether you immerse your skin in it or drink it. Most of us would avoid putting our hands into bleach, yet don't think twice about drinking it or soaking in it for several hours each week. To remove chlorine from drinking water, fill a jug and leave it to stand, uncovered for 45 minutes, allowing the gas to evaporate. You will soon learn to recognize the smell of bleach in chlorinated water that you haven't cleared.

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Health Guide - How to Look and Feel Twenty Years Younger!

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Absorption Through the Skin - Your skin is your largest organ, absorbing upto 80% of whatever you put on it. If you can't eat it - don't put it on your skin! The same applies to the skin inside your mouth. Consider using a natural toothpaste, but as with everything else, beware of what, exactly, is being labelled 'natural'.

Rest and Nutrition - Always ensure you have plenty of sleep and eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. It is recommended that 70% of your daily nutrition should derive from fresh fruit and vegetables. It is very easy and inexpensive to grow small green, but highly nutritious leaves in a pot on even the smallest windowsill, all year round. You will find handy tips for easy growing methods on blog for Raised Beds.

Dry or Cracked Feet

Our feet work exceptionally hard, every single day, with little or no appreciation for the incredible job they do in our lives.  Often, it isn't until the heels crack in the winter that we pay them due attention.

My most favourite health/body treatment is a pedicure and I used to enjoy them weekly.  Living in the wilderness means that such pleasures have to be sacrificed.  Once a week, I treat myself to a magnesium crystals footsoak for maximum foot health and well being.


Follow this with a foot scrub and every evening moisturize really well before going to bed to allow the skin to soften throughout the night.  Wearing a pair of socks in bed will ensure the moisturizer goes into your feet and not the bed linen, especially if your moisturizer is greasy.  This massage bar is not greasy at all and is refillable.  If your feet are in a very bad way, moisturize during the day too.  Only wear natural fibres: wool, silk, hemp or cotton.

Bio-sensing Briefs - Fewer Trips to the Hospital - Not likely!

Recently, someone asked me what my cholesterol count was and was astounded when I had no idea.  She was even more horrified when I rejected her suggestion that I rush to the clinic immediately to ‘get one’.  ‘How will you know the state of your health if you don’t?’ she asked.  Is it my Englishness that I don’t need to know every statistic concerning my body?  This tends to be my thinking, but I have been in North America for seven years now and wonder if perhaps during my absence, this particular characteristic has permeated the every day lives of Brits too.

I understand that there are machines available over the counter easily and cheaply, which read blood pressure,.  I can only imagine this leads to increased paranoia.  Perhaps our observation alters that which is being observed.  Since giving up ‘orthodox’ health care twenty years ago, my blood pressure has been measured once only. I was fully aware that my blood pressure had increased due to the fact that it was being ‘observed’.  I didn’t need a personal machine to tell me that; my body told me!  I make instant adjustments to bring my blood pressure down, and in severe cases, using EFT (meridian tapping) and NLP to scramble the neural pathways that allow the particular situations which led to that stimulation.

How does it assist people to receive an alarming reading from such personal machines?   What do they do to change their alarming state?  Do they think to breathe deeply, which is simple to perform and a very effective method that has been in use for aeons, or do they rely on being told it’s time to take one of various drugs to calm themselves.  I find myself wondering if there is a connection between the manufacturers of such personal health care machines and the medicine manufacturers.

The above musings were prompted by a very interesting article from TreeHugger.  It is featured in the beauty/fashion section, but is most definitely about health too.  It appears that researchers have developed a way to screen-print electrochemical sensors onto fabrics, underwear being the favoured apparel.

I can see that it would be useful to be able to determine how much alcohol we’ve consumed, but far from resulting in fewer trips to the hospital, I feel that it would instigate more.  The panic and fear instilled in people by such constant focus on ‘what is wrong’ with their health, rather than on ‘what is right’ removes us even further from being the natural healing machines that we are capable of being.  Listen to Your Body, Your Best Friend on Earth

More on Blue Hair

Back to the blue hair connection.

Last weekend David and I discovered Earl's, a wonderful restaurant chain in British Columbia. The friend who took us chooses this restaurant in Vernon because the walls are uncluttered, which he considers a huge bonus to the delicious and well prepared meals. It was a wonderful experience for us. Past experience has told us that there are not many restaurants, offering vegan food that are worth eating in and we would rather cook and eat at home.

In days gone by, many of our meat eating friends were, apparently, so impressed with our highly creative cuisine that they would arrive on our doorstep just as we were serving dinner. 'You should open a restaurant' they would say. The number of impromptu dinner guests increased to such a degree that we did, indeed, open our own organic/vegan restaurant. However, that is another story and will wait.

Back to the blue hair..... Our meal at Earl's was a gastronomic delight, made all the more so by the wonderful young woman who understood our request for 'vegan' menu choices and made recommendations. The meal was fabulous and so was she. I didn't ask her name and wish I had. If you visit Earls Restaurant in Vernon, please say hello from the English vegans she so enchanted. You will recognize her immediately. She has stunning blue highlights in her lovely hair! Well done Earl's! They have a Facebook Fanpage and I urge you to become one - or more recently I urge you to become a 'Liker' - doesn't have the same impact for me.

Henna Hair Blues

I don't suppose anyone has managed to henna their hair blue? If you have, please let me know! I'm certain though, that many of you have experienced the shock and horror of seeing your reflection in the mirror, for the first time ever, with bright orange hair.

Did you know...that whilst the plastic shower cap is recommended if using heat to set your henna, it also makes it 'redder' than without the cap. 'Redder' is probably, acceptable to a certain degree, but orange....definitely not.

Two more facts about henna usage: If you mix it the day before application, the colour is stronger and.... Henna continues to work on the hair even after you have washed it off.

The most wonderful thing about henna is that you don't have to colour your hair at all, but simply give it the best conditioning treatment imaginable. Even those grey hairs will sparkle in the most attractive way, reflecting the colour of the hair around them! People pay a lot of money to have their hair professionally highlighted.