7 Guidelines To Choosing A Great Patio Umbrella

When your outdoor space lacks trees and shade, the simplest and most affordable solution is buying patio umbrellas. Unfortunately, purchasing an umbrella for your patio isn’t that easy if you don’t know the specific details that would best suit your backyard. Here are a few things that you should keep in mind when choosing the umbrella for your situation and lifestyle.

 

1. Position

 

In choosing your desired umbrella for your backyard, you should consider where it would be placed to ensure that its purpose of shading could be served.

 

The location of the patio umbrella is important. There are two categories of the location of the umbrella: through table and free standing. Free standing umbrellas are used in large outdoor areas. It could shade different kinds of patio furniture of any size and shape depending on your preference. A through-table umbrella is basically placed in the centre of the patio table and is commonly used as focal point of the outdoor area.

2. Umbrella Stands

 

This is the support of your patio umbrella. The stand or base would depend on how you intend to use it. In choosing the standard base of outdoor umbrellas, you should consider a heavy-duty support that could survive any weather. Free standing umbrellas require heavier bases than through-table umbrellas.

 

3. Size

 

The size of umbrellas would be determined by measuring its diameter. In choosing the exact size of patio umbrella, make sure to measure the table, chairs, or space to be shaded. The basic rule in calculating the diameter is that the umbrella should always be at least 4 to 5 feet larger than the intended area to be covered.

 

4. Umbrella Frames

 

There are two kinds of frames available to choose from - metal and wood umbrella frames. Selecting the frame would depend on how you intend to use the umbrella and which would match the theme of you patio. Metal umbrellas use push-button tilts or a crank lift. This lets the umbrella to be angled in any direction. Most metal umbrellas could be purchased with coloured furnishes like black, champagne, or white. A wooden umbrella is usually opened manually by using a pulley method and could not be rotated. Hardwood and teak is the most common wooden umbrellas in stores.

 

5. Tilt Methods

 

There are three methods in tilting the umbrella - collar tilt, crank tilt and push-button. The collar tilt method is the most common and user-friendly. The umbrella tilts when you rotate the collar located on the frame.

 

6. Materials

 

The main purpose of your patio umbrella is to block the dangerous rays of the sun. This purpose would succeed depending on the materials of your canopy. The most common materials used are PVC, canvas and shade cloth. A PVC canopy could block 100% UV light and could survive bad weather. Canvas canopies are durable fabric that blocks out the sun effectively. It is not water resistant when purchased but it could be treated for your canopy to be waterproof. Shade cloth blocks 90-95% UV rays. It could resist small amounts of rain, but is not entirely waterproof.

 

7. Kinds

 

- Centre pole

 

The centre pole is the most common type of patio umbrella. It is supported by a central pole. The ribs of the umbrella spread out from its pole. It is advisable to place a centre pole umbrella into a solid and heavy base.

 

- Crank and Tilt

 

The crank and tilt design is much similar to the centre pole, but it is known to have a crank device between the pole and canopy which allows you to rotate the angle of the shade umbrella. This kind of umbrella is best for large outdoor areas because it enable you to block out the sun in any direction.

 

- Cantilever

 

The Cantilever umbrella hangs to the side of its frame. Its curved arm supports only one end. This kind of shade umbrella is suitable for large areas with dining sets underneath the umbrella or swimming pools beside the patio furniture because it could be rotated 360 degrees. Its shade could be positioned wherever it is needed.

 

- Pavilion

 

A pavilion is a square-shaded structure that is supported at its every corner. This kind of umbrella is used for a large outdoor space that could shade the entire family. Most pavilions are used in beaches or parks as temporary dining and entertaining area.

5 Physical Symptoms Of Menopause

While thinking about the symptoms of menopause, it is important for you to know and understand that these symptoms differ from women to women. Certain factors like difference in diet and nutrition, general health and health care, etc all affect the way women experience menopause.

 

The general physical symptoms of most women approaching or experiencing menopause include:

 

Longer Menstrual Periods

 

For a woman who usually has short menstrual periods of, say, 4 days, this can increase to more days. When this occurs, it could be one of the symptoms that she is approaching her menopause. When you notice that this is happening to you and you are approaching your late 40s, there is nothing to worry about. Simply know that this is a symptom of menopause.

 

Heavier Menstrual Flows

 

Some women also notice that their menstrual flows are now heavier than usual. If this happens to you and you are sure that nothing else is wrong with you physically, then know that you could be approaching your menopause, especially if the age is right. If the age is not right, then you are not approaching menopause.

 

Spotting

 

Spotting is the situation whereby little drops of blood comes out during the time when you are supposed to be menstruating. When this occurs, it could be a sign of menopause. First, check whether you could be pregnant or not. If not, and if it continues, then it could be a sign of menopause.

 

Menstrual Periods Irregularity

 

There is also the tendency that you will experience general menstrual periods irregularity when you are approaching menopause. When this happens and you know nothing is wrong with you health wise, then it is a symptom of menopause.

 

Lack of Interest in Sex

 

Lack of interest in sex for most women in menopause occurs partly because there is now less fun when having sex. This is because as menopause happens, the oestrogen levels decline, thereby making the vaginal walls less elastic and thinner. This eventually leads to pain or discomfort during sex. To solve this problem, there is the need for sufficient vaginal lubrication for women who are experiencing menopause and still want to enjoy sex with their partners.

 

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5 Minutes To Silky Smooth Skin

Every woman wants smooth, soft skin, but not every woman knows how to get it easily. Silky smooth skin has a luxurious feel to it, and is extremely sensual and sexy. No wonder we all want it so bad! We want it because of how it makes us feel, and our partners want it because of how it feels to them.

 

Most Spas provide some sort of skin softening service where they can drench your skin in some form of moisture rich emollients. I recently got to learn one of the coolest skin softening treatments, where your skin is wrapped in chocolate! Can you imagine! What woman wouldn’t want to be wrapped head to toe in chocolate?

 

If you didn’t know, chocolate is a fat, and not to break the mood, but how the treatment is prepared, is they heat the fat and oil produced from chocolate, and mix it into another skin lotion base. Thus you have both the chocolate and the lotion working together.

 

Now I know we all can’t rush out and get the amount of chocolate you need to do this at home. That would be way too expensive and impractical. Plus you couldn’t rub it all over yourself and get every inch like they do at the spa. So what can you do to have the same silky soft skin without the expense? Here is all you need.

 

All you need to do is do what you do every day, just add one small ingredient to it. First, take a warm to hot shower, the hotter the better. Why? The heat from the shower not only relaxes your body, and soothes your muscles, but opens the pores of your skin all over your body.

 

Now shower as you normally would, but at the end, take a wash cloth and soak it with baby oil. With the baby oil drenched wash cloth, step out of the water enough to rub the wash cloth all over your body without being hit by the water spray. Once you have rubbed the baby oil all over your body, let the shower water drench your body for an extra minute, then get out of the shower.

 

If time permits, don’t towel try, but air dry instead. What you will find is the moisture from the baby oil is literally sucked up by your skin like a sponge, leaving you with softer, smoother skin! Give it a try after a long hard day, and I’m sure it will become one of your favourite bath time rituals.

4 Stages of Eclampsia

Someone out there had it out for pregnant girls. As if it isn't hard enough on them already, there is a disorder known as Pre-Eclampsia. Below, we will take a look at what this disorder is characterized by, how it affects you, and how to tell if you have it.

 

Pre-Eclampsia is a pregnancy disorder involving convulsions. It generally occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and usually with the first child. And as I said before... someone had it out for pregnant girls, because if no signs or symptoms of pre-eclampsia occur, there is still possibilities of eclampsia, which can happen before, during, or after the labour process.

 

There is only one true way to tell if you are carrying the eclampsia disorder; Eclamptic convulsions. Eclamptic convulsions have a four stages of gruelling pain:

 

Stage 1 - Unless the woman is aware and watching for this stage, it is generally missed. In stage one the woman will simply roll her eyes, and simultaneously, her hand a face muscles will slightly twitch.

 

Stage 2 - Shortly after stage one, the teeth will clench, the arms and legs will go rigid, she can bite her tongue, and the face and hand muscles that where twitching will now be clenching. In this stage, the woman will also experience loss of breath for approximately 30 seconds.

 

Stage 3 - This is where it gets really bad. The muscles will begin to jerk violently, while frothy and slightly bloody saliva will appear. 2 minutes of this until it stops, and then there is a coma, or occasionally heart failure.

 

Stage 4 -  If not dead, the woman will fall into a deep unconscious state. This can persist for hours, or pass quickly.

 

Clearly this is not anything to be letting pass by. if any of these symptoms occur, visit your doctor immediately. You could lose 2 lives if you are not properly treated or monitored.

Cancer Prevention: Eat Your Cabbage?

Can eating your broccoli and cabbage help protect you against lung cancer? According to a study published in the October 29, 2005 issue of the British medical journal, Lancet, the answer is yes. 

 

This isn’t the first time that it’s been suggested that cruciferous vegetables may have a preventive effect against lung cancer, but it is the largest scale study to date. There have been a number of smaller observational studies that reported a possible link between the vegetables and lung cancer prevention, but they were considered to be too small to be definitive. This study, conducted by a group of researchers at the Genetic Epidemiology Group at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, compared 2,141 people diagnosed with lung cancer with a group of healthy people in the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. They chose countries where the consumption of vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts has been traditionally high.

 

“We found protective effects with at least weekly consumption of cruciferous vegetables,” the research letter in the Lancet stated. 

 

Researchers believe that the beneficial effects of cruciferous vegetables are due to the high content of isothiocyanates, phytonutrients that seem to have a strong anti-cancer effect. They are a more bioavailable form of glucosinolates, which also have been shown to have anti-cancer effects. The research conducted at Lyons takes the knowledge a step further.

 

Studies have shown that isothiocyanates neutralize cancerous cells by inhibiting cell proliferation. The cycle of a normal cell in the body proceeds from cell division, through specialization, and eventually, when the cell has either become damaged or has finished doing its job, to apoptosis - or cell death. The problem with cancer cells is that they don’t go through apoptosis. For some reason, their mutations make them resistant to the message that it’s time to die. Isothiocyanates appear to be a catalyst that triggers apoptosis. In laboratory experiments, they’ve induced apoptosis in a number of cell lines. They also seem to slow proliferation of a number of types of cancer cells, including lung cancer lines.

 

The researchers at Lyons found that there is also a correlation between genetics and the preventive effect of cruciferous vegetables. There are two genes that produce an enzyme that remove isothiocyanates from the body. The Lyons study correlated the results from a diet questionnaire with blood tests to determine whether those studied had inactive or active forms of those genes. They found that in people who had an inactive form of one of the two genes had a 37% lower risk of developing lung cancer. Those with an inactive form of the other had a 33% lower risk of developing lung cancer. In those with both genes inactive, there was a 72% reduction in lung cancer risk. In those who had two active gene types, there was no difference in risk at all.

 

Said Paul Brennan, lead author of the research letter, “, this indicates that there is a specific protective effect against lung cancer from cruciferous vegetables.”

 

Random trials to absolutely confirm the findings would be expensive and time consuming, Brennan notes. In the meantime, though, including cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli or turnips in your diet at least once a week may help reduce your risk of developing lung cancer.

Cancer Patient Beats the Odds, Hopes to Inspire Others

James Nebus, 71, never expected to walk his daughter down the aisle or see the birth of his first grandson. 

 

While the holiday time is supposed to joyful, that was not the case for the Nebus family. In December of 2000, they received the grim news that Nebus had a brain tumour and only had months to live. But with highly aggressive treatment, a fighting spirit and a supportive family, he is now a cancer survivor who is hoping to inspire other patients with his story.

 

Diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive form of brain tumours, Nebus took his prognosis head on and researched available treatment options. That was when he found Dr. Phillip G. St. Louis, a Florida Hospital neurosurgeon, and Dr. Nicholas Avgeropoulos, a Florida Hospital Cancer Institute neuro-oncologist, who teamed up to help give Nebus his fighting chance.

 

Shortly after the initial diagnosis, Nebus underwent brain surgery to remove the tumour and implant Gliadel Wafers. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration, these chemotherapeutic wafers are inserted directly into the cavity where the tumour was removed. 

 

Over several days, the wafers release chemotherapy and attack cancer cells. Gliadel Wafers are the only FDA-approved treatment to provide highly concentrated chemotherapy directly to the brain, while avoiding systemic side effects usually associated with chemotherapy. These biodegradable wafers are clinically proven to prolong survival without jeopardizing quality of life, as is often the case with such aggressive therapies. 

 

It has been more than five years since Nebus had this initial operation. Since his diagnosis, Avgeropoulos has carefully watched over Nebus, administering additional therapies, to provide combined benefits of the treatments.

 

"Implanting the Gliadel Wafers only added a few minutes onto the initial surgery, yet the effects have contributed to James living more than five years after surgery" said Avgeropoulos. "We are thrilled by the progress of this remarkable man."

 

Soon after the brain surgery, Nebus returned to his normal life. He played cards, travelled and spent time with his family. And although he retired, his family has maintained the family business, Rock Creek RV Resorts in Naples, Fla.

 

Each year, the family organizes a fundraiser at the RV resort to raise money for the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute and inspire other local GBM patients with Nebus' story of survival. They want to tell other families to never lose hope, no matter what the diagnosis.

 

Nebus' tumour has returned twice since that initial operation. Both times, St. Louis removed the tumour and implanted additional Gliadel Wafers. Nebus' family cannot be certain how much time he has left, but they are incredibly thankful for the past five and a half years and the priceless memories they have shared as a family. - NU

Cancer Lies Impoverish You Before You Die

"We put the patient first." The picture of a dedicated doctor, not interested in money is no longer true - if it ever was. Nowadays the bank account rules. Even the Hippocratic Oath has fallen by the wayside. This second article of ten about health lies exposed describes how you could be callously killed by doctors interested only in your money.

 

Cancer Lies

 

Lie 1: Conventional medicine can cure your cancer.

 

Lie 2: It is criminal the way alternative medicine holds out false hope and diverts patients away from reliable medical treatment.

 

Lie 3: We put the patient's interests first.

 

You'll notice that lie 2 refers back to lie 1.

 

Conventional medicine has three weapons against cancer.

 

1. Surgery
2. Chemotherapy
3. Radiation therapy

 

Surgery is successful if the cancer is removed before it has spread. So it could be described as a cure for cancer.

 

Radiation therapy is based on the theory that your body is better at fighting the damage done by radiation therapy than the cancer is. So if you almost kill the body there is hope that you will completely kill the cancer.

 

Chemotherapy is based on the hope that healthy tissue will be better at fighting the poisons administered. All chemotherapy drugs use the patient as a guinea pig, because the drug companies argue that it would be cruel to do placebo controlled tests on patients who thought that they were getting medicine and were getting a sugar pill.

My theory about chemotherapy tests

 

When alternative medicine has 40% success the drug companies claim that it is the placebo effect. Now the placebo effect should work just as well for conventional medicine as for alternative medicine so if we subtract 40% from the success rate of chemotherapy, we will have the true success rate. 

 

That means that when chemotherapy has a 1.5% success rate the figures would work out like this.

 

Out of 200 patients:

 

• 80 are cured by the placebo effect (40%), then
• 77 of these survivors are killed by the chemotherapy leaving
• 3 chemotherapy "cures" (1.5%)

 

If these are the figures expected by the drug companies, it's not surprising that they refuse to do placebo controlled tests.

 

Money is the only consideration

 

In 1983, Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D. (an oncologist and bioethicist), presented the results of a study that examined the medical records of almost 8,000 cancer patients. Dr. Emanuel found that in cases where chemotherapy was administered in the final six months of life, ONE-THIRD of the patients suffered from cancers that are known to be unresponsive to chemotherapy!

 

According to Gordon Zubrod, M.D., (a researcher for the National Cancer Institute), chemotherapy is considered to be highly effective only in these cancers: 

 

• Burkitt's lymphoma 
• Choriocarcinoma
• Acute lymphocytic leukemia 
• Hodgkin's disease 
• Lymphoscarcoma
• Embryonal testicular cancer 
• Wilms' Tumor 
• Ewing's sarcoma 
• Rhabdomyosarcoma
• Retinoblastoma

 

These cancers affect very few people so it isn't profitable to restrict chemotherapy only to patients that will benefit from it. So if you know of someone who died of pneumonia after being given chemotherapy for breast cancer you will know that she was killed for profit. Because breast cancer is not on the list.

 

What happened to "We put the patient first."?

 

If the cancer industry put patients first, patients wouldn't be given chemotherapy that wouldn't work.

 

If cancer patients came first, the industry wouldn't suppress successful competitors.

• A Canadian nurse invented an effective brew from four weeds. The cancer industry suppressed all sales of the weeds, and of the finished brew.
• The CSIRO (a government research organisation) in Australia discovered a native plant that cured skin cancer. So the cancer industry managed to get it made "on prescription only", and it is never prescribed.
• Vitamin B17 was shown to fight cancer. So a concerted campaign was conducted to convince everyone that it would kill them. The campaign took advantage of the fact that most people wouldn't know that the staple diet in parts of Africa is millet, which is rich in B17. Everyone is scared of cyanide, so it was emphasized that B17 contains cyanide - so does cobalamine, another vitamin that we need.

 

It looks as if the second lie is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. It should be the victims of chemotherapy who are complaining about the way conventional medicine holds out false hope and diverts patients away from reliable medical treatment.

 

One cancer specialist resigned from his work because he could no longer live with his conscience. He said that it was usual to get half a million dollars out of each patient before they died.

 

Prevention

 

Although the record of conventional medicine for curing cancer is deplorable, it is non-existent when it comes to preventing cancer. The only preventive treatment that I ever heard of was the suggestion that all women should have their breasts removed to prevent breast cancer.

 

Alternative medicine excels at prevention. Many of the treatments are every day foods for some cultures and others are readily available.

 

Have you heard of any of these powerful cancer fighters?

 

• Garlic
• Onions
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Curry
• Selenium
• Curry
• Apricot Kernels

 

That's not an exhaustive list but this page is about health lies, not about proper treatment.

Cancer - The Real Facts

Cancer has a fearsome reputation. Not without reason either. It is a disease that has not yet fully yielded to the skills and intelligence of medical scientists and doctors. And, as if the pain from the disease is not enough, the treatment for cancer, too, inflicts heavy suffering on the body. 

 

Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled and abnormal cell division. Cancer spreads in the body and destroys tissues when the cancer cells travel through the blood stream or the lymphatic system. The runaway growth of cells is caused by mutations to the DNA in the cells that makes the cells unable to control cell division. This mutation can either be inherited or acquired. The mortality rate in cancer depends on the type of cancer and where it develops. 

 

Among cancers, lung cancer is the biggest killer, causing up to 3 million deaths every year worldwide. It affects the above-50 age group population most and is one of the most common types of cancers that occur in the Western countries. The main risk factor for lung cancer is smoking. Cigarette smoke, especially, contains several carcinogens. It is estimated that 80 per cent of all lung cancers are caused by smoking. The role of passive smoking in causing lung cancer is also being recognized by studies.

 

Another carcinogen that causes lung cancer is asbestos. This substance, which is widely used because of its fire-resistant qualities, causes a rare type of cancer called mesothelioma cancer. In mesothelioma asbestos lung cancer or asbestos cancer, malignant cells develop in the pleura, the outer lining of the lungs and the chest cavity. 

 

The problem with asbestos cancer is that diagnosis is difficult. For one, the symptoms of mesothelioma cancer occur only 30-50 years after the exposure to asbestos. Second, the symptoms of asbestos lung cancer, such as shortness of breath and chest pain, are similar to those of many other medical conditions.

 

The incidence of mesothelioma asbestos lung cancer has increased in the last two decades. Still it is considered a relatively rare form of lung cancer, because the incidence rate is only 1 per 1,000,000 people. This could be as high as 7-40 per 1,000,000 in the industrialized nations. By contrast, the incidence of lung cancer is 1,000 per 1,000,000.

 

The common lung cancer treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. However, the conventional treatment methods have not been very successful in the case of asbestos cancer, yielding only a median survival rate of 6-12 months after the presentation. 

 

Again, surgery does not have much effect on small-cell lung cancer. A treatment method for lung cancer that has become increasingly popular in recent years is radiofrequency ablation. This technique is especially effective in destroying the cancerous cells inside the tumours. These cells are 'cooked' by inserting a small heat probe into the tumour. This technique is also non-toxic and causes very little pain for the patient.

 

However, there is hope for the cancer-affected. Scientists are developing new techniques of treatment, such as molecular targeted therapies, for lung cancer. Better and more effective therapies can be expected as scientists and researchers coax out more secrets from the human cells.

Cancer - Courage and Love

By Lorraine Kember

 

Every day, we hear of people dealing with incredible sadness and loss and we wonder; how do they do it? Where do they find the courage the strength? We may even ask ourselves how we would cope under the circumstances. Sadly, we only become aware of the answer, when tragedy visits us and our own lives are thrown into turmoil.  

 

When someone we love is diagnosed with a terminal cancer, life as we knew it changes forever. Suddenly we enter a new world, a world filled with helplessness, despair and fear of the unknown. We no longer walk aimlessly around shopping Malls; we walk the Hospital corridors and sit in chemotherapy waiting rooms and are shocked by the number of people afflicted by cancer. We cannot help but wonder if one day we too may be a patient and we fear for our own mortality. 

 

Sitting in a Chemotherapy ward is an experience not to be forgotten. Cancer has no respect for gender, age or wealth. There are people from every race, colour and creed; rich, middle class and poor; and none of this makes the slightest difference.  They are all untitled in their suffering, fellow human beings on the same sad journey.

 

One cannot bear witness to the incredible courage of those who have cancer, without being deeply affected. My husband’s courage in the face of his terminal mesothelioma cancer held me in awe and I decided to do everything within my power to help him.

 

I learned about the stages and symptoms of his disease; the pain he would experience and ways to bring it under control, so that I could work with his doctors, to achieve for him, the best possible quality of life for whatever time he was granted.  It was incredibly hard to wake each day with the knowledge that my husband was dying; my anticipatory grief often overwhelmed me but somehow I managed to carry on. One day a lady said to me, “You are such a strong woman.” and I wondered what had made her say that. I didn’t feel strong, I felt like I was breaking.

 

Despite a prognosis of three to nine months, my husband survived for two years and was not bed bound until three short days prior to his death. My journey beside him as he travelled to the end of his life, has taught me many things, above all the true meaning of love and the strength of the human spirit.  

 

Deep within ourselves there is strength and courage to sustain us in times of personal tragedy. I have come to realize that during my husband’s illness, I was indeed strong. I may have staggered with the burden of my grief but I did manage to help my husband achieve a quality of life few thought possible considering the nature of his disease. And, thanks to the expertise and dedication of the Palliative Care Team, I was able to fulfil my promise to him that he would not die in hospital. His death at home was as loving, sharing and peaceful as anyone could wish for. 

 

I have witnessed courage; that of my husband as he battled his disease and of my own as I stood beside him, determined to improve the quality of his life. The knowledge that I was successful in this has brought me much peace. My husband’s illness and death have wounded me deeply yet I have emerged far stronger than ever before and gone on to achieve things I never thought possible. 

 

My experience has taught me not to take life for granted and to live each day with thanks for the wonderful gift that it is. I have witnessed death; my awareness of the fragility of life, despite the strongest of wills strengthens my determination to grasp everything life offers me, with both hands.