TAKE CARE OF BLISTERS

The reason I have posted this today is a warning to please take care of your skin especially blisters. Now I know you may think sepsis from a blister is rare but it is not as rare that it is unlikely to happen to you. I have experienced something similar myself, in my case it was a little crack in the dry skin of my foot and the infection spread from my heel to my thigh in a matter of hours and by that time I was very poorly. I've also come across a couple of students whom I was teaching, and noticed severe inflammation around a broken blister and advised them to visit their doctor straight away, both of whom were very glad I dismissed them from class to do so. 

All too often we neglect our poor feet, they work so hard for us so they do deserve the care you spend on your face.

STORY FROM THE DAILY MAIL BELOW

Schoolboy, 12, six hours from death after blister on his feet becomes infected and sends him into toxic shock - all because he was wearing shoes with no socks 

• Macenzie Campbell was rushed to hospital as his body began to shut down
• His mother thought sore was verruca but next day his temperature soared 
• He was just hours from death when he rung relatives to say his goodbyes
• After operation on his foot to remove infected tissue he is now recovering

Macenzie Campbell almost died after a blister on his foot became infected and sent him into toxic shock

A 12-year-old boy was six hours from death when a blister on his foot became infected and sent him into toxic shock after he wore shoes without socks.

Family members prepared to say goodbye to Macenzie Campbell after his organs began to fail and his body shut down.

His mother Joanne, 38, thought the potentially fatal infection started from a verruca and had applied a treatment, but the next day his foot had swollen and a red rash spread all over his body.

She rushed him to a doctor, as his temperature soared, and he was immediately admitted to the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Staff warned him he may not survive and he phoned family members to say his goodbyes after the rash began turning black and his organs started shutting down.

The schoolboy said: ‘It was terrifying. I wasn’t only scared for myself, I was scared for my family. It had seemed like a normal blister, but I gradually started to feel worse and worse.

‘I felt sick, everything was blurry and my heart was racing. I didn’t know what was going on.’

His grandmother, Kate Campbell, said: ‘We thought we were going to lose him. He was ringing all of us in case he didn’t make it.

‘We were told afterwards he was only a few hours from death. The sepsis was gradually shutting his body down. We were distraught.’

HOW TO TREAT BURST BLISTERS 

• Do not peel off the dead skin on top of the blister - allow the fluid inside to drain and then cover the blister and the area around it with a dry, sterile dressing to protect it from infection until it heals.
• If the top layer of dead skin has already rubbed off, do not pick at the edges of the remaining skin.
• If the blister is on your foot, avoid wearing the shoes that caused it until it heals.

 

It is believed the blister actually appeared on his right ankle after he wore shoes without socks on in April and later burst.

His foot was operated on to remove the infected tissue and he was kept in hospital for just over a week.

Mrs Campell told The Sun: ‘Doctors said six to 12 hours later, he’d have been dead’.

Macenzie is now recovering at home.

Joanne Campbell thought the sore was a verruca at first and applied treatment but by the next day his foot had swollen, his temperature soared and he was covered in a red rash as toxic shock syndrome set in

Macenzie Campbell with his grandmother Kate who was was terrified she was going to loose her grandson

Astrid Brown (Author)

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ANOTHER REASON WHY PROCESSED FOOD IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU

Aside from the saturated fats, too high salt and sugar levels and artificial flavourings and colouring, you might want to read the article below

Revealed, what’s REALLY inside your ham sandwich and chicken nuggets - and it’s enough to put you off processed food for life

• Peter Augustus, who lives in Hong Kong, photographed popular dishes alongside the real, raw part of the animal they come from
• Wanted to raise awareness of what our favourite foods are made from
• 'Few of us see anything that even closely represents the animal we are eating when we purchase it – it is always pre-packaged and neat'
• The non-vegetarian says the project has changed his own eating habits 

THIS ARTICLE IS FROM THE DAILY MAIL

As delicious as they taste, every diner knows that chicken nuggets and hotdogs aren't exactly made from prime cuts of meat.

Indeed, most of us try and push the image of trotter or carcass to the back of our minds when eating processed food.

Now, one photographer has laid bare the grisly reality of where our favourite foods come from - and it's probably enough to deter you at least temporarily, if not for life.

Grisly: Texan-born Peter Augustus has taken photos of popular dishes alongside the real, raw part of the animal they come from, in a bid to raise awareness

Sanitised: 'Most of us seldom see anything that even closely represents what kind of animal we are eating - it is always pre-packaged, nice and neat, showcased in an air-conditioned supermarket,' said Mr Augustus

Taken by Texan-born Peter Augustus, they show popular dishes alongside the real, raw part of the animal they come from.

While nuggets are chicken feet, a ham sandwich is a pig's trotter and a hot dog is an unappetising-looking piece of intestine. 

Mr Augustus says the project - inspired by his move to Hong Kong - 'is not meant to be repulsive, but to raise awareness' of where popular dishes actually come from.

He said: 'Arriving in Hong Kong for the first time, a city overloaded with visual stimulation, one of the most impactful scenes for me was the meat shops found in my neighbourhood of Sai Ying Pun. 

'As a foreigner from a major city in the West, most of us seldom see anything that even closely represents what kind of animal we are eating when we purchase it – it is always pre-packaged, nice and neat, showcased in an air-conditioned supermarket. 

'Being forced to pass by these meat shops on a daily basis with their pig heads, intestines, eyeballs and hearts hung on hooks out in the open lead me to challenge myself to view these shops as a normal place where actual food was being sourced every day, that ended up in my meal at a local restaurant.'

Mr Augustus - who is not vegetarian - says his work, 'a personal therapeutic process', explores the relationship that most Western societies have with the meat that they eat.

'It's a disconnect between what it actually is they are eating and what it was before it was prepared for consumption.'

He added: 'Shot using a white background with lighting meant to evoke an American diner or cafeteria, I take out the clean cuts and replace them with a real representation of the animal the meat comes from.

'By doing this, I hope to cause the viewer to take into account what the natural form of their food looks like.' 

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Authentic: He hopes the project will help diners think about the natural form their food takes

Transformed: Mr Augustus admits the project has changed his eating habits. 'I now make an effort to know where and how the animal I am eating was raised - and the results do dictate if I end up eating it'

Mr Augustus believes his work 'highlights a number of important debates' - such as the longstanding debate of the quality of chicken and meat products and 'the use of unnatural fillers and hormones in the animal products we eat daily.'

The project itself was a labour of love - an involved traipsing around until he found a friendly bucher who could speak sufficient English. 

'She thought it was funny, as she could tell I was a little bit uncomfortable being surrounded all the raw meat,' he recalls.

In fact, her main focus was food handling and preparation.

'She didn't understand why a white person wanted all of these things to photograph and was very concerned if I knew how to handle it properly.

'She also told me how to cook and eat it, which I did not.'

However he admits the project has changed his eating habits. 'I now make an effort to know where and how the animal I am eating was raised - and the results do dictate if I end up eating it. 

'Not to sound preachy, but I think if more meat eaters did that, I think there would be less animosity from overly passionate vegans.'

Astrid Brown (Author)

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DIVINE TIMING

Recently I had a client, in fact she's been asking for a reading every week with the same question. I don't keep notes as I prefer to rely on my guides to tell me what's happening around a client, anyway as I use tarot cards to begin a reading I began laying them out and every time the same cards turn up and of course I have to give her the same answer, the situation is just the same and the answer is just the same that she will have to be patient for she will get her wish but we are bound by divine timing.

Time and time I hear from clients, when will it happen? can you give me a time? Sometimes I am lucky and I am given dates and timings but more often that not I am just told Divine Timing. It's not a cop out to give to the impatient but firstly there are no clocks nor is there a sense of time as we know it in the spirit realms and secondly it takes time to manifest the optimal times for the best result.

If you want to experience more harmony, happiness and effortless manifestation of your desires in life, you have to let go of all resistance towards whatever that comes your way. The reason why we fight against what comes is because we think that we are being kept from having our way. But the truth is whatever that happens is exactly what is meant to be, and it is all part of the process of the manifestation of our desires. Everything is happening in divine timing and we can flow if we do not limit ourselves.

Sometimes you were expecting to meet someone on a certain day but when that day comes, the person cannot meet you for some valid reason. Flow with it and meet that person on another day. The reason why you might be resisting change of events is because you have been anticipating it and thinking a lot about it. But when it doesn’t happen at the expected time, you don’t know what to do in place of it because you don’t feel like doing anything else other than that which you already had in mind.

If something doesn’t happen at the expect time in the expected way, it means it’s going to happen at a better timing in a better way. Don’t resist what is happening but instead focus on doing something else. You will discover things gone a much better way after the whole event has passed. You did something important which enhanced the meeting with the person that would not have happened otherwise. Hence it is better not to resist what is happening when it isn’t necessary, but to just go with  the flow.

Just know everything happens at the RIGHT TIME AND THE BEST POSSIBLE TIME and only spirit knows this and we have to learn to trust, they do know what is best for us because spirit love us. Spirit have the ability to know what is ahead and any complications so they decide what is the best time to manifest our wishes. If we were to rush things before the optimum conditions were reached it could prevent our wishes manifesting, this is why we need to trust and believe in Divine timing.

Astrid Brown (Author)

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AstridBrownAuthor.com: AMAZON CHINA

AstridBrownAuthor.com: AMAZON CHINA

Astrid Brown (Author)

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CHECK OUT MY BOOKS ON AMAZON CHINA

AstridBrownAuthor.com: SOME OF MY PUBLISHED BOOKS

AstridBrownAuthor.com: SOME OF MY PUBLISHED BOOKS: The Journey to Spirit This is a guide to those interested in the world of psychic mediums, whether you wish to follow this path...

JUST WHAT WE LIKE TO HEAR "ANOTHER REASON WHY CHOCOLATE IS GOOD FOR US"

The story from the "DAILY MAIL" below is about another good excuse to eat chocolate of course we are referring to dark chocolate which contains a good supply of iron and rich in those beneficial antioxidants Flavonoids

Dark chocolate could make walking easier for the elderly: Eating a bar can help patients with artery problems in their legs.
Patients with Peripheral artery disease, which affects leg arteries, tested twenty people aged 60 to 78 could walk better after eating dark chocolate

Enlarge 

Researchers found elderly people with artery problems in their legs could walk a little longer after eating dark chocolate

For most of us dark chocolate is just a tasty treat – but for the elderly it could also help them to walk, according to a study.

Researchers found elderly people with artery problems in their legs could walk a little longer after eating dark chocolate.

Peripheral artery disease, or PAD, is a cardiovascular disease most commonly affecting the arteries of the legs and is strongly associated with age, with high rates in over-70s.

Reduced blood flow can cause pain, cramping or fatigue in the legs or hips while walking.

In a pilot study of patients with PAD, 14 men and six women aged from 60 to 78 increased their ability to walk unassisted after eating dark chocolate. 

On separate days, they were tested on a treadmill once in the morning and again after eating a 40g bar of dark or milk chocolate.

After the dark chocolate they walked on average 39 feet further and 17 seconds longer than earlier in the day. There was no improvement after eating milk chocolate.

The researchers, whose findings were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, suggest that compounds found in cocoa – polyphenols – may reduce oxidative stress and improve blood flow in peripheral arteries.improve arteries’ blood flow.

The dark chocolate in the study had 85 per cent cocoa so was rich in polyphenols. The milk chocolate had less than 30 per cent cocoa.

The researchers said that a larger study with long-term consumption is now needed to confirm the improvements.

 

The improvements were modest. However, the benefit of dark chocolate polyphenols is 'of potential relevance for the quality of life of these patients,' according to the study’s co-author Doctor Lorenzo Loffredo, assistant professor at the Sapienza University of Rome in Italy.

Levels of nitric oxide - a gas linked to improved blood flow - were higher when participants ate dark chocolate. Other biochemical signs of oxidative stress were also lower. 

Based on these observations and other laboratory experiments, the researchers suggest that the higher nitric oxide levels may be responsible for dilating peripheral arteries and improving walking independence. 

Doctor Francesco Violi, study senior author and professor of internal medicine at the Sapienza University of Rome, said: 'Polyphenol-rich nutrients could represent a new therapeutic strategy to counteract cardiovascular complications.'

In the pilot study of those with Peripheral artery disease, 14 men and six women aged 60 to 78 increased their ability to walk unassisted after eating dark chocolate

The researchers said the improvements linked to these compounds in dark chocolate need to be confirmed in a larger study involving long-term consumption. 

American Heart Association spokesman Dr Mark Creager said that it’s far too early to recommend polyphenols or dark chocolate for cardiovascular health.

He said: “Other investigations have shown that polyphenols including those in dark chocolate may improve blood vessel function. 

“But this study is extremely preliminary and I think everyone needs to be cautious when interpreting the findings. 

“We know from other studies of antioxidants - vitamin C and vitamin E for example - that these interventions have not gone on to show improvement in cardiovascular health.”

Other polyphenol-rich foods include cloves, dried peppermint, celery seed, capers and hazelnuts.

Astrid Brown (Author)

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OVER ON MY OTHER SITE

In case you are not aware I have a few websites the one below is my main site for excerpts of my books and writing.

ASTRIDESTELLA.ORG

ONCE AND A WHILE

ONCE AND A WHILE

Think of me once and a while

When you feel down, hopefully I’ll make you smile

I’d like to think you are doing just fine

Even though it’s been such a long time

When you’re sad and you’re all alone

You’re always thought of you’re never on your own

For promises I make I don’t break

My loyalty is forever for the promises I make

Unconditional love means loyalty guaranteed

It’s based on giving irrespective of one’s need

It’s selfless and non judgemental

Forgiving and truly eternal

It matters not what you’ve done 

And the past is long but gone

But what dwells in your heart now is important

Let mistakes heal and live in the moment

I hope I touched your soul

And I know time has taken it’s toll

All I ask is once in a while think of me

For I loved you unconditionally, enough to let you fly free

MAB ©  

- See more at: http://www.astridestella.org/#sthash.CpST5mSn.dpuf

Astrid Brown (Author)

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SMOKING IS MORE DEADLY AND ADDICTIVE THAN IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO

The article below is from the Daily Mail below. We should all know by now that smoking is bad for us, however the charity "The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids" has discovered the lengths tobacco companies are going to make sure smoking is highly addictive

Why smoking is more deadly and addictive  than it was 50 years ago: Charity reveals the underhand tactics tobacco companies now use to make sure we’re hooked

• Chemicals added to cigarettes to ensure addiction, make smoke easier to inhale, reduce harshness and increase the speed nicotine hits the brain

• Today's smokers have a higher risk of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than in 1964 despite smoking fewer cigarettes

Cigarettes are more dangerous than ever due to a wealth of tactics adopted by tobacco companies over the last 50 years, a charity has warned. 

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has produced a revealing infographic which lays out exactly how cigarettes have changed in the last five decades. 

Doctors at the charity say that cigarettes today pose an even greater risk of disease than those sold in 1964 when the first warning about the health dangers came from the Surgeon General in the U.S.

Deadlier than ever: The report illustrates how cigarettes have changed over the last 50 years

The charity's research is based on a review of scientific studies and tobacco industry documents, as well as the Surgeon General's report.

It found that today's smokers have a much higher risk of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than in 1964  - despite smoking fewer cigarettes.

This is due to 'changes in the design and composition of cigarettes'.

The charity claims that over the past 50 years, tobacco manufacturers have designed and marketed ever more sophisticated products that are 'effective in creating and sustaining addiction to nicotine,' more appealing to new young smokers and much more harmful. 

'They took a deadly and addictive product and made it worse, putting smokers at even greater risk of addiction, disease and death,' the report, Designed for Addiction, says. 

The addictiveness of cigarettes has also been increased by raising nicotine levels.

The report claims that manufacturers also add ammonia, which increases the speed which nicotine is delivered to the brain .

Another tactic is to add sugars, which increase the addictive effects of nicotine and make it easier to inhale tobacco smoke.

Cigarettes today deliver nicotine more quickly from the lungs to the heart and brain. 

And by altering the taste and smell of cigarettes, tobacco manufacturers have made it easier for people to start and continue smokin.

They have also made tobacco smoke less harsh by adding levulinic acid. This makes the smoke feel smoother and less irritating.

The report states: '[It is] clear that tobacco products – and cigarettes in particular
– are highly engineered to expand the appeal of these products and facilitate
the consumption of and addiction to nicotine, a highly addictive drug. 

'Tobacco companies also know that almost all new smokers begin their addiction as
children and that smoking is distasteful for new smokers, so they carefully
design the product to appeal to this important market. 

'The companies have spent huge sums to research the design of their products and ensure they
achieve these goals, even if the impact of these changes also makes the product more dangerous.'

Understanding Pain: What to do about it in less than five minutes?

I came across this helpful video by way of the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association, being that I am a TN sufferer myself. It does apply to all chronic pain however. Reiki works well with me as being a reiki master, I can reiki myself when necessary and that helps me through the worst attacks by helping me relax as when you are tense pain is felt much more.



 

Astrid Brown (Author)

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