Healthy Gums Make a Beautiful Smile

One of the popular misconceptions about dental health and beauty is that it is the teeth that make up the smile alone. However, healthy teeth can only sustain themselves in the mouth if they are supported by healthy gums. Gums serve a very important function of providing support to the teeth and retaining them in the socket. Gums also help in filling up the space between individual teeth. When gums get removed from this space an older looking appearance emerges. Gums provide the necessary aesthetic contours to the teeth and help provide a beautiful finish to the smile. Finally, a healthy pink gum provides a younger look to the teeth.

Maintaining the health of the gums is as essential as maintaining the health of the teeth. Gums can be very important indicators of health and any changes that take place in the body can be identified through changes in the gums. In the case of females for example, the hormonal changes in the regular menstrual cycles and during pregnancy can lead to swelling and bleeding of the gums, which is known as gingivitis. This can be a painful condition, causing bad taste in the mouth and limiting the ability to eat. The use of certain medicines such as for high blood pressure may also cause changes in the gingiva. Certain other drugs can cause discoloration. Excesses of substances in the body can cause changes in the color of the gingiva, and these changes can help diagnose the disease a person is suffering from.
Patients with diabetes raste and run a very high risk of developing gum related complications.

When there is no bacterial infection involved, the gums may only swell a bit and appear reddened. This can be remedied through the use of mouthwash, flossing and use of proper tooth paste. However, where an infection sets in, the patient may complain of pus and blood from the gums, swelling in the gums, and foul taste and breath. In these cases, the proper use of antibiotics may be advocated.

Gums can also swell when there is a build up plaque and calculus on the teeth surfaces. this plaque can either cause a recession in the gum margins, which is the shifting of the position of the tooth to a new position revealing the underlying roots of the teeth. Otherwise it can lead to infection of the teeth, causing swelling, bleeding, pus formation and foul smelling odor. Both conditions indicate the presence of bacterial infection and therefore treating is of utmost importance.

These are however, advanced stages of gum disease. Proper care of gums requires the use of m outh wash and floss along with tooth paste in order to clean areas which are not easily accessible to the toothpaste. The flushing action transmits antibacterial substances to the gums, and helps flush out toxins and bacteria from the area. Eating a healthy dose of vitamin C and using strawberries in daily diet also ensure healthy maintenance of the gums.

Source: Asianwomenmagazine

How to Grow and Harvest Dry Beans

Grow dry beans on your small farm or homestead

Overview:

Dry beans are easy to grow and can be stored after harvest for a healthy, delicious meal all winter long. There’s a lot of satisfaction in producing your own low-cost, vegetable-based protein on the farm.

Combine beans with corn, rice, or other grains to make a complete protein. Beans are rich in B vitamins and folic acid, contain minerals including iron, selenium, potassium, magnesium and calcium, and are high in fiber.

Description and Varieties of Dry Beans

Planting Time:

Plant beans after the last frost date in your area, and ideally, wait until the soil is well-warmed (70-90 degrees F). Beans should be direct seeded into the soil.

Spacing:

Space seeds 1 1/2 inches apart. Space rows 14 to 36 inches apart depending on your equipment. If growing a small amount of beans to hand harvest, space rows closer together. If using a tractor, space 36 inches apart.

Growing Notes:

Beans do best in moderately rich soil but they will thrive even in somewhat depleted soils, as they have the ability to fix their own nitrogen. Beans do not respond very well to added fertilizer.

If your soil is acidic, add some lime before planting.

If this is the first time you’re planting beans in this soil, make sure to coat your bean seed with inoculant, a specific species of Rhizobium that beans need for sprouting (you can get this from the seed company or farm store where you purchase your seed). Once in the soil, the inoculant will stay there and multiply almost indefinitely, so this is just a first-time planting task.

Mulch during early growth to keep weeds down. Once plants are well-established, they are excellent at shading out weeds.

Pests and Problems:

Cutworms and root maggots sometimes attack seedlings. Thin plants to allow for good air circulation.

Too much rain can lead to rusts, molds, and blights. Avoid working among wet plants. Turn under bean debris at the end of each season and practice crop rotation.

If fall weather is very wet or if frost threatens the harvest, pull plants early and finish drying under cover, such as in a shed, barn or basement. Beans will continue to mature in the pods even after they are picked, so don’t worry too much if you have to harvest immature beans.

As tender annuals, beans are very sensitive to frost. Plant once you’re sure all danger of frost has passed, and harvest early if needed, as described above, to avoid frost damage in the fall.

Maintenance:

Beans are quite easy compared to other crops. Just weed, water and mulch as needed through the growing season.

Beans are fairly drought tolerant, but you must make sure they have enough water while they are forming pods and seeds for a good harvest.

Harvesting:

Dry beans are harvested when they rattle in the pod. Pull up the plant by hand and hang from the roots. Traditionally, bean plants are lashed to a 5- to 7-foot high pole. You can harvest up to 5 acres of beans by hand but more than that will need specialized harvesting equipment for your tractor.

Dry beans require threshing – getting the beans out of the pods. For small amounts, you can do this by hand by squeezing the pods open. A traditional method is to hold the plant by the roots and bang it against the inside of a barrel. For more than about a half-acre of beans, you might want to invest in threshing equipment.

After threshing, beans must be cleaned and sorted. For small amounts, do this by hand, using a screen and a hair dryer to blow off debris (or an air compressor if you have it). Split beans can be fed to farm animals. For large bean harvests, you can buy a seed cleaner.

If beans are soft (bite one and see), continue drying them until they feel firm to the bite before moving them to storage.

Freezing beans before storage kills any potential insects such as the pesky bean weevil.

Storage and Preservation:

Store dry beans in a dry, cool, airtight container away from sunlight. Beans are best used in the season after they have been harvested, but they will last for several seasons if needed.

Seed Saving:

Beans are self-fertilizing, so you don’t have to space different varieties apart from each other. Just save your best and earliest-maturing seeds for next year.

How to convert word files into PDF?

You can convert your reports, spreadsheets and any word files into Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf). There are many free and paid software’s available to convert normal files into .pdf, for example you can download “Universal Converter Software” free trail. Using this converter you can convert your web pages, emails, books any others important documents into .pdf.

Benefits of .PDF

PDF files are platforms independent, for example if you are creating your resume in Microsoft windows, and you obviously wants that your resume look the same on all platforms, whether computer has Mac, Linux and Microsoft windows. PDF is the great way to send your important documents to others in same and secure ways.

PDF can not be modified in text or formatting in new style without your permission. Internet users prefer the .pdf format because they can download it easily in Adobe Reader.

Fellow the given steps to convert word file into PDF. 

• First download the “Universal Converter Software” and install onto your computer.
• Now open any word document and press the File and then click on Print option to open printer dialog box.

• Here select the “Universal Document Converter” from the printer list and press Properties button to select the “Document to PDF, Color, and Multipage” profile.
• 
• Now press the Ok button to start the converting process into PDF.

Essential Vitamins for Balanced Diet

We recommend a balanced diet, consuming fruits both fresh vegetables, eggs, meat and fish, because that way you can get the necessary amounts of all vitamins, and improve eye health. Meet the most important vitamins for maintaining good eye health.

1. Vitamin A – Retinol and beta-carotene

Vitamin A has two natural sources: retinol, from the animal kingdom, and beta-carotene from the vegetable kingdom. Matches all who say that carrots are good for the eyes, contains beta-carotene, a substance that our body can convert into vitamin A, crucial in the process of vision and represents a great help in keeping daylight vision and night.

Vitamin A is essential in the regeneration of rhodopsin, whose decomposition by the light allows the process of vision. The lack of this vitamin can lead to blindness or decreased Twilight visual acuity after dark. And other problems such as dry eye conjunctiva and corneal ulceration.

Its combination with other antioxidant vitamins (C and E) as well as with lutein may decrease the occurrence of cataracts, and the chances of developing muscular degeneration associated with age (AMD). Vitamin A is present in tomatoes, spinach, liver, eggs (yolk) and colored vegetables.

2. Vitamin E

Tocopherol is known as a powerful antioxidant and its combination with Vitamin A and C can help in some studies to delay the onset of cataracts and AMD. Vitamin E is present in apples, avocados, plums, melons, bananas, tomatoes, asparagus.

3. Vitamin C

As a powerful antioxidant, acts very effectively in combination with vitamin E and A. The combination of these three vitamins can help delay the onset of cataracts and muscular degeneration age-related. Vitamin C is present in: citrus, gooseberries, strawberries, kiwi, green peppers, cauliflower.

4. Lutein

It is an antioxidant of the carotenoid family, which has proved effective in preventing cataracts and macular degeneration. It is also clear about its role in strengthening the immune system and protection against ultraviolet radiation.

The consumption of spinach, one of the largest sources of lutein, five times a week reduces the risk of cataracts by almost 50%. Lutein is present in broccoli, spinach, pumpkins, corn, green leafy vegetables (raw).

Source: phoenixcodepink.org

Guide to Harvesting and Storing Herbs

Growing herbs for culinary, aroma therapeutic and medicinal purposes is becoming increasingly popular in the Philippines. Some of them are utilized as freshly harvested leaves while others are dried for future use.
Here are some useful pointers on harvesting, drying and storing these useful herbs. It is from the pamphlet of Aubin’s Village from Rockhampton, Australia. Herbs have to be harvested correctly, otherwise they will lose their value. Harvest the plants on a dry day. Don’t harvest them if the dew has not disappeared.

Pick the herbs and place them into a flat box or baskets to avoid crushing or bruising. Don’t gather more than what can be dealt with at a particular time because they do not retain their fragrance for long periods.

The experts suggest that if both roots and leaves are to be used, lift the plant when it is in bloom and wash off any soil.

They say that most herbs have reached maturity after the plant has flowered, and should be cut off at ground level with a sharp knife during gathering. If only the leaves are to be used, strip them off shortly before maturity to make sure that the essential oils have not been lost. Ascertain that the blooms are perfect, otherwise they will deteriorate while drying and spoil the product for which they will be eventually used.

To extract seed, cut off the whole flower head and tie the stems at the mouth of a paper bag. Hang the bag in a light, airy position and seeds will fall into the bag as the head dries.

DRYING. Herbs should be dried indoors, preferably in an area with good ventilation and a steady temperature of 30 degrees Centigrade. The leaves should be dried in the shade but the roots require sun.

Spread the herbs in a shallow lidless box or similar receptacle. Make sure that the plants lie flat and do not overlap. Some plants like sage’ or thyme can be hung upside down in small bunches.

How to make Greeting Cards with Word 2007?

You can make homemade cards for your friends and family on any occasion if you don't get time to buy cards from the shop. You can make greeting cards with Word 2007. You can make greeting cards with Word 2007 for many occasions and events as well as the Get Well, Friendship cards etc. As you decide to make greeting cards with Word 2007, you can make one card for everyone or a customized one for every individual. You can later print them on a greeting card paper or just the regular one. Follow these steps in order to make greeting cards with Word 2007:

Click on the Office Button from the top left corner.

Click on New. The New Document window will open.

From the list under Templates, click on Greeting Cards.

You can choose the option you want from under the Greeting Cards section.

You will be connected to the Microsoft Office Online site. You can select from hundreds of templates or you can go to this website in the browser and download the templates from there.

You can preview every template in Word and then click the Download button.

The Office Genuine Advantage validation dialog box will appear. You might also have to download the updated version of OGA to be capable of downloading a template.

You can customize the downloaded card by changing the colors, fonts etc or adding  your message before printing it.

Now you can print the card. 

You can make the holiday card even more personal by adding your own photos to it. You should always have greeting card paper by the side of your printer for ceremonious events.

Is healthy lifestyle enough ?

Are you living an healthy lifestyle, doing plenty of exercise, eating fresh vegetables and fruits ? Never on coke, fries, snacks, pizza and burgers ? Then you are probably what we can call a healthy person : nice skin, looking young, fresh, sporty. No ? you’re not ?

Indeed, sometimes an healthy lifestyle is not enough in order to lose weight or just stay in good shape and avoid health issues. This is why dietary supplements can help you find your way to a brighter future, far away from the stress session when you put your feet on the balance.

In fact, if you’ve just some pounds to get rid of, diet/weight loss pills are the perfect, natural diet supplements you should consider.

More and more people turn to these diet pills when they want to look slimmer and sexier, especially before the summer.  They are the perfect supplements you should take with or before each meal if you want to avoid fat absorption or burn fat the quick and easy way. Another way to lose weight would be to carefully select appetite suppressant pills, hoodia based diet pills made of the purest P57 ingredient. Thanks to hoodia, this famous South African plant, thousands of people can control their appetite and avoid excess food consumption.