Today about one in four American adults are living with a diagnosable mental disorder. However, the average American's understanding of mental illness is minimal at best and often the stigma surrounding individuals with mental illness is almost as harmful to them as their actual disease. To further complicate matters there is a large sector of the population that does not have a diagnosable mental disorder, but still needs some help from time to time dealing with the overwhelming stress of everyday life. While there is certainly no one solution to address these concerns, there is an option that most Americans fail to take advantage of: the phone hotline.

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I have unfortunately been on both sides of this article. I have spent time visiting friends and family when they have been sick, but I have more often been the patient everyone is visiting. Many of the visits went very well, but unfortunately others didn’t go so well for them or me. Hopefully my mistakes or my tips from experience will help you.

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We've all seen them on TV infomercials - the miracle "Green Bags" that promise to keep fresh produce, fresher longer. The principle is that the bags absorb the ethylene gases emitted by fresh produce, which cause spoilage. I was always intrigued by the idea, but hesitated to spend the price to find out whether they worked or not, especially from an unknown over-the-TV company.

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So, not knowing the specifics of what we were getting into, we picked out some baby gates prior to our baby’s arrival. Once it came time to put those gates into action (our child was so active, it came very early in his life,) we realized that what seemed to be a simple latch, now would not suffice.

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Yes, even hermits can have fun without actually leaving their caves. With this new fantastic product you can enjoy many games traditionally played outside of the home with your friends. I know what you are thinking:-what sort of magical product is this? I will tell you, but only if you do not snicker and make remarks about being 'too old' for such nonsense.

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Here's a warm-weather dilemma: you need protection from UV rays, but the bugs are eating you alive! Which do you apply, sunscreen or mosquito repellent? Fortunately, Bull Frog has a product which contains both!

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Our friend, Rosalind Joffe recently sent us her new book to review. Before we review the book, we want to just take a moment to congratulate her on this book and all her success! She is a great woman making strides in the heath blogosphere. I personaly admire her work.

Continue reading "Book Review: Women, Work, and Autoimmune Disease - Keep Working, Girlfriend!" »

My family loves tortilla chips and salsa, so I decided to try a different brand than my usual. I tried the multi-grain tortilla chips from Mexi-Snax and what grabbed my attention was that these snacks are certified organic, wheat-free and gluten-free. They also come in blue chips as well as white and when I mixed the blue and white chips on the serving plate they really did look festive together. I served the chips with both salsa and guacamole and they had a different texture than I was used to with my typical fried, oily, salty tortilla chips. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, they just tasted different.

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I just had a Father's Day Bar B Q in my backyard Sunday, and I was looking to serve party snacks, but not have the guilt of totally going off my diet. I also wanted everyone to enjoy themselves and not taste a difference between my usual snacks and my newer organic healthy choices. I have great news, I served some new snacks, everyone loved them, and no one even knew they were healthy! I will share my secret with you.

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This is the story of Omakayas, a young Ojibwe girl in 1852. She’s 12, and she and her family are traveling to meet her aunt and camp for the winter.

There are two other books in this series, The Birchbark House and The Game of Silence, but this book stands just fine on its own.

Continue reading "Book Review: The Porcupine Year by Louise Erdrich" »

A couple of months ago I was looking at my garden art (wind chimes, metal sculptures, rusted metal birdbath, wood signs, etc.) and was frustrated by their aged and rather ratty appearance! Coincidentally I had just found all my acrylic paints earlier in the week! (I'm still finding things from the move last year!) So I decided to gather up all the garden art, bring it indoors and give it a whole new look.

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For many of us, summer is a time for travel and vacations. I just got back from a vacation that included a 3.5 hour flight and I suffer daily from extremely dry eyes. Flying always seems to make my eyes, mouth and skin dry, but having Sjogren's Syndrome makes it worse. I thought I was the only one with this problem, but soon realized I was not. I found many products from tranquileyes that can help soothe and relieve dry eyes.

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When I am tired and don't feel well, I do not eat well. I live on cereal, granola bars and shakes. Although those are still better than eating nothing at all, I knew there had to be a better, healthier option that was also quick and easy. I decided to try some of the products from Cedarlane. I had heard good things about some of their wraps, but I wanted to see for myself.

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I always see people wearing ribbons or bracelets to support different organizations/ disease awareness, and I wonder what color is for what? It can be confusing. Some colors and awareness ribbons have multiple meanings. We did the best we could to compile a list of colors and meanings from multiple sources and we checked with many of the foundations represented for accuracy.

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I am a snacker. I graze on snacks throughout the day, instead of solid heavy "sit down" meals. Instead of fighting this, I have decided to find tasty, snacks that are good for me too. If I stocked my pantry with better choices, than I thought I would eat better. I had announced that May was going to be Healthy Eating Month here at butyoudontlooksick.com, but I am choosing to continue to eat well as long as I can. Now that I have found a world of better eating, why go back to the world of processed, chemicals, and fast food?

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When you want just a taste of a classic summer treat, try PhillySwirl ice cream cupcakes. I love ice cream and I love cake... what is not to love about these tasty treats? I really like that they are portion controlled and perfect for those last minute guests. They would be a great addition to a children's party. They are decorated and complete right out of the package and you can look like a "cupcake all-star" without any work.

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*Editorial Note: Although we focused on healthy eating during the month of May, it seems our writers are continuing a dedication to good health this month too! Seems healthy eating is contagious.)

Continue reading "Healthy Eating: Top Ten Reasons to Eat Oatmeal" »

Continue reading "Healthy Eating 101: Snacks for Kids" »

Happy Summer!

Since I have to watch my fat intake, I haven’t had full bodied, high fat ice cream in ten years, and eat low fat, but still high calorie frozen yogurt only a few times a year. Here’s a simple, healthy, non-fat alternative I indulge in, frequently. It’s especially delicious on hot summer days. You can use any blender, but the best results come from a Vitamix high performance blender.

Continue reading "Easy Summer Recipe: Tastes-Almost-Like-Ice-Cream Recipe" »

I discovered Reef flip-flops about 10 years ago and I absolutely love them. As soon as we have the first warm day of spring I’m wearing mine outside and they are my number one footwear for the whole summer. I wear them everywhere – I have shopped, partied, gardened, even hiked in them. I also use them instead of slippers for much of the year.

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Use a grill or the fire grate to fix a quick, hot meal that is very popular in the Southwest and healthy for you, too!

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During the month of June we are going to talk about entertaining tips!

With summer coming, we all can use tips on how to stay in touch and have fun with less "spoons".

Have you ever wanted to throw a get together, but knew it would be almost essential to know who could or could not make it to make your planning process easier? Or perhaps you wanted to create an informal little event with the girls but you wanted some input on the date, time, or activity. You want to get together, but you (and your stress level!) would prefer it to be a collective planning process. Common at least in my little social circle, if you haven’t heard of Evite.com, let me share what it’s all about! Having a party? A small get together? A large family or group event? Using evites are a great way to go!

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