Hurricane Season in the North East July 4, 2006
Posted by Joe in : Genius Advice , 2 comments
Live on the east coast? Prepare for hurricane season.
If that sounds strange, I will reference just one of many articles on the subject: “Bastardi noted that during previous active hurricane periods, the Gulf Coast and Atlantic coast took direct hits from powerful storms, and then the Northeast took a direct hit.” In a vicious cycle studied over the years, it is more than likely that the North East will be hit by at least one category 3 hurricane this year. That’s the consensus, at least.
We haven’t had too many hurricanes around the New England area in recent years, but if you check out this article about the last major category 3 to strike the area, you’ll see that its entirely possible. The Long Island Express, as it was called in 1938, struck the coast with 121 mph winds gusting in upwards of 180mph. That’s pretty damaging to a coastline that hasn’t prepared for anything near that sort of force.
And if you aren’t even the least bit upset about this, feel free to visit this hurricane feature on Infoplease. This season is supposedly going to be more active than usual, including 8-10 hurricanes. As a reference, 2005 was record setting, with some 28 major storms; 15 of which were hurricanes.
Go to the beach while you still can… 
Update: Well, it’s March of 2007 and those hurricanes I wrote about never came. Just shows how little grasp we really have of the earth’s climate. Hopefully this year is largely hurricane-free as well.
Why Sugar Really is Bad for You. May 29, 2006
Posted by Joe in : Genius Advice , add a commentI recently came across a list of 146 reasons why you should limit your intake of sugar. How do you like the sound of rectal and kidney cancer, slowing of the digestive process, kidney stones, cataracts, and much more. Read all about it here.
Most of the things we commonly eat can be quite lethal when we consume too much of them. That’s just the problem, though; we don’t really know how much is too much for most ingredients. Best advice? Stick to eating the foods that contain the least amount of sugar, trans-fats, saturated fats, cholesterol, artifical sweeteners, fructose (artificial sugar found in most soft drinks), and highly acidic foods (soda, etc.). There are plenty of other things to watch out for but I’ll save that for another day. Try eating just enough to curve your hunger and drink lots of cold water. Keep in mind it takes roughly 20 minutes for the brain to get the message that you’re full.
Once you’ve adapted to eating 5-6 small meals per day, consume 5-10 glasses of ice cold water, exercise 35 minutes a day, and get at least 6.5 hours of sleep, you’ll feel healthy and you’ll actually be healthy. I’ll work on a follow-up post to this outlining the best eating/sleeping/exercising habits to lead to a healthy, prolonged life. If you want to beat me to it, pick up the book Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever. It might sound a bit silly, but it is one of the most informative reads on how to get healthy and live as long as humanly possible (with, of course, the hope of living forever; but you’ll have to read the book to understand that!).
Simple trick for preventing dandruff/itchy scalp
Posted by Joe in : Genius Advice , add a commentWe all get it every now and then. Its no big deal. But it is irritating, and sometimes noticeable. You might buy Head and Shoulders or other dandruff-targeting shampoos and/or conditioners, but the truth is, most of us can kick it without buying anything.
The secret? Cold water. Stop taking hot showers! The hot water dries the scalp out rapidly, and it also washes away the good properties of your conditioner that help moisten the hair and scalp.
You also need to make sure you don’t live in too humid of conditions. If your bedroom or living room (whereever you spend a lot of time) is too humid, get a dehumidifier. Combining a cool, dry environment with a cool shower will get rid of and prevent dandruff, as well as take away those irritating itches.
The process might take a week or two, but it works. The water doesn’t have to be freezing, of course, but anything luke-warm or cooler is best.
Anti-Allergies: Get rid of allergies without a prescription pill. May 26, 2006
Posted by Joe in : Genius Advice , add a commentWho really wants to take a pill every single day during allergy season? Get refills each month? Pay for the doctor visits to get the prescription, then pay some amount for the pills themselves at the drug store? Its a lot of wasted effort, time, and money. And do they really work? Not until you build them up in your immune system, and that can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months! And did you know what these pills do? They block the release of hystamines in the bloodstream (hystamines aren’t the “allergies” like so many people think; they are a natural chemical in the body). Allergies, whatever they may be, cause hystamines to be released; part of your body’s immune system. Sneezing, itchy eyes, etc. are all ways your body is trying to purge whatever is triggering your allergies, and the hystamines get the job done. Allergy medication suppresses the immune system, simply put.
I have horrible allergies. But I hate prescription pills, especially allergy pills. They make me tired and they don’t work and I forget to take them. So what the hell good are they? Well, good news: I’ve been allergy-free for 2 months now: without medication.
So what’s the secret? I’ll tell you. Omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3’s are found naturally in fish. I mention fish because they are abundant in most fish, especially salmon. You have two choices here: Chow down on a helpful serving of fish (perferably salmon) twice a week, or buy yourself a bottle of Fish Oil pills. They might cost some cash, but they are well worth it. Omega-3’s help void the effects of your body fighting off allergies without suppressing hystamine production. The more you have in your system on a continual basis, the less allergies you will suffer from. If you don’t or can’t eat fish, do what I did: take two fish oil pills in the morning and at night for at least 2 weeks. Then, go down to taking 2 pills mid-day for another two weeks. If you find allergy symptoms to reoccur after you stop taking them, go and ahead and take just one at noon time for at least one month and you should be set. After that, its up to you; take one or two pills a week to keep the omega-3’s prevalent, or just wait until you get symptoms. Either way, they are a lot more effective, cheaper, and safer for you than prescription drugs. Over the counter anti-hystamines are garbage, too; they suppress your immune system as well as some other systems in the body, putting most people asleep after taking them. They’re just awful.
If you need to get some more information about this “miracle” I’ve come up with, go ahead and Google omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil, and allergies. You’ll see the connection is becoming more apparent now and that omega-3’s are far more useful than for just getting rid of allergies.
Update March 15, 2007: I see that a few people are searching for hystamines and other such allergy-related terms and have ended up here. I’d like to let you know that the benefits of Omega-3’s are becoming more and more prevalent each day. I want to let you know that you can get Omega-3’s not only from fish like tuna but also walnuts, flaxseeds, dark green leafy vegetables and some canola oil. The problem with tuna and other fish is that almost all farmed fish is infected with some amount of mercury. The effects of very small amounts of mercury on humans aren’t 100% certain, so be sure not to eat too much fish unless its some of the still remaining but rare mercury-fee sort! One last note: If omega-3’s are not enough to combat your allergies, I recommend trying a nasal spray before you start taking pills. The sprays are often more effective, faster acting, and don’t involve swallowing anything.
