What form of burial to choose is of great concern to many, but for those who are eco-conscious, the concerns are specifically related to being eco-friendly. You may wonder if conventional burial practices are harmful to the earth.  In truth, conventional burial is not particularly green.  Trees must be cut to make the coffin, and embalming fluids like formaldehyde and methanol are not earth-friendly.  Another concern is the use of land for conventional burial.  The earth itself must be dug up and cemetery plots take up space. If these are matters of concern to you, it might be a good idea to take a look at some alternatives and talk them over with your family.  Death is not an easy subject, but discovering eco-friendly options may make the subject more approachable for you. 1. Urns There are now urns available that are made of paper or biodegradable cotton.  They can be very simple or beautifully decorated with floral designs.  Rather than scattering the ashes and having an empty metal urn, these "earth urns" are placed on the water's surface or buried in the ground, where they will sink and/or eventually break down. 2. Coffins * Coffins made from sustainable wood are a viable option for the ...

Cranial osteopathy, as the name implies, involves the manipulation and flexing of the bones of the skull.  However, it is not exclusive to the head.  Cranial osteopathy also includes adjustment and flexing of the sacral vertebrae and the pelvis.  The sacral vertebrae, or sacrum, join the spine to the pelvis. When Dr. William Sutherland developed the theory and practice of cranial osteopathy in the late 1890s and early 1900s, he discovered that the bones of the skull do, in fact, have some flexibility and movement between them in adulthood.  These joints between skull bones were usually considered flexible only in infants, when the infant skull's softness helps in the birth process. The skull's joints eventually close up and the bone hardens.  But some flexibility remains - quite a bit, Dr. Sutherland discovered.  Dr. Sutherland experimented extensively on himself, and then applied his methods to his patients, often with miraculous results. For migraine sufferers, cranial osteopathy holds great promise.  Cranial osteopaths recognize that no body system is isolated, and while the head is the focus of migraine pain, cranial osteopathy is, ultimately, a whole-body treatment.  Some osteopaths look at jaw misalignment, dental work, and tension as possible causes for migraines. Cranial osteopaths have successfully treated ...

What's your favorite color? Most of us get asked that question at various points throughout our lives.  It is worth considering why we ask this - could it be that what color we associate with the most has some sort of effect on us, or says something about our personality? Color therapy taps into the psychological effects of color.  Participants are exposed to a range of colors via food, massage oils, colored lights, crystals or stones, etc.  Some practitioners of color therapy use visualization techniques to help their patients.  Different colors are said to affect different body systems or energies.  Patients who undergo color therapy do so in order to experience restoration and/or healing. Color and Light If you've seen a rainbow, you have seen the colors present in light.  White light, or full-spectrum light, is made of all the colors of the rainbow, and when light is broken up by rain droplets, prisms, or other means, the colors become visible. Light itself, and a lack of it, has been shown to have psychological effects.  For example, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is caused by the decreased light that comes with the change of seasons from summer to fall and winter.  People affected by SAD have ...

Ponds are fascinating places.  They can be small ecosystems, with all life forms supporting and dependent on each other.  Young children enjoy discovering interesting things in nature, and finding a pond to explore can be the first step in developing a love for nature. Ponds are more accessible than you may think.  Hiking in the woods will often reveal puddles or other areas of still water that can certainly be classified as ponds.  You may have a neighbor with a pond on his or her property, or you may have one available in your own yard.  Even urban dwellers can create a pond by putting a container out to catch rain water and leaving it undisturbed for a week or more.  Wind, rain, and visiting creatures will deposit some sort of life form (eggs, spores, etc.) as the water sits undisturbed. Before beginning to teach young children about pond life, check out some good books at your local library that are appropriate for your age group.  Depending on the age of your kids, notebooks and other means of recording observations are helpful.  Regularly visit the pond and record what you and the children see, keeping an eye out for those creatures you ...

When you cook chicken, you are probably careful to cook it thoroughly.  You probably also know to use bleach or other disinfectant on your cutting board and knife, or any surface with which the raw poultry has come in contact.  And of course, you have to wash your hands before preparing the salad.  Why all the precautions? The problem is, many chickens are contaminated with bacteria.  Thorough cooking and cleanliness are supposed to protect you from these germs, but is that enough?  Why is raw chicken so unsafe, or is it? Bacteria According to the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), stringent inspection of chicken carcasses prior to their being up for sale in the store means that bacterial contamination is usually the result of how the chicken is handled by the food preparer. However, it's worth noting that chicken eggs also have been found to contain bacteria inside the shell, and bacterial contamination can penetrate the meat to the bone - this indicates the presence of bacteria on the farm and inside the chicken long before the cook gets a hold of it. The FSIS notes this list of food-borne bacteria associated with chicken. * Salmonella is found in chickens' ...