BOISE'S HAVING HOT FLASHES

The hottest July on record in Boise: 2007.

The air quality: think ozone and particles, lots of them.

Summer fun: think indoors.
What happened to picnics, biking, and tossing a baseball with the kids?
The environment is changing the culture, now summer is the time to stay inside.

Boise is suffering, I see too many people coughing, tearing, and kvetching.

Be sure to look for my post about how I get through the haze in next week's "First week of the month Green Tip" - available after Monday.

Be Spine Tingling,
Dr. Madeline Behrendt
iwomenfilm@gmail.com
For education and information only

GLUTEN-FREE RESTAURANTS DRAW HUNGRY, HAPPY CROWDS

In today's New York Times Foodie section there is a surprising article on how gluten-free restaurants in NYC are drawing big crowds (For the Gluten-Averse, A Menu That Works).
Ummmm, great news for everyone who is gluten-intolerant, or just wants a break from eating wheat over and over again.

The article provides a glimpse into the expanding culture of the gluten-averse, citing links from http://www.celiacchicks.com/ to http://www.glutenfreerestaurants.org/.

For the gluten-averse who dine out with the gluten-friendly, the writer helps keep everyone fed by listing two "regular" restaurants that offer gluten-free items: Outback Steakhouse and P.F. Chang's. That's two very smart restaurants.

And, bless the editor, there's a receipe - for breadsticks, featured in one of the related articles.

Each year for the Christmas holidays, a client spoils me with a gift of homemade bread (gluten-free) that tastes incredible. Everyone should be so lucky.

This gift was my introduction to a delicious new world. For me, this is an option.
For some, it is a necessary lifestyle.
And then there are the resistant, who avoid this food adventure (I have family members who don't eat anything healthy).
But with food that tastes this good, they are running out of excuses.....

Check out the NYT link:
www.nytimes.com/2007/07/25/dining/25glut.html

Be Spine Tingling,
Dr. Madeline Behrendt
iwomenfilm@gmail.com
For information and education only.

DISC(O) - WHY NO WATER MEANS NO PARTY

There are twenty-three vertebral discs in the spinal column.

Very often, they are ignored, overworked, and misunderstood.

Too often, they respond by causing pain and problems.

This is so unnecessary.

The easiest way to help spinal discs work well is to drink water.

What, discs need water?

Check this out:
A vertebral disc is designed to act as a shock absorber between the vertebra.
This is significant because the spine supports approximately 75% of the body's weight -
quite a lot of shocks.

Hydration is critical for the disc to maintain it's height and function as a shock absorber.

At birth, the disc is about 80% water.
But as we age, the water level changes because as the disc tries to take in water, all physical motion drives water out of the disc.
Increased water content occurs after increased rest(i.e sleeping).
Increased water loss occurs after increased activity.

Dehydrated discs can become damaged discs and impact the entire spine.
As a disc loses it's integrity, vertebra that rely on it can become distorted.
And there can be pain.

So, no water, no party.

In Boise this week, the chances of being dehydrated are pretty high.
Bodies are dealing with multiple hydration stressors:
-bad air
-a 100+ degrees heat wave
-air conditioning
-increased activity

Rehydration is key to repairing from this stress overload.

I don't stress about how much water to drink.
The classic and easy to remember: 8x8 (eight glasses, eight ounces each) works really well.

I include soups, salads, and fruits such as watermelon in my 8x8 daily score.

I don't drink coffee, tea, or soda, they contribute to dehydration and subtract from the 8x8 daily score.

Fatigue, headaches, and back pain are not only problems I don't want, they are signs of dehydration. So for me, drinking water is a priority.

I'm going for more disco, and no disco-ohhhh!

Be Spine Tingling,
Dr. Madeline Behrendt
iwomenfilm@gmail.com
For information and education only.

ROCK AND ROLL YOUR GREEN SELF - FIRST MONDAY GREEN TIP

July's First Monday Green Tip - check out the Live Earth Concert happening on July 7, 2007.

Now who thinks being green is hard work?

You can rock and roll your green self all day long as the concert is available in a variety of viewer-friendly formats - visit http://www.liveearth.org/ for details.

The good behind the fun is this:
"Live Earth will use the global reach of music to engage people on a mass scale to combat our climate crisis."

When you are too tired to dance, sit down and spend some time on the Live Earth site - they have great tips and information on everyday choices.
(Also, remember to review my recommended green list at:
http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/web/pdfs/2007Q2/bas_0507_going_green.pdf)

Live Earth.
Rock and Roll.
Easy tips to make my life better.

Being green is getting more interesting.......

Be Spine Tingling,
Dr. Madeline Behrendt
iwomenfilm@gmail.com
For education and information only.