#TITLE#Trying and trying to Submit to Yahoo!#/TITLE#
Getting into Yahoo! is a definite coup for any website. Yahoo! has ruled the Search Engine Roost since it was started way back when. Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult to get your website listed in this Internet Directory.
One of the reasons that Yahoo! can be so discriminating is because each site that makes it into the directory is added by hand. Unlike most Search Engines that have 'robots' that breeze through your website, take what they want, and add you to their list of 10,000's (100,000's?) of sites - Yahoo! literally goes through each site individually and decides whether you make it or not.
We have a few tips for you to make your life easier:
1. First and foremost, it's a fact: Yahoo! does want your money. If you pay them $199, they WILL review your site within 7 days, and may - or may not - add you to their directory. And, they do NOT promise you will get in. Only that they will review your site within the time frame they promised. However, I have noticed that this is not a money-grabbing ploy. If you submit your site properly and appropriately, you should breeze right in. Usually, the sites that do not make it are generally questionable in nature (although they do have a $600 Adult Site Submission), or are incomplete and unfinished.
***Note: Yahoo! will NOT list your website in it's main/top level categories anymore without the $199 submission fee. However, you can still submit to Regional/local Categories the old-fashioned way.****
Here are guidelines that we highly recommend, especially if you're paying for your submission - you really want it to be accepted, right?:
a. Make sure you choose the appropriate category. Do several searches for comparable sites and choose the best one for your website.
b. Your site MUST be complete. NO Under Construction signs, or Stay Tuned notices anywhere, that is a definite disqualifier.
c. Make sure you fill the form out completely - fill in contact information and ANY other applicable information.
d. Make sure your address is listed SOMEWHERE on your website.
e. Fill in the Comments/Suggestions section at the end of the form. They really would like to know what you have to say about your website.
f. Use as many keywords as you can in your title & description.
2. Getting in without the cash:
If you would like to submit your site, but don't want to pay the $199 fee, then you can go in through the Regional/Local categories and stand a good chance.
a. Make sure you choose a category that has the company's home town or city in it (e.g. flowers Garden City, New York ) - this may limit your search capabilities slightly, but a lot of regional sites come up in general searches on Yahoo! as well as the top categories. So, your site will come up under Flowers, as well as Flowers New York.
b. Again, fill out the form COMPLETELY
d. Make sure your address is listed SOMEWHERE on your website.
e. Fill in the Comments/Suggestions section at the end of the form.
f. Use as many keywords as you can in your title & description.
Some general tips for your submissions:
Although the categories are not always listed alphabetically, the sites within the categories are alphabetical, so come up with a good title, that has a low letter (like A or B), but, do not stretch the truth about your site. This is a Yahoo! no-no.
And, make sure your title or description does not read like Ad Copy - DO NOT write: The Best Flowers in the World! or #1 Flower Site - this will definitely put you in the outbox.
Okay, these are some of the tips we can offer you on getting your site listed. While bworks.com does include Yahoo! submissions in our general marketing proposals, we wanted to help you as much as possible if you would like to try it on your own.
The above guidelines have helped us tremendously, and they'll work for you.
If you'd like some more information about bworks.com marketing services, please contact us at: marketing@bworks.com.
Alison Berke Morano, owner of http://www.keywordmarketing.net, is an Inernet Marketing expert with 6 years of experience in Search Engine & Website marketing.
UbidFast auction opens for business offering safe and secure shopping for consumers.Steven Leach
The challenge for UbidFast is creating a successful auction shopping site with the looming monopoly in the industry. Most auction or shopping sites start with the dream to tap in the largest auction site's two billion dollar revenue. Ubid Fast is taking a different approach. We will work on the logistics of the site to make a secure shopping experience for our visitors.
When we researched what clients wanted out of a marketplace we realized quickly that the average shopper and seller are losing their marketability on the larger auction sites. Our competition works with larger clients. These clients can pay the higher prices and still under price the small to medium size businesses on the Internet. UbidFast has no plans to look for the larger clients. Sellers should benefit from a fair price to auction products/services without being priced out of the market. Shoppers will buy that hard to find item on UbidFast with out being redirected to the company paying the most money.
UbidFast offers choices for buyers and sellers for a secure shopping experience. The auction can utilize StormPay or PayPal for transactions between buyer and seller. We know offering a choice to our clients will give us an edge. The larger auction sites only offer one integrated solution for merchants. We will be actively searching for more options for our clients. We do not collect personal credit card information on the site.
UbidFast upgrades for this month:
Integration of a new look for the site and streamlined navigation
Integration of VeraCart.com stores
LiveAuctionPal.com launch promo
In October Ubid Fast will have an online company profile in the USA Today Marketplace.
UbidFast is an effort by serveral companies:
Names USA- Owner Operator
http://MyTechSupport.com
http://VeraCart.com
http://LiveAuctionPal.com
US Commercial Sales INC
IntegratedServices.net
Multipling Your Salesjerry durham
Multipling Your Sales
by jerry durham
lonestar enterprises - opportunity to succeed
Ah! Making that first sale. What a relief. What a thrill to open your email with those words You've Made A Sale! I still remember my first sale. It was for $20.00, and it was for The Total Resale Package, http://tinyurl.com/29x43 . That site is still up today and brings in good money.
But even though the sale itself was a thrill, it was the next one, and the next one, and the next ones, which were of tremendous importance too.
Have you made sales on your products? Are you thrilled, relieved? And do you feel that same way after each sale? If not, read on please -
When you make your first sale, you should always follow up with your customer. Send a hank you email and include an advertisement for any other products you sell. Follow-up every few months. There is even a Thank You Ad exchange, that allows you to place a small piece of code on the Thank You Page of your web site that shows a Thank You Ad, earns you credits, and gets your ad placed on the Thank You pages of thousands of other sites.
Click here to see ThankYouAds.com - http://tinyurl.com/5kack
Upsell to your customers. When they're ready to place they're order, tell them about yourother related products, or add-on products you have. And allow them to go back and review or add to their order. This could be upgrades, special services, attachments, etc.
Take a lesson from the car dealers. Offer Rebates! If your current customers bring in 4 buying customers, they get a rebate of their original purchase price. This will turn one sale into three sales!
Add to the sale you just made by offering membership in your affialiate program. Your customers can make commissions selling your product, and you multiply the sale you just made.
Resale and reprint rights to products are very big these days. Whole sites are dedicated to these, some going for very modest prices. You in turn can charge your own price on these items and make a healthy profit.
Joint Venture or JV marketing as it is called, is also very big these days. Cross promoting, or inviting partners to sell their wares on one site in a package deal. You can trade leads, share marketing info, sell package deals, etc. You submit ads to your subscriber list and your partners list, who then submits ads to theirs, who submit ads to theirs.,..well, anyway, you see where this is going.
What about coupons? Oh yeah baby! I love coupons! Use them every chance I can at the grocery store. How about when you sell something? Offer a coupon for another of your products. With or without an expiration. I prefer an expiration date, I tend to keep those without one a lot longer than those with.
Gift certificates are real popular around the holidays and for birthdays. You'd make sales when they bought the gift certificate, and when the recipient cashes it in. They could also buy other items from your web site.
Include free products or services with the package your customer just bought. Combine a product and service together. It could increase your sales. If you're selling a book, offer an hour of consulting with it. E-books, reports, articles, e-courses, they all make very powerful persuaders. Free software or e-book downloads can attract a lot of traffic too.
Brand your name and business on your products, in your articles, your e-books, reports, and e-courses. Then submit them to e-zines or web sites for republishing. You could start your own Virus Marketing campaign. See the recent article on this at - http://tinyurl.com/3zse4 .
Publish your e-zine on your web site. Send out e-mail reminders and have them subscribe to a ew issue. This could really increase your traffic and sales. Negotiate with e-zine publishers to get free or discounted ads by letting them join your affiliate program and earn commissions on the ad you run.
Offer your product for free, temporally, to those folks that join your free affiliate program.
Model other successful business or people. I'm not saying out right copy them, but practice some of the same habits that have made them succeed. Remember to take a little time out of your day or week to brainstorm. New ideas are usually the difference between success and failure. Take risks to improve your business, sometimes you have to spend money to get results.
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All the Best...
jerry durham lonestar enterprises - opportunity to succeed http://www.freewebs.com/opportunitytosucceed/ mail to: opportunitytosucceed@email.com 5705 marvin loving dr suite 202 garland, tx 75043
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OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED NEWSLETTER Ideas you need to start, manage & grow your online business! Strategies, downloads, & articles written by professionals.
mail to: InfoEzineOptnRequest@sendfree.com http://www.freewebs.com/opportunitytosucceed/
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About the author:
jerry durham has been in business as OPPORTUNTIY TO SUCCEED since the fall of 2003. We offer ideas you need to start, manage & grow your online business with strategies, downloads, & articles written by professionals. mail to: opportunitytosucceed@email.com
Copyright 2005 lonestar enterprises - opportunity to succeed 8:30 PM 2/20/2005
Attract More Ordersjerry durham
Attract More Orders
by jerry durham
lonestar enterprises - opportunity to succeed
Attracting More Orders! Jump Starting Sales! Sky- Rocketing Profits! Whatever you want to call it. It all boils down to one thing, MORE TRAFFIC! And the different ways to get it. Here's some more ideas to try.
Use a P.S. or Sig File, (signature file) at the end of your ad copy. Repeat a strong benefit or a strong close like a FREE ebook, ecourse, report or article that will compliment your original ad copy.
Multiple streams of income are popular. Create a product, promote it, join affialiate programs, promote them, sell advertising space on your site or in your ezine, promote that, create a membership site, promote it, etc. Have a few products on your web site instead of a large amount of products. Rotate your products out, while keeping the good sellers in. To many choices can overwhelm your visitors and they won't buy.
Take your customers to a Thank You web page after they order that includes other products you sell. Click here to see ThankYouAds.com - http://tinyurl.com/5kack .
Your web site should be a valuable resource for folks. Have original content, links to other interesting web sites, ebooks and software downloads, ecourses, etc. Your content will be more attractive to your visitors if it's up-to-date or original. You could also offer people the option to reprint the content in their e- zine or web site.
A free online directory full of interesting ebooks, e- zines, web sites etc. would be a valuable resource to visit over and over.
Multiply your marketing and advertising efforts on the Internet with Viral Marketing - There ain't no cure for this disease! Even a simple form where you or someone else wrote a report with your ad included in it and allowed others to give it away. See the recent article on this at -http://tinyurl.com/3zse4 .
Offer free online services or utilities from your web site. They could be search engine submitting, copy writing proofreading etc. The service or utility should be helpful to your target audience.
Give free consulting to people who visit your web site. You could offer your knowledge via e-mail or by telephone. People will consider this a huge value because consulting fees can be very expensive.
Receprical linking is very popular for all parties. Give them a freebie in exchange for them linking to your web site. It could be content, software, etc. Sites that provide useful information or services may be good links for your visitors. The more useful links on your site, and they may make it their start page. This'll increase your ranking in some search engines. (My experience has been folks just want the exposure and are willing to link for free.)
Develop your own opt in email list by giving your visitors a reason to give you their e-mail address. Allow them to sign up for free stuff and content that promotes the products you're selling. It's important to give something extra with the free subscription.
Banner ads don't have to look like ads. Some folks ignore banner ads. Make them look like content and have them click to read the rest.
Chat rooms, forums or message systems are great ways to interact with your online customers on a regular basis. Folks want to interact with other people that have the same interests as they do.
Your web site links should be checked regularly. After people click on one link, and it doesn't work, they usually won't risk wasting their time clicking on another one.
Full page solo ads to your opt in list could result in increased sales.
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All the Best...
jerry durham lonestar enterprises - opportunity to succeed http://www.freewebs.com/opportunitytosucceed/ mail to: opportunitytosucceed@email.com 5705 marvin loving dr suite 202 garland, tx 75043
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OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED NEWSLETTER Ideas you need to start, manage & grow your online business! Strategies, downloads, & articles written by professionals. mail to: InfoEzineOptnRequest@sendfree.com http://www.freewebs.com/opportunitytosucceed/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the author:
jerry durham has been in business as OPPORTUNTIY TO SUCCEED since the fall of 2003. We offer ideas you need to start, manage & grow your online business with strategies,
downloads, & articles written by professionals. mail to: opportunitytosucceed@email.com http://www.freewebs.com/opportunitytosucceed/
Copyright 2005 lonestar enterprises - opportunity to succeed 9:56 PM 2/20/2005
#BREAK#
#TITLE#Adam to Windsor Whats that?#/TITLE#
In Depression Glass parlance, from Adam to Windsor refersto the alphabetical order in which collectors guidestypically list all the patterns of the seven largest glasscompanies that produced this now-collectible glassware.Some of these companies made the lucky (or smart) decisionto re-tool with the machinery necessary to produce thisnew, mass-produced glassware before the stock market crashof 1929, which enabled them not only to survive the GreatDepression, but also to continue onward to perfecting andexpanding their product lines.
In Depression Glass parlance, from Adam to Windsor refersto the alphabetical order in which collectors guidestypically list all the patterns of the seven largest glasscompanies that produced this now-collectible glassware.Some of these companies made the lucky (or smart) decisionto re-tool with the machinery necessary to produce thisnew, mass-produced glassware before the stock market crashof 1929, which enabled them not only to survive the GreatDepression, but also to continue onward to perfecting andexpanding their product lines.
Hazel-Atlas, Hocking, Indiana, Federal, U.S. Glass,MacBeth-Evans, and Jeanette made up these seven glasscompanies, and between them all, 92 designs came about tobrighten the lives of people living just before, during,and just after the grim days of the Great Depression.
U.S. Glass was actually a combination of companies that rallied together to survive the economic downturn.
For the sake of brevity, the following information touchesupon only the first and last of these 92 designs.Hopefully, the reader will go on to research the remainingdesigns to further expand their knowledge of thesebrilliant designs that came from the minds of artists inthose days without the use of computer-aided technology!
As one might assume, the first of these patterns(alphabetically, not chronologically) turned out to beAdam, produced by the Jeanette Glass Company for threeyears, beginning in 1932. Jeanettes Adam pattern embracedthe Art Deco movement of the time period with itsgeometrical squares and conical shapes that beautifullycomplemented the flower-and-leaf floral motifs. Produced ingreen, pink, yellow, dark green, and crystal (clear),Jeanette manufactured utilized the Adam design in 37pieces, and many reproductions of this design find theirway into the marketplace notably, a yellow butter dishnotorious among knowledgeable dealers and collectors as afake.
Windsor, coincidentally another pattern from Jeanette, firstreached Depression-era consumers in 1936. Because of itspopularity which translated to sales Jeanettecontinued to produce Windsor for the next 11 years,completing its run in 1946. Also available in 37 pieces,Windsor could be bought in six colors: green, pink, blue,ruby, dark green, and crystal. The appeal of the Windsordesign lay in its similarity to the cut-glass look thatbecame so popular toward the end of the 1930s and lastedwell into the 40s.
These two patterns claim a place as classics amongcollectors, but so do many of the other 90 designs that liealphabetically between Adam and Windsor. Hopefully, yourappetite has been whetted enough to learn about at leastsome of the remaining patterns like Avocado, the veryfirst pattern, made in 1923; or English Hobnail, firstmanufactured in 1928 and continuing on until 1983; orRadiance, a Depression-era glassware made well enough thatthe New Martinsville Glass Company eschewed the typicaldesigns used to cover up flaws in other patterns; or thelist goes on.
Both the Adam and Windsor patterns, classics amongcollectors, are but two of the many patterns coveted byDepression Glass fans the world over. Hopefully this bit ofinformation about a fraction of the 90 designs that liebetween will suffice to whet the appetites of noviceDepression Glass aficionados enough to further theirknowledge of the rest. And once accomplishing this,patterns from the remaining dozen or so glassware companiesthat produced Depression Glass await investigation. Itseasy to see why Depression Glass collectors becomecollectors for life!
Until next time,
Murray Hughes http://www.DepressionGlassSecrets.com
http://www.depressionglasssecrets.com/DPweb-articles/depression-glass-atow.htm
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
If you enjoyed this article by Murray Hughes, then visit http://www.DepressionGlassSecrets.com now and enroll in the free Depression Glass course The 5 Essential Steps To Becoming A Depression Glass Collector
#BREAK#
#TITLE#Make no wine before its time#/TITLE#
My Approach to Winemaking
Make no wine before its time.
C.J.J. Berry's classic First Steps in Winemaking presented 130 winemaking recipes in a unique fashion, listing the recipes under the calendar month in which the ingredients are usually plentiful and the corresponding wines are usually made in Great Britain. While that organization probably served the home gardener well in the 1950s and 60s in Great Britain, elsewhere, especially in these days of readily available produce from produce and supermarkets, such an organization makes less sense. It is difficult to utilize such a presentation without constant reference to the index. An alphabetical organization is far more utilitarian and will be used in my recipes section, with the primary ingredient listed first. I'll leave the timing of your winemaking to you.
While I love grape wines, I also love the varied tastes of country wines, those wines made from fruits, vegetables, seeds, grain, leaves, flowers, bark, roots, and other non-grape ingredients. In particular, I like making these various wines. So, while you will find grape-wine recipes here, you will find that the bulk of this web site is devoted to non-grape wines.
I am also more than a little partial to making wines from wild, edible plants. Maybe it's the Boy Scout in me or maybe it's the idea of using what God has placed before us to be used, or maybe it's the activity of hunting for and gathering the ingredients in the few remaining wild parcels of land surrounding us, but I suspect it's a bit of all three. Thus, I am fond of using wild grapes for my grape wines and wild edibles for my non-grape wines. So you will find sections of this web site devoted specifically to the native grapes of North America and making wines from wild edible plants. In most cases, the recipes for a wild ingredient's wine is the same, or almost the same, as for the domesticated variety of the same ingredient if there is a cultivated variety. When this is the case, the ingredient's wine recipe(s) will be found in the main recipe section. But when there are special considerations for the wild variety, the recipe(s) will be listed under the section on making wines from wild edible plants. Wine recipes for wild grapes will be found, naturally enough, under the section on native grapes. The point is, if you don't find a recipe under the main recipe section, look under the edible plants section just to be sure. And, in a very few cases, you will find different recipes for the same ingredient under both sections. Again, look in both sections just to be sure.
Finally, I have to warn you that portions of this web site are, as they say, under construction. That simply means there is more to say on the subject. No, you won't find any under constraction signs, but you might notice that the page or section is obviously unfinished. Where this occurs, I apologize in advance. The material I aim to present is simply vast, and I only have limited time to devote to web-building. So I ask you to bear with me, bookmark the site, and check back often. The truth is that I have hundreds of wine recipes to post and intend to do so, but it does take time. If you can't wait, send me an email request for a particular recipe and I'll write you back and post the reply under the requested recipes section (another good place to check, by the way).
My best to each of you, and may your wines always meet your expectations.
About the Author
We have been in the Wine and Beer ingredient industry for
several years. Please visit our websites
The Masters Touch and New
York Micro Brew#BREAK#
#TITLE#The Yoga of Menopause#/TITLE#
It?s big news when a favored medical treatment ? HRT for menopausal women ? is found to be harmful. But it?s no news to readers of Susun Weed. She?s been blowing the whistle on both scientific and alternative treatments of menopause for nearly two decades. Read on to find out more!
Susun maintains: ?Menopause is not a ?pathology?, but a passage to power. Like puberty, menopause is a natural ? and healthy ? change. Wise women the world over herald menopause as a health-promoting event. They see hot flashes as ?power surges? and menopause as an intense spiritual journey. Most treatments ? including ERT, HRT, isoflavone, and progesterone creams ? disrupt this process and can do severe damage to a woman?s health.?
MENOPAUSE IS ENLIGHTENMENT
The energy aspects of menopause are of special interest to me.
As a long-time student of yoga, I was struck by the many similarities between menopausal symptoms and the well-known esoteric goal of awakening of the kundalini. Though the ideas presented in this section may seem strange or difficult to comprehend, they contain powerful messages about menopause, which lie at the heart of the Wise Woman approach.
Kundalini [is the root [of all spiritual experiences ... Kundalini is a special kind of energy known in many cultures, including Tibetan, Indian, Sumerian, Chinese, Irish, Aztec, and Greek. Kundalini is said to be hot, fast, powerful, and large. It exists within the earth, within all life, and within each person. Psychoanalyst Carl G. Jung called kundalini anima. Kundalini is usually represented as a serpent coiled at the base of the spine, but women's mystery stories locate it in the uterus - or the area where the uterus was, if a hysterectomy has occurred. During both puberty and menopause, a woman's kundalini is difficult to control and may cause a great number of symptoms.
East Indian yogis spend lifetimes learning to activate, or wake up, their kundalini. This is also called achieving enlightenment. When they succeed, a surge of super-heated energy goes up the spine, throughout the nerves, dilating blood vessels, and fueling itself with hormones. As kundalini continues to travel up the spine, it changes the functioning of the endocrine, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. Not just in yogis, but in any woman who allows herself to become aware of it. Menopause is a kind of enlightenment. Hot flashes are kundalini training sessions.
TAKING HORMONES? THESE HERBS ARE FOR YOU
More and more American women are using herbal remedies to help them with menopausal problems. Those who do take ERT (estrogen replacement) or HRT (hormone replacement) may be surprised to discover that herbal medicine has a lot to offer them as well.
Herbs for women on ERT/HRT include those that alleviate side-effects as well as those that counter problems caused by the hormones.
Herbal Helpers Counter Side-Effects
Water retention is the symptom most often cited for dissatisfaction with hormone replacement. Herbal tinctures and tea, such as dandelion or cleavers, and ordinary foods can not only relieve the distress, they will go to the root of the problem and help prevent recurrences.
Dandelion root tincture (Taraxacum officinale) strengthens the liver and helps it process out the excess hormones you are taking. When the liver works well, the kidneys work better, and tissues no longer bloat. A dose is 10-20 drops in several ounces of water or juice 2-3 three times a day. If you have any digestion problems, take your dandelion before meals; otherwise, anytime is fine. You can safely take dandelion daily for months or years if you need or want to.
Cleavers herb tincture (Galium molluga) tells the lymphatic tissues to get moving. Relief from edema is usually rapid when 20-30 drops are taken in several ounces of water or juice. Repeat up to six times at hourly intervals if needed. Cleavers is especially helpful for easing swollen, sore breasts.
Foods that relieve water retention include (in order of effectiveness): asparagus, nettles, corn (and corn silk tea), grapes, cucumbers, watermelon (and watermelon seed tea), parsley, celery, black tea, and green tea.
Headaches are the second most common side-effect of hormone use. Unfortunately, they are common among menopausal women not taking hormones, too. Herbs that help relieve headache without a drug-like action - such as dandelion, yellow dock, milk thistle, burdock, garden sage, skullcap, and St. John's/Joan's wort - are generally considered safe to take with hormones.
Chinese herbalists say headaches are caused by liver stress. My favorite liver-strengthening herbs are dandelion, yellow dock, milk thistle seed, and burdock. I use one at a time, a 15-25 drops of the tincture several times a day, for two weeks. If symptoms continue, I switch to a different herb.
A strong tea of garden sage leaves (Salvia officinalis) offers immediate relief from headaches and helps prevent future ones. It also reduces night sweats. Tinctures of skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) and St. Joan's/John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) ease pain and relieve muscle spasms. Use 5-20 drops of skullcap and a dropperful of St.J's at the very first sign - no, the very first thought - of a headache. Repeat the doses every five minutes until pain free. Skullcap can be quite sedative, especially in large doses.
Herbal Allies to Prevent Problems Caused by Taking Hormones
Breast cancer risk is increased 20% in women who use ERT for five or more years. Use of HRT for five or more years increases breast cancer risk by 40%. Each five years of continued use increases the risk. In addition, women who take ERT are far more likely to get uterine or endometrial cancers. All women on hormones increase their risks of lung and ovarian cancer, too. Nourishing herbs such as red clover, and foods such as beans and yogurt, offer easy ways to stay cancer-free.
Red clover blossoms (Trifolium pratense), when dried and brewed into a strong infusion (one ounce herb steeped an a quart of boiling water for at least four hours) prevent cancer by providing phytoestrogens that counter the cancer-promoting effects of oral hormones. Usual dose is 2-4 cups a day. The infusion tastes like black tea and can be flavored with mint if you like.
Since uncooked beans and unfermented soy contain anti-nutritional factors that may promote bone loss and dementia, soy milk and tofu are not recommended. Miso and tamari definitely help to prevent breast cancer but soy isoflavones may promote it.
Yogurt helps build powerful immunity. Women who eat a quart of yogurt a week have 700% less cancer than women who eat no yogurt.
Dry eyes afflict more than 9% of women using ERT and over 7% of those on HRT. Risk increases by 70% for every year of continued use. And the longer a woman uses hormones, the greater her risk. Herbs such as oatstraw, chamomile, and chickweed can help relieve and prevent this problem.
Oatstraw infusion (Avena sativa) cools and moistens your eyes from the inside out, builds strong bones too. Use one ounce of dried herb in a quart jar; fill to the top with boiling water and cap tightly. Let steep four or more hours. Dose is 2-4 cups a day. Refrigerate after straining.
Cucumber slices ease dry eyes; so do chamomile tea bags.
The ultimate ally for women with dry eyes is fresh chickweed (Stellaria media), applied as a poultice to the closed eyes. Leave on for five minutes, or until the plant material feels warm (it will heat up). Repeat as needed.
Stroke and heart attack are actually increased by use of ERT/HRT, though modern medicine has long proclaimed the opposite. Every major double-blind study done to date has created a larger and larger gap between ERT/HRT's supposed ability to help cardiovascular health and its actual results. Protect your heart with nourishing and tonifying herbs and foods such as motherwort, hawthorn, and cherries.
Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) tincture helps the heart. The Japanese claim it is their secret of longevity. A dose is 5-15 drops, twice a day. Motherwort also relieves hot flashes, calms tachycardiia, and eases anxiety. It's an all-in-one remedy for menopausal women.
Hawthorn (Crataegus oxycantha) flowers, leaves, and fruits are all used to maintain heart health and control fluid build-up in heart tissues. A dose is 20- 30 drops of tincture 2-4 times a day, or a cup of tea with meals. This widespread shrub is considered one of the finest heart tonics in the world.
Cherries are even better than apples at keeping the doctor away. Dried cherries and cherry juice, even tincture of cherries.
More than three-quarters of the women in America over the age of fifty have refused ERT/HRT. If you want to join them, taper off your dosage slowly, while continuing to use nourishing and tonifying herbs such as dandelion, motherwort, red clover, oatstraw, and seaweed.
THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF ESTROGENS
- Women make estrogens.
- Plants make estrogens and estrogen-like compounds.
- Chemicals, especially organochlorines, act like estrogens (xenoestrogens).
Pharmaceutical companies make estrogens from substances such as horse urine, wild yam roots, and petrochemicals. Tamoxifen, used to treat and prevent breast cancer, is a type of pharmaceutical estrogen.
Women make at least thirty types of estrogen, including estradiol, estrone, and estrace. Estradiol is the strongest; it is turned on at puberty and turned off at menopause. Estradiol is positively linked with breast cancer; other human estrogens are not. Anything that reduces the amount of estradiol a woman produces (such as pregnancy, lactation, early menopause, and late puberty) also decreases her risk of a breast cancer diagnosis.
Phytoestrogens counter the detrimental effects of estradiol by competing for the same receptor sites.
Estradiol is a strong estrogen and is metabolized by the long path. The other estrogens our bodies make are weak estrogens and are metabolized by the short path. Alcohol turns off the short path. Phytoestrogens are weak hormones and hormonal precursors. Phytoestrogens in foods are metabolized by the short path. Phytoestrogens appear to protect tissues from the cancer-causing effects of estradiol, xenoestrogens and pharmaceutical hormones. Phytoestrogens in foods prevent cancer and promote health; phytoestrogen supplements and processed soy fake-foods may do the opposite. Breast cancer occurs four times more often in women whose urinary output of phytoestrogen by-products is low compared to women whose urinary output is high.
Phytoestrogens are common in food. They are concentrated in seeds (grains, beans, nuts, berries) and roots. The exceptions to the rule that plants don't contain human hormones: French beans, rice, apple seeds, licorice, and pomegranate seeds contain the weak estrogen estrone.
To get the greatest benefit from phytoestrogenic foods and herbs remember:
Isolated phytoestrogens are not as safe as those in matrix.
To make use of plant hormones, you need active, healthy gut flora.
Herbs and foods rich in phytoestrogens need to be used in different ways.
Phytoestrogens may have different effects on women who do not have their ovaries.
Plants contain many types of phytoestrogens; additionally, they contain minerals and other constituents which help our bodies modify the phytoestrogens and so we can use them safely. Red clover is mineral-rich and contains all four of the major types of phytoestrogens: lignans, coumestans, isoflavones, and resorcylic acid lactones. It is the world's best-known anti-cancer herb. In general, foods and herbs rich in phytoestrogens, with the possible exception of licorice, show anti-cancer abilities. Isoflavone, however, when isolated (usually from soy) has the opposite effect: in the lab it encourages the growth of breast cancer cells (endnote 32 in New Menopausal Years).
Plant hormones, including most phytoestrogens, can't be used by humans. But we can convert them into ones we can use - with the help of our gut bacteria. When women take antibiotics, their excretion of phytoestrogens plummets. Get your gut flora going by eating more yogurt, miso, unpasteurized sauerkraut, homemade beers and wines, picked-by-your-own-hands-and-unwashed fruits and salads, sourdough bread, and whey-fermented vegetables. (See Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon for whey-fermented vegetable recipes.)
Plants which are exceptionally rich in phytoestrogens are regarded as powerful herbal medicines. Plants which are good sources of phytoestrogens are regarded as foods. While food can certainly be our medicine - a practice I advocate - it is also true that medicines are more dangerous than foods. Foods rich in phytoestrogens are different than medicinal herbs rich in phytoestrogens. They have different places in my life.
- I eat phytoestrogenic foods daily in quantity.
- I use phytoestrogenic food-like herbs regularly (not daily), in moderate quantity.
- I take phytoestrogenic herbs rarely, in small amounts, for a limited time.
Phytoestrogenic foods are the basis for a healthy diet and a long life. The first food listed is the highest in phytoestrogens. The best diet contains not just one but many choices from each list:
- Whole grains (rye, oats, barley, millet, rice, wheat, corn)
- Edible seeds (buckwheat, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, amaranth, quinoa)
- Beans (yellow split peas, black turtle beans, baby limas, Anasazi beans, red kidney beans, red lentils, soy beans)
- Leafy greens and seaweed (parsley, nettle, kelp, cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards, lamb's quarter)
- Fruits (olives, cherries, grapes, apples, pears, peaches, plums, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, salmon berries, apricots, crab apples, quinces, rosehips, blueberries)
- Olive oil and seed oils. Garlic, onions and their relatives leeks, chives, scallions, ramps, shallot
Phytoestrogenic food-like herbs are generally considered longevity tonics. For optimum effect, use only one from the list below and to stick with it for at least three months.
- Citrus peel, dandelion leaves and/or roots, fenugreek seeds, flax seeds, green tea, hops, red clover, red wine.
Phytoestrogenic herbs are usually too powerful for long- term use. From the list below (which is in alphabetical order), it is safest to use only one herb at a time, and use it only when needed, although that may mean daily use for several months. More information about these herbs, including specific dosages and cautions, is in New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way.
- Agave root, black cohosh root, black currant, black haw, chasteberries, cramp bark, dong quai root, devil's club root, false unicorn root, ginseng root, groundsel herb, licorice, liferoot herb, motherwort herb, peony root, raspberry leaves, rose family plants (most parts), sage leaves, sarsaparilla root, saw palmetto berried, wild yam root, yarrow blossoms.
Most of the warnings about phytoestrogenic herbs center on their proven ability to thicken the uterine wall in animals who have had their ovaries removed. This could encourage cancer, just as taking ERT encourages cancer of the uterus by stimulating cell growth. Women without ovaries are probably safe eating phytoestrogenic foods, but may want to use phytoestrogenic herbs - especially ginseng, dong quai, licorice, red clover, and wild yam - in small amounts and only for short periods.FURTHER NOTES ON PHYTOESTROGENIC PLANTS
- Recent studies indicate black cohosh does not suppress luteinizing hormone, has no estrogenic effect, and contains no compounds related to estrogen. Red clover flower heads contain many hormone-like flavonoids, including isoflavone, daidzein, genistein, formononetin, biochanin, sitosterol, and coumestrol, a particularly strong phytoestrogen (six times more active than the one in soy). Red clover contains all four major estrogenic isoflavones; soy has only two of them. A cup of red clover infusion (not tea) contains ten times more phytoestrogens than a cup of soy beverage, is richer in calcium, has less calories, and contains no added sugars.
- Researchers in Australia report a million lambs a year are aborted after sheep eat clover on pasture. Yet red clover is renowned as a fertility enhancer. What's up? Stephen Buhner, author of The Secret Language of Plants, says clover plants make blood-thinning compounds (which cause abortion) when overgrazed, but don't otherwise. Plants, it turns out, can fight back.
- When unfermented soy takes the place of animal protein (meat and milk), its anti-nutritional factors can create brittle bones, thyroid problems, memory loss, vision impairment, irregular heartbeat, depression, and vulnerability to infections. Unfermented soy is high in hemoglutin, which causes clumping of red blood cells and may increase risk of stroke. It is also impressively rich in aluminum (up to 100 times more than is found in the same amount of real milk). Eating tofu more than once a week doubled the risk of Alzheimer's in a small group of Japanese men studied for thirty years.
- Human gut bacteria can cleave a sugar molecule from wild yam's steroidal saponin, producing diosgenin. Labs make progesterone from diosgenin, but our bodies can't. Diosgenin itself has a weak estrogenic effect. According to Australian herbalist Ruth Trickey: A more probable explanation [for the observed effects of wild yam ... is that [diosgenin interacts with hypothalamic and pituitary hormones and ... initiates ovulation.
Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081
Visit Susun Weed at: www.susunweed.com;and www.ashtreepublishing.com
For permission to reprint this article, contact us at: susunweed@herbshealing.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative.
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#TITLE#Feng Shui & Symbology#/TITLE#
Symbology is very special to my heart. In fact, one of the more precious gifts I received is from my husband. It is a piece of artwork depicting in white jade, the Chinese dragon and phoenix. This hangs proudly in my office and for me, represents what I try to achieve daily for myself and others ? the balancing of yin and yang.
The Orient has always had a particular penchant for looking at objects and interpreting their hidden meaning. This is revealed by the prolific use of symbols and that these symbols are like a secondary language, rich in nuances that penetrate all communication.
Not all Westerners are aware that in Chinese, each written character represents an entire word which is in deep contrast to our alphabetical text - where a sequence of individual letters signifies a word. This means that more or less every word in the Chinese language is represented by a different symbol so it is not unrealistic to consider that whenever pen is put to paper or in carvings it can also have some mysterious, abstract or obscure meaning.
Symbols are generally categorised as either auspicious or inauspicious and can be viewed as conveying the unseen messages of good or bad luck. All Oriental artworks are viewed as symbols, and their characteristic themes ? water, clouds, flowers, trees, animals, rocks even colours ? portend not only themselves, but also something beyond themselves ? there is meaning far beyond the visual experience. There is virtually nothing in all of nature or any artefact that is not seen as being imbued with particular significance.
I simply love the meaning of things!!! On my first journey to Singapore back in 1986 I purchased a silk painting and it?s always been dear to my heart and this painting still hangs in a special place within my home. I was told that this beautiful piece of art depicts the story of the Eight Fairies or as I first came to know them - the Eight Good People of the world. Now these Fairies or immortals are on a special journey travelling the world dispensing good fortune to everyone they meet and each one of these ?good people? has a special object that they always carry with them. These items still carry auspicious meanings as they have done over the ages and generally, they can be hung anywhere in the home. They have also come to play a symbolic part in Feng Shui.
There is much controversy as to exactly when the eight immortals came to be however most stories and artworks can be dated back to the Song, Yuan and Han dynasties. I have listed the items carried by the ?eight immortals? and I hope that you will be able to put at least one of them to good use for yourself in your own home or place of business.
The gourd:- This wonderful object can be placed around the knob of your bedroom door as it symbolises good health and longevity. It is one of the items carried by Li Tie-guai, one of the most recognisable of the eight immortals as he is lame. One of several legends has it that he would frequently leave his body to wander the land and heavens. On one particular day whilst his spirit was wandering around the mountains his body was found lifeless and he was subsequently pronounced dead. In keeping with the custom of the time he was cremated so, upon his souls return he could not find his own body and therefore he had no option but to take refuge in the first available body. This happened to be the body of a crippled beggar and so it was that Li Tie-guai continued his existence supporting himself on a crutch or staff and is therefore always depicted as a lame beggar. The gourd is said to contain the holy nectar of the Gods, therefore, it is a popular accessory of many Buddhist Deities. In art a gourd decorated with arabesques and roses signifies the wish that ?spring may last for ten thousand generations?. In other words ? this is a wish that your family lasts forever.
The Fan:- Fans first appeared in China during the 10th Century AD and these beautifully painted fans have been a specialty of the great Chinese artist ever since. One of the eight immortals, Zhong Li Quan, who is said to have lived during the Chou Dynasty around 112-249BC, is the chubby chief of the immortals and recognisable by the Fan which he uses to revive the dead. Many other Gods also use the fan to drive away evil and as a result, from a Feng Shui perspective it has been said that fans have the power to deflect negative ?chi? or energy that has been directed your way by a hostile source.
Lotus: As the symbol of purity modesty and love, the lotus enjoys a unique importance in Chinese folklore and it seems that this is largely due to the influence of Buddhism. The lotus comes out of the morass and yet is not itself tainted. It is inwardly empty, outwardly upright. It has no branches and smells sweet. There are two Chinese words for lotus: lian and he. Lian is to love, bind, connect uninterrupted as in marriage and also means modesty. A lotus bloom with a leaf and a bud means ?complete union? whilst a boy with a carp beside a lotus means abundance year in year out. He Xian-gu was the immortal carrying the lotus and was brought into the group by Lu Dong Bin after he rescued her from a demon by using his magic sword.
Castanets:- Cao Guo-jiu is the finest dressed of all the immortals. He is always depicted in court dress and is often seen holding an official sceptre or castanets. So, for those budding thespians ensure you have this deity around you to help you on your way.
Flute:- A patron saint of musicians, this happy immortal is always depicted carrying or playing the flute. It is said that Han Xiang-Zi could make flowers bloom at will and soothe wild animals with his music. He is said to be the great nephew of the statesman and philosopher Han Yu who lived AD 768 ? 824. There are many types of Chinese flutes, however; the vertical flute which has only five holes in the upper part and one in the lower section with only one end open is played mainly by women. In Feng Shui a pair of flutes is often used to divert the negative flow of energy.
Sword:- A demon slaying sword is the attribute of Lu Dong-bin (born around AD 755) another of the eight immortals. There are many legends regarding swords and their magical properties. In fact, it is said that an ordinary sword can be turned into one that will repel demons by going through a special ritual and then reforged. In Feng Shui terms there is the sword of coins. Coins are usually associated with prosperity, however, they were also used as protective charms. So it came to be that a cluster of coins were strung with red cording in the shape of swords. These were then worn around the neck to ward off ?sha chi? directed your way by a hostile source.
Bamboo cane: Zhang Guo-lao is the immortal that is always shown carrying a long bamboo cane, the so called ?Fish Drum?. Inside the cane are two rods fitted with hooks, and the whole piece can be used as a means of making various sounds and music. Legend has it that he flourished around the late 7th and early 8th centuries and is always accompanied by a donkey on whose back he would sit backwards and could cover a thousand miles a day.
Basket of flowers: Lan Cai-he is one of the eight immortals and is represented by a basket of fruit or flowers. A decorated basket of flowers represents riches and therefore the motif has been a popular one used during the New Year period.
There are many, many items in varying degrees of styles that can evoke a significant value for another person. So???. why not consider giving a gift for Christmas with substance, one that has an important meaning to someone you care about. Perhaps it will reflect the gift of wealth, good health and happiness or even???..love.
Juliana Abram is one of the leading Feng Shui consultants in Australia having been traditionally trained in Hong Kong by Chinese Feng Shui Master Raymond Lo.
Juliana specialises in ?Flying Star? Feng Shui and the Four Pillars of destiny.
Juliana runs her own Feng Shui consultancy see http://www.fengshuicentre.com.au and her own online Feng Shui store see http://www.fengshuishop.com.au
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