Easy, no-cost way to save your life

This is a no-brainer, folks.

I'm out driving this afternoon, and we are hit with monsoon rainstorms. (Very, very typical for summer afternoons in North Carolina).

And despite a law that compels drivers to burn their headlights when their wipers are on, LOTS of cars don't have their lights on.

Years ago, I began burning my lights all the time. Whenever I'm driving. I make it a habit that whenever I turn on the ignition, I turn on the headlights.

Of course, it looks a little dumb in bright sunshine. But even in bright sunshine, headlights increase a car's visibility. But using your headlights in rain, storm, or whatever is a no-brainer. Even if the law in your area doesn't require it.

Put your headlights on. All the time. And save your life.

PS In the market for a new car? Car colors help with car safety, too. Think yellow or red if you can live with it. Gray, black, and dark greens are all hard to see. (I just ditched a car (red) and bought another. Bright yellow (they call it "egg-yolk") and my kids howled with laughter when they saw it, but the important thing is that it's the most visible color around. (But to be honest, I love yellow cars. I don't do much of anything for good health reasons).

Curing an Upset Stomach

Is your stomach hurting because you ate too much of something? Ate the wrong thing? Ate the wrong thing at the wrong time?

There is a cure. Easy and simple. If any of those apply to you, your body is signaling that something has to be done to take care of whatever you ate. The usual answer is nausea and vomiting, neither of which are fun, or pretty. Diluting your stomach contents is the better way.

Take care of it like this: drink 5 glasses of water within a 5 minute period. Even if you are not thirsty. The water should be room temperature, maybe just from the tap.

Now go about your business.

If the discomfort is still there in 30 minute, repeat the process. You will most likely feel an easing of the discomfort. You may have the sudden urge to have a bowel movement, or you may have diarrhea. But most likely the discomfort will go away.

Getting your vitamin D the easy way

Summertime, and the livin' is easy, as the song goes.

While living may be a bit more hectic now than in the past, what remains easy is getting your vitamin D in the summer, and that's by exposure to good, old sunshine.

15 minutes a day of sunshine is enough to get your vitamin D quota in. Of course, that's assuming you are clothed in nothing much more than a swimsuit, or something like it. The more clothing you have on, the longer you'll need to be out in the sun.

Sun exposure -- since vitamin D is stored in body fat -- is cumulative, meaning that if you can't get some every day, it's all right, as long as you are getting more exposure on other days.

The other advantage of sun exposure during the summer is that your body will store up the vitamin D for the less sunny months.

So, enjoy your sunshine now. It's one of the few really pleasant ways of getting your vitamins. And it's fun, too ... :-)

Low cost vitamins

Despite the blitherings of politicians, your healthcare is your responsibility. One of the things I do (and encourage others to do) is to take vitamins to supplement your diet.

(I view them as cheap insurance for the times when I don't eat what I should, or to cover my bases. I think that some vitamins -- such as Vitamin C -- should be taken by everyone. Theinformation for their value is beyond question).

But vitamins can be expensive. So what to do about that?

There's a vitamin store nearby that has a bargain area in the back. I shop there. The vitamins are close to their "pull date," but never beyond it. I buy enough to use for the next month or so, and save a lot of money by doing so.

Another benefit is the ability to try out something new that you might have heard about, and want to try on the cheap. I'm using bilberry right now. It's good for your eyes (I can see a noticeable improvement in my close vision already) but I hadn't thought to try it until seeing it there.