an ounce of prevention...

...is worth a pound of cure

i have to say that i was reminded of this in a local and global way today

my friend at work had mouth stuff done - she loves going to her dentist as they do hand massages and even dip them in wax...a very relaxing time according to her but i digress. she had major gum cleaning done as she had what she called pockets of bacteria from the same said dentist's addition of crowns in her mouth - humm, i said to her but she continued.

she explain how her mouth was numb for hours and then hurt like heck for days afterwards. plus, she had to put medicine on her gums that tastes awful and take the dreaded anti-biotics.

now i explain all this for a reason - as i told her months ago when she started having this problem -- to rinse her toothbrush with hydrogen peroxide - not only does it get rid of the bacteria on her toothbrush from sitting in a bathroom, one of the filthiest placesin the house containing all sorts of airborn bacteria - people think of what else you do in there:: it also whitens your teeth naturally

and folks, if you decide to try this at home, don't swallow -- rinse very well with plain water after brushing!

so

back to my point - for a few pennies of prevention, she would have avoided the 'pound of cure' given to her by her dentist...ok, she got the massages and soft music playing but hey, who among us WANTS to do to the dentist, even with all those perks?

so i reminded her of the peroxide thingy and she went out and bought some...good as she can now prevent it from happening again.

so let's take this little saying globally....

what ounce of prevention can we do to avoid paying that pound of cure on our small blue planet? and i think i came up with it - it has to do with our purchasing power! if each of us decides to make smarter purchases then we can change our world, no matter what the little man behind the screen who is current posing as our president throws at us!!

buy local produce, cars that don't pollute, house furnishings and appliances that dont kill us... buy 'green stocks'

don't support big corporations who don't give a damn about us - get informed and knowledgable about what you buy, where it comes from and who is making it!!

these are just a few of the things i have personally done - please feel free to list more!

6 comments:

Harrod Family History said...

Thanks for the tip about using hydrogen peroxide on toothbrushes. My dentist (who doesn't offer massages, etc) recommended that I rinse my mouth with peroxide which costs much less than commercial mouthwashes. I didn't think about also rinsing my brush, but will begin to do so.

Another habit of mine is to store my toothbrush in a cabinet and to always put the lid down before flushing the toliet (to limit the spread of bacteria).

I've been told that hydrogen peroxide can heal or prevent athletes feet. I'm not sure how accurate that is.

I love your suggestions. You probably already do this, but I would add that instead of purchasing potentially toxic cleaning supplies, you can use white vinegar, borax powder and "Real" lemon for most cleaning projects. I can't stand the odors (some would say fragrances) in commerical cleaning products.

azgoddess said...

thanks for the reminder about not using 'harsh' store bought cleaners...i dont use them either because of the smell - at work they clean with them and i have to hold my nose or else i end up getting a headache - today they are cleaning the stairs - yuck!

after your post, i went googling and found this great site: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/8088/clngrn.html

Anonymous said...

AZ & Nona, how about when you walk down the household cleaner aisle at the grocery store? I have to skip that aisle due to burning eyes & lungs & sneezing. Yrs ago I was complaining to my mom about hating to clean the water dispenser on my fridge cuz then my drinking water smelled like chemicals for days. She reminded me about white vinegar, which brought back many memories of her using it for so many clean-up jobs. It's also great for wiping up an indoor ant run, then sponge more on the area to keep them away. Another good natural pesticide is borax.

Hey, thanks for the peroxide tip! Another toothbrush rule is to break out a new one every 3 months & right after you've had any illness. yeah, my last dentist was trying a bunch of those relaxation ideas & eliciting feedback. I told her the most relaxing thing she could do was shorten my time in the chair! D.K.

Harrod Family History said...

I don't shop in grocery stores any more so I don't get exposed to that smelly aisle at the supermarket. The cleaning supplies aisle at the natural food store doesn't smell, but when I'm at the shopping mall I have to go through a Macy's once in a while and I try to hold my breath when I go through the perfume section. Aak! How can people wear that stuff? It stinks.

azgoddess said...

i hate the mall more than i hate regular grocery stores...

cuz they put most of the women's stuff in 'smell' of the cosmetics and perfume

which brings me to - i don't wear make-up...i personally think it is the number 2 reason (smoking being number 1) of women looking older -- come on, it can't be good all that rubbing and wiping and clogging pores...

Anonymous said...

AZ, total agreement on face make-up. These days the only thing I apply is loads of sunscreen (lousy redhead skin sunburns at midnight). ps, i like your new easy-to-read format! D.K.