TopMDs CLn

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) April 11, 2013

Dallas-based TopMDTM Skin Care today announced it was awarded the National Eczema Associations Seal of AcceptanceTM for its newest product, CLn

Raw Summer Wildflower Honey at The Naturalists Notebook, Seal Harbor, Maine

Seal Harbor, Maine (PRWEB) May 17, 2013

Mohawk Valley Trading Company Raw Summer Wildflower Honey is now available at the Naturalists Notebook, located in Seal Harbor, Maine.

"Wildflower honey, also known as polyfloral honey, is derived from the nectar of numerous species of flowers or blossoms," said Mary Ross of the Mohawk Valley Trading Company where they specialize in raw varietal honey. Varietal honey is made primarily from the nectar of a particular type of blossom or flower. To capture the unique character and flavor of the blossom or flower, beekeepers must study botanical bloom and flowering patterns when planning hive placement.

"The taste, aroma and flavor will vary from season to season, depending on which flowers are dominant at the time the nectar is collected," Ross continued "From about April thru mid-late August, we place on both slopes and the surrounding area of the Southern Kuyahoora Valley & Central Mohawk Valley regions of Upstate New York."

About The Naturalists Notebook

The Naturalists Notebook is a unique shop and exploratorium in the coastal village of Seal Harbor, Maine. It is located a few hundred yards from both the Atlantic Ocean and Acadia National Park. The Notebook combines nature, art and science in fun and inventive ways. Created by artist and photographer Pamelia Markwood and her husband, Craig Neff, a longtime writer and editor for Sports Illustrated, the Notebook is a place where you can feed your brain, shop for everything from great books to stone-ground chocolate to nature-inspired rugs, explore the Earth and the stars, discover Natural League sports, stock up on bird-friendly coffee, study bones and fossils, fly inside a beehive, try to solve puzzles, meet fascinating people, size yourself up against a Neanderthalor just relax and draw wildlife doodles on the beautiful Natural History Deck. As one newspaper feature described it, the Notebook somehow [contains] the universe in one two-story building.

About Honey

Honey has been used by humans since ancient times for its health benefits and as a sweetener and flavoring for many foods and beverages with tea being the most popular. Next to maple syrup, it is the most popular natural sweetener in North America.

Honey bees make honey by collecting nectar from flowers and regurgitating it into beeswax honeycombs inside their hive. Beeswax is a natural wax produced in the hive of honey bees of the genus Apis and one of its most popular uses is beeswax candles and as an ingredient in natural skin care products.

The flavor and color of honey is determined by the type of flower the bees gather the nectar from. Therefore, when cooking or baking with honey it is a good idea to taste the honey before using it in a recipe. For example, a dark honey like tulip poplar-black locust honey will result in a strong, heavy, a pungent flavor, whereas orange blossom honey will result in a delicate orange flavor. Dark colored honey is considered to be higher in minerals and antioxidants than light colored honey and one of the most well-known dark colored honeys is buckwheat honey. Raw buckwheat honey contains a higher amount of minerals and an antioxidant called polyphenol, which gives it its dark color. The health benefits of buckwheat honey are many and well known.

If you are planning to buy honey for its health-benefits, it must be raw honey. Heating honey (pasteurization) destroys the all of the pollen, enzymes, propolis, vitamins, amino acids, antioxidants, minerals, and aromatics. Honey that has been heated and filtered is called commercial, regular or liquid honey. The rawest honey available is comb honey which is sections of the hexagonal-shaped beeswax cells of the honeycomb that contain raw honey that have been cut from the wooden frames of a beehive.

Using raw honey is a long-term investment strategy for optimal health and personal care; the dividends are overall mental, physical and spiritual well being. Like a blue chip stock, raw honey should be included in any health conscious consumers immune system boosting portfolio and the return on investment of substituting honey for refined sugar in the human diet is incalculable.

Pure honey is kosher since kosher honey must be 100% honey with no additives or dilutions and to get the best price when buying large quantities of honey, look for a company that sells bulk or wholesale honey.

Organic honey from the United States is a myth because the country is too developed and uses too many agricultural and industrial chemicals to for the production of organic honey. Honey bees are free-roaming, wild creatures and it is impossible guarantee that while foraging they have not come in contact with prohibited substances, like pesticides.

Another product made by honey bees and used by humans is bee propolis. Propolis is a resinous substance that honey bees collect from tree buds and bark or other botanical sources and mixed with beeswax, nectar and pollen. This mixture is used by bees to seal gaps in the hive and by humans for its health benefits and as a traditional, natural or homeopathic medicine.

Seal Press Author Offers Ways to Give Back Beyond the 26 Acts of Kindness Movement

Berkeley, CA (PRWEB) January 10, 2013

After heartbreak occurs, feelings of grief and despair can be profound. As a nation, many felt those difficult emotions in the days after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Inspired by Ann Curry, thousands committed to performing 26 Acts of Kindnessone for each of the twenty children and six adults who were lost on December 14, 2012. Linda Cohen, author of the Seal Press book 1,000 Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire, and Change Your Life, suggests that the kindness doesn't have to stop there.

Multiple research studies suggest that people who regularly engage in acts of kindness or volunteerism report higher levels of happiness, self esteem, and purpose, as well as lower levels of depression. There is no doubt that those who participated in the 26 Acts of Kindness movement have already discovered an improved sense of well-being knowing that they honored the victims in a proactive way.

A resident of Portland, Oregon, Cohen personally knows the benefits of using kindness to help ease grief. After her own father died in 2006, she committed to performing 1,000 mitzvahs (or good deeds) to honor his memory. During the two and a half years it took to perform these acts of kindness, Cohen discovered the transformational benefits of giving. Sonja Lyubomirskya psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside and the author of The How of Happinessfound that people with a tendency towards grief and depression could benefit from a daily dose of helping others. Even if it's only a few minutes each day, the increase to their positive emotions are tremendous.

For those who would like to continue the 26 Acts of Kindness movement by honoring the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School through 2013, Cohen offers 13 child-friendly ideas for small actions that can have meaningful results:

1. Cook a meal. Plan and prepare a meal for someone in the community who has lost a loved one recently. This could be organized through a church, synagogue, school, or community group. Mealtrain.org is an excellent resource for organizing meal deliveries.

2. Express appreciation with a note. Write and send a gratitude letter to a coach, teacher, mentor, or relative.

3. Collect coins. Have family members collect all the pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters lying around in the house and give the money to a non-profit organization or charity.

4. Volunteer time. Visit a local senior center or nursing home and spend time with the residents. Volunteer at a local school and bring kids along to give out fundraising material, set up for a school-related event, or even stuff mailers. Another way to volunteer is to bring gifts like art supplies, magazines, and books to children who are in the hospital.

5. Visit. Drop by a friend, neighbor, or elders home unexpectedly with flowers and have a visit. It will brighten up their winter day.

6. Start an imagination station. Help an elementary school start an imagination station program where they use recyclable items like cereal boxes, paper towel tubes, and tissue boxes for fun and inexpensive art projects. Collect and donate these kinds of items to the school.

7. Help a local food bank. Are there food pantries that need donations or volunteers? Investigate how to help the hungry.

8. Clean up. Pick up litter at the beach or a park.

9. Get a haircut. Donate a ponytail of hair to Locks of Love.

10. Spend a moment in silence. Encourage children to have a silent moment of healing when an ambulance passes or when thinking about the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School.

11. Collect first aid supplies. Bring extra first aid supplies for other players on childrens sports teams.

12. Set up a lemonade stand. Organize a lemonade stand or bake sale and give the proceeds to a non-profit that kids might know, like the Humane Society. If donating locally, children can help deliver the money in person and get a tour of the non-profit.

13. Adopt a soldier. Send a care package and letter to a soldier overseas.

To learn about all of the 1,000 ways Cohen chose to make a difference in the lives of others, readers can purchase a copy of 1,000 Mitzvahs at a local bookstore, or by visiting the Seal Press website and viewing a complete list of online booksellers.

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