The groceries are outside on his front porch, awaiting retrieval. The challenge is how to safely tote them inside? On the screen is a U Tube Doctor demonstrating one method. The viewer watches, with certain trepidation, as conflicting advice has flooded the media. The concern is the packaging? The food? Covid contamination?  Worry over how long germs stay on cardboard, plastic, metal? The U Tube Doctor is stressing the importance of the 20 second soap washing. The viewer agrees. When the U Tube Doctor grabs the Lysol and starts spraying, the viewer straightens up and increases the volume.  “…

Her shift was soon to begin. An emergency doctor, prepared for battle. Feet encased, monkey suit secured, hair harnessed, face masked. Glove? Only one? No time to search. Grabbing another, she greets her first patient of the day. An hour later her nurse giggled, “We found the missing glove, Doctor.” But why had no one said anything?  Perhaps the baby the doctor gently prodded and probed and soothed did enjoy the distraction of the plastic five finger mobile. Babies do see all. But the father had made no comment.  Perhaps he was unaware of a proper protocol, if any existed. Perhaps he was just…

With Covid-19, soap is even more of a necessity. Handwashing for 20 seconds or longer is not an easy feat. One trick is to sing Happy Birthday to yourself twice while enjoying the lather. Choosing what soap to wash with should be a huge consideration. I have taken excerpts from an article I wrote last year.  Soap or detergent? Liquid or Bar?  It is a good time to highlight the pertinent points Real soap is natural.  Detergent is synthetic Detergents became popular during and after the world wars, when animal and vegetable fats were in short supply and chemists were forced to use substances…

New rules. Stay home when you can. Separate. Sanitize. Wash often, no less that 20 seconds. Not as easy as it sounds, so best to find a repertoire of fav songs to help master the task. Anything less than 20 seconds, not wise..How are your hands BTW?  Raw. Dry. Red. The Purells are deemed necessary, but they are harsh. Our hands are taking a hit. We need more creams, lotions, moisturizing butters. These suggestions might help: 1.Stay away, if possible, from chemical* commercial moisturizers. The chemicals will compound the problem. Compare the ingredients of a typical commercial lotion with…

Wash hands carefully and often. Avoid contact where possible. Disinfect. Eat healthy. And the list goes on. We are all trying to do our best to avoid becoming ill. For ourselves and for others. Some recommendations cost money that we may simply not have. Cold showers are free. With the spreading of the Corvid-19, I decided to revisit parts of ‘Go Cold, So No Cold' that I wrote over 7 years ago, during the normal winter cold and flu season. Today, we are faced with the rapid spreading of a virus. The media does not talk about the benefits of cold showering. They should. Back then I wrote: ‘Go…

You have a moderate to mild case of acne. Your doctor refers you to a dermatologist who suggests a benzoyl peroxide treatment plan. Doctor approved. Dermatologist recommended. What could be safer? In the past, we would never question this scenario. Today we do. Why? Because we can. Many professionals roll their eyes when we mention Google. There is a lot of misinformation out there. Agreed. We are self diagnosing. Our stress levels are roller coaster rides. Is there any way to slow it all down? Escape the maze? Unfortunately, no easy answers. Do ask the professionals, but expect confusion.…

Setting: Guelph university. Fair November Craft Show, November 2019Testimonial from a customer 2 months later On our ESP bar I had the good fortune of browsing through your vendor table at Fair November at the University of Guelph, and I am so thankful. I cannot express how much this shampoo bar has made a difference for me. I have psoriasis, particularly badly on my scalp. It got to the point where it was cracking and bleeding and nothing was helping. I had tried medications, medicated shampoos, creams, and pretty much anything I could get my hands on and I had only been able to reduce it to…

No Scents Please. Fragrance Free Space. No Scents Makes Sense. We Share the Air.  The signs are popping up everywhere. Public waiting areas and increasingly more work places are demanding that we refrain from using perfumes and "scented" products.  I get it. We are allergic and sensitive and sickened by the toxicity in the air, sharing close quarters with petrochemical and carcinogenic affects all of us. As we make changes to avoid chemicals in our daily lives, we in turn become healthier and more aware of the reactions our body produces. Watery eyes. Headaches. Fatigue. Nausea. Difficulty…