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Conjunctivitis, or pink eye, is an eye condition that refers to the inflammation of the conjunctiva, which is the transparent membrane that lines the eyelids and the eyeball.

This disorder is generally caused by a contagious viral or bacterial infection, or either by an allergic reaction in the eye. Babies that are born with blocked tear ducts sometimes develop this condition, and regardless of the cause, the symptoms for this disease are basically the same.

Conjunctivitis Is A Highly Infections Disease

If the disorder is either caused by a bacterial or viral infection, this one is a very highly infectious one can easily spread, for example, if an infected person touches a door-knob, keyboard, telephone, or any other surface after rubbing her eye, then the virus or bacteria is easily transmitted to that surface. When another individual touches the infected surface then later rubs his eye, he may also develop the disease. The symptoms usually appear after two days after contact with the bacteria or virus.

Alternative, Herbal treatments For Conjunctivitis

- Indian gooseberry, when mixed with honey, is helpful in treating this eye disease. Mix a cup of this juice, and take it mixed with two teaspoons of honey twice daily.

- Chamomile tea. When this mixture cools, you may use it as an eyewash twice a day until the pain and inflammation is gone, or reduced.

- Gooseberry juice. Mix the juice along with 2 teaspoons of honey, and drink twice a day. Honey is usually a standard ingredient in many herbal mixtures, as this aids in purifying the blood and killing bacteria that cause or aggravate the disease.

- Mixing a poultice of grated apple or grated raw red potato and placing this mix on the closed eye. Let the mixture stay in place for a half hour, and within two or three days, the disease should completely clear up.

- Make it a habit to drink plenty of water and fresh vegetable juices. The most potent vegetable juices are spinach and carrot, and mixing 200 ml of fresh spinach juice and 300 ml of fresh carrot juice a day helps to relieve pink eye symptoms.

- Coriander tea. Boiling two cups of water, and add one cup of dried coriander and allow this to steep for five minutes. Strain the herbs from the liquid and allow to cool, and afterwards, use this as an herbal eye wash three times a day to help ease pain and inflammation..

Conjunctivitis, as mentioned above, is a very contagious viral infection. If the disease shows no signs of improvement within a day or two, it would be best to consult with an ophthalmologist or health professional. If you are prone to this condition, the herbal treatments mentioned earlier can be of great help during inflammation. One sound advice is to always protect yourself from repeat episodes in the future, by frequently changing your pillowcases and eye cosmetics.

In addition, always maintain proper care of your contact lenses, as the bacteria build-up here may cause pink eye. If you are frequently suffering from this ailment, don’t use your contacts in either the normal or affected eye until the symptoms subside. Lastly, frequently wash your hand and keep them away from your face and eyes if possible.

http://primeherbal.com – Prime Herbal

If you’ve got sleep problems like insomnia or you wake up feeling as if you didn’t get much sleep at all, it can actually be because of your pillowcase!

The reason is that a low quality pillowcase can result in poor sleep, as your body will interpret you laying your face/head on a less comfortable material as being in danger. This tricks your body in to being halfway alert during your sleep – thus you wake up very un-rested because of this.

So, to put simply, yes. Your pillowcase does affect your sleep.

So, how can you fix it and make sure that you have a good pillowcase that isn’t going to make you wake up wishing you could sleep for another 3-4 hours?

Easy: just get the right pillowcase!

When you’re looking at pillowcases, you really only need to make sure it has a few things.

It needs to be as soft as possible, while still feeling kind of firm. This is a huge thing, because you need it to feel very soft, but not stiff. If it feels stiff, you’ll be very uncomfortable while you’re trying to get a good night’s rest.

It also needs to be as comfortable as possible. In fact, I’d say this is one of the most important things ever when you’re contemplating something to lay your head on at night.

Finally, it needs to be clean. It needs to not only be clean, but it also needs to FEEL clean at all times.

OK. So you have decided to take the plunge and start quilting. The challenge is that you do not feel comfortable with your sewing machine. What you need are some easy projects to get you started, but that do not feel like you are wasting your time. The following list of projects make great gifts and you will also have great practice when it comes to tackle your first quilt.

Wallets

Wallets are wonderful. What I’m thinking of specifically, is the Wonder Wallet pattern by Lazy Girl Designs. I’ve made so many of these because they are easy and practical. Over Christmas I used them as gift card holders. Because they only use half a fat quarter, you can go crazy over novelty prints without taxing your budget. With this pattern, you will get used to sewing in a straight line and using your walking foot.

Once you are confident with wallets, your next project can be a quilted purse.

Pillowcases

Pillowcases are all straight lines. Again, using novelty prints, these makes great gifts for young kids. I made pillowcases last Christmas out of High School Musical flannel. My nieces loved them!

Another benefit is that once you feel confident with your skills, you can make a quilt out of the same material. The recipient will get both the quilt and pillowcases. Now that is thoughtful!

Coasters

Folks who work in offices will appreciate a set of coasters to keep their desks nice. The upgrade for this project will be place mats to match the coasters.

Bookmarks

A quilted bookmark is the perfect gift for the reader in the family. You can choose the fabric and design according to the recipient’s hobbies. Adding a book with this gift would be a nice touch. Another option is just to make a bookmark for yourself. I know that I have a hard time keeping up with them.

Tote bags

You can easily find tote bag patterns all over the Internet for good reason – they are easy and practical. If fact, you can have a tote bag for different reasons. You could have a tote bag for the grocery store, a tote bag for the library and a tote bag for work. You’ll learn how to sew in a straight line. If you are a ready to branch out, you could use a quilt block as decoration on the bag.

Cranking out wallets, pillowcases, coasters, bookmarks and tote bags will have you getting comfortable with your sewing machine in no time. While you’re producing lovely handmade goodies, you’ll also be preparing yourself to start quilting.

Upscale hotels are usually well known for their plush-looking beds with layers upon layers of crisp looking bed sheets, great balcony views overlooking beautiful sceneries as well as luxurious settings filled with high-end objects. Nothing is stopping you from trying to recreate that environment at home. I know that many of you don’t have balconies that overlook the ocean or a never-ending supply of money. But I can almost guarantee you that most of you do in fact sleep in a bed. So why not start making your bed the way many five-star hotels do. There are so many affordable feel-good fabrics available on the markets that are both soft and plush, I am sure finding linens that fit your budget as well as your mattress should not be that difficult of a task.
Layers, Layers and More Layers

Most five-star hotels all have one thing in common when they are trying to create the perfect night of sleep for their guest, they use layering. They also use extremely plush looking bedspread and usually cover the bed with an abundance of fluffy pillows. Here is how most luxurious hotels layer their bedding elements from the bottom layer to the top one.

• Bed skirt
• Feather or foam mattress topper
• Mattress pad
• Fitted sheet
• Flat sheet
• One down blanket
• Flat sheet
• Duvet with an ultra-plush poly insert
• Two feather and down pillows with protectors and pillowcases
• Two hypo-allergenic pillows with protectors and pillowcases
• One boudoir pillow with protector and cover

Following the order mentioned above is probably the best way to achieve the same level of comfort five-star hotels offer. However, nowhere does it state you must follow it precisely. You may want to omit an element of two to save time in the morning. If all you really want is that your bedroom looks and feels like a high-end hotel room, the last elements are probably what you want to be looking at more closely. Also, choosing the pillow that is right for you is extremely important to ensure you get a proper night of sleep. Thick plush pillows might not be what you like so opt for a smaller sizes that you can easily camouflage under. It is also important to choose a mattress that is right for you. Many of us have different preference when it comes to the mattress softness, so be sure to try out various ones to ensure you get the rest you deserve.

Most hotels use white bed linens since it is often associated with cleanliness, sterility and purity. It also represents peace and youth. However, if your wall colors are white, you might want to opt for a splash of your favorite color instead. You might not get the same heavenly feeling found in luxurious hotels but you will certainly be as comfortable.

In the end, we spend so much time in our lives lying down, shouldn’t we take every set necessary to ensure we get the perfect night of sleep and wake up feeling well rested. Recreating the five-star hotel’s layering method is a great way to do just that. Give it a try! Having to buy a few king bed sheets online should not be stopping you from getting a proper night of rest.

Sweetest Day is the Third Sunday in October. This year it is October 18, 2008.

Sweetest Day is dedicated to the sweetheart in your life. It is a time to recognize that special someone – whether a husband or wife, girlfriend or boyfriend or young child.

Did you know that sweetest Day was founded around 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio by Herbert Birch Kingston. He was a local candy company employee. Herbert Birch Kingston wanted to bring cheer and joy to lives of children living in orphanages, those with illness or disabilities and others often forgotten. He began distributing candy and small gifts. Many people throughout the country have never heard of Sweetest Day. It is said that it is celebrated or known more throughout the Great Lakes Region.

Of course over the years the celebration has turned into a great shopping occasion. It was, however, only intended to be an occasion to share a simple gift or token of love. Whether celebrating the day with a loved one or bringing candy or gifts to children in need, take the opportunity to bring a smile to the face of someone special.

Popular gifts include a variety of candy gifts, cookie gifts and small gift ideas that make a perfect gift this Sweetest Day! Go ahead, bring a smile to your loved one! If you are celebrating the day with someone more special, there are a variety of fun and romantic gift ideas including personalized pillowcases or pajamas or frames that make great gifts for the occasion. And, most of the item these gifts are very inexpensive.

Sweetest Day has become a time to express romantic love and also to show appreciation to friends. So in the spirit of Herbert Birch, celebrate this Sweetest day with small tokens of affection and spread some sweetness to all you know.

Egyptian cotton has become wildly popular for bedding in recent years. Why exactly? Does it really matter?

It was thought for ages that cotton was cotton and thread count was king when choosing quality sheets. That is no longer true. Consumer guidelines for buying bedding suggest that cotton from Egypt is superior to other cotton. Is this true and, if so, what is the big difference?

Egyptian cottons are used to create bedding of all types from sheets to pillowcases to comforters. The long staple or long fiber of Egyptian-grown cotton means that there is more continuous fiber to use when creating threads or yarns. This yarn is smaller in diameter yet stronger than other cottons. Smaller yarn means that more threads per square inch can be use to create stronger fabric which is light in weight yet breathes well.

More threads per inch mean that the thread count on the bedding label will be higher. Many buyers think that choosing high thread count sheets is the only gauge of quality. This is not true, but in the case of cotton grown in Egypt, the higher thread count means the fabric will be incredibly strong and will last for years and years. If cared for properly, Egyptian produced cotton fabric used for creating bedding products can last for decades.

The hand or feel of the sheets created from Egyptian grown cotton is a bit harder than other cottons when the bedding is new. However, with every single laundering, the cotton sheets from Egyptian fibers become softer and softer. Like a fine wine, age improves the Egyptian fiber cotton bedding and, unlike many products, you will prize your Egyptian fiber sheets of cotton more and more as they age and become soft and cuddly.

Cotton grown in the Egyptian fields will also produce less lint and therefore will not pill after repeated washings as some materials may do. At one time, the only way to obtain Egyptian fiber cotton sheets was to shop in high-end expensive stores. This is no longer true and most department stores and online bedding stores carry a selection of Egyptian produced cotton sheets and other bedding items for the buyer seeking this quality product.

King Cotton was once the name for the cotton grown in the Deep South of the United States. This cotton has much shorter fibers or staple than the Egyptian produced cotton. Egyptian fiber is now considered the king of all cottons for its durability and luxurious feel. After all, we spend almost one-third of our lives in our beds and our bedding should be comfortable and durable. Choosing the right sheets made from the king of cotton, Egyptian produced fibers, you will experience a bed that is comfortable and cozy.

A word of caution regarding bedding labels: if the package says “cotton rich” the actual amount of cotton, whether Egyptian or other cotton, is not stated and can be a very small amount. It is better to select products that state 100% cotton or, if choosing a blend fabric, that clearly state the exact proportion of cotton in the bedding. This will ensure your product composition is one that you will be pleased with.

If the package says “percale”, this means that the thread count is at least 180 count. Many people believe that percale is a fabric type in its own right. This isn’t the case at all; it simply means the thread count is 180 or more. Percale can be 100% cotton or a blend of cotton and other fibers!

Sferra Brothers always has a special eye for quality and their Celeste linens in 100% cotton from Egypt is no exception. These mix and match fine quality linens are created with 406 thread count. The linens are cool and crisp yet soft for luxurious comfort. White plus 10 solid colors are available. You simply can’t go wrong with these machine washable luxury linens.

Matouk Classics collection includes the Lowell design. These Egyptian long fiber cotton sheets are 600 thread count for true luxury. Available in white with one inch sateen tape accents around edges of pillow cases and on sheet hem. Select choice of five solid colors for the accent. These linens are elegant enough for the finest bedrooms.

Frette’s 600 thread count Royalty sheet sets come in a shade called “money green” which is actually a deep olive green. Other colors are also available. The linens are accented with a square jacquard weave around the edges for a very distinctive, classic look. If you want beauty beyond compare, these linens from Frette are for you.

Egyptian remains King of the cotton world today and will retain that crown for many years into the future.

You’ll find this long staple cotton used in sheets by many different designers and can enjoy this Egyptian luxury, suitable for the kings and pharaohs in your very own home!