May 5 - 11, 2012
Lifestyle... GARDENING
How does your garden grow
How the heck do you get rid of ticks? Spiders and mites are related to the small insects called ticks. Ticks can live near water or in areas with overgrown grass around the world. • Ticks are more abundant in bush areas near bodies of water. • Ticks primarily feed on the blood of mammals and birds. • Ticks can transmit disease such as Lyme disease, Q fever, Colorado tick fever and babesiosis. • Any bites from ticks should be inspected by a doctor. If you have pets or live near a bush area, it is feasible that you will eventually have a tick control issue. Ticks are more than just annoying blood-sucking pests. They are the second largest carrier of diseases, just one spot behind mosquitoes. Despite being arachnids, there are many insect repellents and pesticides that are adequate extermination tools for tick removal. These products, along with some do-it-yourself pest removal methods, will give you the tick control you need to keep your pets and family safe. If you believe you have a tick control problem in your yard, it helps to understand where the infestation came from. Living near an open field or being flanked by bushes will make it more likely that you will encounter a tick control problem. Here are some tips to keeping your family and yard tick-free: Mow your grass regularly and keep it short. Most ticks live in tall lawns and will hang onto the tips of long blades of grass patiently waiting for their next meal to brush by. Dig a barrier between your property and the open field or wooded area. Creating a 3-foot wide by 3-inch deep trench filled with small stones will provide a tick
YOUR DIET
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BY TAMIKA HANDFIELD
Tamika graduated from Florida International University in Miami with a Masters degree in Dietetics & Nutrition. She is a registered dietitian with the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and licensed to practice medical nutrition therapy in the state of Florida. Email Tamika via tcweeklynews@gmail.com or tamikahandfield@yahoo.com with your healthy eating questions.
BY DENIS Belanger - NATURE SPLENDOR For all your landscaping, installation or garden maintenance needs, please call or write for a free estimate: 332-3381 or naturesplendor@yahoo.com
My son helping with Saturday morning breakfast
control solution that will last you several years. Look into a generic pest removal product that is designed to exterminate ticks. Read the instructions carefully for proper application and safe usage. If leery about doing this yourself, simply contact a pest control service for this portion of your tick control process. Tick-tubes are a common tick removal method. These are biodegradable tubes that can be purchased, or you can try do-ityourself pest removal and make your own tubes out of paper towel rolls. Inside the tubes are cotton balls soaked in the chemical permethrin. The cotton balls are used by animals to build nests, and the ticks eventually attach themselves to the animals and ingest the chemical. Along with permethrin, the chemical carbaryl is used to exterminate deer ticks as well as other ticks. Correctly timing the application of this chemical is critical to your tick control success.
Mango season
of mangoes might help alleviate asthma symptoms. • Mangoes has also been found beneficial for people suffering from the following ailments: Bacterial Infections, Constipation, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Eye Disorders, Hair Loss, Heat Stroke, Leuccorhea, Liver Disorders, Menstrual Disorders, Morning Sickness, Piles, Prickly Heat, Scurvy, Senusitis, Spleen Enlargment, Vaginitis. The ‘king of the fruits’, mango is one of the most popular,
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TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
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nutritionally rich fruit with unique flavor, fragrance, taste, and heath promoting qualities making it a common ingredient in new functional foods often called ‘super fruits’. Today there are over 1,000 different varieties of mangos throughout the world. And, as usual in closing, I leave you with words of inspiration from Winston Churchill, who said, “Continuous effort-not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking our potential.”
Early May into early June is the best date range for a carbaryl-containing tick removal product. Individual Tick Removal
While you are waiting for your tick control efforts to take hold, it is possible that someone in your family (including pets) will bring home one of these pests. Understanding proper tick removal is an important first-aid topic that every adult should know. Use fine-tipped tweezers and firmly, but gently, grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. Your goal is to get at the tick’s head. Gently pull the tick straight out, with slow but constant pressure. Be careful not to twist or jerk it, as this can leave the tick’s mouth in your skin. Be careful not to squeeze, crush or puncture the tick’s body, as doing so may cause it to release infected fluids into the wound. Thoroughly disinfect the tick-bite wound, the tweezers, and the hands of the person removing it. Drop the tick into a small amount of rubbing alcohol and throw the dead carcass away. DO NOT use a hot match, petroleum jelly, soap, nail polish, etc. to smother the tick. This can cause it to release its fluids into the wound and transmit any disease it may be carrying. Many of you who don’t like the idea of using chemicals in your garden, you might want to adopt some chickens and let them loose in the garden as they will eat most of the ticks around. According to my vet, this works very well, so I am incubating eggs right now in the hope that they will hatch and have chicks so I get rid of the ticks, but please don’t get a rooster, especially if you like your neighbor.
Involving children in nutrition
(Part 3) In the two previous articles, we talked about the importance of cooking with our children and how making safety a priority in the kitchen can make the cooking time a more fun experience. This will be the last article in the series so, this week, I want to write about the awesome benefits cooking with your kids can have on you and your family. Two of the most obvious benefits are: you are able to spend quality uninterrupted time with your child; also, you get to teach your child (and maybe even yourself) about choosing healthy foods to promote good nutrition and support optimal health. There are many other benefits, however, space will only allow me to elaborate on a few. 1. Fosters responsibility and patience. Children like the feeling of being responsible for or in charge of something; it makes them feel very grown up. Assigning various tasks to your child can help with this. For example, tell your child that he is responsible for washing all of the fruits you will be using in the smoothie or chopping all of the vegetables being used in the omelet. Being responsible for a particular task also teaches children how to develop patience and follow through with a project. They learn that some things take time to be completed (muffins need time to bake) and not everything has a quick fix—a very valuable life lesson. 2. Teaches new vocabulary. Chop, blend, sauté, puree, mince, and grate are all words that your child probably won’t hear anywhere else except in the kitchen. Children are naturally very curious so when they hear these words they will automatically ask what they mean. You can explain what new words mean but I feel the best way is to either show or have your child actively demonstrate what a word means. Ask your child to grate the carrots or puree the chickpeas. 3. Reinforces basic skills taught in school. Your kitchen can function as a science lab and double as a math class or a comprehension lesson. Basic counting skills can be taught to your younger children such as counting the number of eggs needed for a recipe. Older kids may be interested in finding out why the muffin batter goes in the oven in one form but comes out in a totally different form or why we use so many teaspoons but just one tablespoon. Who knew so many important life lessons could be taught just through cooking with your kids? You will be amazed at what you stumble upon when you ‘blend’ your child’s natural curiosity with your natural ability to love and nurture. I do hope you have enjoyed this series as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Please submit any ideas or questions you would like addressed in this forum. If you would like to have nutrition & cooking classes conducted at your school or child’s birthday parties, please contact me for more information.
ACCU Medical Nutrition is based in Graceway IGA Plaza, Providenciales. Call 946 8308, 242 3978 or 442 3978.