When I was younger and single and living in my own apartment, I would rearrange my furniture every six months or so. There was never a specific reason to do it; the change of indoor scenery just made me feel good. Renewed, uplifted, happy.

I realize now that those good vibes may have resulted from the redistribution of energy within and through my living space. According to the ancient Chinese art and science of Feng Shui (pronounced “fung shway”), making energy changes and corrections to your environment can improve your health, your outlook, your productivity—even your prosperity.

Feng Shui is largely about the flow of chi (“chee”), which is often translated as “life force” or energy flow. Carol M. Olmstead, a Feng Shui Master Practitioner and a nationally recognized consultant, says the goal is to keep chi flowing gently throughout your environment rather than running straight through it or getting blocked by the placement of objects.

A Few Practical Basics

Feng Shui is a complex subject with many different interpretations. One could spend a lifetime studying its fine points, but here are three Feng Shui basics that could very well bring you balance, harmony, and joy:

• De-clutter your environment. Chi has a hard time flowing around clutter. You’ll be doing yourself a favor by clearing away those 10-inch piles of newspapers, documents, and old mail that’s accumulated on your desk or coffee table.
• Improve the quality of your air. Open the windows to bring in the breeze—or if that’s not practical, try using an air purifier or products containing essential oils to help clear the air. Live plants can also purify indoor air by converting carbon dioxide to oxygen, and by absorbing many common pollutants.
• Keep things organized. Kitchen and bathroom cabinets as well as closets throughout your home should be neat and orderly, creating a sense of peace and calm. When your mother used to say “A place for everything, and everything in its place,” she was unknowingly channeling her inner Feng Shui guru.

 - Paula Detwiller, All Vitamins Plus contributor

Channel your chi with these fine items:

Dr Singha’s Mustard Bath Sick Building Feng Shui Spray 4 oz:
http://www.allvitaminsplus.com/798412444498.html

Natural and Organic Home & Garden Accessories:
http://www.allvitaminsplus.com/home-and-garden.html

Home Fragrances:
http://www.allvitaminsplus.com/home-and-garden-home-fragrances.html

Check out Carol Olmstead here:http://fengshuiforreallife.com/carol_olmstead/index.html

Wearing a permanent fur coat can’t be much fun in the summer, especially when heat and humidity reach record levels like we’ve seen this month. Cats have a particularly hard time staying cool; they sweat, but only through their paws, and that doesn’t amount to much surface area from which to dissipate their body heat.

Cats with skin disorders suffer doubly in the heat. I used to feel sorry for my grandmother’s cat, Pepper, who lived to be 20 but was always battling itchy skin. With no air conditioning in Grandma’s house, I’m sure Pepper’s “hot spots” were even more miserable through much of July and August.

Here are some tips for keeping your cat comfortable this summer:

• Make sure indoor cats have access to cool surfaces such as tile, hardwood, or vinyl floors they can stretch out on.
• Did you know cats lick themselves to cool off? When the saliva on their fur evaporates, it lowers their body temperature (similar to how we cool down when our sweat evaporates off our skin). So, be sure to brush your cat regularly to keep hairballs from developing due to heat-related grooming.
• Never confine your indoor cat to a hot room, or your outdoor cat to an area without shade. A cat’s normal body temperature is between 100.5 and 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. If it rises just a few degrees, the cat may suffer heat exhaustion or even heat stroke, which can cause brain damage or death.
• Replenish tabby’s water bowl often so he can keep himself properly hydrated.

If your feline companion has itchy skin due to allergies, immune disorders, hot spots, dry skin, or rashes, try supplementing its diet with an Omega 3 fish oil product. This natural approach can boost your cat’s immunity, create a healthy coat, and…well, what cat wouldn’t like a little fish oil added to its food?

There is also a wide range of hypoallergenic and soothing shampoos and conditioners on the market for cats with heavily soiled or sticky fur (the result of too much cattin’ around outside, no doubt!). These products can calm the itch and moisturize the skin beneath the fur, but be careful: veterinarians say washing a cat frequently can compound the itchiness by drying out the skin. Most of the time, kitty’s tongue can take care of clean-up just fine.

- Paula Detwiller, All Vitamins Plus Contributor

Cool Cat items to try:

Ark Naturals Royal Coat EFA:http://www.allvitaminsplus.com/632634110086.html

Pet Naturals of Vermont SOOTHE Oatmeal Shampoo for Dogs & Cats 16 fl oz:http://www.allvitaminsplus.com/026664867513.html

Pet Naturals of Vermont CLEAN Shampoo + Conditioner in 1 for Dogs & Cats 16 fl oz:http://www.allvitaminsplus.com/026664867711.html

Nordic Naturals Pet Omega 3 Cats and Small Breed Dogs 2 fl oz:http://www.allvitaminsplus.com/768990505058.html

If there’s one thing we Americans do a lot of, it’s sitting.

Think about it. As kids we’re told to sit down, sit still, and “sit there ‘til I tell you to get up.” We sit down to eat, to hold meetings, to study, to travel (in planes, trains and automobiles), and to be entertained. And for many of us, sitting is mandatory at work—sometimes for hours at a time.

Boy, do we suffer for it. We stiffen up. Our legs fall asleep. After lunch our brains slow down, and by quitting time we’ve got a bad case of Pancake Rump. Only to get back in our cars and sit through traffic driving home.

 Healthy Sitting Alternatives

According to those who’ve studied the issue, the problem with sitting is the 90-degree angle created between your upper body and your legs while planted in a chair. Dr. A.C. Mandal of Copenhagen, author of The Seated Man, says this angle flattens the lumbar curve of the spine and strains the muscles of the lower back. Mandal says creating a wider angle between torso and legs—for example, by sitting on a forward-sloping seat—restores the natural curve of your lumbar spine, allowing it to “carry the body weight in a more comfortable way.”

This explains why “posture chairs” or kneeling chairs, introduced into the U.S. market in the early 1980s, are still widely available.  The chair has a forward-sloping seat and padded knee rests, allowing for a more neutral position of the spine and therefore less back pain.

Another popular alternative to the traditional chair is the inflatable yoga ball (also known as the balance ball, fitness ball, or stability ball).  The yoga ball makes sitting an exercise in balance, engaging the muscles of your abdominals, legs, and feet. Many of our All Vitamins Plus staffers have found their bliss balancing on a yoga ball at their desks. The balls encourage movement, which keeps muscles from locking up, but some say it may not be optimal for those with chronic low back problems.

Stand and Deliver

Perhaps the best solution to the sitting dilemma is no chair at all. When I recently became a work-from-home writer, I decided to get a stand-up desk. I researched several different models on the Internet, but all were too bulky—and very pricey. I ended up buying a small, outdoor patio bar complete with barstools at a local import shop, and making my own version of a stand-up desk.

I now do most of my work standing up. It’s heaven. I can move around, shift my weight, do heel lifts and stretches, and breathe more fully. My brain stays awake and stimulated because it’s getting better blood flow. I’m not hunched over, so my neck and shoulders stay relaxed. And I’m actually burning more calories, all day long.

Of course, standing all day can take its toll on the body as well. Specialists say ideally, office workers should try to alternate between sitting and standing. And that’s why those barstools that came with my “desk” come in handy. When my legs start to fatigue, I perch on a barstool for a few minutes. My ergonomic position relative to the keyboard doesn’t change, so my workflow is uninterrupted.

They say that Movement is Life. Try an alternative to your 90-degree seated position and see if your life takes a healthier turn.

Paula Detwiller, All Vitamins Plus Contributor

Check out these recommended alternatives to chairs:

http://sitincomfort.com/kneechairs.html

Gaiam Total Body Balance Ball Kit 55 cm: http://www.allvitaminsplus.com/018713519801.html

Hugger-Mugger Yoga Products Exercise Ball with Pump 65 cm: http://www.allvitaminsplus.com/803410050128.html

It seems like every year there’s a new Celebrity Diet or trendy weight-loss book making news. But the diet book I keep going back to—the one I trust implicitly because it improved my health—has the catchy subtitle, “Love Your Liver and Live Longer.”

This little book, written 15 years ago by Australian physician and naturopath Dr. Sandra Cabot, explains that the liver is the major fat-burning organ in the body and the main filter of toxins that can compromise our health. When you reduce the amount of work your liver has to do to filter out harmful organisms and chemicals from your blood, you give it a chance to function more efficiently. In Cabot’s words, your liver “will then give a big sigh of relief and merrily get on with its job of regulating metabolism and burning fat.”

Well…I never heard my liver sigh, but I definitely lost weight and felt healthier than I had in years after adopting Cabot’s recommendations. Here are some of them:

• Don’t eat if you’re not hungry. Eating meals according to the clock instead of your hunger level needlessly overworks your liver.
• Avoid eating refined sugar and flour. They cause the liver to work much harder and often result in the overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria and fungi (e.g., candida) in the body.
• Avoid wheat and dairy products, which can put a heavy digestive load on the liver.
• Eat plenty of raw fruits and vegetables (you liver loves them!) and drink water throughout the day. This will help you avoid constipation.
• Avoid saturated or “damaged” fats, as these will harm your liver if you eat them regularly. Be sure to consume essential fatty acids (EFAs).

 Cabot’s book also discusses natural therapies for the liver, including psyllium, milk thistle, globe artichoke, slippery elm bark, and dandelion. Today you can find a variety of liver-supporting supplements that contain these ingredients.

 The bottom line is this: if you dedicate yourself to “loving your liver” (i.e., following a liver-cleansing diet), your liver will reward you with a stronger immune system and a slimmer body.

Paula Detwiller, All Vitamins Plus contributor

Follow these links for two excellent liver care supplements :

Himalaya Herbal LiverCare Liv52: http://www.allvitaminsplus.com/605069005111.html

Renew Life Liver Detox Kit: http://www.allvitaminsplus.com/631257624505.html