A week or so ago, I mentioned on my main blog that my sister was an eco chick - in fact, she’s going “green” for Christmas by only sending out recycled cards, which are harder to find than you might think. She’s into recycling and she takes canvas bags to the grocery store, and she’s also always blogging about other ideas on how to conserve energy and resources.

For once, I get to show HER something about going green that I found, and it’s an online carbon and green lifestyle calculator that gives you a GreenIQ- How Green Are You? I took the short test and answered questions about my driving habits, how much gas I bought, and what kind of other traveling I did. (I’m sure it helps me that I only drive to the office once or twice a week, so even though I have an SUV, it’s not used much. Aside from the drive to work, I only drive too and from school for the kids, and that’s 2 miles way.)

I also answered questions about my utility bill, and that’s another area we’re probably conserving some energy in. When we built our home in 2006, we added some extra measures to insure that our home would be well insulated and protected from the sun’s heat, and our electricity bills have reflected that. After that, it was on to questions about using organic and eco-friendly products, and we’re definitely deficient on that!

The end result was a GreenIQ of 27 - which isn’t terribly good, but it’s not terribly bad either:

You are aware of the environment and how your lifestyle affects it. If you don’t, you sure hide it well, as you are naturally making decisions and choices that promote the longevity of this planet. But there is still a lot more that you can do, and we think you know that. Our product suggestions and tips can help increase your GreenIQ and reduce your carbon and environmental footprint.

We’ve got some work to do in this house. What’s your GreenIQ?

When I was 14 or 15, I started getting really bad headaches. A few weeks after the headaches started, I noticed a clicking feeling in my jaw when I chewed gum. It got to be quite painful, so a trip to the dentist was in order…and he told me that I had TMJ. When your Temporomandibular joints of the jaw don’t work properly, it can cause painful chewing, headaches (even migraines), an aching jaw, and even ear aches! My Temporomandibular joint disorder was very mild though, so once I stopped chewing gum, and did a few gentle stretches for my jaw (recommended by my dentist) I stopped having any pain.

For some though, that’s not enough to solve the problem. TMJ can be treated with the Night Guard, a new mouth guard that will users from grinding their teeth at night. Bruxism is the term for grinding the teeth, and it can also cause TMJ. People who grind their teeth at night sometimes clench their jaw as well, and the use of a night guard will protect your teeth and keep you from experiencing TMJ due to what you’re doing when you sleep.

It’s amazing what you can do online these days. You can find information on a disease, find a doctor, find a 12 step sponsor, and even buy a life insurance policy. While most life insurance policies require a lot of paperwork and a medical exam, the new eLifePolicy, provided by HSBC Insurance subsidiaries, has an easy three step process that can easily be completed in your home. You won’t need to waste time sitting in an insurance agent’s office, or sitting in a doctor’s offer waiting for a medical exam. Once you complete the online application and you’re approved, you can print out your policy at home as well. With more and more seniors and baby boomers being computer literate, this is a great way for those folks to save time and shopping around.

When you think of algae, you probably think of the green slimy stuff on rocks at the pond, or perhaps the greenish tint your pool gets when you don’t put enough chlorine in it. I recently read about a type of fresh water algae, called Spirulina, that is 60% protein. For people who can’t get enough protein on a daily basis, Spirulina pills are an easy way to get your daily dose of protein, along with iron, calcium, and magnesium. While all of the Spirulina health benefits aren’t known yet, it is believed that digesting Spirulina may help:

• Diabetics decrease the need for insulin
• Control free radical damaged caused by Parkinson’s and Huntington’s Disease
• Act as an anti-inflammatory for arthritis sufferers

Spirulina can also help people in countries who don’t have access to high protein foods, solving the age old issue of malnourished children starving to death in places without meat or dairy.

In my position with my last employer, we tried to go as paperless as possible. We scanned a lot of our original documents in and then made them accessible to employees via a shared drive. I’m seeing more and more doctor’s offices make the switch from paper records to computerized medical records, and I’m all for it! The last time I took the kids to the pediatrician, our doctor actually made his notes on a laptop while he was in the room with us. Neat, huh? It’s super handy when I call in too, because the nurse can look right at the record while we’re on the phone instead of digging up a file that may not have been updated yet.

Has your doctor entered the computer age yet?

Every time we visit a new doctor, we go through the same routine. Sitting and filling out pages of forms and medical history. Signing a privacy form. Handing over my ID and insurance card, so that they can be copied for my file. It amazes me when doctors offices operate “on paper” like this, when technology has come so far. I’d love to see a doctor with a kiosk in their office where I can type in all of my information. Or how about being able to scan in your insurance card, instead of having a copy made?

Medicscan allows doctors offices to do just that. Just like I can scan documents in my home office, a receptionist or nurse in a medical office can do the same. Once scanned, my insurance card can be stored to a file on the office computers, sent by email (very handy if they refer me elsewhere!) or exported to other applications. And here’s the best part - it’s easy. My home scanner requires turning it on, opening software, placing the image in my flat bed scanner, and then manipulating it through the software. Medicscan allows you to feed the insurance card into the scanner and the scan takes place immediately. It’s much cleaner than a Xerox copy, and a heck of a lot more professional!

Are we gearing up for another recall? First was peanut butter, than dog food, and then blue Listertine. Now a new report on Yahoo says that there are hogs who have eaten the contaminated pet food, and some of the hogs have already gone to slaughter, and may be consumed by humans. Thankfully, the risk to human health posed by the chemical in the tainted pet food is considered very low.

Some of us need a little jump start to get going in the morning. Most people choose to wake up with coffee. Me, I have to have a can of Coke. Obviously, the reason that some people choose coffee and I need a Coke is due to the main ingredient in both drinks - caffeine! A new bar of soap is being sold that’s infused with caffeine, and it’s called Shower Shock. (Not so sure on the name - I picture a hair dryer falling into the tub and electrocuting someone!) The caffeine in the soap absorbs into your skin for that morning pick me up.

I’m not sure if I’d like this or not - I’ve gotten so used to my morning Coke!

Rising drug costs are a big concern for most Americans - especially those on a fixed income. Can you imagine having to make a choice between your medication and eating? Or keeping your electric on? Or putting gas in your card? No wonder so many Americans are turning to Canadian drug stores to lower their prescription medication costs. If you don’t have insurance, you’re paying a lot more than you need to. Some stores have lowered their costs on generic drugs, but you can’t always choose generic. A prescription drug card may be a big help for some - it’s free, and can be used at over 50,000 US pharmacies to get discounts up of to 75% on any FDA approved drug. Unlike a prescription drug plan through your insurance company, you won’t have to pay any deductible, and your savings are instant - no waiting periods.

I’m curious to see if we can get a better rate using that card for our medication, as compared to our insurance plan. Right now we pay a big upfront deductible and if you don’t get medications monthly, you really don’t see any savings.

Today Bausch & Lomb announced a huge recall (over 1 million bottles) of contact lens solution. If you want to find out if you are affected by the ReNu contact lens solution recall, you can visit that link and find out more about the lot numbers of the bottles being recalled. Free replacement of your contact lens solution may be available. The reason for the recall was a trace iron contaminant that could reduce the effectiveness of the solution. I hate to hear about things like this, because I know all too well about the problems that can occur if something goes screwy with your contacts. It’s something I hope people never have to go through! (I’m happy I wear glasses right now…when I hear about things like this! I’d be happier if I had lasik though…LOL)