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Bad Breath and Gingivitis
Does this sound familiar to you? My dentist and hygienist mentioned that I had irritated gums as they cleaned my teeth. This is a symptom of gingivitis. Gingivitis can be a stepping stone to major problems in the mouth and gum line. It can lead...
Help Your Heart Grow
I turned into my parents’ driveway in Maryland and parked the car. Before I could even step out and close the door, Mom flew out of the backyard, gesturing frantically.
“Your father had a breakdown,” she blurted. “Your brother took him to...
Natural Latex Foam Mattresses: A Healthy Alternative to Memory Foam
Did you know that natural latex foam mattresses, made from the latex sap of the rubber tree, are a much safer alternative to the popular memory foam mattresses? Memory foam mattresses, like most commercially available mattresses, are made from...
Time is on Your Side – Manage it Wisely
How do you manage your time? Or is the more appropriate question do you wish you had better time management skills? I have clients and friends who rely on everything from legal pads to brightly colored sticky notepads to manage their time and...
When a Real Estate Agent May Not Be The Best Option
Historically, when homeowners wanted to sell their home, the first call made would be to a Realtor. Since the early 1900’s, Realtors have represented homeowners during the process of selling their home, which is usually to another homeowner. Real...
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Natural Latex Foam Mattresses: A Healthy Alternative to Memory Foam
Did you know that natural latex foam mattresses, made from the latex sap of the rubber tree, are a much safer alternative to the popular memory foam mattresses? Memory foam mattresses, like most commercially available mattresses, are made from petroleum based polyurethane foam, an extremely flammable material. Known as "solid gasoline" by firefighters, the polyurethane foam in most commercially available mattresses burns so furiously that strict new fire resistance standards have been written into law, starting with California in 2005 and going nationwide in 2006. These strict new fire resistance standards are being met by tripling the amount of fire retardant chemicals, called PDBEs, that are added to manufacture memory foam mattresses and mattress toppers.
Most mattress purchasers are unaware of the fire danger posed by polyurethane mattresses. But the greater danger may be the higher concentrations of PDBEs used to help prevent combustion in memory foam mattresses. PDBEs build up in the body in ways similar to banned PCBs, and they have been linked to cancer and other illnesses. PDBEs have already been banned in Europe, but not in North America. Some medical researchers believe that the extra load of PDBEs in newly made mattresses will cause millions of cancer cases in the coming decades. Because you lie directly on your mattress for 8 hours every night, your body has its greatest contact with the dangerous PDBEs while you sleep, and they pass right through your skin.
The solution to the PDBE problem is to do what the Europeans already do, sleep on natural latex mattresses. Natural latex mattresses are made from the sap of the tropical rubber tree. Natural latex foam does not burn well, and most natural latex mattresses are also quilted with organic cotton and wool which makes them very fire resistant,
complying with all current fire codes.
Latex foam comes a variety of densities for different firmness needs, and, unlike memory foam, it doesn't have to heat up to cradle the body--the effect is immediate. Most people find 100% natural latex foam mattresses to be incredibly comfortable, relieving pressure points and improving circulation. Another great characteristic of latex is its durability. Latex mattresses have been known to last up to 30 years. Because of their resilience, latex mattresses do not need to be turned like innerspring mattresses.
Because latex mattresses do not have innersprings, they require a firmer foundation than the traditional boxsprings. Latex mattresses can be used with a platform bed, a slat foundation which looks like traditional boxsprings, but has slats on the top, or a solid wood foundation, which also looks like boxsprings but has a plywood top usually covered by fabric.
Chemical-free natural latex mattresses are produced by a number of North American manufacturers, the largest of which are Vivetique - Crown City Mattress, located in South El Monte, California, and Obasan, located in Ottawa, Canada. There are also a number of European importers of natural latex foam mattresses, the biggest of which is Green Sleep from Belgium.
Retailers of natural latex mattresses include a variety of local mattress stores who carry products from these manufacturers. There are also nationwide web retailers, like Dax Stores, which usually have the best prices for these natural latex mattresses.
About the Author
Mark Sweiger (msweiger@NOSPAMearthlink.net) is a freelance reporter on home and garden topics and ecological news. He strongly recommends that you protect your health and safety by sleeping on a latex mattress.
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The Alternative Dictionaries |
Includes a list of slang terms and phrases in various languages. |
www.notam02.no |
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Free-Codecs.com :: Download Real Alternative 1.51 : Real ... |
Download Real Alternative 1.51 : Real Alternative will allow you to play RealMedia files without having to install RealPlayer/RealOne Player. |
www.free-codecs.com |
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Free-Codecs.com : QuickTime Alternative 1.76 final : QuickTime ... |
Download QuickTime Alternative 1.76 : QuickTime Alternative will allow you to play QuickTime files (.mov, .qt and other extensions) without having to ... |
www.free-codecs.com |
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AlterNet: Home |
Syndication service and online community of the alternative press, featuring news stories from alternative newsweeklies, magazines and web publications. |
www.alternet.org |
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Open Directory - Health: Alternative |
the entire directory, only in Health/Alternative ... "Alternative" search on:. AltaVista - A9 - AOL - Ask - Clusty - Gigablast - Google - Lycos - MSN ... |
dmoz.org |
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Alternative Radio |
A weekly one-hour public affairs radio program that provides analyses and views that are ignored or distorted in most media. |
www.alternativeradio.org |
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The Alternative Medicine Homepage |
Information on unconventional, unorthodox, unproven, or alternative, complementary, innovative, integrative therapies. Maintained by Charles B. Wessel, ... |
www.pitt.edu |
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Alternative Medicine, Home for Natural Remedies & Healthy Solutions |
Complementary and alternative medicine information about common health conditions, including natural remedies, holistic healthcare, healing foods, ... |
www.alternativemedicine.com |
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Alternative rock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Alternative rock (also called alternative music [1] or simply ... The music now known as alternative rock was known by a variety of terms before ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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EERE: Alternative Fuels Data Center Home Page |
Provides information on alternative vehicle fuels and transportation technologies and related legislation. The center also distributes the newsletter ... |
www.eere.energy.gov |
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Alternative Comics: Publisher of cool comic books & graphic novels |
Alternative Comics, publishers of cool comic books, releases some of the most original and intelligent titles being created today. |
www.indyworld.com |
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Alternative Tentacles - Store |
Alternative Tentacles Records supplies the world with punk rock music from the Dead Kennedys, Nomeansno, and Jello Biafra. Featuring secure online ordering. |
www.alternativetentacles.com |
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Google Directory - Health > Alternative |
Related Categories: Health > Animal > Alternative Medicine (498) Science > Science in Society > Skeptical Inquiry (179) ... |
www.google.com |
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The Alternative Museum |
Free of physical restrictions, it presents online digital exhibitions, and live webcast events. Headed by international curators with cyber artist ... |
www.alternativemuseum.org |
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Centre for Alternative Technology Home Page |
CAT aims to 'inspire, inform, and enable' people to live more sustainably. A solutions driven organisation, offering practical solutions to environmental ... |
www.cat.org.uk |
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Los Angeles Alternative |
LA's only alternative weekly that is locally-owned and independent, bringing you the people, arts and ideas that make Los Angeles the center of the ... |
www.laalternative.com |
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NewsLink | Newspapers | U.S. | Alternative |
Updated links to all Alternative newspapers (US) from NewsLink Associates. |
newslink.org |
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