Political Campaigns

Just an idea…

I viewed this last presidential campaign through opened eyes; I used to be much more naive than I am today. Oh, I knew politicians lied, that they are corrupt. What you see is never what you get. But before I worked with Organic Lifestyle Magazine, I wasn’t really aware that corporations run this country. Yes, that is one thing I can give Monsanto credit for—they opened my eyes to the truth.

I hoped President Obama was telling us the truth when he said he was against big business and special interests running the country. Then he appointed Vilsack, a Monsanto man through and through, as the Secretary of Agriculture. And before I could pick myself up off the floor, President Obama tells us his version of healthcare for all is to pass a law to force us to pay our hard earned money to crooked insurance companies. At that point, I was done. No fork test needed.

So after the 2012 election I thought about the obscene amount of money it takes to run a successful campaign and where all that money comes from. I knew that those deep, deep pockets bought votes as well as future favors from the elected officials they put in office. That’s how the system works. So why not change the system?

If campaigns were free, corruption of our politicians by the money machine would end. And other benefits would ensue.

Imagine a website dedicated to the political election process. Each politician would have a profile listed with his full biography (one that has been well vetted for truth) along with his full voting and attendance record for any prior office held. He or she could state their stance on the issues and make promises—officially, publically, permanently. And if elected in office, that record for keeping or ignoring those promises would become part of the permanent public record as well. Candidates could hold debates on the website and voters could view those debates at their leisure. It would be so much easier to evaluate the similarities and the differences between the candidates. And so easy to separate lies from the truth. Voting records don’t lie.

According to Internet World Stats 78.6% of North Americans use the Internet. If we ensure that every public library houses public computers, our political website would be available to all Americans. But we could make it even easier. According to Statistic Brain. 99% of Americans own at least one television.  One dedicated television station could mirror the website, scrolling the same information.

No more TV or radio campaigns. No print costs. No touring. No outside marketing of any kind. No bought and paid for candidates. No cost at all to the politicians. Of course we would have to come up with a means to select candidates so that only serious, qualified individuals were allowed on the site. But we could figure that out.

Remember when I said there could be added benefits? Today’s politicians begin campaigning for their next election on the day they take office. With this new system, that practice would end, and our elected officials could focus on doing the jobs they were elected to do.

Another benefit, dare I say it? There would be no need for a party system. Imagine that! The best candidate could actually rise to the top and win! And all those Senators and Representatives could vote their conscience instead of worrying about Republican vs. Democrat party lines. And then judges appointed to the Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals, and the Unites States district courts could be appointed the same way! No party affiliations to muck up their rulings!

And while we are at it, we could decide that women should have equal rights by law, that a line item veto is in the best interest of the country, and that poisoning our water and our food supply is not the job of our government. I know that’s not everything, but it would be a good start, don’t you think?

 



Vitamin B Deficiency and Developmental Disorders

B Vitamins, Stuttering, and Temper Tantrums

My four-year-old grandson was a hyperactive fusser with a low melting point. He seemed to be going through the terrible twos at four. Nearly every time he was told to do something he didn’t want to do, he shouted, “I don’t want to!” and followed his outburst with ear-splitting wailing.

Coming from a counseling background, I was pretty sure where that behavior came from: inconsistent parenting, giving in to bad behavior. You know the immediate judgments that come to mind. But this was not the case. When I moved in with my son and his family, I witnessed my grandson’s parenting first hand. More than that, I participated. No matter how consistent, no matter how calm and firm we were, the behavior continued. Worse than that, his inability to handle frustration was escalating.

One day, out of the blue, he began to stutter. Within a few days, it was full blown. “I…I…I…I  wa… wa…want… to go.”  Sometimes the stutter was on both ends of the sentence. It didn’t matter if he was having fun and playing or if he was calmly trying to relay information, the stutter took over his speech.

We’d always had bedtime difficulties and they were getting worse. It was hard to get him down, hard for him to go to sleep, and hard for him to stay asleep. Add to that the fact that when his eyes popped open in the morning, he shot out of bed no matter how long he had slept.

Having raised two hyperactive children, I knew the drill. Perfect diet. Lots of sleep. But these kids were eating an organic diet with loads of fresh fruits and veggies. But sleep? Him? Not so much. The hyperactivity itself was interfering with his sleep, and everyone else’s.

When my hyperactive sons were young, B vitamins helped immensely. They helped all of us. They helped the kids sleep and they kept me from having a nervous breakdown. I discussed this with my son and his wife and we decided to give a B vitamin complex a try. We bought what we believe to be the best: Thorne Research’s vitamins. No additives or fillers.

Within four days, the stuttering was reduced by half. Within six days, it stopped altogether. Bedtimes became manageable. Within two weeks we experienced the first no-fuss bedtime and a smiling child who was willing to raise his arms in the air to yell, “Yay, bedtime!”

Now I don’t want to mislead anyone. It’s two months later, and he still fusses. But what was once a roar is now a moan or a whimper and fussing only happens a few times a day instead of 25 or 30 times a day. Redirection or an occasion time out is handling the behavior just fine. He is sleeping much better. Meltdowns are a thing of the past and so is stuttering, even when he went without B vitamins for several weeks.

After this success, it occurred to me to google B vitamins and stuttering. I found that one small study had been done that showed a positive correlation. But there was very little info out there on the subject.

Editor’s note: In a case like this, I recommended a good fat supplement in conjunction with high quality complex B vitamins. UDO’s 3-6-9 with DHA is one of the best out there. A B vitamin deficiency in someone who is eating well and not consuming stimulants is likely to involve a fat imbalance as well.

Recommended Supplements:

 Further Reading:



Natural Remedies for Anxiety

Everyone worries. Everyone gets anxious. It’s a natural part of life. For some, anxiety is a big part of their life. For some, anxiety is a clinical disorder that rules their life.

There are a few different clinical anxiety disorders. Generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder are the most common. Other anxiety disorders include phobias, agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, separation anxiety, and childhood anxiety disorders.

Therapy and medication are the typical treatments for any anxiety disorder, but there are a host of alternative and complimentary treatments for anxiety disorders.

Whether suffering from a chronic disorder or just looking to overcome normal anxiety, proper breathing is the most important technique to learn. Be sure to read our article on How to Breathe in this issue. Perspective is the second most important thing to keep in mind. Staying away from caffeine, nicotine, sugar, and alcohol are also essential to alleviating anxiety naturally.

Perspective

Anxiety can take over the mind and make you feel as though the walls are closing in, the oxygen is disappearing, and time is moving so fast that the world is spinning out of control. While the hardest thing to do in the middle of an anxiety attack is to keep some perspective, it’s also the most important thing to do. Remember, “Right now I am not starving to death. Right now I have air to breathe. And right now all of my problems are either in the past or the future.” It may not feel that way, but it’s true. Everything we worry about is either in the past or the future.

Note from Michael Edwards, editor-in-chief: 

I went to prison for a crime I did not commit. I remember when I realized there was no way out of it. I was in a very small waiting room in court, shackled and chained, waiting for the inevitable. I had a huge decision to make. Should I take a plea or should I fight? I knew I was likely to lose and, if  convicted , would go to prison for at least 60 years. The walls began to move closer and closer toward me. The ceiling began to move away from me, higher and higher. I wanted to sit down, but I couldn’t move except to drop to my knees; my legs had turned to jelly. All of the oxygen seemed to be sucked out of the room, but there was no escape for me. My heart was beating so fast I felt it was going to shoot right out of my chest. I came very close to fainting. I was more terrified, hurt, and angry than I had ever been in my whole life.

I finally started breathing deeply. I told myself, “Right now I am alive, and that’s all that matters.” I said it over and over again. “No matter what happens today, I will survive. I will be better for it.” I also remembered that many people have had it much worse than me.  I reminded myself that life is all about evolving.

While the events above were situational, not the result of a chronic condition, getting through that moment allowed me to make it through many, incredibly difficult situations that followed. I am now a firm believer in the old saying, “Whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.” But I would add, “…if that’s what you choose.”

Proper Thinking and Visualization for Anxiety

Words we use during a stressful situation can have a lot to do with how we perceive the severity of the situation. Changing words and phrases can make a huge difference in the chain of thoughts to follow. Instead of “Oh, my God, my life is over!” consider, “Wow, things are getting interesting.” The latter says that life is a challenge, and that’s not a bad thing.
trapped
We humans think in words and images. And the images we focus on, and how we focus on them, are just as powerful as the words we use. Taking some time on a regular basis to practice healthy imagery pays dividends in the long run. While picturing yourself on a golden cloud or near a babbling brook can be very relaxing, being able to deal with an intense situation that requires immediate attention in a controlled manner is an important skill.

The first step is to look at what images cross the mind during stressful situations and analyze them. Are they in hyper color, black and white, vivid, dull, flat, rapidly moving, or picture images? Figure out the kind of images can lead to anxious emotions. Figure out how to view the same images in your mind without the anxiety.

For example, in a calm moment, think of an incident that gets your heart rate going. Focus on one of the images and then change the way the image is processed. Maybe black and white is less intimidating. Maybe shrinking the image to half its size or less makes it seem less intense. Should there be a white background or a color background around as a frame?

This technique is especially important for phobias.

The mind is in control of both the words it uses and how it sees the images. It takes some practice to master this control, but the results are amazing.

Yoga for Anxiety

Yoga offers meditation, proper breathing, and physical fitness. Yoga, practiced in its entirety, is one of the most powerful natural remedies for overcoming anxiety. Anyone who regularly suffers from anxiety should consider taking up yoga. Practicing Asanas (yoga body positions) can help maintain a healthy nervous system. Pranayama (breath control used in yoga) can help you gain better self-awareness and acquire a more peaceful state of mind. And meditation will allow you to master better concentration and focus. Check out our Beginner’s Guide to Yoga.

yoga-hands

Exercise for Anxiety

Yoga can be wonderful exercise, but there are many other exercises the anxiety sufferer should consider adding to a routine. Any kind of exercise that allows you to “get in the zone” can be an awesome way to relieve and prevent anxiety. Bicycling, running, and many other popular exercises and sports can help you to achieve a euphoric state, that runners know as a “runner’s high.” It’s an amazing feeling with long term results that can have a very positive impact on anyone’s overall wellbeing. It takes considerable time to reach a level of fitness that allows you to get into this zone, but, while working up to this level, the body and the mind will be getting stronger along the way.

Vitamins, Minerals for Anxiety

Proper assimilation of vitamin B is essential for emotional wellbeing. Heavy metal toxicity and a diet with the wrong fats make it impossible for the body to process and assimilate vitamin B efficiently. Heavy metal toxicity is very common with people who suffer from mental health issues. Heavy metal chelating therapy can make a massive difference in the ability to deal with intenseemotions. A balanced fatty acid supplement like Udo’s Oil 3-6-9 with DHA can is the best way to get a full spectrum of healthy fats. Buried Treasure makes a few good quality liquid supplements with lots of vitamin Bs (available at most health food stores) and Thorne has a high quality B vitamin supplement we recommend as well.

Deficiencies in amino acids are strongly correlated with anxiety disorders. Platinum Plus is a very high quality amino acid supplement we highly recommend for those dealing with any kind of chronic anxiety.

Diet for Anxiety

When the body isn’t healthy, the body isn’t working right. When the body isn’t working right, the head isn’t working right, either. It is not possible to put junk in the body and expect proper performance from the whole body (including the brain) for most of the life of the body.

Eating well means eating lots of whole, fresh, raw vegetables and fruits. There are so many nutrients in raw produce that are very important for good health, and in all likelihood many more we are yet to discover. Getting everything the human body needs to function optimally on supplements and dead food is not possible.

Almost everyone could benefit from an increase in fresh raw fruits and vegetables in their diet.

In addition, cut out caffeine, alcohol, and sugar. Choose whole unrefined unprocessed grains like brown rice instead of white rice (it’s an acquired taste, but once acquired, white rice tastes bland and empty). Oats are also a good food for those looking for natural remedies for anxiety.

Herbs for Anxiety

Kava kava, skullcap, California poppy, and valerian are herbs used to treat anxiety and insomnia. Bugleweed and oats are also good for soothing the nerves.

A tea that helps with anxiety can be made with equal parts dried lavender, oats, linden flower, and catnip.

When buying oats, look for preparations that contain the oat seed along with the straw.

Essential Oils for Anxiety

Lavender, geranium, bergamot, cedarwood, and peppermint essential oils are all good for relieving anxiety. Adding 10 to 20 drops of essential oil to a bath makes for a relaxing and calming experience. If possible, try getting a full body massage with any one of these essential oils.

Acupressure for Anxiety

CV 17 or the Chest Center, also known as
“Sea of Tranquility”, is located on the middle of the breastbone, below the fourth rib. It is about four fingers wide above the base of the bone. With eyes closed and proper breathing, apply steady gentle pressure to the point for about one minute.

Another point lies three fingers down from the wrist between the two main tendons running along the inner forearm. Press the thumb straight into the point with enough pressure to feel discomfort and knead the point with small circular movements for about one minute.

A foot massage, especially when done with the knowledge of reflexology, can relieve stress and help you relax.

Stress Relief Using Meridian Tapping

This kind of Emotional Freedom Technique starts with focusing on a specific problem, physical feeling, or emotion, and assessing the degree of discomfort. Then, one taps certain points of the body in a specific sequence while focusing on the issue. After the process is done, a second evaluation of the level of discomfort is made. Usually, there is much less discomfort after the second time. This technique is an amazingly powerful natural remedy for anxiety. Go to Stress Relief Using Meridian Tapping to learn more.

Conclusion

Learning to deal with anxiety in a natural and healthy way (without drugs) will require adaptation to a new lifestyle. This will involve considerable effort and utilization of multiple techniques. Anxiety will always be a part of everyone’s life from time to time, but it’s not the stress that kills us – it’s the way we perceive and react to it that makes or breaks us.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:


Why Organic Food Is More Expensive

Grocery Shopping Makes Me Angry

I used to love to shop—especially at the farmers market. All those rows of beautiful, colorful, fruit and veggies. You could find anything—everything! It was paradise. But the last few times I went shopping, I didn’t enjoy the experience at all.

It wasn’t the long lines and the swarms of people; I avoid shopping on the weekends and during the “rush hour.” What makes me angry is the limited supply of organic produce and the outrageous prices.

One of the farmer’s morganic food cost infographicarkets I frequent shelves all of its organic produce along one short wall.  I’d estimate 23 linear feet of refrigeration and shelving. Turn around and you will see at least ten times as much conventional produce, at much lower prices. This particular market caters to the local Asian and Hispanic population, selling exotic greens and rare fruits, along with the staples we all use. I want to try cactus and funny looking eggplant, dragon fruit and star fruit, but none of these choices are organic.

In the farmer’s market where I do the bulk of my shopping, there was an entire row of peppers and an entire row of cucumbers, and not one of them was organic. And nearly every organic item was priced at twice the price per pound. If the conventional item was 99 cent a pound, the organic equivalent’s sticker read 1.99 per pound. There are exceptions of course. Organic watermelon was four times the price of conventional.

Why do we pay more to avoid being poisoned by our food?

Why Is Organic Food More Expensive?

Certified organic food is more expensive for several reasons. First and foremost good old supply and demand. Normally when we hear those magic words we think that the price was merely jacked up as high as the market will bear. But the truth is, when you only look at the short term costs, organic farming does cost more—at least in upfront labor costs, post harvest handling, marketing, and distribution.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, this is true around the world. They state:

  • “Post-harvest handling of relatively small quantities of organic foods results in higher costs because of the mandatory segregation of organic and conventional produce, especially for processing and transportation;
  • Marketing and the distribution chain for organic products is relatively inefficient and costs are higher because of relatively small volumes.”

Organic certification also adds considerable cost to the small farmer, both in fees and labor.

When we buy organic meats and dairy, we know the animals’ care and treatment was considerably better than that of animals raised in factory farms. The conventional big business practice is to leave these pitiful animals standing in filth, crowded in bins. They are fed low- cost GMO laden feed and shot full of antibiotics and hormones to keep them alive until they can be butchered.  Yes, of course, this inhumane treatment is less expensive than raising free range, organic fed, healthy animals. It is illegal to abuse a pet, yet when it comes to raising cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, and turkeys, we allow horrific, unspeakable animal cruelty to be the accepted norm.

Farming is much the same. In the short term it is cheaper to grow huge fields of one crop, to dump chemicals into the earth and spray with pesticides, to strip the land, than it is to rotate crops, replenish the soil naturally, and grow healthy pest resistant and disease resistant plants.  Instead, over time more and more chemicals are used to yield the same crops. But our fertile earth is dying, stripped of minerals and the healthy bacteria that ensures nutrient rich food.

The Cost of Conventional Agriculture

Although the current costs of conventional food are low, the true cost is so much higher.  It’s not just the little known fact that conventional farming is highly subsidized by the government, while organic farming is not. The true cost of today’s cheap conventional food does not reflect destruction of our farmlands, the health of the farm workers exposed to pesticides, or the effect on the health of every man, woman, and child eating foods with substandard nutrients contaminated with pesticides and herbicides, not to mention the genetically modified atrocities that disrupt fertility and damage our organs.

How Do We Make Organic Food Less Expensive?

Once again quoting the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:  “As demand for organic food and products is increasing, technological innovations and economies of scale should reduce costs of production, processing, distribution and marketing for organic produce.”

So let’s keep up the demand. But we can do more.

Once, several years ago, I was visiting a friend in Kansas City, Missouri. She took me to her favorite grocery store, Wild Oats. It was a medium sized store, the size of a regular grocery store back in the day before we super sized everything. Although all the prices seemed reasonable, there were no signs telling me which produce was organic. My friend laughed. All of the produce and meat sold in Wild Oats was organic. And not one of the foods on their shelves contained MSG, hydrogenated oils, or other known harmful additives. Can you imagine what a joy it would be to shop if every grocery store sold nothing but organic, healthy food?

We have the power to take this country back from big business, to protect our most valuable resources—our land, our seed banks, our future. Write to your senators and congressmen. Call for a ban on factory farming, conventional farming, and GMO foods. Tell them organic farmers should be subsidized, not giant corporations that are raping the land. Push for laws to protect and support family farms including a waiver of inheritance taxes. And above all, stop purchasing hormone laden, antibiotic laden milk and meat. Buy organic meat, dairy and produce, even though it is more expensive. Most importantly, grow your own organic food! We have the power to render these poisoned foods obsolete by refusing to purchase them.

Organic Food Expensive Infographic



The Soap and Shampoo Conspiracy

No Shampoo!

I am a clean freak as well as a water baby. A Cancer with Pisces rising and a Cancer moon, I always loved the water so much I should have been born a mermaid. For most of my life, I bathed or showered every morning and often at night as well.

A few years ago, my son presented me with a gift—a basket full of organic soaps. They were wonderful! I loved the shape, the smell, the texture. But the strangest thing happened—by using organic soaps I discovered that I no longer needed to use deodorant. Seriously. No body odor, not even on hot sweaty days.

I don’t know the science behind it, but my best guess is that antibacterial soap strips the body’s natural oils that protect the skin and kills off the good bacteria that keep the bad bacteria on our skin in check.

These days I refuse to use any soap that isn’t organic. I know my skin soaks up toxins and chemicals from anything I put on it, so I am organic all the way. Due to organic soap, I don’t need to bathe more than every other day to every three days. But I’ve always showered or bathed every morning just to wash my hair! If I washed it at night, it would still look good in the morning, but by the afternoon—yuck.

For years I’ve tried to train my hair to need less washing. Remember the good old days when women washed their hair once a week? It’s just a matter of discipline, right? I knew over-cleansing my hair, washing it once a day since I was thirteen, had screwed up the natural balance of oils. But I could never seem to go more than two days without washing, and day two had to be a stay-at-home day. So imagine my interest when I kept seeing articles from women who have stopped shampooing their hair and raved about the results. These “no-poo” gals say it takes up to six weeks of not shampooing for the scalp’s oil glands to readjust and start working properly again. They said the change after six weeks was remarkable, that their hair was healthier and more beautiful than ever before, that they would never use shampoo again!

So I thought about the similarity between the cause and effect of antibacterialsoap and body odor and the cause and effect of shampoos and excessive hair oil and decided I would take the challenge. From day two through day four I scraped my hair into a ponytail and suffered—until I couldn’t stand it anymore. On the fourth night I gave up and washed my hair.

A few weeks later, I decided to try again. On day six, my hair looked like it was full of gel. I could hold it up or out and it would stay put for a while. But instead of giving up again, I went back to the net and did more research.  I read one article about four women who committed to a six week trial. Two loved the results; two never adjusted. Then I found several articles where the successful “no-poo” gals talked about rinsing their hair with baking soda mixed in water as needed. They also recommended an additional rinse with water and apple cider vinegar if the hair was dry. Dry? With all this oil?

Well, I decided to give it a try. I used a tablespoon of baking soda in a cup of water and poured it through my hair, then rinsed with plain water. When my hair dried, it felt like silk. Each individual shaft of hair was coated in natural oil, not too much, not too little, just enough. My hair was full, shiny, and showing off its natural wave. It was beautiful! And it felt better than it has ever felt after any conditioner or oil treatment. And today? The day after? Perfect! It looks like I washed it and conditioned it this morning, only better. It shines and curls and is completely manageable. My fine hair has body and volume it never had before. I have officially joined the ranks of the “no-poo” gals. I don’t need another five weeks. I’m a convert!

Note: it has now been three months since I originally wrote this article and I am still a convert. My hair is wonderful. I rinse it with baking soda water once or twice a week and occasionally rinse it in between. A final rinse with apple cider vinegar and water closes the cuticle on the hair shaft. This helps prevent breakage. My hair is stronger, thicker, and easier to manage than ever before. To think I used to wash my hair every morning just to remove excess oil that was caused by my shampoo.

Recommended Reading:


4 Types of Food to Avoid to Decrease Your Risk of Depression

Good food is essential to good health. A healthy diet is dense in nutrients, providing the building blocks for every metabolic process in the body, including the chemical processes involving neurotransmitters in the brain.

There are 4 types of foods that increase your risk of depression or worsen depression:

  • Fast Foods—particularly fried foods
  • Commercial baked goods
  • Soda and other sweetened drinks
  • Alcohol

Fast Foods and Trans Fats

It comes as no surprise that multiple studies have concluded there is a definite link between fast food and depression. We have known for some time that physical health suffers from the typical junk food or fast food diet. Is it any wonder that brain function would suffer as well?

Fast foods are full of trans fats that pollute the body and are known to alter the normal electrical activity in the brain.

Commercial Baked Goods

Donuts, cakes, cookies, and breads often contain trans fats. But trans fats aren’t the only culprit with a strong correlation to depression in the typical junk food/processed food diet. High fructose corn syrup should be avoided as well.

High fructose corn syrup is a common ingredient in processed foods found on nearly every label. Studies are finding that there is a significant percentage of the population that suffers from carbohydrate malabsorption. For women, a combination of fructose malabsorption and lactose malabsorption results in a high correlation of depression due to decreased levels of tryptophan.

Sodas

Sodas and other sweetened drinks (check out the label on that cranberry or ruby red grapefruit bottle, and Gatorade) contain fructose corn syrup. (see above).

Alcohol

Alcohol is a depressant. Obviously, if you are depressed, ingesting a depressant is not a great idea. Enough said.

To decrease your risk of depression, avoid all trans fats and high fructose corn syrup and limit your alcohol intake.  Remember, what you eat directly affects how you feel, both physically and emotionally. Eat a healthy diet of 80% raw, organic vegetables and fruits.Your body and your brain will thank you.

Sources for this Article:



The Seasonal Switch

I hate the high cost of air conditioning. I also hate stuffy houses, the closed windows, and the loss of fresh air. And yet, each year it seems that once those windows are closed and the air conditioner is turned on, it stays turned on until the fall, regardless of the fluctuation of outdoor temperature.

Knowing this phenomenon, I always wait as long as possible to turn on the air conditioner. I strip down to short shorts and tank tops. I run fans and take cold showers. I hold out as long as I can, but when that temperature hangs in the nineties during the day and refuses to drop at night, heat makes sleep impossible. That’s when the windows are slammed shut and the switch is flipped on, usually for the duration.

In the last few years, I lived in a huge house with lots of windows. All but one of them was near to impossible to open. This inability to easily turn that air conditioner off and open the windows made me even more aware of the fact of how many days or nights it was cooler outside than inside.

So why do we do it? Why do we batten down the hatch and flip the switch, never looking back until summer’s end? Summer storms are certainly one factor. When we leave those windows open when we aren’t home, rain blows in. Pollen is a problem. Crime may be another. But I think the primary reason we shut those windows for months on end is a combination of laziness and a lack of knowledge in how to cool our homes naturally.

When daytime temperatures are high and nighttime temperatures drop, it’s fairly easy to keep your house cool. Shut the windows in the morning and open them at night. You can use fans to help cool down the house at night. Set half of them to draw in air and the other half to blow it out. If you have a two-story house, try using the downstairs fans to draw in cool air and the upstairs fans to blow out hot air.

If you do turn on that air conditioner, pay attention to the outdoor temperature each day and each night. Turn off that air conditioner and open those windows every chance you get. Your diligence will be rewarded when you receive your electric bill.