Lyme disease, spread to people and animals when they are bitten by an infected deer tick, is the most common tickborne disease inMassachusetts. The disease can cause serious complications if it is not recognized and treated early. Deer ticks can also carry germs that cause other diseases such as babesiosis and anaplasmosis. Although much less common, these diseases are very serious. To prevent getting diseases transmitted by ticks, you should:

• Use a repellent with DEET according to the directions on the product label
• Wear long-sleeved light colored shirts and long pants tucked into socks. This helps keep ticks off you and makes it easier to spot them.
• Consider applying a permethrin-containing repellent to your clothes according to the directions on the product label.
• Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks once a day if you have been anywhere there might be ticks. Favorite tick places are armpits, hairline, groin, legs, thighs, or in and behind the ears. Tick checks are an important way of preventing infection. Remove any attached tick you find as soon as possible with a fine point tweezers, grasping the tick as close to the skin as possible and pulling straight out with steady pressure. Getting the tick off within 24-36 hours of its attachment is very effective in preventing infection.
• Be aware of the early symptoms of Lyme disease, such as a rash at the site of the tick bite and/or flu-like symptoms.  Seek medical advice if you develop symptoms.     Norwood Public Health Department

For more information on ticks, please visit: www.mass.gov/dph/tick

This week, the Boston Globe printed an article stating that the Boston City compost showed a high level of lead. In response to inquiries about Norwood Compost, the following announcement was sent out by our Department of Public Works:

A recent Boston Globe article revealed that the compost created at the City of Boston compost site has very high concentrations of lead. This can be attributed to many factors, mainly a facility that allowed the dumping of materials other than leaves and grass. This includes soil from dilapidated homes, contaminated with lead paint.

Norwood does not have that problem. Norwood’s compost pile is closely supervised and contains only leaves and grass–there is no soil mixed in.

Norwood’s compost is considered of high quality, and it is tested. The quality is so good that we sell excess material to a firm that markets the compost to nurseries and other high-end users who demand safe, quality material.

So, what are the results for lead in Norwood’s compost? Below is a comparison of Norwood’s compost to industry guidelines.

Federal Safety Limit 400 parts per million
State Safety Limit 300 parts per million
European Union Safety Limit 150 parts per million
Recommended Compost Range 0 – 25 parts per million
(City of Boston Compost, 2012, 260 parts per million)

Norwood Compost (June 4, 2012)  0.3 parts per million

As you can see, Norwood’s compost has a lead content that is negligible.   Mark Ryan, Director of Public Works/Town Engineer

While we all know the problems with commuting, including overuse of natural resources (fossil fuels) and environment issues (pollution), we may not often think about the health effects of traveling to work and back 5 days a week. Here is a site with some great information. Telecommuting begins to look good!

http://www.collegeathome.com/killer-commute/

Read this from “Mother Jones” investigative reporters. Watch the videos available there. Think about school lunches and fast foods! I’ve made some resolutions after seeing this, and you will want to, as well.

http://motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/03/pink-slime-school-lunch

Ever wonder why some women can get pregnant at the drop of a hat (or underwear), and others try month after month (and even year after year)? There are a multitude of factors to consider including hormones, environment, diet, weight, age, sperm count and quality, ovulation issues, endometriosis, chemicals, toxins, infections, and more.

I remember when I struggled with infertility. 12 years ago there wasn’t the amount of research that there is today. There wasn’t Google or much of an internet. Resources were not at my fingertips. If I stumbled across an article in the newspaper I devoured every word and saved it. I do not ever remember reading an article though, that suggested relaxation techniques, seeking alternative therapies, or that my infertility may be caused by what I was, or wasn’t, eating.

After a year, when things weren’t working, we moved right into assisted reproduction without hesitating and without knowing there were other, less costly options to try first. Here, we learned a lot of acronyms, IUI, ICSI, and IVF, to name a few. My hormones were at the mercy of the drugs I was given — including the needles I injected myself with. We had our very own red, plastic, HAZARDOUS WASTE box that took its place on our nightstand where once was a scented candle.

We were overwhelmed, frustrated, distraught, and alone. We were alone because friends all around us were getting pregnant “just like that.” We were alone because we didn’t know anything and my diagnosis of “unexplained infertility” further frustrated us because there was no solution attached. And we were alone because the smart ones who wear the white coats did nothing to enlighten us.

None of the doctors we saw spent more than 5 minutes with us. There was no discussion of our situation, no quality interaction, no personal communication. We saw technician after technician for blood samples, lab tests, ultrasounds. And they, understandably, were worse than the doctors.

There were times when I felt inadequate. There were moments when we lost touch with each other. The romance was rapidly waning and sex became scheduled and uninviting.

After several failures and several thousand dollars invested, there finally was success. However, I would have loved to know then what I know today. It may have saved much effort and heartache.

Today, there is more research and more resources available. Making sense of it all is another story. The good news is that making a few small changes to one’s diet can be the key to some infertility problems. It is easy to implement and improving your diet can help with some of the other factors, like promoting healthy ovulation, balancing weight and healing the body. It can also reduce the risk for miscarriage and help to prepare for pregnancy.

So what can you do? Improve your chances of conceiving by getting rid of processed food, refined flours and sugars. Avoid fast food, fries, and foods made with transfats. Opt for organic, whole foods. Try not to let stress be an added factor. De-stress with yoga, exercise, breathing techniques, talking and/or counseling. Also, assess your body. What kind of shape is it in? Have you taken care of it? Do you eat right? Do you have any conditions (asthma, allergies, emotional, autoimmune)? Are you over or under weight?

There are numerous dietary and lifestyle changes you can try — many of which have been shown to promote fertility. For example, research from the Harvard Nurses Study showed that women who drank full fat milk had better success rates than those who drank low fat milk. Of course the tricky thing there is that some women may have sensitivity to dairy (without even knowing it) in which case increasing your intake of full-fat milk and cheese is probably not a good idea.

Working with a health coach can help. We are here to help you explore what factors may be contributing to your infertility. We are here to take the time and talk. We are here to help you get your body in the best shape, so that it can be receptive to your attempts. Your body is magic, it is art, it can heal, it can protect, and it is the only thing you’ve got. Learn what your body can do for you when you feed it.

Charissa Sharkey (HINT: Holistic. Idyllic. Natural. Transformation) http://www.facebook.com/hint.health