"5 Ways Climate Change Is Amplifying Allergies: Why You'll Be Sneezing (and Itching) More"11/7/2023
As the world grapples with the consequences of climate change, scientists have been delving into the potential impact on allergies. Jeffrey Demain, a distinguished professor at the University of Washington and Director of the Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Center of Alaska, warns that if global warming continues, we can anticipate more frequent and severe allergies. Recently, he shared his insights at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Delaware. Here's an overview of the reasons why rising temperatures are poised to make allergy sufferers more miserable than ever.
While most of the available evidence highlights the worsening of allergies, it's important to note that many studies have been primarily correlational. Demain is the first to acknowledge that seasonal variations will still occur, as exemplified by harsh winters like this year's. However, he asserts that the overall trends are unmistakable, even if your nose might not readily agree. Address: Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail, Trenton, New Jersey Address: Parvin State Park, 701 Almond Rd, Pittsgrove, NJ 08318 Address: New Jersey Botanical Garden, 2 Morris Rd, Ringwood, NJ 07456 Address: Saddle River County Park County Pitch, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 Address: Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area, Rockaway, NJ 07866 Address: 3rd Avenue, 3rd Ave, Stone Harbor, NJ 08247 Address: Laurelwood Arboretum, 725 Pines Lake Dr W, Wayne, NJ 07470 Remy Blumenfeld Contributor It's maddening, but sometimes Forbes readers dismiss the wisdom of a life coach. You tend to pay more attention to the life lessons delivered by billionaires. The problem is that while most life coaches are not very rich, most billionaires are not tremendously happy. So you can imagine my delight when, about 30 minutes into his most recent "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit, Bill Gates, the world's second-richest man, was asked two very personal questions. “Are you happy?” and “Through it all, what makes you happy?” His answers were not only wise, but surprisingly affordable. As a life coach, I don't believe in the idea of happiness--I'd have preferred it if he'd been asked about balance, fulfillment or gratitude. Still, to the first question Bill Gates, 63, responded: “Yes! When I was in my 30s, I didn’t think people in their 60s were very smart or had much fun. Now I have had a counter-revelation. Ask me in 20 years and I will tell you how smart 80-year-olds are.” To the second question, Gates said, “Some recently said that when your children are doing well it really is very special, and as a parent, I completely agree. “Sometimes following through on commitments to yourself, like doing more exercise, also improves your happiness.” Unlike me, Gates—as far as I know—is not a qualified coach. However, as I am not a billionaire, I thought it would be great if the two of us combined our experience. So, here are Bill Gates’ 5 secrets to happiness, universalized in a relatable way by me. 1. Ditch your 20-year-old self and talk to your future self There is no surer way to gain a fresh perspective on any thorny problem than to speak to yourself in 20 years. Your future self is very wise. They know what will bring you peace, ease, and joy. As Bill Gates admits, most of us at 40, 60, even 80, remain in a dialogue with our 20-year-old. This is not a life-affirming dialogue, because at 50, your 20-year-old self thinks you are old and past it. Your 70-year-old self, on the other hand, will tell your 50-year-old person, correctly, that you will never be so young, powerful, vital or fit again. Yourself in 20 years is wise. They know not to sweat the small stuff. They know what will bring you joy. When you have 15 quiet minutes alone, do this easy future-self visualization. A word of advice: If you are at an age where you do not feel, realistically, that you will be alive in 20 years from now, but still want to access a wisdom that eludes you, try imagining speaking to yourself from beyond the grave. What would your long-dead self tell you to do or say right now? 2. Follow through on your commitments Nothing gives you a greater sense of your power than when you do what you've said you'll do. Empowerment coaches call this “manifesting.” Gates probably calls this “making things happen on purpose” or “being your word.” None of us are in control of every outcome, but we can each be absolutely in control of doing what we've said we'll do. And this makes us feel powerfully alive. It draws others towards us. To be your word, it may mean reducing what you commit to, but if you do not follow through on commitments, not only will others stop trusting you, but you will stop believing in yourself. And how joyful is a life where you can't count on yourself? 3. Give to others He didn't include this in what he said, but charitable giving is so much a part of who Gates is that it would be wrong for me to leave this out. As of December 31, 2017, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation had an endowment of $50.7 billion. Giving makes us feel good, is beneficial for our health and evokes gratitude. Remember, “it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy,” according to TED talking monk, David Steindl-Rast. 4. Do more exercise As a tennis player, Gates will know firsthand that exercise is good for improving his mood. And it has been proven that exercise helps chronic depression by increasing serotonin, which helps your brain regulate mood, sleep, and appetite. Exercise increases the level of your endorphins, which are natural mood lifters. It also limits the effect of stress on your brain and helps get your sleep patterns back to normal. Exercise gives you a focused activity that can help you feel a sense of accomplishment. 5. Put love first Gates' observation that “when your children are doing well it is really very special,” makes perfect sense. One of the five greatest and most common regrets of the dying is “that I did not spend more time with the people who I loved.” Paired with regret most common among men, “that I wish I hadn't spent so much time at the office,” and suddenly the “work-life balance” takes on a whole new urgency. I know you’re probably thinking: “This is all very well, but a few hundred million dollars sure would help me to feel happier.” Perhaps. But as Gates’ answers would suggest, when you can count on yourself and others can too, when you feel good about yourself physically and emotionally and prioritize those you love, you could well end up a whole lot more fulfilled than an unfit, selfish, lonely billionaire. Contributor: Remy Blumenfeld By using solar power you can cut your energy costs by 40 to 80 percent. Are you looking to boost the value of your home, or to cut your energy costs? Are you looking to boost the value of your home, or to cut your energy costs? One way to do this is to look into solar energy systems or wind turbine systems. These are all forms of alternative energy and form a distributional model, and they're worthwhile investments in home improvements, and often eligible for alternative and renewable energy credits. How much can you save on investing in solar power to cut your energy costs? Well, the break even point for most solar home power systems is 40% - that means that the solar system has to generate 40% of the household's total energy needs. To hit this number, you need to do a home energy audit, and then look seriously at the kind of solar power systems you want to use. Home energy audits generate a report on how much power your home uses, and good ones will break this down hour by hour and day by day, to tell you when your peak energy usage is. By tracking this to what you're actually using, you can identify what's consuming the most energy in your home, and what you can target with solar power systems. For example, most American homes have two places where a little effort can cut your energy costs. Heating water, and air conditioning in the summer. Making hot water is a prime candidate for cutting your energy costs by solar power, because the sun's energy comes in the form of heat - and making a solar collector that can heat up water in pipes and then use that to store the hot water under the house lets the hot water serve as thermal ballast for a home heating system, and cuts down the number one source of energy consumption in the home. More exotic systems use solar heating to run the hot end of a heat pump chiller; this uses a solar collector as a heat box to heat up a working fluid to work just like an air conditioner. These systems are harder to retrofit to an existing house, but can be done - and they're a great addition to a new home building plan, because of how they work - they cool the house when they're hit with direct sunlight, which makes slashes your energy usage when you need it the most. There's a lot more to solar power here - you can reduce the amount of solar energy needed (or increase the percentage of the home power budget created by solar power) by doing other home improvements like improving attic insulation, and there are concerns for things like storing power in battery arrays or thermal mass to consider, but if you're looking to slash your energy costs, looking into alternative renewable energy sources like solar power are one of the first things you should consider. An increasing number of people are now wanting to do their part to save the planet due to the worsening problems caused by global warming. Unfortunately, numerous people assume that going green is costly and time consuming. Read on to discover several immediate things you can do to get on on the path to living green. Recycling is the top way to start. A lot of people continue to place glass and aluminum items in their normal garbage even though recycling is not that hard to do today. In the US, it's not hard to locate a trash service that offers glass and aluminum recycling choices. Many people still continue to discard these items even though recycling bins are not hard to find. It merely takes a few minutes to wash off the cans and bottles before placing them into the recycle bin. Newspapers are another item that overburden our landfills. Virtually all people will merely take their daily paper and toss it in the garbage when they are done with it. But, there are many other uses that you can get out of your newsprint other than poring over it it. Did you know that you can keep your windows clean using newspapers? If you're tired of seeing small white fragments and streaks on your windowpanes after you clean them with paper towels and cleaner, try to use old newspapers instead. Several community groups run regular paper drives. Merely compilepile all of your old newspapers, put them in a stack, and see if the paper drive organizers will come to your location and pick them up. One more thing that could help you to start to live green is to begin walking a bit more. Lots of people routinely drive short distances merely to buy one thing at their local corner market. If you just walk to the store, not only could it take less time, because you won't have to locate a parking spot, but you will be saving money on gas and helping to save planet Earth by not burning those fuels. If you wish to save even more on gas, take the chance to car pool when you can and only mow your lawn two times a month instead of weekly. A gorgeous lawn is good to have but skipping an additional week before you mow again shouldn't significantly affect it. Using a manual push mower like those more normally used many, many years ago will help to save the environment even more. Numerous hardware shops still carry this type of mower. When people make up their mind to try green living, it's easy to make a few lifestyle modifications that will benefit our environment. Likewise, you can find lots of info all over the Internet on other ways to start living green, you only have to look for it. |
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