Originally, castile soap was an olive oil based soap made in the Castile region of Spain. Today, “castile” refers to any soap that is made from vegetable oil rather than animal fat and synthetic substances. Liquid castile soap is natural, biodegradable, and versatile product with numerous effective applications. I know 12 great uses for castile soap, are there any I missed? I would love to hear your ideas!

1. Hand soap and everyday body-washing. Get wet and pour 2-3 drops of soap onto hands or washcloth. Lather up, scrub down, rinse off, and tingle fresh and clean.

2. Shampoo

Castile soap shampoo recipe 1:

• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1/2 tsp olive, grapeseed or jojoba oil
• ~5 drops essential oil of your choice

Dissolve the soap in the hot water. Stir in the oils. Enjoy your new natural shampoo.

Castile soap shampoo recipe 2:

• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 tsp olive, grapeseed or jojoba oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Whip until smooth. Use immediately and put any leftovers into the refrigerator and use the next day or two.

3. Baby bath
Pour 1/4 cup of liquid castile soap in running water for a natural, gentle, and safe baby bath. As with any baby wash, be sure to keep it out of baby eyes.

4. Bubble bath
Luxurious castile soap bubble bath recipe:

• 1/2 – 1 cup liquid castile soap
• 5-8 drops essential oil of your choice
• 2 ounces of coconut oil

Pour the bubble bath mix into the running bath water. Relax!

5. Shaving

6. Pet shampoo

7. Laundry
Use 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup for one regular load. Adding a dash of baking soda makes it even better.

8. Household cleaner

1 part castille soap to 40 parts water for light cleaning, 1 part castille soap to 10 parts water for heavy duty cleaning.

9. Dishwashing detergent
Natural automatic dishwasher detergent recipe:

• 1/2 cup liquid castile soap
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white vinegar

Blend all ingredients together. Store in a squirt top bottle. Use 2 tablespoons per load of dishes, shake well before use.

10. Veggie/fruit wash

11. Toothpaste. I’ve heard that pure liquid castile soap can be used for brushing your teeth! Has anyone tried this?

12. Backpacking. Because castile soap is so versatile and biodegradable you can take one small bottle with you and use it for everything without fouling up the environment.

Baroness Susan Greenfield is a neuroscientist at Oxford University and argues that we should be increasingly wary of how the changing technological environment is affecting the minds of the young.

Stress scale for adults

Score of 300+: At risk of illness.

Score of 150-299+: Risk of illness is moderate (reduced by 30% from the above risk).

Score 150-: Only have a slight risk of illness.

Stress scale for non-adults

Score of 300+: At risk of illness.

Score of 150-299+: Risk of illness is moderate. (reduced by 30% from the above risk)

Score 150-: Slight risk of illness.

How stressed are you?

Studies show assumptions about women and leadership are often wrong…

1. With better education, better jobs, and better pay, women today are happier and more fulfilled than they were 40 years ago.
Actually, the opposite is true. Surveys of more than 1.3 million men and women reveal that women today are less happy relative to where they were 40 years ago, and relative to men.

2. Women become more engaged and fulfilled as they get older.
No, men do. According to a 40-year study of 46,000 men and women, women begin their lives more satisfied than men and then gradually become less satisfied with every aspect of their lives—marriage, finances, things they own, even family.

3. At work, women are relegated to lower level roles.
In fact, 37% of women hold managerial positions, vs. 31% of men.

4. Most men think that men should be the primary breadwinner and women should be the primary caretaker.
While 74%of men agreed with this statement in 1977, only 42% say that today. (39% of women agree.)

5. Women would prefer to work for other women.
About 40% of women want to work for men, while 26% prefer a female boss.

6. Flexible work options, such as paid leave and telecommuting, allow women to feel happier at work.
Studies actually show a negative correlation between taking advantage of such options and a women’s self-reported daily happiness. These programs, by themselves, won’t make you happy.

7. Motherhood makes women happier.
Studies show married mothers are more stressed and less happy than married women with no kids.

8. Kids want more time with their working mothers.
Not according to the kids. When 1,000 children in grades 3-12 were asked what they wanted from their mom, only 10% said “more time.” More than a third said they wanted their mom to be “less stressed and tired.”

9. Women are good at multitasking.
Women are no better at it than men, and research shows that your IQ drops 10 points when you do two tasks at once.

10. Women are paid less for the same job.
The oft-quoted 77¢ on the dollar figure is accurate. But almost all of the gap is caused by different levels of experience. Women interrupt their careers and that leads to being perceived as having less experience.

For more information on the studies behind each myth, check out the source.

Although depression is as licit a disorder as any other physiological problem, the diagnosis of the disorder is not as clear. Medical science still does not know much about the brain, its functioning and the reasons behind why it suddenly starts malfunctioning. So much so, that way back in the 1950’s it was only by accident that research stumbled across the antidepressant properties of certain drugs.

There is not too much difference between the difficulties faced while diagnosing adult and child depression. Both are equally problematic. All that science knows is that there is some element of predisposition to depression in some children due to factors like hereditary mental illnesses, emotional, physical and sexual abuse or an early loss of a parent. There are also indications that child depression may result from chemical imbalances as some infants show depressive symptoms well before these factors can come into play. As such, it is much more important to be able to identify the illness rather than discussing the causes behind it.

Knowing the symptoms of child or teen depression is pertinent because certain disruptive behaviors and mood swings can be easily confused as symptoms of the growing up process.

Some of the conspicuous symptoms of child depression that parents or guardians should be on the look out include:

• Incessant feeling of sadness, irritability, despair or worthlessness.
• Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities.
• Avoiding company of friends and others.
• Crying spells.
• Sleeping disorders – either too much sleeping or lack of sleep.
• Lethargy, fatigue or change in activity level: either too lazy or hyperactive.
• Feeling tired all the time.
• Functional physical problems that are difficult to diagnose, like headaches or stomach aches.
• Frequent thoughts or mention of death or suicide.
• Difficulty in concentrating on the job at hand, procrastination or avoiding responsibilities.
• Anger, rage or disruptive behavior at school or outside.
• Sudden drop in school grades

Bipolar disorder (BPD) is a mental disorder that is characterized by episodes of mania and depression. A child suffering from BPD is likely to show abrupt mood swings, prolonged periods of hyperactivity, erratic temper tantrums or boastful talks about self or abilities.

There is a strong possibility of such depressive symptoms with certain related disorders like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Teenage girls, on the other hand, are more prone to exhibit eating disorders. Any child and teen depression help must take ensure that a holistic diagnoses is made so that the treatment can be customized.

But that is not the only concern that exists with regards to childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is also the cause behind various diseases that are being reported in children and adolescents. The incidence of such diseases was erstwhile almost nil among children and teens. And therefore, it can almost be concluded that obesity plays a significant role in causing certain so called ‘adult ailments’ in our children.

Although adult diseases in children can also occur due to genetic and environmental reasons, the incremental factor is associated with the increase in population of obese children. In the last two and a half decades there has been a quantum jump of 400% in the number of obese children of 6 years and above.

Obesity is a health risk, which has been accepted by all experts. It exposes children to:

* Hypertension – Research and studies reveal that hypertension is more frequent, nearly nine times more in obese children as compared to children with normal weight.
* Type 2 Diabetes – Obese children especially those with a family history of type 2 diabetes run a significantly greater risk of developing the disease.
* Orthopedic complications – The cartilage in lower limbs and joints in children is at a developmental stage. Obesity can damage the cartilage since it is not geared up as yet to bear more than normal weight.
* Asthma.
* Sleep apnea – Difficulty in breathing and absence of respiration during sleep.
* Depression – The psychological and social stigma that is associated with obesity can be more traumatic during childhood and adolescence. This can lead to mental disorders like depression.

Determining whether your child is obese is a difficult job. This is because you have to first eliminate the weight gain due to the natural growth process of a child. But there are growth charts available with pediatricians that can easily tell you whether your child is obese for his age and height. Beyond that the factors that need to be considered are:

* Body Mass Index (BMI) – A BMI of 30+ should be enough to raise alarms.
* Height and BMI – Tall children normally have a higher BMI
* Family history – Obesity, cigarette smoking, sedentary lifestyle and early cardiovascular diseases, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes need to be considered.
* Signs of stress of weight on lower limbs and joints.
* Absence of logical thinking – This is a symptom that often accompanies obesity and sleep apnea.

A definite and positive approach path towards weight loss solutions is of utmost importance when it comes to treating childhood obesity. There are many options that you can opt from:

* Consider dietary therapy that could help in obtaining herbal weight loss . This will ensure that your child does not need to take strong weight loss medication that is known to have side effects.
* Treating childhood obesity with the aid of natural weight loss programs is recommended. This involves egging your young ones to participate in physical activities in school and outside. Encourage them to take up some sport.
* A change in behaviors and shifting to healthy lifestyles, nutritional diet and avoiding over dependence on fast foods can help in treating childhood obesity.
* Surgical options like a gastric bypass should be considered only as a last resort when nothing else works for your kid. It will do good to keep in mind that all invasive therapies are replete with dangers.

Childhood obesity can potentially ruin the health of an entire generation. It is incumbent upon parents and teachers to discourage over dependence on computer games and junk foods and motivate children towards sports and healthy diet.