Guide Dogs for Algarve Trained in UK

Recently in the Portuguese News there was an interesting story about guide dogs being trained in UK for visually impaired children in the Algarve 
Two guide dogs are to be delivered to 2 visually impaired children living within the Algarve in early 2018.  The dogs are presently undergoing their final stages of coaching and assessment within England.  If your stay in a holiday rental in Portugal if you see a collection for Pawistive Dogs Algarve please support it's a worthy cause.


The project to coach the guide dogs for the Portuguese Republic in the Great Britin was launched last June by dog behaviourist and help dog trainer, Karin Holmström Forster, UN agency has lived within the Algarve for eighteen years.
Karin and her 2 dogs – a 15-month-old greyhound poodle cross and a young geographic area cross - began their 12-week coaching amount on 21st of August 17 in Devon, with Alan Brooks, one among the foremost  British seeing-eye dog trainers.  Fundraising for the project went on in places like Lagos, Alvor and Albufeira.

Each dog has 2 daily coaching sessions, whereas Karin additionally has got to bear intense theoretical work, involving reading articles and observation videos regarding guide dogs’ coaching and animal welfare.

During her keep in England, Karin has had the chance to witness the distinction between the mixing of the visually impaired in the Portuguese Republic and within England and says the united kingdom appears to have the advantage.
As well as blind folks and their guide dogs being a typical sight within the GB, Karin noted that “all cities have loud or unsmooth crossings to assist the blind feel with their feet wherever they must cross the road.”

She adds that the govt “supports the medical expenses also as facilitate with instrumentality for the blind to be able to live as traditional as a visually-able person”, and summarises that “being blind doesn't mean staying at home”.
With the abilities and skill noninheritable throughout her coaching with Alan Brooks, Pawsitive Dogs Algarve intends to start out a seeing-eye dog coaching project within the Algarve region.

In Karin’s words “having worked all my life with folks in health and rehabilitation then latterly dogs and their house owners, I feel the approach I will best pay to society is giving independence and a fan to somebody UN agency otherwise could ne'er be able to leave home on her or his own”.
Her vision for this project has many specifics: “My vision is to start out a programme, coaching dogs in would like of homes, giving homeless dogs a purpose. it might facilitate the shelter dogs get a much better standing and therefore the visually impaired get an opportunity to want they belong in our society too”, Karin explains.
Being a licensed help dog trainer, Karin are going to be able to train combination dogs which will, not solely guide the blind, however even be a medical alert dog or assist them in different disabilities like being wheel chair certain.
Karin intends to coach half-dozen to eight dogs every year, and so as to try to to therefore she seeks partners UN agency will support Pawsitive Dogs Algarve and facilitate build a novel project within the region become a reality.
In addition to resource, essential to the property of a project of this nature, Pawsitive Dogs Algarve seeks partners in medicine and pharmacy also as animal food.
To contact Pawsitive Dogs Algarve, email: pr.pawsitivedogs@gmail.com, tel: 917 076 040, or see website: WWW.pawsitivedogsalgarve.com

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How to set up your travel First Aid Kit

A family necessity when travelling aboard it a well equipped first aid kit.   This requires a little bit of thought and planning.  A lot will depend on where your travelling with who and for what duration.

Consider the following details.

1. Number and age profile of those on the journey trip.

2. Where are you going?  What activities are involved.? What is the level of risk. ? What type of pharmacy or medical facilities are available.? 

3. How long is holiday?.  What is accommodation like.? If its a holiday rental Lagos or a serviced apartment in Birmingham you ll find a first aid kit will be supplied.

To start with organising a solid container

 The most important thing is that it’s made of hard plastic, not a cloth bag. You need something durable that can be jammed into your backpack or luggage without fear of breakage. However, rather than going on a mission to find the perfect plastic container, I find it much easier to buy a premade travel first aid kit and then customize it. Last time, I bought the Medique 40061 First Aid Kit from Amazon.com and it has held up very well.

Stock up on the essentials.

Now that you’ve got a worthy container, it’s time to fill this thing with some serious medical goodies:

Standard Strip Bandages – These are pretty obvious and straightforward. The most common injuries you are likely to get are small cuts, so you really must have strip bandages with you. Having bandages of various sizes is always useful.

Antiseptic Wipes – Antiseptic wipes serve as an extra sterilization and cleaning method for you to apply to your cut just before covering with a bandage.

Antibiotic Ointment – Most of the time if you properly wash, sterilize, and dress a wound, antibiotic ointment is not necessary. However, it is wise to use a dab on larger wounds as an extra precaution against infection.

Gauze Pads – These act as bandages for very large wounds. Have a few large pads in your travel first aid kit, such as size 4in by 4in (10.2cm by 10.2cm). For medium-size wounds, you can always cut these large gauze pads down to size.

Medical Adhesive Tape – Adhesive tape is used to secure gauze pads to your wound. You can also use the tape to keep a standard bandage in place, as the humid weather of some countries can cause bandages to come off.

Tweezers – These are useful for removing splinters from your skin or for taking out foreign debris while you are cleaning a new wound.

Scissors – A small pair of medical scissors, such as iris scissors, are useful for cutting medical tape, trimming down gauze pads, or removing dead skin from a wound.

Painkillers – Chances are that at some point during your trip, you’re going to deal with pain. Having a tiny travel size bottle of your favourite painkillers is always a good idea.

Stock up on some awesome extras.

Now that you have the essentials, you can add a few more items depending on your own personal needs. Here are a few other extra items that I find handy:

Oral Rehydration Salts – When you travel in developing countries, you have a high likelihood of catching a stomach bug. If you experience bouts of diarrhoea or vomiting, your body will lose key electrolytes and you will feel horrendous. To feel better (and to prevent a potentially deadly situation of dehydration), it is essential that you drink an oral rehydration solution. I use Drip Drop hydration powder, but any brand will do splendidly.

Anti-Diarrhea Tablets – The most famous kind is Imodium. Normally, when you have diarrhoea you should not take this medication. These tablets actually prevent your body from cleaning itself of microbes in your stomach, meaning that your episode of stomach illness will actually be prolonged. However, sometimes you need to stop diarrhoea for a few hours while taking a train, bus, or plane. So it is worthwhile having a few of these pills handy.

Water Purification Tablets – Normally while travelling abroad, it is best to avoid drinking the local water – not because the water is dirty, but because it may contain foreign microbes that your immune system is not used to. So, if you want to play it perfectly safe, you should drink only bottled water or boiled water. If you plan on doing some serious trekking or otherwise going well off the beaten trail, you will not have the option to drink bottled water. In this case, it is wise to bring along some water purification tablets. I use Katadyn MicroPur Purification Tablets because they kill a resilient microbe called cryptosporidium.

Spare Syringes – If you need to make an unexpected trip to the hospital, it is worthwhile having spare syringes in your travel first aid kit. This is because the cleanliness of hospital syringes from poor countries is often questionable.

Cold Relief Capsules – Due to exposure to foreign microbes, there is a good chance that you will get a cold at some point during your travels. Having a few cold relief capsules handy is always a good idea. If the capsules also induce drowsiness (think Nyquil), then the pills can also be used to aid sleep.

Motion Sickness Medicine – If you have a history of motion sickness, you should really carry some motion sickness medicine such as Dramamine. This is especially true if you plan on travelling in countries with poor road systems or horribly crowded buses.

Anti-itch Cream – When you’re travelling, there are many new things that may cause your skin to itch, bug bites being especially common. An anti-itch cream like hydrocortisone will help to relieve you in this department.

QuickClot – If you receive a deep cut that bleeds profusely and is difficult to stop, applying a QuickClot sponge can stop the bleeding very quickly and can serve as a great temporary fix until you can receive proper medical assistance.

Moleskin – If plan on doing some serious trekking or are otherwise prone to foot blisters, this is a great preventative measure. Whenever you feel a hotspot on your feet, you can put on a moleskin and this will stop friction and pressure from transferring to your skin.

Butterfly Closures – When you receive a small but deep cut, there is a risk that the wound will continually re-open. Applying a butterfly closure to the cut can help keep your skin tightly held together.

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How to improve the quality of your guest experience and their reviews

1. Make it your top priority to provide an incredible experience  to all your guests that stay in your holiday rental.

2. Set guest expectations before they arrive at the villa or apartment to rent by making sure all information is up-to-date and clear on your website listing.

3. Check that your photos on various websites accurately display the experience you offer

4. Do everything you can to be welcoming, responsive, and fulfill and exceed expectations for every customer, right from the very first point of contact

5. Make sure your guests to have a quick and hassle-free booking experience online or on mobile

6. Be the local authority on your company's niche to give your guests a memorable experience they couldn't get elsewhere

7. Provide photo opportunities during your tours and activities and encourage guests to post these.
8. Respond to your reviews to show prospective customers that you value feedback and want to provide the best experience possible

9. Act on feedback from reviews as soon as possible, especially if it's a recurring issue, to continually improve your customer experience

10. Make sure every review is an authentic opinion of a guest; do not ask friends or employees to write reviews for you

Tags:  holiday rentals,  apartment to rent Lagos, villa to rent Albufeira,

Have you a cure for Sea sickness

I was recently writing about Marina s in the Algarve.  Lagos marina was the main focus of this article.  Listing out facts about the 462 berths and security entrance to the pontoons.  Talk about the holiday rentals and the stunning Lagos villas with pools.
Then it suddenly dawned on me I cant sail if I walk on a pontoon i could end up getting dizzy.

So I decided I do a little research and see if there is a remedy or solution to this common problem
I was in luck I came across a great blog called  OneMedical

It outlined the various scenarios where motion sickness can come about.  They start off by offering good news immediately so of course, I got interested.   They went on to say if traveling by car, train, plane, or boat makes you queasy, there’s good news: Not only can you take steps to stop motion sickness before it starts, you may actually be able to conquer it for good.

Research hasn't actually discovered why motion sickness occurs.  This was a surprise to me as I actually thought it had to do with the inner ear and the ability to hold your balance.
The blog further stated, researchers believe it’s caused by incongruence in our body’s sensory systems.  It was now making sense to me.
For instance, on a slow-moving cruise ship, your eyes may tell the brain you’re not moving at all, but the systems in your brain and inner ear that control balance and posture (vestibular and somatosensory systems) say, “Yes we are!” This mismatch confuses the brain and causes a variety of symptoms, including:

Dizziness
Headache
Nausea
Salivation
Sweating
Belching
Acute awareness of the stomach
Vomiting
Hyperventilation (in extreme cases)
You certainly can take medications to help relieve these symptoms. But if you’d like to try overcoming motion sickness for good, here are some techniques.

1. Take control of the situation.

Not being in the driver’s seat can contribute to motion sickness when you’re travelling by car. The driver of a car is less prone to one-medical-travel-shots-one-demand motion sickness than a passenger, presumably because the driver’s brain is using its motor commands to control the car and can predict the motion. Putting yourself behind the wheel will keep the queasiness at bay. If you must ride as a passenger, try sitting in the front seat and looking at the horizon, which confers a sense of greater control than riding in the back. If you get stuck in the back seat, try conversation and distraction to alleviate the anxiety of not being in control of the situation. Open a vent or source of fresh air if possible and avoid reading.

2. Curb your consumption.

Watch your consumption of foods, drinks, and alcohol before and during travel. Avoid excessive alcohol, smoking, and foods or liquids that “don’t agree with you” or make you feel unusually full. Foods with strong odors, or ones that are heavy, spicy, or fat-rich may worsen symptoms of nausea or motion sickness in some people.

3. Get into position.

Try to choose a seat where you will experience the least motion. The middle of an aeroplane over the wing is the calmest area of an aeroplane. On a ship, those in lower level cabins near the centre of a ship generally experience less motion than passengers in higher or outer cabins. Isolate yourself from others who may be suffering from motion sickness. Hearing others talk about motion sickness or seeing others becoming ill can sometimes make you feel ill yourself.

4. Equalize your sensory cues.

If you’re getting seasick, lie down to help your sensory systems become congruent. On a train, sit in a front-facing seat so your eyes relay the same movement cues as the vestibules of your inner ear. Also, when travelling by car or boat, it can sometimes help to keep your gaze fixed on the horizon or on a fixed point. The more you enhance sensory congruence, the less likely you are to get queasy.

5. Talk yourself down.

You actually can talk yourself out of motion sickness. A study found that “verbal placebos” — simply telling sailors they won’t get seasick — have been effective in preventing seasickness. Set your own expectations before travelling by saying aloud, “I’m not going to get carsick this time,” or using other affirmative self-talk. Learning breathing techniques by using biofeedback can help in this endeavor.

Don’t miss 8 Ways to Treat Morning Sickness Naturally.

6. Get desensitized.

Desensitization therapy works for minimizing or even curing motion sickness. Expose yourself to short bursts of activities that cause symptoms, and then work up to longer periods. If reading a book in a moving vehicle makes you feel nauseated, try reading for five minutes and then putting the book down. Repeat the five-minute interval over several sessions, then increase to 10 minutes. Over time, you’ll find your body gets used to the activity.

7. Pre-treat with ginger.

Some studies support using ginger as an effective preventive measure for motion sickness. At the very least, it can’t hurt. Take one to two grams of ginger half an hour before traveling for best results. If you’re on prescription blood thinners, consult your doctor before supplementing with ginger.

8. Get in touch with your pressure points.

There’s conflicting evidence regarding the effectiveness of acupressure for motion sickness, but it’s worth a try — even if it’s just for the placebo effect. As mentioned above, simply convincing yourself you can get through a trip without motion sickness can help you avoid it. If wearing pressure point devices—such as wristbands with plastic bumps on them — helps convince your brain you’re not going to get sick, it’s worth a shot. On the other hand, don’t waste your money on magnets. There’s no evidence magnetic devices marketed for motion sickness relief do any good.

9. Ride it out.

Seasickness clears up on its own after about three days. Why? The human body possesses an enormous ability to accommodate situations like incongruence between the sensory systems. Again, in the “think it away” category, you may rid yourself of symptoms if you understand and believe they’re going to clear up sooner rather than later.

If your children experience motion sickness, be sure to let them know the condition usually starts going away after age 12. Sharing this medical fact may help your kids avoid feeling doomed to motion sickness for the rest of their lives.

10. When all else fails, medicate.

If you experience severe motion sickness, go ahead and take over-the-counter medications such as Dramamine or Meclizine for it. These are most effective 30 to 60 minutes prior to when you think you’ll be sick, and can be sedating. If you’re a healthy adult with severe symptoms, you can talk to your healthcare provider about a scopolamine patch to cope with prolonged episodes of motion sickness, such as during the first few days of a cruise. Be forewarned that it can cause drowsiness, dry mouth, and other side effects.

If motion sickness continues to be a problem, make an appointment with your provider to talk about your options.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of consuming whey

Having in the past 12 months taken up a serious fitness programme more and more I am conscious of my fellow gymers drinking Protein Shakes. 

Not sure of the conventional wisdom in taking this source of protein so I have put some information together that may be useful.

Lets talk about whey its actually a by-product in the cheese making process.   The two proteins in milk are casein and whey.   Whey has become very commonly used in the as a supplement in people performing resistance training.  The idea would be to improve muscle synthesis and promote the growth of lean muscle mass.

 Whey protein is considered a complete protein as it contains all 9 essential amino acids. It is low in lactose content.

There are many benefits associated with the consumption of whey protein, and researchers are constantly finding new possible therapeutic properties. Here, we explain what the benefits might be, and look at some of the side effects and potential risks.

Many of the potential benefits are based on single studies and more evidence is required before making definitive judgment.
Whey protein is a mixture of beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, bovine serum albumin, and immunoglobins.
Possible benefits include weight loss and lowering cholesterol.
Possible dangers include nausea and headaches, but at moderate doses, whey protein is not considered dangerous.
What are the possible health benefits of whey protein?
Aiding weight loss

According to one study of 158 people, published in Nutrition & Metabolism, those who were given whey "lost significantly more body fat and showed a greater preservation of lean muscle compared to subjects consuming the control beverage."

Anti-cancer properties

Promising results were published in the journal Anticancer Research for the use of whey protein concentrate in cancer treatment. More research is needed.

Lowering cholesterol

A study, published in The British Journal of Nutrition, gave whey supplements to 70 overweight men and women for 12 weeks and measured a number of parameters, such as lipid and insulin levels. They found that "there was a significant decrease in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol at week 12 in the whey group compared with the casein (group)."

Asthma

Whey protein could improve the immune response in children with asthma. One small study involving 11 children, published in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, found that children with asthma who were supplemented with 10 gram whey protein twice daily for 1 month had an improved immune response.

Lowering blood pressure and reducing risk of cardiovascular disease

Research published in the International Dairy Journal found that beverages that were supplemented with whey protein significantly reduced blood pressure in patients with hypertension; their risk of developing heart disease or stroke was also lower.

Reducing weight loss in HIV-positive patients

A study published in the journal Clinical and Investigative Medicine found that whey protein may help reduce weight loss among HIV-positive patients.


Possible dangers of whey protein
muscular man holding his stomach
Dangers of whey protein include stomach pains and cramps when consumed at high doses.
Some people who are allergic to milk may be specifically allergic to whey. In moderate doses, whey protein does not typically cause any adverse events. However, consuming very high doses can cause:

stomach pains
cramps
reduced appetite
nausea
headache
fatigue
Consistent high doses of whey protein may also cause acne. From a nutritional point of view, whey protein is very unusual and does not have a natural equivalent.

Some people believe that there are risks from nutritionally refined foods such as these, because, although they contain a lot of nutrients, the balance is heavily tipped towards protein.

Hunter Stove annouce a new Stove range it is quality engineering at its best

The Hunter Stoves Group have launched a new multi-fuel burning range of stoves it will be in the Cleanburn range.  The others in this group are the ever popular Lovenholm and Skagen models, this beautifully sleek, curved stove is the epitome of modern design.  The Irish website Fastglass  www.fastglass.ie  supply stove glass, and replacement stove glass for all makes of the popular Hunter stoves.

A removable handle ensures the stove maintains a completely smooth appearance. Using the same handle, our now famous Tripleburn technology is controlled by the subtle sliders on the front of the stove, adding to the futuristic design. There is also the practicality of a wood store underneath the firebox.

The Strömstad 5 does not only look stunning but has the statistics to match. As well as being DEFRA approved, it has a 4.7kW nominal output with a significant heat range of between 3.6-7kW and combines a high efficiency of 78% and impressively low CO emission of 0.23%.

The clearance distances to combustible materials are a remarkable 20mm from the rear of the stove and 180mm from the sides. When freestanding, it is also approved to sit on a 12mm hearth.

With the addition of the new Strömstad 5 stove comes a fresh, new Cleanburn brochure with sleek Scandinavian images to match the stove’s sophisticated Scandinavian-styled design.
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