Lulu Updates

1. I just realized that I could use all the Target gift cards we received from our wedding towards buying my expensive ass conditioner!!!!! I use Pureology, which I love. But it is mighty tough on the wallet. I used to go to the fancy beauty supply stores to buy it. Well, I recently ran out and the thought of spending $55 for conditioner (see?! Granted, it's a big bottle but sheeeeeesh!) has been making me put it off. My poor hair. It's had to deal with Pantene shampoo - not even 2-in-1! Now don't get me wrong, it's all good and fine but I'm sure my hair will turn on me and break off if I don't get it some Pureology pronto.

2. I recently decided to see a chiropractor. Sort of. OK, here's the thing. I have had major pain in my left shoulder. I'm pretty sure it was when I started to work more from home than in the office. Yes, folks, all the ergonomically correct stuff that HR pushes on us is really for our own good. I was working from a laptop on a dining table. I got it checked out by my Kaiser doctor and she diagnosed it as tendonitis. She suggested I go to physically therapy. Since I knew I would have to pay a co-pay, I filed a worker's comp claim to see if I could get that covered. I ended up getting denied - I think it's because I am not technically a telecommuter. I didn't mind, though, because The Man and I ended up buying stuff to make my home office ergonomically correct and the pain went away. Well, it's back and my shoulder aches a lot. A good friend of mine swears by chiropractic care and appealed to my reasonable side by saying it was cheaper than a massage and the effects last longer than a massage. Sweet.
I love the Yelp. It's not always perfect but I feel like I can make a more educated decision than just looking in the phone book. I yelp-ed chiropractors and found Life Chiropractic College West. I read the reviews and it looked good. I know that my body is a temple and I should see a professional, not a student. But since it's my first experience with chiropractic care, I wanted to see what it was all about without shelling out a lot of money. Plus, this would also be a great way to try out a chiropractor. Once the intern graduates, and if I like her, I can follow the chiropractor and become of one her patients. I like the idea of holistic medicine (how Californian can I be?!) and this looks to be a great introduction for me. I am also comforted by the fact that these students had to earn a degree and then study roughly 18 months in chiropractic college before dealing with patients.
I had my first visit and, while the gal was a bit chatty, she appeared to truly know what she was doing. I liked that she was extremely thorough - we spend 45 minutes going over the paperwork I filled out. She then had to review her notes with a faculty doctor, who then works with her to determine the appropriate course of care for my condition. I am really looking forward to my next visit which is when I will get my first adjustment!

3. I gave in, I replaced my Nalgene bottle for a stainless steel one. Lawdee, I'm sorry for giving you a bad time, Sister! See, Sister told me early this year how she heard that certain plastic bottles weren't good for us and that they could leach toxins when kept in warm to hot temperatures. She showed me the bottle she was eyeing to replace her Nalgene bottle. "$22?!" I screeched. It didn't even hold a lot of water, maybe 18oz at most! I scoffed at her concern, saying something like it was a ploy for us to buy these new fancy bottles.
Over the months since this conversation, I saw more and more people carrying around these stainless steel water containers. Keep in mind, I work with a lot of health and wellness professionals. What finally did me in? One of the "gifts" we give to kids from my company is a water bottle. A principal gave me this note (I corrected the misspellings):
Dear Mrs. Bl00m,
I was wondering if the water bottles we got have BPA in it. I would like to know if I can use it, thanks.
Here was this third grader, granted, I'm certain her parents influenced her but here is this little girl who is concerned about drinking from the water bottle we gave her! (Which, by the way, is completely clear of PBA, thank-you-very-much.) But my Nalgene bottle - who knew? So I went onto the Nalgene website. It was vague. It basically said that bottles with the #7 weren't neccessarily bad. They weren't necessarily good either but it didn't mean it was bad. Maybe.
Whaaaaa?!
Then I went onto Amazon and found this:
National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health Opinion:"Although there is no direct evidence that exposure of people to bisphenol A adversely affects reproduction or development, studies with laboratory rodents show that exposure to high dose levels of bisphenol A during pregnancy and/or lactation can reduce survival, birth weight, and growth of offspring early in life, and delay the onset of puberty in males and females. Recognizing the lack of data on the effects of bisphenol A in humans and despite the limitations in the evidence for "low" dose effects in laboratory animals, the possibility that bisphenol A may impact human development cannot be dismissed. More research is needed."Source: National Institutes of Health, National Toxicology Program. 14 April. 2008. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. 29 April. 2008. http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/media/questions/sya-bpa.cfm

All right, to heck with THAT. So I caved in and bought this:


I love me some Amazon. The Man bought this 27 oz container for $16! And what's great about it is that the mouth is wide enough for me to use a baby bottle brush to clean it and it fits into my cup holder unlike the old water bottle.
Wow, this is probably one of THE MOST boring entries I've written. But I am big on drinking water. It' s one of the easiest things that I can do that is very healthy for me so I make no apologies for being very excited about my new water container :)