Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors, leaving them susceptible to whatever drifts in the air.
(NewsUSA) - Americans tend to view their homes as safe havens. What few people realize is that the air in their home can be more polluted than outdoor air, leading to health problems.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, people spend almost 90 percent of their time indoors. Due to extended exposure, indoor pollution might cause more health problems than outdoor pollution.
What causes indoor pollution? Common, synthetic materials, like paints, plastics and household cleaners, all leak chemical emissions. Sensitive people can react to anything from wax to furniture polish. Building materials, outdoor pollution, dust and other substances can create allergy symptoms.
Mold, one leading cause of indoor allergies, can grow inside and outside the home in any household component. Once it develops, mold proves impossible to completely remove, making it an especially serious threat. Mold can grow wherever water flows. Water intrusion can lead to mold growth within 24 hours.
The Mayo Clinic estimated that over 40 million Americans suffered from chronic sinus infections and that 96 percent of those cases were caused by molds. According to the Centers for Disease Control, indoor allergens can lead to infections and respiratory problems.
A Certified Environmental Home Inspector (CEHI) from Environmental Safeguard Professionals (www.espusa.net), a company that performs EcoCheck Inspection to address environmental issues in residential buildings, asks Americans to look for the following signs of poor indoor air health:
- Have you had problems with floods or leaks? Even the smallest damp area allows mold to grow. Mold can also hide in ceilings, walls and attics.
- Have you or any of your family members suffered from unexplained respiratory problems, chronic headaches, coughing or congestion?
- Is your home well ventilated? Poor ventilation helps mold grow. To prevent mold growth, keep air moving and humidity levels between 40 and 60 percent.
If you suspect mold, call a professional to inspect your home. A CEHI can identify the types of mold in your home and determine the best way to remove it.
For more information, visit www.espusa.net.
How to Keep Your Family Flu-free
(ARA) - “Sniffle, sniffle, wheeze, wheeze.” These are tell-tale sounds of cold and flu season, which is right around the corner. With a little knowledge and a few smart tips, you and your family may make it through the winter without a single “ah-choo!”
Lifestyle expert Hannah Keeley, author and founder of TotalMom.com, offers the following tips for keeping your family flu-free this winter:
Get your daily dose of healthy food.
Eating raw fruits and vegetables not only helps your digestive health, it also strengthens your immune system. But as any mom can tell you, it’s hard to get your family thrilled about noshing on raw carrots all day. Try fresh or frozen fruit smoothies or offer raw veggie slices served with a zesty dip. Be creative – look for opportunities to slide some sprouts in a sandwich or hide sliced peppers in a wrap. A healthy diet makes for a healthy family.
Wash your hands.
Mothers have been chanting the same mantra for ages, so why mess with a good thing? The simple act of washing hands with good old-fashioned soap and water is, hands down — no pun intended — the best way to prevent the spread of colds and viruses. Make soap easy for children to reach and try paper towels for drying instead of cloth towels, which can harbor germs.
Keep your body moving.
Daily exercise is a great way to strengthen your immune system; and we all know that a strong immune system is key to fighting off potential infections. Even though the cooler winter weather drives us indoors, make time during the day to get up and move. Turn on some music and dance around the house or bundle the kids up and go skating. Find ways to make exercise fun and get the whole family in on the action.
Take a daily multi-vitamin.
Many people suffer from diets that are low in the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to guard against disease. Protect the health of you and your family by taking a daily multi-vitamin. Remind the kids to take their vitamins by making it a part of your family’s morning breakfast routine.
Tell a good joke.
Stress can make the body more susceptible to catching colds and the flu. Fight off stress this season with a little laughter, fun and games. Host a weekly family game night, watch a hilarious family comedy together, or share funny stories around the dinner table. You’re not just strengthening bodies; you’re strengthening your family.
Clean the air.
During the winter, your family is exposed to viruses that circulate in the air they breathe both outside and indoors. While indoors, protect your family by installing a whole-home air filtration system like American Standard AccuClean. Not only does the American Standard AccuClean system remove a whopping 99.98 percent of particles and allergens from indoor air, but according to a recent Harvard University research study, it also removes more than 99 percent of the common flu, or influenza A virus, from your home’s filtered air. It’s an easy way to keep your family breathing clean, comfortable air all year long.
Forget stocking up on the tissues and expensive meds. In just a few simple steps, you can protect your family and look forward to a fun and healthy winter together.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Although it leads in market share locally, customers may believe it is less safe
Wachovia’s well-known financial woes and its pending acquisition by Wells Fargo are providing an opportunity for competitors to do their darnedest to capture some of the Charlotte bank’s customers.
“You have one of the best franchises in the Carolinas being acquired by a West Coast bank,” said investment banker Bill Wagner of Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett in Raleigh. “It’s an opportunity for all banks.”
Wachovia is an especially enticing target in the Triangle, where it ranks first overall in market share based on deposits — No. 1 in the Raleigh-Cary metropolitan statistical area and No. 2 in the Durham MSA — according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
“You hate to think you are profiting when someone else is down, but yes, it will benefit us,” said Gregg Strickland, CEO of Patriot State Bank in Fuquay-Varina.
Wachovia, as well as most of the other large banks in the area, has already seen its market share slowly erode in recent years as expansion-minded community banks have encroached on its turf.
“With our [leading] market share, we always have a target on our back,” said Jack Clayton, Wachovia’s regional president. He also contends deposit data don’t give the complete picture, because they don’t include money that customers invest through Wachovia.
Industry analysts say it’s unlikely competitors will try to lure Wachovia customers by substantially raising interest rates on deposits or lowering fees. Nor are they likely to resort to gimmicks.
“What they are selling is security and strength,” said Buddy Howard of Equity Research Services, a Raleigh firm that tracks the banking industry. “They are not going to get a customer to deposit a bunch of money with you for a free toaster, if [the customer] doesn’t think their money is safe.”
Current ad campaigns by several local banks pointedly focus on financial strength, safety and stability. The ads don’t mention Wachovia, but the underlying message is that “these are things that do not apply to … the Wachovia of 2008,” Howard said.
A SunTrust ad that appeared in The News & Observer and elsewhere even goes so far as to say, “When you’re ready to switch accounts, we’re here to help.”
John Stallings, who heads SunTrust’s Central Carolinas region, said the campaign isn’t aimed solely at Wachovia customers. Rather, he said, the volatility in the banking industry is putting a lot of customers in “shopping mode.” SunTrust is No. 1 in market share in Durham and has more branches in the Triangle than any other bank.
Stallings said that, beginning last year, SunTrust also stepped up its efforts to call on wealthy individuals and businesses who aren’t clients in hopes of converting them.
“The way we win business is where we’re in front of clients and they have a chance to hear our story, our capabilities, our expertise, etc.,” Stallings said.
Read More:News & Observer
CARY, N.C. – Michael G. Carlton, president of Crescent State Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Crescent Financial Corporation (NASDAQ Global Market SM), has announced the release of an audio podcast discussing Fighting Fraud, the first event in Crescent State Bank’s Centsibility Series. In the podcast, Jo Sorbi, security director for the bank, describes what attendees can expect from Fighting Fraud, an event designed to educate the community on the dangers of identity theft. Sorbi provides a list of sensitive material attendees should bring to shred in addition to an overview of future events scheduled for the Centsibility Series.
Fighting Fraud will take place on Thursday, Oct. 16 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Cary Chamber of Commerce, located at 307 N. Academy St. This community event will focus on the importance of discarding personal documents and sensitive material properly. The event will include a Shred-a-thon and Fighting Fraud Seminar, featuring a panel of fraud experts. The Centsibility Series, not just for clients, is designed to educate seniors, families, and business owners on a variety of financial topics such as identity theft and fraud.
The podcast is available for download at http://www.mmimarketing.com/files/josorbifightingfraud.mp3.
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
Five Tips for Keeping Pets Healthy and Vet Bills Down
(ARA) – When it comes to caring for our pets’ health, most of us don’t bat an eye when it comes to spending money on expensive prescriptions or procedures, even for common health problems like skin allergies, digestive upset and urinary tract infections.
But with the average household owning 1.7 dogs and 2.2 cats, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2007 survey, those visits can add up. Now more than ever, pet owners are seeking out ways to keep their vet bills down while maintaining the health and happiness of their pets.
“We’re all trying to trim daily expenditures to compensate for rising commodity costs, and unnecessary expenses are usually the first to go,” says Dr. Susan Lauten, pet expert and nutrition consultant. “While there may be health problems that require a vet’s treatment, many common pet ailments can be treated and prevented in more cost effective ways.”
Lauten offers five ways to help keep your pet healthy while reducing healthcare costs.
1. Good nutrition is the key to good health. Instead of skimping on your pet food budget, select high quality foods with high levels of meat proteins and whole grains. Healthy pets with strong immune systems, healthy coats and strong teeth are less susceptible to disease.
2. Feeding your pet a variety of foods can minimize the development of food allergies. By providing pets with different proteins and forms, like kibble, canned and raw frozen, the Rotation Diet from Nature’s Variety offers the full spectrum of nutrients cats and dogs need to avoid food-related health problems.
3. Keep your pet clean and parasite-free. Paying extra attention to grooming during the summer months can help avoid skin disease, parasite-related diseases from ticks and fleas, and hot spots.
4. Make sure your pet visits the veterinarian for regular checkups. It’s also important to talk to your veterinarian about the importance of proper nutrition and holistic healthcare options for your special pet.
5. If your pet shows signs of illness, be sure to visit your veterinarian right away. Early detection can reduce the overall cost of treatment.
Lauten stresses the fact that quality pet food should remain a financial priority. “Changing to a low quality food to save money can result in increased food requirements, poor immune health, decreased coat quality and poor skin health,” says Lauten. “In the end, it could result in more vet expenditures and more bills.”
Sage’s Story
Sage was dropped off at the Benicia Vallejo Humane Society in Vallejo, Calif., when she was just a puppy. The underweight Boxer was suffering from severe skin problems, was missing large patches of hair and was in generally poor health. The Director of Human Services, Peter Wilson, was deeply concerned for Sage’s well-being and considered a variety of options for treatment.
“Sage’s skin condition was from a lack of care and possible allergies,” says Wilson. “Nature’s Variety donated product to help with Sage and encouraged us to feed her a Rotation Diet with different forms of kibble, canned and raw frozen food, and different proteins such as chicken and duck.”
The variety of foods in the Rotation Diet provided Sage with more balanced nutrition, which helped to stabilize her health and combat any possible allergies. In a few weeks, Sage’s skin had begun to heal. Sage is now happy, healthy, allergy-free and living with her new adoptive family.
“Sage’s story is a perfect example of the effect a quality diet can have on a pet’s overall health,” says Lauten. “All it took was the implementation of a broader and balanced variety of foods to provide her with the nutrients she needed to get better.”
More Quality Now, Fewer Problems Later
Strong health starts with proper nutrition. Feeding a high-quality Rotation Diet will help keep pets in top condition so they are more resistant to health problems. Adding in exercise and routine check-ups will also ensure your dog or cat maintains optimal wellness.
For more information on the health benefits of balanced, nutritionally complete diets, as well as a feeding guide for determining your pet’s specific needs, visit www.naturesvariety.com.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Tips for Road Trips With Pets
(ARA) - Bringing the family pet along on a road trip may seem like a good idea – you don’t have to ask friends or family to look after your pet and you can avoid the costs and concerns that go with boarding and kennels. But traveling with pets in the car also brings special challenges that, fortunately, can be met with a bit of forethought and careful preparation of both the vehicle and pet.
According to information from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), which recently teamed with Subaru of America to produce a brochure on pet travel tips, bringing a pet along on a road trip simply involves adapting your routine to the road. All of the things you take into consideration at home – your pet’s health, happiness and safety – should be thoughtfully addressed when traveling with your pet.
Here are 10 helpful tips for road-tripping with pets from the AVMA and Subaru:
* If your pet is not accustomed to car travel, take it for a few short rides before your trip so it will feel confident that a car outing does not necessarily mean a trip to the veterinarian or an unpleasant destination.
* Cats should always be confined to a cage or in a cat carrier to allow them to feel secure and prevent them from crawling under your feet while you are driving.
* Dogs riding in a car should not ride in the passenger seat if it is equipped with an airbag, and should never be allowed to sit on the driver’s lap.
* See your automotive dealer for pet accessories designed specifically to fit your vehicle, such as compartment dividers that separate pets and cargo from the passenger area. Several automobile manufacturers, including Subaru, offer a dog guard/compartment divider that keeps pets safely in the rear cargo area of station wagons, “crossover” vehicles and SUVs.
* Pets should not be allowed to ride with their heads outside car windows. Particles of dirt or other debris can enter the eyes, ears, and nose, causing injury or infection.
* Give small portions of food and water. Plan to stop every two hours for exercise. Remember to include a leash with your pet’s traveling supplies.
* If your dog has a problem with carsickness, your veterinarian can prescribe medication that will help the dog feel comfortable during a long car trip.
* Pack a simple pet first-aid kit that includes assorted bandages, antiseptic cream, an anti-diarrheal medication that is safe for pets (ask your veterinarian to suggest a product), gauze squares, phone numbers for your veterinarian, and a 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital at your destination, as well as a national poison control hotline.
* In addition to a standard identification tag (which should be labeled with your name, home address, and phone number), your pet’s collar should include a travel tag with information on where you are staying while away from home. Should your pet become lost, this will allow you to be contacted locally.
* Perform a daily “health check” on your pet when away from home. In unfamiliar surroundings, your pet’s appetite, energy, and disposition may change. Watch for unusual discharges from the nose and eyes, excessive scratching or biting of any body part, abnormal elimination, or excessive water consumption. Visit a local veterinarian if you are concerned about any physical or behavioral changes.
As you can see, a little planning and a carefully prepared vehicle can make all the difference between a good time had by all and a road trip filled with regret.
To download a color copy of the AVMA/Subaru Traveling With Your Pet brochure, visit
http://www.avma.org/animal_health/brochures/traveling/traveling_brochure.pdf.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Purr-fectly ’Green’ Cat Care Tips
(ARA) – She can jump from the floor to the top of the refrigerator, or bound across your desk without disturbing a single sheet of paper. Your cat personifies the graceful, enviable sure-footedness of her species. But what about her eco-footprint?
With 88 million domesticated cats in the country (according to the National Pet Owners Survey by the American Pet Products Association), the question isn’t just academic. Like their human companions, pets’ modern lifestyles consume natural resources and can contribute to environmental issues like greenhouse gases and the waste stream.
”As consumers and responsible pet owners, we are all looking for ways to care for our pets’ health and their environment,” says Jill Cordes, host of America’s first broadband pet channel www.Petstyle.com. “Many of us are already putting eco-friendly practices into action in our own lives, from buying organic food to shopping with reusable bags and switching to natural household cleaners. Adopting ‘green’ pet care habits is a natural extension of our environmental consciousness.”
You can become a “greener” cat owner with 10 simple steps, Cordes advises:
1. Give them shelter. Overcrowding at animal adoption centers strains resources. You can help ease the problem – and possibly save an animal’s life – by adopting from a shelter rather than buying a cat from a pet store or breeder. You may also save money if you adopt from a shelter where many animals are likely to already be vaccinated, spayed or neutered. Visit www.aspca.com for more information.
2. Use protection. Get your cat spayed or neutered. Unplanned, unwanted ”deliveries” often wind up in shelters, contributing to the overcrowding problem. Plus, spaying and neutering can help reduce your cat’s risk of developing uterine, ovarian, or testicular cancer.
3. Tag, you’re it. Be sure your cat always wears a name tag (or license, if your municipality requires cats to be licensed). If he gets lost, the tag will help any good Samaritan who finds him return him to you. Plus, you’ll conserve the gas you would waste driving around the neighborhood hunting for him, and the paper for those ”missing” posters.
4. Keep it clean – and gentle. Replace traditional pet care and cleaning products that may contain harsh chemicals with gentle, all-natural products.
5. Potty all the time. Choose environmentally friendly cat litter like ARM & HAMMER Essentials Clumping Cat Litter. It’s made with natural biodegradable corn fibers which are sensible for the environment, and absorbs twice the liquid compared to regular clumping clay litter. Plus, the addition of baking soda eliminates odor problems instantly. Visit www.armandhammeressentials.com/litter.aspx to learn more.
6. Food for thought. Just as added hormones or pesticides in your food aren’t good for you, they’re not good for your cat, either. Look for pet food that is natural, organic and FDA-certified.
7. Quench their thirst. Change your pet’s water and food bowl regularly to eliminate potential disease, insect or other pest infestations. Be sure to use filtered tap water rather than bottled water, which weighs on your wallet and the environment.
8. Play ball. Purchase toys made from sustainable fibers or recycled materials, or entertain your cat with homemade toys crafted from recycled materials, like a scratching pole made from old carpeting. And remember, you will always be her favorite – and most eco-friendly – toy.
9. Into the wild … or not. Try to keep your cat inside as much as possible to avoid exposure to injury, illness and predatory wildlife. If your cat craves the outdoors, however, try to keep his outside time supervised in an enclosed area.
10. Purr-tanical gardens. In an enclosed space, plant a small garden in your backyard for your cat and stock it with cat-safe herbs and flowers. Just be sure kitty is always supervised, and stays in her own yard – otherwise you may find yourself having to explain her embarassing visit to your neighbor’s tomato patch.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
On the Move With a New Breast Cancer Resource
(ARA) – When a woman is first diagnosed with breast cancer, all kinds of questions go through her mind, and not all of them are about the cancer itself. “Will I be able to remain active? What kind of impact will treatment have on my lifestyle? Can I still be intimate with my significant other?”
When California resident Mary Jean Lynberg was first diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer back in 2004, she felt numb and physically ill. “My doctor had informed me that the type of tumor I had was fast growing and as a result, she would be very aggressive with my treatment. She told me that meant several rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and maybe even surgery. I was very aware that life as I knew it was going to go through some drastic changes,” Lynberg says.
According to the American Cancer Society, 40,000 women (25 to 30 percent of women with breast cancer) are diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer every year. HER2 is part of a family of genes that play roles in controlling cell growth. In some breast cancers, for reasons no one understands, cancer cells have too much HER2.
Shortly after Lynberg was diagnosed, one of the first things she did was seek information and comfort online. “While I found several support groups that helped me get informed about my special form of breast cancer, I couldn’t find a site that spoke to the rest of my life – those topics that could benefit me on the road back to wellness,” she says. “I wanted to learn more about how to live the type of lifestyle I had before battling the disease. Would I still be able to enjoy my passions, like golf and travel?” Thankfully, Lynberg was able to continue pursuing those passions in one form or another, partly because her treatment included an oral therapy that she could take wherever and whenever she needed it.
Today, Lynberg’s breast cancer is in remission, but she remembers the struggles she faced at the time to figure it all out. However, she is happy to learn that the women who follow in her footsteps will not experience that same struggle. Launched this September, a new online resource is helping women and their loved ones continue to live a healthy, active, on-the-move lifestyle despite their cancer diagnosis.
HER Move (www.hermove.com) is the first ever Web-based, lifestyle program specifically for women in all stages of HER2-positive breast cancer, including the newly diagnosed, those living with advanced or metastatic disease and the long-term survivors. In addition to a unique offering of health and wellness information, there are resources that inspire women with HER2-positive breast cancer to live life to the fullest as best they can by staying on-the-move and living a healthy and active lifestyle.
Marybeth Bond, a travel expert and author of 11 travel books for women, is among the experts who have material posted on the site. “Travel has an uncanny way of taking us back to the simplicity that makes life precious again. A close friend recently told me that her first trip after diagnosis marked the beginning of hope – hope that she could live the life she had pre-cancer.”
But the key, points out Bond, is to recognize that “travel” has many definitions. “An afternoon visit to a botanical garden, a day cruise on a lake, or a walk in the woods with a loved-one can turn your attitude upside-down, change negatives into positives and pain into purpose.”
Those who have questions about intimacy, sexual connection and romance – generally not topics that are easy to discuss with your doctor, let alone their partner – can find answers courtesy of Ruth Peltason, author of the book, “I AM NOT MY BREAST CANCER.” A breast cancer survivor herself, she interviewed hundreds of women from all walks of life to get their take on the topic and shares what she learned on the site.
There’s also a section dedicated to caregivers headed up by HER2 Support Group’s (www.her2support.org) Joe Druther, whose wife, Christine, is a breast cancer survivor. “While being a caregiver can be stressful, there are many support groups made up of people like me who were unexpectedly given the role of caregiver. It can take some time to get adjusted to this new role, but know it is a crucial one – one that may be challenging at times, yet rewarding because you are, after all, helping someone you love.”
In addition to sharing resources, the site also creates a community where women can share their personal stories, anecdotes, recipes and photographs among new friends, and learn from the experiences of others. HER Move was funded and developed by GlaxoSmithKline Oncology.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
ARA) – Disappearing plant species, endangered wildlife and adverse health effects for humans – all grab headlines whenever talk turns to the impact pollution has on our world. But pollution also affects production of pearls, the gem American pop culture has made an icon of exemplary womanhood.
From June Cleaver to Marge Simpson, a perfect strand of pearls has come to represent the essence of feminine perfection in American culture. The bestowing of an heirloom strand from mother to daughter is a treasured rite of passage in many families. Yet pollution’s effect on the mollusks that produce pearls may mean fewer pearls – and higher prices – in the future.
Pearl production and a pristine environment are tightly linked. Pearl-bearing mollusks are filter-feeders. To get their microscopic food, they filter as much as 106 gallons of seawater a day. Filter-feeding makes the mollusks extremely sensitive to pollutants in the water.
Pearl-bearing mollusks are also very sensitive to water temperature. Mollusks that produce pearls evolved over millions of years to live in very specific environments. Although those that live in temperate latitudes are accustomed to seasonal fluctuations in water temperature, an unusual rise in summer can kill them. Pearl-bearing mollusks that live in tropical latitudes can survive only within a very narrow range of water temperature. A small rise at any time of year can kill them.
People Can and Do Help
The mollusks’ sensitivity to temperature increases and pollutants make people who are dependent on the mollusks’ productivity acutely aware of environmental factors. Pearl farmers — people who grow cultured pearls — have a stake in mollusk health and productivity. That stake makes pearl farmers good stewards of the environment. If water pollution or temperature increases kill their mollusks, pearl farmers lose their livelihood.
Jewelmer, a pearl-farming company in the Philippines, has been especially active in promoting environmental preservation. The company has strongly lobbied the Philippine government to outlaw cyanide and dynamite fishing in the islands. Those fishing techniques produce big, easy catches, but they’re environmentally destructive, and they adversely affect the mollusks on the pearl farms.
“Jewelmer produces some of the finest golden South Sea cultured pearls,” says Jeremy Shepherd of PearlParadise.com, Inc., a leading online pearl-seller, “and the company has been among the most aggressive in protecting the pearl-farming environment.”
Forum for Pearl Lovers
www.Pearl-Guide.com is a pearl forum that has more than 3,000 members, many of whom contribute posts about pearls every day. Since pearls are the members’ passion and reason for participating in the forum, they are naturally concerned with pollution’s and global warming’s effects on pearl culture. Without protecting the delicate environment mollusks need to produce pearls, Pearl-Guide.com members and other pearl lovers around the world would lose their favorite gems.
W.F. Young makes pain-relief products for both horses and humans.
(NewsUSA) - When it comes to finding a great shampoo or topical pain-reliever, some consumers don’t horse around. Others do, and they just might tell you that it pays off.
Using horse shampoo or other products designed for animals may seem a bit strange, but according to some pet-care industry experts, there’s a growing trend of consumers doing just that.
W.F. Young, for instance, sells an equine topical pain-relief product called Absorbine Veterinary Liniment, but company officials say that some of their human customers use it for treating their own achy muscles and joints.
“We often hear from our loyal customers that in addition to using Absorbine Veterinary Liniment on their horses, they have found that they reap the same therapeutic benefits the liniment gives their pets,” said Jaime D. McKinley, corporate vice president of sales and marketing at W.F. Young. “Our customers tell us that when they apply the liniment to their horses, they feel the soothing, warm sensation on their own hands and it feels great.”
Horse products aren’t the only ones making it out of the barn and into Americans’ bathrooms and medicine cabinets.
Creams made for moisturizing cows’ udders are used by some people to moisturize their hands, while certain balms designed for soothing animals’ cuts and skin abrasions have also proved popular in recent years.
Such products are popular enough, in fact, to be sold at many major retail chains.
CVS, for instance, sells a cow ointment product in its skin-care section, as well as a shampoo initially developed for horses. And W.F. Young’s Absorbine Jr., a pain-relieving liniment made specifically for humans but similar to veterinary Absorbine, is also sold at CVS locations as well as Rite Aid and Brooks Eckerd stores.
So why might people use animal care products on themselves? At least in regards to Absorbine, perhaps it’s a question of commonality.
“Muscle pain and stiffness are conditions common to humans and animals,” says McKinley. “We all need a little relief now and then.”
