Tips to Find Unique Gifts to Celebrate Your Love

Couples who stay together deserve to celebrate their enduring commitment, but anniversary gifts can be difficult to choose. Sure, there are traditional gifts. But what modern couple really wants wool or copper for their seventh anniversary? And what would you do with the silver plates traditionally given on a couple’s 23rd?

Today’s young couples prefer more personalized gifts. For some some unique gift ideas, consider the following list provided by PlaqueMakerPlus.com, maker of customized awards and recognition products:

•    Make a video showcasing your life together. Contact friends and family members for home videos, then edit them together to show your story as a couple, from childhood to wedding to current day.

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Engineers Bring Hope to Developing Nations

Medical professionals, missionaries and other volunteer organizations work to bring emergency relief to natural disaster and poverty victims. But other career fields can provide aid as well. For example, engineers often build emergency shelters and design sustainable technology to provide assistance and hope throughout the developing world.

Humanitarian engineering is defined as “design under constraints to directly improve the well being of underserved populations.” It has roots dating back to the French Revolution, when a group of engineers at the Ecole Polytechnic decided to use their technical skills to work for social justice.

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Is Stigma Keeping You From Getting a Hearing Aid?

<b>Is Stigma Keeping You From Getting a Hearing Aid?</b>“></td> <td> <p>(<a href=NewsUSA) – According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, only one out of five people who could benefit from a hearing aid wear one. Some simply don’t know that they need one. Others associate hearing aids with their grandparents and don’t want to feel old.

But much of the stigma surrounding hearing aids rings false. Siemens Hearing Instruments, (www.medical.siemens.com), one of the largest manufacturers of hearing aids in the world, busts the following myths about hearing aids:

* Hearing aids will make me look old. Modern hearing aids are sleeker, better-looking and more effective than the clunkers you remember your grandparents wearing. And nothing makes you seem old like constantly asking people to repeat themselves or speak louder.

* Hearing aids will make me hear screeching noises. This problem, called “feedback,” is caused when the microphones in the hearing aid amplify one another. Some hearing aids offer features that prevent feedback. For example, Siemens offers a line of hearing aids equipped with BestSound Technology, which features a feedback stopper.

* My hearing’s not bad enough for hearing aids. Actually, it’s better to start wearing hearing aids at the first sign of hearing loss. If your brain gets used to not processing sounds, you will have a harder time adjusting when you do get a hearing aid.

* Hearing aids won’t work for me. You may have heard friends say that they gave up on hearing aids, but that doesn’t mean the devices won’t work for you. Look for hearing aids that offer a wide range of features that might be right for different listening situations. For example, Siemens BestSound Technology offers special features for automatically focusing in different directions and learning your preferences for different environments.

* Hearing aids will make my hearing worse. A properly fitted and maintained hearing aid will not damage your hearing. Visit an audiologist to make sure you purchase a hearing aid that will work for you.

Convenience Takes the Guesswork Out of Antibiotic Compliance

<b>Convenience Takes the Guesswork Out of Antibiotic Compliance</b>“></td> <td> <p>(<a href=NewsUSA) – Antibiotics don’t work if you don’t take them correctly, yet patients consistently skip dosages, take too many dosages at once or end treatments early — what’s going on?

In many cases, patients’ lives interfere with their ability to stick to treatment regimes. Skipping a pill is the most common mistake patients make — but those who work through their illness might not get the opportunity to take a mid-day dose. This can lead some patients to take a double dose earlier in the day, which can also cause problems.

Other patients’ schedules prevent them from taking pills at regular intervals. For example, someone might have three hours between their morning and mid-day pills, but not take their evening dosage for another 10 hours.

Patients need to take antibiotics correctly — and that means finding ways to fit antibiotics into busy schedules.

Convenience makes a difference — the more pills that need to be taken per day, the less patients stick to their treatments. A 2001 peer review of 76 studies by researchers A. Claxton, J. Cramer and C. Pierce found that, on average, 79 percent of patients complied with once-daily regimes, while only 65 percent took thrice-daily prescriptions correctly.

To make antibiotics more convenient, researchers are developing more once-daily antibiotics. For example, in January 2008,

the FDA approved Moxatag (www.moxatag.com), a once-daily antibiotic for the treatment of strep throat. The Moxatag tablet slowly releases amoxicillin (a drug in the penicillin family) as it goes through the digestive system, and its convenient, once-daily dosing can potentially lead to improved patient compliance.

Patients can also develop strategies to help them remember pills. For example, associating dosages with a daily activity, like brushing teeth, helps patients remember to take their pills. Even putting stickers or Post-Its on often-used items can improve compliance.

For more information, visit www.moxatag.com.

Important Safety Information:

MOXATAG is contraindicated in patients with known serious hypersensitivity to amoxicillin or to other drugs in the same class or patients who have demonstrated anaphylactic reactions to beta lactams. Serious and occasionally fatal hypersensitivity (anaphylactic) reactions have been reported in patients on penicillin therapy. If an allergic reaction occurs, MOXATAG should be discontinued and appropriate therapy instituted. Clostridium difficile Associated Diarrhea (CDAD) has been reported with nearly all antibacterial agents, including amoxicillin, and may range in severity from mild diarrhea to fatal colitis. If CDAD is suspected or confirmed, MOXATAG should be discontinued and appropriate therapy instituted. The possibility of superinfections with mycotic or bacterial pathogens should be kept in mind during therapy. If superinfections occur, MOXATAG should be discontinued and appropriate therapy instituted. The most common drug-related adverse reactions associated with MOXATAG observed in clinical studies are vulvovaginal mycotic infection (2.0%), diarrhea (1.7%), nausea (1.3%), vomiting (0.7%) and headache (1.0%). See www.moxatag.com for additional safety information on the safety of Moxatag. Moxatag is approved for the treatment of strep throat in patients 12 and older. Moxatag is a registered trademark of MiddleBrook Pharmaceuticals, Inc. This article is sponsored by MiddleBrook Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Simple Tips to Organize Your Home

<b>Simple Tips to Organize Your Home</b>“></td> <td> <p>(<a href=NewsUSA) – At the start of the new year, many resolve to become more organized. But the next day, they look around their homes and see the piles of paper on the coffee table, the coats, toys and shoes scattered around the house, and the remains of their holiday decorations. Organizing the house, it seems, can wait a few weeks.

But there’s no reason to feel overwhelmed by a task that is, after all, intended to make lives easier. Here are some tips for those looking to make their homes run more smoothly:

- Take it one room at a time. Clear a space in the room you want to organize. Place all unorganized items, like magazines, books, DVDs and remote controls, in one space, so you can categorize the items before storing them in their appropriate bins and cabinets.

- Throw things out, and be ruthless. Don’t waste your time and space on items you don’t need. Toss out or recycle old magazines and papers. Donate outgrown or unwanted clothes and toys, as well as other household items, like the fondue set you never use.

- Find unused space. Your home probably has more storage space than you think. For example, decorative under-bed storage boxes, like those from The Company Store, allow you to use every inch of available space.

- Teach the kids to clean up after themselves. Make organizing a game by making “special” spaces. For example, children might remember to hang up their coats and scarves if they have their own, fun coat hooks. Company Kids makes coat hooks shaped like flowers, ponies, pirates, trains and safari animals.

- Teach children to take pride in their belongings by giving them their own storage areas. Try clearing a space in your entertainment unit for your children’s movies and video games. For toys, use colorful bins, like the Kendall Storage Collection, to separate hard toys from plush and put away arts and crafts supplies.

- Designate spaces for different activities. For example, all board games, entertainment units and DVDs should be in the same area. This will help keep items from being scattered throughout the house.

- Create a master calendar for the family. Put it on the refrigerator or beside the computer desk. Time management is an important skill, and kids should learn it early.

- Make cleaning and organizing a family affair. After all, your family helps make the clutter, so they should help organize it, too.

For more information, visit www.thecompanystore.com and www.companykids.com.

Seeking Personal Enrichment Abroad

<b>Seeking Personal Enrichment Abroad</b>“></td> <td> <p>(<a href=NewsUSA) – No longer content with tanning on a tropical beach with some easy reading, many Americans are seeking enrichment in their travels. After all, you can read a book at home, but scuba diving, taking authentic French cooking classes or visiting ancient temples requires some traveling.

Americans find unique ways to authenticate their experiences abroad. Some travel with charities that offer volunteer opportunities. “Voluntourism” allows vacationers to experience their destination at the ground level, while also helping local communities.

Others seek opportunities to enhance their knowledge or gain new skills. For example, a person traveling to Spain might enroll in a full-immersion Spanish class or take cooking lessons, allowing them to return home with foreign language skills and the ability to cook a mean paella. Travelers can find trips to suit any interest, from learning to rate wines in the French Riviera to participating in archeological digs.

Some charities offer vacation packages that raise awareness for their causes. For example, Bread and Water for Africa (www.africanrelief.org), a nonprofit that supports grassroots efforts for community self-sufficiency, health and education, offers a Kenyan Safari and Program Tour. In addition to traditional activities like game drives and village tours, the package includes a visit to the Lewa Children’s Home, an orphanage that provides food, clean water, clothing, shelter, health care and counseling to children who have been neglected, abandoned or orphaned. Travelers, in interacting with the home’s staff and children, see exactly how Bread and Water for Africa’s work benefits communities.

Another charity, Running Strong for American Indian Youth (www.indianyouth.org), has run a similar tour every September for the past 20 years that takes participants to Indian reservations in South Dakota. Over the course of a week, visitors not only experience Lakota culture first-hand, but also see how Running Strong’s programs improve reservation life.

Experiential Marketing: What’s In It for You?

<b>Experiential Marketing: What’s In It for You?</b>“></td> <td> <p>(<a href=NewsUSA) – In today’s economy, every purchase matters. You can’t risk buying the latest cell phone or household appliance only to decide it doesn’t meet your needs. Likewise, you can’t afford to invest in a product without knowing how to make it fully functional.

According to an experiential marketing expert, experiential events are custom built to make people savvy consumers and more. “We create experiences that let consumers get familiar with brands and interact with experts. Our mission is to bring action- and information-packed experiences directly to people where they live, work and play. Your mission should be to get the most out of the experience when you step onto an event site,” said Julie Guida, managing partner of Marketing Werks.

Guida shares tips for maximizing your experience:

* Enjoy these free, no-pressure fun zones. Go ahead, experience something rare and unusual! For example, outdoor enthusiasts at sports-themed festivals and competitions can step inside a weather chamber and create their own storm, courtesy of GORE-TEX. People have a howling good time with the howling winds and torrential rains whipped up inside the Extreme Weather Chamber. And they learn how to stay protected against the elements, too.

* Make the most of what you already have. Often you don’t need something new, you need to know how to fully operate what you already have. At many events, you can access experts intent on helping you. They can teach you how to maximize the features of products and services you’ve already invested in.

* Help others when helping yourself. Sometimes what you do at a brand’s experience impacts what they do for charity. For example, when you participate in the National Pork Board’s “The Other White Meat Tour,” you influence their donation to your local food bank. In 2009, thanks to you, America’s Pork Producers donated 5,500 pounds of pork to the nation’s food banks.

* Don’t play the odds by passing up free stuff. Almost every experiential event distributes free samples and useful premiums. Additionally, they often feature easy-to-win contests and promotions. Some companies even dedicate millions of dollars to provide consumers free access to valuable services. For example, the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour offers adults six free health screenings valued at more than $140. Sponsors expect to deliver $30 million worth of free health screenings!

To learn more about how to maximize your experience, visit www.marketingwerks.com.

Nonprofits Use Technology To Reach Public

<b>Nonprofits Use Technology To Reach Public </b>“></td> <td> <p>(<a href=NewsUSA) – Television news programs don’t cover everything that happens in the world. While some stories become media sensations, other events go unreported. For example, Americans see Britain and France in the news far more than they see Africa.

For the nonprofit organizations working to improve the lives of people in third-world countries, it can be difficult to draw attention to worthy causes. Fortunately, YouTube — the source of countless dancing babies and cute cat videos — may help charities reach millions of potential donors.

YouTube videos offer nonprofits advantages that more traditional media cannot. For example, videos have staying power — viewers can rewatch them, and older videos still feel fresh. Better yet, charities can use YouTube videos to present the faces and voices of the people they’re trying to help.

For example, one charity, Bread and Water for Africa (www.africanrelief.org), recently created YouTube videos focusing on Eldoret, Kenya’s Lewa Children’s Home. The Home provides a loving environment, nutritious food, clean water, education and support for abandoned, orphaned or abused children.

The videos follow the home’s founder, Phyllis Keino, called “Mom,” as well as the children she cares for.Viewers can watch as Kenyan orphans eat their meals, go to school and do chores on Baraka Farm, which supports The Lewa Children’s Home by providing food and funds from the sale of crops, livestock, milk, cheese, yogurt, honey and sunflower seed oil. The children’s smiling faces lend a human element to a good cause — helping some of Africa’s estimated 50 million child orphans.

Other charities are also using social media to draw public attention. For example, Charity: Water, a nonprofit organization focused on bringing clean water to African villages, used Twitter to organize a “Twestival,” a series of 200 charity events around the globe. The Twestival raised $250,000 for the charity.

Links to the YouTube videos about The Lewa Children’s Home can be found on The Bread and Water for Africa home page (www.africanrelief.org).

Don’t Let the Economy Hinder Your Emotional Health

<b>Don’t Let the Economy Hinder Your Emotional Health</b>“></td> <td> <p>(<a href=NewsUSA) – As the tough economy puts pressure on Americans, many might find themselves wrestling with new emotional issues. For example, many workers, whether unemployed, worried over their job or struggling to make ends meet, will find themselves suffering from depression.

Depression can be caused by events or be associated with part of a larger illness. Symptoms can include chronic fatigue, anxiety, a loss of interest in regular activities, perpetual feelings of sadness and worthlessness, an inability to concentrate, changes in eating or sleeping habits, and a preoccupation with death. Anyone who experiences symptoms of depression should seek out a medical professional to discuss their symptoms and possible treatment options.

In relationships, when one partner experiences depression, the relationship can suffer. A depressed spouse may feel too tired and overwhelmed to carry out regular activities, ranging from household duties to dinner dates. Intimacy can decrease as well. Depression can lower sex drive, as can SSRIs, a class of anti-depressant drugs that include Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa and Paxil.

Depression does not make intimacy any less important to a healthy relationship. The emotionally healthy partner can feel neglected, while a lack of sex can increase the depressed spouse’s feelings of isolation and alienation.

Depression can make couples find new ways to create intimacy. For example, some couples will use all-natural sex enhancement products, like Magic Power Coffee (www.magicpowercoffee.com). The beverage contains herbs proven to increase desire in both men and women. Other couples find that scheduling date nights or experimenting in bed leads to greater satisfaction for both partners.

Sometimes, switching to another anti-depressant or changing a dosage can help ease sexual side effects. If patients experience sexual side effects during treatment for their depression, they should discuss treatment options with their doctors.