medicine for upset tummy and a whiter smile?? plus something for dog lovers at the end of the post!

Tummy's not feeling for the past couple of days and i was glad that I bought some medicinal charcoal a week ago.

heh. i shall confess. i bought the charcoal NOT in anticipation of the runs, but actually for a little experiment (which i have yet to start on).   

[caption id="attachment_1785" align="aligncenter" width="547"] charcoal[/caption]

what on earth would I do with charcoal you might think?  apparently you could use it of all things... to whiten your smile!!!

[caption id="attachment_1787" align="aligncenter" width="303"] white teeth[/caption]

yes! whiten. teeth. no kidding.  when i read the blog of the lady who tried it - i went 'really? serious?  doesn't it actually blacken your teeth?'  well. apparently it does quite the opposite after you wash the thing off!

I did try those gel strips years ago - despite the fact that I didn't like the fact that it was probably not all that great to bleach your teeth and that it wasn't so good for your gums.  All i can say is that at that point in time - i disliked the yellow teeth more - so I used a couple of strips, got it ever so slightly less yellow, then stopped.  i didn't experience any side effects.

[caption id="attachment_1795" align="aligncenter" width="224"] teeth whitening strips[/caption]

so imagine my surprise and delight when I found that someone used charcoal AND it worked!  cheap and safe - aaaahhhh...heck! why not!  Again, as usual - i went to research and read someone who tried and her teeth were sensitized cos' it was too abrasive.  so i guess the trick is to do it lightly, and probably once a week?

My teeth are slightly yellow - probably from the copious amounts of coffee I drink.  (irrelevant to the post, but I am trying to limit it to a single morning boost cos' apparently caffeine taxes your adrenal glands, and despite the inital boost - it actually weakens your body makes you more tired. still i personally think - bias and all - that a cup is good for our brains. i feel I think clearer).

so I'm gonna pound those pills into powder form and use it with my toothpaste!  update again after i try it!  Here's the link to the blog post where I first read about it for those who are interested!

probably will try only in the next couple of  days cos' seem to be coming down with the flu and my entire body is aching.  Part of the body ache probably is from walking Lucky at the dog shelter yesterday!  We took almost a 2 hour walk from the shelter to the nearby wetland (together with all the other shelter dogs and volunteers).  Volunteering to help take the dogs for a mid-week walk was to bring more joy to them, and I have to admit - I ended up throughly enjoying myself!

Lucky is super energetic - tugged and pulled and yanked.  had to dig in my feet to hold him back - until i figured that I had to walk a lot faster and ahead of the rest - then he walks contently at my side.  He has a really gentle energy about him and is very good natured (he tolerated TWO dogs trying to hump him!!) andwill be a great companion to someone who needs an exercise buddy!:)  The family or person who decides to gives him a home he deserves will be blessed with this darling!

If you or anyone you know is keen to adopt this handsome boy - you can click on the photo to head to the fb page.  Or leave a comment if you would like more info about this dear fellow!

Lucky - the shelter dog who has one of the sweetest temperament. a very gentle energy about him and I think he will make a wonderful companion to someone deserving of him!  

floss

yes floss - the thing you use between your teeth.

funny how it can even be interesting enought to warrant a blog post.  then again, i'm a geek. so....

all along I never knew there was any difference in flosses - after all, it's just a string/thread.  how different can they be right?  and the price difference? I assume it was all just marketing and  branding.

One day, i absently minded bought the Oral B floss (despite its horrendous $6 price tag - probably a moment of weakness) and boy oh boy! Was I super surprised!  The floss was smooth, glided well between my teeth, and I didn't get any 'floss cuts'!  Yup, I actually get floss cuts from wrapping the floss so tightly round my fingers as the usual dental floss that I use are hard to get between the teeth and i need more grip.

so here are some of the dental floss i have used, and Oral B's the best out of the three.  It's close to $6 each at Watson/Guardian, and I am sooo happy to have found a much cheaper source!  $6 for TWO - at the supermarket near my home.  heh.  now i can happily continue to use good floss!

[caption id="attachment_1643" align="aligncenter" width="547"] dental floss that i tried![/caption]

 

Eco Dent Gentle Floss and Pearlie White are basically about the same.  Both were difficult to get in between the teeth and a few times, the floss got stuck and i got slightly worried cos' it was VERY difficult to get it out and I could feel tension on my teeth when it gets stuck - not a good thing for floss to be doing that.  I also got floss cuts on my fingers cos' it can be difficult to floss especially around the molars and I think i wrapped the floss to tightly around my fingers. heh.  I bought Eco Dent from iherb and Pearlie White from Guardian / Watsons.  sadly both don't work so great for me.

Oral B's the best! smooth, glides well between the teeth and I actually use less cos' I don't need so much thread to wrap around my finger for grip!

Ta-dA! review of dental floss.  yes - boring old geeky me. but hey! just in case you planning to buy some - now you know which is better!