It’s also better to drink it raw.. you consume all the live enzymes and more vitamins this way..

Yeah, I know it’s not a lot of fun to think about.. STD’s are gross so you usually try to keep it out of your head.  But bottom line: If you want to have fun in the sack, you should at least know that you’re safe AS WELL as your partner.

So now it comes down to getting tested.  How do you do this?  Well, I learned a while back that even with health insurance, I had to pay full price at the labs for the tests (over $800!).  My doctor didn’t know the costs, just wrote me a prescription for it.  When I went to the lab, they said that the tests weren’t covered under “Preventative Maintenance”.  I was like “Wow, so insurance companies are helping to discourage people from getting tested.  Great!”.  An STD test should be economical and encouraged.  It’s ridiculous that it costs this much.

So I did some research and I found some great solutions.

#1)  If you’re in Las Vegas, go to the Southern Nevada Health District (http://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/std-clinic/index.php).  There you can get screened for only $30.   They test for HIV, Hepatitis, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea.

#2)  If you don’t live in Las Vegas, go to: http://www.gytnow.org.   This site (sponsored by MTV) will take you to a directory of clinics in your neighborhood.

#3)  For additional testing, you can go to: http://www.requestatest.com.  There you can order specific lab tests and get them done for cheaper than going straight to the labs.

If you go to the SNHD, go early in the morning to avoid lines.  Be sure to drink lots of water as there is a piss test.  And there’s a blood test (ugh, i hate needles!).  If you have an active sex life with more than one partner then you should get tested no less than once every three months.  Just don’t forget the condom and be sure to take a look at the goods before getting down to business!

So that’s it.  Good luck, safe sex, peace, love and happiness

Your kitchen sponge
Maybe you’ve heard about the germs on your kitchen sponge (gross news flash—there may be as many as 20 million microbes on it right now). But here’s the deal: Your method for “cleaning” that sponge may be leaving it loaded with potentially hazardous bacteria that can make you ill. Researchers at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service found that some common cleaning methods for sponges—soaking them in a bleach solution, lemon juice or water—did not eradicate the germs.

What to do

The best ways to clean a dirty sponge, they say, are in the microwave (on high for one minute) and in the dishwasher, which will kill 99.9 percent of all germs.
Your bed
Have you been on a trip recently? If so, you may have brought home some hitchhikers—of the creepy-crawly variety. Bedbugs, tiny bloodthirsty insects, are hosts to organisms that cause hepatitis B and Chagas disease, say health experts. But the real problem seems to be the infections and allergic reactions that can sometimes result from bedbug bites.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, bedbugs are on the rise and becoming an increasing health problem. The insects, which hide in the crevices of mattresses and bedding, are showing up everywhere, from hostels to the swankiest hotels, and they often find their way into people’s luggage, transporting themselves to unsuspecting homes.

What to do

If you’ve done some traveling recently, and especially if you’ve noticed any mysterious bug bites, wash everything in your luggage and consider scrubbing your suitcase with a stiff brush before giving it a good vacuuming.

Your laptop
You’re the only one who uses it, so how dirty can it be? In a word: filthy. A study by researchers at the University of North Carolina Health Care System found that keyboards were loaded with germs.
Even more disgusting, the average public toilet bowl contains 41 germs per square inch. The average personal keyboard? Some 21,000 germs per square inch. “Toilet bowls get cleaned,” says Philip M. Tierno Jr., Ph.D., director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University Langone Medical Center, “but keyboards rarely do.”

What to do

Tierno says the best way to keep your laptop or computer’s keyboard clean is to gently wipe it down daily with disinfecting wipes.

Your shower curtain
According to research by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice, shower curtains and liners made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) may be harmful to your health.

Their study suggests that PVC releases potentially harmful chemicals into your bathroom. While there is still some debate among health experts about how much of these chemicals could be deemed harmful, many believe that limiting your exposure to chemicals, wherever possible, makes sense.

What to do

Check your shower curtain’s label to see if it’s made of vinyl or PVC. While not all manufacturers disclose this information, some retailers, like Ikea, have banned PVC shower curtains altogether, and Target has promised to phase out the material in its shower-curtain products in the months ahead.
Your laundry
Nobody thinks of the washing machine as a germ magnet—that’s where clothes get clean, right? Not if you’re using a public machine, and especially if that machine uses water that’s not hot enough, says Tierno.

Here’s why: Lower temperatures can encourage the spread of germs. Researchers at the University of Arizona found that intestinal viruses such as hepatitis A can be easily transferred from underwear to other garments during the washing process. Even worse, some germs can lurk in public washing machines and find their way to your clothes.

What to do

Wash your underwear and towels separately, using bleach if possible, and wash all towels in water that’s at least 155 degrees, which will kill most germs. Not sure if your apartment’s water temperature is hot enough? Talk to the building manager.

Your humidifier
Watch out for the humidifier, say germ experts. “If it’s not cleaned properly, a humidifier can become a repository for legionella and other pathogens that cause respiratory infections,” says Tierno.

What to do

If you like sleeping with a humidifier in your room, be sure to clean it often—at least a few times a week—by mixing a solution of one-part bleach to 19 parts water (for most humidifiers, this would equal about a half or full cup of bleach) and letting it sit for a few minutes before rinsing well.

Your doorknob
Think of the people who have touched your front doorknob in the past 48 hours: the UPS man, a neighbor, a solicitor, your friends—it’s easy to lose count. Now think of all the places they’ve been—the subway, public restrooms, grocery stores. Those germs are all on your doorknob right now, says Tierno.

Most people let their guard down when it comes to their own door handles, he says, but we shouldn’t: “Viruses can survive for days on doorknobs, and you can easily get cross contamination from them,” he says.

What to do

Make a habit of wiping down your doorknob frequently with sanitizing wipes or sprays. Have a copper doorknob? You may be in luck. Researchers in England found that copper door handles had 95 percent fewer microorganisms on them compared with other doorknobs. Scientists believe that many germs, including MRSA, may not be able to survive on copper.

Your salt and pepper shakers
When’s the last time you cleaned your salt and pepper shakers? Exactly. These unassuming little items get touched in all parts of the meal-prep process. Example: You give your sauce a dash of salt after touching raw chicken (oops) and then later set the shaker on the table.

What to do

Nobody thinks of cleaning their salt and pepper shakers, says Elizabeth Scott, Ph.D., assistant professor and co-director Simmons Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community at Simmons College, but to avoid cross-contamination and food poisoning, you should. “Best to wipe them with an EPA-registered disinfectant,” she says. “But better still, always wash your hands after handling raw foods and before touching anything else.”

It goes on and on.. and of course, you probably have no idea how INHUMANE the food industry is in growing and slaughtering the animals we eat. Even Satan would be like “Damn!”. I’m going to local farmers markets for now on for my food. You can find one close to you at http://www.eatwellguide.org.

I can’t wait to feel the difference now that I’m more aware of what I put in my body. We live our life as an ignorant mass, just like cattle, following the herd to fast food joints and fueling the system that only cares about the bottom dollar and could give a damn about our health! I’m disgusted at the Government and it’s corruption.. the FDA and USDA.. all being paid off to pass the worst bills that don’t alert the consumer or protect them from genetically and chemically altered food. It’s all about the meat and soy industry getting paid, about McDonalds lining up their pockets.. People.. wake up! Stop shoving food in your mouth unless you have some kind of idea of where it comes from!

Okay I’m done venting.. just my two cents..

Please go to the Food Inc website and sign the petition for better food guidelines for our schools.

For more info, check out this article at Apex Body

Recipe:

• 20 gms whey protein
• 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
• 5-6 ice cubes
• 1 cup water
• bad ass blender (vitamix 5000)

voila!

see more cool tips at www.apexbody.com

Ingredients for one serving

• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 4-5 stalks of green kale
• 1 lemon
• 2 SWEET apples
• 3 inches or more of fresh ginger

The above amount is for one drink.  This is how I make it instead. I buy 3 heads of romain lettuce, 20 stalks of green kale, 6 apples, 3 lemons, and 9 inches of fresh ginger. I juice all of this and make approximately 64 oz of green lemonade. I then use the water bottles from Sam’s Club (the small ones, usually around 8 oz each) and I fill up eight of these empty bottles with the juice. I then store the bottles of juice in my freezer and before I go to bed, I take one out and put it in the fridge so that its thawed out by morning and ready to drink.

For more info, check out the full article at Apex Body