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Saturday, April 30, 2016

**REVIEW** AMZ Review Trader (for businesses & reviewers)

For the longest time, Tomoson had been my fave place go-to spot to find products for reviewing. I still like Tomoson, but I'm fast becoming much more attached to another source: AMZ Review Trader.

AMZ is an Amazon Review Group. The products that Sellers/Businesses put out to be reviewed come from Amazon. It's perfect, really, because I love and use Amazon for almost everything anyway.


Image result for gadgetsWhat I like most about AMZ is the ease of using it. Tomoson has gotten a little complicated and I sometimes find the businesses/brands are too particular. Some of them want a lot of work out of a reviewer in exchange for not very much return on that time investment. Still, I really discovered a lot of my favorite brands that I continue to buy from, separate from review obligations.

If you are a blogger, reviewer, "influenser" - or whatever label you use, you might want to check out AMZ. Let me run down specifically what I like so much about the site (as a reviewer):

  • Easy to apply for review opportunities
  • Opps are shown with a countdown to the expiration date
  • Easy to track what you've applied and been accepted for (or not)
  • Allows you to control whether or not to accept an opp up to the last minute
  • Has lots of variety and categories
  • Reporting problems is super easy
  • Let's you sort the promotions in various ways
  • Your obligation is very to-the-point
  • Verifying your completion is so easy
Image result for kitchen accessoriesOf course, every site or program has glitches. Until recently, there was no way to page back and forth between the lists of items. That was just fixed and adds another plus in their favor. Sometimes, the Search feature doesn't work well. You have to be very specific in searching or you pull up all kinds of non-relevant items.

There's really nothing big to go on a list of Cons and, when there is, it's due to a Seller or business and not AMZ. Even in the case of a problem like that, that reporting system is on point. I love that.

As a blogger, I try to learn from other product review bloggers. When I see that another blogger is structuring their posts in a way that makes it easier for their readers, I will copy that. No shame in my game. Matter of fact, that's one of the reason I started using numbered and bulleted lists. That's called flattery by imitation. I wish the product review groups and sources would learn from each other.
Image result for cell phone accessories
I have to say that when I check between the different sites. looking for possible items to review, I usually go with AMZ. Basically, they make it easy for the blogger to view and review items, then they make it even easier to verify the review. 
Image result for hair products
If you are interested in getting into doing reviews, I'll repeat what I've said in the past: start by building up your profile as a reviewer. Use Amazon to review things that you've bought and can speak about with reasonable knowledge. Find all the various places that want you to review things. Actually, there's really no system for getting started except to just start. Check out SheSpeaks, BzzAgent, Influenster, etc. (I've posted before about these different places.) 

By the way, most of the product reviewers I personally know of are female. Are there lots of men getting in on doing reviews? I hope so. If you don't know, there are a ton of products that would be of interest to almost anyone, regardless of gender. For example, I pretty much stick to cosmetics, kitchen and natural health/beauty items. Every day, I skip over a lot of cell phone accessories (though I have done quite a few of those), foods and beverages, clothing (maybe when I get back to my fighting weight!), gardening tools, work tools, books, automobile accessories, medical items and aids, and toys. Some lucky person got to try a counter-top washing machine. I saw the photos on Instagram and was just salivating for a chance at anything as cool as that.
Image result for gardening tools
Let me know if you know of other places. Let me know what you men think of product review.

Peace
--Free

Friday, April 29, 2016

**REVIEW** SoundPEATS vs LG Tone Pro (headsets)

This is LG HBS-760 Tone Pro headset that I got from AT&T. Current Price: $39.99 (I paid around $69.00 for the first pair 2 years ago and have been given replacements)

3 of 5 stars from me


This is the SoundPEATS Q800 headset I got from Amazon. Current Prime Price: $21.99 (I paid $19.99 last year)

4 of 5 stars and 1 heart = 5 stars LOL

When I wrote an Amazon review for the SoundPEATS (SP) headphones, my Tone Pro (TP) was still my favorite (even though it was broken, which I why I got the SoundPEATS). In comparing the 2 sets, I was team Tone Pro all the way. I thought the SB wasn't as nicely designed. Also, I thought the sound quality wasn't as good. I did concede that, for the low price, it was a decent headphone to use as a backup. (After the TP set kept breaking down, I was glad for the backup!)

I used to have the Tone Pro VERSION, then it went wacky. One earbud quit seemed to get a short and would work off and on, depending on how I positioned the cord. That got tiresome. I took advantage of the AT&T 1-year replacement warranty. The replacement worked great. For a while. The next time I had to replace it, the headset had been upgraded. I thought that was great. Maybe the new version would actually work for a longer period of time. Uh... Nope. And that's whey I stopped using the SP as backup and made it my full-time headset.

Funny that my opinion about the SP set changed so much when I was actually using it all day, every day. When I review products for brands, I make sure to give whatever the item is a good chance. I look at the Pros and Cons from every angle, then I make my judgement call. When I reviewed the SPs the first time, I tried them out for about half and hour (or maybe even less), and decided they were only good enough for a standby.

Once I had no choice but to use the SPs as my main headset, I paid more attention to the design and sound quality. This is what I should have done in the first place. (And, by the way, I did have a choice about using them, but I was too cheap and lazy to hunt down a new set,)

I've been using the SPs for about 3 weeks now. I like them so much that I take them for granted. I almost forgot about the old review I'd done on them. The other day, someone asked me what kind of headset I was wearing and I told them. I added that they had been so well-priced that I wish I had been using them all along. And that's when I remembered the old review.

My headset works so much better than the pricey LGs. The one thing I still don't like as much about them are the large buttons. I wish the ends were sleeker, but... I don't have complaints about the sound quality anymore.

I use these things constantly. I have a slight hearing problem and I also have trouble concentrating on one thing when lots of things are going on around me. With my headset, I can listen to (and focus on) my audio books, podcasts, and - most importantly - phone calls.

In general, I recommend that everyone should use a headset for using their phone. It sure makes driving a lot safer. Wearing my headset frees up my hands and allows me to keep my phone out of the way. Before now, when I would cradle my phone between my ear and shoulder, I came close to dropping it into dishwater. Now, I can keep my phone safely in my pocket, purse, or clipped to my clothes via a holster.

So I really want to back peddle on that first review. I wasn't being fair to SoundPEATS. Once I gave these earphones a real trial, I had to go back and admit that they are more than worth it for the price I paid.

I still have a fondness for the Tone Pro headset. When it worked, I loved it. I liked the look of it and the feel of the buttons. But I'd rather drive a hooptie that runs consistently than a Maserati that keeps breaking down.

Because the SoundPEATS work so well, I'm thinking of getting a second one. I have my current ones paired to both my phone and computer. Switching from one to the other is also another feature that works better with these than the Tone Pro. Still, I want to look at getting another color as a birthday gift to myself. Maybe this time I'll get a really jazzy color...

So, to the makers of SoundPEATS, I want to apologize for kinda, sorta slamming your product. I've gone back and updated my review. I gave this 4 of 5 stars on Amazon.

Peace
--Free

(Apologies to readers. I know that my grammar and tense constancy was horrible in the post. It's been a rough morning.)

Sunday, April 24, 2016

**REVIEW** Natural Nail Polish Remover

Out of all the "natural" products I've tried or heard of, I never even expected to see nail polish remover. I guess, I just never thought of something strong enough to strip nail polish could be natural.

When I saw this being offered to reviewers, I applied mostly so that I could prove how awful it would be. I'm not always a big old ball of positive sunshine/ Go figure.


As soon as I opened the bottle, first thing I did was a sniff test. And... Nothing. I smelled nothing. Since I always have or am getting over a cold, I had someone else sniff this. They also smelled nothing.

Interesting.

Also interesting is that this looks and feels like an oil. Almost like a cuticle oil or some other very "thin" oil-based product.

Next test was to just try it to see if it would work. I was going to be putting this stuff to an extreme test by using my toenails. I was wearing 2 coats of polish that I'd done a couple of weeks before. Since the original coating, I'd been adding polish to the tips. (It's finally sandal-wearing weather, so...). I would guess that, all told, I had 2 coats in the center and at least 4 coats along the tips. I'm too lazy to re-do my whole nail more than once a month. Which is why I only tested the polish on one nail for the time being!

This is what I started with:

It might be time for a pro pedi!
I started with couple drops of remover on a cotton ball. Then I wiped at the nail a couple of times, like I do with regular polish remover. The ball picked up just a tinge of the color, but my nail was still fully polished. Huh. Maybe I was doing something wrong.

I was.

When I went back to look  more carefully at the actually look at the instructions on the bottle, I see this:


Ohhhhh..... LOL! I really do have to learn to pay attention to instructions.

Starting over, I added about 3 drops to a fresh cotton ball, then let it sit on the nail. Still, I didn't wait a full 5 minutes. I barely waited a whole minute. I think I lasted about 45 seconds before I started rubbing the ball across the polish, and... wow.



No drying, no ash/residue, no smell. The used cotton balls didn't even stick to me like when I use regular removers.

I have to say, I'm impressed. I used only 2 cotton balls (and ended up using a full dropper of remover) and managed to clean all the polish. I still never did wait as long as directed.

Not only is there none of the unpleasant odor if regular removers, this one had even more positives. For one thing, if you look at the photo of the cleaned nail, you can see that the surrounding skin looks more conditioned and moisturized. Because of the lighting, it's harder to see the effect on the nail itself, but it was also conditioned and shiny. My cuticles (which are naturally very dry) felt and looked better than ever. I haven't had a pro pedi since I was in Texas back in November. Regular salon visits are just not in my budget.

Let's go back and look at the label and what not in this remover (I highlighted the list with a red heart):



My next question, obviously, was how does this work then? I suppose the answer is: It's all about the ingredients. Those ingedients are:


  • Methyl Oleate (see below)
  • Palmitate
  • Linoleate
  • Stearate (magnesium or calcium, I don't know) ...
  • and other "proprietary" botanical mixtures (Okay)

I can understand why brands keep parts of their ingredients secret. They are trying to sell you something, after all, and not give you the formula. Otherwise, a lot of folks would be mixing up their own Coca Cola in their kitchens. Maybe.

The biggest thing that struck me about this list of ingredients is that the first one is tied right into something I've been talking so much about lately. Apparently, Methyl Oleate, is related to a honey bee pheremone.

Anyway, this stuff really does work. As far as quibbling about what "natural" might mean, I'm not going to push it with this. Since the nail polish I wear is not exactly "natural", I can accept using a less toxic than usual remover.

This bottle should last about as long as the same size bottle of regular remover would. I guess it would really depend on how often you change your polish. After using this correctly (and more than once), I've decided that this might even last longer than regular removers because there's no evaporation like there is with

Finally, you should go over and read the entire product description for yourself. There's info about how this is rated with people who monitor chemicals and such. Also, notice that there is a "no questions asked" refund policy.


Peace
--Free






DISCLOSURE:
In exchange for providing my fair and honest review, I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free or at a discount using AMZ Review Trader. Regardless, I only review products that I have personally used and can give an opinion of.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

**ApothaCare** The *Other* Honeys

When I started looking into the various types of honeys, I had no idea how far down a rabbit hole I was sliding. It's a nice slide. I'm learning more than I expected to.

Last post, I mentioned how pricey Manuka honey can be. I wanted to look at some other types of honey that might be just as healing.  One of the sites where I found so much good information is called Benefits of Honey. It's a pretty amazing source of information and it's where I first heard of these "medicinal grade" honeys:

I haven't found any of those at my local health food store, but I will mention them to the folks there. What I can find there is pretty varied, some of which are mentioned a lot in the online health communities:
And lots more, including those made locally (Fireweed is one I want to try).

Soon, I will get the chance to try out some actual raw honeycomb and even some Propolis Extract. Neither of them cost me anything due to a gift card, so... I can't wait to let you guys know all about that.

To close out this post, let me tell you how I have been experimenting with using honey lately:

  • As a face wash: Mix a little bit of honey with a 1 or 2 drops of water. Rub between palms to warm. Apply to face (avoiding eye area). Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Rinse and use your usual moisturizer. I've done this for  about 3 days now after seeing it on Crunchy Betty. My face always feels good when I do a honey mask, but doing this every day gives some really good results. Don't know why I only ever did this on an every-now-and-then basis!
  • As a lip healing salve: I get cold sores. Always have. I swear I think someone with a cold sore infected me as an infant! Mostly happens when I am stressed. I've been using really expensive (but highly effective) Abreva,, which I always keep on hand. The last time that I felt that itchy little tingle that indicates a sore coming on, I dabbed on some honey with a Q-Tip and just let it sit there like a sugary mole. Guess what? I never did have to pull out the Abreva as a backup. Hmmm.
  • For intermittent/alternate day fasting: As I said recently, I need to fast more often. Since I got back to using the honey-water on a more regular basis, I discovered that I can fast for up to 18 hours every other day as long as I nourish myself with a little bit of honey. This is great because I had been fasting off and on, but never more than once a month (truth be told!). I guess all this discussion of my love of honey has inspired me. After the first couple of times, it gets easier to go for longer and longer periods. I started with 10 hours, then 15, then 18. Think about it, for around 6 hours of that time, I'm sleeping anyway. (I'll make sure to post more about this after I've been doing it for a while.) By the way, some people opt for setting aside days for "calorie restriction" instead of total fasting. Since I have, on some fasting days, ingested some light broth (in addition to my honey-water drinks), I guess I'm riding in the "calorie restriction" lane. You'll have to get in where you fit in, healthwise.
I'd love to hear from anyone who's been lucky enough to try some of these honeys. 

Peace
--Free

Friday, April 22, 2016

**ApothaCare** For the Love of Honey: Manuka Mania

In the last post, I talked about my love of honey and the various favorites I have. This post, I have to talk about one that I would just love to try:

Image result for manuka honey

Manuka honey is a prized type among honey lovers. While I do think it's a very potent honey (as far as its healing benefits), I've learned about other honey types that may be just as good. I'll be talking about those later. For now, on to Manuka and why it's such a big deal.

By the way, there is a bit of Manuka honey in the Antioxidant blend that I mentioned in the previous post, I don't know how much is in the blend, or how "active" it is. And by "active" I mean- Well, just keep reading and it will start to make sense.

The first place I looked for some info on Manuka honey and other types was WebMD, and this is what they had to say in part:
Looks like peanut butter, huh?
"But not all honey is the same. The antibacterial quality of honey depends on the type of honey as well as when and how it's harvested. Some kinds of honey may be 100 times more potent than others." (source)
Basically, it goes on to say that where most honey types are known for being protecting against bacteria and infection, as well as being anti-inflammatory,  Manuka honey (MH) and some other types of honey have multiple components that are beneficial.

As I mentioned in last post, I learned that one of the key components in honey is hydrogen peroxide.

Since I do love honey so much, I really wanted to see if I could find some that I could afford (like maybe in a sample size), and I did find some. One Seller on Amazon lists a reasonably-priced jar of Manuka, but... something about the wording on the label made me hesitate.

When I doubt, read the reviews! I'm really thankful to the other people who take time to review products online (whether "in exchange" for a product or not). When I checked reviews for the brand of Manuka I was thinking of buying, I noticed one that stood out. It was very informative and detailed. I'm not kidding when I say this reviewer did an amazing job of listing some things to look for when buying Manuka honey. I sure hope he/she doesn't mind my copying his comments to share because I love their reviews on the site (my emphasis on certain points).
1. It says UMF, MGO, or OMA clearly on the front of the jar
2. It says “Active” on it
3. It is packed into jars and labelled in New Zealand
4. It’s from a New Zealand company that is licensed to use the name UMF (which is actually a trademarked name), OMA, or MGO
5. It has the UMF, OMA, or MGO licensee’s name on the front label
6. It has at least a rating of UMF or OMA 15+ or more, or if it is MGO, then at least 250+
Apparently 16 is the highest rating that is naturally found. While there are manuka honeys rated above 20, I've heard that some companies artificially reach this lofty rating for marketing purposes, so I’m sticking with 16 and probably wouldn't go lower than that.
0 – 10 is pretty much just normal honey, and while ratings 10 – 15 are less expensive and have some beneficial properties, they don’t have as much as we’d like. I figure that if I’m going to shell out for honey that’s pricier than normal, I may as well go ahead and get the real good stuff!
 Now that is a super helpful review. It sure saved me from possibly adding the wrong item to my Shopping Cart.


You should definitely check out the full article on WebMD if you've been interested in trying (or learning about) Manuka honey. It even explains something else I was wondering about: what's up with the different types of ratings I've been seeing while browsing for Manuka honey. Remember what that reviewer mentioned about the ratings? Well, here's some clarification on that:
  • MG =  methylglyoxal  which is an  found in most types of honey, but usually only in small quantities.In manuka honey, MG comes from the conversion of another compound -- dihydroxyacetone -- that is found in high concentration in the nectar of manuka flowers.The higher the concentration of MG, the stronger the antibiotic effect. 
  • UMF = "Unique Manuka Factor" . To be considered potent enough to be therapeutic, manuka honey needs a minimum rating of 10 UMF.  (my emphasis)
  • "Active" = Honey at or above the 10 UMF level is marketed as "UMF Manuka Honey" or "Active Manuka Honey."
When I checked around. I went back to the best source to explain the grading system for Manuka honey. If you're super-vigilant (or just nosy like me), you can go in and search for one of the many, many papers and reports written by researchers.

Of course, I can look lots of places for the claims about the power of Manuka honey, like here, but I'm still educating myself. I've contacted the UMF org for more information since using their search system for licencees was tricky. I'll keep you posted.
Now that thing is, I was really wanting to try the Manuka honey. Until I saw those Manuka prices at local health food stores and online. Yikes. If that honey really is as healing as is claimed, I'd need it to heal my pocketbook after buying any of it. I saw prices from $49 to $112 for anywhere from 4 to 8 ounces. Whenever I found a jar that was more in my price range (I saw one jar for around $30), I noticed that the rating was low (in the 5+ range).

I will wait until I can find a decent jar of Manuka that doesn't require me to go without any other groceries for a month! Probably, I will go ahead and get the same brand pictured at the start of this post. For one thing, I was able to check that Y.S. is one of the suppliers that is actually licensed and legit. For another thing, the price was decent for the 15+ rated honey.

Next post, I will talk about some of the honeys that might be as potent as Manuka honey. Stay tuned.

Peace
--Free

Thursday, April 21, 2016

**ApothaCare** My Love of Honey

I'm going to do a little bit of a series on honey. For this first post, I figure I'll just go over how & why I came to love honey, then I can go into some general information about it. But, first, a little prelude:

When I was still getting used to not being as healthy as I had been pre-illness, I knew I wanted to explore a more natural lifestyle. Growing up, I knew of (or was even related to) people who relied heavily on "natural" medicines and remedies for just about everything health and beauty related.

"Back home", there were people who had a mouthful of healthy teeth well into their elder years (and they'd never used anything but tar or tree branches for dental hygiene); pregnant women ate more of certain foods while avoiding others (to benefit their unborn); women doctored pre-existing cosmetics - or just made up their own (because what they needed didn't exist); and I know that there were many herbs and oils used regularly that we ignore today. (By the way, here is one person's story of the healing power of honey.)

Of course, I also come from a line of people who didn't have the best diets. People in my family have died of various cancers, complications from high blood pressure, and heart disease. This was a big factor in my wanting to do things differently.

I no longer eat pork like it's a daily dose of nutrition, I stopped indulging my chocolate cravings on a regular basis (bye bye Snickers!), and I gave up soda a long while back in my late thirties. I refuse to give up my beloved java, and a couple of less-than-healthy habits are.... well, that's always going to be a battle.

The biggest health decision I made in the past few years was to work really hard at what I can control while fighting the good fight against tougher bad habits.

Now, what I am good at is learning to like things that are healthy for me. Eating more vegetables and "good" foods is never a struggle for me. Exercising gets easier as I lose more weight. And, of course, I just love some things that can be healthy. This brings me up to my love affair with honey.

Honey is, basically, good for me. In moderation. If it's the good stuff. If I use it right.

I can (and do) regularly use honey as a food, a medicine, and a hair and beauty product. It's usually both affordable and readily available where I live. In addition to the "Desert Honey" I've talked about, here are some of my favorite types of honey:

1 - The Really Raw brand of really raw (seriously) honey is probably my all-time favorite (my "mostest" favorite!) The texture is so beautiful. I joke that it's probably as about as raw as you can get without licking the butt of a bee.

What I really love about this is that there are actually pieces of the honeycomb (and the propolis and pollen) in the jar. The label tells you about chewing these crunchy little "cappings" like gum and that's exactly what I always do! I can never wait to get a new jar home so that I can scrape some of the surface where these pieces rise and settle. Yum.

Another reason I favor this honey is the price. Even for Alaska, it's affordable and reasonable. For the 8oz jar that I usually get, the price is around $12. Not bad, right? Also, because it tastes so good and feels really nutritious, I never use a lot at one time. Some people like to use their honey on toast, but I no longer eat much bread. What I like to do with this one is fight a craving for junk-like food by slowly eating a small bit off the spoon. (Note that I don't use this for my honey-water drinks. Those cappings that taste so good, aren't very appetizing when floating around in water. Plus, it's not as much fun if I can't just chew those pieces!)

Finally (and this is something I never noticed until I was writing this post) the jar is labelled with this info: "Really Raw Honey never spoils, it lasts indefinitely." I do need to start paying more attention to things!


 2 - Y.S. Organic Bee/Eco Bee Farms brand of organic raw honey is my standard fave. When I am super tightly budgeted, I can always get this in one of the various sizes. For the 8oz jar, I pay about $10. I really trust this brand as much as I trust Really Raw.


It might upset some people to know that I'm not a fanatic about things being "organic", but I am a complete maniac for raw honey.

When I was first using a lot of honey, I shopped purely based on prices. I'd go to Walmart and grab the biggest bottle of honey that I could find. I needed to be thrifty because I was using that honey for all my needs - food, face and hair.

Once I learned how unreliable the quality is for most brands of honey, I became a lot more picky. I still use the cheaper stuff for my hair and face, but I prefer saving up and very carefully using the good stuff for my nutritional needs.

This raw honey is really yummy and creamy and just so nice for any kind of food use.



 For folks who do care deeply about things being organic, this qualifies, I think. Mainly, I just really trust the brand and like the taste of this honey. It's the honey that I use in my honey-water when I do my once-a-month liquid fasts (which I outline at end of post).



By the way, for calorie counters, in my opinion, I think honey makes a nice substitute for white (and even some other types of) table sugars. When I eat honey, I think of the calories as being "nutritious calories".


3 - My jar of Tupelo Honey is also from Y.S. Eco Bee.  Despite loving the heck out of the Van Morrison song, I find this honey almost too sweet. That's not a bad thing because I love to put that sweetness to good use. When I am drinking green teas (which I need to drink more of), or doing a honey-water fast, I can add the tiniest bit of Tupelo honey and get all the sweetness I need in that little shot.  (And.  trust me, if you use certain teas in your honey-water fast, you will want some sweetness...) This is probably the best honey ever to sweeten hot cereals with. Just remember that a little bit is all you need!







 4 - This Antioxidant Power Honey is one of the special blends from YS Eco. I like it for 2 main reasons: first, it's raw and, second it's a blend of 4 types of honey that I can't afford to buy separately.











I have never tried Buckwheat or Manuka honey of any type, but I've had various other floral honeys. I get this one especially because it contains Manuka honey. (I will talk a lot about Manuka honey in the next post.)

The next image explains some about the benefits of certain types of honey.



 So, those are my staple honeys. As much as I have used honey for the healthy benefits, it wasn't until recently that I started to look into details. Some of what I have learned was pretty interesting:

  • The reason you shouldn't feed honey to infants less than a year old is because it could cause infant botulism. Go ahead, check out the info for yourself.
  • One of honey's components is... hydrogen peroxide. To clarify, honey contains an enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide. Still... Wow, Who knew? Not me.
  • It is Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-fungal: “All honey is antibacterial, because the bees add an enzyme that makes hydrogen peroxide,” said Peter Molan, director of the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato in New Zealand.(source(I will get back to to part of this point in the post on Manuka honey.)
  • Honey might possibly help with memory retention. Key word: 'possibly'. (source)
  • Helps wounds heal. (I remember my mother and other elders using honey for this when I was young.)
  • Is good for hair and skin care.
  • Is generally more nutritious than sugar (even though it's usually higher in calories).
  • Eating honeycomb is common, but you can cause yourself serious stomach problems if you eat too much of it!
Another thing I learned while researching some of this is that there are many, many more types and varieties of honey than I ever imagined. Right now, I'm pretty thankful that between my local health food store and my Amazon Prime membership, I can surely find whatever kind I want to try.

Since there are so many kinds of honey, it's easier to list where you can do your own research than it is to list the honey. So...
If you are interested in honey, I hope this was a good start to the series. Next up will be




Peace
--Free



P.S.: About my honey-water-tea fasting

Honey-water fasting is something I find really easy and simple to do about once every other a month. I need to work up to doing it more often and for longer periods of time, but... baby steps... 

For 1 or 2 days, I will attempt to go without solid food. I'll just sip on honey-water with maybe a tea bag thrown in the mix. If I am just super hungry, I'll drink a little warm chicken broth until the craving for something heavier passes. I know that some people do this for weight-loss reasons. For me, it's just a nice and (pretty much) easy way to let my body rest from the inside. Surprisingly, I never even thought of these days as fasting days. I always just thought that I was making myself depend on the nutrition of the honey and hydration of the water and teas to beat fatigue. Maybe because honey tends to be one of those "whole foods", I don't usually feel hungry enough to break the fast for anywhere from 12 to 30 hours. Having the broth helps because it has so much flavor after hours and hours of nothing but honey, tea and water! 

The best thing about this is that, for a day or two, I can let my body sort of clean itself out. It's great when I've been hitting the fast food or a lot of meat (okay, pork) for mealtimes. I guess because I don't set such strict guidelines for doing it, I never feel as if I'm suffering. Like I said, if I do get hungry, I can eat something really light and healthy. I will usually eat a little bit of honey (the Really Raw kind)  off of a spoon. Now if I could only do my fasting for prayer and meditation so well!