Ringim, A. S., Knoche, S., & Ritchie, K. (17-21 April 2023). Sika deer hunters' opinions and preferences for hunting regulations in Maryland. Presented at the 28th Annual Undergraduate and Graduate Research Symposium, Morgan State University, Maryland, United States.
Ringim, A. S. and Lucky, A. O. (17-21 July 2022). Dragonflies and damselflies of Nigeria, OdonataMAP report, 2010 - 2022. Presented at the North American Congress for Conservation Biology (NACCB) conference, Reno, Nevada, United States.
Ringim, A. S., Knoche, S., & Ritchie, K. (2-5 April 2022). Human dimensions of Sika deer management on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore. Presented at the 77th Northeast Fish and Wildlife Conference, Long Branch, New Jersey, United States.
Muhammad, S. I., Hanson, H., Ringim, A. S., Muhammad, I. L. & Onoja, J. (1- 2 December 2021). Waterbird population estimates in Hadejia-Nguru wetlands: analysis of a five-year monitoring program. Presented at West African wetland conference, Centre for African Wetlands, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Ringim, A. S. (2–3 October 2021). LepiMAP – progress report on the atlas of the butterflies and moths of Nigeria, 2010 – 2021. Presented at 38th Annual Lepidopterists Society of Africa (Lepsoc) conference, Nestlé Centre, Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, South Africa.
Abdullahi, H. A. & Ringim, A. S. (27-29 October 2020). A preliminary study on the habitat ecology and breeding population of two sympatric herons in Audu Bako Zoological Garden, Kano State. Presented at 7th Biodiversity Conservation conference, Nigeria Chapter of Society for Conservation Biology, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
Ringim, A. S., Ottosson, U., Ivande, S. T., Tende, T., Muhammad, S. I., Awoyemi, A., Apeverga, P. T., Hanson, H., Kevin, E., & Abubakar, H. M. (16–19 September 2019). Bird diversity and birdwatching tourism: implications for wildlife conservation and economic diversification. Presented at the 3rd Annual conference of the Wildlife Society of Nigeria (WISON), University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
Ringim, A. S., Ivande, S. T., Muhammad, S. I., Apeverga, P. T., Lawan, N., & Isa, S. M. (8–12 July 2019). Rapid Biodiversity Assessment of Birds for Monitoring Species Richness in Important Bird Areas. Presented at 1st International Conference of the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management, University of Lagos, Nigeria.
Ringim, A. S. & Abubakar, Y. (7–11 April 2019). Impact of urbanisation on biodiversity using birds as indicator species. Presented at 6th Nigeria Tropical Biology Association (NTBA), Federal University Dutse, Dutse, Jigawa State, Nigeria.
Ringim, A. S. & Aliyu, D. (6–12 May 2018). Bird species richness, relative abundance, and conservation statuses in protected and unprotected areas of the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands. Presented at 6th Nigerian Chapter of Society for Conservation Biology Conference, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
Ringim, A. S. (8–10 November 2017). Diversity and density of avifauna in different protection areas: the case study of Hadejia-Nguru wetlands. Presented at 12th Annual Conference of Zoological Society of Nigeria, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria.
Ringim, A. S. & Ndangalasi, H. J. (2–6 July 2017). Vascular plant species composition and diversity in Hadejia-Nguru wetlands. Presented at 25th Annual Conference of Botanical Society of Nigeria, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto State, Nigeria.
Salami, K. D, Nurudeen, T. A. and Ringim, A. S. (23–24 January 2018). Status of forest ecosystem and its conservation in Nigeria. Presented at World Environmental Conservation Conference, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State.
Abubakar, M. M., Kutama, A. S., Sulaiman, I. M. & Ringim, A. S. (23-24 January 2017). Impact of climate change on the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands. Presented at the International Conference on Environment and Natural Science, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Ringim, A. S. (20–24 June 2016). Diversity and foraging guilds: focus on the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands avifaunal community. Presented at 4th NTBA/NSCB Joint Biodiversity Conference, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
Ringim, A. S. & Muhammad, S. I. (30 March – 1 April 2016). A new paradigm for planning and conservation of Nigeria’s biodiversity hotspot: the Niger Delta. Presented at Science for Sustainable Development, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Ringim, A. S., Abubakar, M. M., Sulaiman, I. M., & Tasi’u, T. (10–11 August 2015). Wetlands resource use, conflict, management and conservation: review of the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands, northeast, Nigeria. Presented at the Postgraduate International Conference, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Abubakar, H. M., Ringim, A. S. & Ottosson, U. First documented leucism in African thrush Turdus pelios. Malimbus (In press N119).
Ringim, A. S.,Muhammad, S. I., Bako, L.A., Abubakar, H. M., Isa, S. M., Nelly, D.J., Bajoga, A. B., Bunu, A. S., Adam, H. A., Jalo, I. M., Eveso, J. O., Mathew, E. D., Dan Malam, B. A., Mador, U., Paul, J. I., Aminu, I., Lawal, A., Izang, J. I., Abu, P. N. (2022). How citizen scientists are rapidly generating big distribution data: lessons from the Arewa Atlas Team, Nigerian Bird Atlas Project, Ostrich, DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2022.2058105
Muhammad, S. I., Harry, H. J., Ringim, A. S., Lawan, M. I. & Onoja, J. (2022). Waterbird Population Estimates in Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands: Analysis of a Five-Year Monitoring Program. Wetlands, 42:12.
Ringim, A. S., Mohammed, H. A. & Tende, T. (2021). Trade and belief-based use of Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumenifer in Nigeria, West Africa. SIS Conservation, 3.
Akindele, E.O., Ekwemuka, M.C., Apeverga, P., Amusa, T.O., Olajuyigbe, S., Coker, O.M., Olaleru, F., Fasona, M., Usen, E.N., Ringim, A.S., Adedoja, O.A., Nsude, C.C., Ota, C.A., Oluowa, F.E., Onatunji, A., Adedapo, A., Kolawolo-Daniels, A. (2021). Assessing awareness on biodiversity conservation among Nigerians: the Aichi Biodiversity Target 1. Biodiversity and Conservation, 30(7), 1947-1970.
Abubakar, H. M. & Ringim, A. S. (2020). Red-pate Cisticola Cisticola ruficeps in Potiskum, northeast Nigeria. Malimbus, 42, 24-26.
Ringim, A. S. BirdPix – report on the photographic atlas of the birds of Nigeria, 2012–2019 (2020). Biodiversity Observations, 11(4), 1-10.
Ringim, A. S., Ibrahim, J. I., Ottosson, U., Ivande, S. T., Tende, T., & Ezekiel, S. P. (2020). An extension to the known range of the Grey-backed Fiscal Lanius excubitoroides in Nigeria. Malimbus, 42, 31-32.
Ringim, A. S. (2019). A leucistic Long-tailed Glossy Starling Lamprotornis caudatus. Malimbus, 41, 60-61.
Ringim, A. S., Abu, P., Ottosson, U., Ivande, S. T., Tende, T., Abubakar, H. M., Okwhofase, J., Ezekiel, S. P. & Muhammad, S. I (2020). Range extension and breeding of the House Sparrow Passer domesticus in Nigeria. Malimbus, 41, 63-65.
Ringim, A. S. & Shafi’u, A. (2019). Composition and diversity of birds: a comparative study between two wetlands. FUTY Journal of the Environment, 13(1): 75-83.
Ringim, A. S. & Aliyu, D. (2018). Bird species richness, relative abundance and conservation status in protected and unprotected areas of the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands. The Zoologist, 16: 12-20.
Ringim, A. S., Magige, F. J. & John J. R. M. (2018). Diversity and density of avifauna in areas with different protection status: a case study in Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands, North-eastern Nigeria. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental of Sciences, 44(2): 117-125.
Ringim, A. S. & Dogara, M. M. (2017). A survey of avifauna and vegetation communities in Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands, Nigeria. Bayero Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, 10(2), 1-10.
Ringim, A. S., Magige, F. J. & John J. R. M. (2017). A comparative study of species diversity of migrant birds between protected and unprotected areas of the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands, Nigeria. Tanzania Journal of Science, 43(1), 110-122.
Ringim, A. S. & H. Jr. Harry (2017). Is the bird population in the Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands under threat? West African Journal of Applied Ecology, 25(2), 57-77.


Every Month is Pet Dental Month
Many owners are diligent about their pet’s dental care during February, National Pet Dental Month, but dental care extends beyond one month. Dental disease is the most common medical problem seen among dogs and cats. People understand the importance of dental care and routinely have their teeth cleaned. With our pets, dental care is a less common practice. Studies by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) reveal that nearly two-thirds of pet owners do not provide the dental care recommended by veterinarians. At Prescott Animal Hospital, it is our goal to educate our community on the importance of routine dental care, before it is a serious problem and oral surgery is required. We understand that pet owners are often surprised about the cost of recommended veterinary services and dental care is no exception. We do not want owners to chose care for their pet based strictly on price; we want them to chose based on the value and quality of care their pet is receiving. Our recommendations include what we feel is in the best health and safety interest of the patient. We believe each patient is unique and we treat each patient based on their individual needs. Periodontal disease (dental disease) is the destruction of bone, gum tissue and structures that hold the teeth in place. This disease is caused by bacterial infection that spreads underneath the gum line. Significant damage is already done by the time there are obvious signs of periodontal disease, such as bad breath, painful and loose teeth. Dogs and cats in the advanced stages of periodontal disease often require oral surgery to extract many teeth. This disease can also affect the overall health of your pet, including heart, liver and kidneys.


Wildlife in Himachal Pradesh enchants you into a glorious holiday tour with promises of enigmatic jungle secrets and Himalayan glory.
Wildlife like Brown Bears, Gorals, Snow Leopards, Serows, Ibex and Bharals greet you on tours to Himachal wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. Himachal Pradesh has some of the well-known wildlife sanctuaries that give you an opportunity to spot tigers or leopards watch different species of birds or even do hunting in some areas. For the purpose of hunting, tourists are required to take prior permission from the forest department and concerned state government. It would be an altogether different experience while looking out for your favorite animal in the lap of lush green valleys.
Some of the important wildlife national parks in Himachal Pradesh that feature in the tourism 'must visit' list are:
THE GREAT HIMALAYAN NATIONAL PARK
The Great Himalayan National Park consists of the upper catchment areas of the Tirthan, Sainj and Jiwa rivers, which flow westwards and feed the Beas River. Though large scale felling in easily accessible areas were carried out during the second World War, the area is one of the least disturbed in the state. It therefore consists of relatively good forests and meadows, which support an extremely diverse wild life population. This includes the largest remaining population of Himalayan Tahr in Himachal Pradesh. The park is also one of the only two places of India, where anything more than a remnant population of Western Tragopan is known to survive. Total area occupied by the The Great Himalayan National Park is 62,000 hectares. Part of the present area ( 8,396 hectares ) was declared sanctuary ( Tirthan ) on 17th June 1976. On 1st March 1984, it was declared a national park. Besides the Tirthan sanctuary which is the part of Nationa Park, it is also boarded by Pin Valley National Park on the North-East, Kanawar sanctuary on the North-West and Rupi Bhaba sanctuary to the east. all these together constitute Himachal Pradesh's largest protected wild life region.
Simbalbara sanctuary is located in Paonta Valley of Sirmour District. This area bears beautiful dense Sal forests with grassy glades. This is probably the most picturesque area of Shiwaliks. There is a perennial stream in the area. Simbalbara Forest Rest House is connected by a fair weather road from Puruwala and provides a beautiful view of the valley. Goral, Sambhar and Chittal can be easily seen here. There are walking trails in the quiet adjoining forests.Winter is the best season to visit this sanctuary.
Chail Sanctuary is situated in one of the districts of Shimla, the Chail Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh is the best retreat for the wildlife buffs and nature lovers. Declared as a wildlife sanctuary in the year 1976, Chail Sanctuary shrouded in Deodar and Oak Forests is the store house of a rich variety of flora and fauna.Explore the sprawling acres of greenery and dense woodlands of Chail Sanctuary still unspoilt by the crowds and pollution. Nestled amidst the green valleys with the snow clad peaks in the background, Chail Sanctuary remains the ideal destination for the wildlife lovers.The Chail Sanctuary has a rich variety of flora and fauna. From the rare orchids to the endangered species you can find them here.
One can see the glimpse of animals and birds like Sambar, Goral, Common Langur, Leopard, Rhesus Macaque, Himalayan Black Bear, Red Deer, Silver-White Oak, Barking Deer, Indian Hare, Yellow Throated Marten, Indian Porcupine, Common Giant and Kashmiri Flying Squirrel and Pheasants. The Chir Pheasants breeding and rehabilitation Programme was introduced here.The major tourist attractions of the Chail Sanctuary are the barking deers and Kalijin. Explore the beautiful forests and for the adventure freaks the trekking options are also available in this wildlife sanctuary of Himachal Pradesh. Trekking from Chail to Gaura and Chail to Jhajja is quite common amongst the trekkers.
It was first notified as a sanctuary on 26th February 1954. This small heavily disturbed sanctuary reportedly harbours population of the endangered Musk Deer, as well as of several species of pheasants. It includes part of the catchment of the Kais Nala, an important tributary of the Beas River.
Churdhar Sanctuary or Churdhar peak, with an elevation of 3647 metres above sea level is located in Sirmour and Shimla District (Temple of Shrigul Devta in Chaupal(Shimla) and top in Sirmour) of Himachal Pradesh and is the highest peak in outer Himalayas. It is like a oasis of Alpine area of temperate forests. Best time to visit is during summers and early winters. The view from Churdhar peak is un-paralled. Monals are common in the forest areas. Trekking can be done from Nohra, Sarain and Pulbahal.
In Churdhar Sanctuary you can get a glimpse of the colorful Monals, Barking Deer, Himalayan Black Bear, Musk Deer, Leopards, Common Langur and Leopards. For all you adventure freaks out there, Churdhar Sanctuary offers you trekking options even. So take a tour amidst the forests of Churdhar Sanctuary as you explore the Himalayan Wildlife. One of the newest sanctuaries, Churdhar Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh is still an unexplored and a lesser known destination. So if you are planning a vacation to a unique destination nestled amidst the hills then this is the perfect place.
The Renuka Sanctuary named after the town of Manali, is a major tourist junction for nature lovers. The Renuka sanctuary is located in Sirmour district in Himachal Pradesh. The total area of the sanctuary is about 402.80 hectares and is comprised of the Renuka Reserve Forest and has been declared as Abhayaranya. Also, an area of roughly about 300 hectare outside the sanctuary has been declared as a buffer belt. The vegetation inside the sanctuary comprises mainlyof Anogeissus, Lucinea, Terminalia, Khair, Shisham, Carrie, Cordia and a number of climbers in moist depressions.
The fauna includes Leopard, Samber, Spotted Deer, Barking deer, Jackal, Hare, Jungle cat, Plam Civet, Porcupine, Blue jay, Black Partridge, Drongos, Hill Crow, Scarlet Minivet, Bulbul, Common Coots, Greenm Pigeons. The Renukaji Zoo is the oldest zoo in Himachal Pradesh, and was initially started during 1957 with rescued, stray and deserted wild animals from the forests. The first animal brought here was a male spotted deer named Moti. To accommodate the increasing number of animals, the concept of an open park was conceived and the park was established in 1983. At present the Lion Safari, zoo, Aviary and Sanctuary is under control of the administrative control of Shimla Wildlife Division.
The Daranghati Sanctuary is the home to a number of species like Himalayan Black Bear, Brown Bear, Himalayan Serow, Palm Civet, Barking Deer, Musk Deer, Flying Fox, Goral, Himalayan yellow throated Marten, Indian Hare, Stripped Hyena, Himalayan Ibex, Leopard, Blue Sheep, Common giant flying Squirrel and Himalayan Weasel. For all you adventure freaks and wildlife buffs, explore the unspoilt greenery of Daranghati Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh amidst the snow clad peaks and Alpine Forests. There are a number of bridle paths and intersected roadways in the forest and you can get the help of forest officials for a smooth journey amidst the dense woodlands.
Tirthan, the high altitude sanctuary is quite rich in floral and faunal species. The northern part of the sanctuary now has been included in the Great Himalayan National Park.
Majathal Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh is one of the most ideal destinations for the wildlife buffs. From trekkers to leisure tourists Majathal Sanctuary allures tourists from all over. Located atop the rugged Himalayan terrains in Himachal Pradesh, this is the home of the rare species like Goral and Cheer Pheasants. One can get a glimpse of the Goral and Cheer Pheasants in their natural habitat. Far away in the rugged Himalayas, this sanctuary provides the wildlife lovers with a serene retreat. There are arrangements for tent accommodation for the tourists.
The Majathal Sanctuary has the highest concentration of Gorals and you can see them in their natural habitat. A kind of mountain goat, the Gorals have curved horns. They are only seen in hilly areas and Majathal Sanctuary is where you can get to see Gorals in their natural habitat. There is also an abundance of Cheer Pheasants in Majathal Wildlife Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh. They are considered to be one of the endangered species.
Kanawar sanctuary is located in Parbati valley of Kullu district. There is a Rest House at Kasol. R.O. wildlife Kasol provides information and help to visitors. Uphill walk along Garahan Nala from Kasol through dense majestic Deodar and Fir forests is enjoyable. This sanctuary has large population of Himalayan Thar in Himalayas.
Manali Sanctuary is located at a distance of about 2 km from Manali main town. It is the catchment area of the Manalsu khad. A path from Manali log huts and Dhungri temple passes through dense Deodar, Kail, Horse chestnut, Walnut and Maple forests to the sanctuary. Musk deer, Monal and Brown bear, Leopard and Snow leopard are some of the sport seen here. Herds of Ibex are also seen roaming in the glacier zone in summers. The sanctuary spreads over about 3,180 hectares. The following area was declared a sanctuary on 26th February 1954, under the Punjab Birds and Wild Animals Protection Act, 1933.
MAHARANA PRATAP SAGAR SANCTUARY
Maharana Pratap Sagar Sanctuary, located in the beautiful Himalayas is one of the lake sanctuaries of Himachal Pradesh. Every year, thousands of avian species from far off Siberia and other countries make the Maharana Pratap Sagar Sanctuary their nesting grounds.Nestled amidst the dense Alpine Forests with snow clad peaks on the backdrop. Explore the sprawling actress of greenery and also get a glimpse of the migratory ducks from Siberian region. Especially in the swamp area between Shahnahar Barrage and Pongdam the birds flock from all over. The sanctuary is fascinating as it is set amidst green valleys and the snowy Dhauladhar Range of the Himalayas in the background.
The rich variety of Himalayan flora and fauna will attract you to the Ransar Island amidst the Lake in Maharana Pratap Sagar Sanctuary. This island is the home of the Black Buck and Cheetals and you can also get to see Surkhab, Cranes, Pintails and other variety of water birds in this area.Maharana Pratap Sagar Sanctuary which grew around a lake is a reservoir. During 1983 this was declared a wildlife sanctuary. There is a rich variety of avian species in this park which amounts to 220 species in total.However it is also the home of barking deers, wild boars and leopards.
PIN VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
Pin Valley National Park is a national park located in Spiti region of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The park is located in the cold desert area of the Spiti valley, in the Lahul and Spiti district within the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It was declared a park in 1987.
Declared a National Park in 1987, Pin Valley is located in the cold desert region of the Spiti valley. With its snow laden unexplored higher reaches and slopes, the Park forms a natural habitat for a number of endangered animals including the Snow Leopard and Siberian Ibex. Spreading south of Dhankar Gompa near the Tibetan border, the park marks the border between the formerly separate districts of Lahaul and Spiti. The elevation of the park ranges from about 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) near Ka Dogri to more than 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) at its highest point.


Pearls are a fantastic option for anyone looking for elegant, classic jewelry. However, these versatile organic gemstones offer options far beyond the lustrous white hue one might typically think of. From metallic-tinted Tahitian pearls to warm, golden South Sea pearls, the different types of pearls
One of the rarest kinds of pearl in the world is the Conch pearl, which has unique origins and is treasured for its pink pearls. Read on for a glimpse of what makes the natural Conch pearl so unique.
What are Conch Pearls?
Conch pearls are different from the traditional pearl variety
in a few ways. The most notable is where these rare gems form. While most other pearls grow inside the lips of oysters, conch pearls grow on a completely different creature known as the Queen conch mollusc.
You may already be familiar with the look of a conch shell, but the creature who lives inside will surprise you! These sea snails can live up to 30 years, and grow over a foot long.
Queen Conch. 2014. Source.
Conch pearls are calcareous concretions, and lack a nacreous layer, which is what gives oyster pearls their iridescence. Instead of having a nacreous layer, conch pearls have a wavy, flame-like structure with a smooth surface. The color of a natural conch pearl can range from white to pink, also occurring in brown and orange tones. Their variety of colors and gem-quality conch pearls complement many different jewelry styles.
How are Conch Pearls Made?
Most pearls grown today are cultured, meaning humans encourage the growth of pearls in oysters through various means, including planting small beads of material inside oysters and providing safe environments for the pearls to mature. This cultured pearl process is tedious and large pearls can take years, or even decades to form.
However, the process of finding natural pearls is far more difficult. Traditionally, divers needed to
search the ocean for oysters, a task of growing difficulty due to diminishing oyster beds. On top of this already tedious process, finding a conch pearl is all the more difficult.
A cultured conch pearl does not exist; they can only form naturally, making them difficult to source even under the best conditions. Although scientists have attempted to produce conch pearls in laboratories, their experiments have yet to produce pearls suitable for the commercial market.
A queen conch, or strombus gigas, can be found in the warm, tropical waters throughout the Caribbean, where it lives in beds of seagrass. When a small irritant gets stuck within a Queen conch, a pearl may form, although this process is still considered very rare and mysterious. Because of the curved conch shell, it’s much less likely that an irritant would enter the shell in comparison to other mollusks, which explains why this rare pearl variety is so hard to find.
The irritant could be any small item, but is often a piece of shell. Layers of fibrous crystals will cover the irritant, forming a conch pearl. The shape of the irritant and placement within the shell of the Queen conch mollusk can affect the size and shape of the pearl that forms, with few being perfectly rounded.
Myths and Stories Behind the Queen Conch Pearl
Conch pearls and shells have been treasured for centuries. Collectors of antique jewelry
may come across conch pearls in Victorian, Art Nouveau and Art Deco jewelry
pieces. Conch shells are often believed to hold mystic powers, and have been incorporated into religious ceremonies by many different groups, including the Incas.
Tibetan Silver Shankah With Dragon. Late 19th/Early 20th Century. M.S. Rau.
This Tibetan “shankah” is a musical instrument made from a conch shell, and is used for ritual worship in Buddhism and Hinduism. This silver-adorned shell can be played like a trumpet, and was created using a conch shell from a species native to the Indian Ocean. Within Hindu mythology, the conch shell is associated with the god Vishnu, and the sound produced from a conch shell can bring good fortune. While some shankah are collected as antiques, they are also still used in religious ceremonies today.
Why are Conch Pearls so Rare?
Conch pearls are incredibly rare due to how they form and the rarity of the Queen conch itself. Fishermen harvest Queen conches for meat, and pearls are only a secondary product. Pearls are only found when the conch meat
is removed from the shell. There are many possible uses for conch meat, including chowders and fritters.
Overfishing has caused significant harm to the populations of Queen conches, and their fishing is limited in most countries today, further restricting the discovery of any new conch pearls.
In September of 2022, NOAA proposed a rule to list the queen conch as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. While Queen conches used to live abundantly off the coast of Florida, today they are rarely found and are now illegal to catch in the United States.
Even when fishermen are allowed to harvest a Queen conch in the wild, only one in every 10,000 conches will have a pearl inside. Within this one in 10,000 chance, even fewer pearls are truly gem quality and suitable for use in conch pearl jewelry.
Conch pearls can range in color and size, with bright pink, near-round or oval specimens being the most valuable. These naturally forming pearls tend to be relatively small due to the constraints of their shells, and rarely exceed 10 carats.
Conch Pearl & Diamond Necklace. M.S. Rau.
This conch pearl necklace demonstrates the most desirable hue for these rare colored gems
. Their warm blush tone comes from the color on the inside of the Queen conch’s lip, where the pearls form.
Although the Queen conch pearl is increasingly difficult to find, you can still find these white and pink pearl gems to ad
d to your collection. Those looking for a unique type of pearl jewelry will enjoy the rarity and mysterious nature of the conch pearl.
If you’re intrigued by rare pearls and want to learn more, M.S. Rau’s pearl's collectors guide
explains the many types of pearls available to jewelry enthusiasts.


This is a short story of how my wife, my daughter and I, armed with two microscopes, took an RV and went hunting for giant microbes along the California coast.
Before we get there, let me introduce myself and give you some context. My name is Jean-Marie Volland, I am a French marine biologist from Guadeloupe island, a French overseas region in the southern Caribbean Sea. I arrived in California three years ago to join an amazing network of scientists who are interested in big biological questions such as: What is the origin of life? How did simple microscopic cells evolve to large and complex organisms? Do we know all forms of life or can we still discover new lineages? These are really important questions that are not going to get definitive answers for anytime soon, but we have to start somewhere…
Simple life versus complex life
Life as we see it with our human eyes everyday is mostly our pets, our plants, our fellow human friends and family. Add to this, insects, birds, fish, corals, reptiles, snails, worms, and pretty much anything you can find in a zoo or an aquarium and you will have about nothing percent of the entire biodiversity that exists on Earth.
In fact, all these organisms, big enough to be seen with the naked eye, belong to a very small branch of the tree of life we call the Eukaryotes. The most widespread forms of life by far — 99.9% of species — and also the most ancient, belong to two other groups: bacteria and archaea. They are microscopic and relatively simple cells that are virtually everywhere. They are in and on our bodies, in the soil, in the air, and in ponds, lakes and oceans. There is also a big difference between Bacteria and Archaea, and the Eukaryotes that appear to fill our landscapes: that is, the presence of a more complex basic unit of life, i.e., a more complex cell (there are other differences as well, but we won’t go into those details here). Compared to bacterial and archaeal cells, the complex eukaryotic cell safely keeps its DNA — the genetic blueprint for life — in a protected place called the nucleus. It doesn’t matter how small or how large Eukaryotes are, or if they swim or fly or run, they are all made of complex cells.
This is where it gets even more interesting. We know that complex cells emerged about 1.8 billion years ago when two simple bacterial and archaeal cells decided to cooperate and establish a permanent association. This association, what we call a “symbiosis”, created a new more complex eukaryotic cell. To raise the stakes, these complex eukaryotic cells somehow also managed to join together to form highly differentiated structures that we see in eukaryotes but are absent in bacteria, such as bones and hearts and livers. This is the fascinating story of evolution: how did all this happen? How did complex life emerge out of simple life forms?
What exactly happened 1.8 billion years ago and why it happened only once is the million-dollar question that we are just beginning to answer.
Why the giant bacteria?
I know what you’re thinking, this is all great but what does it have to do with the giant microbes from California? Well, here is the connection. Since we cannot go back in time 1.8 billion years ago to study the first eukaryotic cell, maybe we can try to find something that looks a little bit like it in today’s world. What we are after are modern symbiotic associations between simple life forms such as bacteria so we can observe the process as it may have happened billions of years ago.
One place we may find relevant examples of symbiosis is in environments that still resemble primordial Earth, environments that are similar to what happened billions of years ago. These environments are very different than what you and I are comfortable with, they can be hot, acidic and full of strange gases. It is in these environments we can find bacteria that do odd things and grow to giant proportions- such as using the energy contained in chemicals like hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a nasty chemical, and is in fact very toxic to humans, so much so that evolution made us very good at detecting its distinct smell of rotten eggs to prevent us from poisoning ourselves with it. But for some bacteria it is food, and it allows them to thrive and become giants. Bacteria are normally about 0.002 mm long but some of them that grow on hydrogen sulfide can develop into large filaments of several centimeters. These giant bacteria are big enough to host other regular size bacteria and establish a symbiosis with them — this is what we are looking for.
To find these little giants, I normally would have organized a sampling trip with my colleagues. We would have shared a car, booked hotels, and maybe met with a scientist or two at marine biology stations close to sampling sites. But with the Covid-19 pandemic, I had to come up with an alternative. Sharing a car, staying in hotels, or meeting other scientists in labs was not recommended anymore. On top of that, schools and daycare were closed and like everyone else we had our child at home with us while still working full time. So, we improvised. We decided to take the trip together, my wife (who is also a scientist), my five-year-old daughter and me. Since we couldn’t go to a host lab, we opted to bring the lab with us to the field. We rented a RV which we made into a lab on wheels by bringing sampling and dissecting tools as well as a light and a stereoscopic microscope equipped with a camera. We went grocery shopping, packed a few clothes, wet suits, masks and snorkels, and here we are loading everything in the RV, ready to start a 4 day socially distanced scientific expedition as family.
A family scientific expedition
In the late afternoon, we left the San Francisco bay area and drove a few hours south. We spent our first night in the middle of pumpjacks and fields near Bakersfield. The next morning, we drove down to beautiful Santa Monica, looking for a sampling spot around Venice Beach. I snorkeled around for about two hours while my wife and daughter went for a stroll along the Venice Canals. I did not find anything interesting and the only surprising encounter underwater was an electric scooter covered in algae. At the end of the day, we met my friend Fabian and his family in Venice and had a socially-distanced dinner together. I’ve known Fabian since high school in Guadeloupe; he is also a scientist and he too immigrated to California a few year ago. I had told him about the trip and he decided to join me for the dive planned the next morning.
The next day, day three of our endeavor, we set out to sample the marine environment at White Point Beach in San Pedro, Los Angeles. We geared up, and with the help of our dive instructor, we first swam at the surface around the rugged coastline for about 20 minutes before diving about 30 feet down to the seafloor. The seafloor was composed of mudstone which had been folded by tectonic movement now forming parallel lines. Cracks in the rock allow ground water to flow through in a series of vents. After about 15 minutes we found what we were looking for — hydrothermal vents. In these vents, the water is very hot (about 85 degrees or more) and very rich in hydrogen sulfide. We later found that you could smell the sulfur even at the surface!
The seafloor was mostly covered in algae and the occasional large starfish, sea cucumber and anemones, but the vents displayed completely different communities of organisms. And we found what we were looking for, white hair-like filaments swaying in the current, the giant white sulfur eating bacteria that could hold answers to our questions. We sampled the white bacteria for another 30 minutes, finally surfacing above the vent before swimming back to the shore. I took the precious samples back in the RV where we had set up two microscopes.
My wife and I spent the next five hours dissecting and sorting the different large sulfur bacteria that I had collected. Our daughter, very interested in these giant microbes, helped us sort them out at the microscope from time to time (between watching cartoons of course). When both your parents are microbiologists, you learn how to hold a Pasteur pipette and look through the eyepieces of a microscope quite early.
After a long day we packed our things and drove further south. That night we slept at a rest area, and managed to reach San Diego in the morning. After a hearty breakfast (and more cartoons), we drove to Carlsbad for a last sampling session in the Batiquitos Lagoon. There are no vents here, but the muddy sediment produces hydrogen sulfide in a relatively quiet body of seawater. Here I found some other large sulfur bacteria growing on sunken wood or seashell debris.
After lunch in the RV and some more work at the microscope, we moved to La Jolla Shores and decided to relax a bit and enjoy the beach together. After equipping our daughter with her first small mask and snorkel, I took her with me in the water. She was so excited, she screamed in her snorkel when she saw small groups of fish passing in front of her. After half an hour in the water she was freezing but happy. She did not want to leave, and repeatedly told me through chattering teeth, “I’m not even cold!” I took her back to her mom and decided to go snorkeling one last time. Right after re-entering the water, I saw a leopard shark passing right in front of me — a befitting end to wind up this unusual family trip.
Back in the lab…
We are now back in the East Bay up in Northern California. The sampling trip was a success — we collected thousands of the giant bacteria we were interested in and we have started analyzing them. One surprise was to find these large bacterial filaments growing not only on rocks but also on living sea snails, covering their shell like a white fur. We will sequence their genome and look at them more closely with laser and electron microscopes to see if we can detect symbiotic associations with other microbes.
So while one trip ended, we have just started on this interesting journey of scientific discovery. We may or may not find examples of symbiosis, at least the kind we are looking for, but what continues to amaze me is the incredible beauty and diversity that we have here on Earth. Something that we take for granted, and even one day may disappear because we failed to notice the damage we were causing to the environment. Still, I am an optimist. Today as a society we are all trying our best to rectify such damage — it might take time but we will get there. Meanwhile we will continue our search for the origins of life in the beautiful waters of California, and when we can travel, the southern Caribbean Sea.
See video from this journey uploaded to YouTube and stay tuned for the next episode!
Jean-Marie Volland is a scientist specializing in Microbiology and Microscopy at LRC Systems


Flea control is a vital part of pet ownership. You, your family and your pets can be affected by these tiny, blood-sucking pests.
Fleas can make your dog itch and cause considerable discomfort. Because fleas are so tiny, you might not even see them. But an unseen flea can begin feeding on your dog within seconds. And within 24 hours of its first blood meal, a flea can begin laying eggs at a rate of 40 to 50 per day, resulting in an infestation. That's why it's critical to kill fleas quickly, before they can lay eggs.
Adult fleas are reddish-brown insects with bodies that are compressed, or flattened, from side to side. While visible to the naked eye, they are so small you could line up about eight adult fleas, end-to-end, in one inch. Because fleas are so small, they can be difficult to detect, much less eliminate from your home.
Fleas are wingless, but possess incredible jumping ability. This enables them to jump easily from ground level to “ambush” a pet.
Fleas feed on blood, and female fleas consume about 15 times their body weight each day. Incompletely digested blood is excreted from the flea and dries to form what is commonly referred to as “flea dirt.” This serves as food for developing flea larvae and is one way veterinarians and pet owners can identify an infestation.
Flea Bath: Our tri-herbal flea shampoo combines three well known herbs in a unique formula to eliminate fleas and ticks in a safe and gentle way.
Flea Prevention: Kills all stages of fleas, ticks and chewing lice before they lay eggs. Fipronil is released to the skin and coat resulting in a long residual activity. Frontline lasts up to three months on fleas and up to one month on ticks per dose.
Advantage® II breaks the flea life cycle at multiple stages. One treatment with Advantage® II kills fleas within 12 hours, before they have time to lay their eggs. Additionally, fleas, flea eggs and flea larvae in the dog’s environment are killed following contact with an Advantage® II treated pet. And a single application of Advantage® II keeps your dog protected for one month.
Why worry about fleas?
Fleas can pose a serious problem for your dog's health.
Not only can fleas make your dog miserable, but depending on his age and overall physical condition, fleas can pose a serious threat to his health.
- Fleas can cause severe discomfort for dogs, including scratching, chewing, biting and restlessness.
- Fleas are the source of flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), the most common veterinary dermatological condition.
- Severe flea infestations can cause anemia, especially in puppies or debilitated adult dogs.
- Ingested fleas also can transmit tapeworm infection to dogs.
Fleas also raise human public health concerns.
Your dog isn't the only household resident that can suffer from flea bites. Flea infestations in homes and areas around a home often result in humans being bitten by newly-emerging fleas. You, too, are at risk for health issues, some of which can be serious:
- Allergic reaction: Usually in the form of small, raised lesions, called papules, that can be red to purple in color. Severity will vary, depending on the severity of the allergy to the flea bite.
- Tapeworm: Tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum) is generally spread through infected fleas found on both cats and dogs. Ingestion of infected fleas by children can result in tapeworm infection.
- Typhus: A group of infectious diseases usually resulting in a sustained high fever (typhus fever), headache, delirium and sometimes red rashes. Two kinds are most commonly contracted from flea bites:
- Flea Typhus. A type of typhus caused by Rickettsia felis, a bacteria first identified in cat fleas.
- Murine typhus. Another bacterial form of typhus transmitted most commonly by rodent fleas but also by fleas found on dogs.
- Plague: Rodent fleas that can be acquired by dogs and cats in some areas might be vectors for (carriers of) bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis. These fleas might leave the host to bite humans.
Everyone knows fleas aren't fun. However, here are some flea facts that will amaze you!
- Flea fossils date back to the Lower Cretaceous period, meaning fleas have been around for about 100 million years. At that time, fleas may have infested a Tyrannosaurus Rex or Triceratops!
- Fleas can jump up to 150 times their own length. To put that into perspective, if a human competed in the Olympic long jump with that ability, that athlete would certainly win the gold medal with a gravity-defying 1,000 foot long jump. So they can easily jump onto your pet from the ground, or from another pet.
- On average, a flea's lifespan is two to three months. However, pre-emerged fleas (those not living on a pet) can survive undisturbed and without a blood meal for more than 100 days.
- The female flea can lay 2,000 eggs in her lifetime. That means that if all 53 million dogs in the United States each hosted a population of 60 fleas, the U.S. would house more than six trillion flea eggs. Laid end-to-end, those eggs would stretch around the world more than 76 times! It's important to kill fleas before they get a chance to lay eggs. Advantage® II kills fleas within 12 hours. Because it also contains pyriproxyfen, Advantage® II kills all life stages of fleas.
- The female flea consumes 15 times her own body weight in blood daily.
- The largest recorded flea is the North American Hystrichopsylla schefferi. Found in beavers, it can measure 12mm in length - almost 1/2-inch!
- A flea can bite 400 times a day. That's a rate of 4,000 bites a day if your pet has just 10 fleas. YIKES.


Producción y caracterización de los productos que serán objeto de estudia en este subproyecto.Acción 2
Efecto de los agentes nitrificantes sobre la estabilidad oxidativa y componentes bioactivos.Aciión 3
Efecto de los nitritos añadidos sobre el color de los productos cárnicos crudos curados.Acción 4
Efecto del descenso del nitrito y nitrato añadidos sobre el nivel de N-nitrosaminas.Acción 5
Identificación y cuantificación de compuestos volátiles componentes del aroma de productos cárnicos.
Efecto del nivel de nitratos i nitritos en la microbiota típica de los embutidos y estudio de la posible presencia de patógenos.
Repercusión de la disminución de los niveles de nitratos y nitritos en la calidad sensorial de los productos cárnicos crudos curados
Estudio del ratio de penetración de sales nitrificadas.Acción 9
Proposals to improve the abiotic safety of raw-cured meat products
Nitrates and nitrites have been traditionally added to meat products for various purposes such as inhibiting spoilage and potentially pathogenic microorganisms, providing the stable, bright red-pink colour that characterizes cured meat, and contributing to the achievement of its characteristic aroma and flavour. Meat conservation methods in Food Technology are based on decreasing pH and aw together with the addition of nitrate and nitrite.
Residual nitrite can favour the production of nitrosamines (Pegg & Shahidi, 2000), which implies a direct effect of the nitrifier agents on the abiotic safety of meat products. Nitrite reacts with some meat components and total nitrite content decreases throughout the stages of processing, conservation, preparation and consumption. The transformations that nitrites and/or nitrates undergo during the preparation of a whole piece of meat, such as dry-cured ham, are complex and depend on the diffusion rate from the surface to the inner part of the ham, which is the more critical zone (Arnau et al., 1995; Arnau et al., 2003). Increasing the knowledge on the reduction of nitrite levels (rate and extension) is of great interest both for product stability (colour, lipid oxidation, etc.) and consumers’ health.
1. Antimicrobial activity of nitrite
Nitrite is very important for microbial safety of cured products because inhibits the growth of Clostridium botulinum and Salmonella spp.. Microbial safety and stability of raw-cured meat products is improved by the combination of nitrite with other hurdles added during the manufacturing process such as the redox potential, starter cultures activity, pH and aw (Leistner, 1992). However, the addition of nitrite (and nitrate, which is reduced to nitrite), along with the use of sodium chloride are critical in the first stages of the maturating process (Leistner, 1995).
Reducing nitrate and/or nitrite levels in meat products may lead to changes in the growth of technological flora (lactic acid bacteria and cocci gram+ catalase+) due to more abundant and competitive microbiota; the growth of pathogenic microorganisms that are inhibited by nitrites and the development of other microorganisms.
2. Nitrate and nitrite effect on the sensory attributes
Aroma is a sensory attribute strongly linked to quality in cured meat products because it conveys the condition of the product and triggers acceptance or rejection by consumers. An appealing colour is very important for the purchase decision, i.e. in cured ham. The use of nitrate and nitrite has great impact on cured meat characteristic colour due to nitrosyl myoglobin pigment formation (Pegg & Shahidi, 1997). However, its influence on aroma has not yet been established because the aroma development is very complex due to the great number of reactions involved (Ordoñez et al., 1999; Toldrá & Flores, 1998). Nitrates and nitrites affect lipolysis and the degradation of amino acids to aromatic compounds (Olesen et al., 2004; Stahnke, 1995).
Reducing the amount of nitrifying agents can change cured meat product aroma, flavour, colour and even texture, leading to low sensory quality products (Wirth, 1993; Lücke, 1998), which could affect consumers’ acceptability. In non-nitrified long maturated hams, e.g. the Parma ham, a pink stable colour can be obtained (Wakamatsu et al., 2004a,b; Parolari et al., 2005). However, their sensory characteristics differ from the ones typical of the Serrano ham (Dirinck et al., 1997). Excessive oxidation (unwanted) has sometimes been observed under the external bones in Spanish hams and shoulders due to a defective nitrification combined with a microaerophile environment (Arnau, not published results).
3. Nitrate and nitrite effect on the abiotic safety
The use of nitrites and nitrates is controversial given its potential risk of producing significant amounts of N-nitroso compounds: nitrosamines and nitrosamides, which have proven carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic effects (Hecht, 1997; Martínez et al., 2000a,b). Nitrosamines are the most relevant group and are formed from the reaction of compounds derived from nitrites, such as nitrous acid, with secondary amines mostly (Belitz and Grosch, 1997). Given the presence of amines in meat and the addition of nitrites and nitrates during its manufacturing process, this reaction is common in cured meat products. Different amino acids such as proline, hydroxiproline, sarcosine, glycine, alanine, proline, ornithine act as precursors of nitrosamines. Thermal treatments favour the formation of nitrosamines from such precursors, depending on the selected time and cooking temperature (Cassens, 1997; Antón & Lisazo, 2003).
On the one hand, the use of nitrates and nitrites has an anti-oxidant effect on meat products. Their reduction could increase the product oxidation level, affecting food nutritional and sensorial qualities, as well as safety, given the increase of radicals and compounds derived from oxidation of both lipids and proteins. On the other, nitrite reduction may contribute to a drop in the formation of nitrosamines and other N-nitroso compounds.
4. Current dilemma regarding nitrates and nitrites
The amount of nitrates and nitrites allowed in the current European legislation for meat products was considered excessive given the risk of nitrosamine formation. Reducing or avoiding their use in the food industry was regarded as a possibility, and as a consequence, the Directive was reconsidered. A study from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA, 2003) on nitrate and nitrite safety on meat products concluded that:
i) there is no simple and direct relationship between the ingoing and the residual amounts of nitrites and nitrates.ii) nitrite contributes to microbial safety, however, there is no clear evidence of how the residual amount of nitrite contributes to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum.iii) the following new levels were proposed to provide a protective effect against microbial hazards: 50-100 ppm for most products and 50-150 ppm for low salt content and prolonged shelf-life products. It was also proposed that the current “indicative ingoing amount” of nitrite and nitrate should be “maximum ingoing amount”.
Consequently, the permitted nitrate and nitrite levels have been changed in the new European Directive (2006/52/CE). This will affect cured products, especially Spanish typical products such as cured ham and fermented sausages. The Spanish meat industry should be prepared to face these changes and future modifications in the legislation and be able to continue producing top quality and safe products.
Granja Camps i Armet s/n, 17121 Monells (Girona)
T. 972 630 052 · T. 972 630 980


Here is the syllabus guide for this topic. Option E – syllabus guide
The first section is all about stimulus and response, so we’ll recap a bit of the nervous system, particularly the stuff on reflex arcs. We’ll then move on to explain how animal responses can be affected by natural selection. You need to investigate two examples of this. You can use the blackcap bird (Sylvia atricapilla) as one, and any other of your choosing.
Moving on to perception of stimuli, we’ll study both the eye and the ear. You need to be able to label a diagram like this one: Eye diagram We’ll then do a dissection so you can identify the parts properly.
You will also have to:
- annotate a diagram of the retina to show cell types and direction of light movement
- compare rods and cones
- explain the processing of visual stimuli (edge enhancement and contralateral processing)
We’ll then move on to the ear, and you will need to be able to label a diagram and explain how sound is perceived.


Method of radioactive dating
Second, it is possible to determine the numerical age for fossils or earth materials.
Numerical ages estimate the date of a geological event and can sometimes reveal quite precisely when a fossil species existed in time.
For example, based on the primate fossil record, scientists know that living primates evolved from fossil primates and that this evolutionary history took tens of millions of years.
By comparing fossils of different primate species, scientists can examine how features changed and how primates evolved through time.
" First, the relative age of a fossil can be determined.
Relative dating puts geologic events in chronological order without requiring that a specific numerical age be assigned to each event.
This is the principle of original horizontality: layers of strata are deposited horizontally or nearly horizontally (Figure 2).
Thus, any deformations of strata (Figures 2 and 3) must have occurred after the rock was deposited.
Accordingly, the oldest rocks in a sequence are at the bottom and the youngest rocks are at the top.
The layers of rock at the base of the canyon were deposited first, and are thus older than the layers of rock exposed at the top (principle of superposition).
In the Grand Canyon, the layers of strata are nearly horizontal.
Layers that cut across other layers are younger than the layers they cut through (principle of cross-cutting relationships).
The principle of superposition builds on the principle of original horizontality.


Lilacs - Gardener's Toolbox Class - Fayette County
Fayette County Extension Service
1140 Harry Sykes Way
Old fashioned lilacs are some of the most beloved, fragrant and spectacularly showy shrubs…..for about two weeks. Unfortunately, that leaves us with a large nondescript plant for another 50 weeks each year. Newer varieties feature smaller flowers on compact plants that bloom for most of the summer. We will cover all types of lilacs from small dwarf varieties to 40 foot trees. We will address failure to bloom and disease prevention. Take home small plants of an improved variety to plant at home. Cost: $10.00.
Sign up early for classes to avoid being turned away because class is full. ALL classes, including the “Free” ones are “PRE-REGISTRATION” only. If you need to cancel, you must do so 2 weeks prior to the class time to receive a refund or credit for a different class. If handouts and/or plants are not picked up 3 days after class, items will be donated. Click on the link below for registration form.
- Tuesday, April 17, 2018
- 6:30pm - 7:30pm


***Our Encinitas EESystem is now OPEN! Schedule below or call (760) 815-1845
Healthy Wave™ Mats are a complete 5-therapy wellness solution. They harness key therapies including far infrared heat, PEMF therapy (pulsed electromagnetic field therapy), red light therapy, negative ions, and natural crystal healing energy. These therapies work synergistically together to provide a relaxing and therapeutic experience.
Lenyo's Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Field Mats are the elite technology in the field of PEMF, supporting cellular wellness and natural healing.
Enjoy sessions at Vitality or from the comfort of your own home (options for rent or purchase).
During each session, extremely low-intensity PEMF signals safely stimulate cells and create gentle, electro-magnetic field changes that fine-tune the body’s self-regulation and healing process. It is the body’s natural self-healing signals that deal with any difficulties or dysfunctions affecting cells, tissues, organs and body systems.
PEMF frequencies deliver targeted electro-magnetic signals to the cells using very specific communication channels. As these signals pass through and “speak” to the cells, they trigger the body to restore communication breakdowns in those specific channels. Once the communication paths are cleared, the body can then efficiently regulate and process the electrical and chemical exchanges associated with those channels. The body can once again be in it’s ‘natural state’ of well-being and balance.
Many of the biggest challenges we experience with our health have to do with factors that are not readily apparent. Factors such as the constant exposure to wifi signals, the habit of carrying cell phones with us everywhere we go, using computers for long hours at work, and not getting healthy frequencies from the earth because of man-made surfaces that block them. These factors disrupt the cellular communication pathways in our bodies, causing a wide variety of chronic problems. In today’s world, many of these factors can’t be avoided, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a solution. Welcome to Lenyo!
PEMF/Bio-Regulation Wellness is a non-invasive, holistic approach to health and well-being that uses advanced electromagnetic pulse therapy technology and the body’s own internal communication system to help restore balance, increase energy, accelerate healing and maintain overall wellness.
Of the numerous wellness systems available, we have chosen the “LENYO Lux Plus”, with 136 therapeutic wellness programs to choose from. Each of the programs have an additional 30 – 85 sub-programs built in that target specific “cellular communication channels”, enhancing the effectiveness of the therapy by leveraging synergistically working tissues and addressing a majority of the body’s most common imbalances and conditions.
Below is a concise list of PEMF (Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Field Therapy) and magnetism studies published in peer-reviewed scientific publications. However, there are over 2,000 studies done with this technology, many of which were double-blind, placebo-controlled studies and most of them show a greater percentage of benefits versus the control group. This list demonstrates the potential of PEMFs but it is not a complete list of potential benefits.
For specific areas of interest, you can search www.pubmed.com. PubMed is a free database accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) maintains the database.
The following list has been alphabetized for connivence. Each PDF can be downloaded and printed out.


Etihad Cargo and IFHC transport vulnerable and endangered birds to their natural habitats
- Abu Dhabi partnership sees thousands of Houbara bustards transported in last three years
Etihad Cargo and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC), one of the world’s leading conservation programmes, have recently transported a shipment of more than 100 vulnerable Houbara bustards for release into their natural habitats. In the past three years, the partnership between the two organisations has led to the successful relocation and integration into the wild of more than 3,000 Houbara across the world.
The venture, which is part of the Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Reintroduction Programme, began in 2014, when the two organisations signed a partnership agreement. In 2017 alone, more than 2,000 birds were transported safely to countries in Asia and North Africa, which have more hospitable environments, thereby increasing the birds’ long-term survival.
The Houbara are bred in centres in Abu Dhabi managed by IFHC and then released into their natural habitat in countries across the world. IFHC has developed protocols based on ground breaking ecology on the breeding and release of the Houbara, and every release site is studied to ensure the birds have the optimal chance of survival.
Justin Carr, Vice President of Etihad Cargo, said, “Our motto is ‘From Abu Dhabi to the world’ and it is literally the case with our partnership with IFHC. It is an honour to be able to safely transport the Houbara to countries where they can thrive, and play a small part in Abu Dhabi’s project of restoring this iconic species in the wild. Etihad Cargo has a strong record of safely transporting animals around the world – be it returning vulnerable or endangered species to their natural habitat or reuniting pets with their families.”
Commenting on the partnership, Mohammed Saleh Al Baidani, Director-General of IFHC, said: “The range of the Houbara stretches from Morocco to Mongolia, so it is critical that we are able to move the birds from Abu Dhabi to countries across the species’ range safely and securely. Etihad Cargo has proved itself in terms of destinations and security, and together we are helping restore the iconic Houbara to countries where it has been in historic decline. It is another example of how Abu Dhabi is leading the way, both in conservation and commerce.”
Abu Dhabi’s Houbara programme was initiated over 40 years ago by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE, to restore sustainable wild populations of the species to the areas of the world where they were under threat of extinction. In that time, it has developed into the world’s leading Houbara conservation programme. Etihad Cargo receives the Houbara at the Live Animals facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport. The climate in the aircraft hold is adjusted to the ideal level to ensure the birds’ comfort during the flight. As is standard when transporting live animals, the Houbara are the last to be loaded onto the aircraft and the first to be offloaded.
In 2016, Etihad Airways signed the Buckingham Palace Declaration, as a demonstration of support for the prevention of trade in illegal wildlife. The UAE is signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the airline provides the necessary support to help ensure that wildlife controlled under CITES is not carried unless the necessary paperwork is in order. While the transport of Houbara is usually prohibited under CITES, permission is granted on this occasion in support of an official conservation programme.


One of the country’s leading experts in laminitis, the veterinary surgeon David Rendle from the Liphook Equine Hospital in Hampshire, is presenting a live online broadcast on how the veterinary profession’s understanding of this debilitating and devastating disease has been completely revolutionised over the past five years. As a result of new research, owners battling with laminitis have a real opportunity to shape a positive future for their horse, avoiding further painful episodes.
“Historically laminitis has been viewed as solely a nutritional problem, frequently occurring as a result of horses grazing lush pasture,” explains David. “However, recent studies indicate that 90% of horses develop laminitis due to an underlying hormonal disease such as Equine Cushing’s Disease or Equine Metabolic Syndrome, and the ingestion of sugars, for example in lush pasture, may just be a trigger factor for laminitis in horses with these diseases.”
The online broadcast characterises Equine Cushing’s Disease and Equine Metabolic Syndrome and offers practical tips and advice on the diagnosis, treatment and management required to help prevent laminitis in horses with these conditions. Central to this is the importance of testing all horses and ponies with laminitis for these hormonal diseases so that veterinary surgeons are fully informed about how to treat and manage the horse in the future.
“Unless the underlying cause of the laminitis is addressed, horses will continue to be at risk of painful recurrent episodes which is a significant welfare issue to the horse and extremely frustrating for owners. As our knowledge of the two hormonal diseases responsible for the majority of cases of laminitis improves, veterinary surgeons can offer their clients more comprehensive advice on treatment options to prevent laminitis. For many owners who have struggled with this condition, this is an absolute relief and revelation,” continues David Rendle.
Taking place at 8.00pm on Wednesday 10 April, the online broadcast is part of the nationwide ‘Talk About Laminitis’ disease awareness initiative, supported by the British Horse Society, World Horse Welfare and Redwings. The broadcast is an absolute must for owners of laminitis prone horses looking to help prevent further suffering or irreversible damage to feet. The programme will run for one hour including an interactive Q&A session when you will be able to email in questions for David Rendle to answer live. To register to view the online programme, visit www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.uk.
Free laboratory fees
During the ‘Talk About Laminitis’ campaign, which runs from April until the end of June, Boehringer Ingelheim is offering free laboratory fees for the blood test used to detect Cushing’s disease. The initiative is aimed at raising the awareness of the underlying hormonal causes of laminitis, and is supported by Redwings, The British Horse Society and World Horse Welfare.
To participate in the free testing scheme, talk to your vet or visit www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.uk to download your free blood test voucher*. If your horse tests positive for Cushing’s, the disease can then be treated and managed appropriately. Early diagnosis and intervention are critical if the crippling changes seen in the feet caused by laminitis are to be avoided.
For further information, please contact your veterinary surgeon or visit www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.uk .


The adrenal glands are responsible for producing major hormones that help the body reproduce and adapt to stress. The adrenal glands produce over 50 hormones that are absolutely essential to your health and vitality. When the adrenals get overworked, it creates adrenal fatigue which can be devastating to the body.
The adrenal glands are no bigger than a walnut and weigh less than a grape, yet they produce some of the most important compounds in the body. Of the many different hormones secreted by the adrenals, you have steroid hormones such as adrenalin, cortisol, aldosterone, estrogen and testosterone.
Stress hormones are more critical than sex hormones:
The adrenal glands help regulate the body’s ability to adapt to stress, and they also produce hormones that regulate reproduction. The caveat is that adapting to stress overrides reproduction. Adapting to stress is critical for immediate survival, and that is the first priority. Once our physiology understands that we are not under an environmental threat, it will focus its energy on reproductive hormones.
The major stress hormones are cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine. These hormones help increase energy, increase blood sugar levels and speed up circulation and respiration to help the body survive through fight or flight.
The major sex hormones produced by the adrenals are estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. These are all critical for growth, metabolism, strength, endurance, mental drive, menstrual function and reproductive ability.
The master compound that is used by the body to produce cortisol and progesterone is called pregnenolone. Pregnenolone can create cortisol, progesterone or DHEA. DHEA is used by the body to produce testosterone and estrogen. When the body is under chronic stress, there is a high demand to produce cortisol, which reduces the amount of progesterone and DHEA that is produced.
What stresses out the adrenal glands?
The adrenal glands are meant to adapt the body to stressors. Our body is meant to grow stronger through daily stressors. We should have a natural stress, rest and adaptation cycle that allows the body to effectively acclimate to environmental stimuli. However, when these stressors override our ability to adapt effectively, the body becomes weaker and chronic stress becomes hardwired into our system. This can lead to adrenal fatigue.
The adrenal glands are overstressed by a number of different chronic lifestyle factors including the following:
- Blood sugar imbalances
- Gut inflammation
- Food intolerances
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Infections (bacterial, fungal or viral)
- Environmental toxins (pesticides, heavy metals, pollutants, etc.)
- Physical trauma
- Bad posture and ligament damage in the spine and joints
- Constant mental and emotional stress
Stages of adrenal fatigue:
The first stage of adrenal activity is called the alarm reaction, which is when the system becomes hyperactive in order to increase cortisol levels to adapt to the demands of stress. This is a healthy survival-based response that everyone encounters throughout a typical day.
The second phase is the resistance stage, where the body adapts to prolonged stress. During this phase, the body steals pregnenolone from cholesterol to make more cortisol. This phenomenon is called “pregnenolone steal.”
Under normal circumstances, the pregnenolone helps make sex hormones such as progesterone and testosterone. When pregnenolone steal takes place, it leads to hormonal imbalances. Over time, this can cause very serious hormonal problems such as PMS, infertility, male menopause and polycystic ovary syndrome.
The third and final phase of adrenal fatigue is the exhaustion phase. This is when the adrenals are so exhausted that they are unable to adapt to stress. All the necessary cofactors to produce cortisol are depleted, so cortisol levels drop. The pregnenolone steal effect stops at this point. The body is unable to produce adequate energy, and fatigue, accelerated aging and breakdown of the body’s protective barriers (skin, blood-brain barrier and gut barrier) are the hallmarks of this particular physiological state.
By Dr. David Jockers, source link: Natural News
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6 Replies to “The Devastating Effects of Adrenal Fatigue”
Thank you for writing this. Do you know how to naturally boost progesterone? Thanks!
You might try reading this book, it is an amazing book that really deals with everything hormones: https://amzn.to/1axUL1Y
Thank you for your post. I actually was reading about this topic earlier in the week. How does a person know if she is suffering from adrenal fatigue? Would I go to the doctor and ask for my hormone levels to be checked?
@Shauna- First you will have to find a doctor who believes adrenal fatigue is real. Most mainstream docs think it is a bunch of baloney simply because they didn’t learn about it in school. You will need to google the words bio-identical hormones and then the name of your town. Doctors who prescribe bioidentical hormones have stepped out of their traditional medical training and have done additional research/study on treating ailments with as natural treatments as possible. They recognize the very real symptoms of adrenal fatigue.
The very best way to test your adrenals is with a 24 hour saliva test, where you will spit into vials at four separate times during the 24 hours. A blood test would only give you one reading of your cortisol levels, but to diagnose fatigue in the adrenals, a doctor wants to see what your adrenals are doing all day long. Especially first thing in the morning when your cortisol should be the highest (to give you energy to start the day) and lowest at nite so you’ll fall asleep. Unfortunately, many adrenal patients are the exact opposite and have their lowest cortisol in the morning and their highest at nite. A 24 hour saliva test will verify this.
I’d be happy to help you if you’d like or if you have any questions. Drop me an email (put adrenal fatigue in the subject line so I know not to delete it). My address is: sdhm565 at a o l dot com. Best wishes to you!
I have been suffering from this for over a year and my doctors look at me like I am crazy and keep referring me to different doctors. One doctor actually told me I just need counseling. I am a single mom of two and work full-time and I feel I am in the exhaustion stage! Please help with any further ideas or recommendations! I feel some days I can’t even get out of bed.
I believe you! Adrenal fatigue is very real. Keep your head up Mama. Also, pick up this book https://amzn.to/1u1uqgA


Bird flu — scare-mongering? Now perhaps: later, no.
There’s unnecessary confusion in the media, especially in television current affairs and newspaper review discussions, over bird flu (rather pompously referred to by some as ‘avian’ flu). The confusion sometimes amounts almost to obfuscation. I’m no expert (as this piece will probably make all too clear), but there seem to be two quite separate dangers, one limited and the other almost unlimited, but both too often rolled by commentators into one, thus exaggerating the first and under-stating the second.
The first is the danger that some humans may catch bird flu from contact with an infected bird or its droppings. This would certainly be serious for those catching the disease, for poultry farmers in the affected area(s), and, in the worst case scenario, for consumers of chicken and eggs and other poultry meat, namely almost all of us. But since in our kind of society relatively few people live in such close proximity to potentially infected birds as to be vulnerable to catching the infection from them, and since so far the evidence suggests that very few infected birds — perhaps just one — have so far reached our shores, not many people in Britain could expect to be exposed to major risk, and even if a bird-to-human infection does break out, it ought not to be impossibly difficult to contain it both geographically and in its consequences. There should be, and it seems that there is, advance planning going on to deal with this kind of situation, and it ought not to be exaggerated in order to sell newspapers or television advertising time.
The second danger is altogether different. Most scientists with specialised knowledge of these matters tell us that sooner or later (although it’s impossible to predict when) the virus, once caught by a human or humans from a bird (as has happened in several countries in Asia and elsewhere), will mutate into a new virus capable of transferring infection from one human to another: a pandemic. Past experience shows that such a virus, once mutated in this way, will be exceptionally virulent and easily caught, that it will be fatal in a high proportion of cases, that hundreds of thousands of people in Britain alone may die of it within a quite short space of time, and that it will not be possible to produce a single vaccine which would give effective protection against it until the virus has mutated and the first infected people have been identified. Even then, it will be up to four to six months before the vaccine can be developed, mass-produced, and distributed to the most vulnerable groups — by which time very large numbers of people will already have died from it. This is not a current danger, because so far as we know the virus has not yet mutated. It might be many years before the mutation occurs, or it might occur next week. The greater the number of people infected from birds, the likelier it is that the virus will mutate relatively quickly into a version that passes from human to human.
The media reaction to the second danger, the pandemic, has generally been first to confuse it with the first danger and then either to pooh-pooh it as scare-mongering, or to dismiss it with a shrug as something that might well be ghastly if it happens, but about which there’s nothing to be done, so that there’s no point in worrying about it. Both reactions seem wrong-headed. If and when the pandemic occurs, it may be difficult to over-state its implications and the numbers and categories of people likely to be affected. Moreover, action can be taken, and is being taken, to minimise the impact of the pandemic by ensuring in advance that drug companies are ready at very short notice to develop the relevant vaccine and to put it very rapidly into mass production for distribution to people most at risk (whether in the UK or overseas), and eventually for a high proportion of the UK population. There is an enormous amount of clear and vital information on the excellent Department of Health Pandemic Flu website, ranging from short summaries of the situation, prospects and measures being taken, in leaflet form, "Pandemic Flu: Key facts" (pdf) to an encyclopaedic "Pandemic Contingency Plan" with a wealth of scientific, legal, social and medical detail about what is likely to happen and what can (and will have to) be done to minimise the casualties, including wide-ranging restrictions on ordinary social and other activities.
One major piece of essential preparation is collaboration with drug companies to minimise the lead time between the start of the pandemic and the availability of a specific vaccine to inhibit its spread and reduce its impact, initially on most vulnerable health and other workers, then on other groups found to be most vulnerable. In the words of the Contingency Plan:
Once WHO has recommended that production of a pandemic vaccine proceeds, manufacturers will need to switch from seasonal influenza vaccine production. We are working closely with other countries, the World Health Organization, the European Commission and manufacturers to ensure that a vaccine can be developed as quickly as possible once a pandemic flu strain emerges and to put arrangements in place to ensure production of vaccine for the UK population. … Even with advance work to improve our preparedness for vaccine production, the lead time before a new vaccine becomes available in quantity is likely to be at least 4-6 months. There may be no vaccine initially and then availability will depend on production rates. At the same time, international demand for vaccine will be high. Vaccine will have to be distributed equitably and administered to pre-determined priority groups first, according to nationally agreed recommendations. The Department of Health (England) will lead on purchasing and supplying a pandemic vaccine on behalf of the whole UK, liaising with the devolved administration Health Departments.
Already contracts are being drawn up and negotiated with drug companies to ensure that some vaccines and antiviral agents will be available before the pandemic even though their effectiveness will be uncertain until the pandemic virus is isolated and identified:
The Department of Health recently announced its intention to purchase 2 million doses of H5N1 vaccine. The vaccine will be suitable for research purposes, and could be offered to frontline healthcare workers if the risk of a pandemic increases. Production capacity: The capacity for vaccine production will depend upon many factors. The overall world-wide manufacturing capacity is based on the demand for annual routine influenza vaccines. This varies considerably between countries. National immunisation policies are based on selective immunisation of identified risk groups. The UK achieves high coverage in the main risk group (those aged 65 and over) and delivers nearly 13 million doses of trivalent influenza vaccine each year (i.e. about 20-25% of the total population).
But even with all possible preparatory work, the death toll from the pandemic is likely, on past form, to be extremely severe and perhaps catastrophic, with an immense impact for many years on the survivors world-wide:
The mortality worldwide in 1918-19 has been estimated to be upward of 20-40 million. In some areas this reduced life expectancy by around 10 years. In England and Wales, 200,000 excess deaths [i.e. deaths in excess of what would normally be expected] occurred of which 150,000 were ascribed to influenza – just over 3,000 deaths from influenza per million population were recorded in 1918 and 1,170 per million in 1919. In 1957, which was on the whole a milder illness, the global death toll was estimated to be around 2 million. An excess 30,000 deaths occurred in England and Wales of which 6,716 were ascribed to influenza itself. Estimates ranged from 1.3 to 3.5 deaths/1,000 cases. An estimate from 29 general practices was 2.3 deaths per 1,000 cases attended. Two thirds of the deaths were in people aged over 55 years.
The evidence so far seems to confirm that everything that can be done is being done. Some of the Contingency Plan’s warnings convey a kind of gallows humour:
Services such as death registration and funeral directors will have an increased work load.
Difficult and controversial decisions will have to be made once the pandemic begins, probably initially in a developing country where many people have been infected by birds and where there is little or no capacity for producing or distributing vaccines, even when the new human-to-human virus has been isolated and identified. Effective vaccination of even a fraction of, for example, nearly 130 million Nigerians would be a huge task requiring energetic international action and funding; and the issue of priority as between the provision of scarce vaccines to millions of immediately vulnerable Nigerians and to countries such as the UK which would start to experience the pandemic only later would be intensely difficult to resolve.
Meanwhile it makes sense to assume the worst and to start to familiarise ourselves with the measures of personal hygiene and social control that will become necessary. That Department of Health website is a very good place to start. But don’t listen to those glib commentators in the press and on television and radio who say that it’s all scaremongering. This is sooner or later going to be a very serious crisis, and possibly a huge catastrophe.
Pandemic: "Of a disease: Prevalent over the whole of a country or continent, or over the whole world. Distinguished from epidemic, which may connote limitation to a smaller area." OED, second ed.
Update: Since writing the piece above, I have read the front-page story in today’s London Sunday Times under the banner headline: Schools will shut in 100,000 flu death fear, credited to the keyboard of the newspaper’s Political Editor, who doesn’t seem to have consulted the Department of Health website, extensively quoted above but not in the Sunday Times, before writing it. Why Mr Cracknell should have singled out the possible closure of schools from among the numerous measures contemplated in the event of a pandemic in order to minimise the spread of the infection is inexplicable, at any rate by me; the DoH Contingency Plan clearly spells out the pros and (weighty) cons of closing schools and rightly concludes that such decisions would have to be taken at the time in the light of circumstances. The same Sunday Times article also seems to confuse antiviral drugs with vaccines. The story seems designed to arouse fear rather than to provide information; or, if not designed with that purpose in mind, likely to have that effect. And on the front page!
Brian (who belongs to at least three of the most vulnerable groups and is already trying to bag a place in the vaccine queue)


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Study was performed over a 10-month time period (November 2014-August 2015).
This Postcoital Sperm Assessment Study is peer-reviewed and published in the Surgical Technology International, Issue XXII, December 2015.
* “Postcoital Sperm Assessment Comparative Study.” Michael. J. Pelekanos, MD. Surgical Technology International, XXVII, December 2015.


Improve Vitality with Advanced Hormone Therapy Treatments
Hormone imbalance can occur at any age, and when your hormones are out of balance, the body takes a hit. At Nerve 2.0, we know you want to continue living your best life, and we offer hormone balancing treatments shown to improve vitality for both women and men. So, if you’re suffering from fatigue, loss of memory, muscle loss or weakness, joint pain, etc., we should talk.
When you choose Nerve 2.0 to achieve hormonal balance, you’ll receive a customized plan specifically crafted for your body. Julie Taylor Zafuto, DNP-C, FNP-C, has trained with top hormone experts who recommend the EvexiPEL method, a pellet system considered a natural alternative to synthetic hormones.
Who Can Benefit From Hormone Therapy?
While each patient’s individual hormone balance is unique, if you’re experiencing some of the symptoms below, you may be an ideal candidate for hormonal therapy.
Women’s Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance
- Inability to focus and remember things.
- Mood swings, anxiety, and depression.
- Stubborn belly fat, weight gain, bloating, and food cravings.
- Muscle loss and weakness.
- Cold hands and feet.
- Saggy, dry, aging skin.
- Loss of libido, difficulty achieving arousal and orgasm.
- Infrequent menstrual cycles – or lack of menstrual cycle – prior to menopause.
Men’s Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance
- A decline in general well-being.
- Feeling burned out and past your prime.
- Loss of muscle strength.
- Muscle aches, joint pain, and longer recovery time from injuries.
- Frequent illnesses.
- Excessive sweating.
- Loss of libido and inability to achieve or maintain an erection.
- Fewer morning erections.


As we tread through Australia's breathtaking landscapes, embracing the thrill of hiking and camping, our hearts often seek to forge a deeper connection with the wild souls that share our enchanting wilderness - the unique and captivating creatures that call our trails and campsites home. Yet, as passionate stewards of the environment, we are called upon to cultivate a sense of responsibility and respect for these denizens of the untamed wild, striving to foster a harmonious balance between our love for exploration and our commitment to wildlife conservation.
In this blog series, Adventureco invites you to embark on a journey of discovery, as we delve into the world of sustainable wildlife encounters in hiking and camping adventures. Together, we will uncover the importance of respecting and protecting our environment while interacting with Australia's captivating wildlife, providing practical tips and guidelines for safe, ethical, and fulfilling encounters in the great outdoors.
From embracing the ethics of wildlife observation and adopting eco-friendly camping practices to supporting wildlife conservation efforts and aligning your adventures with conscious consumer choices, Adventureco will guide you on this path of wild harmony, as we explore the delicate co-existence of man and nature in Australia's inspiring wilderness.
The Ethics of Wildlife Encounters: Balancing the Desire of Adventure with Environmental Sensitivity
Wild Boundaries: Understanding the Principles Guiding Sustainable Wildlife Encounters
Our yearning for thrilling adventures and memorable wildlife experiences must be guided by an unwavering commitment to the wellbeing and conservation of Australia's unique species. Consider the following ethical principles as you plan your hiking and camping escapades:
- Respect Wildlife Space: Maintain a safe and appropriate distance from animals, allowing them to roam undisturbed in their natural habitat.
- Observe Without Intervention: Contemplate the beauty and wonder of wildlife without interfering in their lives – let nature take its course, unobstructed.
- Leave No Trace: Practice eco-conscious camping, minimising waste, conserving resources, and ensuring no harm comes to the environment or its inhabitants.
Guidelines for Safe and Respectful Wildlife Observations During Hiking and Camping Trips
Nature's Code: Practical Tips for Enriching and Responsible Wildlife Encounters
Adopting the following guidelines for your hiking and camping adventures will help you build meaningful connections with Australia's wildlife while honouring their right to thrive in a protected environment.
- Educate Yourself: Before setting off on your adventure, familiarise yourself with the wildlife species native to the area and learn how to identify their tracks, sounds, and behaviours.
- Practice Patience: Deep, lasting connections with nature are often built on patience and persistence; give animals the time and space they need, and you may be rewarded with a truly special encounter.
- Follow Park Rules and Regulations: Adhere to any guidelines imposed by national parks or nature reserves, as these are often designed to protect both the wildlife living there and the visitors exploring them.
The Impact of Eco-Friendly Camping Practices on Wildlife Conservation
Camping Responsibly: Embracing a Nature-Conscious Approach to Outdoor Adventures
Our camping practices significantly impact the well-being of the environment and its wildlife. Explore these eco-conscious strategies for your next adventure:
- Choose Sustainable Gear: Select hiking and camping equipment crafted from eco-friendly materials and sourced from responsible, environmentally-conscious brands.
- Use Non-toxic Products: Opt for biodegradable soaps and personal care items, and avoid bug sprays containing harmful chemicals that could negatively impact the environment and its inhabitants.
- Minimise Light and Noise Pollution: Dim your campsite lighting at night to reduce disruption to nocturnal wildlife, and keep noise levels low to avoid startling or distressing animals in the vicinity.
Supporting Wildlife Conservation Efforts: Aligning Your Adventures with Conscious Consumer Choices
Nature's Guardians: Uniting Adventure and Conservation Through Mindful Choices
We have a collective responsibility to support wildlife conservation and align our hiking and camping adventures with eco-conscious consumer choices.
- Shop Responsibly: Purchase products from sustainable brands that implement ethical sourcing, eco-friendly materials, and transparent manufacturing processes.
- Give Back to Conservation: Allocate a portion of your budget to support wildlife conservation organisations, volunteer in their initiatives, or donate to relevant campaigns.
- Share Your Experience and Inspire Others: Inspire fellow travellers by sharing your encounters with Australia's unique wildlife and the steps you took to ensure these experiences were sustainable and issue-driven.
The Wild Symphony: Crafting a Harmonious Future of Sustainable Wildlife Encounters in Australia's Enchanting Wilderness
Embarking on a journey towards sustainable wildlife encounters in hiking and camping adventures is an ode to our love for nature and our unwavering devotion to protecting its creatures. As we learn to balance our thirst for exploration with a deep sense of respect for Australia's unique wildlife, we pave the path towards a more compassionate and responsible future, where our wild inhabitants can continue to flourish in harmony with mankind.
Together with Adventureco, let us embrace this transformative vision of eco-conscious encounters, as we forge ahead in pursuit of wild thrills and awe-inspiring outdoor experiences. By honouring the delicate balance between humans and nature, we create a lasting legacy of wildlife conservation, safeguarding Australia's iconic natural wonders and enchanting landscapes for generations of adventurers to come.


Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin are examples of neurotoxin or Botulinum toxin A that are injected into muscles and relax the muscles. From a cosmetic standpoint, the result is either to smooth facial lines caused by the muscle creasing the skin (11’s, forehead, crows feet), decrease muscle bulk (masseters or mentalis) or to decrease the strength of muscles that cause pulling of facial structures or skin (gummy smile or neck bands). Botox has even been studied for depression with results that exceeded the expectations of researchers.
Botox has been studied and is now being used to treat many medical conditions. The list includes but is not limited to: migraines; overactive bladder; blepharospasm (eye twitching); hyperhidrosis (excess sweating); muscle contractures (torticollis, cerebral palsy; stroke).


Gastroplication is an operation in which the stomach is sutured in a vertical direction. In particular, on the stomach from the side of the large curvature from the esophageal-gastric junction to the antral section, tightening sutures are applied. As a result of the operation, the lumen of the stomach along its entire length is maximally narrowed. This allows you to limit the intake of food at a time and reduce the number of calories consumed.
Gastroplication is a restrictive intervention to reduce the volume of the stomach to limit the intake of food. This type of intervention also includes surgery to install a bandage on the stomach and sleeve gastroplasty. These operations differ in the way they are performed and have some specific features. However, the principle of operation is the same for everyone.
The difference between gastroplication and sleeve gastrectomy lies in the technique of performing the operation. To perform sleeve gastroplasty, an incision of the stomach is made in the vertical direction and part of it is removed. There is an even more significant difference between gastroplication and banding. When banding, no incisions of the organs are made, except for the intersection of the vessels. A ring is placed on the stomach, narrowing its lumen. At the same time, the diameter of the ring can be changed at any time after its installation.
Weight loss when using gastroplication occurs within a period of one to two years. After that, the body’s metabolism is optimized and the body weight ceases to decrease.
It should be noted that gastroplasty is a new method in medical practice, which has not yet been fully studied. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) recommends that gastroplasty be considered as a subject of scientific research.
In total, only a few thousand such operations have been carried out in the world. Therefore, the data on the method of gastroplasty is still not enough to speak with complete confidence about its pros and cons. Meanwhile, various sources claim to reduce weight by 10-80% using this method.
Patients who are planning to undergo gastroplasty should understand that the method used is not fully understood. They should be informed that the results and consequences of the operation cannot be determined with the necessary accuracy. In addition, patients should be aware that they are taking part in a scientific study.
Results of gastroplasty
Indications for gastroplication
The indication for the procedure is a body mass index value of more than 35 units.
The operation can also be performed on a patient with a BMI of less than 35. In this case, the indication is the presence of a disease caused by excess weight (diabetes mellitus, varicose veins, diseases of the joints of the legs, high blood pressure), as well as a hereditary predisposition to the accumulation of excess weight or diabetes.
Another group of patients who are recommended for gastroplication is those who can not adhere to the new rules in the diet or can not regularly come to medical control (as in the case of gastric banding, when it is necessary to visit a specialist twice a month).
It should be noted that according to statistics, gastroplication gives higher results in patients with a BMI of up to 40 units.
Contraindications to gastroplication
The age of the patient is under 18 years and over 60 years.
Serious diseases of the cardiovascular system, lungs.
Diseases of the esophagus, stomach, duodenum: severe esophagitis, esophageal varicose veins, gastritis, duodenitis, gastric ulcer and (or) duodenal ulcer. In the presence of these diseases, their conservative treatment is carried out first of all. Only after the chronic diseases go into a state of persistent remission, it will be possible to perform gastroplication.
Portal hypertension and / or cirrhosis of the liver.
Alcoholism, drug addiction.
If the patient is prescribed a constant intake of steroid hormonal drugs.
A chronic infection in the body.
Autoimmune diseases of the connective tissue (rheumatism, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma).


Millions of people who have had Covid-19 still face a higher risk of neurological and psychiatric conditions, including brain fog, dementia and psychosis, two years after their illness, compared with those who have had other respiratory infections, according to the single largest study of its kind.
They also face an increased risk of anxiety and depression, the research suggests, but this subsides within two months of having Covid-19. Over two years the risk is no more likely than after other respiratory infections. The findings are published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal.
Almost 600m Covid-19 cases have been recorded worldwide since the start of the pandemic, and there has been growing evidence that people who survive the disease face increased risks of neurological and psychiatric conditions.
Previous studies have found that people face higher risks of several neurological and mental health conditions in the first six months after infection. Until now, however, there has been no large-scale data examining the risks over a longer time period. The new study, by the University of Oxford and the National Institute for Health and Care Research Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, analysed 1.28m Covid-19 cases over two years.
Dr Max Taquet, who led the analyses at the University of Oxford, said: “The findings shed new light on the longer-term mental and brain health consequences for people following Covid-19 infection.”
The study found that in adults the risk of depression or anxiety increased after Covid-19 but returned to the same as with other respiratory infections within about two months.
However, the risk of some other neurological and mental health conditions remained higher after Covid-19 than for other respiratory infections at the end of the two-year follow-up.
Adults aged 64 and under who had Covid-19 had a higher risk of brain fog (640 cases per 10,000 people) compared with those who had other respiratory infections (550 cases per 10,000 people).
In those aged 65 and over who had Covid-19, there was a higher occurrence of brain fog (1,540 cases per 10,000 people), dementia (450 cases per 10,000 people) and psychotic disorders (85 cases per 10,000 people) compared with those who previously had a different respiratory infection (1,230 cases per 10,000 for brain fog, 330 cases per 10,000 for dementia and 60 cases per 10,000 for psychotic disorder).
Like adults, children recovering from Covid-19 were more likely to be diagnosed with some conditions, including seizures and psychotic disorders.
More neurological and psychiatric disorders were seen during the Delta variant wave than with the prior Alpha variant. The Omicron wave was linked with similar neurological and psychiatric risks as Delta.
Prof Paul Harrison, who led the study at the University of Oxford, said: “It is good news that the excess of depression and anxiety diagnoses after Covid-19 is short-lived, and that it is not observed in children. However, it is worrying that some other disorders, such as dementia and seizures, continue to be more likely diagnosed after Covid-19, even two years later.”