You need to know about the specific blood tests your doctor is ordering. Some blood tests will require special preparation to get accurate results. Some examples of common blood tests which require special preparation include: Glucose tolerance tests, which require fasting prior to coming to the lab. You also have to remain at the lab for up to 5 hours and your blood is taken every 30 to 60 minutes. Fasting Glucose test, which is done after you have not eaten or had anything to drink except water for 8 to 12 hours. These tests are often first thing in the morning so you aren't asked to go without eating all day. Serum Lipid testing, also called a cholesterol test, which will sometimes require you to fast for 9 to 12 hours before the test. Cortisol blood test, where you are asked to refrain from exercising the day before, lie down for 30 minutes before the test, and refrain from eating or drinking for 1 hour before the test. There are certain substances that can alter blood tests, which you may need to stop before your blood test. Prescription medications, recreational drugs, alcohol intake, vitamins, blood thinners, or over-the-counter medications can often change the results of a blood test, depending on what the blood test is for. Your physician can determine if you should wait 24 to 48 hours to have the blood work done or if what you have taken will not significantly alter the blood test results. There are some blood tests that can be compromised based on your activities. These tests can be altered by recent physical activity or heavy exercise, undergoing dehydration, smoking, drinking herbal teas, or sexual activity. You might be asked to refrain from some of these activities prior to taking a blood test. Many tests do not require special preparation prior to getting your blood drawn. However, when in doubt, ask. If your physician does not give you any special instructions, it is important that you ask in order to reduce the potential that you arrive for the test without preparing sufficiently. Being sufficiently hydrated makes the blood draw easier. The veins will be bigger and easier to find and the blood is not as thick and flows into the tube easier. If you need to fast from water as well, be sure you are very hydrated from the day before. This may mean needing to get up during the night to urinate. However, being well hydrated will make your blood test easier. Before you get ready to take a blood test, warm the extremity where the blood will be drawn. Use a warm compress over the area for 10 to 15 minutes to improve the blood flow to that area. Wear warmer than normal clothes for the season when you go in to get your blood drawn. This increases your skin temperature, increases the blood flow to the area, and makes it easier for the phlebotomist (the person who draws your blood) to find a good vein. If you deviated from the instructions given to you to prepare for the blood test prior to having your blood drawn, you need to notify the person who will draw your blood when you arrive. If the deviation is significant enough to alter the results of the test, you may have to return to have the blood test drawn another day. Mention if you are allergic to latex or latex sensitive. Latex is in many types of gloves and band-aids, which are used while taking blood. Some people have an allergy or sensitivity to latex which can be life threatening. If you know that you have either an allergy or sensitivity, it is important to notify both your doctor and the phlebotomist so they can use latex-free equipment.
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One-sentence summary -- Talk with your doctor. Discuss your medications. Refrain from certain activities. Ask your doctor for instructions. Drink enough water. Warm your extremities. Talk to the phlebotomist.

This is the first stage of initiation, and you'll learn the basic principles of Freemasonry After you gain enough knowledge and put in some time, you'll work your way up through two more symbolic degrees. Before you can advance to the next degree, you must demonstrate proficiency in understanding the degree work you experienced. You'll delve deeper into the teachings of Freemasonry, especially as they pertain to the arts and sciences. To complete this degree, you'll be tested on your knowledge about everything you've learned so far. This is the highest level you can achieve, and it usually takes several months to get there. To get the degree, you must demonstrate proficiency in the values of Freemasonry. Your completion of the degree will be celebrated with a ceremony.
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One-sentence summary -- Start as an Entered Apprentice. Advance to the Fellow Craft degree. Get a Master Mason degree.

Slice an orange in half to reveal the seeds. Use a spoon or knife to pick out the seeds. The tree that grows will likely produce similar fruit, so make sure you choose the seeds of an orange variety you like. Some orange varieties, such as navels and clementines, are seedless, and you won't be able to propagate orange trees this way. Look for plump, whole, healthy seeds that don't have any spots, marks, dents, breaks, discoloration, or other blemishes or imperfections. Transfer the seeds to a bowl and fill it with clean water. Use a clean tea cloth to wipe the seeds and remove all traces of flesh and juice. Cleaning the seeds is also important for removing fungus and mold spores, and to prevent fruit flies. You can clean and germinate all the seeds in the orange, and then pick the biggest and healthiest sprouts to plant. Fill a small bowl with clean room temperature water. Transfer the seeds to the water and let them soak for 24 hours. Many seeds have a better chance of sprouting if they're soaked first, because soaking softens the seed coating and kickstarts the germination. When the seeds have soaked for 24 hours, drain the water and place the seeds on a clean towel. Don't soak the seeds for longer than this, as they may become waterlogged and not sprout.
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One-sentence summary -- Remove the seeds from an orange. Select and clean the seeds. Soak the seeds.

Cress grows well in cool, shady areas. If you try to grow it in hot weather, it becomes bitter, and you can't eat it. Find a shady area of your garden. You don't want to grow cress in direct sunlight. You only need 1-2 square feet of garden space to plant cress. Garden cress is also called broadleaf cress. Curly cress and watercress are other forms of the vegetables, which grow in cool weather. Put cress in either full sun or part shade. Part shade is best for cress. Cress will easily grow from seeds. You can also grow cress if you have stem pieces of cress cuttings. You can obtain cress seeds in home improvement and garden stores or online. Plant cress every two weeks if you want to have a continuous harvest. When using soil to grow cress, choose soil pH of 6.0 to 6.8. Plant the cress in early spring as early as you can work soil. Cover the seed lightly with soil or compost. You should plant the cress seeds in your garden early in the spring before the last frost. Cress grows quickly from seeds. You will be able to harvest the cress 15 to 20 days after sowing the cress. Plant more crops until mid summer. You can also plant the cress yet again in early fall and during winter. Sow cress inch deep. Sow the seeds thickly in wide rows. Space each row between 18 and 24 inches apart. Try to keep the soil weed free when growing cress. You can plant cress with carrots or radishes. This is called intercropping.
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One-sentence summary --
Pick a shady area in your garden. Obtain cress seeds. Sow the cress.