Our Great City

We just got our first electric bill since it's been winter cold, and it was a Doozy ! ! ! So that made me think about heating systems and insulation issues. Insulation is not usually a problem area on home inspections around here. We don't have a lot of older houses, and when I say older I mean over 50 years old. But even though most of our houses are well insulated, there are still a lot of ways for heat to escape in winter, and get in during the summer.

Heat travels by conduction, convection or radiation. Insulated walls, floors and ceilings are pretty good at preventing all three. On cold winter days houses lose most of their heat through the windows. Windows transfer heat by all three methods. This can work in your favor on the sunny side of the house, but on cloudy days or on the shady side it's best to have some good shades or curtains. Windows also conduct heat, which in winter causes their surfaces to be cooler than the inside air temperature. This in turn cools the air near the window, making it heavier and causing it to fall, convective cooling as the newly cooled air is continuously replaced with warmer room air. Windows are unique since they can transfer heat in all three ways.

Article Submitted by:  Lois Frazier, Monart School of Art 

Seems like a strange question to me and last year I would have probably dismissed it totally, but not anymore. Did you know that most doctors don’t check Vitamin D levels as part of a regular blood work-up?

I have a very close friend who was recently diagnosed with Celiac, an intolerance to gluten. Her eight-year odyssey to find out what was wrong with her digestive system entailed numerous medical tests, procedures and several doctors – all through an elite medical hospital. No one could find out what was wrong with her. Her General Practioner argued with her on what her actual systems were. Meanwhile, she felt awful, had painful cramping, constant constipation, rashes on her face and general malaise--for eight years!

Though exasperated with the continued digestive issues, she happened to ask a holistic practioner if they could help. One of the first things they did was check her Vitamin D level, which was off the charts on the low level. Your Vitamin D levels should be 32-55. Her number was 7. They then did a simple blood test and confirmed Celiac Disease.