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time/y tips andhelpful suggestions for you and your family
•
Conserve Energy, Save on Heating
and Cooling Costs Too!
Whether you live in the northern hemisphere
where winter is just around the corner, or in the south–
ern hemisphere where the warm summer months are
just ahead, now is the time to prepare your home for
cold and/or warm weather. By folJowing a few house–
hold tips, you may be able to lower your heating costs
as muchas 36 percent in winter. or at the same time, be
readying your home for cooler summer comfort. And
you will help do your part to conserve energy.
INSULATION: Insulating your borne with ceiling in–
sulation will lower your heating and/or cooling costs
considerably. Professional installation of ceiling in–
sulation in an already existing home can be done easily,
with relatively little expense. A mínimum recommenda–
tion is a 4-inch batt (usually a fiber glass pad with paper
backing) or 6 inches of poured insulation.
WINDows: Don't forget the windows. Glass win–
dow panes lose heat, or allow heat in, nearly 14 times
faster than a plaster wall. Drapes are a wise investment.
During cold weather. they can be drawn together to
form a barrier, holding warm air in. During hot summer
days, they can be drawn together to keep heat and hot
sun rays out. For those who live in areas where the
winter is excessively cold, storm windows or double
glazing is a must. This added protection will cut in half
the amount of heat that is needlessly lost through regu–
lar thickness glass windows. Sorne people simply tack a
sheet of clear plastic over each window for an in–
expensive, but reasonably eifective, insulation.
WEATHER STRIPPING: Adding weather stripping
around windows and doors where needed makes a big
difference in the amount of warm a
ir
escaping or enter–
ing a house. This alone may cut heating costs from 15 to
30 percent during cold weather and keep temperatures
appreciably cooler during hot weather. A gap of
1
.4
inch
at the base of a normal 36-inch door is equal to having
a 9-square-inch hole in the side of your borne. Need
more be said?
CAULKING: Small leaks around lighting and
plumbing fixtures as well as small openings in walls,
PLAIN TRUTH November 1973
ceilings and ftoors should be caulked. Also caulk frames
of all windows and doors.
•
11
The Teeth Are O kay, But
the Gums Gotta Go"
A person can have perfectly sound, decay-free
teeth, but still lose them and be in need of dentures!
Why? Pyorrhea, or more modernly, periodontal disease.
Pyorrhea, not tooth decay, is the number one cause for
the loss of teeth by people over thirty-five.
Pyorrhea is a disease around the tooth, affecting
the tooth's surrounding supportive tissue.
It
causes the
tooth's supportive tissue to be slowly absorbed into the
bloodstream, and if unchecked. it eventually leaves the
tooth unsupported and unable to be retained in place.
Though pyorrhea may be caused by a number of rea–
sons, it is most commonly caused by calculus, or tartar.
which collects on the necks of teeth and works its way
down the teeth into gum crevices.
Pyorrhea is relatively painless at the outset, when
in a form called gingivitis. Often only a chronic. annoy–
ing discomfort, rather than the sharp pain of the later
stages, it sometimes goes without detection until too
late. Tissue that is destroyed by pyorrhea cannot be
regenerated. The only thing that can be done is to arrest
the disease to stop further destruction and preserve the
remaining supportive tissue. for this reason, the best
cure is prevention.
Good oral hygiene and a well-balanced diet, in–
cluding plenty of fruit and raw vegeta bies (carrots, cel–
ery, lettuce, etc.), are a prevention must. A balanced
diet helps build and maintain healthy teeth. and fruits
and raw vegetables not only provide wholesome nutri–
tion, but also act as "cleaning" food s to help keep teeth
clean.
Brushing the teeth regularly (baking soda is as
effective as any toothpaste), and using dental ftoss in
areas untouched by a toothbrush, to keep plaque or
calculus toa mínimum is also importan!. If gums bleed
slightly when brushed, this may be a sigo of an exces–
sive buildup of calculus or tartar.
- Patrick
A.
Parnell
39