In the beginning of the 21st century, we find ourselves awakening to a water crisis. The signs are everywhere. From deaths attributed to waterborne diseases and lack of water to economic losses due to poor environmental planning, the evidence is building. Because water touches our lives in so many ways, each of us must understand its importance - particularly health professionals, who may be more impacted by issues of water than they realise. Dr. Magee examines the many nuances of water in our lives - including its impact on health, energy, cities, industry and economies. His discussion of natural water disasters touches on many of the core problems raised by the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.
Water is our most vital resource, yet few understand even the basics of watershed ecology. This new edition has been updated to reflect growing environmental challenges, such as climate change, the insidious spread of invasive species and the loss of biodiversity. Watersheds: A Practical Handbook for Healthy Water is an engaging and informative introduction to ecology and environmental issues that focus on water-related issues. Well suited for youth or general readers of any age, Watersheds combines a profusion of beautiful illustrations with non-technical and accessible text, making it attractive as well as informative. The book explains ecological principles, environmental challenges, introduces North America's major biological regions, outlines the complexities of water and nutrient cycles and explains the ecology of wetlands and waterways. Watersheds also explains some of the major environmental issues facing North America, including air pollution, water pollution, invasive exotic species, and habitat loss and destruction. Watersheds provides detailed information on: water and nutrient cycles bioregions and aquatic habitats exotic species invasions water and air pollution ecological restoration habitat loss. While Watersheds identifies and explains multiple ecological challenges, the book is engaging, empowering, and positive, providing practical "How Can I Help?" sections aimed to inspire participation in efforts to restore watersheds and protect the environment. As the book explains, what's good for one's local watershed is also good for the planet -- so we can all help protect and restore our natural environment.
Bringing together a range of different place-studies, including holy wells, spa towns, Turkish baths and sweat-houses, sea-bathing and the modern spa, this book investigates associations between water, health, place and culture in Ireland. It is informed by a humanistic approach, showing how health and place are socially and culturally constructed and how health is embodied, experienced and enacted in place. In addition, the work argues that an understanding of health and place must also consider the historical, societal and cultural orthodoxies that shape and produce those places.
Modern spas are wellness resorts that offer beauty treatments, massages and complementary therapies. Victorian spas were sanitariums, providing "water cure" treatments supplemented by massage, vibration, electricity and radioactivity. Rooted in the palliative health reforms of the early 19th century, spas of the Victorian Age grew out of the hydrotherapy institutions of the 1840s--an alternative to the horrors of bleeding and purging. The regimen focused on diet, rest, cessation of alcohol and foods that upset the stomach, stress reduction and plenty of water. The treatments, though sometimes of a dubious nature, formed the transition from the primitive methods of "heroic medicine" to the era of scientifically based practices.
Everyone depends on clean air to breathe, safe water to drink and healthy soil for growing food. But what if your drinking water is dangerous, your air is polluted and your soil is toxic? What can you do about that? Do you have the right to demand change? Fresh Air, Clean Water: Defending Our Right to a Healthy Environment explores the connections between our environment and our health, and why the right to live in a healthy environment should be protected as a human right. The book features profiles of kids around the world who are taking action and important environmental rights court cases. Hear the powerful stories of those fighting for change. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
Water is essential to every bodily function, but not all water is equal. Given all the hype, it’s hard to choose from among the staggering array of bottled beverages, yet beyond all the advertising is a clear liquid that can restore your health. In Healing Waters, Dr. Ben Johnson guides you to oxygen-rich ionized water--a substance that has been proven to maximize well-being. Healing Waters begins by explaining why water is crucial to good health. It then explores the importance of the body’s acid-alkaline balance and examines why problems with this balance are responsible for many chronic diseases. Finally, the author presents everything you need to know about ionized water, including what it is, why it is necessary to wellness, and how you can produce it. While the Fountain of Youth may be just another legend, with Healing Waters, you will understand that a good source of health and longevity may be no farther than your own home.
A landmark book by marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols on the remarkable effects of water on our health and well-being. Why are we drawn to the ocean each summer? Why does being near water set our minds and bodies at ease? In Blue Mind, Wallace J. Nichols revolutionizes how we think about these questions, revealing the remarkable truth about the benefits of being in, on, under, or simply near water. Combining cutting-edge neuroscience with compelling personal stories from top athletes, leading scientists, military veterans, and gifted artists, he shows how proximity to water can improve performance, increase calm, diminish anxiety, and increase professional success. Blue Mind not only illustrates the crucial importance of our connection to water; it provides a paradigm shifting "blueprint" for a better life on this Blue Marble we call home.
Missouri's mineral springs and resorts played a vital role in the social and economic development of the state. In Healing Waters, Loring Bullard delves into the long history of these springs and spas, concentrating particularly on the use and development of the mineral springs from 1800 to about the 1930s. During this period, there were at least eighty sites in the state that could be described as resorts. Because so many people were drawn to the springs by their faith in the healing virtues of the springwater, towns were frequently founded at the mineral springs. These places fought hard to capture the attention of Missourians who were seeking better health, relaxation, or good times in the late 1800s and early 1900s.Bullard first examines the development of mineral water resorts in Europe from ancient times, early spa traditions in America, and Missouri's frontier spas. He then discusses the establishment of saltworks at the state's saline springs and the importance of the early salt trade; the brisk business that grew around the bottling of mineral waters; the use and development of mineralized groundwater resources; the geologic and biologic factors that create Missouri's mineral waters; and public and professional belief in the curative values of mineral waters.Healing Waters also traces the demise of Missouri's mineral water resorts and towns. Well into the twentieth century, when modern medicine had seemingly taken hold, many physicians and scientists continued to proclaim the medicinal virtues of mineral waters. However, by the second quarter of the twentieth century, medical science and popular opinion had discounted the immediate medical usefulness of mineral waters. As advances were made in microbiology and biochemistry, and with the inherent promise of drug cures, orthodox medicine began to turn a cold shoulder on mineral water treatments. Spa treatments, with their long regimens, also did not fit well with the increasingly fast-paced lifestyles of the public. By visiting the sites, gathering local historical accounts, interviewing local citizens, and photographing remaining artifacts, Bullard has done a masterful job in providing the answers to why these vibrant social centers came to be and why they faded.
