Did you know that camping and spending time outdoors can actually benefit your health? In fact, there are many health benefits that come with a good camping trip.

Camping brings us back to the basics. It provides an escape from the daily grind. And it allows us to connect with nature and appreciate the simple basic needs of life.

Camping is an escape from the daily rat race. Stress levels can significantly decrease in nature, without all the worries and routines of everyday life.

Leave the huzzle, noise and pollution of the city behind you for a few days. Weekend get-aways are great for people who are tired with their everyday lives and are looking for something out of the ordinary to do.

In the market for a new shower curtain? Here`s some information you might want to consider before heading to the store.

Often wondered about the smell of a newly purchased vinyl shower curtain? According to researchers at Center for Health, Environment, and Justice, many vinyl shower sold at major retailers across the country emit toxic chemicals that can cause serious health problems, such as damage to the liver, as well as to the central nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems.

Vinyl shower curtains sold at 19 retailers across the country have been linked to serious health problems because of the toxic chemicals they emit in the air. These chemicals can persist for up to a month and can cause consumers to feel sick, gives them a head-ache, and makes them feel nauseous.

The Virginia-based Center for Health, Environment, and Justice has notified 19 major retailers of their findings and encouraged them to stop selling the PVC shower curtains.

A balcony garden provides city dwellers with their own green space for relaxation and gardening pleasure. Balcony, terrace and rooftop gardens also add much needed urban plant diversity for insects, including butterflies and bees. With a bit of creativity and planning you can soon have your personal little green oasis.

Balcony gardening, just like any type of landscaping, is best when planned beforehand. Consider the space at hand, the exposure to sun and wind, as well as walls and fences available for hanging baskets and climbing vines. If you lack sunlight, remember light and heat can be reflected from walls and windows.

Combine different container shapes and plant sizes to create depth and dimension. Place taller plants in the back, smaller ones in front. Group plants, but don't overcrowd them.

You can add trellises, a water fountain or hanging baskets between floor containers. Choose light-weight plastic or wooden pots that weigh less than ceramic containers.

Honey has been used as a natural remedy for thousands of years. Nature’s nutritious sweetener contains vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, and is also used to nourish skin and hair.

Honey is used topically as antiseptic to disinfect and speed the healing process in sore throats, wounds, ulcers scrapes and burns. Some of the healing proponents and antibacterial agents in honey are enzymes, antioxidants and flavonoids.

A spoonful of honey is more effective than cough syrup containing DM for children over 12 months old, according to Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Don't give honey-containing products to infants less than one year of age. Honey may contain certain spores and toxins that can cause infant botulism, a life-threatening disease. However, honey is considered safe for children over 12 months and adults.

Infrared energy, also known as radiant heat, is a form of energy that heats objects directly through a process called conversion, without having to heat the air in between. Our sun is the principal source of radiant energy.

Far-infrared rays are part of the sunlight spectrum which is invisible to the naked eye. They are also known as biogenetic rays. Scientists have proven that these rays promote the growth and health of living cells in humans, animals and plants.

Far-infrared light penetrates beyond the skin level and is absorbed by cells below, whereas visible light is mostly bounced off the skin surface. Near-infrared is mostly absorbed at the skin level and raises the skin temperature. Far-infrared can penetrate up to 4 centimetres, causing resonance with water molecules and resonating with cellular frequencies. Thus, FIR can revitalize human cells and tissue by warming the body from the inside.

A series of recent studies shows an interesting link between certain foods and drinks and the prevention of damage through the sun on our skin.

While reducing your exposure to the bright sun and wearing thin, long layered clothing are still the best choices to avoid skin damage and sun burns, there are a number of foods that can help to heal and restore. Just turn to your kitchen and feed your skin.

White, green and black tea, in particular with lemon, have been found to reduce the risk of skin cancer. Exposure to the harmful ultraviolet radiation UVB can cause free radical stress, which can lead to the development of wrinkles. The antioxidants in tea can help the skin the damaging effects of the sun.

Foods rich in lycopene and carotenoids, such as red tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, and onions provide some protection against skin cancer and help against prematurely aged skin. The micronutrient carotenoid is mostly found in dark yellow or red vegetables and fruits. By eating tomatoes, peppers, melons, fresh apples and pomegranates the carotenoids are distributed in the epidermal and dermal layers of the skin. They help absorb the light, act as antioxidants and offer anti-inflammation from sunburn. Plus, they increase blood circulation and absorption of skin nutrition.

On April 8, 2008, the Harper Tories introduced Bill C-51 which would lead to more regulatory scrutiny of natural health products sold in Canada. The proposed legislation, if passed into law, will have a major impact on natural health in Canada and will restrict the choices Canadians currently have in regards to natural health products.

Many Canadians feel the bill will outlaw up to 60 per cent of natural health products currently sold in Canada, making many natural health products that have been sold in Canada for years unavailable for purchase and penalizing consumer who choose herbs or supplements for themselves and their children.

Germany has banned a family of pesticides that are blamed for the deaths of millions of honeybees. The German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) has suspended the registration for eight pesticide seed treatment products used in rapeseed oil and sweetcorn.

The move follows reports from German beekeepers in the Baden-Württemberg region that two thirds of their bees died earlier this month following the application of a pesticide called clothianidin.

"It's a real bee emergency," said Manfred Hederer, president of the German Professional Beekeepers' Association. "50-60% of the bees have died on average and some beekeepers have lost all their hives."

Vitamin D has been received much attention in recent months. While natural health practitioners have long integrated vitamin D in the treatment of certain health issues, the Canadian Cancer Society now recommends all Canadians to supplement with vitamin D during winter months.

Vitamin D is produced naturally by the body. People get most of their vitamin D from sunlight. After being exposed to adequate amounts of sunlight, the skin produces vitamin D, which is then converted to its active form by the kidneys. Studies suggest that as we age, we tend to produce less vitamin D.

You can also find good amounts of vitamin D in certain kinds of fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as cod liver oil.

Some supplements use synthetic vitamin D2. A much better form is the natural and bioavailable vitamin D3 which is more effective and stays longer in the system.

Get ready for the great outdoors and protect yourself with a good sunscreen.

However, commercial sunscreens contain potentially dangerous ingredients which may be more harmful then beneficial.

According to statistics the number of skin cancer is rising. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States and accounts for 8,500 deaths annually.

One theory for the increasing numbers is that harmful chemicals found in commercial sunscreens are doing more harm than good.

Non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested 831 sunscreens of which 84 percent did not pass health and environmental guidelines. Some experts even suggest that sunscreen formula may be cancer causing. Many contain potentially harmful chemicals such as Benzophenone, homosalate and octyl methoxycinnamate (also called octinoxate), which are known to mimic naturally occurring hormones. Some sunscreens contain Padimate-0 and parsol 1789 (also known as avobenzone), which are suspected of causing DNA damage when exposed to sunlight.