Landscape Techniques: Being a Positive Mentor

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By Brian Clegg

Landscape business owners and managers must teach all their employees what it takes to be a great landscaper. Once the basic training has been established, the lessons one learns on the job can help the next generation chart their own career paths—and help grow the companies they work for at the same time. In addition to conducting business with integrity and honesty (a must both professionally and personally), staying motivated, organized, professional and focussed can help landscape professionals build and improve their teams while strengthening their overall business.

Read the full article: Leading Your Landscape Team

Infrared Heating Technology: Chronic Pain Relief

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By Michelle Robin, DC

Infrared saunas also have a profound effect on relieving chronic pain. In a 2006 double-blind, placebo-controlled study in the Journal of Pain Research and Management,5 where researchers found infrared heat therapy, over a seven week period, to reduce chronic lower-back pain by 50 per cent, without any negative side effects.

Participants were asked to rate their overall pain without movement, as well as pain during various movement postures, such as bending forward, back, right, left and rotating the spine. The results showed all measures of pain were reduced approximately in half, with the greatest reduction experienced toward the end of the seven-week period. This points toward the fact that continuing treatment beyond seven weeks may lead to even greater pain reduction.

A 2002 study, published in the journal, Spine, by a researcher at the New Jersey Medical School (UMDNJ) found heat therapy to be more effective than pain medication for lower-back pain relief. In fact, pain relief was significantly greater in the group that underwent infrared heat treatment as compared to the group who were only given pain medication. According to the study, some members of the group that received infrared heat treatment experienced pain relief as early as the first day of treatment, and the effects lasted more than 48 hours after treatment.

Infrared heat has also been proven to help with several forms of arthritis. For example, in a 2008 study in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, researchers found reductions in both pain and stiffness after only four weeks of treatment for several types of arthritis.

In addition, the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reported the results of a study, which showed infrared heat treatment reduced pain and increased the ability in elderly patients with degenerative osteoarthritis (DOA) of the knee. This double-blind study on DOA demonstrated pain reduction for the treatment group by more than 50 per cent, with no significant pain reduction in the placebo group. Although the study lasted only 10 days, individuals in the treatment group reported no need for pain medication as they were pain free for two months to one year.

Read the full article: Infrared Heating Technology

Understanding Phosphates: How Are They Controlled?

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By Joe Sweazy

The first and easiest step in controlling phosphate levels is to limit the amount of phosphates that are introduced to the pool. This can be accomplished by covering the pool when nearby lawns or golf courses are being treated and during high winds when organic debris can be easily blown into the water. It is also a good idea to keep the pool covered as often as possible during high pollen count seasons and when trees and plants have seeds, leaves and blossoms blowing around. Should any organic matter enter the pool, ensure it is removed before it has a chance to decay and release unwanted phosphates. Also, encourage pool owners to shower before entering their pool area and suggest the idea of keeping a poolside wash station where they can rinse their dirty feet before re-entering the pool.

The next step is water treatment. As mentioned earlier, maintaining proper chlorine (Cl) levels, along with a balanced pH and alkalinity (AT), will usually prevent algae outbreaks from occurring. However, there are bound to be seasons when this does not go according to plan. When this happens, phosphate removal chemicals can be used to help prevent an algae outbreak—even if is challenging to control the other water parameters for a short time.

Phosphate removal chemicals are typically based on a lanthanum (a rare earth element) compound, although some newer technology is emerging. When added to the pool, these compounds react with phosphates in the water and precipitate them from solution. At this point, they can be effectively removed from the water via filtration or vacuuming.

Phosphate removal treatments in the spring and fall are also a good idea if phosphate levels were problematic throughout the year. A spring start-up dose is recommended if leaves and other debris have been sitting in the pool, decaying throughout the winter or if algae is present.

This treatment may cause temporary water cloudiness as the phosphate reacts with the lanthanum to form a precipitate that can be filtered out. It may also occur in pockets of stagnant water, which may need to be vacuumed to be removed.

Read the full article: Understanding Phosphates

Concrete Coatings: Increased Safety Around the Pool

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By Elena Danke

By using different aggregates in deck coating systems it is possible to create surfaces with increased slip-resistant characteristics than plain concrete. This is an important consideration when selecting a deck coating system to help eliminate or reduce potential slip and fall accidents—especially on wet surfaces—which account for billions of dollars in injuries and insurance claims each year.

Slip resistance is measured by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard C1028–Standard Test Method for Determining the Static Coefficient of Friction of Ceramic Tile and Other Like Surfaces by the Horizontal Dynamometer Pull-Meter Method and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines, which recommend a coefficient of friction (COF) of 0.6 or higher in dry and wet conditions, and 0.8 on ramped surfaces, to provide safe surfaces for all people to traverse across. Slip-resistant characteristics are graded using a COF scalar value, which describes the ratio of force of friction between two bodies and the force pressing them together. These guidelines and local requirements should be evaluated when selecting a pool deck coating, especially since slips are more likely to occur where splashing and puddles are common.

There are various coating systems available today, which approach the solution in different ways.

Read the full article: Concrete Coating Systems

Using Fitness Spas to Improve Health: Aquatic Exercise

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By Rob Santos

Similar to traditional exercise, regular aquatic fitness can reduce stress and improve one’s quality of life. Photo courtesy Cals Spas

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), aquatic exercise is known to act as a mood booster and improve mental health. Similar to traditional exercise, regular aquatic fitness can reduce stress and improve one’s quality of life, as studies have shown swimming to be a great stimulus to create a more positive mood in both men and women. For those with fibromyalgia, the CDC also states that aquatic exercise can decrease anxiety and, if performed in warm water, depression.

Routine aquatic exercise can also improve the health and mental well-being of pregnant women and their unborn child. It has also been linked to enhancing the bond between families with disabled children, as it provides a way for them to spend time together while improving their health.

Read the full article: Aquatic Therapy and Rehabilitation