Q: When my kids get in the car, they immediately mess with the music that is playing, tuning in whatever they want to play (some ask first).  Is there a correlation between what they are listening to and the mood they are in and if so how can I take advantage of that?   …………………..a happy mom

A:  Many recent studies confirm what mothers have know for years, music does make a difference to the quality of your life, the kids lives, and in relationships in general.  Music is a great mood regulator.  Loud, upbeat music generally has a stimulating effect while slow music can act as a sedative.

Music actually changes the way parts of your brain work, touching the feel good part of the brain as well as the decision making part of the brain.

There is marked improvement in healing when using music as part of therapy.  Health professionals are tapping into this knowledge, “it’s the music’s rhythm, melody and tonal quality that puts patients in that special place where healing can be achieved faster.”  For example, Harvard researchers have discovered that certain rhythms, such as harp music, can cause your heart to beat more regularly.  Studies in the 1990’s concluded that music significantly lowered the heart rates and calmed and regulated the blood pressures and respiration rates of patients who had undergone surgery.

Music therapy has also been shown to boost your immune system, improve mental focus, help control pain, create feelings of well-being, improve motor skills of those suffering from strokes, reduce anxiety and depression.  The researcher’s findings suggested the importance of using music therapy for pregnant women, to reduce depression, anxiety and stress for the mother as well as benefits for the baby.  Neonatal studies show the entrainment occurring when parents sing lullabies to the infant enhances bonding, decreases stress, changed the heart rates and improved the sucking response.  Something else mothers already knew and research just confirmed.

Using music when you work out helps to increase your flow, last longer and be stronger. Music playing in restaurants directly effects what and how much you drink.  When you are listening to music it messes with your sense of time—think of the on hold music on the phone, it is designed to make you think you waited less time.

It turns out that studying music from a very early age gives you an advantage when it comes to perceiving the emotions of others.  People who play instruments at near professional levels can detect subtle changes in the intonations in the vocal tones of others.  They know whether you are sad even if you say you’re fine.  Also the fact that they studied music makes them better able to screen out the background noise and they are better able to pay attention to what you are saying.

Encourage your children’s interest in music, especially learning an instrument.  Eventually they may even learn to appreciate the years you put up with missed notes, screeching strings and never ending Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

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Q: When I visit my elderly parent I notice that there are some discrepancies with money and general confusion with the details of finances.  Should I be worried that something is going on?  I hear stories of elders being targeted for scams but I don’t want to intrude  if there isn’t a problem.  What are some of the signs that I should be watching for?

A: They say there is a study that will prove just about any theory you want to espouse. With that in mind I read about a study recently that indicated that as we age there are certain parts of the brain that become less able to discern truth and falsehood, especially as it relates to reading the visual clues of the people around them. They indicate that the part of the brain that registers unworthiness and subtle danger isn’t as active in older people. Personally I like the theory better that older folks were raised in a time where scamming wasn’t so prevalent and it wasn’t as necessary to have scam radar built into the genetic code. Perhaps they are a more trusting generation.

But whatever the reason, the fact is that older citizens are specifically being targeted.  Surveys also show that the average age of fraud victims is between 80 and 89, losing approximately $2.9 billion a year to fraud.  Fraud victims tend to be much more likely to get junk mail, open junk mail, listen to unknown callers on the telephone who are telemarketing and generally leave themselves open to situations in which they can be defrauded.

The current big scams is coins.  The caller will tell the person that the stock market and money markets aren’t safe anymore and the only safe place to put their money is in precious metals.  The genius of this scam is that you actually get the coins, but at a cost of four or five times their actual value.

One recent study reported in Consumers Digest estimated that there are at least 5 million cases of this financial abuse in the US each year, but law enforcement or government officials learn about only 1 in 25 cases.

Scammers target elders that they perceive to be vulnerable—those who are isolated, lonely, physically or mentally disabled, unfamiliar with handling their own finances or have recently lost a spouse.  They often pose as trustworthy helpers.  They can be strangers such as telemarketers or tradespeople, or have a relationship with the targeted victim, such as friends, family members, doctors, lawyers, accountants and paid or volunteer caregivers.

Keep an eye out for these common scams.  1.Telemarketing or mail fraud—the US Dept. of Justice estimates that $40 billion is stolen each year with 80% of it from people over 50.  This includes credit card fraud and identity theft as well as lottery scams.  2.Getting unauthorized access to funds—alleged suitors and the like gaining access to funds.  Charging excessive amounts of money— smooth talking scammers convince the elder they need a service or product and then charge excessive amounts for it.  3.Selling Bogus items.  4.Using fraudulent legal documents.  5.Making pigeon drops. 6.Faking an injury scenario.  7.Offering false prize money.  A good example of this is the Canadian “You have won the lottery” scam.  It requires you to send money for “fees and taxes” to actually collect the prize. It is estimated that one billion dollars has been stolen this way.       8.Doing unsolicited home repair work.  The workmen will come to the door, say they see work that needs to be done and then do a shoddy job, overcharge and then often set the person up to be robbed after the fact.

    There are some things to watch out for if you have elderly loved ones who is your responsibility.  Watch for large or unusual transactions from bank accounts or large credit card charges that can’t be explained.  Checks that are missing or have suspicious signatures.  An individual who suddenly forms close attachments to the elder getting access to his or her home, money, etc.  Large number of unpaid bills.  Missing property.  Entry forms and prizes from contests and payments made for ‘free’ vacations or merchandise. Activity in authorized signers and beneficiaries.  Any newly executed documents, wills or POAs.  Untreated physical or mental problems.  Sudden social isolation.

If possible address your concerns with the elder.  The advise from experts is, “Hang up.  Throw it away.  Don’t open it up. Don’t go to any free lunches or seminars.  Stop it at the source.”

Have a question, or is there something you’ve always wondered about?  Ask Madalyn invites your questions.

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Q:  We hear repeatedly that people are drinking less water than their bodies need to perform at peak capacity.  How can I tell if I’m getting enough, what are the signs?   Also what kind of water is best? ……………………………………………… Sybel, W

A:  Let’s begin with a few statistics.  According to studies done in the medical community 75% of all Americans are chronically dehydrated.  So if you are asking, you probably are.  It is estimated that as many as 40% of Americans can’t even read the signs that the body sends for ‘thirst.’  

Even mild dehydration will slow your metabolism down by around 30% (note: weight will increase) and it is also the number one cause for fatigue during the day.  Preliminary research shows that back pain and joint pain is significantly reduced if you take the recommended 8—10 glasses of plain water every day—water—not soda, not coffee with sugar and cream, not juice or alcoholic drinks. 

A 2% drop in your body’s water level results in such things as fuzzy short term memory loss, difficulty in making change, focusing on the computer screen or the page of your book.  If you notice any of these symptoms, drink a glass of water first, before you reach for something to eat, pop a pill or chug an ‘energy’ drink.  Other symptoms could include heartburn, stomach ache, non-infectious recurring or chronic pain, low back pain, headache, high cholesterol, premature aging, autoimmune disease, UTI. mental irritation and depression. 

 Being properly hydrated reduces the risk of all types of cancer by a significant amount.  It is also an important factor in maintaining your weight, your breathing, elimination, digestion, joints, muscle tone and more.  If weight management is an issue for you take note that not drinking enough water will slow the metabolism down and the fat will not be broken down properly causing bloating and water retention. 

The recommended minimum for a healthy person is eight to ten eight-ounce glasses of clear water a day.  You would need more if you exercise or live in a hot climate.  Overweight persons should drink an additional glass for each 25 lbs. they are over their ideal weight.  The general guidelines are to drink 50 to 75% of your weight in ounces: ie if you weigh 150 lbs and live a sedentary life than you would need 75 ounces of fluids daily.  Dividing that by the number of hours you are awake that would be about 5 ounces per hour. 

As a general guideline, drink water (not soda) when you feel thirsty and watch that your urine output is light yellow or clear most of the time. Although various beverages and foods such as soups and juices contain some water, it is best to obtain your daily water requirements from drinking water. Drinks like coffee and alcoholic beverages are diuretics, which cause your body to lose water, so avoid them as much as possible.

The American Society of Nephrology warns that there is little evidence that there is a health benefit from drinking morethan the recommended amount.  In fact the body can get saturated and lose its sodium balance causing a number of unpleasant symptoms.  The kidneys of a healthy adult can process fifteen liters of water a day and is only challenged if you drink too much at one time.  Sipping 5 to 9 ounces an hour works really well.

Now that we know why and how much water to drink, let’s explore what kind of water is best.  Tap, bottled, filtered, distilled, reverse osmosis, alkaline, vitamin, or living, which is best?

The most available water is the stuff that comes out of your kitchen faucet.  While that may have been ‘clean’ many ears ago, today there are a number of contaminants frequently found in both municipal water and surface and well water.  Arsenic, Aluminum, fluoride, prescription drugs, Disinfection ByProducts (DBPs) and more than 600 different toxins are often found in public water supplies.  The real danger here is in the interaction of the ingredients and the fact that most water delivery systems only test and report roughly 80 of the hundreds of known potentially hazardous elements found in

The next most available water is the bottled variety you find in most stores and vending machines.  If you read the labels carefully you will see the majority of bottled water sold today is just municipal city water filtered to remove the chlorine and bad tasting elements. Almost all of this water is bottled in plastic bottles which then leaches out the bisphenol A or BPA, the synthetic hormone disruptors known to create many other health problems—not to mention the devastating impact plastic water bottles have on the ecosystem.

Alkaline water and distilled water are excellent for use in detoxification and short term use, but can result in danger in the long term as it pulls toxins from the body very effectively.  Drinking it long term can invite other health problems, especially if the minerals that are leached out of the body are not replaced.  Alkaline water has also been linked to changes in the body’s natural digestive process and disrupt the good bacteria.

“Vitamin” waters are nothing more than a clever marketing scheme designed to promote a product that is just as unhealthy as soda.  It contains high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and is mixed with distilled water.

Now we come to filtered tap water using Reverse Osmosis filters, Ion exchange filters and Granular Carbon Filters. Ideally, you want a filtration system that offers a variety of methods to remove different contaminants,  Most systems do not address a combination of organic, inorganic, cyst, sediment and metals.  The Pure and Clean filtering systems do seem to address the multiple methods of filtering out contaminants.

Living water—that which hasn’t been messed with would be mountain spring water, being in the healthy neutral ph range of 6.5 to 7.5.   It is some of the healthiest water on the planet because it is ’living water’.  Living water, like ’living food is in its raw natural state the way nature intended.  Gravity-fed water is alive in the same way as raw organic food.  When you take this vital energy into your body you are recharging it with health and encouraging it to return to a whole and balanced state.  I am not referring to the two gallon jugs you see at the grocery store, but the bottle you fill yourself from a gravity fed stream.  There’s a great website called FindaSpring.com where you can find a natural spring in your area.  It’s a great way to get back to nature and the best part is that most of these spring water sources are free.  Be sure to bring glass containers or chemical free containers so your nice clean water doesn’t get contaminated. 

Check out the Alex Caisse Spring in Willimantic CT  for a free natural spring water source.

NATURAL HEALING staff gathers information from many reliable sources and publications validating the information as much as possible.  Magdalena Dakin is a certified Healing Practitioner working with people from all walks of life to help them gain and maintain their optimum health.

Q: My wife insists that the baked potato chips are a healthier alternative than the traditional fried chips? I think they usually taste kind of bland and not worth eating. What do you think?” 

A: It seems as if this is yet another supposedly “healthy” food the manufacturers are producing to keep their market share.  Your wife has fallen prey to the advertising strategy employed to think we are doing good things for our bodies and making better choices.

Let’s look at potato chips.The original potato chip has 3 ingredients: potato, oil, salt.  In addition to the high calorie and salt content the concern here is the oil and transfat used to fry the chips. It is a saturated fat and the high temperatures used to make them  ensures exposure to the carcinogen acrylamide.

Q: Blogs seem to be very popular these days.  How do I set one up? Is it easy to do and maintain? ………….Nuts Over Balls

Q:  Is there an easy way to get your columns sent to me so I don’t miss any?  Also I would like to share them with my relatives on the west coast since they don’t get the Patriot……. Want to Keep Up

A:  Thanks so much for asking.  As you probably know the Patriot is available in its entirety on line at www.patriotnewspaper.com and Ask Madalyn is archived there.

Ask Madalyn also has a blog you can subscribe to and get your columns as soon as they are produced. 

“Blog” is an abbreviated version of weblog, which is a term used to describe web sites that maintain an ongoing chronicle of information. If you’ve ever done a web search for something you have undoubtedly seen some and clicked on them looking for information.

Most blogs have a particular focus or topic, such as hobbies, pets, politics, sports, mobile technology, how to's.  Some are more eclectic and cover a wider range of subjects.  Most of these have links attached so you can do further research.  Others have a much more personal purpose and are more like journals, families keeping up with each other, groups updating their activities.

March 3rd marked 100 years since the suffragists marched on Washington to give women the right to vote, a struggle lasting more than a 100 years. In 1981 Congress created the first week in March Women’s History Week and in 1987 it was expanded to Women’s History Month.  I have some mixed feelings on whether we should even have to have a month dedicated to something so obvious, but since history hasn’t traditionally  been very kind to the memory of women and their roles in the past, perhaps it makes up for it a little by specifically calling our attention to it.

The theme for this year’s  celebration is “Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.”  With that in mind let’s take a look at some of the things women have invented to make life a little easier.

The Circular Saw – in the late 18th century a Massachusetts Shaker community member Tabitha Babbitt saw a way to improve the way wood was being sawed.  She noticed that the two person saws used at the time were wasting energy each time it was pulled back, only the forward motion actually cut the wood.  She created a prototype of the circular saw, attached it to her spinning wheel and every motion of the saw produced results.  It soon became widely used in the saw mills.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie – Ruth Wakefield had worked as a dietician and food lecturer before buying an old toll house outside of Boston.  Traditionally, toll houses were places weary travelers paid their tolls, grabbed a quick bite and fed their horses.  Wakefield converted the toll house into an inn and restaurant.  One day in 1930, Wakefield was baking up a batch of Butter Drop Do cookies for her guests.  The recipe called for melted chocolate, but Wakefield had run out of baker’s chocolate.  She took a Nestles chocolate bar, crumbled it into pieces and threw it into the batter expecting it to melt during the baking process.  It held its shape and thus the chocolate chip cookie was born.    Nestles noticed that sales of its chocolate bars were jumping in Mrs. Wakefield’s corner of Massachusetts so they met with her about the cookie, which was fast gaining popularity in the area.  And then the rest is herstory as the saying goes.  Mrs. Wakefield got free chocolate for life and they have  printed her recipe on every bag of semi-sweet chocolate morsels ever since.

The COBOL Computer Language and Compiler -  “ When we think about advancements in computers, we tend to think about men like Charles Babbage, Alan Turing and Bill Gates. But Admiral Grace Murray Hopper deserves credit for her role in the computer industry. Admiral Hopper joined the military in 1943 and was stationed at Harvard University, where she worked on IBM's Harvard Mark I computer, the first large-scale computer in the United States. She was the third person to program this computer, and she wrote a manual of operations that lit the path for those that followed her. In the 1950s, Admiral Hopper invented the compiler, which translates English commands into computer code. This device meant that programmers could create code more easily and with fewer errors. Hopper's second compiler, the Flow-Matic, was used to program UNIVAC I and II, which were the first computers available commercially. Admiral Hopper also oversaw the development of the Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL), one of the first computer programming languages. Admiral Hopper received numerous awards for her work, including the honor of having a U.S. warship named after her.” ….How Stuff Works.

The Square-bottomed Paper Bag – Margaret Knight didn’t invent paper bags, but she did improve their design, such that they had a flat bottom and could hold much more than the previously designed envelope style of bag. In 1870 she created a machine that would cut, fold and glue the square bottoms to the paper bags.  Knight had to fight for the patent rights to her machine since Charles Anan stole her designs and tried to patent it before her.  She won the battle since she could show all the paperwork and prototypes and was awarded one of more than 20 patents she obtained for her inventions.

The Dishwasher – Invented by Josephine Cochrane who was tired of having her staff break her heirloom dishes.

Windshield Wipers – In 1903 Mary Anderson went on a car trip to New York in a snow storm.  Upon her return home she invented and then patented her invention of a squeegee on a stick to clear the snow and dirt off the windshield.  Within 10 years her invention was on every car built.

Kevlar – Stephanie Kwolek took a temporary position at DuPont in 1946 to save enough money to go to medical school.  She was still there in 1964 when she finished her final designs on a strong resilient polymer which is used in many things, including bulletproof vests.  So even though she didn’t make it to med school she still saves lives every day.

Just a few of the things women have invented.  Enjoy.

Q: Is yogurt the perfect food that the media would have you believe? I’m really tired of all those commercials claiming all sorts of benefits.  Is there any special benefit to the newer Greek yogurt fad?   ………………………….. Sam,S

So you’ve been listening to the media and you’re a little confused.  I can certainly see why.  The claims can range from solving irregularity to being the perfect diet food.

Just because yogurt has taken over prime space in the grocery store doesn’t necessarily mean it’s automatically the best or healthiest product out there.  Let’s take a closer look at yogurt: what is it and what are the health benefits associated with it?

 Almost all yogurt in the US starts with pasteurized milk….that’s not such a problem because once the live cultures are added and the milk is fermented you once again have a live and active food that is easier to digest and has a reduced lactose content due to the consumption of lactose by the microbes.  Be on the lookout for those brands that pasteurize after adding the cultures, thereby killing off the live probiotics and negating the benefits.  Most good brands do not pasteurize after fermenting but be sure to read the label.  The type of probiotic chosen determines its benefits, some are for immunity purposes and some for aiding digestion in the gut.  Again, reading the label will help determine which would be best for your purposes. The amount used in the yogurt also varies depending on the brand.  The average is from 1 billion to 5 billion CFU’s per cup, a decent amount but low in comparison to other sources such as Kefir or Lassi.

Most yogurt in the US has also been adulterated with way too many sweeteners: sugar, corn syrup, or even worse, artificial sweeteners.  Sucralose kills probiotics, so any yogurt with sucralose (aka, Splenda) will most likely have a greatly reduced probiotic content or possibly even be fully dead. Most American consumers have a very aggressive sweet tooth and prefer the sweeter products, which results in a much less healthy version of a potentially very healthy food item.

An alternative way of enjoying yogurt would be to buy the plain unsweetened version and add your own whole fruit to it and if more sweetening is necessary, choose a healthier sweetener like stevia, monk fruit or other natural sweetener.

When making a healthier yogurt choice I would also opt for the full fat version, not the skim versions since they defeat the entire purpose of eating a healthy snack.  The satiety factor is important in making your choices.  The skinny versions of yogurt do fill the gap but then you are hungry again in an hour or two.  If you can find yogurt made with milk from grass fed cows, the resulting yogurt will have a much higher concentration of vitamins, including K2 for reducing heart disease and CLA for reducing cancer risk and body fat.

Greek yogurt is the current ‘hot’ health food being touted by the media, and according to industry experts it has single handedly boosted the hurting American dairy industry.  Old fashioned Greek yogurt is made with goat’s milk while the American version is made with cow’s milk.  The ‘Greek Style” of yogurt adapted in the US includes an active bacteria that creates a more tangy taste.  The straining process also removes some of the lactose sugars, salt and water. What is left is a thicker, creamier product that is higher in protein, but lower in sugar and carbohydrates than American-style yogurt. Thick, creamy and a little bit tangy, Greek yogurt appeals to the health-conscious consumer craving a sweet snack that also packs a nutritional punch without an excess of calories.

 Lastly and perhaps most important is the vitamin content of the yogurt you choose. Since calcium is considered to be one of the healthy aspects of eating yogurt you should be aware of two things.  First the calcium of ordinary milk products is not particularly high, it is definitely not the richest source in our diet, and the calcium that is in there can’t be absorbed unless you are also taking high enough doses of vitamin D at the same time to help the body absorb and actually use the calcium.  Again read the label. 

So in summary, read the label and check for ‘live cultures’, sugar content, vitamin D content, and fat content.  The ‘Greek style’ yogurt may actually have the edge on being better for you.

Q: My cat is very curious and sticks her nose into everything I have on my plate.   I feed her a high quality cat food with a high percentage of meat but  her curiosity is still piqued when there is food nearby. Is there human food that is dangerous for her to eat, like chocolate is bad for dogs?

A: Cats seem to have a mind of their own, especially when it comes to eating. It’s easy to anthropomorphize our furry friends and think that they would like to eat whatever we do, but that isn’t necessarily the best choice for them. Here are some facts about making healthy choices for our furry friends.

First let’s talk about tuna.  It seems harmless enough, it comes in cans specifically for cats, so we might assume it is ok for fuzzy kitty.  It turns out that it might be alright once in a while but as a steady diet it has insufficient nutrients to sustain what kitty needs.  Additionally the mercury content of most tuna would be exceptionally toxic for kitty, even the canned variety sold especially for kitty.  Just because she likes it doesn’t mean it’s good for her.  The same goes for all raw fish which can contain bacteria that kitty can’t fight off and the thiamine in raw fish destroys the B vitamin, a potential cause of serious neurological problems, coma and convulsions.

Onions in all forms-powdered, raw, cooked or dehydrated– can break down a cat’s red blood cells, leading to anemia as the cat gets older. While small amounts might not matter, a constant diet including any form of onions, chives and garlic or one bout eating a large amount will end up causing stomach upset and poisoning kitty.

Milk and dairy products are most likely going to irritate the cat’s digestive system.  Although kittens can tolerate milk, adult cats lose their ability to digest it properly.

Two teaspoons of alcohol can put kitty into a coma and another teaspoon will kill her.   Many cats and kittens are seriously injured eating grapes and raisins.  Keep these out of range for cats to avoid messy vomiting and diarrhea.
    
Caffeine in the form of coffee, tea, cocoa, colas and Red Bull are all dangerous to your cat.  Their much smaller bodies cannot process it and an overdose has no treatment.  You mentioned chocolate being bad for dogs, it’s not a safe food for cats either.  The theobromine is toxic to cats, causing abnormal heart rhythm.

While it’s obvious you wouldn’t give a cat a bone to chew, the fat on meat is equally unhealthy.  Fat,both cooked and uncooked, can cause intestinal upset with vomiting and diarrhea.    Another less obvious danger is uncooked eggs.  The protein in the eggs interferes with Vitamin B absorption and causes skin and coat problems
.   
Dog food is not intended for cats. While an occasional nibble won’t hurt the kitty directly, as a constant food source it is not balanced for cat nutrition and would result in starving the cat.  Feeding your cat a high protein low ash and carb food will keep her in optimum health for many years to come
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Have a question, or is there something you’ve always wondered about.  Ask Madalyn invites your questions. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thought for the Day

“You can complain because a rose has thorns, or rejoice because thorns have a rose.”

~Abraham Lincoln  

Q: What’s more economical in the long run as far as the cost of a single printed page, an inkjet or a laser printer? Or is it less expensive to have your copies done at a copy place? 

A: While the average per piece cost of a color copy made on a laser copier is considerably less, the question of whether it is better to get one than the other depends more on how often you need to make copies and what quality you need.

If you are in the market for copies or photos once in a while and not dozens at a time it might actually make more sense or have an inkjet printer as opposed to a laser printer.  An inkjet printer is less expensive to buy and maintain.  Inkjet printers range from under $100 to $1000+ while laser jet printers range from $300 to $6000.  The cost of cartridges is also an important factor.  A typical laser cartridge may cost $70 and yield 2500 pages, or about 2.9 cents per page.  A typical inkjet cartridge may cost $35 but yields only about 250 pages, resulting in a per piece cost of 14 cents per page.  Obviously the actual cost of the pages you print will depend on the printer you have and the cost of the cartridges.  I looked mine up on line and the manufacturer says a black and white copy on my laser costs $.025 while a color copy is about $.06 per page.  My inkjet printer costs $.09 for black and white and $.142 for each color page I print. As far as printing color copies at a copy shop, I recently priced an 850 piece mailing at one of the big stores and was quoted at more than $400 for the job. 

Having done the research now, I changed my primary printer to the laser.  The office prints many copies every day so even though it seems that it’s more expensive to operate due to the high cost of the cartridges, the cost per print is a lot less.  Another nice feature of a laser printer is that each color has it’s own cartridge, so if your logo has a lot of a single color in it, that cartridge can be replaced separately, unlike an inkjet printer having a single cartridge for all the colors.  If you use a lot of one color the rest of your ink gets wasted in an inkjet.

An additional note when printing photos.  There are separate cartridges for some printers meant especially for photos. The cost per photo is from $.25 to $.49 each.  And that doesn’t include the price of the special paper you need to have a photo printed.  In that case it might be wise to see what it costs to print your photos at your local kiosk.  Often the kiosks have 4”x6” photo deals for as low as $.15.  If you want larger prints however, doing it at home is still the least expensive way.       

Have a question, or is there something you’ve always wondered about?  Ask Madalyn invites your questions.

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