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Archive for the 'Health' Category

Lupus and Related Illnesses Workshop (announcement)

Posted in Announcements, Brevard County, Florida, Healing, Health, Local, Lupus, Medical Research, News on December 30th, 2006

Lupus & Related Illnesses:

Living Well Beyond Diagnosis
 

Complimentary Workshop and Dinner

Hosted by Lupus Foundation of America, SE Florida Chapter

Speakers will include:

Robert H. Phillips, PhD – Author of Coping With Lupus

Keivan Dehghanpishch, PhD, MD – Rheumatologist

along with other area professionals
Thursday, January 25, 2007

6:00pm – 9:30pm
Port St. Lucie Community Center
2195 SE Airoso Boulevard
Port St Lucie, FL

 

Free CEUs for Nurses and Mental Health Professionals
To register, please contact:   1-800-339-0586  or lupusfl@bellsouth.net

Also, a reminder. The first Brevard County Lupus Support group meeting for 2007 will be held on Wednesday January 24th 7:15 – 8:30pm
Pro-Health Fitness Center, 3rd Floor Meeting Room
611 East Sheridan Road, Melbourne

If you want to find the Lupus support group for your area, you can see the list of groups at the Lupus Foundation Web Site.

 

Thinking of getting a tattoo

Posted in Announcements, Health, Medical Research, National, News, Press Release on December 26th, 2006

Tattoo picture courtesy of Bike Week by MNO Photography 

If you are thinking of getting a tattoo, but wonder if it may be one of those things you wish you had of never done. There is good news that was recently released in the medical field about a new tattoo ink.

Freedom-2, LLC, a pioneer in the development of safe, quality inks for the purpose of permanent but removable tattoos today announces their plan to deliver the first inks to the market in early 2007.

The Freedom-2 (F2) ink technology is the first and only patented ink designed specifically for safe and easy, future removal.  The technology is the result of combined seminal discoveries by R. Rox Anderson, M.D., Wellman Laboratories of Photomedicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital; Craig A. Drill; Susanna Mlynarczyk-Evans, Ph.D., and Bruce Klitzman, Ph.D. and Kim Edward Koger, M.D., F.A.C.S. of Duke University.

The F2 ink uses biodegradable and bioabsorbable dyes such as cosmetic-grade iron oxide that are encapsulated in a biocompatible polymer bead known as ploymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).  These microscopic PMMA beads make up the F2 ink.  Tattoo artists use traditional delivery methods to provide an F2 tattoo – the only difference is the ink.

An F2 tattoo is easily removed by a single, standard laser treatment that breaks the PMMA beads allowing the body to naturally expel the dye trapped inside.  In contrast, the removal of traditional tattoo inks can create significant side effects including the development of carcinogenic properties, scarring and incomplete removal.  Additionally, removing a traditional tattoo typically requires multiple laser treatments that can cost several thousand dollars.

Today approximately 24 percent of Americans have at least one tattoo and as many as 17% of them seek to have their artwork removed1.  However, according to prominent physicians and researchers whose practices center around tattoos and tattoo removal, that number may be as high as 50%.  Until today, the removal of tattoos delivered with traditional ink, was a painful, incomplete process.  With the F2 ink technology, the picture changes.

“The F2 technology was discovered by practicing physicians with experience in the current tattoo removal technology.  These doctors, concerned for their patients and future patients, have developed a safe, less expensive, non-invasive system of tattoo removal,” said Martin Schmieg, President and CEO of Freedom-2 LLC.  “We are looking forward to presenting this technology to the public and believe it will allow more people to express themselves through body art without future regret.”

The F2 technology is being advanced by a team of researchers led by prominent polymer chemist and drug control delivery systems expert, Edith Mathiowitz, Ph.D at Brown University.  Mathiowitz leads the development team and works with research and development partner, MediUm-Tech, GmbH, Berlin, Germany on the encapsulation and formulation of the F2 ink.

Currently, F2 is continuing its human proof of concept studies with testing locations in both the US and Europe.  Following a successful suite of product tests, F2 will make the world’s first-ever permanent but removable tattoo ink available for retail sale in early 2007.

Source:

http://www.freedom2ink.com/

 

Traditional homemade stuffed turkey

Posted in About Me, Cooking, Food, Likes, Recipes on December 24th, 2006

Here is my homemade stuffed turkey recipe for Christmas.

Traditional Christmas Turkey

Ingredients:

  • 1 14/16 lb Turkey
  • 3/4 Loaf of Breads
  • 1 1/2 Stick of Butter
  • 1 Medium Onion
  • 2 Stalks of celery
  • 1/2 lb Sausage
  • 4 Cups of Water
  • 1/2 teaspoon Basil Leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon Parsley
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Chicken Broth Powder
  • 3 Celery Leaf Tops

This recipe is for what I call a “traditional” turkey with homemade stuffing and can be prepared and cooked faster than my original slow cooked turkey. It is also for a smaller bird than my original recipe which again is for quick serving. Quick in this case is around 1 1/2 hour preparation and 4 1/2 hours cooking time. So if all goes right, you should have a tender and juicy stuffed turkey on the table in around 6 hours. OK, let’s get started!

Preheat your oven to 325. Notice that I say that we will use 3/4 loaf of breads. This is because for my stuffing I like to use a mixture of bread that will usually include some white, wheat, rye or pumpernickel rye, cuban bread or dinner rolls. I have used garlic bread sticks as well and that will give your dressing a nice flavor.

Gather together around 3/4 loaf of breads as above and put it in a 13 x 9 deep pan or larger. Put the pan loaded with the bread in the oven. You will need to keep an eye on the bread and turn it a couple of times so that you get some of the pieces close to a dark toast color as below.

toasted bread to make turkey stuffing

While the bread is toasting, you can brown the sausage. Tip: because you are doing this early morning, I usually will cook the whole pound of sausage. Use 1/2 pound for the stuffing and the other half set aside to make sausage gravy and biscuits! Do this and you will have kitchen help hanging around. I will post my recipe for the sausage gravy and biscuits another time if you need it, but for now back to our turkey dressing.

While you are browning the sausage, chop the celery, celery leaves and onion and set it aside. Don’t forget the bread that is in the oven, turn it bringing some of the slices to the top and flip them over. The bread should be getting light brown by now.

In a medium sauce pan bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add a couple of the leaves from the celery finely chopped to the water. When the water boils, turn it down to a simmer and add the chicken broth powder, salt, basil and parsley. Let this mixture just steam a bit and turn it off. You will be adding this to the bread.

Toasted bread has been cubed and ready to make stuffing for turkey

By now your bread should be well toasted. Remove it from the oven and let it cool a bit. While the bread is cooling, drain the sausage of fat and return to pan. Set the pan on the same burner, but lower the heat to just above warm. Put 1 stick of butter in the pan with the sausage and let it melt down. While the butter is melting, chop your bread into cubes. I usually add a bit more basil and parsley into the bread while chopping.

prepared ingredients for turkey stuffing

Now that the butter has melted down with the sausage, turn up to a medium heat and add the chopped celery and onion. You want to just lightly heat this mixture, being careful not to fully cook the celery or onion. When the mixture begins to sizzle a bit, add the bread that you have cubed.

spiced water for turkey stuffing

While stirring the bread, butter, sausage, onions and celery together, slowly pour in the water and spice mixture to moisten the bread. Mix all together lightly trying not to mash up the bread to much, but get it all moist. You may need to add more water depending on the types of bread that you used.

prepared stuffing ready to be put in turkey

Be careful not to soak the bread! It will gain moisture while cooking inside the turkey. Remove the wrapping on your turkey and wash the bird inside and out. Remove the neck and giblets and wash the inside of the turkey well with cold water. You can cook the neck and giblets for those who like them, if not, for this recipe, throw them away. Again, this would be used in the stuffing for my original recipe, but for the traditional, they are not of use.

prepared turkey ready to cook

Pull the turkey neck skin up and stuff some dressing into the pocket below it. Then pull the skin back down and tuck it under the turkey setting the bird in your roaster pan. You should have 1/2 stick of butter left and it should be soft from being out. Take the butter and rub the turkey down with it. Be sure to coat the turkey well with the butter as this is what will cause it to brown nicely. Lightly sprinkle the chicken spice all over the turkey and put it in the oven at 325. Your turkey should be ready to serve in about 4 1/2 hours depending on the size of the turkey. Most turkeys have a pop-up timer that will pop when the turkey has reached the proper temperature.

I also suggest that you use a roaster oven as in my post about my Thanksgiving Turkey.

Don’t throw that turkey juice away, it makes a wonderful gravy!

So there you have it. My traditional stuffed turkey recipe. Give it a try and tell me how it turns out. I will post my original turkey and dressing recipe on a later date. However, for this recipe you will need more time and a larger bird.

Merry Christmas to All! 

Merry Christmas!

By popular request, I have made this recipe available to print. Click here to view and print this turkey and dressing recipe.

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Best place for steak during bike week and biketoberfest

Posted in Bike Week, Bikefest, Biketoberfest, Daytona Beach, Dinning, Edgewater, Entertainment, Florida, Food, Likes, Motorcycle Events, Motorcycles, Opinion, Ormond Beach, Travel, Volusia County on December 12th, 2006

Rich's place Edgewater, Florida

During bike week or biketoberfest and when you are in the Edgewater, Florida area if you love a good steak visit Rich’s Place. Just south of Daytona Beach about a mile down Highway 1 from the noname saloon on the west side of the road. The atmosphere is laid back in a 50′s style with rock-n-roll and Elvis memorabilia all over.

Best Steak for bike week and biketober

I can’t think of any other steak place that I have eaten at where the steak has been cooked to perfection every time. Rich’s Place steak hits the spot! The burgers are fantastic too. Be sure to visit Rich’s next time you make the trip to Volusia County for any of the Florida motorcycle events. You won’t leave hungry and you won’t be disappointed.

 

Brevard County Lupus Support Group

Posted in About Me, Announcements, Brevard County, Florida, Health, Lupus, Melbourne, News on December 9th, 2006

The lupus support group for Brevard County meets every 4th Wednesday of the month. However, due to the holidays there will not be any meeting until 2007. Please mark your calendars to attend this meeting and get the word out. Our group needs more to attend and you can help by spreading the word for us.

Brevard Lupus Support group meeting

MELBOURNE

January 24th 7:15 – 8:30pm

Pro-Health Fitness Center, 3rd Floor Meeting Room

611 East Sheridan Road, Melbourne

Facilitator – Fredda Steidle, MPS

For more information please contact:

Fredda Steidle, MPS

Lupus Foundation of America South East Florida Chapter 561-279-8606

or contact me if you have any questions.

Those of you that have a local blog in this area, please help by spreading the word of these support group meetings by posting this message and creating a trackback to my blog.
About Lupus

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that, for unknown reasons, causes inflammation and tissue damage to virtually any of the body’s own cells, tissue, and organs – especially the skin, joints, blood, heart, lungs, kidneys, and brain. The body’s immune system normally makes proteins called antibodies to protect the body against viruses, bacteria, and other foreign materials called antigens.
In an autoimmune disorder such as lupus, the immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between foreign substances (antigens) and the body’s own cells and tissue. Unable to make this distinction, the immune system then produces antibodies that target the body’s healthy tissue causing inflammation and damage to vital organs.
Lupus is a very complicated, confusing and erratic disease. It can range from being a mild disease affecting only a few organs, to one that can cause serious and even life-threatening health problems. Two leading causes of morbidity and mortality from lupus are kidney disease and heart disease.
This disease effects me through someone that I love very much, my wife Cindi Odom. Cindi has Discoid (cutaneous) lupus is always limited to the skin. It is identified by a rash that may appear on the face, neck, and scalp.

I attend these meetings as a support for her and others that are effected by this disease. You can help! If you can, please help to spread the word about the support meetings to people that you know that have lupus.

You can also help by supporting the lupus foundation. I have set up a page that tells a little more about Cindi and you can donate to the foundation on that page.

Take a moment to visit Cindi Bear’s Fight Against Lupus and meet my wonderful wife.

You can also learn more about lupus at the lupus foundation site.

Thanks! Mike

Guess the name of this sports pub

Posted in Dinning, Entertainment, Food on December 2nd, 2006

Sports pub quiz photo

OK, here is a little fun quiz in photos. See if you can guess the name is of this eatery. Clue: This restaurant is known worldwide.

Sports pub quiz photo 2

Clue: The dinning area has 2 televisions in each booth and free wireless Internet access.

Sports pub quiz photo 3

Clue: The restaurant is most famous for the hamburger.

Sports pub quiz photo answer McDonalds Hamburger

Answer: McDonald’s

Good grief, I could not believe this was a McDonald’s when I walked in to it. There are televisions everywhere you look in this place, even at the soda fountain you are staring at a television. The location of this McDonald’s restaurant is in Boca Raton, Florida on Yamato Road.

A turkey to be proud of

Posted in About Me, Cooking, Food, Likes on November 23rd, 2006

I love to cook and I usually cook the holiday meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas for our family. This year for Thanksgiving was no different, other than most of the family would not be here. Normally, I cook a Thanksgiving Day feast for about 16 people. Today there was only 5 of us so I only did a turkey dinner.

It was a big bird, 18 pounds! I used to cook my turkey in the oven wrapped in paper shopping bags. The paper bag holds in the juices and flavor and makes a very tender dish. It has to be slow cooked when you use a paper bag at about 225 F for two reasons. The turkey will turn out very tender and the obvious, it keeps the bag from catching fire.
 

Rival 20 Qt. roaster oven

Back a couple of Christmas ago, my wife and I received a roaster oven from her brother David. The kitchen tool has proved to be one of the most useful cooking appliances that I have. There is not much that I can not cook in this thing, including a Thanksgiving Turkey.
 Perfect turkey cooked over night

I still slow cook the turkey in the roaster, but have eliminated the paper shopping bag. The turkey still comes out juicy and tender cooked over night.
look at the way this bird slice

This turkey looked good when it came out after being slow roasted for 14 hours, but look at the way it slices! The dressing was home made from scratch, none of that pepperidge farm stuff. Needles to say, I was full when I walked away from the meal that I cooked today.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Herbal Medicine: Cindi’s Lupus Tea

Posted in Cooking, Food, Healing, Health, Herbs and Oils, Lupus, Recipes on September 22nd, 2006

My wife, Cindi, has lupus. We are not positive at this time as to which type of Cutaneous (skin) lupus that she has, but we think that it is of the discoid type effecting the skin. She had a skin biopsy performed back last week and we are hoping to get results Monday when she has her stitches removed.

Over the past few weeks I have started a quest to find out more about the disease and possible herbal help for it. The medications that she has to take (steroids) are scary to say the least. So a all natural herbal cure is a option that I wish to take if at all possible.

In some of my first findings I looked at types of internal treatments and found a mixture of herb and mushrooms that I make into a tea. This tea is good to help the body’s immune system. Here is the recipe for Cindi’s Lupus Tea and the description of the medicinal qualities of the ingredients.

For Cindi’s Lupus Tea, use equal amounts of the following ingredients. It is suggested to purchase at least 2 oz. of the mixture, ground and mixed in equal parts and 2 oz. of green tea.

You will need tea bags and a teaspoon measure device. Put one teaspoon of the Cindi’s tea mixture and one teaspoon of green tea in a tea bag and close. We use the iron type of tea bags.

Astragalus:

Astragalus membranaceus, or huángqí (??, literally “yellow leader”; also called beiqí, ??, literally “northern leader”) is a tonic herb originally used in Chinese medicine. It is believed to be a galactagogue, and recent studies show that it may strengthen the human immune system.

The natural gum tragacanth, which is used in pharmaceuticals and textiles, is obtained from Astragalus tragacanthus. It is claimed to help the immune system, and to increase the body’s resistance to common viruses.

In western herbal medicine, Astragalus is primarily considered a tonic for enhancing metabolism and digestion and is consumed as a tea made from the roots of the plant. It is also traditionally used to strengthen the immune system and in the healing of wounds and injuries

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astragalus

Shittake Mushroom:

Shiitake mushrooms have been researched for their medicinal benefits, most notably their anti-tumor properties in laboratory mice. These studies, the earliest dating back to 1969, have also identified the polysaccharide lentinan, a (1-3) ß-D-glucan, as the active compound responsible for the anti-tumor effects.[citation needed] Extracts from shiitake mushrooms have also been researched for many other immunological benefits, ranging from anti-viral properties to possible treatments for severe allergies, as well as arthritis.[citation needed]Lenthionine, a key flavor compound of shiitake, also inhibits platelet aggregation, so it is a promising treatment for thrombosis.[citation needed]

Shiitake are also one of a few known natural sources of vegan and kosher vitamin D (vitamin D2).

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shittake_mushroom
Maitake Mushroom:

The underground tubers from which hen of the woods arises has been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine to enhance the immune system. Researchers have also indicated that whole maitake has the ability to regulate blood pressure, glucose, insulin, and both serum and liver lipids, such as cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids, and may also be useful for weight loss.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hen_of_the_woods

Reishi Mushroom:

Reishi Mushroom is also known by the name Lucky Fungus. Reishi Mushrooms grow wild on decaying logs and tree stumps in the coastal provinces of China. The fruiting body of the mushroom is employed medicinally. Reishi occurs in six different colors, but the red variety is most commonly used and commercially cultivated in North America, China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. The Latin word lucidum means “shiny” or “brilliant”, and refers to the varnished surface of Reishi’s cap, which is reddish orange to black. In Japan, 99% of Reishi growing in the wild are found on old plum trees, and wild Reishi Mushrooms are rare. In the Taoist tradition, Reishi is said to enhance spiritual receptivity. It was used by monks to calm the spirit and mind. It is also considered a symbol of feminine sexuality. Reishi has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 4,000 years to treat liver disorders, hypertension, arthritis, and other ailments. The Chinese have always regarded the mushroom as having special properties. Mushrooms are regarded as “spirit medicine’ because they are believed to nourish the “shen”, or spirit. As such, they are considered particularly important in vegetarian diets and regarded as a medicinal food that promotes longevity. Various medicinal mushrooms are used by the Chinese.

Source:
http://www.viable-herbal.com/singles/herbs/s495.htm

I have found the Lupus Foundation of America web site can be very helpful in finding resources on this disease, so I created a donation page in Cindi’s name. Please consider donating to the Lupus Foundation at Cindi’s Page Here

Read Emu Oil and Discoid Lupus, healing the skin

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Lima Beans

Posted in About Me, Cooking, Dis-likes, Food, Health, Humor, Opinion on September 21st, 2006

I don’t like Lima beans or butter beans whatever you want to call them. It does not matter how they are cooked… I don’t like them period.

As a kid my mother used to make me eat at least a few of them! YUK! I swallowed them whole like a pill, washing them down with kool-aid.

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All Things Natural

Posted in Exercise, Healing, Health, Herbs and Oils, Internet, Sites I have created on September 18th, 2006

Exercise, Gym Equipment, Natural Remedies and Vitamins. Health, Beauty and Fitness products for your body and mind. Visit my site http://www.allthingsnatural.info/