Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Dom is a "Hurtin' Little Cowboy".

We had a Necrosis of the Jaw scare a couple of months ago.  He had a tooth pulled on the RIGHT side of his mouth, then his Oral Surgeon went to work under the gums.

One week later, our follow-up visit went well.  A LITTLE pain, but felt much better.

Skip to last week-

The LEFT side of his jaw started hurting.  By the time the weekend rolled around, he had a difficult time opening his mouth to eat.  It was all swollen, HARD and painful.  *sighing*

His oral surgeon looked at it yesterday, took a mouth x-ray, and had no idea what was going on.  It didn't show any infection, no fluid, and no bone problems.  He was fairly certain that it isn't a DENTAL problem.

Wouldn't you know it-  He sent us to a local Emergency Room in Mandeville, LA.

We were there, of course, for HOURS.  They did a CT Scan using dye-imaging of his mouth and neck.

NOTHING was out of the ordinary.

Our great ER doctor called up one of his associates to take a look.  They were both baffled.  (We loved our Doctor over there!).

They THINK that it's some type of "FIBROSIS of the Connective Tissue".  (his skin).  It COULD be "NECROSIS of the Jaw".  (his bone, but they don't think so).  Dom has taken Zometa, a bisphosphonate that can cause Osteonecrosis. 

They sent us home with pain pills, antibiotics, and the recommendation for an Ear/Nose/Throat doctor in the area.  He couldn't get us in until next Tuesday.  *sighing*

So, we're "ROLLING RIGHT ALONG", Gang.

Wishing everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 10, 2018

THE BACK PAIN RELIEF DIET

Hello there, gang.

Dom has suffered from back pain for 30+ years.  We had gotten used to it.

However, now, any new ache or pain scares the hell out of us.  "Could it be the cancer coming back?"  "A new lesion?".  (This sadly is our new reality).

Needless to say that when the publisher offered to send me this book, I jumped at it!  What a neat concept!

FINALLY, A SIMPLE, DIETARY SOLUTION FOR A PAIN-FREE BACK!

 We are in a worldwide back pain epidemic. Twenty percent of the population is currently suffering from back pain, while 85 percent will suffer from it at some point in their lives. Back pain has become the number one reason for job disability, the number two reason for visits to the doctor, and the number three reason for hospitalization.

But what if there were a simple solution? Dr. Todd Sinett explains in The Back Pain Relief Diet that doctors aren’t succeeding in diagnosing and treating back pain because they aren’t targeting all the sources of back pain. And there’s a big one they’re overlooking: our diet.

The Back Pain Relief Diet helps you identify your diet triggers for back pain, which may include many so-called “healthy” foods. Dr. Sinett shares his own eye-opening experience of going on a health kick only to wind up with back pain at a surprising level.

The familiar saying “You are what you eat” is an oversimplification. According to Dr. Sinett, it’s not what you ingest but how you digest your food that counts. When your digestive system is upset, this creates gut inflammation, which causes muscular inflammation, often resulting in back pain. According to Dr. Sinett: “Your diet could be the source of your back pain. Conversely, your diet can also be the solution to your back pain!”

The Back Pain Relief Diet includes:

 • a detailed overview of the medicine behind the back-diet connection

• a Digestive Inflammation Test to help you determine if your back pain has a digestive cause

• a Diagnostic Nutrition Test to determine which foods are causing your digestive distress

• a choice of detailed meal plans, tailored to your sensitivities, to reduce inflammation and heal your back in the matter of a few short weeks

• a Symptom Journal to record your journey to health through changes in your nutrition

If you suffer from back pain, The Back Pain Relief Diet offers simple, day-by-day recipes that could change your life. Read Dr. Sinett’s “Patients’ Stories” to see how diet changed theirs.

(Dr. Todd Sinett)

Excerpted from THE BACK PAIN RELIEF DIET by Dr. Todd Sinett

The 10 Basic Principles of the Back-Diet ConnectionYour lifestyle should be about finding what’s right for your body, both nutritionally and digestively. These ten principles will help you listen to your body and find out what it needs.

Principle 1. Regardless of your type of diet, your diet can be the cause of your back pain.

Whether you eat a“healthy”diet or an“unhealthy”diet, whether you are“vegan”or eat“paleo,”whether you start your day with a green drink or an 18-ounce cup of coffee, whether you eat pizza or salad for lunch, your back pain may be stemming from your diet. As I learned from my own “Aha moment”(described in my Introduction), a diet needs to be healthy for YOU and YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM, and everyone’s intestines are a little bit different. This means that what someone else deems “healthy”may not be right for you.

Principle 2. Regardless of your symptoms, diagnosis, or the severity of your back pain, your diet may be the cause of your pain.

It doesn’t matter if you suffer from a nagging tight back or the kind of severe back pain that is incapacitating. Even if you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc, sciatica, degenerative disc disease, or spinal stenosis, your diet could still be the cause of much of your suffering. Because more than 99 percent of doctors, probably including your doctors, haven’t explored the link between diet and back pain, they likely didn’t have this knowledge when crafting your diagnosis.

Principle 3. Before undergoing any kind of invasive back procedure, rule out diet as your cause!

The most important creed that doctors are taught is a Latin phrase “premium nil nocere,”which means “first do no harm.” The information and premise of this book certainly aligns with this saying, but our current aggressive structural treatments are violating this principle. The failure rate for back surgeries is so prevalent that it has its own diagnosis, called Failed Back Surgical Syndrome (FBSS).Barring a spinal medical emergency, the treatment of back pain rarely requires immediate action.

Principle 4. You will know your answer in less than a month, and for a lot of people, within just two weeks!

Principle 5. The cause of most back pain isn’t just one factor.

Most back pain isn’t just one factor but rather a compilation of issues: posture, stress, weight, job, activity levels—the list goes on. However, diet is a huge missing piece that we all should take a look at.

Principle 6. Just because a particular food is healthy or nutritious doesn’t mean it is healthy for you!

Principle7.The quality of your bowel movements determines the quality of your digestive system, which determines the health of your back.

Our bodies and back will not only function as well as the fuel we put into it (input) but also as well as how we eliminate our waste material (output).

Principle 8. Cut down on crap—but remember, you can have too much of a good thing!

Here is my list of “no-no’s”that are consumed in high quantities and are known culprits of back pain!

Caffeine—Caffeine increases muscle contractions, which means that those back cramps or spasms could be caused by your daily cup of joe, especially if you find yourself consuming it in large doses.

Sugar and sweeteners—The average American consumes about 175 pounds of sugar each year—including about 600 cans of soda a year, which is equivalent to ten teaspoons of sugar or an equal amount of artificial sweetener per pop. Too much sugar not only increases the rate at which you excrete calcium, but it also can irritate the digestive system and cause back pain.

Foods that end in -ose—Start reading your food labels. You’ll probably find that much of what you consume includes substances with names you probably can’t pronounce. Food is primarily made up of the first four or five ingredients
listed on the label, so pay attention to the order in which the ingredients are listed.

Principle 9.Anything that can cause digestive distress can affect the muscular system, resulting in back pain.

Principle 10. Variety is vital.

Mix it up by having at least three different types of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, as well as snacks, in your rotation.


About the Author

Dr. Todd Sinett is a pain expert and chiropractor. In his bestselling series of books, including 3 Weeks to a Better Back, he has introduced the Sinett Solution: the practice of listening to the whole body and treating all sources of back pain on the structural, digestive, and emotional levels (what the calls the “triad of health”). He is a recognized authority in applied kinesiology and has served as clinical expert for many TV programs, including The View, FoxMD, and Good Day New York. Dr. Sinett has been a lecturer on MSNBC and at the Learning Annex, and has been featured in countless health and fitness publications.

Pick Up Your Copy of this Fascinating Read HERE

Friday, November 2, 2018

A Great New TEX-MEX Cookbook!

Dom and I LOVE "Mexican" food.  I make it often but found myself repeating the same old recipes...  nachos, enchiladas, tostadas, etc.

The publisher, AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION,  sent me a copy of "TEX-MEX Diabetes Cooking"

Although not diabetic, Dom and I have been on a health-kick since his cancer diagnosis.  We figured that these recipes sure couldn't hurt!

This cookbook has expanded my culinary horizons.  The ones that I've tried have become fast-favorites! 


Tex-Mex Diabetes Cooking: More Than 140 Authentic Southwestern Favorites

Bold and hearty, the flavors of the Southwest are a rich mixture of cultures, history, and unique regional ingredients. When prepared with traditional ingredients, the cuisine is a heady blend of aromas and spices that is delicious, fulfilling, and—surprisingly—healthy!
In Tex-Mex Diabetes Cooking, cookbook author and Southwestern cuisine expert, Kelley Coffeen, takes you on a tour of the region with more than 140 recipes that focus on fresh local vegetables, fruits, beans, cheeses rich in protein, lean meats, fish, and poultry—all with calorie, carb, and fat levels dialed in for those looking to lose weight or manage their diabetes. This is not a diet book, but a classic collection of beloved and soon-to-be favorite Southwestern and Mexican dishes prepared in easy, delicious, healthy recipes.

Inside you’ll find traditional classics such as:

*Smoked Cheddar Cheese and Green Chile Tamales
*Stacked Saucy Enchiladas with Fresh Greens
*Seared Sirloin Tacos with Guacamole
*Roasted Pineapple Salsa
*Whole-Wheat Hot Cakes with Cajeta and Coconut
*Green Chile Corn Chowder
*Chopped Mexican Salad with Lime

And much more!


Who can resist enjoying more of their favorite food (Mexican dishes rank alongside Italian and Chinese cuisine as All-American favorites) while doing their body a favor at the same time? It’s a winning menu for young and old alike—healthy and nutritious, without losing the authenticity and flavor of its cultural origins. Kelley Coffeen knows from a lifetime of experience, living and cooking in various regions across the Southwest, that Tex-Mex fare is easy and fun to prepare at home, and a crowd-pleaser on the table. With this in mind, she created Tex-Mex Diabetes Cooking as the go-to book for home cooks looking for easy, diabetes-friendly, satisfying, and healthy Southwestern dishes to feed their family.

This is a slick full-color publication.  It contains more than 140 Southwestern Favorites.

It's a large paperback-  8.5 x 9 inches.

It has already become my "go-to" cookbook for cocktails,  appetizers, salads, sides main-dishes and desserts!


About the Author

Kelley Cleary Coffeen, PhD, is a food consultant, blogger, and cookbook author. She’s also a true Southwest U.S. native―she has lived in Colorado, Texas, Arizona and now in Las Cruces, New Mexico―who has been fascinated and immersed in Tex-Mex cuisine and flavors all her life.



PICK UP YOUR COPY HERE!