365 Project #280 Golden Years Maintenance

We are thrilled with the wonderful care Don gets at the VA Hospital in Temple, TX. Just recently we discovered the Veteran's Choice program which would allow him to use local health services, but once he's accepted he must use local services. No way, he loves the Temple facility and its excellent staff, especially his doctor, Dr. Karla Hinze.

Here he is at his bi-annual checkup having a couple of precancerous lesions frozen off his ear and neck. His blood-work results were great, we're very pleased. We love the VA!

365 Project #250 I Love Obamacare

For the last two years I have purchased insurance through the Healthcare Insurance Marketplace. I don't qualify for any kind of group discounts or employer benefits as I'm self-employed. I filled out my application online, was accepted and shopped for insurance plans I felt would fit my needs, then called the helpline to have a representative make sure I did everything right. My savings were dramatic, I can actually afford to go to a doctor and a surgery or hospital visit won't put us in dire financial straits.

This year the process is even easier and I'm pleased to say I have adequate health insurance for a price I can afford for the next year. One thing I found out you have to watch carefully for is a letter from your current provider offering to automatically sign you up for the coming year if you wish to keep your current insurance at a greatly increased premium rate. No thank you. I'd rather spend a lazy Sunday afternoon shopping for insurance and saving a couple thousand dollars this year, thank you very much.

365 Project #154 A Glass of Water

One of the best personal habits I've picked up-and stuck with, is drinking a glass of warm water as soon as I get up in the morning. Here are some really great reasons for doing that. Of course when you research the subject, the articles you read suggest replacing your coffee with water, but no, we're not going there. So it's water, coffee and then breakfast whenever I get hungry.

365 Project #138 Mental Illness

So many of us have a physical or mental illness that prevents us enjoying life to the fullest. I've lived long enough to have observed mental illness being treated as 'shameful' and something you just don't talk about to confrontation, acceptance and healing. Celebrities can sometimes help by talking about it and encouraging others.  Thanks, Wil.

365 Project #61 Our Happy Place

OK, for us grocery shopping is like a vacation.  You don't even have to take us to Six Flags, we're easy.  This is one of the favorite things we do together.  Checking out the fridge and pantry, making a list (remembering to take the list), talking in the car on the way there, shopping, making decisions, checking out, Don assuring me that no, we're not in the poorhouse yet, we love it!

I have to know every ingredient in everything I eat, so we cook.  Every year we eat more healthfully and feel better and better.

Where's your Happy Place?

365 Project #31 Sinus Rinse-Get Rid of a Sinus Infection Fast

Last week, I got rid of a sinus infection overnight.  Really.  To the below recipe, add one teaspoon of an organic, raw, unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar like Bragg's.  Don't use more at first or I promise you'll be sorry :-)  You can use a little more the second day if you like.  I'll be using the vinegar-added mix for about a week and update here, but for now the pain and congestion is gone.  I'm a happy camper.

For several years now I've been using a sinus rinse to irrigate my nose.  It's a great way to beat back those allergy symptoms and a necessity when we play in smoky bars.  If I don't do a rinse after a gig, I'll have a 'bar headache' for a day or two. 

The premise is simple: cleaner sinuses, especially before bedtime, are happier sinuses.  Additionally, any nasal sprays or other medications are going to work better in a clean nose. 

If you haven't done it before, do some research and try it for yourself, I use the NeilMed Sinus rinse bottle and when I ran out of the premixed packets I started using the equivalent home-made version.  If you use tap water, be sure to boil it first and cool, as sinus infections are possible and a few deaths have been caused from infection by Naegleria fowleri from using contaminated water.  Here are some great reasons to try it and tips for rinsing.

The best temperature is lukewarm, as overly-warm water can swell the sinuses and cold water can be very uncomfortable.  Below are a couple of videos that show how fast and easy it is to do.

Sydney does a sinus rinse

Official Neilmed video

Sinus Rinse Solution

1 cup distilled or pre-boiled, cooled tap water

1/2 tsp. non-iodized salt (kosher or sea salt)

pinch (less than 1/16 tsp.) baking soda

365 Project #29 I Love My Chiropractor

I've had back problems nearly my whole life and last year finally got up the nerve to visit a chiropractor.  By sheer luck I found the perfect one for me!    I had heard stories that chiropractors were useful, but you'd better go in expecting a little rough stuff before you felt better.  Well, nothing could be further from the truth!

Dr. Katherine Keller at Keller Chiropractic in Llano, TX is very gentle and thorough.  The reason I had originally gone was because my lower back had been 'out' for two weeks and was getting worse.  In less than 15 painless minutes, I was up and walking around normally.  Since then I've gone back several times when I felt an adjustment was necessary.

For this appointment, she is adjusting my neck and upper back.  I had the flu for 3 weeks and had coughed so hard that my upper back and neck were very stiff and sore.  She did a couple of quick adjustments and then did some facial massage and lymphatic drainage with some mint/eucalyptus oil.  You'll find that chiropractors study and apply many disciplines and techniques that treat a variety of problems.  I felt like I almost floated out of there.

Don't be afraid of the chiropractor, especially this one!

The Chiropractic Adjuster, or as I call it,

The Thumper, feels like a quick little tap

but delivers amazing results.

365 Project #25 Don't Fear The Mask

About 5 years ago Don was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and through the VA got a CPAP machine.  He was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea but anyone who has it or sleeps with someone who has it knows that stopping breathing many times each night has to be a bad thing.

He put it on the first night and it made such a huge change in the way he felt immediately, non-compliance was never an issue.  He won't even attempt to take a nap without it.  Why would he, when he can't get restful sleep?

It may even be a lifesaver, he has none of the complications associated with sleep apnea so far.  And did I mention that part about sleep deprivation being a major factor in auto accidents?  Sleep apnea sufferers take little involuntary naps almost all day long, even while driving.  For your sleeping partner, there is simply no downside, the machine is quieter than a whisper and on the off-chance you can actually hear it, it's a very soothing white noise.

The data on his machine shows he gets a solid 6-7 hours of sleep every night, which appears to be all he needs.  He's alert, rested and comfortable the rest of the day, and his immune system is amazing.

So don't fear the mask, it's a good thing.

365 Project #24 Flu Shot

These are the members of our band Turnabout who have had the flu the past 2+ weeks.  Since there are five I guess that means all of us.  We spent set-up time at Pat's Open Mic this past Sunday whining about how sick we'd been.  

Don calls this our Flu Shot.

365 Project #6 Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Don had a sore throat and was feeling sick and icky, so what's a guy gonna do?  Make cookies, of course!  He came up with this after searching the web for a basic Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.  We had cookies for breakfast ;-)  Don't judge me.  Recipe below the photo.

Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup honey

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Organic High Fiber Coconut Flour

1 slightly rounded teaspoon soda

1/2 slightly rounded teaspoon citric acid crystals.

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups Guittard Extra Dark chocolate baking chips

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Cream together the butter, white sugar, and honey until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.

Mix soda, citric acid crystals and salt in mixing bowl with spatula. Once thoroughly mixed use the spatula to mix in the flour.

Hand mix dry and wet ingredients, fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.

Bake for about 12 minutes in preheated oven, or until edges are browned. Cookies will firm up nicely on a cooling rack.

Notes: If the batter doesn't seem stiff enough, stir in an extra tablespoon or two of the All Purpose Baking Flour, until the texture seems right, it should feel very stiff to stir. I substituted honey for brown sugar (because I didn't have any brown sugar) and lowered the temperature from 350 to 325 so the honey wouldn't burn. We also used parchment paper on shallow baking pans because we've misplaced our air bake cookie sheets. The original recipe did not call for citric acid crystals, but the instructions for subsituting honey for sugar suggested using something to provide more acidity.  You could also use 2 tsp. Cream of Tartar.  There's some evidence that fresh (backyard) eggs produce firmer baked goods, your mileage may vary.  The cookies came out really awesome.

Turmeric Is My New Friend

We bought a one-pound package of turmeric from sfherb.com, intending to make some of that nice saffron-colored rice you get at Chinese restaurants.  At the rate we use it, it would probably take years to use it up.  At $4.25 a pound (plus shipping), I can afford to play with it.

I started running across articles about how valuable turmeric is for many health and beauty uses.  These are some of the things I've tried so far.  The facial mask and using it as a tooth powder were a little hard to believe, but I tried them and they work beautifully.

I've used the face mask twice and intend to try doing it 3 times a week or so.  I'll follow up to let you know if it gets rid of some of the redness in my face that is caused by capillaries near the skin surface and some broken veins (hereditary).  It would be a nice bonus if the circles under my eyes would be lightened a bit, I've had sinus problems all my life and sometimes they're really dark.

Here's the really strange one, and it's a bit hard to believe that a spice that is strong enough to be used as a permanent yellow dye can whiten teeth but it does.  I have the formerly coffee-stained teeth to prove it.

The most promising for overall health is Golden Milk.  Here's how to make the paste to add to any kind of milk for a nice evening drink.  I just put it in my evening mint tea and it tastes great.  Curcumin, the active ingredient in Turmeric, is a proven anti-inflammatory and can help with lots of conditions caused by inflammation.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression

Last December I got into a negative-thoughts spiral that felt like I was getting depressed.  During the entire month my mood changed and my thoughts changed, too.  More and more my self-talk was negative and hopeless, then I caught the worst flu I've ever had a few days before Christmas.

Let me tell you, there were days when I would wake up and not want to get up because I had no reason to believe that day would be any better than the last.  I'm amazed how negative thoughts can creep into your life without being noticed until you feel terrible.  Fortunately, I had been talking with a couple of friends about their depression that eventually sent them to their doctors.  They had both been prescribed anti-depressants, one relatively short-term (6 months) and one who had been taking them for years.

I decided to try some homestyle Cognitive Behavioral Therapy before anything else, mostly because my body hates medications and my insurance was crap.  I love to take and process photos and had been missing it for awhile.  We had been shopping for a video camera and I was antsy to get started learning to make videos so I spent my flu downtime learning.  The plan was to take a photo every day of something that made me happy, inspired, grateful, thoughtful, whatever, as long as it was positive.  Then I posted the pictures to an album, with a description

http://plus.google.com/photos/101326359135790262301/albums/5964104371704759905

Each day I woke up with more enthusiasm and looked at my world a little differently.  Apparently, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is quite effective for depression, whether antidepressants are prescribed or not.  So, even if you take drugs, you have to do the work yourself.   http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-for-depression  At the end of January I made a video of the things that made me happy.

With a little effort, the habit has stuck and, much like the flu has healed stubbornly and slowly, I've dug my way out of the dark place.  Here's hoping I never go there again.