JoAnneFogarty.com

Oh No, a Lump in my Breast View Comments

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Heard something from my doctor that I never wanted to hear.  “I feel a lump here, think we better look into it further.”  There is no history in my family of breast cancer, and I have never felt healthier — even though I just turned 65.

I truly wasn’t too worried about it and I figured it was just a cyst or perhaps a different type of fibroid. My doctor is also a teacher at UCLA Med School, and she told me a year or two ago that the medical field was no longer suggesting self-examination for those of us with fibrous breasts, because we have too many ‘false’ scares.

So off I go to get my mammogram — with special ultrasound for the “mass” on my left breast.

I could feel the tiny little lump in my left breast.  It was near the same place that I had a cyst aspirated about 20 years ago.  I believed it was just another cyst.  At that time I learned cysts sometimes never come back, sometimes they come back often, and sometimes they come back years and years later.

The technician that took my mammogram asked where the lump was, and put a sticker on it for the mammogram.  After the films were taken, I was ushered into a second room where I was asked to lie down on the bed.  Another technician came in and put gel on my breast and on the ultrasound tool — and began searching for the mass.  She searched and searched and searched.  She asked me again where it was — I pointed it out.  She searched again.  Nothing was showing up!!  this baffled her – so she excused herself and went for a doctor.  The doctor came in – and she searched and searched.

I told her about the cyst I had many years ago.  She responded, “A cyst would show up also.”  But reported she too couldn’t find anything.  That was music to my ears.  I told her I had been praying.  She concurred that we don’t know why, but miracles do happen.

I have read Suzanne Somers book “Knockout” and believe, as do the many doctors interviewed in this book, that there are alternatives to help one through the diagnosis of cancer.  Surgery is not always only option, nor is chemo-therapy and/or radiation.

The following week I went to my internist.  I told him about the mammogram.  He said “There are many miracles the medical profession cannot explain.”     With faith and an open mind you can tackle anything!

Who’s On First – 2009 Style View Comments

If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, “Who’s on First?” might have turned out something like this:

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: Yes. I’m setting up an office in my den & I’m thinking about buying a computer.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: No, the name’s Lou.
ABBOTT: Your computer?
COSTELLO: I don’t own a computer. I want to buy one.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: I told you, my name’s Lou.
ABBOTT: What about Windows?
COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?
ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO: I don’t know. What will I see when I look at the windows?
ABBOTT: Wallpaper.
COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.
ABBOTT: Software for Windows?
COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?
ABBOTT: I just did.
COSTELLO: You just did what?
ABBOTT: Recommend something.
COSTELLO: You recommended something?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: For my office?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO : OK, what did you recommend for my office?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!
ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.
COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let’s just say I’m sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?
ABBOTT: Word.
COSTELLO: What word?
ABBOTT: Word in Office.
COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.
ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?
ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue “W”.
COSTELLO: I’m going to click your blue “w” if you don’t start with some straight answers.
ABBOTT: What about financial bookkeeping?
COSTELLO: You have anything I can track my money with?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: That’s right. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?
ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO: What’s bundled with my computer?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?
ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?
ABBOTT: One copy.
COSTELLO: Isn’t it illegal to copy money?
ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.
COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?
ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!
(A few days later)
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?
ABBOTT: Click on “START”…………

Difference between Cold and Flu View Comments

What are the flu symptoms vs a cold?  What are symptoms of H1N1 or Swine Flu?

Wondering if you have a cold, the seasonal flu or H1N1 flu often called the Swine flu.  The symptoms for the common cold and the flu are definitely different.

Flu symptoms:

1.    The flu comes on suddenly.  You get up feeling fine but sometime during the day you start to get aching and shivering.

2.    A fever usually accompanies the aches when you have the flu.

3.    You might also have a headache, fatigue, cough, sore throat and/or nasal congestion.

4.    Sometimes vomiting or diarrhea accompany the flu, but usually in children.

Cold Symptoms:

1.    Usually develops over a few days.

2.    May or may not have a sore throat and cough.

3.    Nasal congestion that may be accompanied by a headache if the sinus are inflamed.

4.    Usually there is no fever or aches with a cold.

How do you know if you have H1N1 Flu Strain?

You won’t.  Unless your doctor tests you with a swab of nasal secretions.  But remember, far more people die from the usual flu strain than are reported dying from the H1N1 strain.   And the treatment is the same for H1N1 as for the seasonal flu.  Nevertheless, it does seem to be quite contagious.   So protect yourself and those around you.

New research suggests the H1N1 virus can spread many days after the fever ends.  Swine flu appears to be contagious longer than the seasonal flu.  You’re probably contagious for about a week.  So if you care about your family, friends, and co-workers – take the week off.  Get your laptop and work from home.  And, as mentioned above, take particular care as long as you are coughing.  When the coughing stops, that is probably a better sign of when a H1N1 patient is no longer contagious.

First Published at:  http://ezinearticles.com/?Whats-the-Difference-Between-Cold-and-Flu?&id=2929189

4 Tips on How To Live Longer View Comments

4 Steps to Strong Nails View Comments

How to Turn Split Nails and Brittle Nails into Hard Nails.

When I owned my flower shop, my nails went from Strong Nails to Brittle Nails in a matter of weeks. It’s the water. When you work with flowers, you hands are constantly wet. After I sold my shop, I went to my dermatologist and this formula for strong nails really worked for me.  I’ve passed this tip on to many and all have thanked me.

Briefly, the four steps to strong nails are:

1. Remove the Nail Polish;
2. Take Biotin for no more than 30 days;
3. Wear gloves;
4. Get some hoof dressing.

Sounds crazy, but it works.

Click for the full article on “How To Get Strong Nails”.

Myths About Weight Loss View Comments

We have to begin this discussion … with some myths about weight loss.  Many of these weight loss myths actually produce weight gain.  Here again, I will be relating to information from Dr. Mark Hyman’s “ULTRA METABOLISM” and “THE ULTRA SIMPLE 7-DAY DIET”.  (You can lose a few quick pounds in 7 days, but the longer you stay on the diet, the more you will lose.)

The First Myth:  The Starvation Myth
This myth says that if you eat less, exercise more … you will lose weight.  While it is partially true, it really depends on WHAT you eat.  I had a friend that liked to just have a piece of apple pie for lunch when she was ‘dieting’.  Apples are good for you she would say.  And there can’t be many calories in just one little piece of pie!!

If you have a diet high in trans fats or high-fructose corn syrup, yet keep your calories down, you’re weight loss will be minimal.  You will feel hungry and tired and get discouraged.  You’ve got to watch out for the ‘empty calories’ (refined carbohydrates and toxic fats with little nutritional value.  They send all the wrong messages to your genes, turning on the messages that promote weight gain, changes in hormones, increases to molecules that trigger more hunger, inflammation, and more.

Instead, throw away your calorie counter and begin choosing whole foods that contain no toxic or hydrogenated fats or high-fructose corn syrup.  And above all, stay away from convenience foods.

I thought I was being so good to eat just one small Yoplait yogurt for lunch.  Till I realized it had high-fructose corn syrup – and it was contributing to my ‘starvation’.  You’ll understand what I mean when you read below.

What are ‘whole foods’?
*    High-fiber foods:     beans, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds.
*    Quality Proteins:    beans, nuts and seeds, eggs, fish, lean poultry, lamb, pork or beef
*    Healthy Fats:    fish oil, extra virgin olive oil, cold-expeller-pressed plant oils, such as grapeseed, walnut and sesame, avocado, olives, coconut, nuts, seeds.
*    Healthy Carbohydrates:
Vegetables, whole grains, beans, fruit, nuts, seeds.

So you see, not all calories are created equal.  The food you eat contains information for your genes that controls your metabolism.  The information changes your metabolism and can increase OR decrease your weight.  A whole-food diet is the best way to help food communicate to your genes in a language it understands.

And for heavens sakes – don’t skip meals.  Have several smaller meals.  Ideal is breakfast, morning snack, light lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner.  Then NOTHING until morning.  Pounds can drop if you don’t eat 3 hours prior to going to bed.

The main problem with skipping meals and starving yourself is it sets of chemical response inside your body – that actually encourages you to eat more!!  So by not eating – you go on binges when you do have the opportunity.

And to add insult to injury.  When your body feels it is deprived of food – it starts storing your fat (so you can’t lose weight).  I think of it as the little squirrels that stuff all the acorns in the trees during the summer, so they have food for the winter.  So by eating many smaller meals – your body is content and doesn’t have to go the extra measure of storing your fat – it can actually help you get rid of the fat.

Next Myth: The Calorie Myth.

Lose Weight with a Gluten-Free Smoothie View Comments

Since I have Hyper-Thyroid, I try not to eat gluten. It’s hard because I love cookies – and I’m not too fond of most gluten free varieties. But I find that if I start my day without gluten, not only do I feel better with more energy, but I believe I am on the road to losing some ounces that day. It’s a good way to start the morning.

There are two key ingredients to my smoothies or shakes. The first is ground flax seeds. Flax seeds are one way to get some omega-3 fat in your system. If you’re like me, the fishy tasting capsules are not acceptable. So I get some of my omega-3 and fiber from a daily dose of flax seeds. Do not use flax in more than 2 shakes a day!

The other key ingredient for someone with hyper-thyroid is rice protein powder. When I first went to the health food store, I couldn’t find it. There are so many other types of protein powders – mostly soy. But I don’t do soy. I also have Rosacea and my doctor tells me that soy is a no no for Rosacea. My favorite rice protein powder is NutriBiotic Vegan 80% Rice Protein. It comes in Chocolate and Vanilla. I prefer Chocolate. You only need one heaping tablespoon of it – and you get 12 grams of protein!! One Tablespoon is just 1 point for Weight Watchers.

You’ll also notice a combination flax and borage oil. I only add this during the two weeks or so I am on a detox. It is expensive, and it is an optional ingredient for every day.

SMOOTHIE WITH RICE PROTEIN AND FLAX

6-8 ounces of filtered water
½ to 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit*
2 scoops of rice protein powder (check directions on product for serving size)
1 TB organic combination flax and borage oil (optional)
2 TB ground flax seeds
Ice (optional)
(NOTE: For Weight Watchers, count one smoothie as 2 points.)

*I try to always have some fresh strawberries on hand. I have found that Dole frozen cherries seem to be especially sweet – so I always include about 5 cherries. And, of course, blueberries do you so much good that I include about 10 in each of my shakes.

Some tips on fresh fruit. When I purchase my blueberries fresh, I wash them, pat dry, place in plastic bag, and freeze immediately. For Weight Watchers, you can measure the exact quantity for counting your points. They never spoil on my, and are very refreshing during the day.

Being a Weight Watcher, I seldom use bananas because they just do add weight (but at least it’s not permanent). But frozen bananas really add to the smoothie, especially when it’s hot. Peal the banana, break it in two, place it on a “Press n Seal” was paper and cover it taking out as much air as possible. Place in a baggie and freeze. Now you can cut or tear the portion of the banana you want to use.

In the summer, fresh fruit is a real treat – and makes a definite difference.   Freezing fruit is a terrific way to help your “fresh fruit” stay fresh.  Because our systems and our diets are so full of acid, it’s a good idea to avoid citrus for your morning shakes.

SOME VARIATIONS

* Change out some ½ cup water for ½ cup plain, unsweetened, gluten-free almond or hazelnut milk

* Add for flavor (and calories, of course) 1-2 TB nutbutter (almond, macadamia, pecan)

* Add yogurt or tofu.

Hope you enjoy your smoothies.

First Published:  http://www.Squidoo.com/glutenfreesmoothie

Metabolism slowed down in middle age? Helen Phillips showed America that losing weight — Can Be Done!!! View Comments

Congratulations Helen Phillips!! This 48 year old beat out contestants half her age on NBC’s weight-loss competition, “America’s Biggest Loser” for couples. Helen is living proof that even when your metabolism slows down, you can lose weight.

Helen said “No matter how old you are, you CAN make the change IF you have the dedication and the drive. Helen lost 140 pounds since the competition began in September, 2008 – to win $250,000 grand prize. She overcame a sluggish metabolism by proper diet and exercise.

She praised her husband, Russell, a Chrysler auto worker, for his support. And credited celebrity fitness coach Jillian Michaels for helping her lose the weight during the 18 weeks of the show. Wow!! That’s darn near 10 pounds a week!

I assume NBC provides doctor supervision. For I wouldn’t recommend you try to lose 10 pounds a week – unless you are extremely obese.

I’d also like to praise Helen Phillips for continuing to lose weight after she got home. An additional 32 pounds. She did have a personal trainer in Sterling Heights, Michigan named Shauhen Tahrebandi. Helen said “I couldn’t have done it without him at home.”

Phillips went from 257 pounds to 117 pounds!!

The reason she could lose so much weight – and most of us can’t. Dedication. Total dedication. She worked out six hours a day!! That was two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon and two hours in the evening. (I don’t think any of our sport jocks work out that much). Helen is showing us that exercise AND diet are important. Of course, the $250,000 incentive was a huge factor also.

Some weight loss tips for the all of us from Helen Phillips:

Be prepared. Pack your food so you don’t fall into bad habits like stopping for fast food.

Never make Excuses. “It’s a priority now to go to the gym or do some kind of physical exercise every day,” she said.

Believe you CAN do it. “I was tired of doubting myself, she said. “Stop saying you can’t and start saying you can.”

First Published: http://www.squidoo.com/weightlossHelenPhillips

How to Hard-Boil Eggs without Cracking View Comments

Here’s how to hard boil an egg – and have it come out perfectly cooked … without cracking the shells.

Try this very simple method.

Start with eggs that are a bit older. The eggs should be stored in your refrigerator for as little as a week.

* Place the eggs in a pan just big enough to hold them in a SINGLE LAYER.
* Cover the eggs with cold water.
* Bring to a rolling boil.
* Cook for 1-4 minutes (depending on size of egg, and number of eggs in pan.)
* Remove from heat – but keep the eggs in the very hot water.
* When the water has cooled enough that you can put your hand in it
(About 20-25 minutes), the eggs will be perfectly cooked.

What is a perfectly cooked egg? Perfectly cooked eggs are when the yolks are moist and orange (not pale yellow with a dark ring – that’s a classic sign of overcooking). When sliced, the egg will look different that you are used to – because it will NOT be pale and it will NOT have a dark ring around the edge. But trust me — that is a good thing.

Perfect Poached Chicken View Comments

I took a Chinese Cooking class many years ago.  The first thing I learned is that if you want really good Chinese food … go to a restaurant.  They have all the spices and tools that are needed to prepare those scrumptious dishes.

I’ll publish my recipes for the other chicken dishes in time.

Originally Published as:  http://www.squidoo.com/poachedchicken