Indy wedding

Mike, his dad, and I just returned from Indiana. We were there for the wedding of Jon and Courtney. What a great time visiting with family. Thursday, we went to Karen and Terry's, met Jade, saw Sean, Jenny, and Billy; Lori and Marcus came by too.

Friday was the wedding. Mike, Dad, and I had lunch at Captain D's, like a better Long John Silvers. The wedding was at a cute country church, almost packed. The reception followed and wrapped up around maybe 10. After sending Billy home with his dad (is that Wedding Crasher style like his Facebook says? Maybe Wedding Trasher style!), a group of us went to the Blind Pig. It was Mike, me, Karen, Jenny, Sean, Jake, Carmen, Kim, and a couple whose names are escaping me now. I was mean-ish to a "biker" guy who followed us around the rest of the night and we attracted a random lady that pushed her way into most of the photos. I asked the biker guy what's up with this, pointing to his face--he had no hair on top and the scruffy beard thing going on. He said he was a biker so I asked if he drove a Harley. He said no, so I asked what kind of bike he rode. He said he didn't have a bike. Um, hello?

Saturday was lunch at Dickie's, which was fantastic although it was a bit cold for a Phoenix girl like me. :) Oh, and the arf and arf, those drinks make the hair on your arms stand up. (That's what Tricia said--it was her first. Celia didn't have one, and it was her birthday!) That evening, we went to the Casino Live! briefly and then to Marcus and Lori's for pizza and drinks. Jill insisted on making Flaming Dr Peppers, which were 151 and Ameretto shots dropped in a "keg cup" of beer. Gross! Maybe she got the amounts wrong, but really, gross!

Sunday we had brunch at Bob and Donna's overlooking the golf course. Mike got them set up to view the family tree. Bob told the story about the origins of the arf and arf. It involves a guy named Lorenzo and an order for half and half (whiskey and peppermint schnapps).

We didn't get to see Jamie and Chuck and that clan. :(

Eco-Clamshell

Those foam containers that take-out orders commonly come in may eventually become a thing of the past. Many colleges, universities, and institutions nationwide have started using the Eco-Clamshell, a reusable to-go container. Check out the container, consume your food wherever you want, and return the container later to be washed and sanitized. A deposit or ID card may be required to ensure the containers are returned.
The article in Ode magazine ended by saying:
As society continues forward, we should take time to think about our daily habitats and dream up new solutions. We haven't always been a waste-centric society. This development is relatively new. This means the solutions are already there, they just need to be molded to fit the needs of our current day and age.

Taxing Soda

I gave up drinking soda February 2007. Well, occasionally I have a Root Beer. Giving up soda was the first step in trying to reduce the chemicals I put in my body. Diet soda has aspartame, which I avoid in all foods now in addition to Splenda and all its versions.

A few months ago, my office had a debate over what soda should be provided. I voted that the company save money and promote better health by not providing soda. Of course I was outnumbered. :)

At lunch today, I was reading a back issue of a nutrition newsletter we get at the office. The editor wrote about taxing soda to reduce consumption. It sounds like a good idea on the surface. The tax money would go to educational nutritional programs. Soft drinks are the only beverage or food that is directly related to obesity, but many people seem oblivious to the effect soda and other drinks have on their bodies. They would rather drink a diet soda with no nutritional value than milk, because the milk has calories. (Although I heard that pasteurized milk is chemically damaged, which may explain all the lactose problems people have, and unpasteurized milk is starting to become available. I mentioned this to some people and they freaked out that I would consider that as it is apparently *so* unsafe. More research needed.)

Anyway, I don't know that the tax on soda would work as suggested. The tax on tobacco products no longer goes to combat tobacco use or for the medical needs associated with that use. It is used as a funding mechanism for every proposition or earmark that comes along. So, while I think the soda tax is a great idea in theory, I think we have to educate instead of legislate to decrease this soda dependency in our culture.

ASU on the Daily Show

That's my school, "snubbing" President Obama. Great job, ASU students. Or not.

Macrotherapy

I attended an MS Support Group to hear a talk about nutrition. The leader of the group, Eldene, has been doing the MS Recovery Diet for over a year. It is very restrictive; I read it a while ago (borrowed from the library) and thought there is no way! She has improved in many areas and actually kept track of her changes. She also talked about acidic and alkaline foods.

The speaker was Annie from Macrotherapy. The first thing she pointed out was that the diet Eldene is following is not going to work for everyone. She went on to talk about everyone having different body chemistry. For example, a person native to very cold northern climates needs more cholesterol in their blood, so what may be appropriate for one person is not appropriate for another. Her company does testing to determine the optimal nutritional plan for a person. (They do diet, exercise, massage-not spa, etc.) She talked about lower back pain being associated with adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys. That got my attention! They do have different types of tests and of course, charges for everything. I'll have to think about it some more.

I plan to attend their Third Thursday program. The next one is on inflammation, so there is an MS connection there.

Stem-cell transplants for MS

My boss sent this to me from a Canadian website: http://www.canada.com/Health/story.html?id=1539611

The article is discussing a treatment for progressive MS, rather than relapsing-remitting. The experimental treatment discussed is a stem-cell transplant to reboot the immune system. This is not a simple or easy procedure, so it is a last effort type treatment. The patients in the trial have not had any relapses or new brain lesions. While it may not be a cure, it is very promising for the worst MS cases prior to disability.

Interestingly, they reported that the cost of treatment, although expensive, would pay for itself in about three years due to the cost of MS drugs.

Vitamin D

I just read an item that says that most Vitamin D absorption happens through the eyelids. Now that everyone wears sunglasses all the time in the sun, that may explain why we have so many Vitamin D deficiencies and related illnesses. They suggested sitting outside with your eyes closed, eyelids towards the sun, and have a moment of gratitude.

Since the second way to get Vitamin D is through the skin, constant sunscreen use is probably not good either!