Kailyn wanted to go see Santa this year, but when we got there, it apparently was not everything she imagined it would be. She got shy and would not sit in the sleigh without her mommy. Santa was a good sport and offered to get out to stretch his legs.
 |
 |
Kudos to the City of McDonough. The town square looked great! After our visit with Santa, we went over to the Gritz Family Restaurant for some good home style cookin’.
It has been just over a year since I had my MMA surgery. Thought I would give a quick status.
Yes, I would do it all over again.
Sorry for not posting in such a long time. I’ve corresponded via e-mail with many folks considering MMA surgery, and it is always my pleasure to help in any way I can. So, I thought I might post an e-mail response from today.
Dear Jim,
Thanks for the kind words. I have not had a follow-up sleep study. There is no comparison to my pre MMA condition. I thought I would die with a heart attack or stroke in the months leading up to the surgery. I would awaken in the night repeatedly gasping for air with the sensation of a heavy weight on my chest. I sleep quietly and soundly now.
The surgery has been a great success for me. All the swelling subsided within a few months. Amazingly, there was hardly any bruising from the surgery. I am still in braces, and only within the last month or so have my posterior teeth began to meet where I can chew effectively. However, since the teeth are moving because of the braces, I still have pain that prevents me from eating steak. A really tender filet mignon is manageable, but I still mostly eat soft foods.
To someone who does not know me, my appearance probably did not change much. But to me, the minor changes are apparent. The purpose of MMA is to open the airway. As you probably know, to do this, the surgeon, breaks your upper and lower jaw apart where they are attached to the skull, moves them forward and then reattaches with plates and screws. I’ve gotten used to my new appearance, and I know without doubt the surgery was the right decision for me.
There are other causes of sleep apnea other than skeletal, such as problems with the autonomic nervous system. I first consulted a neurologist. He sent me for the sleep study. I next saw an ENT specialist, who recommended I see a maxillo facial surgeon. I settled on Dr. Stephen Roser at Emory after a lot of research.
If you have severe sleep apnea, I encourage you to take action immediately. If it’s like with me, it will take longer than you expect to actually get all the tests done and finally get the treatment. Took me almost a year!
Best regards,
Richard
I get a weekly newsletter from Dr. Daniel Amen, CEO of Amen Clinics, Inc. Check out this recent newsletter by Dr. Amen.
If you’ve listened to me speak or seen my writings about brain-healthy eating you’ve probably heard me tout blueberries as the best brain food on the planet! Now, there’s even more compelling reasons to include them as part of your diet.
Blueberries help protect the brain, but the fruit may also have a heart protective effect by significantly lowering cholesterol, Canadian researchers say. Lead scientist Wilhelmina Kalt of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada conducted tests on pigs fed a blueberry-supplemented diet. Blueberry-supplemented diets resulted in a reduction in total cholesterol including both low-density lipoprotein, or LDL (the bad cholesterol) and high-density lipoproteins, or HDL, (the good cholesterol), Kalt said.
“In feeding trials, we found that blueberry supplementation reduced plasma cholesterol levels more effectively when the animals received a mostly plant-based diet than when they received a less heart-healthy diet”, Kalt said in a statement. The soy, oats and barley contained in these diets may have functioned synergistically with the blueberries to beneficially affect plasma lipids.
The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, found that the greatest reduction in total, LDL and HDL cholesterol levels was found in pigs fed a 2 percent blueberry diet equivalent to approximately 2 one-cup servings of blueberries in the human diet. Pigs have levels of LDL similar to humans and are susceptible to diet-induced vascular disease, develop atherosclerotic plaques in the aorta and carotid artery and have a similar blood pressure and heart rate as humans, Kalt said.
What I’ve found through looking at the research and in my own personal practice, is that what is good for your heart is generally good for your brain. Here are some other thoughts about brain-healthy eating…
Fish, Fish Oil, Good Fats and Bad Fats
Fish has been touted as brain food. Omega three fatty acids are the rave. There is good research to support these claims. In a study published in the British Medical Journal, French researchers reported that there is a significantly lower risk of developing brain problems among older people who eat fish at least once a week. Fish contain higher levels of omega-3-fatty acids.
It is hard to get enough omega-3-fatty acids in our diet. The foods that are now considered "mainstream" are often deficient in omega-3. Even if your diet includes several meals of fish per week, you may not be ingesting sufficient amounts of omega-3. This is because much of the fish we consume is now farm raised or does not contain significant amounts of omega-3. When ordering fish in a restaurant or buying it at the store, ask if it was caught in the wild or farm raised. Ideally, your diet should supply at least 650 mg of long chain omega-3 (DHA + EPA) per day, either from food sources or dietary supplementation. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in deep, cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel and sardines. Omega-6 fatty acids are also important, but are usually found in adequate amounts in corn, safflower, sunflower or soybean oils.
Dietary Antioxidants
A number of studies have shown that dietary intake of antioxidants from fruits and vegetables significantly reduce the risk of developing cognitive impairment. Here’s a list of the best antioxidant fruits and vegetables from the US Department of Agriculture…
Your diet affects your brain, which affects literally everything you do. It’s something you can take control of to change your life for the better. Isn’t that what we all want? I encourage you to take an honest inventory of what you’re putting into your body and try a test period of 30 days with some healthier changes. Your vital organs, including your brain, will thank you and so will the people who care about you.
To your brain health,
Daniel
Daniel Amen, M.D.
CEO, Amen Clinics, Inc.
Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
After a weekend of spring cleaning in the yard, raking and pruning shrubs, my back went out and I could hardly walk. I could barely bend over the sink to brush my teeth. Used to be pre 40, I could hang with the best of ‘em.
So, I went to see my chiropractor and found out I had a severe back sprain. It’s going on two months now, and I’m just beginning to be able to bend down to put on my shoes without pain shooting through my lower back.
I’ve seen tremendous improvement since I started following along doing yoga with Peggy Cappy. I first saw her program on PBA30, public television, here in Atlanta. I’m doing stretches in the morning, some of the easier stretches during the day, and I can’t believe the improvement in how I feel.
Check out Peggy’s books, DVDs, and relaxation music here on our shop.
I am often asked what camera I recommend for the serious amateur. I always recommend Canon equipment because I think they’re just better cameras. I still own an old Nikon film camera, and it always did a good job for me. But when I decided to invest in a pro level camera, I looked at Nikon and Canon. The Canons just felt better ergonomically, the viewfinder is better, and the “L” series lenses just cannot be beat. The image quality is also superb.
So, for the serious amateur not wanting to invest $4,000 just in a camera body, I recommend the Canon Digital Rebel XSi body, and the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L zoom lens. This lens is pricey, but it is spectacular.
The photo in the header is from a wedding we photographed at the Hazlehurst House in McDonough, GA. The bride’s name is Leanne, and she is truly one of the sweetest people I have ever met. Her husband Jason is so laid back and just enjoyed the whole day.
Leanne had a beautiful wedding day, and she had a great time!
I shot most of the wedding with the Canon EOS 1D Mark II N and a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens. One of the things I like about the Canon 1D series cameras is they have 2 memory card slots. I have the camera save identical images to both cards just is case one of the cards were to fail or become corrupted. The MK II N was recently upgraded to the Mark III. Check out my camera favorites at Amazon here.
Earlier this week, I decided to stop drinking coffee after watching a special on PBS. I’ve known that coffee is not good for health for a long time, but I was hooked on it.
I had weaned myself down to two cups a day, but I continued to have a curious skin itch that would not go away. Well, I know that normal pH for the body is slightly alkaline, and coffee upsets that balance by making you acidic. Soft drinks do that as well due to the phosphoric acid in them.
I switched to green tea after hearing Dr. Daniel Amen extol its benefits. How did I make it to 49 and not know about the benefits of green tea?
New research shows that green or black tea may be a potent weapon in fighting Alzheimer’s disease. Tea is already thought to protect the body against heart disease and cancers, but research shows black and green tea inhibit the activity of enzymes associated with the development of Alzheimer’s, a form of dementia that affects about 5 million people in the U.S. and is estimated to triple to 15 million people by 2030.
The new finding comes in the wake of research that suggest that flavanoids contained in tea, particularly green tea, protect against strokes, heart attacks and many different types of cancers, as well as other conditions such as tooth decay and dehydration. One study shows that drinking three cups a day is the equivalent of eating six apples.
Green and black tea come from the same plant. Black tea consists of fermented leaves. Green tea is less processed and is popular in China and Japan, where it has been linked to longevity and low rates of heart disease and cancer.
In a recent article published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, scientists found both teas inhibited the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme which breaks down the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Alzheimer’s is characterized by reduced acetylcholine. Green tea went one step further in obstructing the activity of beta-secretase, which helps produce protein deposits in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s. These findings could help in developing treatments for Alzheimer’s.
A cup or two of green tea a day may help you remember the rest of your life.
