Self Health Poll

[Jay2TheRescue]

That's because a "crisis" is good for a tax hike and new regulations.

[madnessspirit]

Why does it always have to be political?

You know, thinking about winter water consumption. I think another thing that really gets us during the winter, we just sweat so much less, so we don't lose all the salts we take in nearly as fast. Plus, we go for more of the hot, comforting food instead of the quick cold meal, and lots of time that hot comforting food is loaded with sodium.

I swear, that is the biggest problem with grocery stores these days. Have you ever looked at the packages and how much salt is in EVERYTHING we eat? Go to the deli, get some sliced meat, one serving, 25% of your daily value, grab a slice of cheese for that meat, another 7%, want bread to make your sandwich complete? You end up getting almost half the sodium you need in a single sandwich. Want to make some chili, but don't have the time to stew your tomatoes and make sauce? Don't like dealing with packaged dried beans? Want to pick up a seasoning pack to save time? Write off another half of the sodium you need for the day in every cup of that. Need a quick meal, how bout ramen noodles. 1 package, more sodium than you need all day.

There is nothing good about the food you find in the store once you stray away from the fresh fruits and veggies and butcher's counter. Now, I like to make bread, but with three kids, I just don't have the time to do it all the time, and there is something to be said about the store bought stuff in some cases. So I buy my bread, and I get milk from the store too. Pick up some yogurt, and I will go for cheese too, but I try and stay away from the highly processed cheeses.

IDK, I always figured, see my doctor regularly, talk to him about my diet and exercise, deal with things as they come. There are a lot of things about our healthcare and pharmaceutical system that are broken, but that almost always leads to political debates, so I will stay away from it. I always figured, find a doctor you trust and take care of yourself. I'm suffering from liver problems right now, so obviously I see my doctor more than I would like, but on the bright side, I have a good doc.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by FIND

Now, I like to make bread, but with three kids, I just don't have the time to do it all the time, and there is something to be said about the store bought stuff in some cases.

I'm sure I'm not the first person to ever suggest this, but have you considered a bread machine? 2 minutes of measuring and dumping ingredients (and if you're making bread often then you can prefab your own ready-to-use packets), come back later and all that's left to do is 2 minutes of cleaning.

[madnessspirit]

never really liked bread from a bread machine. Not sure why.

[bowtieguy]

Originally Posted by FIND

I'm suffering from liver problems right now, so obviously I see my doctor more than I would like, but on the bright side, I have a good doc.

what kind of doctor? i'd suggest a chiropractor, a nutritionist, holistic doctor etc...especially if you're not getting results.

[madnessspirit]

I have a bread machine that I was given a long time back, but I only ever used the recipes it came with. Are you using different recipes or something like that?

Originally Posted by bowtieguy

what kind of doctor? i'd suggest a chiropractor, a nutritionist, holistic doctor etc...especially if you're not getting results.

Family practitioner and liver specialist. So far, most of my treatment has been dietary changes and vitamins, plus I have to stay away from the alcohol and tylenol (not that I have ever been a heavy drinker). I'd sooner go to a church and pray than see a holistic doctor, probably net me the same end result. Sorry, if I wanted to be treated with mushrooms, incense and cow poop, I would go back a couple hundred years where my life expectancy was 20 years shorter because of the lack of modern medicine. This actually started last year late summer when I had to have my gallbladder out, and believe me, it needed out. I had pain all the time when I ate anything with even a little fat in it, and I was getting sick all the time. Not only that, but I was gaining weight rapidly, even when cutting my diet, and never had any energy. After it came out, I was better for a while, but I was still getting sick pretty often, ran another blood test and found I still had abnormal liver enzyme levels. Took some stuff to help with thyroid function, made some changes to my diet and now I just wait and hope for things to improve. If my liver function doesn't improve, then I look at other options. I'm not going to get too excited about it for now though, I've only known about this for a few months, and I am not going to waste time, energy or money hunting around for a quick fix. We would be a lot better off in this country if we didn't all think that there should be some kind of treatment that fixes all our problems overnight. Patient people live longer anyway.

Chiropractor, I used to see one for my back after my car accident. Helped a lot more for pain management and recovery than my physical therapy did. But a chiropractor is a chiropractor, I see them for bone troubles, not internal medicine.

Nutritionist... Well, I have considered it, but my doctors agree I have an OK diet, and I feel like I eat pretty healthy now too. There was about a year there where there was more junk food than what should have been coming into my house, but that was when I was adjusting to the whole single parent of three boys thing, and we have gotten back to eating like normal since then.

Exercise, I do light yoga for stretching, aerobics like running and boxing, and then a variety of strength training type activities, crunches, lunges, pushups, planks, whatever. I also go for walks regularly with the kids and we go hiking sporadically.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by FIND

I have a bread machine that I was given a long time back, but I only ever used the recipes it came with. Are you using different recipes or something like that?

I've used recipes that came with my machine, recipes from the internet, and prepackaged all-in-one mixes. I like to start with a recipe and then experiment, putting in different grains, adding powdered milk, etc. Mostly I like to let my wife decide and deal with it because I'm too lazy to spend four minutes.

I'm sure if you were going through a loaf every couple days, it wouldn't take long to settle on a few favorite recipes out of dozens that look nice on the internet.

[trollbait]

So far, most of my treatment has been dietary changes and vitamins...

Does that include SAMe?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Adenosyl_methionine

One of our dogs has liver cancer and is on it. The vet said it is like a miracle drug because to only option previously with canine liver cancer was to watch them die.

On to cheerier a topic. Did you ever just use the bread machine for mixing and rising, and then baking in the oven? If time is the major factor, you can experiment with mixing a large batch of dough, storing it in the fridge, and just finishing off a loaf whenever you need it?

[bowtieguy]

Originally Posted by FIND

Chiropractor, I used to see one for my back after my car accident. Helped a lot more for pain management and recovery than my physical therapy did. But a chiropractor is a chiropractor, I see them for bone troubles, not internal medicine.

it's fantastic that you realized a DC helped more than physical therapy. please do not underestimate them for total health tho. my family has been helped tremendously far beyond "bone troubles."

your liver is connected to the brain how? thru the spinal cord and nerves. you got a bone pressing on that area of spinal cord...well you lose function, simple as that. the thing is, a very small amount of nerves are for "feel" so you are unaware of of most pinched nerves. if your DC did not explain this, i'd find another one.

best wishes for a full recovery. and great recognition for prayer on your part...i'll pray for you as well.

[bowtieguy]

Originally Posted by trollbait

One of our dogs has liver cancer and is on it. The vet said it is like a miracle drug because to only option previously with canine liver cancer was to watch them die.

a constipated cat was brought to my DC a few years back. his condition was so bad, he was to be put down. my doc adjusted him(yes the cat), and several minutes later he was able "to go."