The map shown here is my old neighborhood in Chicago and the number of facilities polluting the air. All of those little blue clouds are VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and more polluting the air. I did not have the heart to see what other toxins were being released but, on the side, are menus for selecting water, air, waste, land, toxics and radiation.

Unfortunately, wherever you look on a Chicago map you will see pollutants, toxins, groundwater contamination, and more. You can live in a high-end or low-end area of town and still have access to some of the worst mess known to man.

When I moved here to Altadena, I was told by a neighbor to not drink the water. She went so far as to warn I should not allow my animals to even drink the water. Why? She told me the water here is contaminated. I later learned JPL/NASA is a Superfund site and apparently the contaminants infiltrated the ground water as well. JPL/NASA is not (or was not) the only polluter in the area, there are others and the chemicals, toxic soup.

Over the years I have read about clusters of autoimmune diseases (and here), cancers, etc. where people were exposed to a toxic soup of contaminants. Unfortunately, it’s a hard case to prove particularly when the possibility of spending boatloads of money is involved. In the meantime, people get sick, die and no one really knows why.

I won’t try to draw any conclusions here sans to say our industries of the past may have health consequences going forward and we may need to prepare ourselves for it.

In the meantime, have fun and plug in your zip codes.

Bodily did have health insurance at one time but, due to a lapse in coverage, she can no longer get health insurance because of her pre-existing condition.

Despite the chronic pain she suffers that can at times keep her bed ridden she is active in improving health care coverage legislation for everyone. Now she has been invited out to Washington D.C. with a small group to meet up with Senator Patty Murray and to talk to members of Congress.

Bodily has been invited to Washington D.C. to talk at the Congressional hearing about her health condition and advocate for the health care legislation. She will be joined by another, Marcelas Owens, an 11 year old who also lost his mother at a young age.

Watch for these two at the Congressional hearings on Wednesday, March 10th. Good luck to them and thank you for caring.

Since disconnecting my iPhone from AT&T’s dead zone, I can now enjoy many of the apps available for the little device and let me tell you, it’s loaded. My Blackberry, on the other hand, is reserved for more serious applications. Though there are many apps available for it, I often find myself unwilling to explore them because I don’t want to play around with something that may cause Bad App Annoyance.

I found the blood pressure cup above on a website last year and thought it kind of cute and perhaps useful. Today, however, I wanted a different app with an external monitor. I want a blood app. I want to insert a catheter in a vein and when I need to check my blood values, this app will tell me what I need and how bad (or good) I’m doing.

Today the hardass took a hike and left the wimp. I could do nothing productive. I couldn’t even hold myself up for any extended period of time, I was just that wasted. Saturday — one day after chemo — I felt pretty good with no complaints. Actually, I felt no pain. Saturday evening, as usual, the mess hit the fan. Within a few minutes I went from feeling good to feeling horrible. Fatigue came over me like a ton of bricks, my muscles ached, my joints ached, my vision blurred and I felt like hell. I don’t know what happened.

I went into the office on Sunday barely able to keep myself awake. I felt as if my blood pressure had taken a dip to dangerously low levels and it was all I could do to stay conscious. To make matters worse, I made a pot of strong coffee — something I never do but felt the need to do — in order to keep myself awake. This, unfortunately, led to heart palpitations. Not good.

Monday was horrible. I did get a good night’s rest but my body certainly didn’t think so. I got up to drag what felt like 15,000 pounds out of the bed and around the house. Again, everything hurt and my brain was resting comfortably on my pillow. It did not follow me out of bed.

The worse feeling in the world is having pain so bad you cannot open a bottle, lift a bag, or move something from one side of the room to the other. My arms, legs and back wanted to lock up. Added to this my heart jumped around in my chest dancing to some way out hip hop beat.

Yes, the hardass took a hike leaving the wimp and I threw in the towel on Monday. I took a nap hoping for relief but vowed I would do some research, call my doctor, consult the spirits, chant, whatever I needed to do I was going to do it because I was determined to know what exactly was causing my pain. Was it the chemo, the reduction in prednisone, what exactly?

While napping, my doctor called. I heard the phone ring but I didn’t feel like exerting the energy needed to get the body up. Some hours later — realizing sleep was futile — I did check the message and called my doctor’s office and what did they tell me. My blood values from Friday showed my potassium was low, again.

Normal potassium levels in the blood range from 3.5-5.0. Mine was 2.9. This time I could not blame diuretics for the loss of potassium. I was also very surprised to hear this because I’ve been taking 20 mEq twice a day and I eat boatloads of avocados, tomatoes, bananas, green peas, strawberries, cantaloupes, etc. What the heck? Now I must take 40 mEq twice a day and that is no easy feat.

As it is I’m playing pinball wizard with my supersized tonsils and these horse pills to get two down per day, now I must try to swallow four? Well, yes I do and most of the time the stuff turns into chalk anyway before finally hitting the tummy.

After hanging up with the nurse I popped the first one. It went down well. The second one, however, well that was a game of pinball wizard before finally turning into chalk which I swallowed. I took a nap and slept for hours. Hours? Yes, hours. I didn’t know I had it in me. When I awakened, the first thing I noticed was no pain. I could not believe it. My thumb felt fat but it didn’t hurt. I had no pain in the muscles of my arm — the really big deal for me — and no pain in the lower back.

I wanted to jump for joy but there was still that awful feeling in my belly. The fist was still there but I did notice my heart was no longer “Gettin’ Jiggy wit It” in my chest. A good sign indeed.

Ten hours had passed since my last pinball game which meant time to swallow more horse pills. I did, but I broke them in half before swallowing which made it easier, somewhat, without too much chalk. Hopefully, if my problem was truly the low potassium I should wake up in the morning with less pain. I hope, I hope, I hope.

The question now is why? Why am I now experiencing low potassium?

I did some research and looked for an exhaustive list on the side-effects of chemo. I found a list entitled “Chemotherapy Side Effects – Understanding what they are“ and found Hypokalemia (Low Potassium) on the list.

I had all of the symptoms of moderate Hypokalemia (between 2.5 to 3.0), confusion, disorientation, weakness, irregular heartbeat, leg discomfort, extreme thirst, and discomfort of muscles. I had lots-o-cramping as well when trying to do anything around the house. I often needed to sit between tasks.

Yes, I need an iPhone app or a lab in my home, something that will let me know what’s going on with my body. I never suspected low potassium and I certainly never suspected Cytoxan.

I typically ignore these things. I have never really delved into that realm of predicting earthquakes. I’m too right brain to chart what I feel, match what I feel against heat in the earth, or track to see if my nervousness prior to a seismic event matched the actual event. I don’t have time for that. I typically start with “wow, I’m nervous, is everyone alright?” I try then to check in with folks, see if I feel anything from them and if all is well, I go on about my business.

The weekend before the earthquake in Haiti I knew I felt nervous. I really thought it had something to do with the cold I had and pushed myself into urgent care that Monday thinking if I didn’t I might regret it. My nervousness, strangely enough, subsided while sitting in urgent care and that was a coincidence because, about an hour later, the news broke about the earthquake.

The earthquake that struck Chile was different. I was extremely nervous the week of the Chilean earthquake and I honestly thought we were about to have an earthquake in Southern California. My nervousness did not let up after the Chilean earthquake but I did go to my computer Friday evening (about 9:00 p.m.) to see if there had been any noticeable earthquakes around Los Angeles. Never looked at the world map, which would not have helped me anyway since the quake didn’t happen until after 10:00 p.m., our time, Friday night.

Point is, I’m still nervous. It may be due in large part to the sizable quakes around the world since the Chilean quake. Perhaps it is due to the number of runaway animals reported lately around the neighborhood and from the site HomeAgain — my dogs are chipped and I signed up to get the alerts. Then again, maybe it is what I’m seeing on the USGS earthquake map for California which is showing tiny quakes coming our way from up north and tiny quakes coming our way from the southern portion of the state. I’m feeling like they are all converging this way, toward Los Angeles and surrounding areas, and perhaps I’m nervous because of that.

In the last few days, not only am I nervous, I’m jumpy too. I’ve been jumping at any and everything that sounds like a boom, knock, or bang. Just jumpy and last night I noticed the tiny little quakes are now arriving in the L.A. area, under Baldwin Hills, Walnut, and Temple City. Lions and Tigers and Quakes, Oh my!

Oh I hope these little guys are relieving stress and won’t awaken an angry fault line. I don’t know if I could bear it. If I should one day feel the nervousness go away and if I’m able to tweet about it . . . “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.” Good day!

Love This: Dog sensing the “S” Wave.

My dog Sophie senses the 6.5 earthquake at the Times-Standard newspaper in Eureka CA – longer

While trying to view some of the videos for the Autoimmune Summit’s webcast — Windows Media Player sucks so it has not been easy — Virginia T. Ladd, President and Executive Director of AARDA made a very interesting observation. She said there are several types of cancers and we have Oncologists for cancer patients. We have several types of autoimmune diseases but we don’t have Autoimmunologists.

If there were autoimmunologists and let’s say you found you have some pretty strange allergies, you might go see an autoimmunologist who could test you for any of the autoimmune diseases out there and you would know and perhaps come up with some alternatives to hair dyes, perhaps, before you end up one of the unfortunate ones with acute renal failure following PPD poisoning from hair dye, or allergic contact dermatitis, or anaphylaxis. I’m not losing it here, just look at this, this and this.

Okay, so much for the shock and awe. I did go over to Lupus Foundation of America to see if they had anything to say about hair dyes and lupus and I found the following on their site:

31. I have heard that hair dyes may trigger flares in lupus. Does this mean I should stop dying my hair?

One study indicated an association between the use of hair dyes and lupus symptoms, but subsequent studies found no association and no recent evidence has been reported. The initial study findings are of uncertain significance and most physicians do not feel that hair dye is risky for people with lupus.

Then I cruised over to WebMD and found the following from an article entitled Lipstick, Hair Dyes Raise Lupus Risk?:

Nov. 17, 2005 — Regularly sporting lipstick and dying your hair may increase a woman’s risk of developing lupus, according to preliminary new research, but only if the woman already has a higher risk.

* * * *

Exactly how cosmetics may raise risk of lupus is unknown, but lipstick can contain phthalates, chemical compounds used to make plastics, which also make lipstick creamier. These compounds have been linked to lupus in animal models.

When a woman wears lipstick, she may swallow a little of it, but it can also be absorbed through the lining of the mouth.

Permanent hair dyes contain potentially lupus-triggering chemicals called aromatic amines and hydrazines, according to the study.

Now, I’ll tell you my story. I began dying my hair when I was about 28- or 29-years old. If I had problems I never noticed and certainly never attributed it to lupus because I didn’t know I had lupus at the time. It was not until I was in my late thirties that I noticed something odd about hair dyes and my head. A day or two after dying my hair I noticed flat patches on my scalp. I noticed them only because I was running my hands through my hair at the time — something I seldom do. I immediately thought it had to have been the dye because I used something other than my usual product.

Months later, using the product I typically used, same thing. Because I thought my scalp might have been experiencing over processing — perms, dyes, name it, I did it — I started braiding my hair
but you know, I noticed the same thing whenever I went into the sun, under florescent lights, those darn little things kept showing up in my scalp. Okay, so it’s not the dye right?

I continued dying my hair thinking I’m getting old and crap happens when you get old. However, the more I dyed my hair the more these flat things showed up and at times they itched. Sometimes a cluster rash showed up on my head and finally — post diagnosis with lupus now — I ended up with so many of those flat patches on my head I could not take it.

I have not used a dye in my hair for about two years. I also have not experienced those flat patches on my scalp either, not even after taking my bald head out in the sun. It had to be the dye.

Now, the next question, did I have any health affects with dye? I don’t know. If I did, again, I never attributed it to the hair dye. I have always called myself a lemon with good and bad days, before and after my lupus diagnosis. If anything flared as a result of dying my hair it just fell in with my usual “I’m having a bad day.” I couldn’t tell you.

I do have an aunt who stopped dying her hair (in her 70s) because she developed an allergic reaction to the dyes and rashes. A rash would do it for me too.

I will admit I have had problems with some lipsticks and makeup. There are some products out there — I will not name them — that will send me into a tizzy in a hot flash. I cannot tell you how much makeup I have thrown out over the years after being recommended as “dah bomb” and literally experiencing “dah bomb.” Yes, I lay it upon my skin, within minutes — sometimes hours — I’m swelling, everything in my body reacts to it, and before I know it I’m sick as “dah bomb.” I don’t care how hypoallergenic the manufacturer claims it is. Oh my God!

Since we don’t have Autoimmunologists to cover all of the autoimmune diseases out here, we suffer through with Dermatologists for skin ailments, Rheumatologists for joint aches and pains, Nephrologists for our kidneys, Neurologists for our brains, etc. At some point, after visiting many or all of these doctors we may end up with a diagnosis.

Problem is, you may see any of these doctors for strangeness you are experiencing but never receive the diagnosis of lupus. Many don’t know they are susceptible until they hit something in their environment or lives that cause the ugly wolf to rage. Yes indeed, that one day when, unbeknownst to you, your Anti-dsDNA Antibodies are off the charts and you dye your hair, or put on some makeup, or apply a sliver of lipstick and voila, a reaction/flare from hell. You end up being hospitalized, diagnosed with lupus and you didn’t know you had lupus.

If you’re like me, a person who has used hair dye all of her life, you may find you have no problems with the product. However, once the playground becomes fertile enough for the wolf to play and wreak havoc, anything touching your body at that time could cause a horrible reaction.

Now that I have been formally diagnosed with lupus, I am very cautious with new products. I try to go without makeup whenever possible. I no longer dye my hair. I look for natural products when possible. I do skin tests with everything, every day because I never know when my body will react to something. Since I cannot do a blood test on myself at home to see if my immune system is in overdrive, these are the precautions I have to take every day to ensure I have a drama free day.

Going back to the quote from The Autoimmune Epidemic, if you are susceptible to autoimmune disease, be careful. Perhaps you want to look around and check for autoimmunity in your family. Anyone with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Type 1 Diabetes, Lupus, Thyroiditis, etc.? You might want to proceed with caution.

For a list of autoimmune disesases check out the List of Autoimmune and Autoimmune-Related Diseases at AARDA.

Here’s Something You’ll Really Like

Carla Ulbrich is the Singing Patient and she has a website called the singingpatient.com. She has a wonderful witty article here entitled Winning the Hair battle with lupus. You gotta read it and laugh because she really goes on about prednisone — I hear you. When it comes to doctors, she has that down too with her song “Sittin in the Waiting Room.”

I have wanted to write something on health care reform for a while but there are so many variables. For me, the issue boils down to what individuals need, not partisan bickering, not selling your vote quid pro quo, and certainly not the high end, intellectual discussions over whether a woman should or should not receive money for an abortion. At some point, all of this pseudo intellectual masturbation should cease and thought should be given to the needs of those individuals who want and need a real health care bill.

Recently, I stumbled upon this video on CNN:

In this case, a man’s wife is slowly dying at home. When he was initially laid off from his job, he was given a severance package. The severance, possibly COBRA, allowed insurance with a $2,500 deductible. In order for this man — who is now working as a independent contractor and no insurance — to afford such a high deductible or purchase insurance outright, he will have to at some point miss a mortgage payment, not buy groceries for his family, miss payments on credit cards and/or will have to miss a payment or two on his car note. It is not feasible for him to lose his home under the circumstances.

What is really needed here is a way for this gentleman to, at the very least, get some form of insurance suitable to his income level. Can he or his wife receive some sort of emergency health care program until he is able to find work that will afford him health care? Can Congress work on some form of plan, quickly, that will allow this family to receive health care that will not bar him because of pre-existing conditions? This is what is needed.

In the United States, health care is expensive. If you spend any amount of time in a hospital, when you see that bill you won’t believe some of the expensive charges. You can go to your local drugstore and purchase a bottle of acetaminophen for a few dollars but, while in the hospital, two of these pills might run you a thousand plus dollars. Why so much?

Hospitals look for ways to recoup the costs they pay forward to those without insurance or those whose insurance is not adequate to cover the costs involved with their stay. Both individuals and insurance companies audit bills and will negotiate with hospitals to lower the bill. Again, returning to CNN, consider the following:

Adding to the expense is big pharm and our our broken government, both are moving at a snail’s pace in allowing for more generic drugs. Consider the New York Times article entitled Generics Face Longer Wait for Approval.

The delays, caused by a growing backlog of applications at the Food and Drug Administration, may be costing consumers and the federal government hundreds of millions of dollars a year as they continue in some cases to pay for name-brand drugs even after their patents expire, industry analysts said.

* * * *

With lawmakers preparing to meet at the White House next week to discuss ways to give more Americans access to health insurance, generic makers say that underfunding of the F.D.A.’s generics office is denying consumers access to more affordable drugs. The agency’s office of generic drugs has a budget of $51 million for fiscal year 2010, up from $41 million in fiscal 2009.

Drugs are becoming more expensive every year. I will never forget one drug I took — a drug I was on for a short period of time I might add — cost about $800 to $900 per month. Mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept) is typically taken for the life of organ transplant patients. Since there is presently no less expensive generic brand on the market, an organ transplant patient must have some form of insurance in order to afford such a costly drug. I will also add this is not the only drug they will take for the rest of their lives. My co-pay for CellCept was about $40.00 per month. Who paid the rest? My insurance company.

Insurance companies are in the business of making money. Let’s say you are paying out-of-pocket for health insurance at $1,000 per month. You purchased this plan in January and by December you have paid $12,000 into your insurance plan. In January of the following year you end up in the hospital with some sort of catastrophic health event. You have insurance right? You should be covered right? But, your hospital bill is $38,000. Who will pay that bill? You have only paid $12,000 into the plan, who pays the rest?

Now let’s say you were sent home with a handful of prescription drugs. Some of these are generic, many of them are not. You fill the prescription but you’re shock to find one of the drugs, a non-generic drug, will cost you $140 in co-pay. Your total prescription bill is $180. Let’s say your non-generic drug retails for $800 per one month supply. Who pays for that? Remember, you only paid $12,000 into your plan.

In the past, many of us got off cheap because the hospital ate some of the costs and your insurance company ate some of the costs for your care. Going forward, we may not be so lucky. If you and/or your employer did not pay enough into the plan, you can expect you will be billed for thousands of dollars which is why the high deductible plans and Medicare plans with donut holes have come into existence. The health care welfare plans we once enjoyed will soon come to an end as health care costs skyrocket.

As noted in the first video, the former GM worker who was laid off is now working as an independent contractor. Many companies, particularly start-ups, cannot afford expensive health plans. As a result, more and more employers are going the independent contractor (IC) route which offers no insurance. The IC is responsible for his/her taxes, health care, and FICA costs.

If you should lose your job, your job search may lead to working as an IC where you will have to purchase your own insurance. If you have a pre-existing condition you will also find yourself either unable to get insurance or you will pay a very high cost with an equally high deductible in order to get insurance. If you are not making enough money to afford these costs you will be uninsured.

With unemployment running around 10% and the use of ICs instead of employees, insurance companies are not doing too well right now. Young people — typically the insurance industry’s bread and butter because they typically need very little in the way of health care — are either unemployed or they are opting out of health care because the cost of living is so high. If you are making a lot of money today, you, yes you, are paying the brunt of the health care costs. Why? Because costs are being passed on to you.

For those without insurance, they are being carried in to the local hospital’s emergency room and they cannot be moved if they are not in stable condition. They will stay there until they are stable and at that point will be moved, perhaps and providing they do not die, to a county facility because they have no insurance. Who will pay for that? Yes, there is a reason for $1,000 Tylenol tablets.

Holding up a bill because you want to include the purchase of insurance across state lines is really not the bridge people should literally die on. Holding up a bill because you want or don’t want women to use the money for an abortion, again, not the bridge regular folk — like the aforementioned man and his wife — not thinking about an abortion should die on. These folks, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian and Independent should get it together and concentrate their attentions on getting help to those who need it now. Forget about all of this psuedo intellectual masturbation. People are dying, literally, for some kind of health care reform.

Again, insurance companies are in it for the money. If they insure a person with a pre-existing condition, the person being insured will never pay into the plan what will be needed to cover them over the long haul. The insurance company sees a person, say with diabetes, as a person who will at some point need care for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), amputation, wound care, hospitalization, etc. and that will cost more than the person could ever pay into the policy. Congress needs to focus on cutting costs.

Health care reform, for me, means starting at the top of the health care pyramid. Costs must be brought down which means there will, invariably, be some push back by all involved.

It’s reminds me of the old English fairy tale of The Old Woman and Her Pig. The woman bought a pig and oh my, does the story get good as she tries to get the little pig home. The pig wouldn’t jump over the stile so she gets a dog to bite the pig, gets the stick to beat the dog, and it goes on and on. People cannot afford insurance so they use the ER as their primary care physicians. Hospitals are used to seeing their emergency rooms being used for primary care so they pass the costs on to insurance companies who then pass the costs on to employers and employees and those at the bottom of the rung get screwed.

Medicare and Medicaid is getting screwed too because there are a few crooks in the mix as well. The crooks, feeling the government has deep pockets, will charge Medicare and Medicaid thousands of dollars a year for a wheelchair that costs about $500 if purchased outright. Who pays for that? The taxpayers. Again, considering the aforementioned New York Times article “the federal government hundreds of millions of dollars a year as they continue in some cases to pay for name-brand drugs even after their patents expire.” Who pays for that? The taxpayer.

Our little Mensa members — I like the fact that in Spanish Mensa means foolish or stupid — in Congress need to get a grip on what’s really going on in our society. I don’t know too many people receiving cost of living raises — like 34% — to cover the costs of how much everything is skyrocketing. If they are for the people they need to begin to act like they are. Palin talked about “death squads”. Well, they are already out there and people are slowly dying every day.

Sure, the bank bailout was a necessary evil because it perhaps saved your employer’s finances . . . and your job . . . and your insurance benefits. If the banks should fail one day your employer may fail, you may lose your job, and you too may find yourself dying for health care.

In steps ABC7’s report today on Soda, lunch meats linked to serious diseases. There is a little more depressing news linked in the following video but I will stick with the sodium lunch meats and soda.

The sugary drinks are causing health problems and may be responsible for the spike in new cases of diabetes and heart disease. A UC San Francisco analysis found excess consumption of soft drinks led to 130,000 cases of diabetes and 14,000 cases of heart disease between 1990 and 2000. Wow!!

Look out, wait for it, yes, that salami can be deadly too. I know, “I’ll die happy” right? Shall we continue? Let’s. “In another study, researchers found that processed meats like salami, bacon and luncheon meats are associated with a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes.”

“A processed slice of ham has twice as much fat and 20 times as much salt as the same amount of pork loin,” said Dr. DeBeixedon who added nitrates in processed meats are converted into nitrosamines which may cause cancer. I like bacon and there is nothing like a BLT but, like anything else, I may have one every two to three months.

You can read the rest of the story here and if you really want some serious depression — while you’re gaining weight — check out the sidebar item referenced in the following video entitled High Blood Pressure: Things You Can Do to Help Lower Yours.

Yeah, yeah, depression in 5, 4, 3, 2 . . .

Today was my day to sit in a chair and look stupid for a couple of hours. First, I had to talk with my chemo doctor, have him examine me and I felt the need to ask a question about my pain and if there was a relationship with the chemo. Well, there is, somewhat.

He told me that approximately two weeks after receiving chemo, bone marrow production spikes. The effects on bone marrow can begin about 7 days after each treatment and usually goes back to normal after about 21 to 28 days. According to him, I may feel some pain in those 21 to 28 days but, he said the chemo may not be the total cause of my pain. Fibromyalgia is another problem associated with lupus and then there is the reduction in prednisone too.

Okay, question asked and answered and off I went to the sitting room for my Afternoon Tea, from a hanging bag.

I have found that getting it in the hand is better than getting it in the arm. It just flows better. Apparently, with all of my nervous energy, I gotta be starting something like playing around with a laptop or reading a book. This time I decided to read a book and the book I chose to read was the Autoimmune Epidemic by Donna Jackson Nakazawa. I had high hopes of finishing this book today but the subject matter is so intense I have found myself pausing throughout to make notes — the book is completely marked up — and do research which is why I usually have a laptop with me. More on that later.

I will admit I’m a strange bird. Midway through chemo, as always, I want to eat a whole horse. This is not the stuff I heard from friends who suffered through chemo for cancer or others who went through chemo for lupus. They have all told me they were sick to their stomachs, felt extreme fatigue afterward, had some pain, and hung out the “leave me alone” sign. Not only that, I always want to drink an ocean. Again, unheard of from those who have been there done that.

I don’t know why this is and as usual, I headed out to feast and drink at will. I have had slight nausea but no vomiting. Not once. As they say, it takes all kinds and I’m one of those that may be a bit unusual.

I must also add, this being my 9th chemo treatment, I have had no infections. This was a very big deal. You can’t see me doing this but I’m knocking wood like a woodpecker right now.

Lastly, and I’m just going to be as frank as I can, the one unusual thing I’ve noticed and I prepare for it every time I go in for chemo is . . . I’ll call it No. 2. In a word, prolific. Maybe not one end but certainly the other and that’s all I’ll say about that.

Getting back to Autoimmune Epidemic by Donna Jackson Nakazawa, if you have not purchased this book I suggest you do so. Whether you have an autoimmune disease or know someone who does, it is important reading because it is my belief the next big surge of illnesses to come will be autoimmune illnesses. You will be amazed at how something you think is nothing could actually become something you never want to think about, ever.

What was absolutely amazing was the connection made with heart disease and autoimmune illnesses. I thought that initially — particularly after my diagnosis — because it was something I experienced early on, while in my 20s. I have also found many folks I know who were diagnosed with cancer also reported test results showing high cholesterol. This was the first red flag I noticed when I was finally able to see a complete CBC. Though my doctor dismissed the findings of my blood test to be nothing more than needing to prescribe a statin for my extremely high cholesterol and ibuprofen for all of the inflammation he saw (“you have arthritis” he said), I knew something sinister was taking place in my body so I changed doctors quickly.

There is no half-stepping in this book. It is well written with lots-o-resources and she talks to numerous people about their fight with autoimmune disease. She also documents her experiences with Gillian Barre Syndrome — twice she’s had it.

LIFE image of DDT sprayed from a TIFA (Todd Insecticidal Fog Applicator) around model Kay Heffernon to supposedly demonstrate it won't contaminate her food (a hot dog and coke), Jones Beach, New York. Wonder how she managed years later and did she have children

At the beginning, she talks about some of the environmental triggers as well. Of note for me was DDT. My mother and I had a discussion about the book and the mention of DDT. Of course, my mother wants to read this book as well and I’m debating whether I should give her mine or order her a new one. Mine has been marked up considerably. My mother is very concerned about the DDT because — as a child and through the time she was a young adult — she picked cotton, beans, name it she picked it and all of this was done, at times, while being sprayed with DDT. Could this be the smoking gun in my life and perhaps some of my relatives and/or sorors and frats? Who knows.

At this point in my life I really don’t care how I got it or why, what really matters to me now is how I can live with it. I do find it interesting only from the perspective of how to eliminate this chemical — which, though it was banned, still exists in soil and fish — and others — like the stuff in plastic bottles, insecticides, pesticides, etc.. Scientists have found, when testing children, adults and even the umbilical cord of newborns, a lot of very dangerous chemicals are coming up in the blood. I have seen this repeatedly on many health and science shows but never had I seen these chemicals could possibly change or tax your immune system to the point of causing autoimmune diseases.

Of course, where you find big business you will also find what I call The Prostitutes, those scientists that will say or do whatever you want them to say or do. Hey, they got to make a living doing something. Unfortunately, this has affected most professions these days. I am not surprised big business hires some of these folks to tell the world there is no correlation and they’re products are safe. Of course they are, they need to make money too. Thankfully, people are looking into the effects of these chemicals on our system and thankfully, in Nakazawa’s book, you get to read some of these findings.

Again, for me, I’m not concerned about the history of why I have lupus; however, I am concerned about the young couple who may have a cute little baby who starts life on dialysis with monster medical bills. These drugs ain’t cheap and don’t think Benlysta, when it hits the market, will be cheap either. I’m sure they won’t have a generic form of that drug for a long while.

The book is fabulous and she covers the gamut. Your head will spin, I assure you.

Now, having waxed on about Autoimmune Epidemic by Donna Jackson Nakazawa, she was at the Autoimmune Disease Summit this week and my prayers were answered. The summit was recorded and the webcast is now online. You and I can spend the day, hours, whatever time we have, at our leisure watching the entire day of talks. Check it out because they had a number of excellent speakers and AARDA’s ground breaking report examining the current state of autoimmune disease (AD) and its economic and social impact globally and in the U.S. was released at the National Autoimmune Diseases Summit.

I have only watched the first video but hopefully — if this is weekend proves to be rainy — I will get through all of them this weekend.

On my first attempt, I used melted butter and tried to get away with using a non-dairy creamer. I ended up with dumplings that cooked too fast, were crumbly and not exactly what I wanted.

On my second attempt I used soft butter and milk. The little dumplings still cooked too fast for my taste and crumbly.  Instead of using cardamon seeds I used powdered cardamon and still the syrup didn’t provide the taste I was looking for.

On my third attempt I looked for recipes that were different than those I had already tried. The final recipe, found at showmethecurry.com was right on. Their recipe called for Ghee (also known as clarified butter) and rose water (or rose essence) for the syrup.

I always have ghee at home and I can easily make it myself. Fortunately, there is a wonderful grocery store close by where I can purchase all sorts of exotic ingredients and I was overjoyed to see they also sell ghee. You can also purchase ghee at Whole Foods.

As for the rose water, I got lucky. I really did not want to travel to India Sweets and Spices in Duate or on Los Feliz (the larger store). Instead, I did a Hail Mary and traveled over to Whole Foods where I was pleasantly surprised to find they actually sell rose water. Fabulous.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I had everything set out for attempt No. 3. The recipe is not difficult and does not require a lot of ingredients. The following is what you will need:

For the dumplings:
Instant Dry Milk (Milk Powder) – 1/2 cup
All Purpose Flour – 2 tbsp
Yogurt – 2 tbsp (I used condensed milk)
Clarified Butter (Ghee) – 1 tbsp
Baking Soda – 1/4 tsp

For the syrup:
Water – 2 cups
Sugar – 2 cups
Rose Essence – few drops, optional (I used rose water)
Cardamom Powder – 1/2 tsp or to taste
Saffron – few strands, optional

Oil – for deep frying

My Gulab Jamuns

For mixing and all of the how tos of preparing the Gulab Jamun, I’ll ask you to head over to showmethecurry.com to both view the video and read the description on how to prepare.

I will add a few things to what they offer there as something to watch for if you plan on preparing a batch of delicious Gulab Jamun. Ghee is important as it does not burn as fast as butter.  The milk particles in Ghee are removed, i.e., clarified butter. I love it because I can easily cook with ghee without having to worry about food cooking too fast or burning — like my first two batches. There are numerous recipes for Gulab Jamun that lists butter as one of the ingredients. I personally would recommend purchasing clarified butter or ghee instead and just keep it in the fridge. If you ever need to saute something and you would typically use butter, try ghee instead. You will be glad you did.

Using ghee made frying the dumplings a whole lot better. They didn’t burn as quickly and I could watch them turn that beautiful golden brown (I call them orange balls) without having to worry about them getting crusty. The butter was clearly not a good idea.

Second, you may have to add milk to your dough mix if you find your balls are too crumbly. The recipe above lists yogurt as the bonding agent. I did not have plain yogurt at home, instead I used what I had and that was condensed milk. You don’t need much but, while kneading the dough, if you find the dough too crumbly or if your balls are consistently coming up with cracks, add more milk. I found I could get the perfect ball when the dough had a gooey, sticky consistency. A perfect ball is when you roll it around in your hands and you don’t see a crack or dent anywhere. That’s a perfect ball.

I’ll add one more thing and you will see this in the video, spread a little ghee around in your hands prior to making the balls. This will keep the dough from sticking to your hands. That was one very good piece of advice.

It is also important to note that while rolling the ball in your hands, squish it a few times and roll out. This helps to create a nice tight ball and you will need a nice tight ball when you begin the frying process.

Finally, the missing ingredient for the syrup was rose water. What a big difference. The rose water in combination with the ground cardamon was just what I needed to get the authentic taste I was looking for.

Health Benefits:

I’ll start with the Rose Water since it dates back to ancient Egypt and is a popular oil for the senses and romance. Rose Water can be applied directly onto the skin to soothe it and, like Lemon Oil, if ingested orally can ease the digestion process. Just opening a bottle of rose water is enough aromatherapy to cause you to feel lifted from the kitchen and planted somewhere in a field of roses.

Cardamon, my favorite, is known as the “queen of spices” and numerous health benefits, such as improving digestion and stimulating metabolism. The seeds contain a volatile oil. The principal constituents of the volatile oil are cineol, terpineol, terpinene, limonene, sabinene, and terpineol in the form of formic and acetic acids.

It too is the spice of love as Ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Arab cultures considered it to have aphrodisiac qualities and was used in love potions. The Arabian Nights makes frequent reference to it.

Saffron, another aromatherapy favorite, has been credited with enhancing memory. I wouldn’t know because I am taking and dealing with so much I’m in a fog every day. But, be that as it may, saffron contains carotenoids and medical studies have proven that it helps in enhancing oxygen diffusivity in the plasma and other liquids while improving pulmonary oxygenation. The carotenoids in saffron are known to inhibit skin tumors and improve arthritis in various independent medical studies. The numerous active constituents in saffron are also known to bring about a positive effect on people with neurodegenerative disorders and memory impairment.

Ghee (Clarified Butter) in your diet will carry fat-soluble foods quickly and easily inside cells. Such foods will reach where they are supposed to reach, to work the way they are supposed to work. Ghee has beta-carotene and vitamin E, both known anti-oxidants that counter the effects of free radicals. Ghee supposedly even repairs the mucus lining of the stomach and evens out the acid balance. I highly recommend it and of course, aromatherapy, aromatherapy, aromatherapy.

Conclusion

I was very delighted with my final product. It took three tries and different recipes but I finally got it. Now, instead of driving long distances to buy a few for $6.00 or $7.00, I can make a 10 or 20 of them at home and keep them in the fridge. It was a beautiful thing.

So, if you’re ready, willing and able, head on over to showmethecurry.com, prepare your hands and fingers and get started. It’s worth it.

My Favorite Links

Show Me The Curry — ShowMeTheCurry.com is an Indian recipe website. They produce and distribute free Indian cooking videos through which they attempt to show the viewers step-by-step, easy to follow instructions on how to make delicious Indian food.

Titli’s Busy Kitchen — A wealth of recipes here from all over the world.

Manjula’s Kitchen — your home for Indian Vegetarian Recipes and Cooking Videos.

The Ayurvedic cook derives his knowledge of herbs, spices, vegetables, legumes and so forth from the Ayurveda, which helps them maintain physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony.

Ayurvedic foods are appetizing, flavourful and aromatic and a way of offering love, becoming healing when served in an inspiring atmosphere. The cleansing of toxins that have entered the body and the electrochemical vitalising of the body are main objectives. Ayurvedic cooking thus is an art and a science at the same time, when cooking becomes alchemy and food becomes Tantra.

The basic principles of Ayurvedic Cooking are : the five Elements, the three Doshas, the three Gunas, the seven Dathus and the six Tastes. It also attaches a lot of attention to the effect of the cooking method on the quality of the foods, the importance of the vibrations of the cook and of the surrounding atmosphere, the compatibility of foods, the right time for cooking and eating, the cycle of the seasons and the effects of foods on consciousness.

Many years ago — I won’t say when I was knee high to a pea — I was introduced to Indian food. A friend took me to an Indian restaurant where we sat on the floor, ate delicious Naan, Tandori Chicken, and other tasty veggies. I walked out of there feeling absolute joy and it was the first time I visited a restaurant where I had no discomfort after eating. I was amazed. Like Pavlov’s dogs, I wanted to hit the button/lever repeatedly because the experience was that good.

Later I discovered places on the northside of Chicago where I could indulge my taste buds, senses, and appetite with traditional Indian cooking without having to go to a formal restaurant. While there, I discovered the grocery store. I purchased a number of spices, tumeric, cumin, garam masala, and a host of other spices and began preparing dishes at home.

During this time, I found my digestion was better, I felt better and — after some reflection on my health history — I now realize I have no memory of health issues. A fluke perhaps? I don’t think so.

In line with “you know that you know”, I felt the need to return to cooking with these spices and I looked them up to find out their health benefits. I was pleasantly surprised.

Anise Seeds Promotes digestion and acts as a detoxifying Agent.

Asafoetida (Hing) – also known as devil’s dung. It is used mainly for its digestive properties, especially in the cooking of beans and lentils, as it is reputed to have antiflatulence properties. Asafoetida has also been credited as being beneficial for by many who report that they felt noticeable benefits using the herb as a treatment of flatulence, in the treatment of digestive weakness, and in the treatment of fungal infections such as candidiasis, and in the treatment of chronic fatigue.

Caraway – Historically known as a cure-all, caraway contains the volatile oil limonene. Caraway boosts the immune system and soothes irritated skin. When combined with olive oil caraway relieves bronchitis, colds, toothache, eye infections, sore throat, and cancer. Caraway seeds freshen the breath, and caraway oil stimulates milk production in lactating mothers. Caraway has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - When combined with peppermint, fennel, caraway, and wormwood, it appears to have a soothing effect on the gastrointestinal system. To date there is not sufficient clinical evidence to support the efficacy of caraway by itself. However, it has been used with a verifiable level of success when used in connection with peppermint oil for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Cardamom (Elaichi) – These aromatic seeds contain an oil that helps to stimulate digestion and relieve flatulence. To help relieve indigestion, mix a handful of crushed seeds in a half cup of water with some ginger root. Bring to a simmer, then add a little warm milk and honey.

Cayenne pepper (Lal Mirch)- Cayenne peppers’ bright red color signals its high content of beta-carotene or pro-vitamin A. Many individuals use cayenne to support circulatory health. Cayenne appears to reduce platelet thickness making them less “sticky.” This may reduce the risk of heart attacks and other blood clots. Cayenne may also have a positive effect on cholesterol. Studies show cayenne contributes to lower blood pressure.

Cilantro (Hara Dhaniya) — Contains vitamin C and smaller amounts of vitamin E, calcium, iron and niacin. The detoxification properties of cilantro, long recognized in ayurveda, received additional substantiation a few years ago, when it was discovered that cilantro helps in the chelation of heavy metals such as mercury and lead.

Cinnamon (Dalchni) – Cinnamon has health boosting compounds including eugenol, which is used to relieve pain and cinnamaldehyde which has sedative properties. It is also useful for improving the circulation and has anti-inflammatory and blood thinning properties. Research shows that it may also help to lower blood sugar levels and so may be useful in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It is a delicious, fragrant spice.

Cloves (Luong) – Clove oil is well known as a treatment for toothache, and its antiseptic properties make it an excellent mouthwash. The main ingredient in the oil is eugenol which is anti-inflammatory and can help ease the stiffness and pain associated with arthritis. It is a warming spice which can help reduce congestion and stimulate digestion. To drink this spice as a tea, pour a cup of boiling water on to 1 teaspoon of cloves and steep for 10 minutes.

Coriander seeds (Dhaniya) — Coriander has many important vitamins and minerals. It provides calcium, phosphorus, iron and some other vitamins such as vitamin B and vitamin C. Regular use of coriander helps to improve the overall health and prevents many of the vitamin deficiency diseases. Coriander is also used as a carminative.

Cumin (Jeera)- It is a good source of iron and manganese and is thought to help digestion and bloating. Make cumin tea by steeping 1 teaspoon of seeds in 1 pint of boiling water.

Fennel (Soonf) — Fennel seeds contain several important antioxidants including anethole, kaempferol, quercetin, and rutin. Fennel also contains fiber, folate, potassium and vitamin C. Fennel strengthens the immune system, helps treat colon cancer, and reduces blood pressure. Fennel helps combat the toxic effect of food additives. Fennel has antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-tumor properties.

Fennel As Anti-Inflammatory — In animal studies, the anethole in fennel has repeatedly been shown to reduce inflammation and to help prevent the occurrence of cancer. Researchers have also proposed a biological mechanism that may explain these anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. This mechanism involves the shutting down of a intercellular signaling system called tumor necrosis factor (or TNF)-mediated signaling. By shutting down this signaling process, the anethole in fennel prevents activation of a potentially strong gene-altering and inflammation-triggering molecule called NF-kappaB. The volatile oil has also been shown to be able to protect the liver of experimental animals from toxic chemical injury.

Fenugreek (Kasuri Methi) — A rich source of carbohydrates, proteins, Vitamin A and C, iron, calcium and minerals. Apart from providing energy and roughage, Fenugreek prevents constipation, improve digestion, stimulates liver and spleen, purifies blood and serves as appetizer. The twigs and leaves of the plant are also used as poultice for ulcers, boils and abscess. The Fenugreek seeds contain “Diosgenin” which is more of a raw material substance used in medical steroids by pharmaceutical industries. The seeds of Fenugreek have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties and can be used for relieving pain.

Garam Masala — Masala is a spice, herb, or seasoning combination containing anything from two to twenty ingredients. Its contents, proportions and applications are limitless. Garam masala is an aromatic blend of “warm” spices (garam means warm), and, unless otherwise specified, is added towards the end of cooking.

Garlic (Lassan) — A study published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute revealed that men who consumed more than ten grams of garlic a day, were fifty percent less prone to prostate cancer than those who did not. This is due to the organosulphur compounds present in garlic. Allicin, an anti-oxidant helps prevent pulmonary hypertension (constriction of blood vessels in the lungs), according to another study carried out at Alabama University, Birmingham, US. Garlic has been used in treatment of flu, cold, acne and even to get rid of head lice!! Researchers in Argentina found that application of garlic helped kill more than 96 percent of lice in fifteen minutes.

Ginger (Adrak) – Ginger contains antioxidants and so can help protect against disease. It can help calm spasms and reduce flatulence in the digestive system. It is an excellent treatment for nausea associated with travel sickness, pregnancy and hangovers. Ginger tea can be made by adding a few slices to hot water. Try chewing on a little piece of the root to help with digestive problems.

Mint (Pudina) — Contain a rich concentration of peppermint oil, which helps gall bladder in secretion of bile required for digestion.

Mustard seeds (Rai) — Relieves muscular pain.

Nutmeg and mace (Jaiphal and Javitri) — A warming spice. It is used as a natural sleep aid taken in warm milk before bedtime. It is also believed to stimulate appetite and digestion. Good for diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea. It helps in digestion and improves appetite. Mace is good for the digestive system. It improves appetite and reduces nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. In traditional Indian medicine or Ayurveda, a tonic of this spice is used in treating inflammation of the bladder and urinary tract. Similar to nutmeg, mace is beneficial in arthritis and joint pains. The antioxidant effect of mace in the liver helps in conserving glutathione and increase protection against free radicals

Oreango (Ajwain) –Oregano oil and leaf are both strong herbal antibacterial agents due to the high thymol content. The dried leaves are used in hot fomentation to painful swellings and rheumatism. Oregano tea is a strong sedative and traditionally used to treat colds, bronchitis, asthma, fevers, and painful menstruation because of antiseptic action.

Paprika powder – Rich in vitamin C, and so helps colds and influenza. It is also said to treat digestive troubles, cramps, circulations problems, and shingles.

Saffron (Zaffran) — Saffron is as important ingredient of large number of Ayurvedic medicines. On account of its strong antipoisonous, aphrodisiac, cardiotonic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, stimulant, lactogogue, livotonic, nervine tonic, sedative and styptic properties it is highly valued in Ayurveda. It is used in acne, apoplexy, arthritis, asthma, colic, cough dyspepsia, hemierania, insect bites and stings, liver disorders, mental disorders, neurasthenia, oedema, painful menstruation, phthisis, prolapse of anus, sore throat and splenic disorders. It is attributed with extraordinary properties for improving weak eyesight and highly valued as a complexion builder (Chopra et al., 1956: Kirukar & Basu, 1935).

Tamarind (Amli) — Mainly acts as an appetite stimulant, a digestive and a system cleanser [it is a mild laxative], stimulates salivation thus aiding digestion, brings dysentery under control by preventing further proliferation of the disease-causing bacteria. Dry Tamarind is considered a cardiac protective.

Turmeric (haldi) – Rich in antioxidants, researchers have discovered that it may help in the fight against cancer as well as containing inflammation fighting compounds called curcuminoids. Studies show that these curcuminoids may help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and joint inflammation. Use in soups, curries and stews.

Now, considering the above list, please note everything in moderation. I list these herbs and spices as ingredients for dishes only. For instance, nutmeg contains Myristicin that gives the spice its flavor and fragrance. It is also believed that this chemical can cause hallucinations, vomiting and epilepsy like symptoms. Large doses of it might even be fatal. However, nutmeg, as a spice does not produce any such adverse affect. It has great benefits but it can also be deadly.

I use a lot of the aforementioned spices but I am very cautious with those that are immune boosters. I don’t need an immune booster.

What has been a great help to me are those ingredients that are digestive aides. For a long time I ate food that seemed to stick somewhere in my body. It was most uncomfortable. I have also noticed the more I cook with these spices, the less health dramas I have. They are becoming less and less frequent. A fluke? I dunno.

To learn more about Ayurvedic foods, read How to Eat for Your Dosha at About.com.