Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Ran across this article, found it interesting, so I thought I'd share...

(HealthCastle.com) As summer approaches, we often reach for soothing foods and beverages to keep us cool in the heat. But is it true that some foods can actually keep you cool inside and reduce inflammation as well? There is a growing body of research that suggests chronic inflammation within the human body is linked to diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and Alzheimer’s. What would an anti-inflammation menu look like?

Your Anti-Inflammation Menu

Starters: Load up on phytonutrients and monounsaturated fats

Eating the colors of the rainbow is a practical and achievable strategy to get your phytonutrients, the superb antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables. They are great at preventing chronic oxidative stresses that lead to inflammation. Some well-known examples are anthocyanin (in blueberries), resveratrol (in grapes and red wine), and lycopene (in tomatoes). And just because some produce such as cabbage or cauliflower appears colorless, don’t skip it: Both these vegetables are high in potent antioxidants. In addition, many fruits and vegetables are great sources of Vitamin C, itself a well-known antioxidant.

Add nuts for crunch and beneficial monounsaturated fats (which help inhibit many pro-inflammatory metabolic pathways or enzymes). Use fresh herbs liberally, and dress salads lightly with a vinaigrette of your choice, which can be as simple as extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice.

Some great options for your anti-inflammation appetizer: cabbage (all kinds – red, napa, white), cauliflower, mushrooms, nuts (walnuts, almonds and cashews), dark leafy greens, avocado, tomatoes.

Mains: Real whole grains with omega-3 rich seafood and protein

Soy protein sources (tofu, tempeh, and edamame) and whole grains (e.g., amaranth, brown rice, buckwheat) are considered anti-inflammatory because they contain micronutrients that play important roles in antioxidant reactions within the body, such as copper and manganese.

Fish, particularly fatty fish such as salmon, sablefish, and halibut, are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. There is a hypothesis that the typical North American diet (which is high in omega-6 fatty acids from vegetable oil blends used in processed foods, and low in omega-3 fatty acids) is associated with higher rates of chronic inflammation and resulting diseases. Many seafood sources of omega-3 fatty acids are also high in Vitamin D, which helps inhibit some pro-inflammatory metabolic pathways in the body.

Condiments: Bring on the spices

Rosemary, ginger, and turmeric have been identified as spices that appear to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity. In particular, the compound curcumin in turmeric has been shown to activate certain enzymes within brain cells that are protective against inflammation, oxidative damage, and cell death. Curcumin has also been studied regularly for its anti-cancer properties. Rosemary that is added to marinades has been shown to lower the formation of carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCA) in grilled meats.

To drink: Sip phytonutrients and Vitamin D

It’s easy to drink your phytonutrients, if you include beverages such as green tea, red wine, and coffee. Recent studies in animal models show beneficial effects of various phytonutrients on dilating the airway (helpful in asthma), improving blood lipid profile, moderating the inflammatory compounds circulating in the blood, and preventing uncontrolled cell growth (which leads to cancer). The green tea catechin EGCG has also been shown to protect neurons against oxidative damage.

Speaking of beverages, milk is another easy source of Vitamin D, particularly for those who do not consume fish or other seafood regularly.

The Bottom Line

It turns out many of the foods that can help fight chronic inflammation are the same ones containing the various nutrients needed to keep us healthy in general. This summer, keep yourself cool inside and out by choosing a variety of anti-inflammatory foods from the above list.

Original article can be found HERE

The Dreaded Weekend

Ever have those weekends that you dread? The kind of weekend that you actually are a little bummed about come Friday? That's how this weekend was for me. Why? I'll explain.

A couple weeks back, Phoenix was hit by a haboob (a HUGE wall of dust...google it or see picture above, it's actually a picture from this last haboob). So needless to say, the entire outside of our house was covered with dust - the patios, furniture, windows, you name it. So for the last couple of weeks, I knew we would have to hose everything down and wash the windows, buuut I was dreading it. Something about doing work outside for several hours straight when it's 110 degrees out doesn't scream fun weekend activity to me. But this weekend was the weekend for it, and I knew this weekend was the weekend for it, so this weekend was the weekend I was dreading!

So Friday evening came and went, and we didn't hose off the outside. Instead, we went to the gym, rented a Redbox movie (Rango), and enjoyed a really great meal (buffalo chicken wraps..YUM). And then it was Saturday. We got up, made french toast and headed off (after Ronnie's morning treatment of course) to a matinee. Then to get out of hosing off the outdoors, we actually did other chores. We went to Sam's Club to do some grocery shopping. Then we came home, and totally organized and cleaned out the pantry, the fridge and the freezer. Then it was dinner time and we watched another movie (Unbreakable). So Saturday came and went, and I managed to "trick" Ronnie into not doing the outside cleaning. But then it was Sunday...dun dun dunnn...and the last day of the weekend (which meant I could no longer put off the outside). We went to church in the AM, got home to have some lunch, and then it was time to get to work. Four hours later, the outside was hosed down, the windows were washed (inside and out), the window frames on the inside were washed (somehow dirt/dust actually makes it way inside the windows on the window frames), the house was picked up, and the flowers in the yard were pruned.

And at the end of the 4 hours I realize something very important: I was putting off and dreading 4 hours of work. 4 hours that flew by, were very productive, and I hardly noticed the time passing. So I've decided that in the future, instead of dreading something ALL week and weekend, I'm just going to bite the bullet and get it done. In fact, we were so inspired by the clean pantry, fridge and outdoors that we decided each night this week we're going to pick a single job (starting with the closets) and knot it out.

So my question for you is this...what project are you putting off around the house currently? Or what project were you putting off, that once you did it, felt like no big deal?

Coffee and Tea Drinkers Less Likely to Carry MRSA

Original post can be found on Medpagetoday.com

People who drink hot tea or coffee are less likely to carry methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in their noses, researchers found.

Drinking either beverage was associated with about a 50% relative reduction in the odds of nasal MRSA carriage, and drinking both was associated with a 67% reduction, according to Eric Matheson, MD, of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, and colleagues.

The findings, reported in the July/August issue of Annals of Family Medicine, "raise the possibility of a promising new method to decrease MRSA nasal carriage that is safe, inexpensive, and easily accessible," they wrote.

The clinical importance of the finding is not entirely clear, however, as the relationship between nasal MRSA carriage and the chances of systemic infection has not been resolved, they added.

Previous studies have shown that tea and coffee have antimicrobial properties when applied topically, and to find out whether drinking the beverages had systemic effects the researchers turned to the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

The analysis included 5,555 individuals ages 2 and older, representing 182.1 million people. About half (48.6%) reported consuming hot tea over the past month and 60.8% reported drinking coffee over the past month.

Overall, 1.4% of the participants carried MRSA in their noses.

After adjustment for age, race, sex, poverty status, current health status, hospitalization in the past 12 months, and use of antibiotics in the past month, there were lower odds of nasal MRSA carriage among individuals who drank any amount of hot tea (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.71), coffee (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.93), or both (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.70), compared with those who drank none.

A separate analysis of just the adult participants provided similar results.

Consumption of iced tea, however, was not associated with nasal MRSA carriage. The reason is unclear, but it could be that iced tea has lower levels of polyphenolic compounds than hot tea, or that the volatile antimicrobial compounds in coffee and tea reach the nose in vapor form, according to the researchers.

Although the study -- cross-sectional in design -- could not establish a causal relationship between drinking coffee and tea and nasal MRSA carriage, there are some possible mechanisms to explain the finding.

"In the case of coffee, particular attention has focused on the potential antibacterial properties of trigonelline, glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and diacetyl," Matheson and colleagues wrote. "For tea, attention has focused on the antimicrobial properties of tannic acid and catechins."

In addition, they wrote, drinking both coffee and tea decrease iron absorption, which could affect the growth of S. aureus.

The authors acknowledged that the study was limited by the exclusion of some individuals because of missing data and the inability to determine when the participants last drank coffee or tea.

They noted that the study could not address the larger question of whether nasal MRSA carriage is associated with systemic infection.

"Given this debate, the benefits of any treatment for MRSA nasal carriage should be carefully balanced against the risk," they wrote.

Original article here

Placebo Effect Powerful in Asthma

This article was originally posted on Medpagetoday.com

Asthma inhalers have a real impact on airways, but the symptom relief isn't any greater than that achieved with placebos, researchers found.

Stable asthma patients reported the same degree of symptom improvement with inhalation of albuterol as occurred with a placebo inhaler or sham acupuncture (50%, 45%, and 46% improvement, respectively, P=NS) in a blinded pilot study led by Michael E. Wechsler, MD, of Harvard and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

All three were equally better than no treatment at all (21% improvement, P<0.001), they reported in the July 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Placebo effects can be clinically meaningful and can rival the effects of active medication in patients with asthma," the group concluded in the paper.

Yet the results also suggested that physicians need to keep a close eye on objective measures of asthma control, Wechsler and colleagues noted.

Albuterol had a strong objective effect on airflow, with a mean 20% improvement in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) -- nearly three times the 7% boost seen in all three other groups (P<0.001).

But "patients could not reliably detect the difference between this robust effect of the active drug and the effects of inhaled placebo and sham acupuncture," the researchers warned.

So "subjective improvement in asthma should be interpreted with caution and objective outcomes should be more heavily relied on for optimal asthma care," they recommended.

However, patients' subjective experiences are not wrong simply because they don't fit the objective facts of FEV₁ and actually should trump physician judgment in such symptom-defined conditions, Daniel E. Moerman, PhD, of the University of Michigan in Dearborn, argued in an accompanying editorial.

"It is the subjective symptoms that brought these patients to medical care in the first place," he wrote. "They came because they were wheezing and felt suffocated, not because they had a reduced FEV₁."

A treatment should be acceptable as long as it yields significant improvement for patients, has a reasonable cost, and doesn't have negative effects over the short or long term, Moerman suggested.

The study included 46 patients randomized to double-blind treatment with an albuterol inhaler, a placebo inhaler, sham acupuncture, or no intervention administered in a crossover design during a total of 12 sequential office visits three to seven days apart after a washout period for short- and long-acting bronchodilators.

The no-intervention group acted as a control for the placebo groups, which few prospective studies have tried, the researchers noted.

The most likely explanation for the greater efficacy of placebo was expectation of improvement as "the mere ritual of treatment may affect patients' self-monitoring and subjective experience of their disease," they wrote.

The study was limited by use of a nonvalidated subjective measure of asthma symptom improvement that didn't include a measure of worsening as well as by unknown generalizability to chronic asthma, the group cautioned.

Original article can be found here

Thankful Thursday - Time with Nana & Coaching

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. as I mentioned, I no longer have the "linkytools" but I invite you to share your thankful blog in the comments section. Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

Mandi went night-night nice and early last night and I didn't have the heart to wake her up to have her list what she is thankful for.

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for this exchange at my spin class yesterday -

Instructor: Alright, turn it up one gear!

Me: [Turned it up one gear]

Instructor: Alright, turn it up another gear!!

Me: [Turned it up another gear]

Instructor: One last time, turn it up another gear!!

Me: [Did not turn it up another gear]

Instructor: [While pointing directly at me and calling me out in front of the whole class] What are you waiting for, you still haven't turned it up another gear?!?!?!

Why am I thankful for that? Because I need it. I'm pretty new to this whole spin thing, but one part I really like about it is the constant coaching. It's usually not so direct, as I will just follow whatever commands he barks out, but this time, he was only looking at me. When I'm pouring sweat, feeling like I'm about to barf and convincing myself that I can't push any further - what he did was exactly what I needed. I take coaching well and this was no exception. After he called me out I was able to finish the class at a higher pace than any previous class I had done before. As a bonus, I only dry heaved into my towel twice :)

I'm thankful for the extra time I was able to spend with my mom-in-law. We were able to spend a whole week with both Nana and Papi, but we were able to spend an additional week with Nana. Mandi and her mom were able to bond over some nursery shopping and were also able to pick out some fabrics to be used in Peanut's room. Can you believe that Nana has sewn most of our curtains and is now working on all of the nursery stuff?!!?! If only she could build cribs :)

So, what are you thankful for today?

Workout Wednesday: Toughest Part About Vacations

The toughest part for me about going on vacation (or going into the Hole) is getting thrown out of my routine and then trying to "get back in the groove" upon my return. I recently visited with some family friends in South Carolina to celebrate the 4th of July. The trip was an absolute blast that including a lot of fishing, boating, swimming and relaxing. Notice what was missing there? Exercise. We certainly didn't sit on our butts all day (quite the contrary), but I also wasn't getting to the gym and doing cardio daily like I'm used to. In that way, going on vacation is much like a stay in the Hole for me. I'm thrown off of my routine and knowing that the feeling of "fighting" to find my mojo back can sometimes be a little bit disheartening.

I really wanted to write about this because I know that it is a common occurrence in our community. We fight our butts off to exercise, do our treatments and take care of ourselves only to get a monkey wrench thrown into the motor to knock us off our feet. There's been plenty of times in my life that I have stopped working out because of a fast approaching hospital stay. Since I knew that I would have to stop going to the gym in two weeks, I figured "why push myself if I'm only going to be knocked off track?". It's funny, writing it down and reading it seems so silly, but it's a feeling that I'll feel often and I know that you feel it too.

It's the same thing with vacations. I have such a hard time getting back into the gym and back on a regular exercise schedule. Like I said before, we weren't completely inactive on this vacation, but it was still hard to get back into rhythm. For a real example - we got back on Friday and my first day back to the gym was on Tuesday. No bueno. If my number one priority in life is my health, which in turn allows me to focus and be there for my 1a priority, my family, I just need to suck it up and figure out a way to get back on track.

I wish I had a bunch of magical solutions for you all, but I really don't. I struggle with this just like you do. I was actually hoping that some of you would have some advice to offer. Other than repeating to myself often that my wife needs me around for a long time, and I'm convinced that exercise will play a big role in that, I got nothing. So what do you do? What do you do to find your grove again once you've been thrown off of your routine?

Worrying vs Caring

I was reading a great article yesterday about different ways that we can deal with stress. Now, I've got to say that I'm not a stress ball, but I have said some of these very same things to some people close to me who tend to stress. Often times, me not stressing about stuff comes off as not caring. I love that this snippet of the article does such a great job detailing the difference between worrying and caring. It's like music to my ears! (The entire article is great, but I have just provided one point out of ten)

Sometimes, our mindset can boost stress, so a small issue mushrooms into a pile of problems. We continue worrying, somehow thinking that this is a productive — or at least inevitable — response to stress. But we mistake worry for action.

Clinical psychologist Chad LeJeune, Ph.D, talks about the idea of worrying versus caring in his book, The Worry Trap: How to Free Yourself from Worry & Anxiety Using Acceptance & CommitmentTherapy. “Worrying is an attempt to exert control over the future by thinking about it,” whereas caring is taking action. “When we are caring for someone or something, we do the things that support or advance the best interests of the person or thing that we care about.”

LeJeune uses the simple example of houseplants. He writes: “If you are away from home for a week, you can worry about your houseplants every single day and still return home to find them brown and wilted. Worrying is not watering.”

Similarly, fretting about your finances does nothing but get you worked up (and likely prevent you from taking action). Caring about your finances, however, means creating a budget, paying bills on time, using coupons and reducing how often you dine out.

Just this small shift in mindset from worrying to caring can help you adjust your reaction to stress.

So, what do you think? Does this author have a point?

Time for a Tune-Up?

Now, before I lose your attention and you don't read the rest of the blog let me state, it is not actually time for a tune-up. Ronnie is feeling good and we don't foresee another tune-up in our near future. So again, let me repeat: it is NOT time for a tune-up.

However, I thought I'd share a funny thought I had yesterday. I randomly thought to myself, "Is it time for Ronnie to go in for a tune-up? I kinda miss tune-up time." Now let me reassure you that I hadn't been drinking - I'm pretty sure they frown on that when you're pregnant ;-). But totally sober and in a non-insane state of mind I actually "missed" the hospital. Let me explain..

As we've said before, we do everything we can to make the most out of our time while Ronnie's in the hole, so tune-ups are actually a relatively enjoyable time (besides the fact that Ronnie's not always feeling great and he's tethered to an IV poll 80% of the day). While Ronnie's in we do things we don't do while we're at home. So when it's been awhile since we've had a hospital stay, there are little things I actually miss, and begin to look forward to. I thought I'd share what they were because if they're enough to make me "eager" (that's a bit of an exaggeration) for a hospital stay, than they're likely a good thing to give a whirl when you're in the hole. Some of these you maybe can't do, but variations would be just as fun!

Dunkin Donuts - When Ronnie's in, we get DD every weekend morning - coffee, a breakfast sandwich and a donut if Ronnie is feeling really hungry. I love the feeling of getting up, nice and early (generally when his first treatment arrives at 7am), jumping in the car (obviously just me, Ronnie stays and does his treatments) and heading to DD to get our food. Everything is so calm at that time of day, so it's always a nice and relaxed feeling. I bring it back and we sit and eat our breakfast while listening to podcasts of our favorite radio segments.

Afternoon Walks - This is when we get to spend some quality time together, without the interruption of nurses, doctors, etc. It's always a nice time to get out, stretch our legs, and enjoy some beautiful sunshine. I absolutely love our afternoon walks, and look forward to getting down with work so we can go.

Family Dinners - We get take out and/or Ronnie's mom makes us dinner almost every night. Home-cooked food or yummy take out is always delish, but even better, we normally enjoy the food with members of Ronnie's family. His brothers come almost daily, and his mom or step dad comes once or twice a week. It is always a really special thing when we get to spend time with family...and getting 2-4 weeks straight of quality time is awesome.

Lazy Saturdays (ok...Sundays too) - At home, there always seems to be chores begging to be done on the weekends, but in the hole, there are no chores. Weekends become a time to totally veg out, watch TV and best of all, NAP! I take a nap at least once a weekend...and it is glorious.

Date nights and Game Nights - Sometimes these are one in the same, but we try to force a romantic date night at least once or twice a hospital stay. We find a secluded spot, light candles, and have dinner. Something about these nights feels so incredible. I don't know if it's the different locations or the chance to feel like we're "escaping," but man, I love these nights.

So those are the things I look forward to most for the next tune-up. Hopefully it won't be for another few months, but since I was having the silly thoughts of "man, I'm kind of looking forward to the next tune-up's activities" I thought I'd share. Maybe all these hormones are messing with my brain :)

A very happy birthday to a 70 year old CFer!!!

BRENDA Hughes may have been celebrating her 70th birthday yesterday, but for her it felt like she was 21 again.

Mrs Hughes had even more to celebrate than most people who have lived to see seven different decades. Mrs Hughes is the oldest member of Cystic Fibrosis Victoria, having lived with the disease all of her life.

“I’m very fortunate, but I’ve never felt like I was any different to anyone else,” she said. “I keep busy and manage fine – I’m very lucky.”

Mrs Hughes said she was “stunned” to discover almost 100 of her friends and family gathered at Ballarat City Fire Brigade yesterday night to surprise her on her birthday.

“I’m the hardest person in the world to surprise — but I never had a clue,” she said.

Mrs Hughes’ husband Max spent six weeks organising the party with the help of one of Mrs Hughes’ friends. But, his plans were almost foiled at the last minute by a very unlikely culprit. Mr Hughes had arranged for Kamahl to phone his wife on the night of her party, but a mix-up meant the singer had contacted Mrs Hughes a night early.

“If you’ve ever seen a grown man cry — that was almost me last night,” Mr Hughes said. “I couldn’t believe it — it almost spoiled the surprise, but luckily she didn’t realise it was him.”

Original story here

Thankful Thursday - Ingenuity & New Friends

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. as I mentioned, I no longer have the "linkytools" but I invite you to share your thankful blog in the comments section. Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for family time. I've been able to spend nearly two full weeks with my parents in town and it's awesome. Even though we talk frequently (I told to my mom on webcam at least once a day most weeks), it's just not the same as being in person, face to face.

I'm thankful for old acquaintances becoming new friends. I danced with a girl in high school, who I always got along with, but we were never really "friends," just acquaintances. But over the past year, we've started talking, and have built to the point that we text almost every day. She too is pregnant (but with her second) and due only a few weeks after I am. It is so incredible to have such an awesome girlfriend to chat with about pregnancy, and just life in general. Funny how an old acquaintance can sometimes become one of your closest friends!

I'm thankful for peanut. Our little monkey is growing bigger by (what feels like) the second, and man am I thankful for this little life that God continues to bless us with. I am thankful for every kick, flip, punch, shift, you name it. I am so thankful that my baby is willing to entertain her mommy with all of the belly contortions that she is responsible for!

I'm thankful for our exercise routine. The past several months, we have had a great exercise routine going. I run and/or walk 2-4 miles in the morning; we lift weights Monday, Wednesday, Friday; we do some sort of cardio on Monday, Wednesday; we do spin on Tuesday, Thursday; and I do a step class on Friday. And let me tell you, it feels SO good to be active and healthy. This week we've been a little thrown off out routine, and man, I cannot wait to get back into our normal groove next week. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm antsy to get back into the gym and get back into my full cardio routine.

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for walks in the rain. They don't happen that often, but when they do, I thoroughly enjoy them. My most recent walk in the rain was through trees on a path leading to a beautiful waterfall. The sound of the rain hitting the trees was incredibly relaxing and the fact that the "hike" wasn't all up hill was just icing on the cake :)

I'm thankful for boats. I was able to ride on a boat quite a bit during the 4th of July weekend and it was just as I remember. I absolutely love kicking back on a boat that's cruising through the water. The wind that's rushing past you and the sound of that engine is something I don't think I could ever get tired of.

I'm thankful for ingenuity. I'm always amazed at the amount of cool stuff that we have access to on a daily basis. I sit here typing this on a lap top, on a website, that's going to go out all over the world on the internet. That just blows my mind! Thank goodness that most people in the world are smarter than me and come up with this stuff.

So, what are you thankful for today?

Packing for a Trip

Mandi and I have become pretty masterful packers in our first year of marriage together. We each have our defined roles when packing for a trip and most of the prep work we have down to a science. I'll be the first one to admit that Mandi does most of the packing, but I'll tell you just like I tell her, we play to our strengths. It generally goes a little something like this...

At some point both of us decide that we've procrastinated enough and it's time to actually pack for our trip. At about this same time Mandi always says, "Why don't you get a treatment in and I'll pack us?". I still haven't figured out exactly why this is, but I'd guess that has something to do with me getting in the way more than helping. While I'm doing a treatment, Mandi puts all of our clothes into neat little piles on the bed and also gets our dopp kits all ready and packed. After the treatment, it's my job to look over what's being taken a decide what we can do to lighten the load. I'm a pretty light packer by nature and I always end up thinking that I've brought to much. On the other hand, Mandi tends to pack with the anticipation of any and all events occurring on our trip. No, I kid, it's not that bad. I think that she'd be the first one to tell you however that she tends to over pre-pack with the best of them.

After whittling down the clothes on the bed, we stuff them into our suitcase and it's on to the next task. At this time I'll generally start getting all of my medicine together and putting it all in my special little travel case. In this case you can find - albuterol, atrovent, Pulmozyme, Cayston, 7%, Zenpep, Advair, Mandi's pre-natal vitamins and my "dailies" (a smorgasbord of various vitamins, supplements and antibiotics). This bag ALWAYS goes on the plane with me on my carry-on along with my compressor. Almost all other things that airline can lose could be replaced immediately, but it would be tough to replace all of that. (And just as a side note, I've never been sweated about bringing my medicine on board with me and I've never carried a doctor's note).

Finally, the morning of the trip, after doing my first treatment of the day, it's time to pack up the compressor and vest. My life has been much easier since getting the travel roller bag for the vest and I would highly suggest it for any and every one. After the treatments are packed we load them into the car and are coming down the home stretch. We both go back into the house and give it a once over making sure everything is locked and unplugged. When everything has passed the test, we both go over a checklist as we make our way to the car. If we both agree that we haven't forgot anything (who really never forgets to pack something?) it's off to the airport.

Once we get to the airport, now that's a whole different blog...

Top 5 Best Fireworks Shows

Happy day after 4th of July everyone!! Also, a special birthday shout-out to my little brother Grant who turned 19 yesterday (gulp). Happy birthday man, I l0ve you.

During last night's fire work show, I got to thinking of all of the other firework shows that I have been to during the course of my lifetime. Here's a quick list of the top 5 firework shows I've seen:

5. Tucson - I admit, this isn't due to the fireworks as much as it id due to the memories. For quite a while, we're talking half a decade or so, I would always be in the middle of my tune-up for July 4th. We would head up to the top of a parking garage connected to the hospital and watch the show on "A" Mountain. I usually had my family around plus my trusty IV pole.

4. Newport Beach - I saw this show about 3 years ago the day before my best friend's wedding. I remember it being quite a long show and the reflection of the colors off of the water was quite amazing.

3. Boston - Boston scored big points with their harbor fireworks show that I took in. The colors reflecting off of the water was cool, but the most amazing part was the shapes they were able to create in the sky. We're not just talking stars and a smiley face, I remember the American flag and a cat :)

2. Shanghai - I have a confession, this wasn't for 4th of July (you probably figured that out due to the location) it was for New Years. I had to put it up here though because the show was absolutely amazing. I was on the 22nd floor of an apartment building and the explosions were happening at eye level and about 100 yards away. It looked like some of them were going to fly into the apartment. It. was. awesome.

1. New York City - If you're only going to go to one 4th of July show, this is the one. I've been there quite a few times for Independence Day and the firework show seems to get better every year. My buddy had an apartment overlooking the East river which held the three barges responsible for the show. Between the best grand finale I've ever seen and 1000's and 1000's of people chanting U.S.A in the streets, it's by far the best one ever.

What about you? Where did you see the best firework show ever?

The Four F's of July Fourth

Everyone loves the 4th of July. Something about this holiday really embodies summer. To me, there are four F's that are a must on this day.

4. Food - Every holiday needs some good eats to nosh on. But this holiday begs for some of my favorites; from burgers, to watermelon, to potato salad, to s'mores. There is nothing like some good grilled foods and summer treats to fill your belly.

3. Fireworks - I'll be honest, I happen to think the build up and thought of fireworks is almost always better than fireworks actually are. But regardless of how dinky the firework show my be, or even if you're just shooting off fireworks on your own, they are always a must!

2. Family - Regardless how you're spending your holiday, if it's not with family (or at least friends) it's no fun! Activities are only as good as who you share them with.

1. Fun - This one may sound like a bit of a cope out. Obviously any holiday needs a bit of fun (shoot, every day should have a bit of fun), but I'll take this one a bit further. I think the 4th requires a different kind of fun than you can have every day. It requires a special activity of some sort; whether it's a bonfire, a picnic, a parade or a cookout.

Sound Off Saturday: Treatments and Vacation

Being a holiday weekend, we couldn't help but think of a great Sound-off Saturday topic: Vacation and Treatments.

When we're not in the routine of work (which is really just on vacation or during holiday weekends), treatments are the one part of our routine that must stay the same - which isn't always easy while trying to enjoy a break from our normal day-to-day routine. Obviously, when we travel, go on vacation, or have a "staycation" during holidays, treatments are still a must. For some reason, vacations are the only time that I really notice treatments. When we're in our normal routine, I never really notice Ronnie's first 2-3 treatments during the day. He does them back in his office, while we both work in separate rooms, so it doesn't affect my day, routine, plans, etc. The night treatment (which Ronnie always does right before bed) I notice more because I normally wait up for him to finish so that we can fall asleep together - maybe silly, but I just really love going to be together. I hate the thought of Ronnie crawling into bed and not having his wife say, "Goodnight" and "I love you" right before falling asleep. But all in all, on a typical day, treatments go unnoticed by me and they don't affect my daily life and routine.

But the reality of 3-4 treatments a day sets in when we're on vacation. And I will be honest, I am not the biggest fan of all the treatment time when we're on vacation. Often times we'll have to push off breakfast, come back mid-day regardless of what we're doing, or rearrange plans to make sure that we get all of the treatments in, while still getting out and enjoying vacation. I start to feel even more aggravated (maybe a harsh word, I can't find the right one. Annoyed? Perturbed?) when we're with other people (friends or family), and I feel like we're holding up the whole group because we have to get treatments in. And I'll be honest, I always feel a little guilty on vacation because I get annoyed with the treatment schedule, but then I realize that it is only my reality for a week, while it's Ronnie's reality every day. And that really puts into perspective that me feeling inconvenienced is silly and selfish.

ANNND now that I've let you into my horrible, inner-most thoughts, let me now give you the flip-side and what I constantly remind myself when these nasty little thoughts creep in. The rational side of me knows that the treatments are necessary...and maybe even more necessary because we're generally thrown off our workout routine as well - so we're not working his lungs with as much exercise either. And whenever the thoughts start to arise of, "Maybe he could just do 2 treatments today?" or "How about he just does 3 instead of 4?" I always step back and remind myself of one thing: I'd rather get home from vacation and have him healthy, than get an extra two hours a day of "fun," only to get home and have him feeling like crud; having to climb and uphill battle to get feeling good again.

I feel a little bad verbalizing my not-so-positive thoughts about treatments on vacation, but I know that I'm not alone in my thinking. Sticking to treatments during vacation (or anytime your routine is thrown off) is simply just not easy. But I always find that when I really step back and think about it, doing the treatments is far more awesome and beneficial than anything we could do with the two extra hours we'd have if Ronnie skipped his treatments. So this holiday weekend, Ronnie will be getting in all of his treatments, but you better believe we'll be packing the other 22 hours of the day with TONS of fun!!

Ahhhhh yes, treatments and vacation, my ultimate double edged sword...

So which side of the sword should I describe first? Let's go with the side that cuts some of my fun time out of vacations. Now, let's be clear, I'm the first to admit that I'm not Mr. Vacation and rarely am I the one chomping at the bit to go on one. We'll get to the reason I'm that way when we get back to the other side of the sword, but for now let's stick to the side that cuts me away from what I enjoy about vacations. Generally when I'm away and enjoying some other place I'm around family. That has to be the number one thing that I like about vacations. It's nice to be able to be around family 24/7 and the fact that you have the option to go out and "explore" with them is a bonus. One bummer about treatments and vacation is that it takes some of the spontaneity out of just "getting up and going". Things need to be more mapped out to make sure I have the time to get in my 3-4 treatments for the day. Whether it's 3 or 4 usually depends on the altitude, weather and how I handled the flight to where I was going. That's the thing with this CF life - there's really no "getting away" which is the biggest reason why most people want to go on a vacation in the first place.

Alright, enough of Debbie Downer. Since only about 7% of me feels the way I was talking about above, let me get to what the rest of the 93% of me thinks; the other side of the sword if you will. I love treatments on vacation because they feel like they restore some order or a sense of routine while away from home. I know that I've mentioned this before, but I am a routine guy. If my routine is thrown off, my whole day seems thrown off. It's especially that way if I miss my morning treatment - which probably happens 1 out of every 365 days. On the rare occasion that I do miss that first treatment, or heaven forbid, my coffee, you can pretty much count me "off" for the rest of the day. I usually like to go all out on vacation and pack in as much stuff as we can, so it's nice to have 3-4 times throughout the day that I can recharge my battery.

Another thing I think about while doing treatments on vacation is the more I consistently take care of myself, the better chance I will have to enjoy more vacations down the road with my family. Plus, being at the top of my game while on vacation gives me the energy to "keep up" with the rest of my family as they are doing the "vacation thing". I've always found that if I get out of whack with my treatments on vacation, not only do I not feel as good during the activities, but that it's hard to get back into rhythm when I get back home. You guys know how it works - one missed treatment leads to two, leads to 4, leads to a week, leads to a month. I don't know about you, but I can't afford to even miss 2 treatments in a row. I figure the longer I can keep up my treatment routine, the longer I'll have to feel good while on vacation. Does that all make sense?

Anyway, we thought it'd be fun to bring Sound Off Saturday back. Keep in mind that we just threw out a general topic to each other and then agreed to "sound off" on it. I have no clue what Mandi wrote and she has no clue what I wrote. The first time we read it will be the same time that you do.

Now it's your turn...sound off!!!

Sinus Surgery Won't Aid Lung Function in CF

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jun 28 - Endoscopic sinus surgery doesn't improve microbial pathogen load or pulmonary function in young cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, according to a retrospective medical record review.

"Prospective studies are needed to evaluate potentially short-lived effects of surgery on these variables, as well as to assess subjective or symptomatic improvements from a quality-of-life standpoint," Dr. Alexander J. Osborn of the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children and his colleagues conclude.

Treating inflammation of the upper airways can improve pulmonary function in asthma patients, Dr. Osborn and his colleagues note in the June Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Nearly all CF patients suffer from rhinosinusitus, they add, and the severity of these symptoms has been tied to worse pulmonary function.

To investigate whether the unified airway model might hold true in CF as well asthma, and determine if treating sinusitis might improve pulmonary function, Dr. Osborn and his team reviewed medical records for pediatric CF patients who had undergone endoscopic sinus surgery in their practice.

The 41 patients in the study, whose average age was about 11, underwent 91 procedures in all, with a median of 2 per patient. The researchers excluded procedures performed within 2 years before or after another surgery, to ensure that preoperative values represented a patients' real baseline state. This left 56 procedures for analysis.

Using several different measures of pulmonary function, the researchers found no differences before and after surgery. And their analysis of the 62 procedures for which pre- and post-operative cultures were available showed no effect of sinus surgery on microbial pathogens.

Sinus surgery likely helps asthma patients' pulmonary function because the sinonasal area may be the sole source of inflammation in these patients' airways, Dr. Osborn and his team suggest. "In contrast, CF leads to chronic infection of both the sinuses and the lungs," they add. "Eliminating the inflammation or bacterial load in the sinuses still leaves a significant inflammatory source in the lungs."

The lack of improvement in pulmonary function and microbial colonization seen in the current study "does not obviate the need for surgery in these patients," the researchers add, pointing out that patients do see symptomatic improvement after the surgery.

"The lack of effect of endoscopic sinus surgery on pulmonary function test results and respiratory tract microbial pathogens in our study highlights the need for prospective assessments of postoperative quality-of-life improvement and of adjunct medical therapy efficacy," they conclude.

Original Post: Medscape Today

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/mJcgjY and http://ow.ly/5uhwr

Thankful Thursday: Hole-in-the-Wall

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. as I mentioned, I no longer have the "linkytools" but I invite you to share your thankful blog in the comments section. Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for a hubby who surprises me with the best surprises ever. When I got home from small group on Tuesday night, Ronnie surprised me with a clean house. In just a few hours he dusted, scrubbed, swiffered, mopped, did laundry, you name it. It was incredible. I am so thankful for my hubby.

I'm thankful for family time. As you've read, my parents are in town. I am so thankful they could be here and we could all spend time together. Last night my parents, bro and sis-in-law and Ronnie and I went to dinner and had my dad help with some chores/to dos around the house that we needed some dad knowledge on. It was a blast.

I'm thankful for routine. While I'm thankful for my parents being in town, it has thrown off our routine a bit and I am feeling a bit out of whack and missing our daily and weekly routines. It reminds me why I am so thankful for a steady routine in my life on a regular basis.

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for Eazy-E. No, not the rapper, my father-in-law. There is one thing that Eric and I don't have in common (and believe me, we have more in common than he'd care to admit), he's been around grass his whole life and I have not. One thing that sold us on our house was the big expansive yard that came with it. Only problem was that I had exactly zero experience with a yard. My idea of landscaping was dirt, gravel and cactus. I wanted to learn how to maintain my yard because of how important it is to Mandi, and so far, I have about a C average. In the last couple of days, spots that are usually nice and green in my yard have become brownish and other spots just aren't coming in. Eric took a look, diagnosed the problem, and off to Home Depot we went. We came back with some fertilizer with bug preventer, grass seed and a hand held seed spreader. He also taught me how to "thatch" the grass which is something I only thought existed in movies :) Thanks Eazy, I'm hoping to see a lush lawn in a couple of weeks!!

I'm thankful for hole-in-the-walls. We were looking for a restaurant nearby that none of us had been to for a dinner spot tonight. So I used my trusty o' YELP app and searched out some places nearby with good ratings. We ended up picking a Korean place just north of downtown Chandler. The reviews were good, it was close and we were all feeling Korean food. From the outside, the place was a very typical hole-in-the-wall. Very nondescript, kinda dirty and nothing flashy whatsoever. It was a different story on the inside however - nicely decorated, very clean and best part, not a white person in sight. I know that has nothing to do with the actual look of the restaurant, but I happen to think it's a very good sign when their are nothing but Korean peeps eating at a Korean restaurant. My theory was proved to be right as the food was great and it even was awesome enough to please the oft traveled Eazy-E. Well done "hole-in-the-wall!!

So, what are you thankful for today?

Workout Wednesday: House Cleaning

Before I get to the house cleaning part of this blog, a little bit of an exercise update for ya...

I've been really hitting my stride in terms of working out lately. No, my foot isn't 100% yet, but it is bothering me less and less. Just in the past couple of days I've been able to go on a 4 mile hike, a 2.5 mile walk, a 2.4 mile bike ride and a 45 minute spin class. I was a little worried that all of the variety of workouts was going to tweak my foot a bit, but so far, so good.

My foot is finally to the point where I feel comfortable being on it multiple times a day and therefore have been able to re-implement my morning walk/bike ride. It's really stunk not being able to get up and go first thing in the morning, but I really wanted to give my foot it's best chance to heal. I've really been missing my morning walks for the most part because of how much I believe in them. I feel SO MUCH better on the days that I do something first thing in the morning. I don't know whether it's because I "jump start" my body or because I cough up a gallon of mucus, but whatever it is, it works! If you're looking to start some type of exercise routine, I would HIGHLY suggest starting out with a morning walk. I know that I am so thankful that mine can resume.

I had another spin class today and yet it again, it kicked my booty. Every time we go back I try to push it a little bit more than the last time. What's cool is I'm able to keep up with the instructor much better than before and don't feel like I'm going to puke for the entire time. Now I'm down to feeling like I'm going to barf for only half of the class...small victories. This is another workout I would highly recommend. It's low impact. You have a motivator in front of you the entire time. And you can go at your own pace. I promise you that it will get you sweating a ton and breathing really heavy.

And finally, my most surprising workout of the day, cleaning the house. Mandi hung out with some of her girlfriends tonight so I wanted to surprise her with a clean house when she got back. Between getting home from the gym and handling some work issues, that didn't give me much time to get it done. In all, I dusted, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, cleaned the toilet, Swiffered the entire house twice, mopped the entire house and did the laundry. Let me tell you, I had to break out my sweat rag from the spin class to wipe off the liquid pouring from my forehead. So here's the deal, if you think working out isn't for you, start with this. Write out a list of all the household chores you will do and an amount of time you plan on having them done by. Time yourself and see if you can meet your goal. If you do, lower the time the next time that you're doing those same chores. Maybe it's because I'm out of shape or maybe it's because it works, but all I know is that cleaning the house makes me sweat up a storm!

Top Ten Great Things About This Weekend

This past weekend we had a bunch of good stuff happen to us. So much stuff in fact that I figured I would put it all down in a list of the top ten cool things about this weekend. These are in no particular order except for the last one - it's definitely #1 on the list:

Grilled pineapple with cinnamon and sugar - Nancy (mom-in-law) made some excellent side dishes to our dinner on Friday night. I don't know how she managed to pull it off, but after flying for 24 hours, she still had the energy to whip up dinner. That woman has some serious skills in the kitchen, and the grilled pineapple did nothing but bolster my opinion.

People watching at Starbucks - I like people watching period. People watching with Eric (pop-in-law) just brings it to a whole new level. His comments are entertaining and it's always a pleasure to join him at one of his favorite spots back in the states - good ol' Starbuckaroo's.

Breakfast at the Post Office - Before church on Sunday we all went to one of my favorite breakfast spots in Scottsdale. It's called the Post Office and pretty much everything they make is good. I got a create your own omelet with one of my favorite combinations: ham, american cheese, tomatoes, spinach and green chilies. Mmmmmm, mouth is water just thinking about it. As a bonus, we were a couple of tables away from Jared Allen, defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings. Big dude.

Movie watching - I love sitting down and watching movies. I actually prefer to watch movies at home rather than go to the theaters. Not only is it cheaper, but I can stretch out as I please and pause when necessary. We ended up getting a very "manly" movie which, cussing aside, was pretty good. And by good of course I mean entertaining. Just a lot of fight scenes, shootings and things blowing up. What's not to like?

Pool lounging - I've never claimed to be a "sit in the sun and fry" kind of a guy, but hanging out in the pool is one of my favorites. We always end up coming up with whacky games or challenges that make it even more enjoyable. This time it was seeing who could throw a ball across the pool and make it land (and stay) on a raft as well as going back and forth across the pool without swimming and only pushing ourselves off against the wall. I guess you had to be there :)

Watching Nancy adjust to the new timezone - So you can probably imagine that it may be a bit tough adjusting to a country that is 15 hours behind the country that you just left. One of my favorite things about the in-laws being back in the states is watching Nancy fight to keep normal wake and sleeping hours. Sometimes she adjusts rather "quickly" and sometimes she doesn't adjust at all. You can bet your bottom dollar however that you will catch her napping on the couch every single day at various times. Maybe we should start making bets?

Picking the folks up at the airport - It's always very exciting seeing Eric and Nancy for the first time in a long time. Granted, Mandi and her mom webcam almost every single day, but it's obviously just not the same. Seeing the smile on my wife's face as her parents make their way to our truck is a particularly special moment for me.

Coming home to a painted house - I know that Mandi touched on this yesterday, but I have to reiterate how good it feels to come home to a painted house. It's amazing how a single coat of paint can seemingly transform a room. We know have every single room in our entire house painted to our satisfaction with the exception of our master bathroom toilet room. Now that the painting is done, here comes the fun part: Mandi coming home with furniture to fill the newly painted rooms. First up, the nursery.

Hiking - We all set out on a hike Saturday morning to the mountain where Mandi and I got engaged. The entire loop is 4 miles and Mandi and I did 3 miles of it. Eric and Nancy were considerably faster on the way up and we didn't want to make them wait for us to make it to the top, so we stopped at the second check point. I'm proud to report however that I hiked all 1.2 miles to the first check point without ever stopping - that's the first time that has ever happened.

Time with Family - Do I really need to say anything else about this?

Best Feeling Ever...

"What is?" You're probably thinking after reading the title. But unfortunately you will have to bare with me a bit before I get to that...

As some of you may have read in a few posts recently, my parents are in town (WAHOO). We picked them up from the airport on Friday afternoon, and spent the weekend with them, and Josh and Chrissy (bro and sis-in-law) up at my parent's house. It sure is great having them in town! Friday late afternoon we hung out in their pool and then grilled steaks for dinner. Saturday, Ronnie, my parents, and I hiked a mountain near their house (you've maybe seen pictures from the top of it...it's where Ronnie proposed to me!), then we all went to hang out at Starbucks for a bit (my parent's favorite weekend morning tradition - they love the people watching!). After Starbucks we headed back home and spent the day in the pool, watching TV, eating far too much junk food and brought some Thai food in for dinner. Saturday was one of those days were you're actually tired at the end of it, but from doing nothing at all. It was awesome. We always have fun floating and playing in the pool together - making up pointless games to occupy our time, reading magazines, catching up on life, and busting each other's chops. Sunday was much of the same. We went to breakfast and church in the morning, came home, and hung out in the pool some more, watched a movie, and brought pizza in for dinner.

It is so fabulous having them in town. I am just happy to know that the fun does not stop this weekend...they'll be here for another couple of weeks! YIPPEEEE!! But the weekend did have to come to an end, and Ronnie and I headed back down to our house Sunday night, to get a good night's sleep in our own bed and start Monday morning bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for work. Unfortunately, we aren't taking the week off, even though they're here, so we had to get back to our house so we could maintain somewhat of a routine. So anywhoo, as I was saying, Sunday night we headed to our house, and before unloading the car, came inside to check out the painting. "Huh?" You're probably thinking. You read that right, while we were gone for the weekend "vacationing", painters were here painting!! BEST.FEELING.EVER!!! I can't tell you how amazing it felt to come home to chores done, that I didn't do! I do feel a little guilty that we had painters come and paid them to do a job that we could have done. But painting makes Ronnie's lungs tight, and I figured I probably shouldn't be painting several rooms (we're playing musical rooms to get the nursery in the room we want it) while pregnant. So we had painters come and paint those two rooms, and while they were at it, paint the 2 bathrooms associated with those rooms AND paint the laundry room. So while I still feel a little guilty, seeing an almost fully painted house after a weekend of NOT painting is super exciting!

So there you have it...the best feeling ever revealed :)