Trigeminal Neuralgia Association of Canada
Published by: The Lethbridge Chapter
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WHO WE ARE.....
The Lethbridge Support Group is open to everyone who wishes to learn more about Trigeminal Neuralgia and who would like to support TN sufferer’s and their families. Meetings are held at 2 p.m. every second Saturday monthly at the Lethbridge Senior Centre, 500-11 Street South. Occasionally, films and/or guest speakers are presented. There is time reserved at each meeting for open discussion.
This newsletter is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, or to replace the service of your physicians; but only to give you information about our member’s experiences.
Donations to the TNAC are gratefully received. Your monetary support helps defray the cost of TNAC News, copies, supplies, postage, etc. Please make your cheque payable to Trigeminal Neuralgia Association of Canada and mail to: 1514 Lakemount Blvd., Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3K4
LETHBRIDGE CHAPTER NEXT MEETINGS:
Saturday Dec. 13th, 2003
2:00 p.m. @ Senior’s Centre
Saturday Jan. 19, 2004
2:00 p.m. @ Senior’s Centre
DONATIONS FOR NOVEMBER:
John Edwards, AB
Neil Cassidy, N.S.
Mona Wells, AB
Ford Workes, AB
In Memory of: My Mother, Jean F. Christopher who passed away seven years ago this month.
Kimberly Allen, MB
NEW MEMBERS:
Diane Johns, Ontario
Neil Cassidy, N.S.
NEW TELEPHONE CONTACT PERSON:
Laurie Simon
P.O. Box 128, Hwy. SS1
Mindemoya, Ontario
Manitowlin Is.
P0P 1S0 (705) 377-5299
SPEEDY RECOVERY TO:
Diane Johns who had her MVD, Nov. 28, 03
HAPPY BIRTHDAY’S TO ALL THOSE WITH DECEMBER CELEBRATIONS!
IMPORTANT NOTE TO ALL TNAC MEMBERS:
Membership Fees for 2004 are due on June 1, 2004. If you wish to pay early, you may send in your renewal fee ($25.00) to: TNAC, Member Fees;
1514 Lakemount Blvd. South; Lethbridge, AB T1K 3K4
MARION’S DESK
Another year has come and gone. It doesn’t seem possible that we have been Incorporated for a year but it has. I have been extremely busy this past year with the Association but I am so pleased with the amount of success the TNAC has established. We are growing monthly and I have been getting many requests from all over Canada. Word and mouth is the best advertisement you can have and many, many Information Packets and Membership Forms have been mailed out.
Our Handbook “Striking Back” and the tape of Dr. Ken Casey and Dr. Anthony Kaufmann (which was extremely well received) are still available for sale and anyone wishing to purchase either the tapes ($12.00) or the handbook ($30.00) may do so. We also have our TNAC pins ($5.00) for sale. Any one of these items would make a nice “Thinking of You” Christmas present for people with TN.
To all of you who have had your TN operations, would you be so kind as to email me or write to me about your Success/Not Success stories. The members of our Association really do appreciate reading about them and we would like to publish them in our Newsletters. If you have time, or can make time, please tell us your story. For our members who are contemplating operations, it would be a comfort to them to talk to someone who has gone through the procedure.
I do believe that since the TNAC has been formed, many patients of TN who thought they were all alone and that there was no hope for them have been successfully helped. To be able to talk to someone who has the same affliction as you have is a great help and only those who have TN can truly relate to one another.
Wishing you all a Safe and Happy Holiday—
MERRY CHRISTMAS - JOYEUX NOEL - HAPPY HANUKKAH - HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2004
Marion
FIGHT FAT IF YOU EAT THIS EVERY DAY:
Eat breakfast if you want to stay healthy and slim.
A new study from Harvard University suggests that people who eat breakfast daily may be less likely to succumb to obesity, diabetes, & cardiovascular disease reports Reuters. Why? Eating breakfast regularly helps control your appetite throughout the day which means you’re less likely to overeat later. In addition, a good breakfast helps regulate the body’s blood sugar.
“Our results suggest that breakfast may really be the most important meal of the day,” research leader Dr. Mark A. Pereira told BBC News Online. The study examined 2,681 adults between the ages of 25 and 37 for eight years.
People who reported eating breakfast every day - as opposed to twice a week or less, had a 35 to 50 percent reduced chance of becoming obese or developing insulin resistance syndrome, a precursor to diabetes in which the body experiences loss of sensitivity to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is key to regulation blood sugar.
What you eat is just as important as making sure you eat, notes Reuter. The best breakfast foods are whole grain cereals. Refined grain cereals &bacon and eggs had no effect on reducing the risk of obesity & diabetes.
Here’s a trick from the American Heart Association to tell if a cereal is whole grain: The first item in the ingredient list must be a whole grain or bran &have at least 2 grams of fiber per serving.
One of the best whole grain cereals may be oatmeal. A study reported last year in The Journal of Family Practice concluded that oat cereals work so well at lowering blood pressure that people who are taking hypertension medication can actually use a lower dosage if they eat an oatmeal breakfast every day. Other studies have shown that oatmeal will lower cholesterol.
The study was presented at the American Heart Association’s 43rd Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.
Eat This for Breakfast and You’ll Get Fat:
Eat toast made with white bread or any sugary cereal for breakfast &you’ll probably pack on the pounds - not because of the high calories in these foods but rather because of their high glycemic index (GI).
The BBC News Online reports that researchers from Oxford Brookes University have determined that these foods make you hungrier come lunchtime. That is, eat Corn Flakes or Rice Krispies for breakfast & you’ll pig out at lunch.
What are the best breakfast foods? That would be cold or hot cereals made from whole grains. Oatmeal is ideal. As Mom used to say, oatmeal sticks to your ribs, &that means you’ll eat more sensibly at lunchtime because you won’t have strong hunger pangs.
The message here is exciting. Eat the right foods for breakfast & you could lose weight without dieting - just being smart in what you eat. Of course, the opposite is true as well. If you eat the wrong foods you could gain weight even though you don’t realize it. And the magic element is a low glycemic index or GI which is a measurement assigned as a number of 0-100 to describe the effect specific foods have on our blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion have the highest GI’s with a blood glucose response that is fast & high. Carbohydrates that breakdown slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream have lower GI’s.
The Study: The British researchers recruited 37 children ages 9-12 & divided them into three groups. The first ate a breakfast of porridge or a bran-based cereal with a glycemic value of less than 55. The second group had the same breakfast but with added sugar to raise the cereals to a glycemic value above 55. The last group ate white bread & sugary cereals with a glycemic value of 75-100. The children ate no snacks during the morning. At lunchtime, they were allowed to eat all they wanted from an open buffet.
The results: The kids who ate a breakfast with a low GI index ate significantly less for lunch than those who ate breakfast foods with a high GI. They were also less likely to feel hungry between means notes the BBC.
Calling the study ‘remarkable’ lead researcher Jeya Henry told the BBC, ‘By selecting the type of breakfast we feed our children we can alter their subsequent food intake. Feeding them a high GI breakfast will mean they will eat more.”
If you want to eat foods with a low GI the University of Sydney in Australia recommends the following:
Breakfast cereals based on oats, barley & bran.
‘Grainy’ breads made with whole seeds.
Reduce the amount of potatoes you eat.
All types of fruit & vegetables (except potatoes)
Plenty of salad vegetables with vinaigrette dressing.
DID YOU KNOW? (submitted by Betsy Groenenboom)
For thousands of years people have been taking care of their teeth by brushing them. The first toothbrushes were twigs that were frayed at the end to make “bristles”. They were called chew sticks.
Not until 500 years ago did people try making toothbrushes with bristles. There was a problem; pig’s bristles were too hard and horse hairs were too soft. What would make a really good bristle?
The first toothbrush with nylon bristles was invented in 1938. Over the years, toothbrush makers worked hard to perfect the nylon bristles so they felt just right and did a good job.
Chew sticks are still used in some parts of the world, including Africa and remote parts of the United States.
Thanks Betsy!
HISTORY? BORING? FAR FROM IT…...
Here are some facts about the 1500’s. All true!
Sometimes they could obtain pork which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could “bring home the bacon”. They would cut off a little to share with guests & would all sit around & “chew the fat”.
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with a high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food causing lead poisoning & death. This happened most often with tomatoes so for the next 400 yrs or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous. Most people did not have pewter plates but had trenchers, a piece of wood with the middle scooped out like a bowl often trenchers were made from stale bread which was so old & hard that they could be used for quite some time. Trenchers were never washed & a lot of times worms & mold got into the wood & old bread. After eating off of wormy, moldy trenchers, one would get “trench mouth”.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle & guests got the top or “upper crust”. Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination of lead & alcohol would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead & have them prepared for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days & the family would gather around & eat & drink & wait to see if they would wake up—hence the custom of “holding a wake”.
England is old & small & the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins & would take the bones to a “bone-house” & reuse the grave. When re-opening these coffins 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside & they realized they had been burying people alive. So they though they would tie a striing on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin & up through the ground & tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the “graveyard shift”) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be “saved by the bell” or was considered a “dead ringer”. ……..And who ever said that History was boring?
FUN AND SMILES (Jan Williams, Calgary, submitted these sites)
You can use your computer for lots of different things. To add color to your computer messages try a stationary from Cloudeight: www.thundercloud.net. This is a safe site & the fun letters http://funletters.net/ are best if you or your friends have a slow dial-up connection like me! Avoid HOTBAR stationary. It is what is called spy ware. It collects information from your computer & sends it back to the company. Nasty! There are also some fun & sill games at www.orisinal.com.
More from Jan: What Kids Have To Say……
Jack (2) was watching his Mom breast feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked: “Mom, why have you got two? Is one for hot & one for cold milk?”
Tammy (4) was with her mother when they met an elderly, rather wrinkled woman her Mom knew. Tammy looked at her for a while & then asked: “Why doesn’t your skin fit your face?”
Clinton (6) was in his bedroom looking worried. When his Mom asked what was troubling him, he replied, “I don’t know what’ll happen with this bed when I get married. How will my wife fit in?”
Susan (4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. “Please don’t give me this juice again,” she said, “it makes my teeth cough.”
Dani (4) stepped onto the bathroom scale & asked: “How much do I cost?”
Andrea (4) was singing & humming, filled with the joy of life. Full of smiles, she turned to her dad & said “I’m so happy I could vomit.”
James (4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: “The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back & was turned to salt.” Concerned, James asked: “What happened to the flea?”
Thanks, Jan!
And…...here are some PRICELESS GRANDPARENT STORIES, submitted by Rose James, Toronto
A mother was telling her little girl what her own childhood was like: “We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire, it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods.” The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this in. At last she said, “I sure wish I’d gotten to know you sooner.”
My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, “Grandma, do you know how you & God are alike?” I mentally polished my halo while I asked, “No, how are we alike?” “You’re both old,” he replied.
A Sunday School class was studying the Ten Commandments. They were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall & quoted. “Thou shall not take the covers off thy neighbor’s wife.”
When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, “I’m not sure.” “Look in your underwear, Grandma!” he advised, “Mine says I’m four.”
A second grader came home from school and said to her mother, “Mom, guess what? We learned how to make babies today.” The mother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. “That’s interesting,” she said, “How do you make babies?” “It’s simple” replied the girl, “You just change “y” to “i” and add “es”.
Thanks Rose!
TN STORY: Bruce Cousens, Cochrane, Alberta
When I first started to receive the pain in my face I thought my problem was dental as the pain appeared to come straight up from my eye tooth. After dental tests, x-rays and referral to the root canal specialist, all signs of a dental problem was eliminated. The problem continued to worsen and finally my doctor, not knowing what the problem was referred me to a neurologist, who after several tests sent me for an MRI to ensure these were no tumors on the brain. The MRI came back clean and at this point I started hearing the term Trigeminal Neuralgia.
At this time a new medication was prescribed and while it lessened the electrical shocks, it also affected my memory to the point that it was difficult to run my business – everything seem to be at the “tip of my tongue”.
I was returning from a meeting in Red Deer when I heard on CHQR reference to a meeting on TN at the University of Calgary. Having missed the details I phoned CHQR and they provided the meeting info. I attended the meeting where Dr. Kaufmann spoke and I introduced myself to him. (what a gentleman and humanitarian he is). He immediately recommended surgery (MVD) and told me the procedure through my doctor for referral to him. At this time he was moving to Winnipeg to join the section of neurosurgery at the Health Science Centre.
Within two months I had a date for surgery, everything went well and four days later I was flying back to Calgary.
From the moment I awoke from surgery to this day (3 years later), I have had no problems and no side effects whatsoever. My advice would be don’t wait another day – have the MVD – life is too short for this kind of suffering.
Bruce Cousens
R.R. 2, Cochrane, AB
T4C 1A2 (403) 932-4438
MVD Surgery Update from Kathy Somers:
Hi everyone! Here’s an update since my MVD in Winnipeg Jan. 18th/03. You might remember from my last note that I was having a great deal of pain after my MVD. I was considering having a rhizotomy and I asked if anyone had this procedure and if so to contact me. Well thank you to all who responded. While thinking about this procedure SARS broke out and I decided it would be a good idea at this time to stay away from hospitals and just coast. During this time I noticed that I wasn’t having as many bad pains as usual so I decided to mark on paper every time I had a bad pain. I counted 68 and over a 3 week period decreased to 38 until finally I was just having small ones.
I worked in the garden this summer and life has been pretty good. So my family Dr. asked when I might stop taking Neurontin as this was one reason to have surgery. Well in Sept. I started with decreasing 100 mg at a time. I did this for a month and decided in Oct. to cut another 100 and I didn’t have good results. Dr. Kaufmann and I spoke at the TN conference in Toronto (I wasn’t having a good day at all) and I decided to take 2300 mg a day again.
One night my husband was watching a tv show called “Medical Intelligence” that appears on Rogers cable, OMNI 1 and OMNI 2. He suggested I might be interested in it. I emailed them asking if they would be interested in doing a show on TN. They were very excited and told me what they needed but I didn’t hear from them again. I suggested they come to the conference in Toronto. So they just showed up at the TN conference and taped Dr. Kaufmann and Dr. Tymianski and they invited me to their studio for an interview for the show. It televised in Ontario on the above TV stations the week of Nov. 17th. My goal was to make Trigeminal Neuralgia more known and to help as many people as possible. If it just reaches one life I will be very happy. The week of the show I was able to talk but not touch my face, so no make up for the show. This week is very sensitive to touch and more pain than usual when I talk. But the weather is changing and my TN is livable for now.
Life has been very exciting for me since mid June. My company offered one last round of early leaving packages. I turned 50 in Oct. and was eligible for early retirement so I decided to take the package, retire and found a part time job in Newmarket, no more traveling back and forth for me. I was approached by a co-worker yesterday, it seems she was watching channel 10 and tuned into our show on TN! Let’s hope someone with TN was watching as well.
So that’s all for now. Life is good. TN newsletter is great. We are so lucky to have found each other to share our TN life with. We need to keep up the good work. At the TN conference I met a young woman from Ottawa, she would like to meet anyone else from Ottawa who has TN to talk to. I don’t have her name but perhaps if you contact Marion she could put you in touch with one another! Have a great holiday everyone, and all the best for 2004!
Kathy Somers
CHRISTMAS RECIPE SPECIAL SECTION
CARROT PUDDING Submitted by Marion Guzik, Lethbridge
This was my Mother’s recipe and I make it every Christmas. It is very good. Make in November and freeze until needed. Let unthaw. Then steam again for 1 hour.
1 c. grated carrots
1 cup grated potatoes
1 grated apple
1 c. flour
1 c. Brown Sugar
1 c. raisins
1/2 c. butter
1/2 tsp. Cloves
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 - 1/2 tsp. Salt
Cream butter & sugar. Sift dry ingredients (flour, spices, soda, salt) & add alternately with grated vegetables. Add vanilla & raisins. Place in buttered 1 1/2 qrt. Casserole with lid and steam 3 hours. NOTE: Steam for 1 hr. when ready to use.
Sauce for Carrot Pudding
1/4 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
4 Tblsp. Flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. boiling water
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix flour, sugar & salt. Add butter & boiling water. Stir. Boil until thick. Remove and add vanilla.
BAKED SPAGHETTI (Mona Wells, Lethbridge, AB. Group)
1 c. onion, chopped (2 large)
1 c. green peppers, chopped (2 large)
1 Tblsp. Butter or Marg.
1 - 28 oz. can tomatoes with liquid, chopped
1 can - 6 oz. mushroom stems & pieces, drained or use fresh, sautéed in butter
1 can - 4 oz. ripe olives, drained (optional)
2 tsp. Dried oregano
1 lb. Lean ground beef
12 oz. spaghetti (4 c. uncooked) cooked & drained
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
In large skillet sauté onion & green pepper in butter until tender. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, oregano & gr. beef. Simmer uncovered for 10 min. add cooked spaghetti to veg. mixture & the 2 c. grated cheese. Put this mixture in a greased 13x9x2 baking pan. Mix the soup & water until smooth, pour over the casserole. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered in a 350 F. oven for about 35-40 min. or until heated through. Serves 8.
Mona’s son loves this recipe.
LAYERED SALAD (Mona Wells, Lethbridge Group)
1 med. head lettuce, torn into small pieces
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. shopped bell pepper
1 red onion, sliced & separated
1 can tiny English peas
6-8 strips crumbled cooked bacon
1 Tblsp. Sugar
2 c. mayonnaise
Add all ingredients in layers, ending with mayonnaise. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of mayo. Seal all sides & corners with mayo & parmesan cheese. Cover with plastic wrap & foil. Refrigerate 24 hours before serving.
PEACH COBBLER: (Mona Wells, Lethbridge Group)
Filling: 4 c. sliced peaches; 1/2 c. sugar; 2 Tblsp. Cornstarch; 1 c. water
Topping: 1/2 c. sugar; 1/2 c. flour; 1/2 tsp. baking powder; 2 Tblsp. butter; 1 egg beaten
Combine filling ingredients & boil for 10 min. stirring often. Place in baking dish. Set aside. Mix topping ingredients, creating a batter. Spoon batter on top of peach mixture. Bake 40 min. at 350F.
STOVE TOP BOUQUET (submitted by Betsie Groenenboom, Lethbridge)
In pioneer homes, the fragrance of spices simmering in an open pot on the hearth ushered in the Christmas season. Enjoy the nostalgic fragrance.
4 cups water
1 large cinnamon sticks (broken in half)
1 Tblsp. Whole cloves
1 Tblsp. Allspice
1 Tblsp. Caraway seeds
1 Bay leaf
Mix together in saucepan and boil uncovered for 5-10 minutes.
Turn to low heat and allow to simmer as long as fragrance is desired. Add water as necessary.
Note: May be sealed, refrigerated and reused.
CINNAMON CRISPS (submitted by Betsy Groenenboom, Lethbridge)
A great snack or appetizer. Take in the car if you’re traveling or to the skating rink.
1/2 cup butter or hard margarine
10 Flour Tortillas (10” - 25cm)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tblsp. Cinnamon
Brush tops of tortillas with melted butter. Spread remaining butter over jelly-roll pan. Cut tortillas in 13 wedges each for a total of 130 chips. Fit as many chips as close together as you can. Mix sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Sprinkle over chips. Bake in 324 F oven for about 10-12 minutes until golden. Cool. Store in covered container. Makes 130 small pieces.
HOLIDAY BANANA LOAF (submitted by Betsy Groenenboom, Lethbridge)
Double this recipe to have enough for smaller gift loaves.
1/2 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup fine coconut
1/2 cup chopped cherries
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup mashed banana (about 3)
Cream butter and sugar well. Beat in eggs (one at a time), beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Stir.
Measure first amount of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into separate bowl. Stir.
Toss walnuts, coconut and cherries with second amount of flour in third bowl.
Add flour in 4 additions alternately with banana in 3 additions, beginning and ending with flour. Add fruit mixture. Mix only until blended. Do not over mix. Turn into greased 9x5x3” (22x12x7 cm) loaf pan. Bake in 350 F (175c) oven for 50-60 minutes until an inserted wooden pick comes out clean. Let stand for 20 minutes. Turn out onto rack to cool. Makes 1 loaf.
NUTS AND BOLTS (Tovi & Jim Nalder, Lethbridge Support Group)
This is something I make every year at Christmas time. I could make it all year long but I tend to keep it to Christmas so that it’s a real treat. I usually have to make at least 2 batches because I end up giving tons away. And you can vary it however you like according to your tastes.
12 cups of ‘bolts’ - I use cheerios, shreddies, chex, crispix, pretzels, cheese nips, goldfish, bugles, mini ritz bits, or whatever else you like. Add 10—12 oz. mixed nuts
Mix above together in large roaster
Measure 12 oz. cooking oil (the lighter the better) into a medium size bowl. Add the following spices:
1 Tblsp. Seasoning salt
1 tsp. dried marjoram (not ground)
1 tsp. dried savory (not ground)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
3-4 Tblsp. Worcestershire sauce
Mix the spices into the oil until well blended.
Pour evenly over the ‘bolts’ mixture in roaster. Stir until bolts are well– coated.
Bake in 250 degree F. oven for 45 minutes—STIRRING EVERY 10 MINUTES. This last part is important so that the spice mixture doesn’t settle to the bottom. Remove and cool. Enjoy!
PINK CHRISTMAS COOKIES (Erna Janzen, Lethbridge Group)
2 cups milk
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup melted margarine
3 heaping tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. flavoring (vanilla or almond)
Red food coloring to make a pink dough
Mix above ingredients in a mixer, then slowly add 6-7 cups flour. Roll out quite thin. Cut into rounds with a cookie cutter. On each circle place some sour jam and fold over, seal the edge and place the sealed side down on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 F. approximately 15 minutes. When cool, coat with quick and easy frosting.
QUICK & EASY FROSTING:
Mix together: 1 stiffly beaten egg white and ½ tsp. vanilla. Slowly add 1 cup icing sugar and beat, adding more if icing is runny. Pour over a bowl full of cookies, turning until they are all coated. Then lay out singly to dry. Dries very quickly. Best if left 2 weeks to season.
PEPPERNUTS (Erna Janzen, Lethbridge Group)
This is a German favorite at Christmas time. Serve in small dishes like nuts and candy.
3 cups whipping cream
2 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups melted margarine
2 tsp. vanilla
4 tsp. syrup or honey
Mix all above items together thoroughly and then add:
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. staranise
1 tsp. cardamom
Pinch of salt
3 tsp. baking powder
Approximately 5 cups flour
Mix dry ingredients separately before adding to first ingredients to evenly blend spices and baking powder. Chill dough for easier handling, then roll into long thin rolls, ½” thick. Place on cookie sheets and freeze overnight. Slice thinly. Place on cookie sheets and bake at 375F until golden. Cool and seal in air tight containers.
SOUR CREAM TWISTS (Erna Janzen, Lethbridge Group)
Mix 3 ½ cups flour with 1 cup shortening as for pastry. Then add the following:
1 cup sour cream
2 small eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ tsp. salt
1 pkg. yeast, dissolved in ½ cup warm water & 2 tsp. sugar
Mix well, dough will be quite soft. Refrigerate for 1 hour to rise.
Roll out ½ of dough, ¼” thick, flour if necessary. Spread with ½ cup white sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon. Work into the dough with the fingers. Fold in 3 layers, flatten again to ¼” thickness. Cut into 1x3” strips, twist into desired shapes and bake at once at 375F for 20-25 min.
Repeat with the other half of dough.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (Erna Janzen, Lethbridge Group)
Mix together all the following:
3 cups flour;
1 ½ tsp. baking soda;
1 tsp. salt;
1 ½ cups white sugar;
¾ cup firm packed brown sugar;
3 eggs beaten,
1 ½ cups shortening or ¾ cup oil;
3 tsp. vanilla;
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats;
1 (6-8 oz) pkg. of chocolate chips.
Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes.
OREO COOKIES (Erna Janzen, Lethbridge Group)
2 pkg. Devils Food cake mix
2/3 cup oil
4 large eggs
Pour cake mixes into a large mixing bowl; add oil & eggs. Mix with a wooden spoon or hands as dough is stiff. Roll into ¾” balls & place on a cookie sheet. Bake 12 min. at 350F. Cool. Cookies will flatten as they bake. When cool, fill with cream cheese filling (in between 2 cookies).
CREAM CHEESE FILLING: Blend the following together until smooth: ½ cup margarine; ¾ cup icing sugar; 1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese; 2 tsp. vanilla. Spread in between cookies and then store in airtight containers. Makes 5 doz. NOTE: Better hide these as they disappear quickly!
DINNER BUNS (Erna Janzen, Lethbridge Group)
3 cups warm water
3 eggs
¾ cup. Oil
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 Tblsp. Yeast (1 pkg) dissolved in ½ cup warm water & 1 tsp. sugar
Let yeast rise, then add to above ingredients and mix well.
Add flour to make a soft dough, about 10-12 cups. Knead dough until smooth & elastic, cover & let rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Punch down and let rise again. Form into 2” balls & place on greased pans. Cover & allow to rise until doubled in size. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes.
ZWIEBACK (Erna Janzen, Lethbridge Group)
4 cups milk (scalded)
1 cup butter (melted in hot milk)
1 full Tblsp. Salt
1 pkg yeast dissolved in ½ cup water & 2 tsp. sugar
Cool milk, then add yeast & eggs. Beat together & slowly add flour to make a soft dough, up to 10 cups depending on the brand used. Some have more glutton than others. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Punch down & let rise ½ hour. Put on baking pans making a bun by placing a walnut size piece of dough onto the pan, then add a smaller piece of dough on top of the first one. Press down with one finger to make a double bun with a dimple on top. Let rise ½ hr. & bake at 400F for 15 minutes.
An old Mennonite custom – when a young girl knew how to make buns that wouldn’t topple over, but stood up, she was considered efficient enough to get married.
CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE MUFFINS (Mona Wells, Lethbridge Group)
FILLING; 8 oz. cream cheese (room temp)
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1 egg
MUFFINS : 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp. White vinegar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
Combine together creamed cheese, sugar and salt. Add egg and beat until soft and smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Stir well. In a separate bowl, mix water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients, stir just until blended. Spoon this mixture 1/2 full into greased muffin or paper lined tins. Spoon cheese mixture on top of each. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 mins. or until done. Makes 14 large muffins
.
BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS ( Mona Wells , Lethbridge Group)
3 cups sifted all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups sugar
2 2/3 cups mashed bananas (about 7 small)
1/2 cup cocoa
2/3 cup oil
2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups chocolate chips
Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine bananas, buttermilk, eggs and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill sprayed or paper lined tines 3/4 full. Bake @ 350 degrees F for 25-30 mins. or until they test done. Makes 33 muffins. Freezes well.
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUBMITTED THESE YUMMY SOUNDING RECIPES! If any of you across our wonderful Nation have other recipes to share, please send them in and they will be put into the next issue of the TNAC News.
DID ANYBODY HAPPEN TO SEE THE 20/20 SHOW THAT AIRED ON FRIDAY, NOV. 14 REGARDING TEFLON?
In case any of you have wondered about the Teflon pads that are used to wrap the Trigeminal Nerve in an MVD surgery, I corresponded with Dr. Kaufmann regarding this article. I have included an overview of the interview here for you to read. It’s a little long but I believe that it is quite important for all to read. At the end of the article, I have placed Dr. Kaufmann’s reply regarding it.
FROM
BARBARA WALTERS INTERVIEW WITH MRS. CHOWDHRY, SPOKESWOMEN FOR
TEFLON:
The unexpected discovery of the almost universal contamination
of Americans' blood from C-8, combined with worrisome laboratory
studies, has led to a high priority investigation by the EPA of
the chemical's risks. "It's a potential threat," said Houlihan.
"And the EPA's moving fast in studying this. Human blood levels
are too close to the levels that harm lab animals. That's why
they're moving too fast." Teflon and the chemicals used in its
production have grown into a $2 billion-a-year industry. This
includes ammonium perfluorooctanoate, known as C-8, which has
been linked to cancer, organ damage and other health effects in
tests on laboratory animals.
THE 'TEFLON FLU' ... There is another more immediate health problem from Teflon, according to the Environmental Working Group. Cooking with Teflon can make a person sick with a temporary flu if a non-stick pan gets overheated. "It feels like the flu," said Houlihan, "headaches, chills, backache, temperature between 100 and 104 degrees." DuPont says that fumes are released from the pan when it is overheated, which they say occurs at temperatures that are not reached during normal cooking. As the Environmental Working Group showed 20/20 in a kitchen demonstration, however, a pan can reach that temperature in just a few minutes. "At 554 degrees Fahrenheit," said Houlihan, "studies show ultrafine particles start coming off the pan.
These are tiny little particles that can embed deeply into the lungs. "The hotter the pan gets, the more chemicals are released." At 680, toxic gases can begin to come off of heated Teflon," Houlihan said.
It turns out,
DuPont has known about the "Teflon flu" for years. Chowdhry
said: "You get some fumes, yes, and you get a flu-like
symptom, which is reversible." The flu is temporary and lasts at
most for a couple of days. She also added that a warning about
the flu, while not on the pans themselves, is on the DuPont Web
site.
"In retrospect, this may seem like one of the biggest,
if not the biggest, mistakes the chemical industry has ever
made," said Jane Houlihan, vice president for research at the
Environmental Working Group, an activist organization. "And how
could C-8 not be in our blood?" Houlihan said. "It's in such a
huge range of consumer products. We're talking about Teflon,
Stainmaster, Gore-tex, Silverstone. So if you buy clothing
that's coated with Teflon or something else that protects it
from dirt and stains, those chemicals can absorb directly
through the skin." Houlihan and her colleague, Kris Thayer,
senior scientist at EWG, have been poring over 20 years of
confidential DuPont papers and other industry documents on
Teflon. Highest C-8 Levels Found in Children According to the
Environmental Protection Agency, some of the highest C-8 levels
were found in some of the children tested. Even DuPont says
that it cannot rule out that Teflon-connected products, such
as Stainmaster carpet treatment, give off the chemical. The
company says the blood levels are too small to be a problem.
In the demonstration for 20/20, a piece of bacon
was just getting crisp when the Teflon pan went beyond the
initial warning point of 500 degrees. Chowdhry said :
"I've never cooked bacon." "I can't comment." The Environmental
Working Group has tried without success to get the government to
order that warning labels be put on non-stick pans.
Bird owners beware, the fumes from overheated Teflon
pans can be lethal to them. Shelby Greenman told 20/20
that her pet cockatoo keeled over in its cage down the hall from
the kitchen after all the water boiled out of a Teflon pan. "I
didn't smell anything, or see any smoke," she said. Bird owner
groups say thousands of birds have been killed by Teflon fumes.
DuPont says this occurs because birds have small and sensitive
lungs. Chowdhry said: "People should not have birds in an
unventilated kitchen,"
Long-term effects: The greatest concern about
C-8 is that it may cause possible long-term harm to a generation
that has grown up using Teflon products. Scientists say that if
there are any long-term effects, the first place they'd look for
them would be in the people who have had the greatest exposure
to the chemicals. Lawsuits have been filed accusing DuPont of
trying to cover up what the company knew about Teflon risks. "We
have alleged in the lawsuit that DuPont has been well aware of
these problems for many years," said Cincinnati attorney Robert
A. Bilott, who filed the case. Perhaps most telling is an
internal DuPont document, only now made public, that shows the
company knew that of eight women working on the Teflon line in
1981, two had children with birth defects. Buckey Bailey was
grossly deformed and is part of the federal government's high
priority review of whether Teflon and its chemicals are safe.
The Bailey family and others lay the blame at the place where
Buckey's mother, Sue worked when she became pregnant with Bucky.
The huge DuPont plant in Parkersburg, W.Va., where workers mix
the chemicals for Teflon. Karen Robinson, the other mother, now
a grade school principal, recently found out that she had an
extremely high level of the Teflon chemical C-8 in her blood.
She gave birth to a son who had a defect involving his eye. She
now fears that her second child, a daughter, has also been
affected. Two years ago we discovered that she has a birth
defect that affects her kidneys. One kidney did not grow. One
kidney grew to three times its normal size," Chowdhry
acknowledged: DuPont has not done a subsequent study to
examine birth defects among its workers. The results of the EPAs
review of the safety of C-8 and of Teflon-related products that
may release it are expected in coming months.
DR. KAUFMANN’S REPLY REGARDING TEFLON:
“It seems that the Teflon is a potential threat when heated to a high temperature, such as in cooking with Teflon coated pans. As far as I know, there has been no substantiated concern regarding medical grade Teflon used in a variety of implants.”
Sincerely,
Dr. Anthony Kaufmann
Eh? Eh is such a useful and essential word in all Canadian Communications!
Eh = what did you say?
Eh? = what do you think
EH? = something to say just to end a sentence
EH!? = what do you mean?
Eh?? = you’re joking!!!??
EH!! = Hello..you off in the distance!!!
Eh? = want a donut?
Eh! = sure!!
Eh!Eh! = coffee double cream too please!
Eh...uhuh = yes sure!
EH??????? = how did that happen?
EHHehhEHHehh = sounds from the delivery room
EHHH ehh EHHH ehh = baby’s first cry
Patty’s Ponderings & Miscellaneous Ramblings:
Well the year has almost come to an end. It’s sure been cold and snowy here. I think we’ve had more snow so far in Oct/Nov than we did all last winter!
The Christmas Recipe Special brought in some pretty tasty sounding recipes. I can’t wait to try some of them. Thank you to those who submitted them. If any of you have other recipes to share, please consider sending them in and they will be put into the next edition. You don’t have to have a special occasion to share your favorites - just send them in!
Don’t forget too that a great Christmas gift would be to give the TNAC a donation in memory of someone special. The only way that the TNAC can keep going is through your donations.
That’s all for this month. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. Please take care driving if you need to go anywhere during the holidays.
Patty
Always remember to forget the troubles that pass your way. But never forget to remember the blessings that come each day.
TNAC (Trigeminal Neuralgia Assoc. of Canada)
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
Marion Guzik; President
Don Brewer; Secretary/Treasurer
DIRECTORS:
Mona Leslie
Patricia Moyer
John Edwards
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Head Office and Lethbridge Support Group
Marion Guzik
TNAC President
1514 Lakemount Blvd. South
Lethbridge, AB T1K 3K4
Phone: 403-327-7668 EMAIL: mguzik@telus.net
Calgary Contact Info:
Jan Williams
#273, 223 Tuscany Springs Blvd. NW
Calgary, AB T3L 2M2
Phone: 403-295-0987
EMAIL: janw@3web.net
TNAC Newsletter:
Patty Moyer, TNAC Editor
P.O. Box 973
Coaldale, AB T1M 1M8
Phone: 403-345-6262
EMAIL: pgmoyer@telusplanet.net