Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

With increased levels of stress, altered sleep patterns and a preponderance of processed foods in our diets, I am seeing more and more patients with the diagnosis of IBS.  Most have varying degrees of abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation.   A few of my patents have told me about their success stories with treating diarrhea predominant IBS.


Step 1 - Probiotics:  Start with twice a day combination of probiotics.  1 pill each of Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacillus GG in the morning and evening.  There are many commercial over-the-counter preparations to choose from.  Once symptoms resolve, continue this combination once a day.  This is unlikely to work if you continue to have stress and do not get enough sleep.


Step 2 - protein intake:  If the above fails to do the job, increase certain types of protein in your diet.  My patients recommend fish.   I have another person who swears by a combination of one scoop of Gold Standard Natural Whey powder and one scoop of Amazing Grass superfood (for antioxidants), mixed in soy milk or water.


Ultimately, what ails us all is the lack of time, so aptly said by Davies:

W. H. Davies

Leisure

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Pawan Suri Method of removing water from your ear

The Pawan Suri(tm) method of removing water from the ear: I discovered this method when I was 7 years old and would occasionally get water in my ear after swimming. Tilt your head to the side with the affected ear facing up. Now drip a small amount (5-10 drops) of water into the affected ear (from a cup or the palm of your hand). As the water enters your ear canal, you will feel a "give" as it breaks through the "air-lock" that is trapping the water. Now tilt the head the other way and let all the water drip out....you ear is now clear. This always works.

The Genius of Marketing

(Click on the title above for the Onion hyperlink)

It never seizes to amaze me how clever marketing is able to dupe even the usually cynical, educated demographic. I came to work today to find a nearly empty bottle of water sitting at the workstation. The contents of this bottle had been consumed by my colleague who would be shortly signing out to me. This colleague happens to be a highly intelligent woman with post doctoral education, great personality and what I would consider flawless skin.

Now to the bottle of water - what caught your eye immediately was the name: "BORBA" SKIN BALANCE WATER in Ariel 32 font, an appealing light gray on white background. Things get better from here. An image of exotic Lychee fruit tastefully decorated the front followed by this information: REPLENISHING, Designed to diminish skin's Dryness.Sensitivity.Roughness.....HIGH IN ANTIOXDANT VITAMIN C & E, ZERO CALORIES.

And wait, there is more on the back (this is worth the read)

BORBA
Nutraceuticles (don't know what the hell that is, but sure sounds impressive)
__________________________________

HEALTHY SKIN FROM WITHINTM
_________________________________________________________


BORBA SKIN BALANCE WATER REPLENISHIG contains a revolutionary cultivated bio-vitamin complex along with nutrients from the lychee fruit, which are intended to boost moisture, keeping skin smooth and supple while aiding in its hydration. BORBA SKIN BALANCE WATER is formulated to work with your body's chemistry to promote healthy skin. This on-the-go skin care infused beverage combines simplicity and nutrition with the goodness of water. Its water with benefits. (are you thinking what I am thinking)
__________________________________________
the next section goes on to elaborate on the miracle of Lychee fruit, I will not bother to reproduce it, but what follows is important in case you forgot how to consume water:



DIRECTIONS FOR USE: Shake well, Twist, Sip, Thrive. Enjoy cold. Drink BORBA Skin Balance Daily to enhance skin care from within. (I think this is an obvious typo, since I would urge the prospective imbiber to drink my concoction three times a day instead of  Daily)

And this goes on and on..... as long as you don't look closely at the ingredients that for some inexplicable reason include dyes like FDC yellow etc and sucralose - I guess you have to balance all that goodness with a touch of poison.

icing on the cake? The miracle water's inventor is:

SCOTT-VINCENT BORBA,
Founder and Licensed Esthetician

I suspect Mr Borba after a series of highly successful careers as a used car salesman, bail-bondsman and investment banker with GS has now reached the pinnacle with his new venture.

Wintergreen

Less than 2 hours away from Richmond, Wintergreen resort has become one of our favorite weekend getaways in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Developed as an all season resort, it offers a variety of accommodation options ranging from hotel rooms at the mountaintop lodge to private vacation home and condo rentals. This time we stayed at the beautiful home of Kathy and Dave Witt, http://www.vrbo.com/39572. My parents, who are visiting from India were surprised how someone can trust and open their home to strangers. They particularly enjoyed the hot tub. My mother is convinced her varicose veins look much better after the dip. The children's play area, Devil's knob golf course, tennis and great hiking trails make for a full day. Just in case you are in the mood for some quality beach time, Lake Monocan ( http://www.wintergreenresort.com/activities/lake_monocan.aspx) in the valley is a short 20 min drive and offers superb swimming, sandy beach and golf.

Isla Mujeres - the dissenting view

Long averse to doing the touristy thing, when we planned our visit to Cancun, we wanted to stay away from the infamous Zona Hotelera. Instead, we booked a vacation rental home on Isla Mujeres, a small Island off Cancun reached by a 20 min ferry ride. Dubbed as a laid back island that offers a more authentic Mexican experience, we decided to rent the two bedroom “casa crystal”, enticed by the beautiful pictures on the Internet (www.vrbo.com/88875). First the good – the island definitely has a slower pace of life and a local feel to it when compared to Cancun, and there is some great snorkeling/diving around the island. The people are wonderful. There seems to be a basic honesty that I have found missing in some other developing countries.

Now the bad – terrible food and pollution. If you want to cook your own food like us, there is one moderate sized supermarket in the middle of town that sells conventionally grown, tasteless produce. It is hard to even find decent bread. Most restaurants are average to bad. The concept of recycling is non-existent and the island is teeming with gas powered golf carts and taxis that pollute the air. It is hard to swim in the ocean and not think about all the sewage being dumped in the water. Also, like cancun, the Isla unfortunately has its tourist traps like the Garrafon Park and Dolphin Swim - both of which we were able to avoid.
We would not be in a hurry to go back.

Killer habanero Guacamole

Ingredients:

4 ripe avocados
1 clove garlic
2 green onions
3 Key limes (or 1 large lime)
1 Habanero (can substitute thai bird chillies or Serrano peppers)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 tsp ground cumin
1 wedge of orange
salt to taste

Finely chop the cilantro, habanero, garlic and onions. Add the avocados and juice of key limes and orange,cumin and salt to taste. Use a fork to mix everything together (I like the chunky consistency - but you can make a finer paste if you prefer). If you like it really hot - add an extra habanero. Can serve with corn chips, sliced baguette or anything else you can think of.....no matter how much you make - it is never enough!

Best Dim Sum in Washington DC

Whenever I eat Dim sum, there is always a nagging doubt in the back of my mind about the quality of meat being ingested. Regardless, I am periodically drawn to the unbeatable pleasure of a weekend dim sum feast. Having eaten this cuisine all over the world I would have to rate Hong Kong's dim sum the best. Though I hear lately they are trying to discourage the locals from indulging in the fried variety for health reasons.
We recently ate at China Garden in the Washington area and would rate it a 7/10.
The place is big, waiters are appropriately rude and 80% of the clientele is oriental. I loved the green chili hot paste (Lachio) that I have not seen elsewhere - but you have to ask for it. We usually go for the steamed dim sum and always try the Chinese broccoli (Guylan). As I write the Pavlov reflex has been triggered and I am already thinking of the next dim sum adventure - maybe something in Orlando where I will be visiting this weekend.