oral health: unintended sacrifice

In case I haven't mentioned it enough, Kenyon and I moved back to the U.S. late last year after serving as missionaries for a short time overseas. We made some intentional sacrifices in choosing that life. We continue to choose some intentional sacrifices. However, we recently learned that there were also some unintentional sacrifices.

Kenyon and I had excellent teeth before moving overseas. No cavities. For me, it was the blessing of genetics as I was not the best at caring for my teeth. Medical care is difficult to come by in the places we lived recently - not available to the masses, and what is available is expensive. We had medical insurance, but it mostly covered catastrophic occurrences and included medical evacuation just in case. Dental was a luxury unavailable to us. Our medical coverage didn't cover us in the US, so even when we came home on leave it was unavailable.

Fast forward to the present, we have each seen a dentist in recent weeks. The news was surprising. Kenyon has double digit cavities. I have fewer, but one will require a root canal. Ugh!

My dentist tells me it is a combination of things that caused this. Her suggestions were tied to the water we drink while living overseas.  Foreigners can't drink the water in most places, because it would make us sick. Thus, we had a purified water dispenser in our home for drinking/cooking water. Apparently what was supposed to keep us in good health had an unintended consequence - bad for oral health. I am told by my dentist that the lack of fluoride, plus the existence of iodine in the water was the winning combination.

Her suggestion was to take fluoride tablets with you and add them to the water bottles. Now if only I had that bit of knowledge a few years ago. It wasn't in our orientation packet or any book I read in preparation.

I share this for my friends still serving around the globe and for those considering a long-term stay - add fluoride tablets to the packing list, your teeth will thank you.

just Sheri, about to schedule a root canal

beyond "survival"

My work in recent years has been fully engrossed in survival needs - clean water, access to life-preserving medicine, shelter, food for the hungry, and recovery after disaster (natural or man-made).

Because the needs were so great, there wasn't much opportunity to focus on more developmental issues - education, rehabilitation, healthy lifestyles, and accommodating those living with disabilities.

I was recently asked - what do other countries do for those suffering with disabilities? I answered the question honestly. Those born with disabilities in less developed nations don't often live to see their first birthday. There aren't the same kind of legal and social systems set up to protect children, so no one steps in when a child is being starved to death. When they are gone, they are often not spoken of again. It isn't pleasant, but it is the reality of a survivalist circumstance.

I am now doing public health work in the developed world; where there are legal, social and clinical systems in place to help people beyond simply surviving.

I have mentioned in previous posts and tweets that I have been engrossed in site visits lately for work. It has been an interesting learning experience for me. First, I have had to change my mind-set. I am working on moving my "you are here" button.

I am not "there." I am here...it's amazing how difficult this concept has been for me to understand (or perhaps it's a matter of reluctance to accept this reality?). Here isn't just another place - it often feels like another universe. But slowly, slowly I am adjusting.

Second, I have been exposed to some learning opportunities in the public health sector that were not previously afforded me due to the ongoing focus on survival needs. For instance, I am learning about brain injuries and the rehabilitation services that accompany this issue. Due to our advanced medicine, more individuals survive a serious injury, but the result may be remaining brain injuries. There is a group working on this issue through community-based programming services. They are one of approximately 15 in the nation with this focus. But, they want to do more and focus on the neuro-behavioral issues that may accompany a brain injury - meaning acting socially inappropriate. These actions may have serious consequences, such as incarceration. I learned that in our nation 25-87% of inmates have a history of traumatic brain injury. There is an interesting article on this topic available here. Fascinating!

just Sheri, feeding my inner nerd

forks over knives

I had mentioned in the post "still transitioning" that Kenyon and I attended an independent film with my co-workers. I have been meaning to write about the movie we saw - Forks Over Knives. The movie is advocating a whole foods, plant-based diet. Like every documentary I have seen - it is not a comprehensive portrayal of the issue. However, it is a topic worthy of discussion and (serious) consideration.

Do I believe that diet plays a pivotal role in overall health? YES!

Do I believe that the American diet is out of whack as far as health and nutrition are concerned? YES!

Do I believe this idea is the final solution? No.

Since viewing the movie, I have had many friends from around the U.S. post about their response to the film on facebook. One is adopting the diet wholeheartedly. Kenyon was of that persuasion when we left the movie...a few weeks later he isn't quite so radical about his conviction.

We did however make some changes in our diet and I have taken the opportunity to introduce some things that before would have received criticism at the dinner table. Our new milk of choice is soy milk, rather than cows milk. The majority of our dinners are vegetarian and we eat a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Prior to watching this movie, Kenyon would not accept a meal without a meat. He once asked, "without meat, how do you get full?" I don't think he wonders that anymore.

Some recent recipes have been:

• High protein breakfast cookies: made with flax, nuts (walnut, pecan or almond), cinnamon, raisins or dried cranberries, and a secret ingredient. (Shhh! The secret is blended kidney beans as the wet ingredient) These are great (and nutritious) on your way out the door in the morning. Because they are high in protein, they keep you feeling full for a few hours. I can thank Dayna Whitlock for the recipe.
• Stuffed sweet peppers: these were stuffed with seasoned Bulgar wheat, then baked. Very filling (and tasty)!
• Lentil-apple salad: these are seasoned with curry and includes chunks of cooked potatoes. I have always loved potatoes - thus low-carb diets were never a consideration for me. Kenyon's response, "you could make that again!" He is a fan of apples.
• Acorn squash stuffed with mushrooms: I saw the squash at the market and just had to have some. My dad first introduced me to these when I was a young person still living at home. I thought they looked nasty. He insisted I try it anyway. I fell in love as a young person, but haven't cooked with these squash as an adult (mostly because I have hardly cooked as an adult).
• Black bean burgers: I made these for the first time in Mozambique, but reintroduced them recently. The beans are mashed with green peppers and onions, then seasoned with cumin and chili powder. Made in to patties and then baked in the oven.
• Summer Salad: with spinach, strawberry, pomelo (found at my favorite grocery - Global Foods), and jicama.

All of these recipes made the "eat again" rating category with my husband. These are things he would have turned up his nose at before. 

I'd like to say "thank you" to the creators of Forks Over Knives for encouraging us to experiment at the dinner table.

Some of these recipes may be the subject of future blog posts...is there one that sounds particularly tasty to you?

just Sheri, experimenting in the kitchen

FAQ: deodorant - public health risk?

There is one blog post everyone back home was talking about. What was the hottest topic of all? The topic of body odor and the use (or lack of) deodorant where we live. The original post was about the expense of the product we use everyday.

Talking about this topic so much got me to thinking about why we use deodorant everyday. Do we do it for a public health reason or it purely vanity?

I did a google search on the public health benefits of deodorant. True to it's name it only serves one purpose - to cover or eliminate body odor. There were lots of articles about the toxic effects of using deodorant...just another way Americans unknowingly poison themselves. There are herbal varieties available to reduce the risks. Then I found this article that talks about the health benefits of body odor - that it is our bodies way of telling us whether we are eating things that are good for our bodies or bad for them.

Since I have no plans to give up animal products in the near future (I love cheese too much), I will continue my vanity routine of using deodorant. But, I have found this whole discussion interesting. Just another way living overseas has changed my perspective about things I used to consider "normal."

Sheri

dragon breath

I've had a hacking cough for something like four weeks. It drained me of energy. It made me irritable. I wanted it to end. One of my colleagues at work gave me a concoction to eat to "help with the cough." Everyone at work probably was tired of hearing it and worried it was contagious.

It was onions, garlic, lemon juice and some sugar. Wow, it was potent! I was supposed to take a bite every 30 minutes or so. It did clear up the cough, which was interesting to me. But, it had a side effect that I titled "dragon breath." I didn't want to speak with anyone as I was sure the odor coming out of my mouth was something horrific.

Home remedies, what are yours?

NOTE: the next day I also had a strange odor coming out of my skin. I guess it can act as a cough remedy and repellent - a two for one!

Swine Flu: reasonable or overracting?

Each year 37,000 people die from the flu. How many have been infected with the swine flu? Is the potential infection worth all this hype?

At work they sent an email asking everyone to disinfect their desks, keyboard and mouse three times a day, avoid crowds, but when you are in a crowd wear a mask. The housekeeping staff have been instructed to disinfect doorknobs and other public places four times a day. We are banned from visiting Mexico for the time being. Due to the nature of our work (International travel) we are likely a vector point - a point of viral spread in our community.

I've been issued my own bottle of disinfectant wipes. I took a picture because advertising amuses me - "kills flu virus." Really?

Is this a reasonable reaction to swine flu or are we overreacting? What is your work doing in response?

E. coli

I went to the doctor this week. I have some kind of E. coli infection. Where did it come from? I don't know. My doctor put me on heavy antibiotics to eradicate the infection. I haven't missed any work time - too much to do.