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Going home for the holidays is like going to the Upside Down, back in time to when the world still felt strange and new. Welcome to Stranger Thanksgiving, inspired by Netflix’s hit Stranger Things and the Thanksgivings of our childhoods.
We set out to create a Thanksgiving menu inspired by Stranger Things and our nostalgia for the kitchens of our childhoods. As we forge our own family traditions, we’re updating the iconic side dishes of Thanksgiving past with a few new cult classics.
This waffle stuffing borrows some cooking techniques from the beloved Stove Top stuffing, popular in the ’70s and ’80s, and Eleven’s beloved frozen Eggo waffles. Try this quirky-yet-delicious stuffing at this year’s Friendsgiving or make room for it on the Thanksgiving table. Next to a Coke-glazed upside-down turkey, who can resist such a strong nod to Netflix and nostalgia?
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We spend a lot of time talking about hosting and serving Thanksgiving dinner, but many — if not most — of us are headed to the holidays at someone else’s home. It’s courteous to bring a small token of gratitude for a host’s hospitality, especially if you’re an overnight guest.
Here are a few small, inexpensive, but enjoyable last-minute gifts that you can pick up at the grocery store on that pre-holiday run.
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Several years ago, I gave my take on the “personalized care” movement: the broad push to use a person’s genetic data to design optimal therapies, treatments, interventions, and pharmaceuticals. I was supportive and hesitantly optimistic, but I also acknowledged the limitations and drawbacks. Yes, genetics do determine how we respond to different therapies, and we can optimize medical care using the information—if we understand what our genes are saying and how they interact with the environment.
It’s only picked up steam. In last year’s State of the Union address, President Obama announced the Precision Medicine Initiative, pledging renewed efforts and funding to develop treatments tailored for an individual’s genetics, lifestyle, and environment. Businesses have sprung up promising to analyze your genetic data and create personalized workout routines, meal plans, and daily habits.
We’ve made big strides in personalized medicine.
We’re often able to fine-tune dosages of pharmaceuticals to avoid overdosing people with genetic sensitivities and under-dosing people with genetic resistance. It’s not exactly easy or fast, but it’s possible.
Researchers have identified genetic variants that increase statin-induced muscle damage. Doctors are choosing antidepressants based on a patient’s genetics (“pharmacogenomics”) and seeing a 53% improvement in reduction of depressive symptoms; they’re also using genetics to predict non-responding patients.
Since 2005, we’ve used genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify over 2000 “robust” associations between genetic variants and medical conditions and traits, many of which are predictive and medically useful.
Genetics determines how we react to different foods, nutrients, and exercising and feeding strategies. It can affect how much of each nutrient we need and how likely we are to become obese. We know a fair amount about how recent ancestry impacts optimal diet, including folate requirements, carb tolerance, and dairy sensitivity.
And because we contain far more microbial DNA than human DNA, analyzing the genomes of our gut biome could give us great insight into our immune, mental, and metabolic health.
There’s no “arrival.” There’s no perfect pinnacle of personalized medicine. It’s an uphill trudge with small wins and losses. There’s always something to learn and improve and overcome.
What are some current obstacles?
For one, there are very few “single genes.”
Most disorders and diseases (like cancer) are polygenic, not monogenic. Most traits (like height or cognition) are polygenic, not monogenic. Rarely will you find a perfect 1:1 match. This makes drawing actionable inferences from genetic data difficult. The more variables there are, the harder it is to discern the signal from the noise. `
Data is accurate. Analysis is lacking.
The genetic testing itself is very accurate. If you swab your cheek and send it off to 23andMe or DNAFit or Ancestry, the raw data is likely accurate. Where things break down is the interpretation of the data. When a blogger ordered genetic tests from several different companies, she got mixed results. The data was identical, but how each company interpreted the data differed substantially.
I’ve spoken glowingly of DNAFit in the past. And as far as the companies out there go, it’s probably the best one at analyzing the genetic data and providing actionable results. My own results matched what I’d experienced throughout my entire life of training and eating. And when the blogger notified DNAFit about some incongruities between their results and other companies’ results, they responded with a 2000 word justification of their interpretation of her data, complete with citations of the literature. The other companies either agreed to fix their mistakes or ignored her messages.
And, unfortunately, gut biome sequencing isn’t ready for prime time.
The gut biome is critical to our health. Sequencing and analyzing the members of a person’s gut biome could help us predict interactions with drugs and foods. It could give us a roadmap for feeding specific prebiotics, polyphenols, and other nutrients to target specific gut bugs. We’d know which probiotics to take to fill in any gaps. We could target baddies with the right antibiotics, rather than firebombing the entire gut. And we could compare our gut biomes to everyone else’s.
Unfortunately, popular testing services often differ in their results, and, assuming we have accurate results, they don’t tell us much about our health. We have rough associations between populations in the gut and some health conditions, but it’s not always consistent. Plus, we haven’t sequenced very many guts yet, so we’re flying blind.
The potential is clear. If we can identify all the genetic variants responsible for traits and untangle how they interact with environmental stimuli and lifestyle, we’ll have great control over our health and wellness. Throw in CRISPR, and things get even more interesting. We’re not quite there yet. There are lots of pieces, but they’re not in place.
It’s going to work though. Combining epigenetics, genetics, lifestyle, environment, the gut biome, ancestry, and high-powered technology will revolutionize medical care, nutrition, and fitness. I’m sure of it.
And as I’ve mentioned, personalized medicine is already viable in specific instances, like determining genetic drug tolerance and drug responsiveness, and identifying gene-disease associations. Is using your grandpa’s genetic data to determine his optimal coumadin dosage sexy or exciting? No, but it’s legit and utilitarian. And it proves that personalized medicine has a future.
But for now?
You’re still responsible for eating right, moving every day, playing as much as you can, lifting heavy things, getting out into nature, and all the rest. You can’t abrogate your agency. The promise of personalized medical care indistinguishable from magic at some future date doesn’t change that. No surprises there, of course.
I’m curious. Have you (or those you love) used aspects of personalized medicine? What’s been your experience? And whether or not you’ve had the opportunity to apply it to your own care, what’s your take on the personalized medicine picture—and emerging possibilities? Are you excited? Skeptical? Hopeful?
Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care.
The post Promises and Limitations of the “Personalized Care” Movement: Where We Are Now appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.
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(Image credit: Peas and Crayons)
Entertaining season is in full swing, and if you’re hosting a gathering this fall or winter, you’re going to want plenty of bite-sized snacks and treats to keep your guests happy. This no-bake take on baklava is the perfect way to end your night on a sweet note.
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I heard about Aldi in snippets for years before I ever made my way there: It’s owned by the same people as Trader Joe’s (which is almost the case, but not quite), it’s filled with brands you’ve never heard of (mostly private label, similar to Trader Joes’), and if you’re going to buy anything there, this one particular item has to be it.
<p><a href=’http://www.thekitchn.com/if-you-buy-one-thing-from-aldi-this-should-be-it-237755′><strong>READ MORE »</strong></a></p>
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Oh, yes. We’re going there!
This is such an important conversation to have about what’s normal and what’s not regarding consensual sexual intercourse in pregnancy and postpartum.
Note: While we recognize that there are many ways to experience sexual pleasure, this article specifically addresses sexual intercourse involving vaginal penetration.
Sex during and after pregnancy is still a hush hush conversation in many circles. For example, if people are feeling any discomfort, pain, touched out, or experiencing low libido, these are not topics many people feel comfortable talking about.
You might feel frustrated, confused, or embarrassed by these things. Or, you might not know that so much help is available to increase the joy factor of sex.
Sex during pregnancy typically falls in one of two categories (or both):
1. FINALLY! Sex that isn’t on a timeline.
You’re not stressed about birth control. You’re not charting your temperature or wondering whether you’re fertile, ovulating, or whether this is going to be the cycle.
If it’s been a long road to conception, this can feel like total freedom. You’re feeling super comfortable in your body and more in your skin than ever before!
2. It all feels a little weird.
You’re growing a baby. Your body is changing. You and/or your partner feel a bit uncomfortable having sex while there’s a baby in your body.
The baby is kicking, and you don’t quite know how to maneuver your 3rd trimester body into a position that will let you relax enough to enjoy the moment. While increased libido is common in pregnancy, many women actually experience a decrease.
It is fairly common to experience some light spotting or bleeding in early pregnancy after intercourse. Normally this occurs because there are tiny blood vessels in plentiful supply around the cervix during pregnancy, and sex could cause some to rupture.
Although this can be completely normal, you should still mention it to your healthcare provider if it happens.
Find your tribe. Join our group of like-minded, strong mamas and mamas-to-be who offer one another support, encouragement, and community every day.
Common medical reasons why you would not have sex during pregnancy include:
Whether you’re pregnant or not, pain during sex isn’t normal, and you don’t have to suffer through it.
If sex is painful, causes a burning sensation during or after intercourse, or just doesn’t feel quite right in your body during pregnancy, book an appointment with a pelvic floor physiotherapist. For example, a pelvic floor physio can help you learn how to relax tension in your pelvic floor that might be contributing to painful sex.
There are certain positions that can help to increase the comfort level of sex during pregnancy as the belly grows:
You on top: no pressure on the belly and you have more control over the angle of penetration.The “six-week check-up” is not a one-size-fits-all guideline for resuming intercourse . You simply may not be physically, mentally, or emotionally ready even if your healthcare provider gives you the go-ahead to start having sex again.
If you’re barely sleeping, exhausted, needing some time alone, feeling stressed, touched out, or healing tears in your perineum, it’s no surprise that sex is dead last on your list of things you want to do (if it’s on that list at all). Then again, you might be ready for sex even earlier than six weeks, and that can be completely safe, too!
If you’re not experiencing pain in the pelvic floor, any stitches are healed, the postpartum bleeding has stopped, your C-section incision isn’t painful, and sex boosts your mental and emotional well-being, you should absolutely give it a go.
You can have sex if you’re experiencing pelvic organ prolapse. You might have to experiment and find a position that works best for your body, but you don’t have to be afraid of worsening your prolapse with intercourse. You might even find that your symptoms decrease after sex.
Pain during sex is called “dyspareunia” (pronounced: dis-pa-roo-knee-a). Painful postpartum sex could occur:
Pain during sex postpartum is extremely common. That being said, it’s not a normal experience for the body, and you do not have to live with this.
Please know that if you do bring this topic up with your doctor (good for you!), and they dismiss your concerns or they tell you, “It’s normal after having a baby,” or “It’ll get better the more sex you have,” that is not good enough. You deserve better care.
Book an appointment with a pelvic floor physical therapist! Some internal release for tight pelvic floor muscles or massage where perineal tears occurred can make a world of difference. Painful sex isn’t something you need to live with and postpartum sex doesn’t have to be something you dread for months and years because of it.Sex after pregnancy will likely be different for many reasons, especially in the early months after birth. But it really does get back to normal if you give your pelvic floor a little TLC, and you find comfort and pride in your postpartum body.
Find your tribe. Join our group of like-minded, strong mamas and mamas-to-be who offer one another support, encouragement, and community every day.
The post Sex During Pregnancy and Postpartum appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
I got into riding at an early age. I was about eleven years old and a local neighborhood kid started to show me how to do wheelies and jump curbs on my bike, which wasn’t even a BMX bike! But, I was hooked. I saved my money, soon after got a proper bike, and never looked back. My love of BMX started very early and remains to this day.
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From Apartment Therapy → 10 Simple Ways to Make Your Holiday Guests Feel More At Home
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For now classes are 6pm and 640pm at 2840 Wildwood st in the Boise Cloggers studio.
Book your class NOW!
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