Food for Thought with A Grain of Salt

We all know too much salt in our diet can cause our blood pressure to rise and this can lead many very serious health issues.  But interestingly to note that a mixture of this frown-upon condiment with water makes a good and cost-effective month wash.

According to a recent Internet posting, there was one individual who used a strong saline solution to keep him free from periodontal disease*(1). If this painful inflammatory gum disease is left untreated, it can cause heart and other serious diseases such as diabetes in us.  This is why in 2000, the country's top doctor*(2) based on his study on oral health  asked the public to gargle salt water for two to three minutes twice a day  to keep their gum in good health.

This was exactly the unnamed contributor did 12 years ago when his dentist was about to send him to see a gum specialist for some special dental treatments.  For three months, after he had brushed his teeth, he gargled a strong solution made of coarse sea salt and water for two minutes twice each day, and sometimes after meals.  And he adjusted the amount of the salt he added to the water in a 300-500 cc glass jar according to his taste bud's liking.  After all the gargling was done, he rinsed the month with plain water to get rid of salty taste.  -  Ayee

Notes:

1.  It was from a posting titled "Periodontal Disease Easy Way to Prevent (Effectively), circa and author unknown.

2.  Dr. David Satcher, the US Surgeon General

There is no free lunch in life (II)

Believe it or not! It is happening to us simple folks.

This morning when I phoned my bank, after the dial-tone instead of the normal greeting that I am used to, a woman’s voice on the line offered me a $100 gift card from various known retailers. To get this gift, I was asked to put through a $1.95 charge on my credit card. Normally we would hang up telemarketing calls right away, but this time I stayed on the line THINKING OF WHY MY BANK would engage in giving away gift cards. Since I did not want the gift card, I pushed the "#" key as instructed. Now I do not know if by doing so, I have compromised my telephone number and bank account.

However, I did report this creepy incident to both my bank and the telephone company.  Now we know there are some smart people out there who would piggy back their phone number on ours uninvited. - Ayee

"America's Got Talent,", NBC, September 10, 2014

I did not participate in the voting but I did watch the show's semifinal results last night.  I missed this entertaining show last year.  So I made effort to catch the show this season, and  did manage to view this popular talent show including the one that was aired last night.

I am sure many others would agree with me that the acts competing on the show are phenomenally professional.  It supposes to be a show of amateurs.  But what they had offered on the stage at the venerable Radio City in New York City were so entertaining and stunningly unique.  There were also many compelling stories like persistence and hard work behind their million-dollar acts.  I will definitely try to follow the show until it has chosen the winner of its million-dollar prize.  But maybe it was because of my preference in cello music, I found some thing missing in the judges' deliberation when it was their turn to choose the last act for the final competition.  -  Ayee

It's inflationary.

Recently when I renewed my prescription at our neighborhood supermarket, I got a big surprise.

The prescription I refilled a few weeks ago there cost 32% more than a similar one I filled last year.  Although, we and our neighbors were expecting some price increases at our neighborhood stores when we heard that there were some reorganization taking place at our local grocery markets,I certainly did not think the increase in some common medication can rise that much in nine months.

In the spring of this year, one of the two grocery stores in walking distance from our home was bought out by its arch-rival in the neighborhood.  Before the buyout, we had two well stocked and competitively priced markets to shop.  Because of their handy location, everyone in the neighborhood was pleased  for having two supermarkets nearby to help us prepare our meals.  Now after the buyout, we have only one market in the neighborhood.  As expected, it did not take us long to notice that prices on our groceries are creeping up here and there under the new ownership.

We all know that buying a business is a very expensive proposition.  So it is save to say that the high prices at  our neighborhood store are here to stay.   The recent change in our local supermarket  also told me that the drug companies are making too much money on the drugs they made and sold. -  Ayee  

Food for Thought - A Chinese Brew

An Internet article in Chinese* includes a recipe for a homemade tea.  It said that the concoction of some common ingredients in Chinese cooking can help severe cases of diabetes in one or two preparations.  The recipe, translated from the article, is for one preparation.

Ingredients:

One ounce each of lotus seeds, fox nuts (aka Euryale Ferox) and  pomegranate skin
Five large Chinese black dates
Two ounce of lean pork

Direction:

Add enough water to cover the dry ingredients in a clay pot
Simmer for one hour
Pour the liquid from the pot to another container
Add enough water to cover what is left in the pot
Simmer for another hour
Strain the liquid from the pot and mix it with the first batch

Dosage:

Drink half of the liquid, warmed, in the morning before breakfast
Drink the other half, warmed, before bed
The cooked dry ingredients are edible.  It can be eaten between meals at the users' pleasure. 
For mild cases, halve the dosage.

-  Ayee

*From an Internet article, Diabetes Cured in One Dosage! (Circa and author unknown)
According to the posted text, the original recipe/preparation is from an organization, "House of Purple       Bamboos," in Mai Chou City, Canton Province, China.

Please be aware that the above information is for references only.  For concern over any health related issue, do consult your health-care providers. 

There is no free lunch in life.

Don't let free gifts muddle up our good judgement.

It's wonderful that someone was care enough to send us gifts.  But some free gifts, like everything else in life, can become very expensive  later.  So we must be vigilent when accepting gifts from someone who delivered them to our door step, and be extra careful when this unknown gift bearer is "armed" with wireless payment devices.

Recently, there was a report on the Internet that over some free wines and flowers delivered to their door, an innocent couple lost $4,000 after they were asked to put a $3.50 charge on their bank card through a hand-held wireless payment device  the delivery man provided.  -   Ayee

Robin Williams,may you rest in peace!

I want to join the million others to mourn the untimely passing of one of the funniest persons in the world.  Personally, I do not know the late artist at all.  But I did watch and enjoy his television show, "Mork and Mindy." I had also seen a couple of Mr. Williams's movies that cover serious subjects.  After I saw "Patch Adam," in which the talent actor played the role of a medical student, I came up with an idea of volunteering at hospitals where doctors cure their patients with laughter.  So far such medical institutions have eluded me.

Sadly, the world has lost a good man too soon.  Others may think of the late actor like I do.   Mr. Williams was so good at making us laught our heads off.  He also left his hysterical fans with something serious to wonder about.

Thank you, Mr. Williams. And may your God bless you!

-  Ayee