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Wellness: I am feeling so very blessed and I wanted to share my story. Two years ago I had the scare of my life and I am so very grateful to be a survivor. April 20th, 2018, I woke up and something looked wrong with my face, my left eye was tearing and I had no idea what was happening but my husband said let’s go see the doctor. It was my oldest daughter’s last day living at home and her last day at her job in East Hampton, she was moving on with her life and would be starting a new job in NYC. I said let’s go to SagTown in Sag Harbor to get some coffee. Kurt my husband had taken the day off to go to the doctor with me because I was nervous, we ordered our coffee then in a matter of seconds things were progressively moving quickly. I went to the bathroom to look at my eye and when I looked up my face had drooped more, I was immediately nervous. I told Kurt I am very concerned, so he said I will drop Dani off at work and you go pick up the eyedrops, he said we would leave my car in town and he would drive me to my doctor’s office. I went to pick up the drops and came back to my car to put the drops in my eye and wait for Kurt to come back. Kurt called me to make sure I was ok and all of sudden I could not speak, it was terrifying, I honestly did not know what was happening. I heard a tap on the window of my car, I rolled down the window and there was an officer asking me if I was ok. I was at this time unable to speak and became very agitated because I did not know that Kurt had sent them to find me. The officer proceeded to ask me questions and because I was unable to find my voice he became concerned, took my car keys, and called for an ambulance. As you can probably imagine he thought I was having a stroke and there was a small window to rush me to the hospital to minimize the symptoms if this were a stroke. I was very scared, I had never heard of Bell’s Palsy but I did not think I was having a stroke because my parents and grandmother had all had strokes within the last 3 years and I knew the symptoms.

Once I arrived at Southampton Hospital the staff was very attentive and proceeded to do all the necessary tests to rule out a stroke, once they ruled out that I was not having a stroke they then proceeded to assume I was having some mental issues because they could not understand why I was unable to speak. They kept me in the hospital overnight for observation and in the morning a very nice doctor came in and diagnosed me with Bell’s Palsy. He explained what was happening and prescribed anti-inflammatory medication prednisone to help reduce the swelling of the facial nerve. I was released from the hospital later that morning, once I got home I was completely exhausted and just went to sleep for the rest of the day.

What is Bell’s Palsy?

What is Bell’s Palsy: Google definition “Bell’s palsy is a condition in which the muscles on one side of your face become weak or paralyzed. It affects only one side of the face at a time, causing it to droop or become stiff on that side. It’s caused by some kind of trauma to the seventh cranial nerve. This is also called the “facial nerve.”

The recovery was hard, but I was so grateful that it was not a stroke, I was able to care for myself, go to the bathroom on my own, I believe my positive energy is what helped with my recovery. Many say that one gets Bell’s Palsy from Lyme Disease, but for me, I think my Bell’s Palsy was activated by stress. Prior to my illness, I suffered the immeasurable loss of both my mother and grandmother, information that was gut-wrenching was shared with me and it took months to absorb and heal from it. I found myself in the position of being the Matriarch of the family and I felt I had no time to break-down I needed to show strength and so I think all of that bottled up stress needed to be released.

During my recovery it was hard to do many things, eating, drinking, swallowing, talking, smiling, closing my eye, sleeping. My left eye did not close, so I was very tired because when your eye does not blink it can be very exhausting. It was challenging driving, watching television, or being on the computer for an extended period of time. I had to change my daily way of doing things. I went back to work after being home for a couple of days, it was a challenge because I felt all eyes starring at me, but after watching my parents and my grandmother suffered a stroke, I felt like God had spared my life and I did not focus on anyone staring at me. I focused on recovery. After the 1st day, everyone stopped starring it was back to normal. I continued to stay focused and positive on my recovery over the next month. I shut down my computer, television, and phone at 9 pm every night. I researched what I should eat, what I should not eat, and what I needed to do to recover in 4-8 weeks. I avoided foods that contained, Arginine-Rich Foods, Omega-6 Foods, and Trans Fats. This website helped me https://www.livestrong.com/article/352853-foods-to-avoid-when-you-have-bells-palsy/. 

I cannot tell you if that helped, but for me, I was going to take all advice because I was determined to get better. I slept with an eyepatch, it was very helpful, I drank from a straw because drinking from a cup was very hard, 1/2 of my face was paralyzed, I ate soft food because swallowing was a challenge. As my face began to slowly recover it was painful and sleeping at night was a challenge, sometimes I would need to take an Advil to get some sleep. Talking was definitely the hardest part, if I spoke slow I was ok but if I got agitated with someone who I felt could not understand me, my speech would get worst. At that moment I felt the agony of a stroke victim, it humbled me and I would not allow myself to feel sorry for myself. I began to see the progression in four weeks and someone who just met me for the first time would never know a month earlier I had partial facial paralysis; it was able to eat real food, swallow, talk, partial smile. In 2 months I was able to smile, it took a bit longer for my left eye to close completely, washing my face with soap was always a real challenge.

It has been 2 years

It has been 2 years and I still have some residual of my Bell’s Palsy, my left eye twitches and I never feel like it is fully closed, the cemetery of my face is slightly off, but only I notice it and my smile is slightly crooked, but I’ll take it because some never recover. I was one of the lucky survivors and I never stop thanking God for blessing my life. I share my story because I have discovered this happens to many people of all ages all the time.

I wanted someone who might be going through this condition to know that there is hope and you can recover. Be positive, be patient, and be grateful. Don’t let your physical appearance define who you are, focus on recovering and not your vanity. I had an opportunity to interview a doctor who specializes in treating patients who don’t organically recover from Bell’s Palsy, in my part two of this series Recovering from Bell’s Palsy I will share that interview.

Hamptons Wellness:Healthy Foods essential to your well-being…Take a look at these 3 food items that are healthy Foods to Eat…

bigstock-Fresh-salmon-fillet-29411951Salmon: Eating two or three servings of fish a week is a simple way to improve your health wellness and stave off certain illnesses and diseases. Salmon is one of the most nutritious types of fish to add to your diet. It supplies iron, zinc, niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, as well as a whole host of other nutrients you need for good health. It has Selenium which is a mineral that keeps your thyroid working properly and boosts the health of your immune system. Those looking for more ways to give their immune system an additional boost may want to try products like those from Quantum Health which include L-Lysine and Vitamin C, as well as four other well-researched immune health nutrients. Selenium also works as an antioxidant, which means that it destroys free radicals. Salmon has a specific type of unsaturated fat called omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids lower your risk of dying from heart disease, according to Mayo Clinic.

For more information on the benefits of eating Salmon, click here:

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Yogurt: protein (about 9 grams per 6-ounce serving), plus several other nutrients found in dairy foods, like calcium, vitamin B-2, vitamin B-12, potassium, and magnesium. Yogurt consists Probiotics which are “friendly bacteria” that are naturally present in the digestive system. Live strains of these “good bacteria” are also found in many yogurt products. While more research needs to be done, there’s some evidence that some strains of probiotics can help boost the immune system and promote a healthy digestive wellness tract. If you can get greek organic.

for more information on Yogurt as a healthy food, click here:

Oranges:

bigstock-Big-fresh-orange-28947719Helps Prevent Cancer: Oranges are rich in citrus limonoids, proven to help fight a number of varieties of cancer including that of the skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon. Prevents Kidney Diseases, Reduces Risk of Liver Cancer, Lowers Cholesterol, Boosts Heart Health, Oranges are full of potassium, an electrolyte mineral is responsible for helping the heart function well. When potassium levels get too low, you may develop an abnormal heart rhythm, known as an arrhythmia. Oranges are full of vitamin C which protects cells by neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals cause chronic diseases, like cancer and heart disease. Oranges are full of dietary fiber that stimulates digestive juices and relieves constipation. Oranges Helps Create Good Vision, Oranges are rich in carotenoid compounds that are converted to vitamin A and help prevent macular degeneration. The flavonoid hesperidin found in oranges helps regulate high blood pressure and the magnesium in oranges helps maintain blood pressure. Oranges are full of beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant protecting the cells from being damage which also protects the skin from free radicals and prevents the signs of aging. Other alternative methods to promote a healthier body are using different herbal remedies such as liver health supplements, to promote healthy liver and attempting to reduce the risks of liver cancer. That disease can be extremely dangerous, so it’s important that people try their best to keep their lungs healthy. If they notice any symptoms of liver cancer, they should contact their local healthcare professional to ensure they can prevent the disease from going unnoticed. By using ultrasounds, from https://www.butterflynetwork.com/, doctors will be able to detect any tumours. This will allow them to perform tests to determine whether it is cancer or not. To prevent this from worsening, a lot of people use supplements, especially if they do not like the taste of the natural, food products that are proven to reduce the effects of diseases and viruses. They are therefore a good alternative to not having anything extra to protect the body at all.

for more information on oranges as a healthy food to eat: click here:

Homecare is Expensive! Greeting’s Hamptons Mouthpiece Readers…Most of my Sag Harbor friends know me as a photographer but my profession, I am a Registered Nurse with a background in elder care. My responsibilities include running one of the larger Medicaid Homecare service agencies in NYC. So I thought that I would talk to you about…. Estate Planning.

While I am no expert in this field, I have first hand seen the devastation that can impact families that do not plan for the inevitable health declines in our parents and significant others as aging and subsequent health issues arise. Knowing how to create a trust, which connects to having an estate plan, will not only help out those who are planning but their families too. It is an important part of life that we all have to contend with soon or later, so a support plan may be worth looking into such as where to find good home care, you may want to begin with somewhere similar to GYC Senior Care – see more at gycseniorcare.com. It is imperative that well in advance of these calamities, you seek an Elder Lawyer who can help you prepare your family’s finances to protect your wealth. There are many legal vehicles that will allow you to shelter your loved one’s assets such as Pooled Trusts, which will allow for you to provide the care and services that the sick and frail will need in their declining years while simultaneously protecting and allocating assets for this purpose.

elder2Homecare is EXPENSIVE and can quickly overtake any savings that have been accumulated. You should invest in a Long Term Health insurance policy that will provide some limited coverage for homecare if those services are required. Please conduct your due diligence in researching the insurance company that you chose to join. It is imperative that you investigate the financial health of the company you choose. The most unfortunate thing that could happen is that you contribute toan insurance company that goes belly up because THEIR financials were not in order. BEWARE!!! Carefully read your policy to understand what you are entitled to regarding homecare. Some simple math will illustrate what can happen to your finances if you will need homecare from an aide. 8 hours of service per day x 7 days weekly x 52 weeks at $15 per hour for a home health aide will cost $43,680 per year. Multiply this by 5 years and you get $218,400. What you should know is that the risk for health status to decline and the elderly needing more services than 8 hours daily…well, you get the picture. Please take my advice. Plan ahead.

Here’s to your good health!

Kurt H. Leggard, RN**Contributor

Program Director

Personal-Touch Home Health Services

(Sag Harbor, NY) Secrets to keeping your fruits and Veggies fresh longer: Greetings Hamptons Mouthpiece Readers...Lets talk Food….Average American family waste $1000-$2000 worth of food every year and mostly produce. It makes me so sad because there are so many starving people right here in this country. Here are some tips on how can you save yourself some money. The 2 biggest enemies in the refrigerator are moisture and air. The temperature in your refrigerator should be 40 degrees and your freezer should be 0 degrees and, if they’re not able to get to or maintain those temperatures, you might need to call an appliance repair san francisco company, or someone more local to you, in to fix the problem.
Baby greens and tomatoes

Have you ever bought fresh fruit and vegetables and they go bad on you before you have an opportunity to use them? Makes you crazy right? I recently watched a Rachael Ray show and she shared some tips to help us keep our produce longer and save money…

  1. Label and list things in your freezer
  2. Store liquids in freezer bags and lay flat…label & date
  3. Keep freezer well stocked…an empty freezer works too hard when it is not as cold as it should be…keep it crowded
  4. Keep fruits in one side of the refrigerator and vegetables on another side…all fruits and veggies should be refrigerated
  5. Treat your fresh herbs like flowers…put them in water..even your asparagus
  6. When you bring your lettuce or greens home…wash them and air dry them, then bag them, include a paper towel and refrigerate. If you are like me, and after grocery shopping the last thing on your mind is to wash your greens. Put them in the refrigerator in the bag you brought them home in, then wash before you are ready to eat.

Tip: Lettuce is the #1 cause of food born illness…make sure you wash them twice….

  • Fruits….if you have one bad berry in the container, remove it immediately because one bad berry can spoil the entire bunch. Take them out of the container you brought them home in. Put the berries in a bowl, lightly wrap, allowing for a bit of air and refrigerate. Don’t wash until you are ready to eat. Berries are perishable and you don’t want them to be wet.
  • Tip: To prevent guacamole and avocado from turning brown spray with vegetable spray and cover…

Foods that do not go in the refrigerator

  • tomatoes
  • onions…keep them in a basket with plenty of air (make sure you keep them separate from your potatoes)
  • Bananas (tip….bananas are great frozen to add to smoothies)
  • avocado’s (tip: you can put avocado in the refrigerator to prolong the ripeness)
  • Potatoes and Yams (store in a dark cool place)

Tipif you want to speed up the avocado that is not ripe…put it in a brown paper bag…and if you really want to speed up the process add a banana to the bag…bananas give off a gas called Ethylene. . Ethylene is A colorless flammable gas, C2H4, derived from natural gas and petroleum and used as a source of many organic compounds, in welding and cutting metals, to coloring citrus fruits and as an anesthetic. Bananas really should be stored in a basket by themselves.

Secrets to keeping your Fruits and Veggies fresh longer will save you money during the year. Please share any secrets you may have.

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Hamptons Wellness: The Benefits of Ginger: Ginger is widely used throughout the world for treating loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting after surgery, nausea resulting from cancer treatment, flatulence,stomach upset, colic, morning sickness and motion sickness.

Some people find ginger helps them with the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, bronchitis, cough, menstrual cramps, arthritis and muscle pain.

In some parts of the world, ginger juice is applied to the skin to treat burns

GINGER: Nausea, upset stomach…When I was pregnant with both of my daughters I have really bad morning sickness and I was nauseous all the time, literally until they were born. This is why they are 6 1/2 years apart and why I only have 2.

Some say drink Ginerale & Saltine Crackers but the sugar from the gingerale made me feel sicker…Ginger Tea is the Best..Treat yourself to a cup of piping hot ginger tea, a healthy drink that’s great for digestion. Why go out and buy old tea bags when you can easily make your own homemade ginger tea at home using fresh ginger? Here’s how to make the tastiest ginger tea you’ve ever had!

Home-made Ginger Tea
Recipe Type: Tea
Cuisine: Liquid
Author: Vanessa Leggard
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Home-made ginger Tea…piping hot ginger tea, a healthy drink that’s great for digestion
Ingredients
  • 4-6 thin slices raw ginger
  • 1 1/2 – 2 cups water
  • juice from 1/2 lime, or to taste
  • 1-2 tbsp honey or agave nectar, or to taste
Instructions
  1. Peel the ginger and slice thinly to maximize the surface area. This will help you make a very flavorful ginger tea.
  2. Boil the ginger in water for at least 10 minutes. For a stronger and tangier tea, allow to boil for 20 minutes or more, and use more slices of ginger.
  3. Remove from heat and add lime juice and honey (or agave nectar) to taste.

9 Terrific Benefits of Ginger

  • Eat fresh ginger just before lunch to stoke a dull appetite and fire up the digestive juices.
  • Ginger improves the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body.
  • Ginger clears the ‘microcirculatory channels’ of the body, including the pesky sinuses that tend to flare up from time to time.
  • Feeling airsick or nauseous? Chew on ginger, preferably tossed in a little honey.
  • Ginger helps reduce flatulence!
  • Ginger helps with Tummy moaning and groaning under cramps?
  • Ginger, with its anti-inflammatory properties-can bring relief. Float some ginger essential oil into your bath to help aching muscles and joints. You can combine it with CBD soap from websites like https://missionfarmscbd.com/cbd-soap/ to help with the inflammatory pain.
  • Chewing ginger post-operation can help overcome nausea.
  • Stir up some ginger tea to get rid of throat and nose congestion. And when there’s a nip in the air, the warming benefits of this tasty tea are even greater

Hamptons Wellness: The Benefits of Ginger: