$90 dollars later.. this is what I got from that lovely, huge asian grocery store in Beaverton.

I'm not completely certain what all of the sauces are for, but I figure I'll open 'em up and give a taste and pick foods that might work well with them. I love going there, I really do. My husband and I had more Christmas shopping to do so I had to skip the produce aisle, but there were some very unfamiliar items there that I would have liked to pick up (like bitter melon and this root vegetable that came with a warning that it may cause skin irritation in some people). But, instead I had to stick to things that could sit in the car for a while.

I tried this jelly drink which is kind of like a gelatinous V8. Japanese companies that make them market them to young women and sell them in vending machines. I have to tell you, I gave it a try-- twice, but just couldn't make it work for me.

I think I'll stick with Ramune: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramune

Shoot me an email!! Stephanie Stricklen

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 9:35 AM | Permalink

Poor Milo. He was such a good sport about this year's Christmas picture. Every couple of years I unwisely decide that I have time to make my own Christmas cards. I bring out the stamper and ink, buy the cardstock, and figure out what Milo gets to wear (ususally it's some silly headband with candy canes or something... but not this year).

Since we don't have children, I can't put them on the card and that leaves Milo. My friend Siobhan had to come over and help me convince Milo this was okay. He goes to Siobhan and Tad's house when we are on vacation and loves it there. I don't know that he will forgive either of us very soon, although he got treats and a load of attention when we were done. Siobhan thinks he kind of looks like a character out of a Dr. Seuss book.

You be the judge:

And Lynn sent me a family photo of her two girls Josie and Louisa with Santa!! Thanks Lynn.. your kids are total cuties! :-)

Email me pics, or anything.. since I'm not covering health while I fill in anchor.
Stephanie Stricklen

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 9:18 AM | Permalink

Hi!

So, I'm anchoring the am show and noon show for the next two weeks which is why this posting will have absolutely nothing to do with health. But I have some awesome photos to share with you.

First, Julie sent this Christmas photo of her cat Button and dog Iki. Look at the look on Button's face. Hilarious!!

And here is the closest thing Sherrie had to a Christmas photo of Ed. Notice the tree in the back.

And Scott sent me this one he calls "Sunday Brunch". I'm telling you, his photos are all like that. Amazing.

Okay-- overdue response time:

Peter writes to tell me he has run more than 100 marathons. WOW. But he also built up slowly to the distance over about 4 years. My head is still spinning from the 100 marathons.........

Greg, on the other hand, wrote: This report was quite a shock to me! I started running to help prevent heart disease as it runs in my family. I can’t do much about the genes, but I can about eating healthy and exercise. And I ran my first marathon in November to bring awareness to heart disease. I was planning on running more marathons, but it sounds like moderation may be best in running as it is in most things we do. Maybe a person should stick to 5ks, 10ks and half marathons.

Time is a factor too. It takes so much time to train for a marathon. I didn’t really know the time requirements until after I committed to running one. It took a lot of time.

Oh man, it's 1:15pm and I was supposed to be off 15 minutes ago. Hey, anyone have a Hanukkah pet picture they could send? Or family Christmas photos? That'd be fun. If I can remember to do it I will get the one I took of my dog Milo for my Christmas cards. Poor mutt! :-)

Email me: Stephanie Stricklen

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 1:00 PM | Permalink

Really?

That was my first reaction when I saw the headline.

I have to work really fast because I think they will send me out to cover the storm. And I'm fill-in anchoring tomorrow so it's going to be a wild next 24 hours!!

First, studies that looked at HPV in cancers (I know it's not written in plain English, sorry!):
Abstract #1
Abstract #2
Abstract #3

HPV vaccine: If HPV truly plays a role in some breast cancers then you would expect to see a drop in breast cancer rates in women who got vaccinated, right? Theoretically yes, but it doesn't always work that way. Take the high fat diet example from tonite's story. Women who eat a high-fat diet have a higher rate of breast cancer BUT when scientists study women specifically on low-fat diets as a preventative measure for breast cancer-- it doesn't work. Weird, huh? So, the same might hold true for HPV. *If* it plays a role in breast cancer and *if* doctors give women the HPV vaccine there is no guarantee it will offer protective benefits against breast cancer.

Ohhhh.... Dooris just got yanked from his story on breaking weather news (4:30pm). That means I'm next in the hopper.

Fast fast-- the nuns: the theory on nuns that Dr. Pommier and I talked about. Nuns have low rates of HPV but also have some of the world's highest rates of breast cancer. This likely centers around the fact that nuns are missing the factors that seem to protect women from breast cancer: multiple pregnancies, pregnancies at a younger age, breastfeeding...

I hear them talking about me.. I better go check this out. I have loads of stuff from some of you still to post that goes back to the marathon story from last week!

Email me.. even if it's about the weather! We have this spinning attic vent on our roof that squeaks and when the really wild winds hit it sounds like a ghost howling and makes my dog cock his head from side to side. :-) sstricklen@kgw.com

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 4:04 PM | Permalink

Okay.. marathon and heart problems. Who knew? Well, we don't know anything yet. The study was really more suggestive and since it was small there is still a long way to go. And, Dr. Kuehl raised an interesting question: is it that running marathons potentially does something to the heart.. or that the type of person attracted to running may also have heart issues? Anyway, lots of work to do in that field.

I think the two most important points which are worth repeating are that you should always get checked out by your doctor before starting a marathon training program and you need to train properly. Dr. Kuehl even said point-blank that to safely prepare for a marathon.. it takes a year of training. A lot of programs will get you there more quickly but he is thinking about the best way to build endurance with the lowest possible risk of soft tissue damage.

He also showed me this really interesting article on running addictions. I like the self test (of which I scored zero points):
http://www.rrca.org/resources/articles/addict.html

Here is more on that protien courtesy of Wikepedia (which I've talked about before):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troponin

And if you're wondering if that type of potential heart damage occurs with other strenous exercise-- I can't offer much to you because as the doctors pointed out, this was a study of marathon runners-- not cross country skiers, etc.

Dr. Wei thought he'd seen other studies involving tropinin release and strenuous activity but though the more important point was that actually a number of things can cause the heart to release the Troponin protien-- from kidney problems to scorpion bites. As the Wikipedia article clarifies.. there are different types of the protien too.

Have a great weekend!!

Email me!! sstricklen@kgw.com

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 1:58 PM | Permalink

Ew.

I covered this story a few years ago when Consumer Reports did the same testing and found much less contamination that the testers did on this round. It was still pretty shocking back then. Here is today's most current information:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/food/chicken-safety-1-07/overview/0107_chick_ov.htm

Here is CDC information on Campylobacter:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/campylobacter_g.htm

And CDC info on Salmonella:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/salmonellosis_g.htm

Response time:

On Milkscreen the reaction was mixed.. here's a sample:

Kathy writes: I think it is great to be able to drink in moderation, especially now that it is the holidays, with friends and family and be able to test your milk for the peace of mind of knowing you won’t be harming your baby. We spend 9 months of pregnancy having to abstain from alcohol completely we deserve to be able to celebrate and relax a little and still give our babies the best nutrition for them. I am due in 2 weeks and looking forward to making breastfeeding work, it didn’t work out with my first daughter who was 5 weeks early, and am more willing to stick with it knowing I don’t have to be so restrictive as I am in pregnancy with what I eat and drink.

And Rick writes to say: Milkscreen, what a joke.

I got a HUGE response to the story on tissue banks: Here's a sample.

J writes: Thank you for your story about Biogift. I joined about a year ago after
researching as much as I could. Sadly, I expected some sort of negative
expose but was pleased at the neutral tone of your report in spite of
the negative slant of the title "Body Brokers. I recorded the report so
I could share it with my husband.

Here's an excerpt from what R writes after her husband passed from cancer. It's important to note that she shared an overall positive exprience with BioGift but would have liked to have known how her husband's body was used:
With the cancer taking over his body he wanted to donate his body for medical reseach that in the end it possibly would help further cancer research and help others in their struggle with this disease.
When his struggle with the disease came to an end, and I notified BioGift, they were very kind, respectful, discreet and compassionate in caring for him, and removing his body from our home, their demeanor showing consideration for my feelings.
It was plain to see how the cancer ravaged his body before finally taking him and the one thing I would have liked them to give me was a report on how and where and to what extent the cancer took over his organs, etc. but they couldn't provide that for me, nor was there any promise of ever being able to do that.
If anything comes of your questions, and coverage, besides the calling them to an accountability in all of their research...I think the family should get a full report if they request it. Some people may not care and may not want to be told, but I was interested in knowing just how he was used for research.

As of today I haven't heard from anyone who used Medcure, also headquartered in Portland.

On a totally different note.. I'd like to leave you with two photos. Ed makes another appearance on this blog as does Scott's most amazing wildlife photos!! Love it!

sstricklen@kgw.com

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 2:51 PM | Permalink

This is one of those websites that is fun for kids, parents and non-parents (like me). It's a PBS website designed to teach kids about the tricks of the advertising trade.

http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/

Click on "advertising tricks" and you'll never look at that hamburger or roasted chicken the same again.

Okay- many of you responded to me about the story on tissue banks like Biogift as well as Milkscreen. I haven't forgotten to post them.. I'm just running a little lean on extra time today. Talk to you soon! Email me: sstricklen@kgw.com

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 3:30 PM | Permalink