Tri-Cities Healthy Living Magazine Apr'16

Fresh From THE FARM Mind Your Manners YOU’VE GOT WHAT? 9 Rare Diseases TRI-CITIES

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tchealthyliving.com › APR’16

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april

FEATURES

2016

COVER

Downtown Dining ›

You Make Me Sick

P A G E 20

Four eateries that offer an intimate atmosphere and locally sourced options in the TriCities. › By Leigh Ann Laube

› P A G E 16 According to the National Institutes of Health, there are more than 7,000 listed rare diseases in the United States. Add to this list the ones yet to be discovered and our world can suddenly begin to look like a very scary place. › By Jim Gibson

Farm, Fork, Fantastic

› P A G E 26 What do you get when you bring fresh food from local farms together with fresh inspiration from local chefs? You get a great big helping of community—and some amazing meals. › By Debra McCown

Fresh From THE FARM Mind Your Manners YOU’VE GOT WHAT? 9 Rare Diseases TRI-CITIES

Etiquette Tips For The 21st Century

› P A G E 32 We rounded up etiquette tips from the experts to cover a host of situations. Read on to brush up on modern manners. › By Cynthia McFarland

Art the

COVER AND ABOVE PHOTOS BY PETER MONTANTI

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Wining &

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body

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P A G E 37

Dining in

vibe

INSIGHT | ADVICE | SOLUTIONS

NUTRITION | FITNESS | BEAUTY

MIND | SPIRIT | FINANCE

By Grace Cali, Laurel Gillum, Leigh Ann Laube and Debra McCown

By Grace Cali, Laurel Gillum and Katie McPherson

By Cealia Athanason, Grace Cali and Katie McPherson

By Grace Cali & Katie McPherson

›6 ›8 ›9 › 10

› 12 A hernia helper. › 13 Got a craving? › 14 The eyes have it.

› 38 › 39 › 40 › 42

Get some green goodness.

Brush it off.

A little yellow never hurt.

A lean muscle movement.

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P A G E 43

TRENDS | NEWS | PEOPLE

Downtown to-dos.

Food for all.

The beer of the year.

Stop the phone obsession.

the Tri-Cit

What’s buzzin’?

Feelin’ good.

Home hazards.

Make some moola.

APR’16 › tchealthyliving.com

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TRENDS NEWS PEOPLE

H E A LT H Y

NEWS

A Walk For Awareness

A recent government survey shows that one in every 45 children in the United States has been diagnosed with autism.

While April is officially Autism Awareness Month, it’s always important to support families living with autism and to bring light to this disorder that affects so many children and adults right here in the Tri-Cities. The Abingdon Autism Awareness 5K will be held on the Virginia Creeper Trail on April 23. This third annual run and untimed walk benefits local autism services and is hosted by the Abingdon Autism Parent Support Group.

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Want to go? › ABINGDON AUTISM PARENT SUPPORT GROUP › April 23, 9am, packet pickup from 7:30-8:30am › Virginia Creeper Trail off Green Spring Road, Abingdon › Registration: $20 before April 9, $25 after April 9 › Register on active.com or runtricities.org › For more information, call (276) 492-1928 or (276) 492-6813 or visit facebook.com/AbingdonAutismAwareness5K

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NEWS

Discover Downtown The spring and summer months are the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors. › By Leigh Ann Laube

Many downtown areas host concert series featuring music, activities for kids, arts and crafts, food vendors and the opportunity to support downtown businesses.

Here’s a look at what’s offered this season.

Johnson City

Photo courtesy of Abingdon Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Town of Abingdon’s free summer concert series is in its fourth year. Thursday Jams showcases bands at the Abingdon Market Pavilion from May 19 through July 19, says Sara Saavedra, special events coordinator for the Town of Abingdon.

Music will begin at 7pm each Thursday, with a beer garden benefiting Abingdon Main Street. Concessions will be available, and don’t forget to bring chairs and/ or blankets. No outside alcohol is allowed.

The series will host music ranging from Americana, Southern rock and country to indie folk, traditional and roots. Local talent will open for the headliners, who will take the stage at 8pm. Visit abingdonmusicexperience.com for more information.

The Abingdon Market Pavilion will also host the third Hops & Howlers Craft Brew Fest from 4-9pm on June 18.

“We will have more than 30 different types of regional and national craft and micro brews. We’ll include ciders in that,” says Saavedra. Early-bird tickets went on sale April 1, and tickets range from $35 to $55.

This event is for those 21 and older. Visit hopsandhowlers.com for more information.

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Bristol

Border Bash will return for the 17th time along State Street in downtown Bristol. The free summer concert series will feature children’s activities, arts, crafts and food vendors, and live music.

The event will begin on May 20 and continue twice monthly through Aug. 5. There will be a special July 4 celebration in partnership with Celebrate Bristol. The band lineup consists of artists slated to play Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in September, but this summer the event will also feature some local bands, says Maggie Bishop, associate director of Believe in Bristol.

First performers each evening take the stage at 7pm, with the second act following at 8:30pm. Visit believeinbristol.org for more information.

Also in Bristol, the 20th season of the Full Moon Jam concert series will begin on the first weekend in June and continue through the last weekend in September, according to Terrie Talbert, director of Bristol Tennessee Community Relations.

Music will range from tribute bands to local and regional bands playing bluegrass, old country and current country.

The City of Bristol hosts this free series on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 810 State Street. Performances begin at 7pm. Bring a chair or blanket, or come early to grab one of the 350 chairs provided. Visit bristoltn.org for more information.

Photo courtesy of Believe in Bristol

Abingdon

Photo by CWAC Promotions

You never know what you might encounter during First Friday celebrations in downtown Johnson City. You may find exhibit openings, chili cook-offs, fire throwers, waterslides or human foosball. And you’ll always find music and dancing, craft and food vendors, and activities at many of the downtown businesses.

First Fridays are held on the first Friday of each month, April through December. Main and Roan Streets are blocked off from 5-9pm for the free event, and more than two dozen retail locations participate.

Johnson City’s Blue Plum Festival is held annually during the first weekend in June. The first festival was held in 1999 and has grown to an estimated 80,000 attendees converging on the downtown area. Visit downtownjc.org for more information.

Photo courtesy of Main Street Jonesborough

Jonesborough

Photo by Derek Cress

Kingsport

Twilight Alive and Bluegrass on Broad will kick off the 2016 season in May. Concerts continue each week with Bluegrass on Broad concerts at 7pm on Thursdays, June 2 through July 28 (with no concert on July 21), and Twilight Alive concerts at 7pm on Fridays, May 27 through July 15. (The July 15 concert will kick off Fun Fest.)

The June 30 Bluegrass on Broad concert will also feature Chapter 979 Vietnam Veterans doing a special flag presentation. The Twilight Alive series will host a special Fourth of July holiday celebration. Both concert series are held on Broad Street. Thursday nights are dedicated

to bluegrass music, and Friday nights feature tribute and cover bands, Southern rock, new country and beach music.

Both events are free. Visit the Downtown Kingsport Concert Series Facebook page or twilightalive.com for more information.

Music on the Square offers a little bit of everything, from Americana, bluegrass, Celtic and Irish to oldtime, blues and jazz. Every Friday night from May through September, Music on the Square is held in front of the Washington County Courthouse in Jonesborough’s historic district.

Concerts start at 7pm, and admission is free. Visit musiconthesquare.com or call the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center at (423) 753-1010 for more information.

For the second summer, Main Street Brews and Tunes will be held downtown, but there will be one change this year.

“This year, we’ve talked about hosting it every other Sunday. We’re wanting to have it June through October this year, every other Sunday, and it would probably start June 12,” says Melinda Copp, Main Street director for Downtown Jonesborough.

Brews and Tunes will highlight a different brewery each Sunday, offering three selections of beer, and a different band ranging from indie to Americana to folk.

“It’s been one of our missions for the last couple of years to have a draw on Sundays, give the stores a reason to stay open,” Copp explains. “With the boom in breweries and food trucks, we thought this would be good for the younger crowd in Jonesborough.”

Admission to Main Street Brews and Tunes is free. Craft beer will be sold for $5 a pint. Visit Main Street Jonesborough on Facebook for more information.

APR’16 › tchealthyliving.com

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PEOPLE

Community Gardens And Free Food Forests

If you’re into sustainable local food, you’ll be excited to hear about the work of Lexy Close, who’s made it her mission to improve local food access in innovative ways. › By Debra McCown

“W

e got started really just wanting to do projects around food and food access in our community, and it was a group of young people. There were six of us, recent college grads living in Johnson City,” says Close, co-founder and program leader for local nonprofit Build It Up East TN. “That first year, we mostly just ran educational workshops on gardening and helped out at some community gardens. In 2014, we received a $5,000 grant to build a community garden in a low-income community in Erwin.”

In its first season, that 25-bed garden produced roughly 1,000 pounds of food— and an impressive growth in community as neighborhood residents came together to work on the project.

The next project was something even cooler: food forests. The buzzword is “permaculture,” a concept where an up-front investment of time and effort yields benefits for decades once trees and other food plants are established.

Close says the idea behind food forests is that food and supporting plants (like those that fix nitrogen, attract beneficial insects or repel harmful bugs) are put together in such a way that they won’t require much long-term maintenance—and everyone in the community can freely gather what they need.

Among the food they’ve planted in Johnson City: apples, pears, plums, walnuts, mulberries, pawpaws and native berries.

The group’s latest project: teaching people to raise backyard gardens, both for their own use and to supplement their income by selling at local farmers markets.

That, too, has resulted in a surprising growth of community, Close says, as workshop participants have connected on social media.

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Lexy Close

It’s just about taking back your food system and being able to feed yourself no matter what happens. › Lexy Close

Close, a Johnson City native, says she’s traveled far and wide, studying in Massachusetts and then working on development projects in Africa. But she ultimately realized she didn’t need to spend so much time on airplanes to find people in need. Her work here, she says, is also part of building a better world.

“Fifty or 60 years ago, everybody had a garden. Teaching people how to garden wasn’t necessary. But people are becoming two and three generations removed from knowing how to grow food, how to preserve it, how to even cook it,” she says. “It’s just about taking back your food system and being able to feed yourself no matter what happens.”

H E A LT H Y

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NEWS

Brewing Buds

It was a snowy day in January, but the weather didn’t stop craft beer brewers from around the Tri-Cities from coming together in downtown Bristol for a collaborative effort: to create the white IPA with orange zest that will be featured during this year’s Tri-Cities Craft Beer Week. › By Debra McCown

T

ri-Cities Craft Beer Week will be held April 1-9, culminating with the Thirsty Orange Beer Festival in Johnson City on April 9.

“This is something we’ve been working on together,” says Ken Monyak, owner of Bristol Brewery, which hosted this year’s collaborative brew; last year, it was held at Wolf Hills Brewing Company in Abingdon.

“There is a Pro Brewers Guild in the Tri-Cities, and all the brewers get together periodically to go over thoughts and issues that brewers have, and then, of course, we’ve been working for the last couple of months during meetings on this beer.”

Well, that beer is finally ready for Tri-Cities Craft Beer Week, and it

will be available only at certain restaurants and breweries around the Tri-Cities.

Thirsty Orange is one of several beer › Ken Monyak festivals that have popped up around the region, and in the last couple of years local brewers have worked together on other craft beer initiatives, including the Brewly Noted Beer Trail, which links the nine guild breweries—a majority of the breweries in the Tri-Cities.

“All of us brewers are kind of buddies, and though we are indirect competition technically speaking, we all help each other out, and we all call each other for advice,” Monyak says. “It’s kind of a brotherhood.”

Bristol Brewery, which opened in July 2015, is among the TriCities’ newest, and it’s part of a national trend. Thanks in large part to changes in state laws that allow craft brewers the freedom to open tasting rooms on-site, Monyak says, nationwide the number of breweries has grown tenfold in 10 years.

Monyak adds that here in the Tri-Cities, local brewers have enjoyed working together to showcase a collaborative beer that shines a light on the great craft brews they all make individually—and he believes there’s still room for more breweries to open in the region.

It’s kind of a brotherhood.

Mark Your Calendars Upcoming 2016 beer festivals

APR 9:

Thirsty Orange Beer Festival, Johnson City

MAY 14: Racks by the Tracks, Kingsport

JUN 18: Hops & Howlers Craft Brew Fest, Abingdon FALL:

Kingsport Oktoberfest

Find out more › BREWLY NOTED BEER TRAIL › For more info on the Brewly Noted Beer Trail, visit brewlynotedbeertrail.com.

APR’16 › tchealthyliving.com

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TRENDS

Each month we create a new challenge for our readers to try to improve their health and wellness.

This month is all about putting down your cell phone. It’s time for some real communication. We are challenging you to stop scrolling, to power down and to hide the chargers—unplug!

The Issue

Professor Paul Dolan of the London School of Economics believes that the popularity of smartphones has distracted many from their nearest and dearest.

He sincerely believes that the key to happiness is concentrating on your family and friends, rather than seeking enjoyment from behind a screen.

One recent study shows that an average of 69,000 texts are sent every second in the United States. That’s a lot of texts.

The Challenge

Do you think you could go without using your phone but twice a day? Once to set an alarm for the next morning and once more to turn it off? You’ll never know until you try. Who knows, you may want to make a habit out of it, so here are some tricks for keeping your mind off your phone.

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THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT. Ironically, this may be the first step to staying off your phone. Once you are aware of the amount of time you waste daily, you may be more likely to keep it at bay. Dr. David Greensfield, Ph.D., an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, confides that most people are “flabbergasted when they see they have checked their phones 300 times in one day.” Download Checky in the app store to see your number.

NO NOTIFICATIONS. If you can’t see advertisements that your apps are sending you, requests on social media sites or texts lighting up your phone, you are far less likely to check on your own initiative. Turn off push notifications for apps that you can get away with ignoring.

TALK IT OUT. Try making plans, car

arrangements and anything else you may have to send a text about in person. Not only will you experience reallife communication, but you also may notice fewer mix-ups and misunderstandings.

CARRY A BOOK WITH YOU. If

you think you will be bored without a phone to gaze into, think again. Did you know that reading a good book can reduce your stress levels by as much as 68 percent?

Phone shmone.

GET A HOBBY. Flower arranging, writing, cooking, sewing? There are so many activities that you could devote what little free time you have to. Use the hours you won’t be wasting anymore wisely. Learn an instrument. Work as a volunteer.

DELETE SOCIAL MEDIA. Here’s the true test. Once your detox is done, will you go all the way? If this is too extreme for you, sign out of each app after you’ve used it. This will require you to sign in each time you try and use them again, meaning you will not be able to mindlessly open them every spare second.

Sources: time.com, buzzfeed.com, dailymail.com

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INSIGHT ADVICE SOLUTIONS

H E A LT H Y

INSIGHT

Source: abc7ny.com, time.com

Chalk It Up To Biology

For years, women have insisted that men were playing the “man flu” card whenever they got a case of the sniffles, but a new study in the American Journal of Physiology suggests that men may actually suffer more severely from illness than women due to their lack of estrogen.

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Researchers have said that estrogen-based compounds can make it harder for the flu virus to infect cells and that the female hormone may actually protect women from more severe symptoms. So the next time your guy comes down with the flu, maybe cut him a little slack—he’s probably not faking it.

H E A LT H Y

dose ADVICE

“Lift with your legs!” How many times does it have to be said? Around 200,000, apparently.

That’s how many people suffer hernias annually after improper lifting or carrying (or, to be fair, as a result of weak abdominal muscles strained by constant coughing, sneezing or particularly laborious bowel movements). Read on for more than you could ever want to know about hernias. First things first…

Hernia, n.: the protrusion of an organ or tissue through an opening in its surrounding walls, especially in the abdominal region Sounds painful, right? Usually it has to do with the intestines or the bladder poking out of the abdominal wall or into the inguinal canal near the groin, usually occurring in men. This is aptly called the inguinal hernia.

A femoral hernia, however, usually affects the ladies, especially those who are pregnant or overweight. It occurs when the intestines go barging into the canal carrying the femoral artery into the thigh. Rude.

If the small intestine moves through the abdominal wall near the navel, you have an umbilical hernia (most common in pregnant women and newborns).

In a hiatal hernia, the upper portion of the stomach passes through the hiatus, which is an opening in the diaphragm for the esophagus.

Incisional hernia occurs when the intestine tries to escape via an old surgery incision that has created a weak place in the muscles. It happens most often in those inactive after surgery who do not rebuild the muscle’s former strength.

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Do I Have A Hernia?

You may not know you have a hernia, only finding out if it appears during another doctor’s visit. But some unfortunate people experience pain when bending over, lifting or coughing (stop, that’s what got you into this mess!), a visible bulge with burning at the site and a feeling of weakness and heaviness in the abdomen. Some with hiatal hernias will experience acid reflux.

Treatment is generally a surgery to repair the torn muscle or tissue wall with synthetic mesh and return the organs back to their rightful places, removing any oxygen-starved, now useless portions. The use of laparoscopes is becoming more common, meaning the recovery from these procedures is quicker and easier than ever before.

Hernias have one thing in common: They’re only possible due to pressure on an opening or a weak muscle. If you, like any right-minded individual, hope to keep your organs in their proper containers, beware of risk factors.

Lift with proper form, using muscles in the legs.

Obesity, poor nutrition and smoking all weaken abdominal muscles, too.

Sources: webmd.com

Did Someone Say Hernia?

H E A LT H Y

dose I want candy.

If you crave sweets, you may be experiencing blood sugar fluctuations.

Catering to your sweet tooth, however, causes your insulin production to spike, putting you at risk for type 2 diabetes.

Instead of reaching for the rocky road container, how about rinsing off an apple? Fruits low in natural sugars are a great substitute for the artificial sweets most of us covet.

INSIGHT

A Crash Course On Cravings

Ice cream and pickles anyone? According to a study published in the journal Appetite, most people experience cravings.

Say cheese... and bring me some, too.

If you crave red meat, your body may be lacking a bit of iron. Healthy meat alternatives, such as beans, legumes, figs and other dry fruit, will also do the trick. But between you and I, a big juicy burger will be just fine in moderation.

Though a large part of the human population will argue that cheese is just delicious and that’s why we crave it— the other half begs to differ. Research has noted that cheese cravings often indicate a fatty acid deficiency. This is where the good news comes into play.

The same omega-3 fatty acids found in walnuts, flaxseed and salmon are also found in cheeses and are said to lower the risk of certain chronic diseases.

I need chocolate.

Pass the salt.

Where’s the meat?

Low magnesium? Bring on the chocolate. Nutritionists estimate that over 80 percent of the population is lacking in dietary magnesium, explaining why so many of us reach for chocolate (OK, and it tastes pretty good, too…) Foods such as nuts, seeds,

A craving for salt is commonly attributed to stress—and its toll on the adrenal glands. Research shows your adrenal glands release cortisol when you are under stress, resulting in your body’s craving for high-fat, simple-carb food. Next time you’re feeling stressed, try going for a walk or grabbing a banana instead of reaching for the carbs.

Sources: active.com, cbsnews.com, cnn.com

In fact, 97 percent of women and 68 percent of men who participated in this study reported yearning for a certain snack. Now about that ice cream...

Some attribute cravings to the nutrients missing from their diet.

Although, based on the fact that it’s not often we develop a hankering for liver and kale—it’s safe to say that may not be entirely true. Karen Ansel, MS, RD, CDN, agrees pointing out that most often we crave “high carb and fat comfort foods.” Simply said, sometimes we just want some extra salt!

Still think your cravings are a mystery waiting to be solved? Grab your chips, it’s time to decode.

fish and greens will also give us the necessary vitamins found in chocolate.

If you still insist on magnesium intake through chocolate, choose dark chocolate—it’s proven healthier.

APR’16 › tchealthyliving.com

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INSIGHT

The Windows to Wellness

The eyes are one of the things we focus on most when interacting with others, but how often do we check our own?

The next time you consider putting off your annual eye exam, consider this: The eyes can be the first indicators of oncoming health hurdles.

Hypertension has no visible symptoms except in the eyes. High blood pressure causes the retina’s blood vessels to swell or shrink, signaling trouble in blood flow to the kidneys, brain and heart. The Journal of the American Medical Association found a direct correlation between these retinal changes and an increased risk of heart failure.

Feeling uneasy? Those who suffer from mental illness (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc.) have different gazing patterns than others.

A study in 2013 by the Journal of Abnormal Psychology determined that participants with depression took significantly longer to look away from a negative stimuli, such as sad photographs, than those who did not report having depression, perhaps because they reflect those emotions.

If your eyes seem like they bulge, it could be a sign your thyroid is causing trouble. Graves Disease, caused by hyperthyroidism, is caused when the gland produces excessive hormones, which attack tissues around the eye socket. This leads to inflammation behind the eye, pushing it outward, which occurs in over 50 percent of Graves patients.

Eye exams are preventative for more than cataracts. Inflammation in the optic nerve can signal trouble in the nervous system. This nerve inflammation—optic neuritis—is seen in approximately 75 percent of patients with multiple sclerosis. In up to one in four cases, it’s the first sign that leads to diagnosis, sometimes coupled with blurry vision and eye pain.

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Bloodshot, achy eyes can happen for any number of reasons, but if you’ve been getting enough sleep and the problem persists, it could point to a more serious issue. Inflammation of the eye, uveitis, is typically a sign of inflammation in other areas of the body.

It happens when the immune system begins attacking its own bodily tissues, trademarks of conditions like psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. In the latter, 25 percent of sufferers will experience these eye troubles.

Diabetes is the condition most likely to be diagnosed during an eye exam.

High blood sugar thins blood vessels in the retina, causing proteins to travel into the macula (doc speak for the part of your eye that focuses). It can also lead to miniscule hemorrhages in the retina and lipid deposits visible as yellow splotches to an ophthalmologist.

Remember folks: It’s important to get your annual eye exam, whether you think you need new glasses or not.

Sources: prevention.com, cbsnews.com, nih.gov

H E A LT H Y

HEALTH MATTERS Most women over 40 would like to have thicker hair, smoother skin and stronger nails. Production of collagen, a structural protein that integrally forms a resilient matrix of cells in these types of tissue slowly begins to wane as we age.

Consequently, a decline in our hair volume, skin elasticity and nail strength becomes apparent.

For years, scientists have been searching for a method to help spark the regeneration of collagen production. Their research led to the discovery of ch-OSA, a naturally occurring compound found in BioSil, which activates the body’s actual collagen-generating cells known as fibroblasts.

In clinical trials, BioSil was found to increase both hair thickness and strength by 13%, reduce fine lines and wrinkles by 30% and improve elasticity of the skin by 89%. Integrity of the nails was also noticeably improved.

BioSil can help you have thicker hair, more resilient skin and stronger nails, as well.

As always, we guarantee your satisfaction.

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u o Ymake e M im Gibson

By J

SICK According to the National Institutes of Health, there are more than 7,000 listed rare diseases in the United States.

Add to this list the ones yet to be discovered or reported and our world can suddenly begin to look like a very scary place.

Although our bodies are amazingly resilient, they are subjected to a constant barrage of bacteria, viruses and toxins, and many of us are born with genetic predispositions to certain illnesses.

Some diseases are quite well-known and many research dollars are spent searching for cures, but what about those rare and elusive ailments that not only defy treatment or a cure but even diagnosis? After all, how can your physician diagnose a disease he or she has never even heard of?

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty…

You know that Facebook friend who loves to post pictures of their newborn baby snuggled up with the family cat? Well, maybe those photos are great to all the cat lovers out there, but to those of us who cringe at the sight, we have good reason to be concerned.

SWAK

Toxoplasmosis is caused by the single-cell parasite Toxoplasma gondii, and it seems this vicious little germ reproduces only in the stomachs of cats. Unless you regularly sanitize your cat (inside and out), it is entirely possible that T. gondii is present not only in its feces but possibly on its fur or your hands.

Once infected, you are infected for life. T. gondii will take up residence all throughout your body, especially in the brain, muscles and heart.

Initially, you may only feel flulike symptoms, and as long as your immune system remains healthy, you may feel just fine. But if your immune system becomes compromised, the parasite can reactivate itself and then you’re in a world of trouble.

Young children, the elderly or persons with lowered immune systems from disease or certain medications can then be infected with full-blown toxoplasmosis. Symptoms include headaches, confusion, loss of coordination, convulsions, lung problems and blurred vision. If a woman is pregnant when infected, she is prone to miscarriage and her child may suffer from birth defects. (Some of these defects may not manifest until the child is a teenager.)

T. gondii can also be found in contaminated food or water or possibly transmitted via blood transfusion.

Triatoma rubida bugs, also known as kissing bugs, have made their way to Florida via the Gulf Coast states.

These not-so-cute little fellows carry a parasite known as Trypanosoma cruzi. T. cruzi is the cause of the infamous Chagas disease that has long plagued Latin American countries.

Kissing bugs live in your walls or roof during the day and come out at night to feed… on you. These blood suckers tend to bite humans on the face or lips and then defecate near the feeding site. This allows T. cruzi to enter the body.

Once infected, many people show very few initial symptoms. Some people may have a mild fever, headache and enlarged lymph nodes, and some may show no symptoms at all. Thirty to 40 percent of persons bitten have more serious symptoms that can appear as long as 30 years after the initial bite.

In 20 to 30 percent of those cases, T. cruzi affects the heart much in the same way cardiomyopathy does, destroying the ventricular muscle. In fact, this disease is many times mistaken for cardiomyopathy. Some victims may also have an enlarged esophagus or colon. Once the disease has begun its progression, it is virtually impossible to stop its damaging effects. >>

UNLESS YOU REGULARLY SANITIZE YOUR CAT (INSIDE AND OUT), IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT T. GONDII IS PRESENT NOT ONLY IN ITS FECES BUT POSSIBLY ON ITS FUR OR YOUR HANDS.

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Off With Their Heads!

For persons suffering from Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, they could very well find the loss of their heads a distinct relief, because this malady is usually accompanied by blinding migraine headaches.

Anyone can suddenly suffer from AIWS, but the symptoms (which include seeing objects as much smaller or larger than they actually are and the sufferer feeling as if they are much smaller or larger than they actually are) usually begin as a small child. Many people outgrow them, but others suffer from these debilitating symptoms for a lifetime. For some of the more unfortunate, the symptoms simply appear from nowhere and can be quite frightening, lasting for an undetermined amount of time.

The disease derived its name from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Alice experienced many of the symptoms of this disease, and it is believed Carroll himself may have suffered from it also, as he was prone to violent migraine headaches.

A Rose By Any Other Name

The next time you bend over to pick a rose for your Romeo or Juliet, be sure not to prick your finger on a thorn. Lurking on the stem that holds those beautiful petals could be the fungi (or not-so-fun-guy) Sporothrix schenckii.

Once this rather unromantic fellow gets under your skin, then the real problems can begin. Sporotrichosis, or Rose Picker’s Disease, can give you a very nasty skin infection and can also affect your central nervous system, lungs, bones, joints and eyes. Although a healthy immune system may make your symptoms milder, it is no assurance that this infection can’t become a very serious problem.

Maybe a box of chocolates might be a better choice.

ANYONE CAN SUDDENLY SUFFER FROM AIWS. THE SYMPTOMS SIMPLY APPEAR FROM NOWHERE AND CAN BE QUITE FRIGHTENING.

The Butt Of Every Joke LISTEN, DIARRHEA IS NO LAUGHING MATTER, ESPECIALLY IF IT’S BRAINERD DIARRHEA. NAMED AFTER THE NOWINFAMOUS TOWN OF BRAINERD, MINNESOTA, THIS DIARRHEA ISN’T YOUR EVERYDAY STOMACH VIRUS. IN FACT, RESEARCHERS AREN’T SURE WHAT IT IS AT ALL. WHAT THEY DO KNOW IS THAT IT CAN SEND YOU SCURRYING FOR A BATHROOM MORE THAN 10 TIMES A DAY FOR UP TO A YEAR OR MORE.

This malady, which was first seen in 1983 during the Brainerd outbreak that affected 122 people, has no known cause and no known cure. It has cropped up in several other states since the initial outbreak. So, next time you’re heading up to spend a week in Brainerd, you might want to take your own water… and food… and hand wipes… and antibacterial soap… and maybe an extra roll of Charmin.

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Slightly Cool With A Chance Of Death

o l l i d a n o d d e An Arm g a rm

COLD URTICARIA IS LITERALLY AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO ANYTHING COLD. THE SYMPTOMS INCLUDE HIVES, WELTS, ITCHING—ANY OF THE SYMPTOMS A PERSON MIGHT FEEL DURING ANY ALLERGIC REACTION. IN SEVERE CASES, THE VICTIM CAN GO INTO FULL-FLEDGED ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK AND DIE. Although this illness is usually found in younger persons, it can persist well into middle age. Relief can be found by living in an area such as Ocala where warm sunny climes are the norm, avoiding cold beverages and food, staying out of cold water and avoiding anyone who might give you the cold shoulder.

Out Of The Blue

r A Because many of our readers are new to Florida, we wanted to let you know about a little known disease that can be found incubating in one in five of those cute little Armadillos frolicking about on your front lawn.

Yes—it’s leprosy.

We know you thought that went by the wayside several hundred years ago, but… well, it didn’t. The thing that did go by the wayside is a person being slowly eaten alive by the disease, which can cause skin lesions.

New antibiotics can now cure you of leprosy, but the fact you caught it probably won’t get you invited to many dinner parties.

How can you avoid the possibility of getting leprosy from a wayward armadillo? Don’t eat them, don’t wrestle with them and avoid digging in your flower garden in the same spot they do.

Whooping It Up

Two years ago, at 57 years of age, I had a terrible bout with Whooping Cough for the second time in my life. I include this disease in this article because it became very personal to me, as I almost coughed myself to death over several months.

What is amazing is that 300,000 people around the world do just that every year.

And if you are a part of my generation that suffered through pertussis when we were young, sit up and take notice—we are beginning to have it again.

It seems that our immunity to this horrible disease isn’t a lifelong thing; it is only a decades-long thing. The fact is, because pertussis is becoming a problem due to popular anti-vaccination movements, there are going to be more children coming down with the disease. It is still fairly rare, but it is becoming increasingly more common. As more children come down with whooping cough, so will more Baby Boomers… and Florida is Baby Boomer heaven. Remember, you can be vaccinated again, and it might be well worth it, because if you do come down with the disease, there is little to be done other than wait it out… and trust me on this one… it seems like forever.

ADULT ONSET STILL’S DISEASE HAS NO KNOWN CAUSE, AND TREATMENT IS ONLY SPECIFIC TO EACH SYMPTOM. THE DISEASE, WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY JOINT PAIN, HIGH, SPIKING FEVERS, RASH, MUSCLE PAIN AND SORE THROAT, STRIKES FROM NOWHERE AND IS BELIEVED TO BE WHAT IS CALLED AN AUTOIMMUNE SYNDROME. RESEARCHERS BELIEVE IT MAY BE THE BODY’S RESPONSE TO AN INFECTION OR TOXIN THAT HAS GONE AWRY, BUT, WHATEVER THE CAUSE, THE DISEASE CAN WORSEN PROGRESSIVELY AND CAUSE LONG-TERM DISABILITY.

Fevers occur almost daily and are usually accompanied by a rash on the chest or thighs. Joint pain can intensify, and, eventually, the affected joints can be destroyed. Adults between 16 and 35 years of age are usually affected, and slightly more women than men contract the disease.

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downtown

DINING Four eateries that offer an intimate atmosphere and locally sourced options in the Tri-Cities.

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Leigh AnBnY

Laube PHOTOS BY Peter Mon tanti

quiet &g relaxin

UNCORKED Tony Hughes’ job as a computer engineer has allowed him the opportunity to travel all over the world. He grew tired of returning to the Tri-Cities and not having a quiet place—free of televisions and loud music—to relax with his wife, Juli. So, they created their own place.

Uncorked is a wine bar, a restaurant and a place to relax, unwind and communicate.

“The main focus is people not being bombarded by TVs and loud music, people being able to communicate. I want people to feel like they’re coming into my house,” says Hughes.

Uncorked held its grand opening on Valentine’s Day 2015 in downtown Kingsport. The 1950s-era building features an exposed brick wall, drop ceiling and exposed rafters. A custombuilt bar, tables, chairs and wine racks, plus a mezzanine seating area add to the ambiance. The high-backed chairs and comfortable couches, along with muted lighting and piped-in jazz music, create a casual, intimate atmosphere with an urban feel. Visually, Uncorked is simplistic, with only two large wall murals and an assortment of Dr. Seuss quotes.

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Brandon Hartgrove and Tony Hughes

“This comes from about five different wine bars I’ve been to around the world,” says Hughes of the specific way he envisioned Uncorked.

The menu is anything but simple, with offerings ranging from American to Asian to Brazilian, along with an ever-changing inventory of 170 wines, more than 60 bourbons and nearly 40 beers—ales, domestics, high gravities, seasonals, IPAs and pale ales, and porters and stouts. Wine and bourbon flights are also offered.

Uncorked’s menu, a collaboration between Hughes and Executive Chef Brandon Hartgrove, also changes and begins with a variety of appetizers and salads. Flatbreads include CBR (chicken, bacon and homemade ranch), Black and Blue (filet mignon, blue cheese dressing and blue cheese crumbles), and Three Cheese (goat cheese, mozzarella and asiago). There are fresh burgers made with grass-fed, locally sourced beef, as well as special house sandwiches like Grilled Cheese with Pesto and Tony’s Bologna.

Big Plate entrées include Chipotle Grilled Chicken, Filet Mignon Tips, Grilled Salmon, Grilled Shrimp, Lobster Ravioli and Picanha (a popular Brazilian

UNCORKED

dish with cuts of sirloin rubbed with rock salt and herbs). Chef Specials feature New Zealand Grass-Fed Filet Mignon, Pig and Fig (pork chops with fig and apricot sauce), Seared Ahi Tuna and Grilled Lamb Lollipops. Bananas Foster and Flourless Chocolate Cake are popular dessert items.

Uncorked does keep gluten-free items on hand and can accommodate vegetarians and children (cheese pizza, chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese).

“The one thing we are here is everchanging,” says Hughes. “We’re always trying to mix things up.”

On occasion, Uncorked hosts local musicians who play original music, primarily jazz. The mezzanine is available to rent, as is the entire restaurant, and Uncorked caters both food and alcohol.

Hughes says it’s important for people to understand that Uncorked is different from most restaurants.

“This is not a chain. You’re not going to get your food in five minutes. Everything is made fresh.

It’s healthy food. You’re not going to be overwhelmed with TV, media and cluttered walls.”

casuala&ble comfor t

316 Broad Street, Suite 102, Kingsport (423) 765-0085 uncorkedkpt.com Jack Barrow

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128 PECAN

128 Pecan has that “where everybody knows your name” vibe, and that’s just the way chef and owner Jack Barrow wants it.

128 Pecan Street SE, Abingdon, VA (276) 698-3159 128pecan.com

It’s hard not to feel like you’re coming home, especially since 128 Pecan is housed in a former private residence. Crossing the expanded front patio, customers go through the front door into what was presumably once a living room.

“Welcome back. How are ya?” Barrow greets a customer.

128 Pecan—the restaurant named for its street location—is cozy.

It’s casual. It’s comfortable. It’s quirky.

“We might not know you when you walk in the front door, but we’ll know something about you before you leave,” Barrow says.

“It’s a family spot. Everybody knows everybody. We try to have a good time.”

Barrow opened 128 Pecan in April 2012, but this certainly isn’t his first venture in the restaurant business. He is the former owner of the Peppermill, which he sold in 2004. Before Peppermill, he ran restaurants in Atlanta; Park City, Utah; and California. But he was born and raised in Abingdon, and he came home in 2010 to be with his aging father.

“I was home three months and my father said, ‘What are you going to do?’ and I said, “I guess I’ll open another restaurant.’”

Barrow bought out the Trail Café located near the Virginia Creeper Trail.

“Every day we’re open, we’re one day closer to that magical place I had in mind…. We’re damn near,” he says.

The house-turned-restaurant has a staff of 15 and seats 32.

The outside patio can accommodate about a dozen more when the weather allows. The restaurant is decorated Barrow-style with family photos and other personal memorabilia and the “Plate Hall of Fame.”

The Plate Hall of Fame features white, oval dinner plates signed by various dignitaries (and not-so-dignitaries). There’s a plate signed by the governor of Georgia, the bishop of Southwest Virginia, various musical band members, Vicki Randle (the first and only female member of “The Tonight Show Band”), professor, poet and novelist Frances Mayes and visitors from Switzerland and Alaska.

Barrow once hosted the entire Virginia Supreme Court at 128 Pecan.

128 Pecan is open for lunch and dinner, and the menu was created mostly by Barrow.

“After 30 years doing this, you kind of know what people want, for the most part,” he says.

Lunch favorites include Tomato Bisque Soup, the Sesame Fried Oyster Tacos (with Asian slaw, pickled ginger and cilantro), the Cobb Salad and 128’s Really Good Caesar Salad, which Barrow calls “the best Caesar salad ever.”

For dinner, diners are fond of the Low Country Pasta, the Grilled Lamb Chops, the Baked Chili Rubbed Salmon, the Caribbean Jerk Chicken and the Fried Oysters.

And Barrow considers his menu very affordable.

“Ninety-eight percent is under $20, with salad and soup,” he says.

There are more than two dozen wines to choose from, along with about eight beers (both domestic imports and premium imports).

The Virginia Creeper Trail and Barter Theatre productions bring crowds to the restaurant, located just off Abingdon’s Main Street.

“It’s just a fun, comfortable little spot to get a good bite to eat,” Barrow says.

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warm & c oz y

Kim Martin

Fermented, modeled after the intimate, friendly atmosphere of the casual neighborhood trattorias you’ll find in Italy and France, opened in early January 2015 in downtown Kingsport.

Fermented, which features exposed brick and burgundy walls—along with local, original artwork and locally handcrafted tables—seats 43, with additional courtyard seating available during good weather.

Although some customers prefer the traditional approach of having someone pour a glass of wine at their table, most love the Napa Technology WineStations, which is essentially selfserve wine. A temperature-controlled wine dispensing system allows you to select from 16 different wines by the glass, dispensed in your choice of

FERMENTED Trying to turn a small space into a successful revenuegenerating business can be challenging. Julie Gunn embraced that space and created a warm, cozy wine bar where people can feel comfortable and like part of the family.

160 Commerce Street, Kingsport (423) 288-2925 fermentedwinebar.com 24

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sizes—a taste, a half serving or a full serving—using a smart card.

“The initial reason, frankly, for choosing the wine stations was for the novelty of the technology,” Gunn explains. “But after learning more about them, we realized that the stations would allow us to offer customers the opportunity to taste a wide variety of expensive wines without the risk of waste. Our plan was to put our more expensive wines in the system and to hand-pour our less expensive wines.”

This plan, however, resulted in Fermented getting the reputation of being expensive, Gunn says.

“We soon learned that our customers also liked the novelty of the technology and wanted to use the wine system for all of their wine, which sometimes resulted in an unexpectedly high bill at checkout.

To correct this, we have loaded the system with a variety of moderately priced wines. We have four wine stations, each of which holds four bottles chilled to the perfect temperature. Each station contains one bottle of more expensive wine for people to taste and three bottles of moderately priced wine,” she says.

Fermented opened originally as a wine bar, serving a very limited selection of food, and an in-house bakery.

“It’s not that way anymore,” says Kim Martin, Fermented’s chef and manager.

Fermented’s customers wanted gourmet food with ever-changing specials, so the menu quickly expanded.

It began by serving a limited lunch, and then adding dinner and eventually brunch on Saturdays.

Many menu items are offered tapas style, which Gunn says was necessary because of space limitations in the kitchen.

“We have since doubled the size of our kitchen in order to offer more traditional dinner items, in addition to small plates or tapas,” she says.

House-made pickles and beef jerky, along with an array of pressed sandwiches, salads, cheeses and charcuterie, are offered for lunch and dinner.

Desserts are prepared fresh daily at Proof Patisserie, Fermented’s bakery.

One of the most popular lunch options, Martin says, is the Commerce Salad, made with fresh marinated kale, pickled carrots, roasted tomatoes, local Ziegenwald Dairy black pepper cheese and homemade dressing.

For dinner, customers lean toward the Shrimp & Grits and the Style Flatbread, a vegetarian option. Both are served tapas style and are great for sharing.

Brunch options include Loaded Potato Hash, Croissant French Toast, Steak and Eggs and the Brunch Special (a revolving chef’s special).

“We always keep the standards, but we do change up the menu seasonally,” Martin says. “We’re smart enough to keep our tried-and-true items.”

Fermented, in partnership with Model City Grove School, offers live music every Friday night. Weather permitting, Firepit Fridays allow patrons the chance to roast marshmallows while listening to music.

Fermented is available for private events.

local & fresh

Ashley Cavender

BOONE STREET MARKET

Ashley Cavender gets that some people just don’t understand the local food movement.

But that’s OK. As local food market coordinator at the Boone Street Market (BSM) in downtown Jonesborough, she has ample opportunity to educate others about locally grown food.

101 Boone Street, Jonesborough (423) 753-4722 Find them on Facebook

“Some people aren’t familiar with the local food movement.

They’ll come in and say, ‘Do you have bananas?’ ‘No, and we’ll never have bananas,’” she explains.

BSM, housed in an old gas station in Tennessee’s oldest town, opened in late fall 2014 as an outgrowth of Saturday’s Jonesborough Farmers Market. Although the farmers market is open seasonally, May through October, the BSM is open year-round. BSM’s goal is to create and sustain communitysupported markets for producers and consumers of locally grown food.

That means everything in the market—be it meat, cheese, eggs, bread, beer, fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies, sauces, crackers, olive oil, coffee, tea, honey, ice cream, butter, chocolate or granola—is produced within a hundred miles of Jonesborough.

“Our overall mission is to get locally sourced products,” Cavender, an AmeriCorps member, explains. “We want to be a drop-off point for all farmers.”

Currently, BSM has about 90 vendors (or farmers).

Growers are in Unicoi; Zionville, North Carolina; Rural Retreat, Virginia; Waynesville, North Carolina; Asheville, North Carolina; Abingdon, Virginia; Rogersville, Afton, Limestone, Jonesborough, Kingsport, Telford, Johnson City and Chuckey.

Each item on the store shelves is identified by grower, and all farmers set their own product price and work with Cavender to monitor and replenish their inventory.

The store, staffed by Cavender with help from nearly 30 volunteers, has a commercial kitchen and offers lunch from 11am to 3pm, every Thursday through Saturday.

“The kitchen’s mission is to be a source for products no longer shelfworthy. We try to cook it, preserve it. I see what overabundance we have and make a meal with it,” she says.

Typical lunches can feature a variety of soups and salads, butternut macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, casseroles and risottos.

“We always serve locally and within season,” she says.

BSM also offers educational opportunities in the way of cooking classes. Volunteers have taught classes on canning, winter soups and herbal tinctures.

A non-profit, BSM relies on three major fundraisers—activities during the National Storytelling Festival and Jonesborough Days, and an annual farmto-table dinner. It also hosts a monthly 100-mile dinner (although it has been a brunch).

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FARM, FORK, FANTASTIC

By Debra McCown

What do you get when you bring fresh food from local farms together with fresh inspiration from local chefs?

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“It’s like they’re all there at one big family dinner—but it’s a really, really big family.”

–Karen Childress

You get a great big helping of community—and some amazing meals.

Photos by Jeffrey Stoner Photography

I

n the Tri-Cities—a region surrounded by farms and blessed with a longstanding agricultural tradition—farm-to-table dinners have taken off as a way for people to enjoy the fruits of the land with their neighbors while raising money for organizations that work to connect people with local food.

It probably won’t come as a shock that, around here, the trend started in Jonesborough: a charming little historic town that’s long had a significant cultural impact.

First held in 2011, Jonesborough’s Farm to Table Dinner was presented as only Jonesborough can do it: with a great big table down the middle of its 18thcentury Main Street. It began at the urging of a local small business owner, who volunteered to help make it happen as a fundraiser for the local farmers market.

“We had to have special permission to clear Main Street and serve alcohol on Main Street, but this being Jonesborough, where this is a nice small town and everybody wants to work together, that was made possible—and it has just taken off like wildfire,” says Karen Childress, executive director of Jonesborough Locally Grown, the local nonprofit that runs Jonesborough’s Saturday market and a local farmers market store called Boone Street Market.

“The first year we served 100 people, and the second year we served 160, and now we’re up to 216, which is the number we calculate that can fit in our rain location.”

The popularity of the event has certainly been boosted by a general interest in local food and farmers markets but also because of the unique open-air atmosphere that’s created just once a year, bringing

the community together around a long, beautiful harvest table in the center of town.

“This is as big as we can probably get in Jonesborough, though demand is such that we could probably serve 500 people if there was a table long enough,” Childress says.

“What people have said is there’s just some kind of magical atmosphere that’s created, and part of it is being at one communal table. It’s obviously so long you can’t talk to everybody, but it creates a certain atmosphere; it’s like they’re all there at one big family dinner—but it’s a really, really big family.”

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The local food trend has really taken hold in the last few years, and with seating limited for the big event, they’ve also started hosting a smaller sit-down community dining experience: Hundred Mile Dinners, based on what’s seasonally available within 100 miles, at Boone Street Market.

“Over the last 10 years, there’s just been a slow figuring out that where your food comes from is very important. And it just so happens that we formed our farmers market eight years ago, and we have just kind of ridden that trend,” Childress says, noting how the resurgence of farmers markets is something that transcends political lines.

“It’s an easy cause to like,” she says. “Everybody likes good food, healthy food, and maybe it’s for environmental reasons that you want to reduce the carbon footprint of your food, or maybe it’s for taste and freshness that you want to eat good food, or it’s for health reasons.

There are just so many reasons why food from farmers markets is a good thing; it’s good, broad appeal.”

Two years ago, Kingsport started holding a downtown event inspired by Jonesborough and striving for a similar atmosphere with live music and a focus on local food, wine and beer, says Sherri Mosley, executive director of the Downtown Kingsport Association.

“The first year we had it… we did this long, straight table right down the middle of Broad Street. We just closed the entire street down and did it right down the middle, and it was just beautiful,” she says. “The next year we set to do the same thing, but there came a big thunderstorm, so we moved it inside.”

With the event’s immediate popularity, Kingsport also kicked off another downtown local food event: the Top of the Town Progressive Dinner, which takes diners to three rooftop dining locations over the course of one evening. In Kingsport, the local food concept has been tied into the larger buy-local ethic of downtown revitalization.

Another hotspot in the local farm-to-table movement is Greeneville, where the Incredible Corn Dinner has become a big annual tradition. The theme is corn—and it has even included moonshine.

“We incorporate corn in as many different ways as we can, but there’s always some sample of actual Incredible corn from Still Hollow Farms,” says Sally Causey, executive director of Rural Resources, the Greeneville-based educational nonprofit that puts on the event.

“Last year we had popcorn for an appetizer, and I’m pretty sure we had corn on the cob. Some years we’ve had creamed corn. One year we had Cornish hens.

We’ve told corny jokes, we’ve auctioned off toothpicks, we’ve done all kinds of really fun things, and the food is as local as it could possibly be. We just use the corn as the theme and make it fun.”

“It’s an easy cause to like. Everybody likes good food, healthy food.”

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Photos courtesy Still Hollow Century Farm

–Karen Childress

Photos by Misty Dempsey

“We’ve got candlelight and linen napkins in this beautiful barn, and what’s great is people get to know other people they’ve never met before.”

–Lynn Bauer

This annual meal has had the same problem as the others: It’s so popular that it’s just not possible to keep up with the demand.

Most of the big farm-to-table events in the TriCities limit ticket sales. Some have special mailing lists or early morning waiting lines. Some raise the price every year but still sell out of tickets quickly.

Rural Resources’ response to that has been “Dinners on the Land,” monthly events in the summer months planned around local food that varies from potluck to a simple local meal for around $10.

“It’s a community gathering around local food, and it’s really to be able to come to the farm and hang out and have fun,” Causey says.

She says it’s also about keeping people connected to their agricultural roots.

“Fifty years ago, local food was what you ate because there wasn’t any other food. There’s still some parts of Northeast Tennessee where that’s the case,” she says.

“Local food can be grown in your backyard. Local food can be purchased at the farmers market down the road. It can be traded with your neighbor, and it can come as a gift at your doorstep when your neighbor has too many squash.

It’s about getting excited about the things we can grow and produce ourselves, and that can make life healthier in so many ways. It’s the exercise that goes into producing it and the nutrition that comes from eating it.”

Just down the road from Rural Resources is River House Farm, where farmer and chef Melissa Rebholz hosts her own local meal series, the River House Supper Club. Those dinners are limited to 20 people, and they strive for cultural diversity—from traditional comfort foods to Indian and other ethnic cuisine that’s not so common in the Tri-Cities.

Rebholz echoes the sentiment of a lot of local food promoters: The generation of Americans who are used to the taste of ultra-processed ingredients and tomatoes shipped cross-country wants to re-learn what it tastes like to eat fresh and local.

She seeks to connect farms, food and families, to help people see back to the land and, especially here, to see the value in their rich Appalachian agricultural heritage and keep it alive.

In a convenience-focused world, she says, it’s a very real danger that this heritage will be lost.

“If people don’t have home-cooked versions of food that is made from scratch because nobody has time to do it anymore, then your kids will never do it because they didn’t grow

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–Sylvia Crum

Photos courtesy Appalachian Sustainable Development

“We are leading a revival that empowers communities to embrace long-ago traditions that value farming, food and family.”

up seeing it. They won’t even know to talk about it when they have kids because they’ve never seen it done,” she says, “and within three generations an entire culture of food heritage is completely gone.”

Rebholz isn’t the only one who’s begun hosting local food dinners on her farm. In Bristol, Fern Valley Farm has been holding their farm-to-table meals for about five years. On one weekend a month—Friday and Saturday nights— Fern Valley hosts 48 people at their classy barn house and, when the weather cooperates, on an outdoor deck.

Some 1,600 people are signed up for the twice-monthly email list about upcoming dinners and menus, and the events often fill up way in advance. Fern Valley, an educational farm, bases its meals on what’s in season and raises money for local charities.

“We’ve got candlelight and linen napkins in this beautiful barn, and what’s great is people get to know other people they’ve never met before,” says Lynn Bauer, who owns the farm with her husband, Larry. “It’s a really elegant dinner, but it’s also a lot of food.”

The other big farm-to-table event in Kingsport is the Farm to Fork Gala, which is held at the MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center and raises money to support Appalachian Sustainable Development, an Abingdon-based nonprofit that’s had a meaningful impact on the local food economy in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee over the last two decades.

“We are leading a revival that empowers communities to embrace long-ago traditions that value farming, food and family,” says Sylvia Crum, director of communications and development for ASD. “Through our work we are addressing regional challenges like poverty, job loss, poor health and food insecurity.”

A big part of the organization’s impact has been in making key connections within the region. Its flagship enterprise, Appalachian Harvest, has brought together farmers to market their produce collectively to grocery stores, making it possible for a lot of small-scale growers to have access to larger markets—and give grocery shoppers access to local food.

Since it began, Appalachian Harvest has moved more than $10 million worth of organic and conventional local produce, says Tamara McNaughton, agriculture program manager for ASD. A related initiative called “Healthy Families—Family Farms” buys seconds, produce that doesn’t look pretty enough to sell in grocery stores but is otherwise perfectly edible, and distributes it to food pantries. Other projects include things like the Appalachian Farmers Market Association and a variety of educational programs aimed at teaching people how to grow gardens for food.

Part of the idea behind ASD’s efforts was to help farmers replace tobacco crops, which are no longer supported by federal subsidies, with something healthier—helping farmers and communities at the same time.

“Local food is an economic engine in small, local communities,” McNaughton says. “Every time dollars are spent locally, they multiply in value.”

This year she’s taking local food promotion on the road with the Rooted in Appalachia Road Show, a kind of traveling festival that’s going to stop at farmers markets around the region with activities, cooking demonstrations, kids’ events and promotional giveaways.

“Really, local food is an old, old idea with just new clothes or, I guess, a new angle,” she says. “It’s only been 50 years since the industrial food system has really been the major means of getting groceries into your house. It hasn’t been that long where local food was just food, the way my grandmother always grew it.”

ANNUAL EVENTS Farm-To-Table

May 20: Top of the Town

Progressive Dinner, Kingsport: Tickets: $75, info at downtownkingsport.org

June 25: TriSummit Bank Farm to Table, Kingsport: Tickets: $100, info at downtownkingsport.org

July 30: Farm to Fork Gala, Kingsport: Info at asdevelop.org

August 20: Jonesborough’s Farm to Table Dinner, Jonesborough: Tickets: $100, info at jonesborough.locallygrown.net

July 16: Incredible Corn

Dinner, Greeneville: Tickets: $50+, info at ruralresources.net

MONTHLY EVENTS Farm-To-Table Dinner

Jonesborough: Hundred

Greeneville: River House

Bristol: Fern Valley Farm-To-Table Dinners, tickets $25, email for info at lynnbauer0413@gmail.com

Greeneville: Dinners on the

Mile Meals, info at jonesborough.locallygrown.net

Supper Club, tickets $45, info at eatinggreeneville.com Land, tickets vary (under $10), info at ruralresources.net

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W

hen I was 9 years old, my mother decided it was time to haul out the etiquette book in an effort to teach my brother and me what we didn’t know about manners and proper behavior. I found it fascinating. My brother, not so much. But what can

one expect from a 6-year-old boy who’d rather be out playing in the dirt than learning how to write thank you notes and where to place the dessert fork?

We spent many summer lunch hours at our Formica-topped kitchen table as Mom perused the book and coached us on how to handle various situations we hadn’t yet encountered in our tender elementary school years. Some of those early lessons stuck.

My brother is one of the only men I know who actually sends handwritten thank you notes, and I don’t own a single dessert fork, but I know where they should go in a formal table setting.

ET IQ UETTE FOR TODAY When it comes to etiquette, some things remain timeless (a gracious “thank you” never goes out of style), while other advice is now considered out of date (only the guy can initiate a date and pays for everything). The writers of etiquette books in the 1950s could never have imagined a world where people would

CELL PHONES: BLESSING OR CURSE?

use personal phones in a movie theater or stop a face-to-face conversation to respond to a text.

Alas, such egregious actions are commonplace today. We rounded up etiquette tips from the experts to cover a host of situations. Read on to brush up on modern manners. And I promise, no mention of dessert forks!

You’d like to think cell phone etiquette should be a no-brainer.

Unfortunately, that’s hardly the case. Sticking to these basic guidelines is good manners any way you look at it.

› Create and respect phone-free zones (the dinner table, the bedroom, etc.).

maintain a minimum distance of 10 feet from › If you’re having a face-to-face conversation others. Chatting when you’re urinating in a with someone, don’t text or take a call. public restroom or waiting in a crowded line › Spare us the obnoxious super loud ring tone. › Put your phone on silent before entering a is a no-go.

Those questionable lyrics may make your movie theater, church, restaurant or other buddies laugh, but it’s certain to make your › Lower your voice to a discreet level. public place. boss look at you in a whole new light. › Avoid overly personal topics (or arguments) › Don’t text and drive. As proven over and › When talking on your phone in public,

when others may overhear.

over, this simple action can be deadly.

PLACES WH ERE TAKING A CALL ON YO UR CELL PHONE IS OFF-LIMITS: If the call is so crucial it can’t wait, exit as quietly and quickly as possible and take the call once you are outside and away from others. But do consider how it looks to walk out of your daughter’s ballet recital to answer your phone.

› Funerals/funeral home visitations › Church

› Dinner party (your own or when you’re a guest)

› Live performance events

› Public restroom stall

› Movie theater

› Fast food restaurant line

› Library

› Doctor/dentist office

› Checkout line at any store (This is the ultimate rudeness: not even acknowledging the store employee who’s waiting on you because you’re blabbing away on your phone.)

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EMAIL DOS & DON’TS Electronic communication has changed the way we communicate but not always for the better.

Here’s how you can improve your emails, both business and personal:

DO: › Fill in the subject line. › Keep it short and concise. › When sending to multiple people, either send individually or use blind-copy instead of putting all addresses in the To and CC spaces. › Program an “out of office” response if you’re on vacation from work, letting senders know how long you’ll be away and who to contact if their message is urgent.

DON’T: › Use all caps; it’s the equivalent of shouting. › Forward off-color or questionable jokes or stories. › Flag a message as urgent unless it truly is. › Gossip or complain about colleagues or, even worse, your boss. › Argue or break up via email. Even in this digital age, there are some things that still require face-toface communication. › Discuss private or sensitive topics in a business email.

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WORKPLACE MANNERS Unless you’re hoping to get fired, you’ll want to follow basic office etiquette. Although these may seem obvious, apparently they’re not, as numerous surveys have found the following to be concerns in offices across the country.

anything you share with another employee can make its way back to your boss.

› Be on time. (Duh, right?) › Dress appropriately. Some attire is never acceptable in the office—even on “Casual Fridays.” ›

›

› ›

› Watch your language even when on break or at lunch.

› If you bring lunch to work, skip the overly smelly meals. Your reheated shrimp scampi can stink up the whole office.

› Clean up after yourself when using shared spaces.

Respect office policy for cell › Keep your cool, and don’t sink to anyone else’s level to make › Never help yourself to items phone use, and don’t check from co-workers’ desks a point. your phone while in a meeting. or any company property. › Avoid silly pranks and jokes at Think before you speak, and That includes sending a someone else’s expense. address any issues with a copersonal package by using worker in private. › Watch those comments. What the company’s Fed Ex or you meant as a flirtatious Always tell the truth, even if UPS account. compliment may actually you must do so delicately. › Never drink too much at a fall into the category of Keep personal information company event. sexual harassment. private. Anticipate that

P A R T Y P O L I T E LY ate an event Being invited to celebr posed to be or to share a meal is sup to negotiate enjoyable. Here’s how whether the social environment ily, your it involves extended fam employer, old school chums or your spouse’s coworkers.

ion › Acknowledge the invitat VP RS no if n eve tly, promp it is requested. If you don’t, g appears you may be waitin for a better offer. d › Don’t bring an unexpecte . you h guest wit › Be punctual but never early. Arriving within 15 minutes or less of

the stated time is typically considered “on time.” ally › If you’re running especi let and t late, call the hos them know. › Always bring a gift if the party or event is honoring a specific person (birthday, t graduation, shower, bar/ba mitzvah, etc.) › Be a team player. Go along n with the host’s timeline eve t tha g nin if it means postpo laugh-out-loud story you were just about to tell.

W E D D I N G FA U X PA S

Sources: Emily Post’s Etiquette, 17th Edition, Peggy Post, cellphones.org, pcworld.com, realsimple.com

FACEBOOK COURTESIES Ahh, social media... the delight of sharing photos and information that can make your day... or ruin someone else’s. Not much is left private any more, but you can and should avoid stepping on the toes of others. It will spare feelings and might even save your job.

› Consider those updates before posting. Do your friends really want to hear what you had for lunch? Do they care that you went to the gym… again? › Feel free to ignore friend requests from strangers or people you know but don’t want to “friend.” › Don’t “friend request” your employer. › Don’t tag co-workers’ personal photos without their permission, even if you’re friends outside the office.

r host may › Offer to lend a hand. You it, but on up or may not take you help in to er it’s always polite to off some way. en › Don’t go to extremes—wh when ally eci eating, talking and esp . ges era indulging in alcoholic bev y the one You don’t want to be the all talk about later. s when › Thank your host or hostes a phone h leaving and follow up wit thank n call the day after. A writte formal for you note is the way to go you ich events or any party in wh were the guest of honor.

› Never post a photo of someone else’s children without permission. › Untag yourself from a photo if you feel uncomfortable. Just remember that you can’t be “retagged” once a tag is removed. › Respect Facebook Chat. Friends may not be able to respond when working, for example, even if their Facebook window is open.

Some people take having a good time too far.

According to one California-based event planning company, a common problem is guests engaging in sexual relations at the wedding/reception. While we’re all for having fun, does anyone really need to be informed that such activities are way out of line at someone else’s nuptials? Now that we have that covered, what else should a good guest watch out for?

› Don’t bring a guest unless your invitation allows. › Respect the “no children at ceremony” request. › Put away your cell phone and electronic devices.

Watching a sporting event or calling a friend because you’re bored is simply bad manners, and trying to take photos on your phone during the ceremony might ruin the professional photos the couple has already planned for if you get in the way of a good shot. › Don’t drink to the point of inebriation. › If asked to give a toast, keep it short (two to three minutes max), sincere and don’t venture into dangerous personal territory. › Hold it until you find a restroom. Public urination at events has become surprisingly common, but please, use an actual restroom, even if you must wait in line.

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NUTRITION FITNESS BEAUTY

H E A LT H Y

BEAUTY

The Wonders Of Rice Water

Source: theindianspot.com, freepeople.com

Popular in Asian cultures, rice water is used as an inexpensive way to improve skin and hair health—and it’s simple to make and easy to incorporate into your beauty routine.

As a skin toner, simply apply a small amount to your face and massage it into your skin for about a minute. For soft, smooth hair, just pour it on your scalp, let it soak for 20 minutes and shampoo afterward. To make the cleanser, first, rinse 1/2 to 1 cup of rice in water to remove any dirt. Then, place the rice in a bowl, cover with water and let sit for 15 minutes.

Finally, drain the rice, saving the leftover water in a bowl, and then transfer water to airtight container, such as a mason jar.

Your rice water should be kept in the refrigerator and will stay fresh for up to five days.

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NUTRITION

Going Green

A combination of leafy greens like spinach or kale, fruit and a liquid base, green smoothies are all the rage for their abundance of vitamins, antioxidants, amino acids and minerals.

The popular drinks also contain phytonutrients, which support our immune system and improve health and longevity.

They may even help guard against certain diseases, including heart disease and cancer.

So to get you started down the path to green goodness, we’ve come up with a few must-knows and a recipe to help you on your way.

So why not just eat the fruit and veggies to reap the benefits?

Turns out that simply chewing greens can’t release all the nutrition that they offer. In order to milk the veggies, as well as the fruit, of their worth, they should be blended well. By doing this, the majority of the cells in the greens and fruits burst, enabling our bodies to absorb those healthful nutrients.

If you’re wondering about the differences in juicing and blending, here’s a little info: Juicing extracts water and nutrients from veggies leaving the indigestible fiber, while smoothies use the entire fruit or vegetable, and blending breaks the fiber apart, which can make it easier to digest. Juicing is great if you have a sensitive digestive system or have trouble processing fiber. With juicing, the nutrients are absorbed into your blood stream quickly due to the lack of fiber, so if you’re juicing only fruit, this can lead to a rapid spike in blood sugar—so beware!

Smoothies tend to be more filling because the fiber stays intact and are usually easier to make.

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Get Started

Let’s just assume we’re making smoothies for the sake of this article. (If you’re juicing, you’d need a juicer rather than a blender.) The only equipment required to make a smoothie is a blender (and maybe an unbiased mind if eating vegetables isn’t your favorite thing).

Our advice is to do some research online to find the blender that best meets your needs and budget.

Although many people are hesitant to try a green smoothie due to the commonly disliked leafy greens that give them their color, keep in mind that the ratio of fruits to veggies is 60:40.

And guess what? The fruit wins. The fruit dominates the flavor, so the vegetables will not have their usual strong taste. At the same time, the greens balance the sweetness of the fruit, and add a slight tang to the flavor.

So here’s a green smoothie to get you started, courtesy of Chef Michael Callahan of chefcallahan.com.

› Makes 4 servings 3 ounces kale 2 ounces spinach 1 apple, cored 2 bananas 1⁄2 ounce fresh gingerroot, grated 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped 2 garlic cloves 1⁄2 ounce fresh turmeric, grated 2 tbsp flax seeds, ground 1 tbsp hemp seeds 1 tbsp chia seeds 2 tbsp tomato paste 32 ounces water (or enough to fill blender to 64oz) Combine all ingredients in a large blender, and process until smooth. › Serve immediately. › Note: Bananas and apples may be frozen in advance. Ice may be substituted for a portion of the water.

Sources: simplegreensmoothies.com, rawblend.com, fitlife.tv, dailyburn.com, foodmatters.tv, food.com

Juicing Vs. Blending

Nutri-Bomb Green Smoothie

H E A LT H Y

body

BEAUTY

Brush Up

Dry brush your way to softer skin and a healthier you.

Although dry brushing is typically offered as a detoxing spa treatment, you can do it yourself and enjoy the same results. Here’s how it works and why it’s worth your time.

Body Benefits

Your skin’s cells start to stick together in your 30s, giving off a lackluster appearance according to Dr. Tina Alster, director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery. Dry brushing can brighten your skin’s appearance by removing dead skin cells. But that’s not all. Dry brushing also encourages healthy circulation and boosts the lymphatic system’s function to rid the body of toxins.

All the extra blood flow gives you a shot of energy, too.

“The light pressure against your skin and the direction in which you brush helps move lymph fluid into the lymph nodes so this waste can then be eliminated,” says Robin Jones, spa director at Lake Austin Spa Resort in Texas.

Dry brushing may also help those with keratosis pilaris—a skin condition that causes small bumps to appear on the backs of arms and legs. Brushing away dead skin cells helps smooth the skin’s feel and appearance. But, as with any new skincare practice, talk to your dermatologist first.

Sources: goop.com, time.com, mindbodygreen.com, shape.com

Brushing Basics TIP! Margo Marrone, founder of The Organic Pharmacy of New York, recommends showering after you dry brush to wash away the dead skin cells. Your clean pores will be ready to absorb nutrients and moisture, so rub on a bit of coconut oil or lotion afterward.

The trick is to brush lightly. It should feel soft and relaxing, and you should never see any marks on your skin. Brush in the morning to take advantage of its energy boost. Here’s how it’s done: 1. Work from your feet up, brushing in long strokes toward your chest—that’s where your lymphatic system drains.

2. Brush in a counter-clockwise motion on your stomach, and don’t forget your back.

3. For your arms, start at your hands and brush upward.

4. If you choose to dry brush your face, do it only once a week in lieu of other exfoliators.

Brush Musts

Purchase a dry brush with medium-soft bristles, and consider buying a separate brush made specifically for your face. From long-handled brushes to bath mitt ones, there’s a brush for everyone. You can find them on amazon.com and at most health stores.

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NUTRITION

Take Your Turmeric

Experts always say your plate should be covered in colorful foods to ensure a balanced meal. Turns out, adding some extra yellow can help your body immensely.

A Spoonful Here And There

If you’ve never cooked with this spice before, here are some quick tips on where it tastes best: › Add it to scrambled eggs or frittatas. The flavor (and color) won’t be overwhelming. › Spice up your rice.

Turmeric adds color and flavor to boring white rice, pilafs or quinoa. › Toss it with greens, sprinkle onto kale chips or use it to season roasted vegetables. › Spoon some into chicken or vegetable soup. › If you don’t like the flavor of turmeric, blend it into a smoothie. If you love it, make a tea by simmering milk, honey and turmeric together on the stovetop.

Dealing with arthritis or joint pain from inflammation? Turmeric has been used as an anti-inflammatory aid in China and India for centuries. One study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine even found turmeric extract to be as effective as ibuprofen in relieving pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Although there’s no evidence eating turmeric is effective against cancer, in a lab setting, curcumin has been proven to interfere with cancer cell growth, shrink tumors and even boost the effects of chemotherapy in animals.

A 2012 study found curcumin supplements delayed the onset of type 2 diabetes in patients who were considered prediabetic.

Researchers chalked it up to the compound’s antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties.

Those same properties could explain why, in another study, curcumin was found to reduce the chance of heart attack among bypass patients by up to 65 percent.

Aromatic turmerone is another powerful little compound in turmeric and has been shown to promote repair in stem cells in the brain. The study was performed on rats, but the stem cells in question are a type found in adult human brains and are the same type affected by stroke and Alzheimer’s.

REMEMBER, if you’ll only be eating turmeric in small amounts, stir in some black pepper. Curcumin does not easily absorb into the blood system, but the pepper’s piperine compound will increase its absorption significantly. Mix 1/4 cup turmeric with 1/2 teaspoon pepper in advance, and store in a jar to make it easy. You can also purchase curcumin supplements online, but consult your doctor before adding them to your regimen.

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Sources: huffingtonpost.com, thekitchn.com

Turmeric is a spice known for its earthy flavor and bright yellow color. The compound curcumin is responsible for that sunny hue, but it’s known for having numerous medicinal properties, too.

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Understanding Oils Recently, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of essential oils.

More people are turning to nature to supplement their wellness regime.

Sources: huffingtonpost.com, thekitchn.com

E

ssential oils are the volatile fluids found inside aromatic plants.

They are what give plants their fragrance and essence of life. In the same way that essential oils help the plant heal itself, repair damaged tissue and rid itself of toxic substances and free radicals, they can help our bodies, too!

Essential oils have been used for thousands of years to support the body’s systems and functions. In fact, there are over 1,000 references to essential oils and the plants that produced them in the ancient text of the Bible, and they have been widely used for beauty treatments starting with the royalty of ancient days. Many essential oils provide support at a cellular level, benefiting the entire body.

The way we apply oils varies depending on the need. Sometimes topical application is best. Topical applications include applying the oil on a “problem area” (a bug bite, for example). Oils can be applied on pulse points and thin skin areas like temples,

behind ears, on the back of the neck, or on wrists or the chest. They can also be rubbed on the feet, hands and spine for specific needs like ADD or even snoring!

Aromatic application can be done by diffusing oils into the room to create a positive, inviting environment and a wonderful, pleasing smell. Another way to use essential oils aromatically is as simple as putting a drop of oil into your hands, rubbing them together, then cupping your hands over your mouth and nose and breathing deeply for up to two minutes.

Some essential oils can be taken internally by dropping a few drops into a capsule or by using various dietary oils (lime, lemon, peppermint, oregano, etc.) in cooking.

It’s important to note that all essential oils are not created equally. There are a lot of essential oils on the market, but some may not be manufactured with high-quality standards or may be diluted, which compromises the strength of the oil. Be sure to purchase essential oils from a company that guarantees quality, purity and strength, which preserves the integrity and potency of essential oils.

Some of our favorite single oils are frankincense for skin, inflammation, focus, stress relief and sleep; lavender for calming, relaxing, hair and skin; lemon for immune health, cleaning, freshening the air; peppermint for energy, headaches, intestinal function; and tea tree for healthy hair, blemishes and healing cuts.

You may be interested in an essential oil blend like Purification® to freshen laundry and eliminate odors; PanAway® for stressed muscles or physical discomforts; Thieves® for immune system support and as a germ-fighting home cleaner; Di-Gize® to support digestion and cleansing, or one of many more.

Stop in and speak with one of our essential oil specialists to learn more about how to incorporate essential oils into your wellness regimen for specific ailments or to improve your overall health.

ANDERSON COMPOUNDING PHARMACY › 310 Bluff City Hwy. Bristol, TN 37620 › (423) 764-4136 › andersoncompounding.com

APR’16 › tchealthyliving.com

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H E A LT H Y

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FITNESS

Get Pumped

The secret to fat-burning success Trying to burn fat and tone up? Cardiovascular exercise is often thought to be the fat-burning king, but strength training actually beats cardio in its ability to tone problem areas, burn fat and build muscle.

Cardio still wins in the heart health category, so make sure you do both types of exercise. But if you only have time for one, pick up the weights. Here's why: BUILD MUSCLE. Although the repetitive and highimpact movements of cardio can wear away at your joints and muscles, strength training specifically builds up your muscles, with little impact on your joints.

muscle increases the load on your bones, and your body responds by producing a new layer of bone tissue for reinforcement. As you continue your strength training, your bones will continue to get stronger.

BURN CALORIES ON THE COUCH.

According to bornfitness.com, 1 pound of muscle burns 37.5 calories per day at rest while 1 pound of fat burns—wait for it—two calories. Lift weights regularly and you’ll burn more calories at rest. Netflix, anyone?

You’ll still be torching those calories.

MAINTAIN MOBILITY. You’ll strengthen not only your muscles and

bones but the tendons that connect your muscles to your bones.

All these parts work together to help you move, and the stronger they are, the more mobile you’ll be over the long haul.

GET FASTER, LASTING RESULTS . If

you’re a cardio junkie, you know that it takes a long time to see results, and that’s because cardio doesn’t build muscle like strength training does. Because strength training burns calories more efficiently, you’ll not only see improvement faster, but it’ll be more permanent, too.

moderate to heavy weights with short rest periods in between.

The heavier weight and faster pace will get your heart pumping and give you those hearthealthy benefits.

RESHAPE YOUR BODY. Cardio

can help you lose weight, but it will burn muscle along with fat to get you there. With strength training and the help of a healthy diet, you can reshape your body by building up your muscles and burning strictly fat.

INCLUDE CARDIO.

Yes, you can strength train and do cardio at the same time. Lift

When you do cardio…

Adam Bornstein of bornfitness.com suggests ending a strength training workout with a long, slow cardio session to help your muscles recover.

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Sources: bornfitness.com, bodybuilding.com, gcfin.com, readingeagle.com, womenshealthmag.com

INCREASE BONE DENSITY. Building

MIND HOME FINANCE

H E A LT H Y

MIND

The Cuteness Factor

Source: cnn.com

Many of us have a soft spot for cute animals— time spent on viral YouTube videos is proof. But did you know that attraction is actually instinctual?

A recent study shows that humans are attracted to anything with features similar to those of a baby. Ever seen a baby gorilla? Oh my goodness. And many scientists believe we’ve developed this attraction in order to insure the survival of our young. Additional studies have found that seeing something cute actually goes right to the pleasure centers of our brain, similar to eating sugar or having sex, and a study out of Japan also found that participants performed better on high-concentration activities when they viewed images of cute animals. So, if you find yourself binging on cute kitten videos, just know it’s a part of human nature—and it’s good for you, too.

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H E A LT H Y

vibe

HOME

The Power Of Pollen

A pollinator garden is designed to lure natural pollinators such as bees and butterflies to your garden for the purpose of moving pollen from flower to flower.

Eighty percent of pollinators rely on such gardens for survival, and worldwide approximately 1,000 plants grown for food, beverages, fibers, spices and medicines must be pollinated by animals, according to pollinator.org. In fact, one of every three bites of food we eat is made possible by a pollinator. And, unfortunately, recent evidence has shown that pollinating animals have suffered from loss of habitat, with the United States losing over 50 percent of its honeybee colonies in the past 10 years.

S

o when you think about gardening, remember that it can be more than a fun hobby to keep stress away. Even one garden is beneficial in the fight to protect pollinators. Here’s how you can help.

When creating your pollinator garden, choose plants that have a long blooming period from early spring to late fall. It’s also important to use plants that are native to our region. These plants have adapted to the local climate, soil and pollinators and tend to fare well. Planting in large clumps helps the garden’s probability of blossoming, so avoid placing plants in singular lines. Don’t forget to include a few night-blooming flowers to Don’t forget to support nocturnal pollinators, such as moths include a few and bats. Installing bat houses gives bats night-blooming somewhere to hide out during the day. flowers to Creating a damp salt lick area provides support a broad range of micronutrients for butterflies and bees to consume. And nocturnal get creative! A bird bath, sprinkled with pollinators such as moths a bit of sea salt, works just as well as an irrigation line. Butterflies are attracted to and bats. overripe fruits, and by placing those types Installing of items in a container, the butterflies will bat houses have a resource other than nectar and gives bats saltwater. You could also choose plants that somewhere to hummingbirds favor, including bottlebrush, hide out during firebush, yellow trumpetbush, honeysuckle the day. and bergamot.

In addition to a food source, bees also require nesting sites to breed and pollinate. To create a natural place for native bees to reside in, leave a dead tree in the garden or at least spare a few dead limbs.

DON’T MAKE THESE MISTAKES… Avoid hybrid plants when planning your pollinator garden. They aren’t beneficial and often lack the necessary pollen and nectar the critters are searching for.

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Pesticides should be eliminated as often as possible, as they’re dangerous for the pollinating insects. If pests become an unmanageable problem, though, choose the least toxic pesticide available.

Sources: fs.fed.us, kidsgardening.org, pollinator.org

Getting Started

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Build with A Healthy Product For every dream home, there’s a list of factors to consider for the interior and exterior before beginning the process of building. While many will specifically impact the cost of the project, only one can have a measurable impact on both your health and the environment’s: building with brick.

BRICK IS HEALTHY foR You It’s not only beautiful, affordable and more valuable, but brick really is healthier for you! Brick interior walls contribute to better air quality by eliminating the need for interor paint, which contain harmful VOCs. Brick also fosters a positive emotional environment, as the warmth of natural materials has been shown to improve overall outlook in people who occupy those environments on a regular basis.

BRICK LIvES A Long, HEALTHY LIfE Clay bricks have been used for hundreds of years because they last for generations and require almost no maintenance.

Buildings made of brick materials stand the test of time due to the inherent strength, durability and weather-resistant qualities of masonry products.

BRICK RECYCLES Brick buildings can be renovated for new use long after original construction. Brick can also be salvaged for use in new construction for an authentic, broken-in look and feel. It can even be crushed for use in landscaping or concrete or as a base for pavement.

BRICK IS HEALTHY foR THE EnvIRonmEnT Because brick can be recycled, is energy efficient and lasts for such a long period of time, its cumulative environmental footprint is far smaller than other interior or exterior cladding materials that are considered disposable after just 10 or 15 years of use.

BY GENERAL SHALE

H E A LT H Y

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MIND

Happy Hormones

Happiness: It’s a state we all strive to achieve, whether it be through the jobs we do, the people with which we surround ourselves or the time we spend doing something we love.

Emotions, however, are actually nothing more than chemical reactions taking place inside our brains. And it turns out that inherited genes account for 50 percent of our happiness, according to a study published in Psychological Science.

DOPAMINE is a neurotransmitter that drives your brain’s reward system and pleasure-seeking behavior. For example, if you are given a compliment at work for doing a good job, the dopamine level in your brain will increase. As a result you will feel good and accomplished.

OXYTOCIN is most commonly

PROGESTERONE AND ESTROGEN are

GIVE IT A BOOST: This hormone can be increased simply by setting and completing simple goals, such as sticking to a workout schedule or organizing your closet.

GIVE IT A BOOST: Activities such as breastfeeding, cuddling with a partner or child or even making eye contact with a pet can increase the amount of oxytocin that our bodies produce.

GIVE IT A BOOST: Simply managing your everyday stresses and living a healthy lifestyle, complete with a balanced diet and exercise, can help balance your progesterone and estrogen levels.

known as the “love hormone” and is responsible for an increase in affection and attachment between two people. This neurotransmitter has an anti-anxiety effect and may increase levels of empathy.

Oxytocin levels in women have also been linked to life satisfaction levels and likely play a larger part in women’s happiness than in men’s.

two very similar hormones that your brain produces to prevent mood swings.

These particular chemicals ward off anxiety and irritability and also help you achieve a good night’s sleep. Levels of progesterone and estrogen drop with excessive stress, unhealthy foods and smoking. Progesterone and estrogen levels also decrease as women begin to go through menopause.

SEROTONIN is a mood-boosting neurotransmitter that helps maintain a positive mood. Serotonin can affect not only mood but appetite, digestion, sleep and memory, as well, so it’s important to maintain a healthy level of serotonin.

GIVE IT A BOOST: The most natural and effective way to increase this hormone is to exercise daily.

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Source: besthealthmag.ca, medicalnewstoday.com

B

ut if 50 percent of our happiness is controlled by our genes, the other half comes from our own personal choices. Making positive lifestyle choices can directly affect the five main hormones—the “feel good” hormones, as they’re known—our brains release that give us positive feelings.

Here’s a little info on these hormones and how you can boost them to live a happier, more fulfilled life.

H E A LT H Y

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VACUUM FILTERS: Some of the following advice won’t work unless your vacuum has a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter. Other machines will spew allergen-inducing particles back into the air, defeating the purpose of cleaning in the first place. This is especially important if you use a cleaning service—if they’re not using a HEPA filter vac, you’re getting the particles of every other house they clean brought into yours.

FREQUENTLY USED FURNITURE: Dust mites are the

worst kind of roommates, thriving on the warmth of human bodies and invading favorite recliners and bedrooms in every home. If you’re prone to allergies, vacuum furniture and wash bedding weekly. Purchase special covers for mattresses and pillows to keep dust mites out for good. (Two reputable sites are Mission Allergy and National Allergy Supply.)

HVAC HAVOC: HVAC is the ideal environment for mold and bacteria because the ducts often condensate during air conditioning. Although there’s no scientific evidence it works, most people who have their air ducts professionally cleaned about every two years report feeling in better health afterward.

THE REFRIGERATOR: Frost-free refrigerators sport a coil to melt frost about every four hours, and a tray underneath the fridge catches the water, where it should evaporate. But it also catches spills from the fridge and can get dusty, creating a mold haven. Check the manufacturer’s guide to see if there is a tray and learn the best way to clean your machine.

Sources: huffingtonpost.com, nytimes.com, ecowatch.com

HOME

Health Starts at Home

Did you wake up with the sniffles again this morning?

If it’s not a cold or seasonal allergies, maybe it’s time to look around. Learn more about how your home could be making you sick—and some simple solutions to health-ify your habitat.

LEAKS: People with asthma or allergy-induced breathing problems may be sensitive to any mold in the house. Besides the HVAC, check under sinks and around plumbing, windows and door frames for any leaks that could lead to mold growth.

Missing caulk or grout in the bathroom will allow water to seep behind tile, which is unhealthy and expensive to repair.

Contact a plumber, roofer or contractor to fix it promptly if you can’t yourself.

RADON: This invisible, odorless, radioactive gas

comes from decaying rocks, soil and water, and sneaks into homes through the soil beneath the house (and some say granite countertops emit it, too). It’s the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, and one in 15 homes has radon levels that should be lower. Purchase a radon test kit at the hardware store, or hire a contractor certified in radon mitigation to test for you.

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FINANCE

$pring ¢leaning

Is one of your upcoming weekends dedicated to a good spring cleaning? At the end of the spree, you may find yourself with piles of household items that need to go.

Amazon, eBay and Craigslist make selling a hassle with individual auctions and meetups, but there are other sites that will streamline selling your used items. So, what’s in your junk pile?

Women’s Clothing

Plato’s Closet is a great standby for selling gently used clothes, but what if yours are worth more than $6 or $8 an item?

Try thredUP, an online consignment store for higher-end brands (think Banana Republic and Lucky Jeans). Go to thredup.com and order a cleanout bag, stuff it with your clutter clothes, ship with the included label and watch them sell.

The old phone collecting dust in your desk drawer is a wad of money in disguise. Sell it to gazelle.com, nextworth.com or yourenew.com. (We were quoted $95, $110 and $120 respectively for a 16GB iPhone 5S.) They buy laptops, tablets, game systems and more, too. Whatever you do, don’t throw old electronics away.

The environment and your wallet will thank you.

Books, CDs and DVDs

Gently used books are welcomed at powells.com, where sellers enter the ISBN numbers of the books they wish to sell for an instant quote. If you like the number you see, Powell’s will cover the shipping cost to send them in. You can get cash or store credit. secondspin.com will buy your CDs and DVDs for anywhere from 10 cents to $7 or $8 dollars, and they reimburse if you ship through USPS.

Kids’ Clothing

Totspot is a new app for parents to sell used children’s and infants’ clothing to other families. Just snap a photo and post. If you’d rather someone else do the work, use the Totspot Concierge service.

Order a cleanout bag and send your items to another mom and split the profits. It’s more cash than you’d get stuffing them in a bottom drawer, minimal effort required.

Vintage Items

Redecorating this year? Etsy can help. This isn’t eBay—if it’s not handmade, the items you’re selling have to be considered vintage, which is 20 years or older. But if they meet that criterion, etsy.com is going to give you the best chance at selling older items. Their market is crafty folks who are very into rustic, refurbished looks.

Sources: womansday.com, howstuffworks.com

If you can’t get cash for some of your more worn clothes, drop them off at your local H&M. They accept used clothes to recycle into new textiles as part of their sustainability initiative. Donators get a 15 percent off coupon to the store (which is sort of like money, no?).

Electronics

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Come take a tour of The Wellness Center location near you, or visit MountainStatesHealth.com/WC for details about our programs and services. *Restrictions may apply.

200 MedTech Pkwy., Suite 200 Johnson City, TN | 423-431-6668 1509 W. Elk Ave. Elizabethton, TN | 423-542-9466