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The Charleston Farmers Market

July 31, 2013 by

Every Saturday through December 21, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., venture to King and Calhoun Streets to the Charleston Farmers Market. Local vendors sell fresh fruits and vegetables, breakfast and lunch foods, and arts and crafts.

Perfect for the entire family, entertainment abounds, and you’ll have your choice of over 100 different vendors. Fresh produce ranges from raspberries to lima beans and sweet corn to mulberries. Other foods, such as shrimp, eggs, and milk are available. Because the Market runs through the end of the year, plan to stop in once or twice a month so you don’t have to buy extra produce. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to buy as you need it.

The artisans who frequent the Market are a plethora of amazingly talented people. Thomas Bennett will do your caricature, or Ciana Pullen will do a portrait as you stand or from a photograph.

You can find sweetgrass basketry, handmade soaps and candles, handcrafted furniture, garden art, and jewelry of all types. You’ll also enjoy seeing metal sculpture, clay designs, pet treats, clothing, purses and accessories, and wooden bowls.

The entertainment at the Market is not to be missed. Scheduled entertainment includes:

  • August 17 – Volcanoes in the Kitchen
  • August 24 – David Higgins
  • August 31 – Les Amis
  • September 7 – Dance FX
  • September 14 – Fiddlin’ Marci & Roger Bellow
  • September 21 – Volcanoes in the Kitchen
  • September 28 – MOJA Heritage Day Entertainment

To get the most from the Market, take your time and be open to looking at as many booths as possible. You never know what might catch your eye. Be sure to stay hydrated and fed, and enjoy!

For more information, visit the Charleston Visitors Bureau site, or the Charleston Farmer’s Market site.

Filed Under: All Things Charleston Tagged With: , , , ,

Cool Salads to Beat the Heat

July 29, 2013 by

salad recipes

What better way to eat light than a cool salad? Whether you prefer the crispness of spinach and water chestnuts or the sweetness and bright colors of a fruit mix, you’ll be satisfied and happy with a salad.

A salad should never be boring, and while you can simply toss some greens with some chicken and cheese, try some of these flavor additions:

Bacon bits
Mushrooms
Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Raisins
Cranberries
Freshly ground pepper
Sea salt
Almonds

Following are some of our favorite recipes. Enjoy! To make any of these salads a meal, add protein in the form of eggs, meat, tofu, cheese, or Greek yogurt.

(Recipes from www.simplyrecipes.com)

Asian Tuna Salad

Prep time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

10-12 ounces of canned white albacore tuna packed in water, drained

8-10 small radishes, cut into wedges

1 large carrot, shredded

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

1 tsp minced ginger

½ to 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced (taste for heat and adjust, can also sub some chili pepper flakes)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp dark sesame oil

3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (or plain rice vinegar with a teaspoon of sugar)

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1 whole green onion, chopped

Optional: 8 ounces (dry) soba noodles* or fresh lettuce

*If mixing in with soba noodles, cook soba noodles according to package directions, and rinse with cold water.

 

Place the drained tuna, radishes, shredded carrot, garlic, ginger, chile, vegetable oil, dark sesame oil, and rice vinegar in a large bowl. Gently toss to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

When ready to serve, stir in the chopped cilantro and green onion.

Serve with lettuce, or mixed in with cold, cooked soba noodles.

 

Black Bean Salad Recipe

Make sure to rinse and drain the beans, if you are using canned beans.

INGREDIENTS

1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, thoroughly rinsed, and drained (or 1 1/2 cup of freshly cooked black beans)

1 ½ cups frozen corn, defrosted (or fresh corn, parboiled, drained and cooled)

½ cup chopped green onions or shallots

2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced, or 1 whole pickled jalapeño pepper, minced (not seeded)

3 fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks

½ cup fresh chopped cilantro

¼ cup fresh chopped basil

2 Tbsp lime juice (about the amount of juice from one lime)

1 Tbsp olive oil

½ to 1 teaspoon of sugar (to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, onions, jalapeno chile peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, basil, lime juice, and olive oil.

Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste. (The sugar will help balance the acidity from the tomatoes and lime juice.) Chill before serving.

 

Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) and Tomato Salad Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 15-ounce cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed

4 tomatoes (about 2 lbs.), cored and chopped

4 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

2 cups of chopped sweet onion (Vidalia, Walla Walla, or another variety)

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 Tbsp of white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper

Chopped parsley for garnish

Combine the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, eggs, and onion in a large bowl.

Separately mix the dressing ingredients in a jar or a small bowl – olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour over salad ingredients. Sprinkle on chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

You can chill the undressed salad up to six hours, until ready to serve.

 

Persimmon Pomegranate Fruit Salad Recipe

INGREDIENTS

3 fuyu persimmons, peeled, chopped (1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces), seeds (if any) discarded

¾ cup pomegranate seeds

1 Granny Smith or Fuji apple, peeled, cored, chopped (1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces)

7-10 leaves fresh mint, thinly sliced crosswise (stack them, then roll them up like a cigar and take slices from the end)

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp honey


Gently toss all of the ingredients together.

Keeps for at least a couple of days in the refrigerator, but best eaten same day it is made.

Filed Under: Health and Wellness Tagged With: , , , , ,

Do You Provide the BRAVA and AFT Procedure?

July 26, 2013 by

This week, Dr. Richard Kline of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction answers your questions.

Q: I am a breast cancer patient who has recently finished chemotherapy. I am looking now into reconstruction, but I was wondering if you performed the BRAVA+AFT procedure?

A: We are actively looking into BRAVA and AFT, but not doing it yet. I would suggest you contact Dr. Khouri, he’s certainly the expert at this point. If you should need GAPs, PAPs, or DIEPs, we would be happy to help you.

 

Q: I recently finished 8 weeks of chemotherapy. I did not have radiation. I still have Herceptin until next May. I understand you do not currently offer BRAVA, but I’m interested in a fat transfer. Do you use expanders or something? I really want to have something done sooner than later but am willing to wait if it’s necessary. Could you explain to me the procedures you recommend?

A: I would not recommend fat transfer alone as a breast reconstruction technique without BRAVA. Even with BRAVA, it will probably take several sessions to get to the size you want, and there is still no guarantee that it will ultimately be successful, as fat survival is not strictly predictable.

We primarily offer microsurgical breast reconstruction (DIEP, sGAP, PAP), we do it on an almost daily basis, and our flap survival rate over the last 10 years (98.4 %) is realistically probably as high as anyone’s. However, we realize that this is not for everyone. If you have not had radiation, implants may well be a good option for you, and there is likely no need for you to travel a long distance for this, as most communities of any size have plastic surgeons skilled in this area.

Any type of reconstruction can usually be done in between Herceptin treatments, although we ultimately defer to your oncologist’s advice on this.  If you live near us and want an opinion, we’ll be happy to see you in consultation at any time.

Hope this helps!

Dr. Richard M. Kline

Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction

Have a question about breast reconstruction you’d like answered from our surgical team? Just ask us!

Filed Under: Ask the Doctor Tagged With: , , , , , ,

National Women’s Survivors Convention in Nashville, TN

July 24, 2013 by

 

“To transform survivorship from a mood into a movement by empowering, educating, and connecting women whose lives have been touched by cancer.”

~ Vision of the Women Survivors Alliance

The 2013 National Women’s Survivors Convention (NWSC) celebrates women who have conquered cancer, and its founding group is the all-volunteer Women Survivors Alliance. Their mission is “to establish a network where women affected by cancer can find their voice, improve their quality of life, and embrace their new normal.”

The conference will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, TN from August 22–24, 2013. The convention fee of $139 includes Empowerment sessions, the main stage presentations, the Survivor Chef Challenge panels, “Heeling” for Survivors Fashion Show, and the Red Carpet Live! Pajama Party.

Transportation to and from the convention, hotel, and meals are not included in the registration fee. The Saturday night Salute to Survivors All Star Concert will be held at the Grand Ole Opry and is $36 per person. Hosted by Scott Hamilton, the concert will feature Martina McBride and other Nashville stars.

The Empowerment sessions during the convention will focus on a wide variety of topics related to cancer.

Our own Dr. Craigie will host a session called Know Your Options: Making Smart, Informed Choices Between Breast Reconstruction Procedures.

From the session description: “A well-informed patient who actively participates in decision-making is an essential ingredient of successful outcome in breast reconstruction. Participants will understand the patient-centered approach to choosing breast reconstruction procedures and be introduced to all available options . . . this discussion will be centered around the patient education process, making choices based on that information, and will provide tools and resources giving the participant ideas to organize and assess information proven effective for women facing the decision to have breast reconstruction.”

Other Empowerment sessions include topics such as: stress reduction, sexuality, nutrition, and physical fitness. Guest speakers include Shannon Miller, Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast and ovarian cancer survivor; Tabatha Coffey, TV personality; Diem Brown, MTV personality and cancer survivor; and Scott Hamilton, Olympic gold medalist and World Champion figure skater and cancer survivor.

Sponsors and exhibitors include The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction, Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Meals-To-Heal, Eucerin, Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, and A Silver Lining Foundation.

 

Filed Under: In Her Words Tagged With: , , , ,

Berries! A Nutritional Quick Guide and Recipes

July 22, 2013 by

Strawberries have vitamin CBerries pack a powerful punch nutritionally, and they’re delicious and easy to build recipes around. They’re low in calories and full of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. For example, one cup of strawberries contains as much vitamin C as a glass of orange juice, potassium, and magnesium. Blueberries, cranberries, and raspberries may help reduce risk of cancer.

For best results, purchase berries from farmers markets or pick your own. If that’s not possible, buy berries in season at the grocery store, or try frozen berries. The advantage to frozen berries is that you can buy them in large quantities and not have to worry about spoilage.

The most common way to eat berries is straight from the bag. Other ways to enjoy berries include:

  • Mixing them in with cottage cheese, ice cream, cream cheese, or Greek yogurt for a delicious treat.
  • Combining with protein powder, other fruit, water, and ice to make a healthy smoothie.
  • Sprinkling them on salad, oatmeal, or cereal.

Berries make a flavorful, sweet addition to any recipe. Here are a few we know you’ll enjoy:

Strawberry Basil Salsa

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch Ground black pepper

2 tablespoons minced shallot

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

1 package (16 ounces) Driscoll’s Strawberries

Whisk together lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.

Stir in shallot and basil.

Hull strawberries and chop (you should have about 3 cups.)

Add to lemon juice mixture and stir until evenly blended.

Healthy Blueberry Bran Muffin

1 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cups packed brown sugar

1/3 cups flaxseed meal

1/3 cups raw wheat or oat bran

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoons salt

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1/4 cups orange juice or water

2 large eggs

1 package (6 ounces or 1 1/3 cups) Driscoll’s Blueberries

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line 12 muffin cups with papers or coat with cooking spray.

Combine flours, sugar, flaxseed, wheat bran, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; stir well.

Stir together yogurt, oil, eggs, and juice in a small bowl.

Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture; stir just until blended.

Fold in blueberries just until batter is completely moistened.

Divide batter between prepared muffin cups.

Remove muffins from pan and cool on wire rack.

Bake 18 minutes or until golden brown and pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Mascarpone Dip with Basil Blackberries

1/3 cups balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon light brown sugar

1 package (6 ounces or 1 1/2 cups) Driscoll’s Blackberries

2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil leaves

1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Large pinch of fleur de sel or other flaky salt

1 container (8 to 8.8 ounces) mascarpone cheese

Crackers, for serving

Bring vinegar and brown sugar to a boil in a nonreactive small saucepan over high heat. Boil until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Pour into a medium bowl. Let cool.

Gently stir in blackberries, basil, pepper, and salt.

Fill a bowl with hot water. Dip bottom of the mascarpone container in water for about 5 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, unmold mascarpone onto a serving platter.

Spoon blackberry mixture over mascarpone, being sure to scrape all juices out of the bowl, and letting berries fall randomly.

Serve with crackers.

Source: http://www.driscolls.com/recipes

Filed Under: Health and Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Ask the Doctor: Smoking, Risks During Reconstruction, Researching Your Options

July 19, 2013 by

Ask the Doctor July 18This week, Dr. Richard Kline of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction answers your questions.

Q: I need to have breast reconstruction due to breast cancer occurring twice since 1999. I’m scared because I can’t quit smoking. The surgeon will not perform the procedure unless I quit. Are there any surgeons who will perform reconstruction even though I am a smoker?

A: Surely there are some physicians who will do reconstruction while you’re smoking, but we are not among them. This policy is only because we have personal experience dealing with the many months of wound healing problems (and tears) that commonly follow this type of surgery performed on smokers.

Smoking  isn’t just bad, it’s absolutely terrible. If you want all of your wounds to fall apart, leaving you miserable for months, there may be no better way to accomplish it than to smoke during your reconstruction. The good news is, if you stop for one month before and 3 months after your surgery (with absolutely no cheating), you can often have successful surgery.

 

Q: I am, after total mastectomy performed 12 months ago, scheduled for reconstruction. My age is 59 and I do not have any emotional concerns about being without a breast. However, I would like to stop wearing epiteze, and would like to not worry that it will show in summer. My concern is whether the long-lasting and repeated reconstruction (several operations, including making the healthy breast smaller) represents too big of a risk to my health. After anesthesia last year, I experienced problems with forgetting and lack of focus for about 3 months. Also, what about the operation and healing stress to the overall body? I would hate to start a new health problem because of reconstruction. What is the general risk apart from risks mentioned here?

A: The risks you are worried about are probably not so much from the surgery, but more from the anesthesia. I would suggest you discuss your concerns with your primary care provider. We can advise you about risks such as bleeding, blood clots, infection, etc., but these do not usually result in the problems you describe.

 

Q: Am I putting my health at risk in order to research the best reconstruction method before surgery?

A: No, I think you are looking out for your health by doing careful research in advance. Please let us know if we can help you

 

Dr. Richard M. Kline

Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction

 

Have a question about breast reconstruction you’d like answered from our surgical team? Just ask us!

Filed Under: Ask the Doctor Tagged With: , , , ,

Summer Concert Series at the Sanctuary and More

July 17, 2013 by

Summer wouldn’t be complete without the concert series on the Grand Lawn of the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Every Saturday evening, beginning at 5 p.m. a well-known regional performer takes the stage to entertain all ages. The concerts are complimentary and sponsored by the Town of Kiawah Island.

If you go to a concert, BYOC (bring your own chair). No outside coolers or alcoholic beverages are allowed, as drink service is available.

The dates for the rest of the summer include:

Saturday, July 13

Palmetto Soul, a band that plays a variety of tunes from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and today.

Saturday, July 20

Coastal Breeze Band, an eclectic group that plays retro, soul, pop, and Motown songs from the 70’s through the 90’s.

Saturday, July 27

17 South Band, which plays swing, jazz, rhythm and blues, Motown, and beach music from the last 50 years.

Saturday, August 3

Palmetto Soul

Saturday, August 10

The Sneakers, who play funk and jazz as well as beach and blues.

Saturday, August 17

Common Ground, a folk and bluegrass band sure to please everyone.

Other summer concerts include Music on the Green Summer Concert Series at Freshfields Village, Blues & BBQ Harbor Cruises, and The Sound of Charleston.

Filed Under: All Things Charleston Tagged With: , , ,

Hair and Skin Treatments for Summer

July 15, 2013 by

Summer means your hair and skin are on view, and you want them to look their best. We’ve run across a few treatments to help you keep your skin and hair in the best, most luxurious shape possible, and we’d like to share.

Moroccan argan oil

This incredible oil works to keep both hair and skin supple and moisturized, and it contains naturally occurring vitamin E and antioxidants. Many beauty products are incorporating the oil, though there may not be enough oil in them to be of any value.

You can purchase the oil itself and use it as you see fit on your hair before, during, or after your shower. This oil can also be used after you blow dry your hair. To use on skin, apply just a few drops any time. It is particularly helpful for the skin under the eye.

Natural hair remedies

Your next hair treatment may be as close as your kitchen. With its moisturizing yolk and oil-cutting white, eggs transform any type of hair.

Normal hair = use entire egg

Dry hair = use yolk only

Oily hair = use white only

Apply to damp, clean hair, wait 20 minutes, and rinse with cool water to avoid cooking the egg.

For hair with no body, combine 1 tsp canola oil, a raw egg, and ½ cup flat beer. Apply to damp, clean hair, let sit for 20 minutes, and then rinse with cool water. Avocado will help smooth frizzy hair and repair damage. Mash half an avocado and massage into damp hair. After 20 minutes, rinse with water.

You don’t need to pay for clarifying shampoo. Simply create a paste of 2 tbsp baking soda with a little water and massage into your hair. After 10-20 minutes, rinse with water and wash hair.

Natural skin treatments

You don’t need to pay to help your skin stay beautiful and young looking. You just need to go to the grocery store. Coconut oil will remove makeup and moisturize your skin better than most lotions. Be sure to buy virgin organic oil, and keep it out of your eyes.

Cocoa butter is an excellent all-over moisturizer, and like coconut oil, it smells delicious. Olive oil, sugar, and lemon combined make an excellent exfoliating scrub for the entire body.

Rub mayonnaise over your feet, wait 10 minutes, then wipe it off. You can also do the same on your face for a rejuvenating facial.

Which hair and skin treatments do you swear by?

Filed Under: Health and Wellness Tagged With: , , ,

DIEP Flap Procedures: Can You Restore My Original Breast Size? Do You Remove Muscle?

July 12, 2013 by

This week, Dr. Richard Kline of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction answers your questions.

Q: I am having a double mastectomy on August 1st. I want to have a DIEP flap reconstruction, but will have to settle on being half the size I am now because there isn’t an abundance of fatty tissue in my tummy. I am a full C cup now and will probably be a B cup following the reconstruction. Can additional fat be harvested from my buttocks at the time of my initial surgery to make me look like I do now or do I have to wait until Stage 2?

A: There are a few potential ways to look at your situation.

First, it is possible to do DIEPs and GAPs simultaneously (4 separate flaps). We don’t do this, because we have concerns about our ability to monitor the buried flap, but we do know have references to associates who can and we are happy to provide you with this information.

Second, it is possible to inject fat into the DIEP flap, and potentially the mastectomy skin flaps as well (if they are thick enough), as well as in the pectoralis muscle at the time of the DIEP flap. All that together will buy you some extra size, but it’s hard to predict how much.

Finally, you could do fat injections after healing in a subsequent stage(s). I would call this the “tried-and-true” technique, little to lose, much to potentially gain. We are investigating BRAVA as an adjunct to this, but not quite ready to use it yet.

 

Q: What happens if I am getting a DIEP flap done and some muscle has to be removed from my abdominal area?

A: A true DIEP flap never results in the removal of muscle, by definition. Some flap surgeons apparently tell patients they may need to remove a little bit of muscle, and we’re not sure why they say that, because we’ve never found it necessary in many hundreds of flaps.

However, with rare exceptions, the rectus muscle does have to be “disassembled” (and put back together again, of course) to remove the blood vessels, and this can occasionally result in partial loss of muscle function. We work extremely hard in designing each DIEP flap to maximize the blood supply to the flap, while minimizing the potential for loss of muscle function.

We obtain an MR angiogram pre-operation. This  requires an unusually strong 3T MRI for best images, which gives us an excellent “road map” of your individual perforator anatomy. We also frequently use the SPY intraoperative laser fluorescent angiogram to help determine exactly which perforating vessels supply the flap best. Thanks to these technologies, in addition to using the best surgical technique we can, it has been many years since we have encountered any significant functional abdominal wall problems in any of our patients.

Hope this helps!

Dr. Richard M. Kline

Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction

Have a question about breast reconstruction you’d like answered from our surgical team? Just ask us!

Filed Under: Ask the Doctor Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Blues and BBQ Harbor Cruises

July 10, 2013 by

A two-hour cruise from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Thursday night from April through October, the Blues & BBQ Harbor Cruise series features live music from blues bands and a Home Team BBQ buffet.

The dates in July are the 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th.

The cost is $39.95 per person, tax included.

Sponsored by Charleston Harbor Tours and The Bridge 105.5, the cruises take place aboard the Carolina Belle. As you would expect from Charleston’s finest BBQ restaurant, the food is delicious: smoked chicken, pulled pork, baked beans, coleslaw, and macaroni and cheese.

Local favorite Shrimp City Slim (Gary Erwin) plays while you take in the sights of Charleston, including Fort Sumter, the USS Yorktown, the revered St. Michael’s Episcopal Church,the Battery, the Ravenel Bridge, and Forts Johnson and Moultrie.

You’ll meet at the Charleston Maritime Center near Concord and Calhoun before boarding the Carolina Belle. Find out more about the Blues & BBQ Harbor Cruises by calling 843-722-1112 or 888-224-5037, or visit the Charleston Harbor Tours site here.

Filed Under: All Things Charleston Tagged With: , , ,
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