My Sinus Health Tool

A repost from Gooseberry Lane, 2010.  Hopefully, this will be of help to those who also suffer from chronic sinusitis.  Please note:  this is my personal recommendation/endorsement.  I have received no benefits, financial or otherwise, from the manufacturers or distributors of the SinuPulse Elite or any products related to its use.  I have also received no benefits from Sinus Survival.
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As part of my 2010 "Get Light, Get Fit, Get Healthy!" goals, I plan to work on stabilizing and/or improving my chronic sinusitis.  I have battled this condition in some way or another for years, sometimes developing sinus infections that required an MRI for diagnosis and high-powered antibiotics for treatment.  At least a decade ago, I began irrigating my sinuses with saline and a dosing syringe but, lately, that just wasn't doing the job.  When the possibility of asthma as a result of the chronic sinusitis presented itself, I looked for something more effective.  My solution:  the SinuPulse Elite.  This lovely little apparatus uses patented technology to deliver a pulsating stream of water (or mist) into your sinuses to clean and/or moisturize them.  To learn more about the machine, visit Achoo Allergy, or watch the video posted below.

How to Make Mate

This afternoon, while reading about the new pope, Francis I, I learned about a traditional Argentinean beverage called mate.  For full disclosure, I have never made this drink, nor have I ever tasted it.  Point of fact, I had never even heard of it until today.  That said, after watching this video, I find the entire cultural context of mate interesting, although I don't know if the communal sharing of it would go over big with my friends.  Maybe I will try making mate one day...if I could find the ingredients at my local grocery store (which I doubt).  If you try making mate, let me know how it tastes.  Enjoy the video!

Now I Can Make Tea

An exceptional cup of tea is hard to come by, at least that is what I am told by my British friends who decry the "American" way of making tea --- heating water and a tea bag in the microwave for about two minutes.  I must confess I have done that over the past few years because I was sans teakettle.  Mine had boiled dry and I couldn't bring myself to use it for anything other than sanitation purposes (and I kept hoping my family would gift me a new version).  Well, my days of "American" tea making are over because...I got a new, high tech teakettle!






To better understand my excitement, a comparison photo might be in order:

The new PerfecTemp Teakettle by Cuisinart features (as stated on the shipping box):  an ergonomic handle, a boiling whistle, stainless steel construction and, my favorite, a precise temperature gauge with multi-colored, easy-to-read hot water levels so I can brew that exceptional cup of tea I mentioned before.  So, for example, now I know that, for the perfect cup of black tea, the water needs to be in the red zone, at a full boil;  green tea, in the green zone, at 175°F.

I chose this teakettle over some others that were recommended to me because I wanted one that had a temperature gauge, even more than I wanted one made of stainless steel.  The PerfecTemp is a bit slow to heat up if I start with refrigerator-chilled water, but that is a good thing around here.  It forces life to slow down just a bit, which is really the whole point of a cup of tea.

This is my personal recommendation/endorsement.  No benefits, financial or otherwise, were received from Cuisinart or anyone else.