It’s useful to know how to cook lamb if you’re preparing meals for an allergic family. While lamb isn’t truly “hypoallergenic,” it’s often one of the first or only meats allowed on rotation diets, and people who are allergic to beef or pork are often able to tolerate lamb. But you can’t always substitute ground lamb for ground beef in recipes. Lamb is fattier (causing grill flare-ups and making some recipes greasy), and it has a much stronger taste.

Here’s one easy and delicious cooking method you can try. It’s free from all common allergens.

In a bowl, mix all ingredients together. Divide mixture into four to six equal-sized balls, then flatten into firm patties using the palms of your hands.

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Being careful not to crowd, place the patties in the skillet and cook until each side is browned but not burned (about five to seven minutes per side). Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to do this in two batches. Expect a lot of fat to be rendered from the lamb as it cooks.

Serves 2 to 3. Recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Doneness: Lamb should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 to 160 degrees. As a general rule, I’ve found that patties this size are cooked appropriately when the outside is done. If the outside cooks much faster than five minutes, lower the heat of your burner to prevent the outside from charring while the inside remains underdone.

Serving Suggestions: Lamb burgers can be served on buns or in pita pockets. They are delicious with tomatoes and lettuce and are traditionally served with raita (a cucumber-and-yogurt condiment) or feta cheese. If you cannot eat or do not wish to eat dairy, brown mustard and lamb make for a nice combination. These patties are also nice to serve atop brown rice or rice pilaf.

I’m scheduled for a replacement on July 15, 2010. Sixty-one, I live alone and have tried steroids for six months. Physically, I’ve not let the pain slow me down too much; mentally, the distraction of pain has impaired my judgement and quality of life. I feel like I’ve “covered all the bases,” and hope for a relatively quick recovery. I’m wondering if we can do Botox to fill in the pain wrinkles?? Sense of humor.—Guest Deb Taylor

Image © Medical Multimedia GroupKnee replacement surgery is the most common joint replacement procedure. A knee replacement surgery is performed when the joint has deteriorated from arthritis, and the symptoms of knee pain can no longer be controlled with simple treatments. Knee replacements are made from metal and plastic implants.

Question: Which Toothbrush is Really Better – Manual or Electric?

Answer:

With all the bells and whistles and hundreds of toothbrushes on the market, you’ve got to wonder, which is really the best toothbrush to buy — manual or electric?

According to the Academy of General Dentistry, the best toothbrush that you can buy is the one that you will actually use. That’s it. Yes, it’s really that simple. While both electric and manual toothbrushes have some pros and cons, the bottom line is which one you will use. The American Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes.

If you’re not sure which type of toothbrush you would use the most, I have provided some pros and cons of both:

Manual Toothbrush:

Pros
Inexpensive Most have an easy grip handle Some come with a tongue scraper Easy to travel with

Cons
No built in timer to tell you when two minutes are up Can be difficult for some people to hold onto firmly

Electric Toothbrushes

Pros
Most have larger ergonomic handles Some have built in timers that let you know when you have brushed for a full two minutes The feel and buzzing of an electric toothbrush feels good to a lot of people Some electric toothbrushes dispense toothpaste

Cons
Some electric toothbrushes can be quite expensive Most electric toothbrushes require charging or battery replacement

Since everyone is different, I think it’s really good to have a variety of dental products to choose from.

My mom suffers from severe arthritis, so she really likes the Sonicare toothbrush because she can grip it easy.

I like the convenience of the Sonicare Intelliclean toothbrush because it dispenses toothpaste while brushing and my husband likes the Oral B Braun (Compare Prices) electric toothbrush.

My kids didn’t really like electric toothbrushes, but they like the Tooth Tunes (Buy Direct) manual toothbrush that plays music while they brush. As long as they are using it, it’s fine with me.

Deciding whether to buy an electric or manual toothbrush basically comes down to what the user desires as far as comfort and convenience go. Whatever toothbrush that you decide to buy, remember that using it is what’s really important.

How to Brush Your Teeth

How to Brush Children’s Teeth

More Dental Care Q&A

Friday November 30, 2007#spacer{clear:left}#abc #sidebar{margin-top:1.5em}zSB(3,3)

Peanuts and soy are both common allergens and both legumes, and one frequent pattern among allergens is that foods that are closely related sometimes have higher-than-average risks of causing allergens in the same person. (Examples of this phenomenon include high risks of multiple tree nut allergies in a person who’s diagnosed with allergies to any one particular tree nut allergy and a similar issue with shellfish allergies.) With peanuts and soy being close biological relatives, can soy cause reactions in people with peanut allergies? Should kids diagnosed with peanut allergies pre-emptively avoid soy out of an abundance of caution?

The good word, according to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network: not unless your allergist has specifically recommended you do so. The majority of people with peanut allergies tolerate soy well, and vice versa. Peer-reviewed studies have not demonstrated that soy can trigger a reaction in people with peanut allergies.

While a 2003 study raised questions about whether early exposure to soy (as in soy formula) might be a risk factor for peanut allergies, the authors of that study noted that “there is a low prevalence of clinical reactivity to soy in infants with peanut allergy.” And a larger 2005 study (mentioned by FAAN) showed no correlation between early introduction to soy and peanut allergies.

What’s the downside of restricting soy from the diet if you’ve got a peanut allergy in the family? Well, consider one common nutritional argument made by folks who disagree with peanut-restriction policies in schools: the argument that nuts are a potent source of inexpensive, high-quality protein. If you restrict soy unnecessarily, you’re cutting out another nutritious protein source, as well as a ubiquitous ingredient in processed foods and many national cuisines.

Sources:

Klemola, Timo, et al. “Feeding a soy formula to children with cow’s milk allergy: The development of immunoglobulin E-mediated allergy to soy and peanuts.” Pediatric Allergy & Immunology. Dec. 2005. 16(8): 641-46. 30 Nov. 2007.

Lack, Gideon, et al. “Factors Associated with the Development of Peanut Allergy in Childhood.” New England Journal of Medicine. Mar. 13, 2003. 348(11): 977-85. 30 Nov. 2007.

More on Peanut Allergies and Soy Allergies:

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I was consumed with sudden onset joint pain at age 50, after living a relatively healthy life. The rheumatologist who saw me stated unequivocally after a brief clinical exam that I likely had Polymyalgia Rheumatica and that I could have Arterial Artritis. Based on the possibilities he prescribed a high dose injection of corticosteroids and a daily RX. He also claimed I could become totally and irreversibly blind if I did not do this. That last possibility panicked me. I followed this regimen for 9 mos when my family Doc recognized that I was suffering from tachycardia, and other side effects. He hospitalized me immediately. 5 different specialists came in to treat this condition and slowly decreased steroids. Despite the Drs’ care, I had a complete physical collapse which left me unable to move & care for myself for 1 year+. Under a new rheumatologist I began a slow recovery which included a “cocktail of meds” + water therapy. 12 years out, I am coping, but quite limited walki—Guest Suzanne1-15 of 29Next

Share Your Experience

Photo © Piotr WzietekArthroscopic surgery is a common orthopedic procedure that is used to diagnose and treat problems in joints. The word “arthroscopy” comes from two Greek words: ‘arthro,’ meaning “joint,” and ’scope,’ meaning “look.” Simply put, arthroscopic surgery is a means to look inside a joint. But arthroscopy is much more than that!

I had partial knee replacement in Sept 09 and knew that eventually I will need a new left hip. Eventually happened much sooner than I hoped and expected. I don’t sleep well at night due to pain and I can no longer walk any distance. I’ve placed my movement related hobbies on hold. In a month I will have the surgery and I’ve elected the minimally invasive metal on metal. Looking forward to getting this behind me.—Guest Rick Danzey

People often seek out physical therapy due to elbow pain and stiffness. The way it is treated however, depends on the underlying cause of the discomfort. Some of the most common causes of elbow pain include the following:

Medial Epicondylitis or Golfer’s Elbow:

You may know medial epicondylitis as “golfer’s elbow.” This disorder occurs when the muscles that bend the wrist down are overused, such as when swinging a golf club. The discomfort experienced by people with medial epicondylitis is located at the inner aspect of the elbow joint.

Lateral Epicondylitis or Tennis Elbow:

Lateral epicondylitis is more common than the above mentioned medial epicondylitis and also is known as tennis elbow. Lateral epicondylitis is an overuse injury that occurs when the muscles that bend the wrist backward are stressed. This motion is used during the backhand swing of a tennis player, thus the name. With this condition however, elbow discomfort is located at the outer aspect of the elbow joint.

Olecranon Bursitis

The olecranon bursa is a slippery sac between the skin and the bone at the tip of the elbow. The bursa allows the skin to move freely over the underlying bone. If this sac becomes irritated due to repetitive movement, it becomes swollen and painful. This condition is called olecranon bursitis. The discomfort experienced with this disorder is directly over the elbow joint.

Biceps Tendonitis

The biceps are the large group of muscles in the front of the upper arm that help bend the elbow. If these muscles are used too frequently, the tendon that it is associated with becomes irritated and painful. This disorder is known as biceps tendonitis. The pain experienced with biceps tendonitis is located in the front of the elbow joint.

Dislocation

One of the most serious injuries involving the elbow is an elbow dislocation. This disorder occurs when an outside force acts on the joint displacing the bones from their proper alignment. It is easily diagnosed with an xray. With a dislocated elbow, the pain experienced with be around the entire joint.

After determining the cause of elbow pain, physical therapy can begin. Elbow rehabilitation requires a combination of stretching and strengthening associated muscle groups to achieve a beneficial outcome.

Question: I get a runny nose after I eat spicy foods. Do I have a food allergy?Answer:

It’s unlikely. In the absence of other food allergy symptoms (hives, redness and swelling, difficulty breathing, gastrointestinal distress or symptoms of anaphylactic shock), a clear runny nose after eating is usually a sign of gustatory rhinitis. This is a form of vasomotor rhinitis or nonallergic rhinitis, which is an irritation of the inner nose. Spicy foods and alcoholic beverages are the two most common causes. (Children may sometimes have food allergies whose primary symptom is runny nose, but this is considered rare in adults.)

Avoiding trigger foods is an effective way to treat gustatory rhinitis. If your symptoms are severe or if they interfere with your quality of life, talk with your doctor. She may recommend medication. Saline sprays, inhaled antihistamines, inhaled corticosteroids or Atrovent (Ipratropium) are among the therapies that may be useful in treating gustatory rhinitis.

Source:

Wallace, Dana, et al. “The Diagnosis and Management of Rhinitis: An Updated Practice Parameter.” Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Aug. 2008. 122(2 Suppl.), S1-S84 (note: subscription required.) 27 Dec. 2008.