A Note from DocHello everyone. I hope this finds you all well and doing the best you can with all of our circumstances. I never fail to be amazed at how you do it all. Balancing families, jobs, relationships, communications, budgets, activities, spiritual demands, and on it goes. When we add into the mixer the economy, the directions of our country, our need for hope, our need to refocus on responsibility to freedom, and the constant bombardment of world crises, no wonder our emotions and actions range from indifference to anger. I must say I am so proud of your children. For the most part they all hold conversation very well and are actually listening to all that is happening. They even have opinions! So rewarding to listen to them as they reflect their positions. For us, may I suggest more of the same. Keep a steady hand on the tiller, look forward, and keep the rows straight. You cannot rely totally on GPS technology. The ol´ timers use experience and intuition as well to keep the tiller moving straight. I just returned from a dental class where smiles were built by computers. All of this mathematically correct, however deficient in feeling and intuition. I might argue that the old way gives us an advantage. Numbers don´t necessarily tell the truth. High gas prices did. Our reactions to it might be beneficial to our courses of action. We don´t need a car for everyone, we do need to plan our trips, we don´t have to go for the sake of going, there is nothing wrong with mass transportation and school buses, and we don´t have the use of energy as a right. Less is more. Less running around means more time together and at home. There seems to be underlying fingers pointing at the social issues we have, as rooted in the home, or lack of home. My GPS brings me back to this assessment. Hard times brought us closer together. Hard times taught us lessons. We don´t need to have stuff, we need each other. A game of checkers costs way less than the latest video game, and you can talk to each other. This isn´t that easy. Watch people and groups these days. Ain´t going to get answers with your earphones on. I contend people this is not old fashion. (I am entering that zone). The more I live, the more I appreciate the old way. Yes, give us some conveniences, but the old way was better. Less trash, fewer cars, leftovers (people cooked), consistent family times, responsibility to ones actions, products made well and in our country (there´s a tip…. Lets market America), respect of each other, time to listen, time to give (check out all the service/giving groups who are folding cause we youngin´s don´t have the time to give), and the list goes on. Slowly we can change. I have tried to teach this to my kids. There is a time everyday one can choose to be quiet and listen. We talked about it before. We have more time for it these days. Go there. Go for a walk. Talk to that person on the porch. Don´t judge, just be. Play checkers with your God. Of course you should talk and listen as well. You can only win by playing. Blessings to you all,
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VolunteeringDr. Gotwalt and Gini are volunteering at the Water Street Rescue Mission Dental Clinic in Lancaster. The office also participates with the Ephrata Dental Network for Kids providing care for Ephrata Students with critical dental needs that are not being met. Tia is volunteering by being an assistant hockey coach at Cocalico and Jody is volunteering in the 3rd Grade at Fulton Elementary. It is with a happy heart that we volunteer in our community. Please consider volunteering, it´s great for your soul and the souls of those you are helping. Karen’s Gossip ColumnDoc - Sara, aka “little doc”, and Doc attended a course together on dental materials and esthetics with their Peak group in October. Sara is currently doing her general practice residency at the Pittsburgh Veterans Hospital. Amy is a full time mom to 2 young children and is also a substitute teacher and waitress. Doc´s wood is dry and put away ready to provide warmth through the winter while he is busy cooking. Tia - A girls weekend to the cabin in Potter County is planned for February. In June, Tia and Shawn have a wedding to attend in Austin, Texas. A possible catamaran island hopping trip to the British Virgin Islands is being planned for May with their friends to go scuba diving. The Stauffer pet, Hank, will be 4 years old in December. Gini- Her daughter Miranda is in the middle school play for the 2nd year and Kevin is playing football again this year for the Cocalico Eagles and learning to drive. Kyle is a sophomore in college. Max is hoping Tia goes on all her vacations so he can have time with his buddy Hank. Char- Her annual fall party was in October. There were hayrides and pumpkin carving with family and friends. Her son Nick is taking swimming lessons at the Lititz Rec. Sharon- The girls are in their first year of marching band playing the clarinet. They marched in two parades during the Manheim farm show week. Her family is going to her sister´s house for Thanksgiving and she is getting rid of her husband for a week in December-gotta love hunting season! Jody- She´ll be spending a weekend in Pittsburgh in November to visit her son, Zach. Hannah is a sophomore at Elizabethtown college. Disney is the destination for a week with a friend after Thanksgiving and a trip to Sarasota, Florida for girlfriends week will be in January. Karen- I am going with Jody and friends to Sarasota for a week of relaxation in January. I will be having Thanksgiving dinner at my house for about 15 family members. My three oldest grandchildren all started kindergarten this fall.
URGENT - URGENT - URGENTPlease keep us updated with your current phone numbers, address, insurance coverage, and medical history so we may better serve you. Many patients are going to cell phone use only and we do not have those numbers. With winter weather on the way it is important that we are able to contact you if we have a change in the schedule. Also, just a reminder that when paying with a credit card, cash payment discounts and senior citizen discounts will not be honored. Favorite Holiday MoviesDoc - The Grinch with Jim Carey Tia - A Charlie Brown Christmas Jody - Miracle on 34th St with Natalie Wood Gini - A Christmas Story Karen - It´s A Wonderful Life Char - Christmas Vacation Sharon - White Christmas
| ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS WITH GRATITUDE A holiday quote by Dr. SuessAnd the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ´till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn´t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn´t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. The Dairy AisleYogurt has been touted for boosting your immune system, but there´s another reason it may keep you smiling. A study found that people who consumed 2 ounces or more of lactic acid-rich foods, such as yogurt and kefir, had a 60 percent lower risk for severe periodontal disease than those who didn´t eat any. Left untreated, this dental condition can cause tooth loss. Scientists once believed it was the calcium in dairy products that fostered oral health, but now say the effect may be attributed to probiotics, beneficial bacteria that is found in foods with lactic acid. Since dairy products made without probiotics, like milk, and some cheeses, don´t provide the same protective effect, get at least half of your dairy servings each day from yogurt.
Char Taste BudsWhen we think of taste buds on our tongue, we generally think of the four basics: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. But some researchers now believe we have more taste receptors. The researchers believe we have taste receptors for calcium. After studying taste receptors in mice (yes, genetically we have similar taste receptors as mice!) scientists have located two sights for calcium on the tongue. Another taste zone identified they call umami, which respond to savory or MSG - related flavors. Some have even suggested our tongues respond to fats. The calcium receptors have been known to make water taste better, but some green vegetables to taste bitter. The only practical application researchers are working on is a way to block the bitter factor. It may lead to healthier eating and making some medicines taste better. Gini Righteous RecipesYet another great recipe from the Stauffer´s. This is a brand new recipe we just made for a college football party we hosted this fall. We love chili at our house on a cold football day and anytime in the winter to keep us warm. This is the best chili recipe we have ever made. The recipe takes some time to make but it´s well worth it in the end. I hope you enjoy 3 lbs ribeye steak, cut into small cubes 5 little cans of chopped green chiles 3 cans of rotel with chopped tomatoes (drained) 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (don´t drain) 2 cans of black beans (rinsed) 1 can of pinto beans (rinsed) 1 can of tomato paste 6 yellow onions, diced 2 tbsp of minced garlic 2 tbsp of the following: black pepper,salt,oregano,ground cumin,chile powder,fresh cilantro,cayenne pepper (if you don´t like spicy hot, cut back on cumin, chile powder, cayenne pepper to 1-1 1/2 tbsp) 1 bottle of beer (bud, yuengling,miller) try to use a beer that is pretty generic in taste (no flavored beers of dark heavy beers) Use a good stockpot or chili will stick and make a mess. Brown all of the meat in batches in a skillet and dump into stockpot (don´t drain of the liquid). Then brown all of the onion in a skillet until tender and dump into the stockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients into stockpot as well. Cook over med/low - med heat with lid on for 4 hrs. Important: stir every 15 minutes and don´t scrape the bottom if it starts to stick. Cook 1 additional hour with the lid off, still stirring every 15 minutes. The last hour should cook off the extra liquid. If you think it looks to thick for your liking add water or beer. If you can, cook the chili the day before you plan on eating and then chill it in the refrigerator - it will make the flavors blend better. Note: if you didn´t put 2 tbsp of the cumin,chile powder, cayenne pepper in the stockpot initially, taste test after 2 hrs of cooking - this will give you an indication if it is spicy enough.
When ready to serve have sour cream, grated sharp cheddar cheese and fritos to accompany chili.
Holiday Give AwayThe local food banks are running low! With the economy in dire straits there are more people than ever in need of food. Please drop off your donations of non-perishable food through December and you could win a $50.00 gift certificate to Penn Cinema. Please help us to help our neighbors in need. Jody(You must be an active patient at the office to win the certificate, thank you) |
