Roasted Spring Vegetable Risotto

Ingredients:

• 1 pound asparagus, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 2 cups whole baby carrots cut in lengthwise quarters
• 6 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 medium assorted peppers (yellow, red, green), cut into 1-inch strips
• 2 medium zucchini or yellow squash, cut into diagonal slices
• 1 cup halved fresh medium mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 3 1/2 cups Swanson® Vegetable Broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/3 cups uncooked Arborio rice

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray 17x11-inch roasting pan with cooking spray.
2. Mix asparagus, carrots, onions, peppers, squash, mushrooms, rosemary and 1/4 cup broth in prepared pan.
3. Roast 20 minutes or until done, stirring once. Prepare risotto while the vegetables are roasting.
4. Heat oil in saucepot. Add rice. Cook and stir for 2 minutes Add 1/2 cup broth and cook until broth is absorbed. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until all broth is absorbed before adding more. (Total cooking time: 25 minutes)
5. Add vegetables and cheese. Heat through. Serve immediately.

Recipe From: Campbell’s Kitchen www.campbellkitchen.com

Nutritional Information Amount Per Serving: Calories: 224 | Total Fat: 3.5g | Cholesterol: 4mg

To view all of our stories from April's Living Healthy, Living Well please click here.

Your Voice Is Important…Especially When You’re On Tour with Justin Bieber

When you think of a DJ, you don’t typically think of them having to strain their voice too much. After all, doesn’t the music usually do the talking? Not when you’re Justin Bieber’s official tour DJ.

Baltimore native Taylor James started his interest in DJing at the tender age of 12. What started as a hobby turned into a profession and helped pay the bills through college. And that certainly paid off when, upon graduation, Mr. James was offered a full-time position on pop sensation Justin Bieber’s world tour.

Suddenly, Mr. James was using his voice like never before. Interviews with the Today Show, pumping up sold out crowds of screaming fans and emceeing events like Justin Bieber’s birthday bash. In December 2011, all this excitement caught up with Mr. James’ voice, bringing him to the Johns Hopkins Voice Center at GBMC.

“I thought I was just getting a really bad cold at first,” says Mr. James. “Then all of the sudden, my voice was completely gone. It came back just enough for me to go on the Today Show, but after that, I knew I had to go to GBMC.”

Mr. James saw Lee Akst, MD, Director of the Johns Hopkins Voice Center at GBMC and Barbara Messing, MA, CCC-SLP, BRS-S, who found the cause of his problem was vocal fold hemorrhagic polyps. “The evaluation procedure was quick, easy and painless,” says Mr. James.  “It was also really convenient for it to be done right in the office.”

In order for his voice to perform at full capacity, vocal surgery was recommended and performed with excellent vocal results.  Now, Mr. James is undergoing therapy to not only make his voice stronger, but to learn how to use it properly.

“At his therapy sessions, we focus on vocal exercises that help to mobilize the vocal folds and promote healing and vocal techniques to improve the balance between breath support and voice production while reducing excessive laryngeal muscle tension,” says Barbara Messing, MA, CCC-SLP, BRS-S,  Administrative-Clinical Director of the Milton J. Dance, Jr. Head and Neck Center and the Johns Hopkins Voice Center at GBMC. “He now knows the best ways to perform warm up and cool down to minimize damage to his vocal folds while performing and rest his voice as needed.”

The treatment that Mr. James received from the Johns Hopkins Voice Center at GBMC put him on the road to recovery and back on the road with Justin Bieber.

For more information about Johns Hopkins Voice Center at GBMC, visit www.gbmc.org/voice.

Keeping Asthma Symptoms at Bay

Whether you have mild, moderate or severe asthma, keeping your symptoms under control is key to living a healthy, active life. With your doctor’s guidance and treatment, you can learn how to best deal with your asthma.
Here are a few things you can do to help control symptoms or identify impending attacks:

1. Know your triggers. Does cat hair make you wheeze? Does a sudden change in the weather affect you? Know what these triggers are and do your best to avoid them. If you can’t, make sure you always have your inhalers and medications close at hand.
2. Stay in contact with your doctor. Once you have a treatment plan in place, make sure you’re paying them a visit regularly. Keep them updated on bad attacks or symptom changes.
3. Take medications as prescribed. Even if you’re feeling good and think you don’t need your medication, don’t stop taking it. Your symptoms are under control because of the medication and will likely return if you stop.
4. Use your preventative inhaler as directed. If you know you’ll be working out, gardening, or participating in another activity that makes you wheeze, use your preventative inhaler as your doctor has prescribed. This can help ward off symptoms before they start.

With a few lifestyle changes and close communication with your doctor, you can enjoy your life without worrying about your next asthma attack.

To find a doctor that’s right for you, visit. www.gbmc.org/findadoc.

To view all of our stories from April's Living Healthy, Living Well please click here.

Finding Peace in the Final Hours

Volunteer End-of-Life Doulas Offer Support to Hospice Patients and Their Loved Ones

For Sissy Vaughn and her family, having an end-of-life doula at their father’s side helped ease their minds. “I had lost my mother only six weeks before,” explains Ms. Vaughn. “We have a large family, and my mother was always the one to keep us relaxed during difficult times.” To serve as a calming presence for the family and Ms. Vaughn’s father, end-of-life doula Elaine Gardner traveled to their home to be with them during their time of need. “Having her there helped us to cope with everything,” says Ms. Vaughn. “She was someone to talk to, laugh with and cry with. She sat with my father and held his hand through his final hours.”

Ms. Gardner is one of 90 specially trained doulas who volunteer with Gilchrist Hospice Care’s End-of-Life Doula program. Since the program was developed in December 2009, doulas have served as a guiding presence for nearly 1,000 patients and their families through the final hours of life. Doulas stay by the bedsides of hospice patients in a range of settings from private homes and long-term care facilities to the Gilchrist centers located in Baltimore and Howard Counties.

Many reasons prompt families to utilize Gilchrist’s end-of-life doula services. In some cases, family members are unable to be at their loved one’s side or simply need additional support. Doulas are often called to be with a patient when loved ones face travel constraints. Or, if patients request that their family members not be present in the room when they die, having a doula present can be a compromise, offering family members peace of mind when they can’t be there themselves.

“The program has had an extremely positive response so far, both from our doula volunteers and the families of those who have died,” says Deborah Geffen-Jones, Volunteer Services Manager at Gilchrist. “We are thankful to all of our doulas who are strongly dedicated to offering comfort to our clients during such critical and emotional times.”

Learn More

For additional information about the services provided by Gilchrist Hospice Care, visit http://gilchristhospice.org.

To view all of our stories from April's Living Healthy, Living Well please click here.

Recipe: Berry Blast Smoothie

If you're craving something sweet, but don't want to load up on calories, go for berries! This smoothie combines the natural sweetness of four different berries along with the creaminess of low-fat yogurt to create a satisfying snack for your entire family. It's also packed with vitamin C, dietary fiber and antioxidants. Here's to your health!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 cups raspberries
• 2 cups strawberries
• 2 cups blackberries
• 1 cup 100% cran-raspberry juice
• 1 cup low-fat blueberry yogurt
• 2 cups ice

DIRECTIONS:

Place all items into blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov.

Kick Start Your Spring Fitness Routine

Long winter days are fading into warmer weather, which may mean there's an end in sight for your spring fever. Perhaps you're ready to get outside and stretch your legs, hoping to lose some of your winter weight. Before you dust off your running shoes, read some of these helpful hints to ease back into a fitness routine.

1. Slow and steady wins the race. If you've had a sedentary winter, try walking a few times a week before gradually adding more activity. By slowly adding intensity to your workouts, you'll help to avoid injuries.
2. Two is better than one. Find a partner you can work out with each day. Whether it's your best friend, next door neighbor or your dog, having someone to exercise with holds you accountable to yourself and to your partner.
3. Keep a journal. Start writing down your workout activities. You might include the day of the week you worked out, amount of time you exercised, the activity you took part in and how you were feeling that day. This allows you to go back to see what activities worked best for you and also helps you track your progress.
4. Have fun! Be sure to integrate activities that you enjoy such as biking, hiking or swimming. This will help ensure you keep on the workout track without getting bored with your routine.

Be sure to see your physician before starting any new workout routine. To find a primary care physician, visit www.gbmc.org or call 443-849-GBMC (4262).

In Sickness and In Health

A honeymoon filled with chemotherapy and radiation wasn’t exactly what Phil Kenney had hoped for himself and his new bride, Linda. However, that’s exactly how they spent the weeks following their wedding.

It all started in March 2010, when Mr. Kenney was diagnosed with stage IV tonsil cancer. After learning of his diagnosis, Mr. Kenney proposed to Linda, his girlfriend of more than 20 years. On April 17, 2010, one short month after the proposal, the couple was married in a full Catholic wedding. Instead of taking a tropical honeymoon, the following six weeks were spent at GBMC as Mr. Kenney began treatment. He had been referred to GBMC’s Sandra & Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute, where he could seek the help of head and neck specialists at the Milton J. Dance, Jr., Head and Neck Center. Though it was 300 miles round-trip from the couple’s home in Frostburg, Maryland, they knew that GBMC is where Phil could best receive the comprehensive care he needed.

“I was first seen on a Monday and had a complete care plan by Wednesday,” says Mr. Kenney. After that, he knew he wasn’t going anywhere else. “GBMC offered me all the care I needed under one roof. As a patient, it’s very reassuring to know that all of your doctors and nurses are coordinating your care to help give you the best results possible.”

During  the weeks of  Mr. Kenney’s treatment, he and Linda stayed at the Hope Lodge, a low-cost residence run by the American Cancer Society for cancer patients undergoing treatment more than 40 miles from their homes. Once he had recovered from surgery, his schedule consisted of radiation therapy twice daily on GBMC’s state-of-the-art RapidArc Linear Accelerator and chemotherapy at the Infusion Center once a week. Like all of GBMC’s cancer patients, he also had access to the support of his surgical team, along with other extensively trained oncology professionals like speech pathologists, social workers, voice and swallowing experts, patient navigators, radiation and medical oncologists and a specialized oncology dietitian.

The Kenneys left every Friday afternoon for a brief stay at their home in Frostburg before returning to Baltimore on Sundays. “Being able to stay at the Hope Lodge was a lifesaver,” says Mrs. Kenney. “We knew that GBMC had the best services for head and neck cancer, and being able to stay nearby made our decision even easier.”

Mr. Kenney is back home in Frostburg after completing his treatments, but the care he received at GBMC has made a lasting impression on him and his wife.

“It’s been quite a journey, but everyone at GBMC has made it as pleasant as could be,” says Mrs. Kenney. “Every step of Phil’s care was laid out for us, and all our questions and concerns were addressed. The care he’s received has been a true blessing.”

For more information about the Sandra & Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute, call 443-849-GBMC (4262) or visit www.gbmc.org.