Must-Try Thai Dishes

Holding an MD and a PhD in sociology and social psychology, Patricia Lynn Hough was a psychiatrist and assistant professor for more than a decade. Now semiretired, she serves as the staff supervisor at St. Francis Animal Rescue of Venice, Florida. In her free time, Patricia Lynn Hough enjoys experiencing different cultures and their cuisines, including food from Thailand. 

Thai cuisine features unique flavors and aromas that have helped certain dishes become popular around the world. Other Thai dishes are just as flavorful but less well-known. Below are a few Thai dishes worth trying regardless of their popularity.

- Laap. A rustic dish that originated in northeast Thailand, laap consists of minced meat seasoned with a variety of herbs, fish sauce, and rice powder. The dish is frequently served alongside sticky rice, which most Thais eat by hand.

- Tom Yum Goong. Combining salty, sour, sweet, and spicy into one dish, this soup contains tomatoes, shrimp, mushrooms, and lime leaves. The soup can be ordered with cream and coconut milk.

- Phat kaphrao. This street food brings together flash-fried meat and basil along with plenty of garlic and chili seasoning. The mixture is served over rice and frequently is topped with a fried egg.

- Gang massaman. Originating in southern Thailand, this sweet curry sauce is made from coconut milk, curry paste, and seasonings and is usually served over chicken and rice.

Caring for a Cat with a Cold

Dr. Patricia Lynn Hough is a former social worker who earned her doctor of medicine in 1988 and subsequently began working as a psychiatrist. Now semi-retired, Dr. Patricia Lynn Hough serves as staff supervisor at Venice, Florida's St. Francis Animal Rescue, where she is responsible for volunteer and adoption coordination and working with the shelter's veterinarian to treat sick animals.

Like humans, cats are prone to developing the flu or cold-like symptoms. While it's best to take your cat to the vet if he or she hasn't eaten in several days or has bloody discharges, oftentimes a common cold can be treated at home. Signs that might indicate your cat has a cold include sneezing for long periods of time, coughing, and excess swallowing. You can also listen to the cat's breathing. If it's wheezy or raspy, you can help by turning on a humidifier.

Be sure to continually check up on your cat and wipe away any discharge from the eyes or nose with warm saltwater on a cloth or cotton ball. In addition to keeping the water bowl filled to avoid dehydration, you might also have to encourage your cat to eat by warming his or her food to increase the odor.

A Few Facts about Mental Health in the United States

The staff supervisor at St. Francis Animal Rescue in Venice, Florida, Patricia Lynn Hough collaborates with the shelter’s veterinarian to provide medical care. Prior to this position, Patricia Lynn Hough had a successful career in social work and psychiatry.

In the United States, estimates are that one in four adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder. Despite this, general society still places minimal importance on mental health. 

Maintaining mental health is beneficial to physical health. People without depression, stress, or anxiety experience decreased physical pain and improved immune function, and their life expectancy is longer. 

People who are not depressed, stressed, or anxious are less likely to commit violent crimes or become victims of violent crimes. They are less likely to lash out at those around them, so their children have a smaller risk of being abused.

Benefits of mental health extend beyond the individual to business and society. Mental health treatment is believed to reduce medical visits by 90 percent and drop overall medical treatment costs by 35 percent. 

Individuals who are mentally healthy are significantly more productive at work and are better at helping their companies grow and succeed. Poor mental health leads to increased workplace accidents and decreased work attendance. 

According to the World Health Organization, roughly 200 million workdays are lost every year because of depression. Individuals with depression and anxiety use sick leaves more frequently and for longer periods of time.

Ensuring a Healthy Diet for Your Cat

Patricia Lynn Hough is a former psychiatrist who stays active in a supervisory capacity at St. Francis Animal Rescue (SFAR), a Venice, Florida, no-kill shelter. With a longstanding passion for animal health and welfare, Patricia Lynn Hough ensures that the cats at the cage-free facility have the proper medications and are prepared for adoption by loving owners.

Adopting a cat is a long-term commitment that begins with keeping the pet happy and healthy. A cat's stomach is not designed for the same foods eaten by humans, so learning to feed the cat the right kind of food is important. 

Generally lactose intolerant, a cat may get an upset stomach or worse if it is fed dairy products such as cheese and milk. Even commercial cat treats may present an issue if they are given too often, which can result in obesity and corresponding health issues. 

The way to avoid these problems is to feed the cat a nutritionally complete cat food made by a respected company. Most cats, given a choice, prefer a combination of canned and dry food. To avoid overfeeding, carefully read the cat food labels and set out an amount of food that is appropriate for the age and weight of the cat.

Yoga on My Wii Fitness Board

I am having difficult time making it to the fitness center to do classes in yoga.  There are only two classes a day and I am either commuting to work or at work most of the time.  But, I discovered a yoga program on my Wii fitness.  It makes use of the Wii fitness board to detect balance and shifts in balance.  There is a tutorial for each pose and you select a "trainer" to lead you through the exercises.  During a variety of poses, I have to stay within a yellow circle and follow the breathing.  It is not adapted for floor mat poses but does give instruction for positions and breathing.  I wish that there were more programs like this to use at home.

A Look at Some of the Different Forms of Yoga

 


An experienced social worker and animal shelter employee, Dr. Patricia Lynn Hough enjoys keeping active. One of Dr. Patricia Lynn Hough’s favorite pastimes is yoga.

As people begin to research yoga studios, they may find the multitude of types to be overwhelming. Beginners often choose hatha yoga, which is a slow-moving type that focuses on basics. Practitioners of this variety typically focus on finding the right posture and holding it for a few breaths.

Another good option for beginners, Bikram yoga takes place in a heated, humidified room. Furthermore, one will find that all Bikram studios rely on the same sequence of postures over the course of 90 minutes, thus facilitating the practice’s rapid adoption. Bikram beginners should go slow and take breaks when needed.

A more challenging form of yoga, Ashtanga mimics Bikram in maintaining an order for its poses. In Ashtanga, there are six series of varying difficulty that individuals work through as they progress.

A generally high-intensity type of yoga, Ashtanga is somewhat less intense than Vinyasa, which focuses on breath and movement together. Individuals do not remain in poses very long, so Vinyasa provides a great workout.

Another popular style of yoga is Iyengar, which often uses props like ropes, straps, and blocks. In Iyengar, teachers are very picky about body position and working effectively within the existing range of motion.

Key Advice for Traveling to Developing Countries

Dr. Patricia Lynn Hough serves as a staff supervisor with St. Francis Animal Rescue in Venice, Florida. An avid traveler in her free time, Dr. Patricia Lynn Hough particularly enjoys visiting developing countries.

When visiting developing countries, individuals need to keep certain things in mind. For example, patience is necessary when traveling throughout the developing world. Sometimes, vans meant for six people will accept three times that number. Traveling can take much more time than expected, depending on the condition of bridges, roads, and the like. 

Travelers should also expect to get ripped off to some extent. Often imagining that they can haggle for the same prices as locals, many of these individuals will get agitated, if not hostile, when the vendor refuses to make concessions. In general, foreigners pay more, but chances are good that the purchase price is still relatively low given conversion rates. Haggling skills are important in developing countries. Part of haggling entails walking away after pointing out that the price is too high.

In general, travelers should avoid giving money to people on the street, but supporting local business is a different matter. The best way to help the local economy is to avoid chains and make purchases from area vendors instead.