Invisible Special The Ramp

For this Month's Blog Party on spring greens, Hosted by the lovely Darcey of Blue Turtle Botanicals, I'm highlighting Ramps: Allium tricoccum.

I've been internally dancing between these two very primal, indelible needs. The need to be invisible; the natural disposition of the human in a vast world, of the mother serving child, of the changeable human nature in a society that wants identity. Novelty becomes novelty. The name, the choices of smell, of visual reference, of color and vocation, they all anchor who you are. Who you are attracts the right audience. Your whole brand become an essential player in what you believe and what kind of life you want for yourself. Your life, way of life, becomes a spell cast unto the universe.

In the forest, somewhere between the spell of trees and water, are the common novelty of a two-leafed spicy personality. A small, crisp underground bulb stalks upward into one purple stem, then into the green linear veins in each leaf. The tips of the leaves reach to a fairy towering height of about 6 to eight inches. Pressure on the leaf reveals it's mouth watering aroma of Grandma in the kitchen sauteing garlic and onion. An eyeballs scan of the mature ramps lends itself to a healthy harvest of this delicate yet intensely satisfying spring green. Pushing my thumb into the cool wet soil, I can begin to wiggle free the bulb, and with a slight angle and a little prayer, they click out like a trimmed fingernail. Some might tell you they want to grow another year - severing itself like a legless eel and offering only their green tops for eats. Ha ha they snicker! Good for next year. Some root themselves passionately between rock and tree root, making for either simple or impossible harvest. The lessons abound in each tug of oniony hope. Some release so easily you think the world is at your fingertips. Some so stubborn your head gets big and bossy. But the basket filling up with our next meal, remind us of gratitude while gathering abundance. Of hard work and reward. Of natural bounty at Mother Earth's breast.

In an invisible moment in the forest, I've filled my arms with these wild leeks. I know that in a couple weeks they will be on their way to making seeds for next years crop. I take a moment to inhale their pungent, cleansing aroma. The green, almost plantain-shaped flags glint and twinkle in the tree broken breeze. I take in the scene of neighboring Hellebore, Bloodroot leaves, of sun filtering hemlock boughs and brainy morels. The air is so honeysuckle sweet I almost can't fathom it all. I know that within a short walk, the nettles flourish, the chickweed plays, and the motherworts stand watch. The world is bountiful when ramps are found. They like that. They like to play invisible, even though they are novelty. A delicacy, really, yet unassuming and celebratory they come, filling up the forest floor in a mischievous rampage.

Embracing the paradox, the ramp tells us about being special yet invisible, unique without greed. It reminds us of seasonality, of abundance, and of versatility. Potato leek soup, leek omelette's, a chiffonade over salad, a ramp smothered pasta, are just a few of the myriad ways they can be enjoyed. Any show where your leeks, garlic, or onions would play an important roll, ramps are a well rehearsed and stunning understudy.

Your liver will thank you. Your blood and lymph will cheer. Your taste buds will be delighted. And if you have a cold, forget it. Chicken-ramp soup will knock it out in no time. Ramps freeze too, if your looking to extend your pleasure even longer. The entire plant is used, bulb stem and leaf. chop it all up for your recipe. But don't miss out. Ramps grow all over the North and Southeast U.S., and upwards into Canada. If your lucky enough to live in Tenessee or West Virginia, you can participate in one of their traditional Ramp Festivals. Or you can gather together and have your own!

Neuropathy The Invisible Disease

Today's post from diabetesnewsjournal.com (see link below) is once again aimed at the diabetic community when in fact the subject matter applies to everybody living with neuropathy. It also concentrates on the African-American and Hispanic-American communities living with neuropathy but in this case, it is to correctly highlight the fact that some communities have more problems finding the right information and treatment than others. In fact, the lack of awareness of neuropathy and its impact on society is a universal problem but certain groups are hit harder for whatever reasons that may be. Neuropathy has been invisible to the general population for ever and for some reason, despite the staggering numbers of people who have neuropathy, it remains a disease that most people have never heard of, never mind understand what the symptoms and treatment are. It's high time that this problem was solved and high time that neuropathy received the publicity its suffering deserves.

Survey Reveals Lack of Awareness About Diabetic Nerve Pain
by Carolina Henriques March 14, 2016

Pfizer, a 150-year-old global pharmaceutical company, collaborated with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to conduct a joint multicultural survey called Community Health Perspectives.

The survey was sponsored and conducted by Pfizer and the ADA — whose mission is to prevent and cure diabetes — from August to October 2015. A total of 1,000 adults who had been diagnosed with diabetes and experienced symptoms of diabetic nerve pain too party in the survey: 823 non-Hispanic whites, 73 African-Americans, 70 Hispanic-Americans, and 34 respondents of other ethnic backgrounds.

Additionally, 452 African-American and 823 Hispanic-American healthy adults were surveyed as controls, adding up to a total sample size of 1,919 participants. A sample of 308 healthcare providers was also surveyed.

The survey found considerable gaps in awareness, diagnosis and management of a serious complication related to diabetes known as painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, or diabetic nerve pain. The African-American and Hispanic-American communities experienced the most pronounced diabetic nerve pain symptoms, including burning sensations or shooting pain in their hands and feet.

The Community Health Perspectives survey was conducted to support the program Step On Up, which educates people about diabetic nerve pain and encourages them to speak with their healthcare providers.

“I got involved with Step On Up because I saw firsthand how the pain impacted my father, who has type 2 diabetes and diabetic nerve pain. Results from this survey show he’s not alone, especially in the African-American community,” said actor and comedian Cedric the Entertainer in a Pfizer press release. “Nearly half of African-Americans surveyed had not talked to a healthcare provider about their nerve pain in the feet or hands. I want to encourage people experiencing symptoms of diabetic nerve pain to take action and speak with a doctor about their pain.”

Community Health Perspectives results, combining African-American and Hispanic-American samples, found that:

Answers from African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans indicated that more than 50 percent had not been diagnosed with the condition;

More than 50 percent of African-Americans surveyed said the nerve pain in their feet and hands had a significant impact on their daily lives, more than any other diabetes symptom;

Eighty percent of African-Americans and 74 percent of Hispanic-Americans were less likely than non-Hispanic whites (97 percent) to agree that nerve pain is a common complication of diabetes;

Of the African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans surveyed who had talked about their nerve pain symptoms with doctors and were diagnosed with the condition, the majority wished they had done so sooner (80 percent and 85 percent, respectively).

“Diabetes-related complications are common and debilitating, and 7 out of 10 general respondents diagnosed with diabetic nerve pain said that their nerve pain makes them feel like they are not successfully managing their diabetes,” said ADA Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Community Affairs Jane Chiang, M.D.

“Community Health Perspectives confirms the need for ongoing education to motivate more people living with diabetes and symptoms of diabetic nerve pain to visit their doctor and seek some pain relief,” Chiang said.

Carolina holds a BSc in Anthropology and a MSc in Urban Studies., and brings her interdisciplinary skills to her writing on a range of different topics in science, research and advocacy news.

http://diabetesnewsjournal.com/2016/03/14/survey-reveals-lack-awareness-diabetic-nerve-pain/