POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY (Pet Scan)

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

A PET scan is a nuclear medicine examination using radioactive isotopes. The patient receives a small amount of radioactive material, usually by injection. The machine scans the body and measures the amount of radioactive material absorbed. The amount of radiation used is a bit less than that used with CAT scans.  A specially trained radiologist interprets the resulting images. It is one more diagnostic tool available to doctors.

As the holidays approach, the number of charitable contribution requests has increased exponentially. This economic climate has been particularly hard for all of the ‘not for profits.’

This year, Harvesters (an astounding 49 million Americans will need food assistance) and CASA are on my list along with Kansas City Youth Jazz and Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired.

Others to consider are the arts, schools and overseas charities like KIVA, Heifer and any one of the dozens of heart wrenching third world charities that Nicholas D. Kristof writes about in the NY Times.

We’ are having Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year and will really miss all the family members that are out of town. Never the less, we’ll carry on with turkey and all the fixin’s. Before then, we’ve been invited to a pre-holiday get together and I’ve been asked to bring a vegetable. It seems that everyone is either on a diet, lactose intolerant or won’t eat mushrooms so I’ve decided to take a big salad full of avocados, tomatoes and artichoke hearts. I’ll make an easy vinagrette using light, almost tasteless olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. I think one tablespoon of OO to four tablespoons of vinegar and a tablespoon of mustard is about right for four handsfull of salad.

TIP: Shake it all together in a screw top jar. I might add a little finely chopped garlic, or shallots, scallions, yogurt or Roquefort cheese. I used to toss in an egg yolk which I think makes the salad dressing delicious but I don’t do that any more. It may be safe but I’m afraid of Salmonella.

Have a healthy, safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Almost our last rose of summer