“Boiled shrimp with lemon or cocktail sauce is a healthier pick than fried hors d’oeuvres. Try having a pot of a roasted vegetable soup, such as carrot or butternut squash, on offer for guests to enjoy. Other healthful starters include stuffed mushrooms, raw veggies with hummus, and seasonal fruit.

Thanksgiving is a great time to serve family recipes like Grandma’s pumpkin pie or your dad’s dinner rolls. Our advice: Don’t mess with your favorite holiday dishes. But do try swapping or adding ingredients to less sacred one.

• Skip the cream. Use Greek yogurt or whole milk instead in mashed potatoes, creamy soups, and creamed onion or spinach recipes.

• Reduce the sugar. Cut it back by 10 to 25 percent in baking recipes. You’ll barely taste the difference.

• Add some fiber. Replace 25 to 50 percent of the all-purpose flour called for in recipes with whole-wheat flour. Or try half all-purpose, half white whole-wheat flour, a lighter, milder version of the whole grain. If your recipe calls for breadcrumbs or panko, opt for whole wheat.

• Upgrade the stuffing. Replace half the white bread with whole wheat, use low-sodium chicken broth, and add extra vegetables, such as carrots, mushrooms, and peppers.

• Be sodium savvy. Using the flavors of the season—thyme, sage, rosemary, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves—will cut the need for salt.”

CR  Consumer Reports  (https://www.consumerreports.org/healthy-eating/ways-to-eat-smarter-at-thanksgiving-dinner-a2912481484/)

“3 days before thanksgiving

• Defrost your turkey. Thawing a frozen turkey takes time and patience. The best way is to thaw the bird in the coldest area of the fridge with a pan underneath to catch any drips (not on the counter).
• Buy perishable ingredients. Buy your salad greens and perishable vegetables. Wash lettuce leaves now, dry well, and store by packing them in paper towels in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
• Clean the house and set up the table and chairs. Smart tip: put non-cooking household members in charge of cleaning. If you’re having a lot of guests, you may want to set up the table(s) and make sure you have enough space and chairs.”

Food Network (foodnetwork.com)

“The single best way to reduce the risk of seasonal flu and its potentially serious complications is to get vaccinated each year, but good health habits like avoiding people who are sick, covering your cough and washing your hands often can help stop the spread of germs and prevent respiratory illnesses like flu.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC  (https://www.cdc.gov)

“Symptoms of a cold tend to be mild. You may have a runny nose, cough, congestion, and sore throat. But you won’t usually have the aches and fever that are common with COVID-19 and flu. Often, you’ll feel better in a couple of days.

There’s no cure for the common cold. Typical treatments include rest, fluids, and over-the-counter medicines. Winter is the prime cold and flu season. You’re more likely to be indoors and closer to others when it’s colder outside. Weather also plays a role in the spread of viruses.”

NIH News in Health

“People with an increased risk of lung cancer may consider annual lung cancer screening using low-dose CT scans. Lung cancer screening is generally offered to older adults who have smoked heavily for many years or who have quit in the past 15 years.  If there’s reason to think that you may have lung cancer, your doctor can order a number of tests to look for cancerous cells and to rule out other conditions.  An X-ray image of your lungs, a sample of abnormal cells may be removed in a procedure called a biopsy, and doing the staging of the cancer.”

MAYO CLINIC

“The two major types of lung cancer are small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

SCLC accounts for about 13 percentTrusted Source of all lung cancers. It’s less common than NSCLC, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

However, SCLC is the more aggressive form of lung cancer. With SCLC, the cancer cells tend to grow quickly and travel to other parts of the body, or metastasize, more easily.

Though the majority of lung cancer cases are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Doctors stage NSCLC according to how far it has progressed. Stages range from occult (or hidden) cancer to stage 4 cancer, in which multiple organs may be affected.

The staging system helps doctors determine the best treatment plan, and helps individuals with cancer and their families understand the severity of the disease and the outlook.

There are several different staging systems used around the world, but the most widely used approach is known as the TNM system.”

healthline (https://www.healthline.com/health/lung-cancer-small-cell)

Small and non-small cell lung cancers cause similar symptoms. Sometimes, symptoms do not appear until the cancer reaches a later stage.  The symptoms of small and non-small cell lung cancers are similar, but small cell lung cancer spreads more rapidly. A person may be more likely to experience symptoms after lung cancer has reached a later stage.  Shoulder pain often occurs due to inflammation or muscle injuries. Less frequently, shoulder pain can be a symptom of lung cancer. Although shoulder pain is not a common symptom of lung cancer, any persistent, unexplained pain warrants a visit to a doctor for further investigation. ”

Medical News Today (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com)

“One in five people worldwide develop cancer during their lifetime. Prevention of cancer has become one of the most significant public health challenges of the 21st century. It has a critical role to play in the fight against cancer. Based on current scientific evidence, at least 40% of all cancer cases could be prevented with effective primary prevention measures, and further mortality can be reduced through early detection of tumours.”

International Agency for Research on Cancer   (https://www.iarc.who.int/cancer-topics)

“Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic condition that is present at birth and can affect anyone. It is characterized by medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, developmental delays, and learning challenges. These often occur side by side with striking verbal abilities, highly social personalities, and an affinity for music. WS occurs equally in males and females and in all cultures worldwide. Williams syndrome is caused by the spontaneous deletion of 26-28 genes on chromosome #7 at the time of conception. The deletion can occur in either the egg or the sperm. It is likely that in most families, the child with Williams syndrome is the only one to have the elastin gene condition in his or her entire extended family. There are two DNA tests that can determine if a person has Williams syndrome. The FISH test and the Microarray.”

William Syndrome (https://williams-syndrome.org/what-is-ws)

Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic condition that is present at birth and can affect anyone.  It is characterized by medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, developmental delays, and learning disabilities.  The most significant medical problem associated with WS is the cardiovascular disease caused by the narrowed arteries. WS is also associated with elevated blood calcium levels in infancy. A random genetic mutation (deletion of a small piece of chromosome 7), rather than inheritance, most often causes the disorder. Williams syndrome is considered an autosomal dominant condition because one copy of the altered chromosome 7 in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder. In a small percentage of cases, people with Williams syndrome inherit the chromosomal deletion from a parent with the condition.

Most cases of Williams syndrome are not inherited but occur as random events during the formation of reproductive cells (eggs or sperm) in a parent of an affected individual. These cases occur in people with no history of the disorder in their family.

However, individuals who have WS have a 50 percent chance of passing it on if they decide to have children. These often occur side by side with striking verbal abilities, highly social personalities and an affinity for music.

WS affects 1 in 7,500 – 10,000 people worldwide – an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people in the United States. It is known to occur equally in both males and females and in every culture.

Unlike disorders that can make connecting with your child difficult, children with Williams syndrome tend to be social, friendly and endearing.  Parents often say the joy and perspective a child with WS brings into their lives had been unimaginable.

But there are major struggles as well.  Many babies have life-threatening cardiovascular problems.  Children with WS need costly and ongoing medical care and early interventions (such as speech or occupational therapy) that may not be covered by insurance or state funding.  As they grow, they struggle with things like spatial relations, numbers, and abstract reasoning, which can make daily tasks a challenge. As adults, most people with Williams syndrome will need supportive housing to live to their fullest potential.  Many adults with WS contribute to their communities as volunteers or paid employees; often working at assisted living homes for senior citizens, hospitals and libraries, or as store greeters or veterinary aides.

However, individuals who have WS have a 50 percent chance of passing it on if they decide to have children. The characteristic facial features of WS include puffiness around the eyes, a short nose with a broad nasal tip, wide mouth, full cheeks, full lips, and a small chin. People with WS are also likely to have a long neck, sloping shoulders, short stature, limited mobility in their joints, and curvature of the spine. Some individuals with WS have a star-like pattern in the iris of their eyes. Infants with WS are often irritable and colicky, with feeding problems that keep them from gaining weight. Chronic abdominal pain is common in adolescents and adults. By age 30, the majority of individuals with WS have diabetes or pre-diabetes and mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss (a form of deafness due to disturbed function of the auditory nerve). For some people, hearing loss may begin as early as late childhood. WS also is associated with a characteristic “cognitive profile” of mental strengths and weaknesses composed of strengths in verbal short-term memory and language, combined with severe weakness in visuospatial construction (the skills used to copy patterns, draw, or write). Most older children and adults with WS speak fluently and use good grammar. More than 50% of children with WS have attention deficit disorders (ADD or ADHD), and about 50% have specific phobias, such as a fear of loud noises. The majority of individuals with WS worry excessively.

Unfortunately there is no cure for Williams syndrome, nor is there a standard course of treatment.

The prognosis for individuals with WS varies. Some degree of impaired intellect is found in most people with the disorder. Some adults are able to function independently, complete academic or vocational school, and live in supervised homes or on their own; most live with a caregiver.

Where you can find additional information about Williams syndrome:

You may find the following resources about Williams syndrome helpful. These materials are written for the general public.

• MedlinePlus – Health information (4 links)

• Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center – Information about genetic conditions and rare diseases (2 links)

• Additional NIH Resources – National Institutes of Health (2 links)

• Educational resources – Information pages (7 links)