SLIDESHOW: Photos from the 2010 National Conference in Rochester, MN at Mayo Clinic
Click here or on the image above to view the slideshow posted online!
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A Message from the Chairman
– Roger Levy
The highlight of TNA’s 20th Anniversary has undoubtedly been the National Conference held at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota this past August. Our national conferences always represent the best that TNA has to offer and this year was no exception. First, we bring together many support group leaders and members from across the country and then we add our tireless and dedicated staff and Board members. Together with our Medical Advisory Board and other speakers, we all gather to make sure that the many patients and their loved ones who attend the conference from around the US and from overseas learn of the latest treatments and opportunities to deal with their pain, while enjoying the camaraderie that a shared experience can create.
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A Patient’s Perspective on the National Conference
– Tiffany T. Smith
Today I am getting my skull opened for the second time in one week so that electrodes stitched onto the cover of my brain can be connected to a motor cortex stimulator implanted in my stomach that will take away my facial pain. That wouldn’t be happening had I not attended TNA’s 20th Anniversary National Conference last month at the Mayo Clinic.
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Treating Depression and Anxiety with Cranial Electrotherapy (CES)
- Suzanne Grenell
I have survived breast cancer – twice. I have also lived with trigeminal neuralgia – for twelve years. As a result, I know what it’s like to live with depression, anxiety, insomnia and pain, and the elusive comfort offered by pharmaceutical drugs that come with a high price: serious side effects.
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In Florida Laboratory: Scientists Aim to Develop First Animal Model of Trigeminal Neuralgia
– Arline Phillips-Han
University of Florida neuroscientist Lucia Notterpek, PhD, is leading major new studies in mice aimed at developing an animal model of the human pain associated with damage to the myelin sheath, which electrically insulates nerves. Her research, funded by The TNA-Facial Pain Association, addresses fundamental questions about the role of myelin deterioration in trigeminal neuralgia (TN), and involves testing experimental drugs to repair the damage.
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512 Society Campaign Launches
As part of ensuring its future, TNA The Facial Pain Association successfully launched a campaign at the national conference in August to create and sustain a future for the organization. The gifts of 512 people driven to create a future for TNA will make a million-dollar endowment a reality.
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Macaroni & Cheese
Is there a better comfort food than Mac ‘n Cheese? Here is a basic recipe with a few suggested twists.
8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter
6 slices good white bread, crusts removed,
torn into ¼ to ½ inch pieces
5 ½ C milk
½ C flour
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper (optional)
4 ½ C grated sharp white cheddar
2 C grated Gruyere or 1 ¼ C grated Pecorino
Romano cheese
1 lb. elbow macaroni
Preheat oven to 375°. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. Melt 2 T. butter, pour melted butter over bread, toss and set aside.
Cover a large pot of water and bring to boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer macaroni to a colander and drain well.
Warm milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Melt remaining butter in a high-sided skillet. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute. Slowly add hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens, 8 to 12 minutes.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, pepper, 3 cups cheddar, 1 ½ cups Gruyere or Pecorino. Fold macaroni into the cheese sauce. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle remaining cheese and bread crumbs over top. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Serves 8.
Twist #1: Melt 2 T butter, add ½ lb. Cremini mushrooms and ½ lb. Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced. Sauté until tender, add 3 T cream sherry, continue to sauté until sherry is absorbed. Add mushrooms to cheese and macaroni mixture, bake.
Twist #2: Replace ½ C of Gruyere with ½ C of crumbled blue cheese and add 6 slices of crisp, crumbled bacon to cheese and macaroni mixture, bake.
Twist #3: Add 2 lbs. of cooked lobster meat to cheese and macaroni mixture, bake.
