Endometriosis Awareness Week 2009

International Endometriosis Awareness week is the 2nd - 8th of March and we want to support Endometriosis New Zealand with their efforts to raise awareness.

This year the ENZ theme is "girl’s night in". As such we are asking our members to host a “girl’s night in”, that can be for other Wellington Support Group members or for your own social groups, with the emphasis on having a good time and raising awareness and funds.

ENZ has provided some hosting ideas, which appear at the end of this post.

Annie is hosting a ‘wine and tapas’ evening on Wednesday 4^th March and Sian has plans for a charity poker game on Thursday 5^th March. If you would like more info on hosting and advertising or attending an event, then please contact either of us on the Endo email. We’ll be happy to help!

It's a great opportunity for the group to raise money for its own use, this money will be used solely to make sure we can hold meetings with guests and offer refreshments. Depending on how much money we raise, we may also put some towards marketing to raise our profile. But for now we'll be happy just having regular meetings with great attendance.

The next meeting is booked for Monday 2nd March from 6pm to 8pm on the Mezzanine level at Wellington Central Library, Victoria Street, Wellington.We've moved to this location as it’s open and everyone can access it. However there is a charge for renting the space so there will be a gold coin donation for entry.

We are hoping to have Helen, a yoga instructor, who has said she is happy to give her time to teach some very basic yoga for half an hour, so if you are keen to come and join in make sure you bring some clothes that you can move about in. Stretchy fabrics work best for yoga.

As we are using the library for the meeting we are asking people to bring a plate or one item of food to be shared with the group. This can be anything from a bunch of grapes to homemade gluten free muffins. This way we'll have nibbles for everyone without having to charge more money to our members.

We'd love to see as many people there as possible, the venue can hold up to 100 people so there's plenty of room for you all.

If you can let us know you're coming that would be great - email us at wellingtonendometriosis@windowslive.com

Look forward to seeing you there
Annie & Sian

Check out these ideas to make your girls night in unforgettable:

Board Game extravaganza

Chose a couple of your favourite board games for example monopoly, cranium, scattergories, cluedo and let your competitive side shine!

Poker tournament

It's not just the boys who can enjoy a game of poker, this is a really fun card game and the best thing is you don’t need to gamble for real money. You can use chips or match sticks. This would be a fantastic evening where all the money in ‘the pot’ can be donated to ENZ.

Wine and dine

Have everyone bring their favourite bottle of inexpensive wine and tapas style appetizers to compliment. Check out foodnetwork.com for ideas.

Movie marathon

Girls night in is the perfect time to watch all those romantic dramas and comedies. Check out surewoman.com for movie ideas.

Dinner delight: A perfect girl’s night idea

Plan a dinner to prepare as a group. You could decide a theme for the evening for example: Italian, Thai, Indian, Spanish, Mexican, or Japanese. If certain gals in your group are great cooks, they can offer a lesson letting friends in on their secret recipes and tips. Be sure to let the chef have the night off from the dishes!Or have everyone over for a potluck dinner. Be sure to make it a traditional potluck though so no hinting or asking people to bring specific things. It’s more fun if it’s a surprise!

You could even be a bit cheeky and put in for some takeaways. Have them at home or if it’s a nice night take them to the beach or the park with the girls. There is nothing better than on a warm evening sharing fish ‘n’ chips on the beach.

Bring ‘a day at the spa’ to your house

This is a night to relax, pamper yourselves, gossip, listen to luscious music and just be girls! Get everyone to bring their favourite coloured nail polish and all the equipment needed for manicures and pedicures, clay masks, hair treatments for a truly gorgeous evening.

Set a spa-like ambiance by keeping lighting to a low by using candles and dimmed lights to relax your friends. Keep everyone hydrated during the evening with cucumber water and hot water with lemon or herbal teas. Try this easy and economical body scrub for delicious smelling supple skin. The maple and honey lend a luscious scent perfectly appropriate for the season. The salt and/or sugar serves for exfoliation, oats are good for dry, sensitive, tired, fatigued skin, oil serves as the moisturizer/hydrator and honey and maple syrup as a fabulous antioxidant, hydrator and toner.
Ingredients

1 Cup Table Salt and Sugar

1 Cup Ground Oats (oat meal) chopped in a coffee grinder

1 1/2 Cup(s) Vegetable or Olive Oil

3 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup (not corn- must be pure maple)

2 Tablespoon Honey

Steps

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and scrub (you can add a little coffee for rosey skin).

Morning or afternoon tea

The theme is girl’s night in but not everyone has the luxury of having an evening off so if that’s you, don’t despair there are still things you can do. Organise a lovely morning or afternoon tea with the girls at your place or at work. If you ask people to donate a gold coin to sample your excellent baking, this will give you a chance to catch up with your friends and contribute to the cause at the same time.

Playstation or Xbox games

For all those with a playstation or xbox this can be a really fun way to spend a night in with games like singstar, guitar hero, and buzz for all you competitive people out there. If you don’t have those games don’t fret you can hire them at most video stores for a small cost.

Dessert buffet
What girl doesn't like desserts? Get everyone to bring a different dessert to share. This is a really enjoyable and scrumptious girl’s night in! You could even dust of your old fondue set and dip fruit into melted chocolate yummm!!!

Reading fans

For those of you who enjoy a novel or two this is a chance to share all those fab books with your friends. Get all your girls to bring around their favourite book to do a wee summary of the storyline, this may provoke some great discussions and can be coupled with a good old catch up.

Cocktail therapy at home

Even when times are tough, we all need time with our girlfriends..and a little Cocktail Therapy, of course! Filll up your guests with food that is delicious, semi-healthy, and inexpensive, like hummus with homemade pita chips and fresh veggies. Save money and time by making a big batch of Margaritas, cosmopolitan or for a non-alcoholic alternative, punch is always a fab option.

Margaritas

Ingredients

1 Bottle Tequila

1/2 Bottle Triple Sec

1/2 Bottle (the one that had the Tequila in it) Fresh Lime Juice

1/3 Bottle (the one that had the Tequila In it) Orange Juice

1.5 Cup Agave Nectar or Simple Syrup ( add ½ cup at a time and taste until it's at your desired sweetness)

Some Lime Wedges

Steps

Combine all ingredients except for the salt. Serve over ice. If a guest would like some salt, before pouring the cocktail, rub the rim of the glass with lime and dip it into a shallow plate of salt. Garnish with lime wedges.

The Ultimate Cosmopolitan

Ingredients

3 parts Citron Vodka

1 part Cointreau

1-2 parts cranberry juice

splash of fresh lime juice

Steps

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a large cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon slice or a twist of lemon peel.

If you prefer to avoid pretty pink drinks, make a White Cosmo and substitute white cranberry juice instead.

But don’t skimp on the vodka!! Always make sure that you’re using a top shelf brand, because the vodka is the predominant ingredient in the Cosmopolitan and poor vodka will result in a poor drink

Non-alcoholic sparkling punch (serves 20)

Ingredients

2 (750 millilitre) bottles sparkling apple cider

1 litre carbonated water

3 large oranges

2 lemons

177 ml frozen lemonade concentrate

10 g white sugar

2 trays ice cubes

Steps

Thinly slice the lemons and the oranges and place in a large punch bowl. Pour in the thawed lemonade. Gently stir in the seltzer water and the sparkling apple cider. Add sugar to taste. Add large block of ice.

However you host your fundraising, make sure you have fun!

Gluten-free cookery lessons

Onslow College have an extensive community education program, which includes gluten-free cookery lessons.
Check out their course range here and hit the 'community' tab.

January's meeting

Well, it was second time lucky at the Hudson office.
Thanks to Sian for organising a great meeting, thanks to Hudson for allowing us to use their office and thanks to the State Tower for not having a fire whilst we were there.

Kelly started things off with a talk about exercise, nutrition and all the things we can do to keep ourselves fit and healthy. All good stuff with or without the Endo. The overriding message was that a healthy & balanced diet combined with some regular exercise is good for all of us. The more processed the food or the more fizzy the drink = bad stuff!! And as for the exercise, well what ever you can manage to fit in to your day. You don't have to be slogging it out at the gym all day. Start with the simple stuff like getting off the bus a stop early, take the stairs instead of the lift. Heard any of that before?

Next up was Emma from Equilibrium massage therapy. Emma talked to us about the benefits of massage, again not just for Endo, but for general relaxation and well being. Natasha was the lucky recipient of some of Emma's moves as she showed us what we or a friend/partner could safely do to help ease symptoms of abdo & back pain and cramping. Looked like good stuff to me. I'm a sucker for a massage and will happily rave on about how relaxed and fabulous I feel after one. My top tip is to get a facial and usually while the mask or whatever is working it's anti-aging magic, the therapist will do you a head, neck and shoulder massage. Bargin! All for the price of a fabulous facial.

Last up was Jeannie. Jeannie is an acupuncturist and she talked to us about how acupuncture works in Chinese medicine and how it and other aspects of Chinese medicine can help us with our Endo symptoms amongst other things. Sian and I had a needle (completely painless, honest) stuck in our ear. It is supposed to help with stress and tension. Well, all I can say is "wow'!! Jeannie said to take the needle out after three or four days. Over a week later and mine is still in and I don't want to be parted from it. The few days that followed the meeting would normally have had me crawling the walls and brewing a good stress ulcer. Instead, I was switching between mildly irritated to cool as cucumber.
Jeannie gave us all a recipe for Chinese chicken soup - I'll type it up and add it on at a later date (along with the Christmas cupcake recipe that I promised a long while back!). I for one am game to give it a go as my chi needs a bit of a rark up. Natasha has already tried it and I think is working on a new and improved version .... .....

I find the holistic approach to looking after yourself, treating symptoms and managing disease fascinating. Being a bit of a scientist by profession (I am a pharmacy technician) and spending all day in the world of drugs and conventional medicine, you'd be forgiven for expecting me to be a bit sceptical. But no, I always think it's worth giving it a go. Sometimes it may not work out, but if it does, then marvellous. Surely it has to be better than max-ing out on painkillers, steroids, hormones and the like.
The idea of a balanced diet and less chemicals is not a new one and one I whole heartedly subscribe to. I know I feel a lot better in body and mind when I am eating well.
I had accupuncture several years ago performed by a conventionally trained physiotherapist in a UK public hospital. It worked wonders. There is one health service that can see a place for nationally funded complimentary therapies. I wonder if New Zealand will ever follow.


Contact details:
Emma Main, equilibrium massage therapy, 04 9703662 / 021 1344300 for workplace and on-site bookings or 04 4730110 for clinic bookings at Beautique, 224A Tinakori Road

Jeannie Redman, City Osteopaths, Level 4, 166Featherston Street 04 4991439

I'm also going to plug a friend's website The Naked Trainer It's all about getting started, giving it a go and setting achievable goals. it's free to use, so why not have a look and see how you go?

Thanks to those who brought a gluten free treat to the evening. I think we are hoping that that will be the way forward for food. Any suggestions or comments, please let us know.

Take care and see you next time,
Annie