AMANDA MCDOWELL

2021 WAS DEFINITELY ONE FOR THE BOOKS. MANY are recovering from the impact of Covid-19, and starting to experience a little bit of normalcy in their lives. The team at DermaMediQ can help you regain some confidence and put your best self forward in 2022! DermaMediQ offers the best in skin care, hair removal, and more, focusing on quality one-on-one care and techniques with demonstrated success. They provide a variety of different services at the same level of considerate care consistently demonstrated by Dr. Sowma-Fakhre and her staff.

One process that is popular with women of all ages is Morpheus 8, which improves tone and texture of the face and body by combining micro needling with the power of RIF thermal technology. Morpheus 8 combines the two technologies of microneedling and RF to deliver the thermal energy of radio-frequency waves to deeper layers of the skin and tissue with adjustable microneedles. This combination allows RF energy to reach both the dermis and epidermis for maximum results. It treats acne scars, poor skin texture, sun damage, deep lines and creases, mild sagging or jowls and enlarged pores. Morpheus 8 works well with arms, abdomen and legs as well. The skilled staff at DermaMediQ can assess your needs and let you know if Morpheus is right for you.

Another great offering from DermaMediQ is Emsculpt. This is the first device to build muscle and sculpt your body. Through the high intensity electromagnetic therapy procedure one can enlarge current muscles, as well as grow new muscle fibers. The Emsculpt procedure is currently FDA cleared to treat abdominals, buttocks, arms, calves and thighs and is a great non-surgical alternative to the Brazilian butt lift. It is based on high-intensity focused electromagnetic energy and a single Emsculpt session causes thousands of powerful muscle contractions which are extremely important in improving the tone and strength of your muscles. These powerful induced muscle contractions not achievable through voluntary contractions. The muscle tissue is forced to adapt to such extreme condition. It responds with a deep remodeling of its inner structure that results in muscle building and sculpting your body.

Over time and as women age, lips lose volume, color and elasticity. DermaMediQ is happy to provide Restylane Kysse, the first lip filler designed with XpresHAn Technology™ for flexible movement and natural-looking volume. It adds volume, smooths upper lip lines for up to one year, and enhances lip color. Restylane enhances the texture and color of the lips while maintaining a full range of expression, leaving your lips looking full, yet natural.

This holiday season, you can give the gift of confidence to others with a gift certificate to DermaMediQ. Or, treat yourself with one of the many services they have to offer including skincare, Botox, fillers, Morpheus 8, Facetite, Fractora, Hair Removal, Microneedling and more! Check out DermaMediQ’s website to find out more information on all of the procedures they have to offer and make an appointment for a free consultation with Dr. Sowma-Fakhre and her staff. Put be your best self in the new year with DermaMediQ!

BAYOU BEATS

Music allows us to escape our troubles, but when you are a songwriter, you are often getting your troubles outside of you. This has been Amanda Mcdowell’s experience as a singer/songwriter. With a vivacious spirit, Mcdowell leaves an impression in the spaces she frequents. She’s a hugger with a welcoming laugh. Rocking a pixie cut characterized by her silver tresses, she exudes a bit of rock and roll. And though her stage presence is magnetic, her energy reflects in her songwriting. Part memoir and part creed of faith, Mcdowell’s music is meant for searchers like herself.

ARTICLE BY VANELIS RIVERA PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREW BAILEY AND CASSIE LIVINGSTON

“My dad had his own band, and was good enough to play in Radio City Music Hall,” informs Mcdowell. Her grandmother, an instrument aficionado, taught five different instruments. “She taught my dad how to play. She taught all his brothers and sisters how to play, and so I grew up with them, gathering together, standing around a piano and singing harmony,” she recalls. At around nine years old, Mcdowell made up harmony parts in her school choir. At eleven, she had a “deep conversation” with herself to make the decision that if she was going to be “one thing or the other,” then she would rather be a songwriter than a singer. “Because, you know, if you say something meaningful and other people want to say it too, then your words go all over the world. I mean, I was making that decision before I was a teenager about who I was going to be as a musician and an artist,” she affirms. aunt into the bedroom to play them a song. “When I did that, they both looked at each other, and then my dad offered to buy me a guitar.” It wasn’t a very good guitar, but soon she would be able to listen to songs on the radio and figure out the chords to simple songs. By the time she turned thirteen, her parents offered to buy her a professional guitar because she had shown that she was diligent and serious about music, already writing songs at that point. When her parents told her that she could get any guitar she wanted, she chose a 1974 Martin D-35, which she still has. As soon as she was old enough, around the age of eighteen, Mcdowell started performing at bars solo and, throughout her early playing days, with a few bands.

In 1997, Mcdowell recorded her first album, but she has had over fourteen songs recorded by other artists. “Which, you know, I feel like that’s the biggest

The first instrument Mcdowell learned was the bass ukulele. She remembers being at her aunt’s house, opening a music instruction book, and figuring out the chords on her own. Over and over again, she pressed on the strings to get the chords just right. “My fingers felt like they were bleeding, but I was so into it,” she says. She called her dad and honor of all, when someone feels what you feel, and wants to say what you’re saying,” she gleams. One of the big names that adopted one of her songs is Christian country singer/songwriter Candice Myers. The song “Daddy Was a Texas Ranger (and My Mama Was an Outlaw)” got to number five on the Christian country music charts. Mcdowell’s devotion for writing Christian music traces to her acceptance of Jesus into her life at age 13. “I sold out to the Lord, then fell away,” she says. For a stint, she played secular music at bars, but she returned to her spirit-filled ways around twentythree and only wrote Christian music for twenty years. “So, all of my one-hit wonders, are Christian country,” she adds.

At the age of twenty, Mcdowell began her own music publishing company called Hummingbird House, which her daughter Brianna Calhoun, local singer/ songwriter, uses for her publishing. “So, when these [artists] wanted to record my music, I wrote up contracts and sold them the publishing rights,” she informs, adding, “When you’re an artist, a lot of doors are shut to you, and so you’re trying

At the age of twenty, Mcdowell began her own music publishing company called Hummingbird House, which her daughter Brianna Calhoun, local singer/songwriter, uses for her publishing.

the end of the day, nothing else really matters...Christ is the beginning and end of all things.” She still resonates with this deeply, particularly because she believes that music is the vehicle for the lyrics. “The lyrics are my story.” Here, she thinks of all her failures and all her glories, getting emotional when reminiscing about some of the events that inspired her music. She wrote “Dust to Dust” when she was unhappily married to a controlling man. “It’s like he just kept me on an imaginary leash, jerking me back and forth, telling me I could play at a certain church or venue, then changing his mind, sometimes on the day I was supposed to go. I probably wrote that song during one of the down times because I had to remind myself who matters the most,” she recalls, finishing with, “I had to keep going no matter what.”

The songwriting process for Mcdowell is simple. She turns her recorder on and lets “fly” whatever comes out of her heart. “If I see the song if the song catches my interest, and it has merit, I’ll work on it until it’s finished. If it doesn’t, I’ll let it go.” Even if a song has merit, it may take her a few years to finish. In the past, she has gone back to songs with the purpose of completing them. “I Don’t

to make your own way, and trying to make a living.” To create another avenue of revenue that would allow her to earn money on her own music and support herself, she took a chance, one that thus far has benefitted her art and pocket. “If you’re a serious musician, you’re trying to find different ways that your artistry is going to make money for you,” she affirms. In order for her publishing house to be better established, she joined organizations that would help her with networking, such as the International Country Gospel Music Association. At one time, she was their Female Songwriter of the Year. She also belongs to the Dallas Songwriters Association where she received the Children’s Song of the Year award. Being a member of such influential organizations has increased her exposure, allowing more fellow artists to approach her for songs.

With such a rich volume of work, it’s difficult for Mcdowell to look back and select her favorites, but she does have a few that still resonate with her at a heart level. In the song “Dust to Dust,” the overarching theme is that “at

Led by emotion and faith, Mcdowell’s music is ultimately a release. “For instance, if I don’t get what I feel out, I will literally start getting sick,” she says. Lately, her songwriting has diminished because of her focus on her nonprofit organization Arrow Maker Outreach, which aims to help pay Title 1 students when they successfully improve their i-Ready Reading and Math assessment scores.

Wanna Go to School,” is one of those songs. She wrote it across a three to four-year period because she believed in it, but a few details needed to iron out. “It’s very subjective because with any art, you’re not finished until you know you’re finished, and I just couldn’t finish that song until I knew it was finished,” she says. At times, she would sing it on the way to school (Mcdowell is also an elementary school teacher at Union Parish). “It’s just a funny song about growing up not wanting to go to school and then becoming a teacher and how I didn’t want to be one, which is also the truth,” she says. Currently, it’s one of her top played songs, internationally.

Led by emotion and faith, Mcdowell’s music is ultimately a release. “For instance, if I don’t get what I feel out, I will literally start getting sick,” she says. Lately, her songwriting has diminished because of her focus on her nonprofit organization Arrow Maker Outreach, which aims to help pay Title 1 students when they successfully improve their i-Ready Reading and Math assessment scores. “There are probably 50 to 60 songs, maybe even up to 100, that I’ve started since last year, but there’s probably been only two or three that I finished,” she confesses. “It’s time, you know.” Though life has taken over, as it is bound to do once in a while, her muses still call. “I need to come back to it because that’s my true calling. Whether anybody ever hears [my songs] or not.” In her case, songwriting pays, as she receives royalties from her songs and will continue to for at least 100 years.

When Mcdowell thinks of this number, she thinks of her children, grandchildren, and the generations to come. In that way, her music is her legacy that encompasses her trials and tribulations as much as her triumphs, which she notes: “And, not only that, but your words are out there for whoever will listen, whoever it touches.”

Follow Amanda Mcdowell on her Facebook page and check out her music on Spotify and iTunes. You can find her every Thursday night at La Bamba in Ruston, Louisiana. Go show her some love!

MIKE DOWNHOUR SPENDS significant time with players and coaches during his gig as a play-by-play radio announcer for a local high school sports team. When a big play happens, they all highfive each other. After his double-hernia surgery in August, Mike felt Dr. Patrick Smith deserved the same celebration.

Mike said with a smile, “When I saw Dr. Smith after surgery, I high-fived him. I felt like he deserved that. He made a great play and did a great job.”

Born and raised in New Orleans, Mike later moved to Monroe, where he is now the market manager for Stephens Media Group. Mike is an avid outdoorsman; he hikes, kayaks, and even skydives.

Upon returning from a kayaking trip, he noticed some minor discomfort in his body. Mike said he likely would have ignored the feeling because it was not particularly painful. However, during a regular check-up, his family doctor discovered that Mike was suffering from at least one hernia. He recommended Mike see Dr. Smith at the Surgery Clinic of Northeast Louisiana.

Dr. Smith surgically repaired two hernias using sophisticated technology. He used the da Vinci surgical robot to perform the surgery with an advanced set of instruments and a 3D, high-definition view of the surgical area. This technology significantly improves a patient’s outcome because minimally invasive surgeries mean less recovery time and less pain.

Mike highly recommends the Surgery Clinic, which according to Mike: “provides an outstanding experience that starts at the window.”

“The clinic’s staff could win an award for customer service. They were so friendly and so helpful. When that’s your first impression, it’s big. Dr. Smith’s nurse, Kacie, made everything easy. Dr. Smith explained the procedure and answered all of my questions,” Mike said. “Several hours after I was discharged, a staff member called me to make sure I had arrived home safely. Then, Dr. Smith called me personally from his cell. You can’t beat that kind of care.”

Mike encourages those who are ignoring any physical symptoms to be proactive about their health. According to the CDC, more than 40 percent of Americans have avoided medical care during the pandemic.

Mike said, “We have all lost family members and friends from unexpected illnesses such as cancer and other conditions you don’t know about unless you get them checked.”

More about hernias: · Hernias don’t go away on their own. Only surgery can repair a hernia. · Over time, hernias tend to grow as the belly’s muscle wall gets weaker and more tissue bulges through. · Many doctors recommend surgery because surgery prevents a rare but serious problem called, “strangulation.” Strangulation occurs when a loop of the intestine or a piece of fatty tissue is trapped inside the hernia and is separated from its blood supply.

In addition to Dr. Patrick Smith, the Surgery Clinic of Northeast Louisiana is home to surgeons Dr. Walter Sartor, Dr. Bart Liles, and Dr. Mohamed Bakeer. Contact the clinic today with your questions about general surgery, vein care procedures, and weight loss surgery.

BOTOX USED TO BE A DIRTY LITTLE SECRET. SOMETHING lots of people had done, but never wanted anyone to know. But I ask, why keep your beauty secrets secret? When I run into an old friend from high school and she says “WOW! You look great!” I always reply “Thanks, its Botox and ZO!” Being a mom of 3 in my 30s I need all the help I can get. Work, sick kids, and COVID have this momma stressed to the max… I certainly don’t want my forehead and eyes showing it!

The big question shouldn’t be do you get Botox, but where do you get your Botox. When considering Botox, there are two main concerns that everyone should have: cost and quality.

Always be sure you go to an experienced and trained Botox certified provider. I use the Botox services at The Woman’s Clinic. Not only do the Physicians and Nurse Practitioners provide Botox, but so does their aesthetics nurse. This makes it high quality and super convenient to schedule appointments. You can also couple your annual or problem exam with an appointment for Botox!

Cost is of course, a large consideration when buying Botox. Botox recently had a per unit cost increase, but The Woman’s Clinic chose not to increase the cost for their patients. The clinic’s everyday per unit rate is $11.00, but through the end of the year TWC is offering Botox at $10 per unit when at least 20 units are purchased! That is an amazing deal, just in time to look your best for the holiday season. Care Credit is another option that makes Botox more accessible. Care Credit allows you to finance Botox and other healthcare procedures in your physician’s office.

Moral of the story, you can afford high quality Botox services! And you can use as little or as much as you need to get the look you are going for. Still you, with fewer wrinkles.

If you are interested in a free consultation for Botox services call The Woman’s Clinic at 318-388-4030 and select option 3. Or visit our website www.thewomansclinic.net to request a consult time and find additional information on MediSpa services.

The Woman’s Clinic 300 Grammont Street, Monroe 417 McMillan Road, West Monroe 931 N. Trenton Street, Ruston 318.388.4030

My dad painted my grandmother’s potrait from a photograph (below) in the mid-1950s.

< Seeds of a white cucumber said to date back to the 1750s.

Heirlooms evoke special memories, give us a comforting sense of home, remind us of simpler times, and connect us with the past. Of my modest possessions, the most prized are family heirlooms. For example, the portraits my dad painted of my paternal grandparents in the mid-1950s are stunning likenesses of the original photographs, which I also have. They transport me back to summer days spent with my grandfather, the two of us evading my formidable grandmother either in his garden or walking across the road to the post office or to Ed Saine’s feed store. High cotton for a little kid. I never knew my maternal grandfather, but I have his Gillette double edge razor. I shave with it today. It’s something that connects me to him besides chromosomes.

Heirloom seeds have the same effect. They provide us with a window into the past via living plants. Unfortunately, much of this “living past” is already gone. The results of a study published by Rural Advancement Foundation International indicate that losses in genetic diversity of ten vegetable crops approach 90% or more in just under a century. In 1903, 497 varieties of lettuce and 544 varieties of cabbage were available to commercial growers. By 1983, these numbers had dwindled to only 36 and 28 available varieties, respectively. Reasons for this loss of diversity vary but it’s alarming. Seeds represent novel genetic combinations within a single variety and with genetic diversity comes better disease resistance, drought tolerance, fruit size, and other important traits may be important in the future. But, just like with species in nature, when a cultivar or landrace goes extinct, it’s gone forever.

In the short time I’ve been on the hunt for heirloom seeds, the amount of genetic diversity I’ve collected and observed so far is incredible, especially in field peas, beans, and corn. There are many other examples.

One of my cousins in North Carolina contacted me not long ago about a white cucumber my great grandfather grew and

made mustard pickles with. I had never heard of mustard pickles but they certainly sound German so no surprise there! Long story short, between myself and my cousin Calvin, we were able to locate seeds of this cucumber, likely the Roseland White Pickling, said to be introduced Mr. Schronce’s black into that area of North peanut likely dates Carolina in the 1750s. to the 1800s. I’m growing it next season for the first time! I can’t wait to see this living relict and watch it grow! There is also a black-skinned peanut from that same area that is probably just as old although its origin is more obscure. It has been grown and shared by a gentleman who acquired the seeds from an elderly couple in 1980. Now 87 years old himself, Mr. Schronce has been growing and selecting seeds from among the blackest and largest peanuts and for the last 40 years keeping this variety from extinction. It will be introduced to Louisiana soils next season, too! I can’t wait!

My collections don’t begin to scratch the surface of what was once out there. At the same time, we don’t know what is still out there waiting to be rediscovered. Now, more than ever, it’s important we find and preserve as many of these nearly gone varieties as possible and pass them along to subsequent generations.

This Christmas season, think about passing along an heirloom as a gift. It’s never too soon to pass something down whether it’s a picture or a seed. If you’re a gardener, try growing some heirloom varieties of your favorite flower or vegetable next spring and try saving its seeds. Pass seeds along so someone else can enjoy them and the genetics of that variety, and a portion of your own history, can be preserved.

All of us at the LSU AgCenter wish everybody a Merry Christmas and safe, happy New Year!

Tune in to Louisiana Living every Tuesday at 4:30 for In the Garden with Kerry Heafner of the LSU AgCenter.

STEWARD HEALTH CARE HAS BEEN recognized by the American College of Cardiology in the “Best Hospitals” issue of U.S. News & World Report as one of the top health systems in the U.S. for providing top quality care to heart patients in 2021. Steward is one of only 87 health systems nationwide to be included. Twenty-five Steward hospitals across eight states were included on the list recognizing exemplary cardiovascular care. `The U.S. News & World Report issue recognizes Steward’s commitment to drive preeminent hospital care for heart patients. Through participation in the ACC’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) and/ or Accreditation programs, Steward informs a robust quality improvement processes using data to drive improvements in adherence to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care provided to heart patients.

ACC’s NCDR is cardiology’s most established, comprehensive registry offering, consisting of eight hospital-based registries and two outpatient registries. Participants are committed to ensuring evidence-based cardiovascular care, improving patient outcomes, and lowering health care costs. ACC Accreditation Services provides hospitals with practical resources and support to minimize gaps in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Facilities achieving an ACC accreditation are committed to establishing a method for sustainable quality improvement.

“We are proud of our physicians and clinical teams across the country who have provided the highest quality cardiovascular care amid the extraordinary challenges of responding to the pandemic,” said Sanjay Shetty, President, Steward Health Care System. “This distinguished honor demonstrates the value of Steward’s physician-led, patientcentered approach to drive the highest-quality outcomes for every community we serve.”

“As an ACC quality programs participant, Steward Health Care has established itself as a leader in setting the national standard for improving quality of care in patients with cardiovascular disease,” said ACC President Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, FACC. “Steward has demonstrated a commitment to providing reliable, comprehensive treatment for heart patients based on current clinical guideline recommendations. The ACC is proud to include Steward among the Best Hospitals of 2021.”

Steward Health Care’s physician-led business model was built to unlock access to the highest-quality care at a sustainable cost, committed to providing personalized, ongoing medical services that positively impact patients’ physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Founded in 2010, Steward Health Care is the largest physician-led health care network with more than 5,500 providers and 43,000 health care professionals caring for 12.3 million patients a year through its global network.

WITH THE CURRENT OBESITY epidemic, many people have unwanted fat on their bodies. This extra fat causes an unattractive appearance, interferes with various body functions, and damages a person’s general wellbeing, often destroying their self-confidence.

Louisiana Center for Women’s Health has always been interested in helping people with such problems, improving their lives and enhancing their self-esteem. Liposuction may be the right solution.

We have been performing liposuction for several decades. Starting in the 70’s we began using the original liposuction procedure which was invented and popularized by a gynecologist in France. Through the years liposuction technology has advanced and improved.

When VASER liposuction became available, it was obvious it was a significant advancement and improvement, so we purchased the state-of-the-art technology. We are now using the second and latest generation of VASER technology. We have even trained surgeons from around the world on how to use this VASER.

When new technologies for fat reduction become available, we evaluate the manufacturer’s claims. Many of these claims don’t stand up to scrutiny. Some offer the patient little more than wishful thinking. This is especially true of various external freezing, radio frequency, or energy sources, which are non-invasive, but work poorly or perhaps not at all. Because they are non-invasive, they sound great, but they rarely live up to their expectations. Our best advice is to be careful when choosing the right liposuction procedure.

The big difference with VASER compared to other liposuction methods, is the melting of fat prior to removal. The VASER procedure uses a two-step process, the first step essentially melts the fat using a thin ultrasound probe which is inserted under the skin and into the fat layer. This probe uses high frequency and high energy sound to disrupt the fat cell wall, causing it to release its fat. The released fat is suctioned out of the body. It also probably kills the fat cell in the process, minimizing the future return of fat in this area.

The VASER is real liposuction. Fat is actually removed from the body. VASER does not depend on promises of ongoing fat loss over time, as some of the non-invasive devices promise.

The main differences between VASER and other conventional and non-conventional methods of liposuction are the following: 1.) The VASER procedure is performed in the office, so there is no expensive hospitalization required. 2.) The VASER administers its own local anesthesia, so you are awake during the procedure. 3.) The VASER is a minimally invasive procedure. The incisions used for fat removal are less than 1/4”. 4.) With VASER, healing is rapid and bruising is minimal. 5.) Finally, the VASER melts the fat prior to removal.

If you are interested in the VASER procedure, Louisiana Center for Women’s Health is the only clinic offering this procedure in this area. Please call us for an initial appointment and evaluation.