my story, january gardening

MY STORY 
i wanted to tell my story because it is therapeutic for me
and for my wife she
at the same time as you follow my story you will be
educated on alzheimers disease such that you will know
more about the disease than most people do and more than
most doctors know and more than i knew 2 months ago
and hopefully will know what evaluation needs to be done
if you or a family member should shown signs of the disease

i have been on both sides as a doctor treating patients, now as
a patient being treated (dont like being a patient very much)
and as a family member dealing with a mother and close
relative with the disease so have seen all sides of the story of
alzheimers

i hope not to make the mistakes with my wife she and i  that
were made along the way dealing with the disease previously

this disease will partially overwhelm the medical system in the
near future as more and more baby boomers age

JANUARY GARDENING 
some people buy seeds now to be ready to plant for the spring
eg tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, etc
i usually just buy plants at the nursery because it is easier to
deal with

in january i prepare my beds for the late winter and early spring
i remove all dead plants and compost them
our chickens love it as they eat any seeds left on the plants

i then add 2-3 inches of good compost either my own
if available or get organic barnyard compost at the local nursery

then add some molasses across the beds
and will usually add some organic fertilizer
will mix all this into the top 3-4 inches of soil
then will rake it smooth
then cover this with a layer of newspapers and then this
with a layer of mulch
will water as needed to keep the soil from drying out
if no rain has occurred
the worms will come to the surface and eat the newspapers
the worms till the upper soil and poop in it to add more
fertilization to the soil

the bed is now ready to plant

the next crops i will  plant are potatoes and onions  in late
january to early february
will be picking these up as seed potatoes and as onion plants
in a couple of weeks at the local organic nursery

the next plantings will be in mid march
the beds will have 2 months to ripen

today is a good day here where i live to start working
on the beds

the organicgreen doctor

post c2bs2, mri today, pill holiday

POST C2BS2
survived the colonoscopy i guess
dont remember a dam thing
my wife she told me i got up and walked to the elevator
rode down to the ground floor, walked out to the parking
lot, gave her directions on how to get out of the parking lot
but dont remember a dam thing

i got home and slept for 6 hours without moving

those iv meds make it nice to have this done
you should try it if you are over 50 and never had
one done

prep really wasnt that bad see previous blog

now thats over with i will move forward to other important things

MRI TODAY 
have my mri today as part of my workup
it will be looking for other causes of this disease
such as infection, stroke, abnormal masses, etc that
could be treatable-then the diagnosis would be mci nonamnesic type
that would be nice
then the chances of progression would be about 20-30%
vs the sucky 50-80% of what i have

also there are certain changes on the mri that are seen with
alzheimers and may be found on me in the early stages of
this disease-changes in the part of the brain called the
hippocampus (like hutttos schools-their mascot is a hippo)
and increases in the size of the ventricles of the brain

if it is normal then that doesnt mean i dont have mci amnesic type
it just means that changes havent shown up on mri yet

will give the report of the scan on this blog when i get it

next
in february will probably have a lumbar puncture for the
research study i am it     some of the fluid will be sent off
to a lab to test for tau antibody which is a protein that is
found in alzheimers patients
will also have dna analysis to see if i carry the gene for
this disease

these tests by themselves dont make a diagnosis but like a
lot of things in medicine when added together will make the
diagnosis more likely

later on
will have a pet scan done which will show even better
any changes that may occur in the brain

also when i enter the studies i will have  all these tests
on a regular basis as they follow me during the study

the worse test i may have to have again this year and annually
is the neuropsychological testing
this is where they pick up abnormalities by asking questions
doing drawings etc
think i  would rather have the lumbar puncture instead

but the neuropsychological testing shows how well the brain is
functioning in real time

PILL HOLIDAY
took a pill holiday as i had to be fasting until scope time
was nice to not have some of the side effects-insomnia
and hyperactivity and dizziness
supposedly some of these will resolve over time or may
get worse
time will tell
hope the hyperactivity continues as i sure have a lot of
projects to do around my place

wish to thank my wife she for being with me through all this

the organicgreen doctor  

c2bs2d0, the pill

C2BS2D0
couch to black snake (colonoscopy) #2 day 0

well last night lined up all my supplies
dulcolax laxative tabs, magnesium(dont they make flares
out of this for the military) citrate
sprite nice and cold

and per advise from relatives that have to have this often-
small jar of vaselline and baby wipes
was best advice that was received

was told to mix the cold mag citrate with cold sprite
to make it easier to go down and also to drink it with
a straw
would hate to see what warm mag citrate would taste like
actually just wanted to drink the whole dam thing and get
it over with-might have thrown up though
then might have to start over again-that would be bad

well did not get to watch a lot of the football game last night
between minnesota and philadelphia
did not get much sleep last night either as had to make
frequent trips to you know where
finally just got up a hour ago
but keep getting interrupted trying to do this blog

the prep worked well am sure the colonoscopist will give
me a high prep rating today

in a few hours will get it done and will sleep good this afternoon
hopefully next one will be in 10 years maybe

good luck to my partner and to a nurses husband who is
getting their black snake today

get yours if you have not had it

THE PILL
my wife likes the side effect of this medicine
no not that side effect

it makes me slightly hyper and fitgitty so am able to
get a lot done in the am after i take it
(so this is what add hyperactive type feels like)

the other side effect is insomnia
but have found an afternoon night helps a lot with that

the organicgreen doctor

the pill day two, c2bs2day1,rainwater

THE PILL DAY TWO
well today is day two of the pill-aricept(donepezil)
got the generic brand for a $15 copay
when my mom was on it was over $100 a month
now the branded cost is $263
so alzheimers can initially be treated for $180 a year now
vs cash price of $3156 a year
(full generic price not available when this was written)

this is  one way to decrease health care cost
am glad i have health insurance
feel sorry for those that do not

again i sit here ignoring that little white memory pill
-but i dont have memory problems thats noticeable

suppose to take it after eating breakfast
(oops not suppose to eat today see below)
will aricept really make a difference
dont know but i think so in the long run

only thing i noticed was some dizziness that lasted for
awhile but then it went away
demonstrated last night that insomnia is not part of the
side effect for me yet

did notice that i beat everyone at jeopordy even my
white on white relative after i took the aricept (donepezil)

no just kidding!

here goes day 2

C2BS2DAY-1
couch to black snake #2 in 1 day
will have my colonoscopy (ten years since last one) in 1day
the prep is a weight loss prep
the aricept causes weight loss also
my bmi should be normal after tomorrow

at least i dont have to drink that jug of nasty stuff
but only clear liquids all day
what if i cheated
oops think they would know
hope to make it all day without cheating except for
breakfast
think ill be ok if you look at the time i posted this blog

wouldnt you hate to do colonoscopies all day long
looking up some ones bottom all day long
glad i did family practice

RAINWATER
we need rain
had 1/2 inch last week
but need more
hope to get some today and tomorrow
need to replenish my rainwater tanks
still have plenty for irrigation of my garden
and plenty for use in the house
(we are totally rainwater users;no wells or municipal
water)
do a rain dance for us today

the organicgreen doctor

the pill

THE PILL
the pill sits on my desk
its name is aricept
its generic name is donepezil
the mgm strength is 5 mg
just wrote a prescription a few days ago for my patient to take
now it sits here in front of me to take
had to listen to the neurologist go over the side effects
hell already know about it as i gave the same speech last week

do i really need this
lets see the side effects are nausea,vomiting, diarrhea
(that would be good since i have to have the black snake
this week),
weight loss(need to loose 5-10 lbs), dizziness(know what
thats like as i have recurrent vertigo), weakness, trouble sleeping
(every one that knows me knows that may be a good side
effect as i have probably fallen asleep on all of them in the past)
tremors, or muscle cramps(that dont sound good)

then they list the bad stuff that im sure the lawyers made them
write-seizures, dark emesis, irregular heart beat(had that one
time 25 years ago and did not like it at all), trouble peeing
(thats bad),
severe abdominal pain, and severe allergic reaction

then it says but most people do fine without major side effects-
well why did they not just write that and end it there

i mean do i really need this
if i had not had that neuropsychological testing a year ago
that was normal when i applied for long term care insurance
if i had not signed up for that study on alzheimers and had
that neuropsychological exam done that was abnormal
then i would not sitting here writing about taking that dam
pill but would have been writing about something more
pleasant like the holidays

well when you put the total picture together-family history,
subtle things noted at work, abnormal test after a normal
one last year and the chance that all this could take off
sometime in the near future and the fact this pill will slow it
down for awhile
then i have decided to take it and never look back on the
decisions i made this week

now maybe i can find my shovel i misplaced

here goes  had my coffee and my bagel and now the
journey begins

the organicgreen doctor

c2bs2d3, dang cowboys, good basketball

C2BS2D3
couch to black snake #2 in 3 days
ie got to have the 10 year colonoscopy
will be second one
is due in 3 days

if you are 50 years old or older and never had one
then its time
or if it has been 10 years since your last one
then its time
colon cancer is a preventable disease

the worst part is that dam prep
this time am not taking that gallon of nasty stuff that
took last time
will take pills and a green bottle of stuff that looks
like sprite but know thats not what is in there

remember when was a resident in training we had
a concoction we gave people that we called the bomb
if i remember correctly that green bottle stuff was in
that concoction
it could unstop a dam

remember that i had to live close to the bathroom
think my wife she made me sleep downstairs on
a sleeping bag on the bathroom floor
made the trips to the pot real short

would tell you what the procedure was and is like
but dont remember (not because of my diagnosis)
but because of good intravenous medications

the next one i might not remember even the prep
there are good things about every situation

DANG COWBOYS
thought they were going to pull it out in the end
dang kicker
he may go back to kicking off only next year
the back up back up quarterback looked good
for his first playing time
they need to start him in the next game  to check him
out
watched him play football in high school-he was good

am sure there will be housecleaning for next years team
well maybe next year
know the cowboy haters are loving it

GOOD BASKETBALL 
think that lebron made a statement yesterday
as well as the heat
the king is back

were a lot of games on and most were good ones
knicks are back also
wait until next year when they add camelo

the playoffs are going to be fun to watch this year

tomorrow the pill

the organicgreen doctor

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
want to wish every one a merry christmas, a happy new year
and happy holidays

thanks to the readers of this blog

the organicgreen doctor

mild cognitive impairment amnestic type

MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT(MCI) AMNESTIC TYPE 
well thats my diagnosis
it is a precursor to full blown alzheimers
when i started this blog several months ago i had no idea i
would be at this point
i even blogged on mci back in september
at that time had no thoughts that i would have that diagnosis
tagged on me
(can google mci to the right of this and read that posting)

my goal with this blog was to over time tell stories of my life
and my familys life to provide a written record of some of
our history
also wanted to cover medical topics that people might be
interested in
also wanted to give people a peak into what its like to be
a  practicing physician
also wanted to let people know what illness was happening
in the area where i practice
also wanted to let people know about cases i have dealt with
in the past
also wanted to write about green living, organic gardening,
rainwater collection(yes that limestone rock is still in my
water tank-its the source of calcium for my wife she),
solar power, and recycling
also wanted to write about things i noticed that were funny
or different-why do they topics (google that to the right)

now i will refocus this blog in a slightly different direction
i will continue all of the above that i can (some of the medical
stuff will be discontinued related to practicing medicine)

will be blogging about myself and the disease that i have
inherited
want people to be able to follow me as it progresses and see
what affect it can have on a persons life
and what its  like to deal with the medical system and this
disease

i am lucky i guess as i will be getting studies and tests done on
me that is state of the art medicine and is not available to the
regular medical community but the stuff done to me will be
what will be done in the future to catch this disease earlier so
that maybe it can be treated or prevented

as i go along by having all this done i/we will know exactly
where i am as this disease progresses

please take this journey with me

thanks

the organicgreen doctor

the neurology visit

THE NEUROLOGY VISIT
today i had the dreaded neurology visit
it really sucks to be on this side of the health care system
my wife she and i drove 3 hours to the visit

originally at check in spent more time looking at their
electronic medical record as they checked me in
we dont have one but are in the process of getting one
through out our 300 doctor medical group

so this is what its like to be a patient
dont like it

met with person running the alzhiemers research studies
she had called me about my neuropsychological testing
she wants me to be in a study but will wait until i see
the neurologist and decide what work up and testing
need to be done

well saw the neurologist today
had a neurological exam
the neurologist reviewed the results of the neuropsychological
testing with me

it sucks

have a definiite deficit in memory that correlates with early mild
cognitive impairment amnesic type
what this means is that i am heading down the same path that
my mother took  and another relative is on now
the difference is that i am so early in the disease process that
no one notices anything

remember no one not my wife she nor my nurse she has
noticed any problems with cognition but i have
it has not  affected my practice yet

i will be placed on medication that will slow the process down
(its the same medication my mother took and my relative takes
now) for a while then it will take off again after a period of time
what this time frame is is not known for sure

will have to discontinue practicing medicine as there is a
chance in the near future that it will interfere with my ability
to practice medicine

at least my wife she and i will have had time to plan for our
future whatever it will bring

we have accepted the diagnosis and plan to move on and
make the most of our lives together

this was written two days ago

the organicgreen doctor

the dreaded doctor visit

THE DREADED DOCTOR VISIT 
yesterday i said good by to my job as a practicing family
physician
im leaving not because i want to but because genetics has
bit me in the ass
no one knows yet that yesterday was my last day
not my nurse, not my patients, not my fellow partners, not
the administration
no one got to say good bye to me
thats the way i wanted it

today i meet with a neurologist to review my neuro-
psychological testing that was done so that i can enter
studies in the universities azlheimers research area

i entered this to be a control subject in their study
a control subject is some one who does not have a disease
who is followed along with patients who have the disease
it looks like i might be a subject now  not a control subject

i knew when i went there originally that i had noticed some
subltle changes
no one else had noticed these changes  but i had
not even my wife she has noticed any changes

if you know me or met me you would not notice anything
(except i couldnt remember your name
a long problem i have had for 30 years)

it appears that those subtle changes are present and those
changes  will probably make me not want to work anymore
as they could interfere with my ability to practice medicine

wonder if and when my mom noticed these changes
how long before we noticed her  symptoms did this happen
to her

what about my close relative who was working
did he notice these changes months to years before
others noticed them
when did his wife notice them
when did they begin to interfere with his work

next the followup to the neurology visit

the organicgreen doctor

last day-thanks

LAST DAY-THANKS 
this my last day to work as a physician
always considered myself lucky to have been able to
do in life what i wanted to do since i was a middle schooler

in high school i was able to work in a local hospital in the
summer on weekends and during holidays
our family was poor so not only did i get financial benefit from
working but i also was exposed to a lot in the hospital setting
it made me know that i wanted to be a family physician

during college i worked as a emergency room technician
on weekends, weeknights, and holidays
this also gave me financial support but also exposed me to
different doctors and different emergency situations

i was accepted to medical school but never wavered on what
kind of doctor i wanted to be
a family physician

i was accepted to a family practice residency
after completing my residency i owed the federal government
three years to work at an approved federal underserved area

i was able to create with some help a site in  the small
town near where i grew up       i  worked there for three years
although tramatic at times it was a learning experience that i
carried through out my career

after fulfilling my three year obligation and after sustaining a
large financial hit from my involvement with the local clinic
i was recritued to the area where i am working now
thanks to my medical school friend for helping me out in
my time of need

i have worked for 25 years as a family physician
i always wanted to be one

now it is time i have to quit not because i want to but
because a genetic health problem has risen its nasty head
and because of this will have to discontinue what i like to do

i do not ever dread going to work every day
feel like i have now just gotten good at what i do

realize that patients dont necessarily need all of the new
medications we have, the new tests we can do or need
the newest treatments available

they do better if you just listen to them, pat them on the
shoulder, be kind to them and be their advocate when
they need it

i have honed my skills in taking care of kids over my career so
that many of the kids have felt comfortable seeing me and look
forward to seeing me to get a sticker or sucker, hear my
duck voice, or have me joke with them
that part i will miss a lot

thanks to all my patients in the past for allowing me to fulfill
my dream of being a family physician
i hope i have done you a good job

thanks to my wife she for putting up with me during
my quest for my career
know she found hers

love yall
the organicgreen doctor

hope for the future

 THIS IS OUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE 





except for the hat this is our hope for the future
innocent     disease free     no prejudice  
 happy     content     apolitical  

what will his generation experience    

will they make the world better    

will they do better than we did

this is our hope

thanks to the parents for allowing me to use this picture

the organicgreen doctor

composting toilet, drought is back

COMPOSTING TOILET
want a composting toilet
then would build an old outhouse around it
it uses no water or electricity
there is no septic system or sewer system to
deal with
if done right can actually use the ugh ugh compost
as compost
well maybe at the far end of my property on some
non edible tree that was planted

that would complete my recycling of everything on our
property

just also read about using worms in a composting
toilet to help breakdown the waste
now some things just aint right and thats one of them
red wigglers in a composting toilet
what would happen if they got out into my garden
wouldnt want those red wigglers to get loose

hope my wife she is too busy today shopping to read
about my new idea
sometimes she just wont let me do things and this might
be one of them

DROUGHT IS BACK 
the biggest problem with rainwater harvesting  as your only
water source is the drought
have not had a good rain since october
no rain has occurred in december
the ground here in my pastures has cracks in them
that are getting wider every day
am sure this is how the grand canyon got formed

we had a huge rain this fall-10 inches in one night form hermie
the hurricane

(thats when my nephew he got dropped into the rainwater tank
trying to get the limestone rock out of the tank-see august blog)

however had two of my large tanks disconnected, had some
of my drain valves open, and a bird had stopped up one of my
downspouts on my roof
predict we probably lost half of the rain that night from
my rainwater collection system

now my tanks are over 50% full but would be 75% full if
none of the problems had not occurred with the system

of course its the wildlife that suffers the most
have several small tanks of water for the birds and
other animals to use

now if all that snow thats making the skiers happy could
just come down this way then we could get some
moisture here

the organicgreen doctor

football soup

FOOTBALL SOUP
well its lull time in football season
no games for a few days
just the bowl games
now they have different names
cant tell what bowl game it is
lets see the spinach spaghettit bowl played in
butte, montana
wasnt that the avacado dip bowl that use to
be in new mexico
no that was the cornflakes bowl in nebraska

now the national championship game is played
sometime in january or february on a tuesday
night late at night when im already in bed
i think thats right
maybe will dvr it for later
heck just say auburn wins by a touchdown and
be done with it

do want to see razorbacks play in sugar bowl against
ohio state
want to see that quarterback from arkansas (could have
been at texas if michigan had not out recruited texas)
play again before he goes pro
maybe the redskins could use him (see below)

cowboys play redskins this weekend
lets see they are playing for ugh ugh to win
redskins quarterback is now the third string quarterback
and the starting quarterback is some one who thought
had disappeared
guess quarterbacks can play for ever as long as they
can breath, can think, can pass

go cowboys get this season over with and hire jason
garret as your coach

the organicgreen doctor

correction, watson vs my relative, whats happening in the clinic

CORRECTION
am not like the newspapers
they hide their corrections on the back page where
you can not find them

am putting mine on the first part of the front page

the new solar project will cost $240,000,000 not
$240,000
thats 1/4 the cost of jerrys stadium in arlington that the
cowboys are playing in
so which is the best for society
i vote solar project even though am big cowboy fan
but others may not

WATSON VS MY RELATIVE
watson is a computer designed by ibm
they now want to test watson in a game of jeopardy
apparently this will happen in february
so far in contests with former contestants for jeopardy
watson has won over half the time

(we dont need watson we have google)

ibm did something similar in 1997 when their computer
deep blue played and beat the chess champion
garry kasparov

the contestants watson  will face will be against two of the
winningest  contestants in jeopardys history
the winner gets $1,000,000 (not $1,000)

well mr watson has not ever met nor will he be playing the
best jeopardy player ive ever seen

if you have ever played trivial pursuit with my white on white
relative then you know exactly who im writing about

his side always won trivial pursuit

he has watched jeopardy for years and we think he probably
writes the questions on the quizzes
have tried to get him several times to sign up to be on the
jeopardy show

guess it would not be fair to watson and the other contestants
if he did

WHATS HAPPENING IN THE CLINIC 
am still seeing a lot patients with  bronchitis in the clinic in
all age groups

wish some of them would read my blog on acute bronchitis

cedar allergy season has officially started here
can attest to it as my eyes water as i type this blog
need my loratidine today

cedar will be bad this year because of our dry weather with
cold fronts moving through then the weather warming up

this triggers the pollen release from the cedars

also seeing some flu cases and some strep throats

also seeing people trying to empty out their flex accounts
if you dont use it you will loose it
am emptying out mine as fast as i can

the organicgreen doctor

solar projects

SOLAR PROJECTS
a small town of 700 near here has set up a 100 kilowatt solar
system to power a sewage treatment plant

this project will hopefully defray the cost of running the
treatment plant in the future
it will defray $13000 a year in cost for electricity to run the plant

the plant will produce more electricity than will be used by the
plant and will then send  the excess electricity back into the grid

during the day the meter will be spinning backwards
something mine does at my house
its fun to stand there and watch the meter number get smaller

this is a way to insulate the treatment plant from the increase
in energy rates


also this week it was announced that a company will open a
solar farm near here that will cost $240,000,000 to build

the solar farm will produce electricity from the 400,000 solar
panels that will be placed on the on 750 acres of an old farm

it will be the largest solar farm in the united states

the company is called rre austin solar a subsidiary of rre power
and will be opening its headquarters here in this area

also there is plans for the city near here to also open
a solar farm that will produce 30 megawatts annually

so the the new "lakes" you see as you fly over this area
in the future will really be fields of solar panels generating
electricity all day long

my little system on my house will produce 5500 kw a year
if the sun shines a lot in the year which has not been a problem
here lately

the state has also developed a huge numbers of wind mills in
the western part of the state which you have seen if you have
traveled that area lately
so far more wind power is produced than solar power in the
state
a university near here will eventually be receiving all of it power
from wind

now if the government would just move some of the subsidies
away from the oil gas and coal industry to the solar industry
there would even be a bigger boom in solar power production

the european countries especially germany have led the way in
solar power subsidies

the organicgreen doctor

acute bronchitis

ACUTE BRONCHITIS 
am seeing a lot of acute bronchitis in the clinic

most cases of acute bronchitis are caused by a viral infection
(90% of these infections are viral)

there is no test that diagnoses acute bronchitis

the most prominent symptom is a cough which may last
for three weeks
as the cause is viral no antibiotics are indicated
even if there is green productive sputum

anibiotics should be used only if pertussis(whooping cough)
is suspected eg in unvaccinated people (there is a vaccine for
pertussis for adults <65     it is found in the tdap for tetanus  
the p is for pertussis    get it if you have not had it)

sometimes antibiotics are used for mycoplasma infections also
or in high risk patients such as the elderly or some one
with chronic lung disease

the zpack only works against the mycoplasma and pertussis
infection and not the viral infections

even if the antibiotics are used against the bacterial causes of
the bronchitis the symptoms usually remain ie the damn cough

the cough is treated with bronchidilators such as albuterol
if there is a wheezing component to the cough

antitussive medications  such as dextromethorphin,
codiene, and hydrocodone may help some
but should not be used in children under six years old

other common causes of cough are allergic rhinitis
(nasal allergies),asthma, copd, pneumonia, common cold,
acid reflux, heart failure, sinusitis, or post nasal drip

pneumonia usually causes fever, shortness of breath,
fast heart rate, abnormal breath sounds, the appearance of
looking ill

a recent adult patient with pneumonia seen in the clinic
had cough, felt bad, looked like he did not feel good,
had decreased breath sounds on one side and had
a low oxygen level  
he had pneumonia and was treated with high dose antibiotics

so what do you do if you have acute bronchitis

if cough is bothering you use otc medications such as
mucinex dm or prescription medications for cough
i personally use these so my wife she can sleep at night when
i get acute bronchitis
get rest
drink fluids
be patient
if wheezing may need bronchodilators such as albuterol

if elderly (that age gets higher every year) or if you have lung
disease or if you are in poor health see your doctor

the best treatment is usually time

a good reference for acute bronchitis for  patients is: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/infections/common/mulitsource/677.html

the organicgreen doctor

laptops cooking your testicles, even more on dumpster diving

LAPTOPS COOKING YOUR TESTICLES
there was an article recently from reuters.com last month on
cooking your testicles with your laptop

maybe will stick with a desk top instead of a laptop

use a laptop all day long in my practice
take it with me when am seeing patients
usually have it on my lap most of the time when typing
office notes and doing prescriptions

my wife she when she reads this will probably request
that use only the desk top at work

apparently putting the laptop in your lap (in a study
that was done recently) increased the scrotal temperature by
2.5 degrees celsius
this is enough to potentially affect  sperm production
in past studies a rise of temperature of 1 degree celsius
was shown to affect sperm production

(hey maybe this is the new form of birth control that
women having been hoping for for years   birth control by dell
maybe could use your flex medical card to buy your next laptop)

even when the legs were spread apart the testicles still
warmed up but took twice as long

can see that now men sitting working on their laptop with
their legs spread apart to protect their package

not a pretty sight

EVEN MORE ON DUMPSTER DIVING 
am getting more and more comments on the dumpster diving
surely this many people arent doing it
well will admit have taken stuff out of a dumpster before

according to a relative and reader of this blog
apparently there is a form of dumpster diving called
curbside recycling -its treasure hunting the night before
the trash trucks come

according to the relative there  is an etiquette to follow

if the item is a high dollar item you have to ask the neighbor
first    
the item has to be on the opposite side of the sidewalk
(ie on the curb not in their yard) not on their porch or
in their garage

when the relative is through using the item then he places
it on the curbside for recycling or donates it to a local charity

listed recycled items in the past  are a hedge trimmer,
a motor cycle, and a grill
all were repaired and used and then recycled

alway wondered why he always had a truck

this is ultimate recycling
this is ultimate green living

the organicgreen doctor

tomatoes(yum yum), football, more on dumpster diving

TOMATOES (YUM YUM)

these are just a few of our green tomatoes we picked
recently right before the 20 degree weather
we picked all of the green tomatoes and wrapped each with newspaper  and placed them in a
25 lb bag (recycled of course)
we put another batch in another 25 lb bag without
wrapping them
we put some out on our table so they would ripen
faster

these tomatoes above are all heirloom      lost the
names of them so dont know what they are except
one is the black zebra
the green ones are placed in the picture to show what
they looked like when we picked them
some of the tomatoes ripen when they are red like
the usual tomato and some are a darker color and
some are a green red mixture

the flavor is the best
know will be sad when they are all gone
hopefully they will last until january
then will have to buy those nasty tomatoes at the
grocery store

here is a link to an article by the dirt doctor in his
newsletter    it is about different ways to store the
tomatoes when they are picked green

 http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/view_question/id/3772/

FOOTBALL
well the cowboys lost
the game was close
but will say its michael vicks year
theyll get another chance at the eagles in the next
few weeks

not sure how feel about michael vick
he did serve his time in prison for his crimes
he has done all the right things to rehab himself
should he have gotten a second chance
would it be easier to accept if it was about drugs
instead of about dogs

am from the south and know that dog fighting goes on
and has for a long time

andy reid his eagle coach has forgiven him
andy reids two sons spent time in prison for drugs
and have gone through rehabilitation
and from reports are productive members of society
he has some compassion for people coming out of
prison who have paid their debt to society

hopefully michael vick is rehabillitated and will continue
to do all the right things in the future

he is sure fun to watch

MORE ON DUMPSTER DIVING
sorry can not reveal the name of the relative that did the
dumpster diving
have to protect the innocent
plus if i do im in deep trouble

some one replied that when they lived in another state
they did not have to dumpster dive as it was all thrown
on the side of the street and you could just pick what you
wanted
whats that called ........ditch diving

the organicgreen doctor

football, dumpster diving

FOOTBALL 
well today is a big day for the cowboys
if they win tonight against philadelphia then
everyone will be a jason garrett and cowboy
believer

make be tough to beat michael vick and the
eagles
he is one of the hottest quarterback this year (of course
tom brady is at the top of the list)

lets go boys

DUMPSTER DIVING 
have a relative-that person knows who it is- recently went
dumpster diving to get things  a store was throwing away
the store wasnt opened that day for some reason so that
person just went back of the store and dumpster dived

that person found a lot of good things that that person
will incorporate into a gift for someone for christmas

no one will know the source of the materials  that was
used to make the gift
am now always suspicious of gifts from that person

will admit that i
tried to dumpster dive at the grocery store because felt
it was such a waste for them to throw away all the vegetables
and fruits that were damaged but the dumpster was enclosed
so that no dumpster diving could be done

again what a waste of food that could be used to feed the
hungry and needy folks and my backyard chickens

have a good sunday
congratulations again to my medcial friends son for his
graduation

the organicgreen doctor

my medical school friends son, football

MY MEDICAL SCHOOL FRIENDS SON 
my medical school friends son is graduating with a masters
degree from the seminary
a preacher come on man a preacher
yes hes a preacher

my father was a baptist preacher
from the stories from his youth
am sure that when he was a teenager that no one
expected him to be a preacher
but he did
people and kids do mature and change and become
a successful professional
gosh look what happened to me and my medical
school friend

my medical school friends son has worked hard to get his
degree and now to get his masters degree
think he has found what he wants to do in life
so what to wish him the best for the future
from both my wife she and myself

well maybe ill just will tell one story on him though
hmmm better not do that
his dad has too many he could tell on me so will not
tell any stories on him today

FOOTBALL 
arkansas is playing ohio state in the sugar bowl
what a good match up for arkansas
their quarterback will probably be the top qb in the draft
may be one of the better bowl games

texas has retired or resigned much of their staff
change sometimes is good
after the bowl games a new staff will be put into place
they can only get better next year they were so
bad last year

cowboys play philadelphia this weekend
if they win they will definitely be back and may see
jason garret back as the head coach
that will be good

the organicgreen doctor

it aint right, c2bs2

IT AINT RIGHT
it just aint right that we have to have toll roads
thought about this last night on our way home
from a christmas party when i looked up at the
price of gas at  the gas station where i had last
bought gas
it had jumped 10 cents a gallon since then
guess they(whoever they are) are trying to get us
ready for the holiday season
we will be contributing more to the economy now
by spending more for gas

of course a large portion of the cost of a gallon of
gas is for highways-repair and building them
so why do we have to have toll roads if we have
all that tax money for highway improvement

the toll roads are forever once they are built
its like herpes once you have it you have it forever

of course i do have a toll tag on all my vehicles and use
them whenever its convenient
makes getting to the airport real easy during rush hour
and makes our commute easy especially in the afternoon

even though they are real convenient it just doesnt seem
right that we are paying for riding on a toll road that should
be paid for by taxes on gasoline

it just aint right

C2BS2
ok the colonoscopy comments and jokes are coming in
guess will accept all of them if it helps to create more
awareness of the need for colonoscopy
get er done if you have not had yours

the organicgreen doctor

what to do in the garden for december, c2bs2(colonoscopy)

WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN FOR DECEMBER
in this area can plant asparagus
planted bed 3 years ago and had first crop of asparagus
sure was good

feed any cool season vegetables regularly so they will
grow well     they  need that extra boost of energy

keep bare ground in beds well mulched to keep weed growth
down

it is a good time to prepare new beds
do raised beds here    get good garden soil from a
local nursery that has organic compost fertilizer etc
already added then cover with a layer of mulch for the
winter or overgrow it with a green cover crop such as
winter rye or vetch,

leaves-dont let them leave your property
use them as mulch around plants, mow them and leave
them in the grass as long as the leaves arent too thick,
or put them in the compost pile or give them to me

if you have fruit trees mulch with compost around the base
of the tree      dont leave the mulch or compost up
against the tree trunk

mulch around trees and shrubs especially newly planted ones
this protects the roots from the cold and helps keep moisture
in the soil        it also will break down into the soil eventually

C2BS2
c2bs2 stands for chair to black snake #2 ie a colonoscopy

this will be my second one
met with the doctor yesterday to discuss having this done
he  did my last one so there was nothing new to discuss
its been ten years since my last one so it is time for my 2nd one

the day before you get on a liquid diet all day
then in the evening you take the bad stuff-the dynamite
stuff that cleans you out good
guess if colon cleansing works to get rid of toxins ill find out
after this
this time opted not to take the bad castor oil tasting gallon
of stuff that you have to drink
instead will be taking some pills then drinking a bottle
of a green explosive liquid that finishes me off for the night

was told to stay within eyesight of a bathroom or outhouse for
the rest of the evening

will blog more about this experience later but wont go into details

if everyone followed the american cancer guidelines for
screening for colon cancer at age 50 the number of deaths from
colon cancer would be cut in half

go to the american cancer website  www.cancer.org and
type in 'colon cancer screenings' to read about their
recommendations

they will vary according to your history or family history but
every one needs a colon exam at 50 no matter what the history
 is is

the organicgreen doctor

black snake

BLACK SNAKE
at first did not know what the black snake was
heard an employee talking about her husband was
getting a black snake
wasnt sure why
it is cold and why would you have one in your house
anyway

then heard patient talking about the black snake

so asked them what is a black snake
was thinking maybe an indigo black snake like we
had when was in college
it was long and pretty
we use to take it to  schools for the kids to watch
it slither around in the grass
we also would let the kids hold the snake
to help them overcome their fear of snakes

i know my medical school friends wife is shaking
reading about the black snake
dont think she will ever overcome the fear of snakes

back to the black snake story-
so asked them whats a black snake
they said you know a colonoscopy

well today i have a consulatation with a doctor
to set up my meeting with the black snake
had one ten years ago so it is time to get another one
remember nothing of having the procedure done the
last time
they gave me some happy juice in the vein and the next
thing i knew my wife she was driving me on the way  home
dozed most of the afternoon
had my colon cleansing done though

remember the worse was drinking that old stuff that
tasted like castor oil
if you ever had to take that then you know what it tasted
like-bad

remember my nurse she gave me a hint to buy the lemon-lime
flavor and then cut up a lime in eighths and squirt some in each
cup of that junk that i had to drink
that did cut the nasty taste a lot
thanks my nurse she

seriously, i do try to practice what i preach to my patients
even though i have to force myself to do it sometimes

colonoscopy every 10 years starting at 50 years old -done

more on this later

the organicgreen doctor

pearl harbor day, now its christmas, our green christmas tree

PEARL HARBOR DAY 
today is pearl harbor day
this was my parents 9-11
the us was not in wwII until the japanese did this
surprise attack on pearl harbor
over 2300 american military personal were killed
it destroyed a large portion of the american battleship
fleet

as per roosevelt  it was a day that will live in infamy

go to www.nps.gov for more information

NOW ITS CHRISTMAS
dont feel like its christmas until after thanksgiving is over
seems we should be celebrating thanksgiving during
november
then when december is here thats when we should
begin to celebrate christmas
hearing christmas music before thanksgiving just
aint right
now is the time for the christmas spirit to start
christmas cards are coming in
looking through gift catalogues and on websites for
gift ideas
decorating the house and putting up christmas lights
listening to the christmas music

dont go quite as extensive as we use to do but do
keep the christmas spirit, music, decorations,the tree
and gifts going during the season

do have a happy holiday

OUR GREEN CHRISTMAS TREE
we try to do as much as we can to stay green
we heat our house with a wood burning stove, we have
solar panels for some of our electricity, we have a
rainwater collection system for our water system, we recycle
our plastic, glass, newspapers, leaves, etc,  our cars all get
40 mpg, and my wife she and i commute together

feel that future generations will appreciate all this green
stuff every one is doing now

we now have a green christmas tree
why is it green
we put on our boots and walked around our pasture
looking at small cedar trees to dig up and put in a large
pot for our christmas tree
no pollution except for some methane produced when
was walking

after christmas day this tree will be transplanted to a site
where am planting a visual block along our property line

the ultimate green christmas tree

EXTRA
one of my nieces bought a camera but cant figure how
how to work it because the directions are not in english
think this may say a lot about our status in the world

the organicgreen doctor

reunion, go cowboys

REUNION
we had our first reunion this year for our family
never seen so many people that looked and acted
the same

we had not been together since my moms funeral
a few years ago

never seen so much gray hair in the men
for some reason except for a few none of the women
seem to have gray hair

never know that these people were professional people-
retired army, retired fireman, fireman, teachers, doctors,
professors, principals the way everyone were having a good
time
of course the food was good as it always was

there were lots of old stories some probably stretched and
some altered to sound good

remember once my youngest brother he walked between
my other brother he when we were fighting
my younger he was hit in the face with a metal piece from an
old plow      he was covered in blood       he had to be taken
to the emergency room to get sutured      he still has the scar
on the upper lip and face     know i didnt throw that thing
and hit him      know it was my other brother      there
has never been an agreement on who threw it      
wasnt an agreement that day either
(its my blog so i didnt throw it)

there was a lot of pictures     many had not seen for years
there were videos to watch      old memories were brought
forward    most of them good ones

several  old friends stopped by and said hello

most of the grandkids and great grandkids  were there also    
dang they look like their parents

overall it was a good reunion
we plan to have one every year
tis nice to see everyone together at one time

thanks to email and facebook its much easier to stay in touch
during the year
but there is no substitution for a hug and personal conversation

GO COWBOYS
well now it feels better to be a cowboy fan
they are 3-1 in last four games-should be 4-0
they cant make the playoffs but they can end the season
on a high note for next year
maybe they found their coach huh

have not seen the bowl pairings this morning
hope arkansas got the sugar bowl or equivalent
like to watch that quarterback play

the organicgreen doctor

cowboys, more football

COWBOYS
cowboys play the colts today
oops
may not be pretty if peyton is on today
wish boys would at least get an even record
but they have a tough schedule of games left
have to play philadelphia twice and the colts today
dont think it will happen

maybe next year

MORE FOOTBALL
auburn cooked the game cocks  
made fried chicken out of them
newton looked good

now its oregon vs auburn
speed vs newton
(one of our local running backs signed with oregon
he is a track star also)

prediction oregon
newton will probably win the heisman
is he going to be another reggie bush
where it gets taken away again

nebraska was beaten by oklahoma
stoops owns the big 12 championship
see ya nebraska good luck in the big 10
lets see ohio state wisconsin michigan

the bowl games will come out today
will it be arkansas in the sugar
texas am to the cotton bowl
texas to the toilet bowl

the local team lost by one point to
the professional high school team in the
regional playoff game
game went down to the last minute
21-20
turnovers were the difference in the game

the organicgreen doctor

just football

JUST FOOTBALL 
nebraska plays oklahoma today in the big 12 game
its nebraskas last chance to come out on top in this league
prediction nebraska looses

auburn plays south carolina in the sec championship game
you always have to watch out for the sly fox coach from
south carolina
would like to see auburn go undefeated
prediction auburn wins
but wouldnt it be interesting if auburn lost
ummm

in this area there is a big 4a regional play off game between
the team where i practice and a nearby team
they will be playing at texass football stadium
there is expected to be 40-50000 people there to see
this game
who wins this game will probably win the state championship
would be a good one to be on espn for sure
go timberwolves

the organicgreen doctor

THE CARVER

THE CARVER
the carver was really an artisian, an artist,and  a remarkable
woodworker and man
loved talking to him as his accent speech and mannerism
reminded me of people where i grew up in the south
he spoke my language
he was a special person
always enjoyed spending time with him
everyone where i work enjoyed having him come by and
show us his handywork
he will be missed

my  wife she first encountered him when she bought a
wooden cutting board for my medical school friends son
and wifes wedding present
she was looking for some one to carve their names on
the cutting board and put the date of their wedding on it

she went to a nearby small town and asked around
they told him the carver was located 1 block off the main
highway

she took the board in to his shop      he was in the
back and came up front      she told him what he
wanted     he took the board looked at it and said
he thought he could do it      he said first though
that he needed something to calm his nerves
he reached in his pocket and took a plug of tobacco
and put it in his lip and said ok im ready

he took the board and carved the names and dates
on it     of course it was perfect
she said how much      he said nothing  
he got it back from me later       he never knew
though that was my wife

one day he bought by one of the wooden bowls he
carved from mesquite      told him i was looking for a
large bowl for out kitchen table     asked him how much

it was more than i wanted to pay

after a few weeks he was called to see if he still had the
bowl     no he had sold it     later he told me he had
pulled up to a parking spot and a lady pulled up next to him
she saw the bowl      she asked how much    
he told her and she wrote him a check for it

later he came by to show me some of his work     asked
him if he could make me a bowl with a chicken theme
he said sure     he  had a mesquite stump that he had bought
recently that he would carve for us    although carve doesnt do
his work justice
never discussed the price      had already decided would pay
what ever he asked

a few weeks later he bought in the bowl
as my wife she would say it was 'amazing'
it was so much more than i was expecting

it was 2 ft x 2 ft and was a chicken sitting with the middle
portion carved out, with a detailed head, detailed wings,
and detailed tail       it was heavy as it was from mesquite

didnt argue the price just paid it

this bowl will last forever       it will be passed down for
generations    

we keep the bowl in the center of our dining room table and
keep fruit or veggies in it      
every morning and night always think of the carver when i go
by it    
now that he is gone  i pause a little longer and think about him
and can just hear him talking    

thanks again for the 'carving' and thanks again for letting me
know you

you will be missed

the organicgreen doctor

can grow herbs inside, acorns, c2rc2

CAN GROW HERBS INSIDE
you can grow may herbs inside during the winter
just start with a good potting soil      one used here is
the lady bug brand of potting soils     it is organic and
works well

the herbs have to be in a bright window or under a
skylight
these can be moved outside in the spring when the
weather is warmer

herbs easily grown inside are basil, rosemary(commonly
sold as table christmas trees), chives, mint, oregano,
parsley, sage, thyme, and aloe vera

we keep several of these growing at our house and
just move them out on to the deck later in the spring


ACORNS
what do do with all of those acorns from the oaks
many people with a lot of oaks in their yard have this
problem

acorns can be planted in pots with good organic
potting soil      do this every  year and plant the
new oaks in my yard

they can be placed in the compost pile as a good
source of protein       also can crush them first as
they will break down quicker

they can be just left where they are and the animals
insects and bacteria and fungi will eat them
our dogs eat them
they are mildly toxic but  a person or animal would have to
eat a lot to get ill

or just let the squirrels plant them for you and enjoy
the new oak trees

C2RC2
survived
yes
until next time

the organicgreen doctor

sleep apnea, c2rc2

SLEEP APNEA 
with sleep apnea you breathe shallow or quit breathing
while you are asleep  
some people will do this a hundred times a night
obstructive sleep apnea (osa) is the most common form
of sleep apnea

osa occurs when the there are repeated episodes of
obstruction of the upper airways    
patients with this work hard to open the airways using their
diaphragms and chest muscles to get air into their lungs    
when the breathing occurs there can be loud gasping, snoring ,
or jerking of the body

all this interferes with sleep and can lower the oxygen level
to the vital organs-brain, heart, kidneys

many times the patient with osa do not realize that they
do this but their partners do

symptoms of osa are fatigue, being sleepy in the daytime,
dry mouth in the morning, headaches, trouble concentrating,
forgetfulness, depression or irritibility, restlessness,
sexual dysfunction, snoring, sudden awakenings at night
with gasping or choking, and difficulty getting up in the morning

patients with osa are more likely to be overweight (>50%),
one in 25 are men and one in 50 women,
if someone you are kin to has it then you are more likely
to have it     chances of getting osa goes up with age
(why does all the bad stuff get worse as you get older-
aint right)

osa is more common in people with thick necks--well
men in my family look in the mirror
osa is more common in patients with small airways-throat,
nose, or mouths(not a problem with my kinfolks)
kids and adults  can have osa from enlarged or swollen  tonsils

risks factors for getting osa are overweight, age,
sex-not the act, hypertension, and risks factors for
heart disease and strokes    this includes most of the
men folk in my family

osa is diagnosed first by seeing your doctor for an exam
and a sleep history     of course i think the doctor should be
your primary care doctor

osa is usulaly diagnosed with a sleep study  usually in a
sleep lab
the study monitors airflow, oxygen level, breathing patterns,
brain activity, heart rate, blood pressure and muscle activity

if osa is diagnosed sometimes 10% weight loss can make a
difference
sleeping pills and alcohol may be eliminated as they can
aggravate osa
some patients have osa only on their backs so devices as
pillow and things sewn into shirts to keep the patient off
their backs can help-have had patients sew a tennis ball
into the back of their sleeping shirts
some patients with nasal congestion can be treated with
daily nasal sprays to keep the nasal  airway open
around here we have a lot of allergy problems so some
patients get benefit from using nightly steroid nasal sprays

most patients are treated with a cpap machine and wear
a mask over their nose and mouth which then blows air into
their airways to keep all the tissues of the airway open

some patients may benefit from surgical procedures to
make the airway larger such as a tonsillectomy, removing
extra tissue, fixing a deviated septum etc
these are done if the cpap doesnt work

biggest problem i see in my practice is that patients
get the evaluation done and get the cpap machine and
then dont use it-a big waste (waist) of a lot of money-

but those with bad osa who have a lot of symptoms and
use the machine can have a life changing experience
many loose the day time sleepiness, the marked fatique,
notice a drop in blood pressure and have an over all feeling
of well being

information from www.webmd.com and my experiences
with osa in my practice

C2RC2
well today is chair to root canal 2   its the follow up
visit but still have to have all that .... done again


the organicgreen doctor

sooie pigs sooiee

this was on a frirends facebook     thanks betty

this is a parody of the geico commercial with the piggy crying
weeweewee all the way home

you may have to be a razorback fan to really appreciate this
especially after they beat lsu this weekend

click above or click on youtube above to watch this
or
go to www.youtube.com and type in geico little piggy
commercial razorback parody

sooiee pigs sooiee

the organicgreen doctor

degrees driven family, football

DEGREES DRIVEN FAMILY 


one of the motivations behind my blog is to overtime
leave some record of my family for my kids and their
kids to read one day as well as my siblings kids and
their kids
these will be all my views of how things were
remembering that i came through at a different time
in my parents lives than the older siblings did and also
the younger siblings

those of you that know our family may not realize how
poor we were the last few years we were all at home

there was a point in our lives when we had no
indoor bathroom  we had very little clothing and our
gardening helped to keep us with food during those years
thank goodness for mom and dads ability to can and
preserve food

from this home though something drove us to be
successful especially in education
have always tried to figure this all out but have not
been able to
know my dad had a bachelors degree he obtained during
the last of the depression and with the beginnings of  ww2
he taught school, was a baptist minister and later in life
also was an insurance salesman
know my mom had at least one year of college      she taught
school some early in her life  and later in her early forties got
her nursing degree

most  of us never had any money to go to school but by
working, getting scholarships, getting grants(benefit of being
poor), gi bills, work study programs, student teaching,
military college, and commitment to public service
in exchange for paid college and school

many of us took a tortuous and sometimes painful journey
to get our degrees but we all eventually made it

there are eight of us kids in the family
we have 3 retired military siblings
we have 1 retired fireman
we have a teacher/librarian, teacher/licensed counselor,
medical doctor, history professor, a retired pilot/certified
financial planner, and a teacher/librarian
we have 2 associate degrees
we have 1 who completed fire academy and who
also completed police academy
we have 7 bachelor degrees, 5 masters degrees, 1 phd, and
1 medical doctor degree

have always been proud of our siblings success in school and
their careers     but always wondered what there was that
motivated all of us

just dont know

FOOTBALL
the razorbacks looked good
they won and now to the bowl game
havent seen which bowl yet but it should be a major
one

longhorns are through
they dont desire a bowl game
now they have to smolder until next year
surely next year has to be an improvement

the local team where i practice won and now play
a team that has won the last 2 state championships
they played each other early in the year and the local
team crunched the other team
they play at texas longhorn stadium
should be a large crowd there
hope to make this game
go wolves

the organicgreen doctor

testing one two three, my duck box

TESTING ONE TWO THREE
testing one two three
my website manager has lost some of my automatic email
notifications
have gotten some emails complaining that you are not
getting notified when i post an entry to my blog

have talked to my website manager and he thinks he has it
fixed now

if you get this blog via  email notification and do not want it then
email the website manager at organicgreendoctor@gmail.com
and he will take you off the list

if you read this blog and want to be added to the list just
email the website manager at organicgreendoctor@gmail.com
and he will add you to the list

was under the impression that if you signed up as a
follower that you would automatically receive a new blog entry
but now my website manager tells me that aint so

if you are a follower and want this blog  emailed to you then
email the website manager at organicgreendoctor@gmail.com

now that that  is fixed (i hope) i went into the bathroom
and looked in the mirror and had a good talk
with my website manager

MY DUCK BOX 
i want to thank my nurse she and her husband he 
for taking the time out of their busy and stressful lives 
to do this shadow box for my duck collection

no i dont buy these things they just come through the mail
from california(my motherinlaw she)  and from patients
that go to disneyworld or disneyland or go to the disney store
to buy these for me to display  
want to thank all those folks(usually kids) for the gifts

these are the ones that the kids continuously knocked off the
shelves in my office      now they are glassed and box-
protected and are hanging on the wall where little hands
cant play with them


quackquackquack thanks

the organicgreen duck doctor

wife gone, football

WIFE GONE

my wife she is gone 

she left earlier in the week to visit relatives 

no shes not mad at me

this is the holiday i had to work the day after thanksgivng

so spent the thanksgiving day with my brother he and 

his wife my cowgirl sisterinlaw she 

felt bad for her having to deal with two adult twins 

at least we napped a lot so she could get some 

mental rest 

my wife she comes home late tonight 

will pick her up at the airport

have a lot to do today to get ready for her return 

well been soaking those dishes for a week now so 

they should be ready to wash now 

we conserve water by not using a dishwasher 

so today my dishwasher is me 

all the food is gone in the house so have to shop 

for groceries this am to replenish the supply to 

where it was when my wife she left

well got newspapers everywhere-by both potties, on

my tv watching couch, by my chair by the window, on 

the kitchen table 

lucky for me had to start a fire in my woodburning stove as

the temperature is in the 20s here this am 

use newspaper pages rolled up and tied in a knot to start the 

fire      that took 2-3 days of papers there 

oh yeah left several in the car

have to clean the floors as worked outside this week and 

left some residual stuff on the satillo floors 

will leave the bed partially made so that she will feel 

like i couldnt get by with out her help 

also will leave a few unwashed dishes in the sink to

add to that feelling of couldnt get by with out her help 

have to make sure the house doesnt look too perfect when

she gets home   

am glad shes coming home tonight 

FOOTBALL 

the razorbacks play lsu today at 230 pm at war memorial 

stadium in little rock     go hogs 

the local team where i work won and will now advance 

they lost their starting quarterback but like a lot of good teams 

they continue on winning as they have a lot of good players

go wolves

the other local team started the year out poorly but got 

better as the season went on 

they are now on a playoff roll

their game is today      go lions 

no pro games for me this weekend as will have to do 

honey dos all day tomorrow       sure she is making 

the list in her dreams 

the organicgreen doctor

whats happening in the clinic, football

WHATS HAPPENING IN THE CLINIC 

this week have been seeing a lot of strep throat

still am seeing a lot of bronchitis      most of it is viral but

some cases have developed a bacteria infection which 

requires antibiotics 

some of the bronchitis cases have been wheezing a lot 

and have responded to bronchodilators in form of 

inhalers or nebulizing treatments

spent a hour with a dad who came in for fatique

but the real problem was his daughter was arrested

for the second time using metamphetamine 

he is devastated      they have spent several thousand

dollars on attorney fees on the two arrests plus has 

had her in drug rehab more than once and has 

used up all of the insurances benefits for rehab

this time she was caught in the county where i practice

thats not a good place to get caught even for speeding 

much less doing met

she probably will not  get off this time without jail time 

she may qualify for a 6 month drug rehab program with 

the legal system that requires incarceration the full 

6 months 

his fatique is all related to the stress from his daughters

legal problems

the same day saw a patient for depression followup who 

has a son that sneaked out at night and wrecked the fathers

car     the son had drug paraphernalia in the car and in 

his room       he is a senior who has done well up to now 

but now his grades are dropping a lot       she is afraid 

they will loose him in his senior year 

they are having him see counseling and has done restrictions 

on his activities

parents hug your kids     be thankful if things are going 

right with them 

FOOTBALL 
well have one more chance for one of my teams to win this weekend
come on razorbacks beat lsu

first the cowboys lost     if you saw the game you know it was
the cowboys game until the end before drew brees blew in
and did his thing
will say the cowboys seem to have the umph again

well the longhorns lost to the aggies     will have to deal with
that now for a year
the aggies did look good though   
was the first loosing season in a long time for the longhorns

theres always next year

the organicgreen doctor

happy thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL
hope everyone has a happy thanksgiving today
think of all we have to be thankful for

hope every one enjoys their get togethers with
friends and families

thanks to the troops overseas
am thinking of them today

eat turkey, watch football, visit with family
and take naps
that will be my thankgiving today

have a good one

FOOTBALL
cowboys play today at 3:00 pm cst
could this another step to a winning season
go cowboys       is hard to root against drew brees

longhorns at texas am aggies today at 7:00 pm cst
it will be windy cold with temperatures in the 40s
this game could make the longhorns season

the razorback vs lsu game is saturday at 230 pm cst
in little rock     should be a good game

the organicgreen doctor

cancer screening

CANCER SCREENINGS

here are some of the recommended cancer screening tests

skin cancer-look at your skin for changes in moles or new 

lesions      have a good skin survey by your doctor

do it in my practice when i do an annual exam or if the 

patient comes in with a suspicious skin lesion

the three skin cancers are squamous cell, basal cell, 

and melonoma

breast cancer-despite what may be written in the papers 

and what is on television, do a self breast exam yourself or 

your partner once a month looking for skin changes, lumps, 

unusual rashes, dimpling, or nipple discharge

if you find any of these have your doctor check them out

do an annual breast exam by your doctor 

do an annual mammogram starting at age 40 

this recommendation could change later 

most of the breast cancers i have seen have been  detected
from either findings on mammograms or on self breast exam 

most are found early and have a good outcome 

cervical cancer-have your daughters and sons immunized

against the hpv virus with the hpv shot(gardisil) 

this virus is what causes cervical cancer 

the younger they are immunized the more antibodies that are 

made against the virus so that when exposure occurs later in 

life the antibodies will attack the virus and prevent infection 

remember 80% of all adults may have been exposed to this
hpv virus

it is this exposure that causes changes in the cervix which 

causes cervical cancer  years later 

do regular pap smears starting at 21 years old or 3 years after 

first sexual encounter 

how often to do the pap smear is not agreed upon

i just recommend annual exams as it is easier to have patients 

come in annually to get the exam done than trying to keep up 

with is it annually,or is it every 2 years, or is it every 3 years 

two vaccines can prevent cancer-the hepatitis b vaccine can
prevent some cases of liver cancer(what happened to mickey mantle)
and the hpv vaccine can prevent cervical cancer 

prostate cancer-can be detected by annual prostate exam
and by doing a psa blood test      in my practice do this annually
on men starting at age 40 years old    
the psa test is not perfect but as of right now it is all we
have along with the exam to detect prostate cancer   

most of my patients who have a  positive 

psa levels turn out to not have prostate cancer    they 

sometimes have to have a prostate biopsy(ouch!!)

but have detected several prostate cancers with this test 

and with the exam

ovarian cancer-go to google search to the right and
type in ovarian cancer for an earlier blog on this cancer

colon cancer-can be detected by colonoscopy starting at
50 years old and then every 10 years if the colonoscopy is
normal    
if there is a family history of colon cancer it is
done every 5 years or more often if certain polyps are found

in my practice do an annual rectal exam starting at age 40  and
do an  annual fecal occult stool test for blood       if i feel a
mass or if the stool test is positive  then refer for a colonoscopy

testicular cancer-is a young mans disease      most of the
cases i have seen were detected by the patient with a
self examination

tell young boys at their sport exams or annual well child
checkups about doing this monthly exam
it is a curable disease especially if detected early
this is what lance armstrongs cancer was     he had a
10% chance of survival because his was so advanced

thankfully now most insurances and medicare now pay
for these cancer screens

always tell my patients i dont want to die from something
i could have prevented or have detected early

the organicgreen doctor

  

black friday experience

BLACK FRIDAY EXPERIENCE
i do not ever go shopping on black friday
but did once and lived to tell about it
will not ever do a black friday ever again
am cured
hold my shopping for a wednesday am at 900am two weeks
before christmas      have a list, have researched what i want,
walk in the store and get it, pay for it and get out of there

this black friday experience has ruined my shopping pleasure

a few years a go was at home visiting my parents in a rural
state near here    
they lived about 15 miles from a small town of 15000
in this small town they have a walmart
walmart had their black friday deals advertised in the
local paper     its called black friday because of all the
bruises that you get from shopping that day

there was a tv advertised that i wanted to get for my parents for
christmas      theirs was an old one that was real old
my wife she and i had bought it when we first got married as
poor college students so you know it was not an expensive one

so on that friday morning i got up early and left at 5:00 am
to go to the walmart     figured that in this small town it
would not be busy if i got there early     would just go in and
get it before the big rush occurred    
the store was opening at 6:00 am

well was i ever wrong      when got there at 5:30 am the parking
lot was full     was able to park at the edge of the parking lot
the line was so long it took me almost 30 minutes to get into
the store

when i got into the store no one could move because it was
so full     am sure it exceeded maximal capacity allowed
by the fire department by two-three times the number

the whole time i was there never was able to get pass the
mass of people to to get any where near the television

looked up and there was a nephew       must be genetic this
black friday shopping      he called his wife on her cell
phone-she just happened to be in the television section    
she had one of the televisions sitting in the aisle as some
lady just left it there

guess the lady could not get it through the mass of people
to get it checked out

my nephew managed to get to where the television was-
i never could fight may way there      he lifted it up and
moved through the mass of humanity       now we had to
get it to the check out line-
the lady before had given up on that      my nephew he just
barreled through       we looked up     we were saved as
 there was another nephew he in the line about to check out-
yep its genetic  

you know what we did right     you bet     my nephew he
checked it out for us    
there was a lot of people p..... at us as we went past
them

but yes got that dang television      my nephew he(a tall
fireman who shouldnt have been in that overcapacity crowd)
 lifted it up and took it to my car (had borrowed my sons
toyota 4-runner)
after all that then the dam thing would not fit in the car

luckily my nephew he was in a large pickup truck
he drove it to my parents house for me

after my parents both died got the television and brought it
back here to use in our guest bedroom    

think about that black friday experience every time
i look at that television

learned my lesson

the organicgreen doctor

big pharma/pharmaceutical/drug companies fined for fraud, cowboys

BIG PHARMA/PHARMACEUTICAL/DRUG 
COMPANIES FINED FOR FRAUD
one of the big pharma companies-glaxosmithkline was just
fined $750 million for committing medicare  and medicaid
fraud for selling defective drugs    
this is not a generic company

the drugs were the antinausea medication kytril, the topical
antibiotic bactroban, the antidepressant paxil cr, and type 2
diabetes drug avandamet

the drugs were contaminated by bacteria, were split in half,
or did not have the correct amount of effective ingredients,
plus other defects

a employee whistleblower turned them in    
she got $96 million
some states will get $160 million     most states could use
the money

the medicare/medicaid fraud team that investigated the
fraud was funded with $350 million by the health care reform act  
it has recovered $3 billion so far for medicare/medicaid fraud
pretty good investment huh      
add that to the benefits of the new health care law

a sgk spokesman regretted not manufacturing the drugs to
the appropriate standards     the facility that made the
faulty drugs has been closed
luckily no significant harm was caused by the faulty drugs
they just did not work-you continued to be nauseated, your
skin infection did not heal as fast, your depression was not
controlled, and your diabetes was not controlled

no wonder patients have a mistrust of the drug companies-
things like this do not help gain patients trust
am always hearing from groups that the generics are not
as well made- well heres your branded meds not working
and not well made

COWBOYS
could they be on the come back
they looked good yesterday
even the old man qarterback ran for a touchdown
am sure most quarterbacks wished they had the
cowboy receivers to pass to

turkey day will be important as they play the saints
go cowboys

rainwater harvesting system-maintenance, good football weekend

RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM-MAINTENANCE

today is mantenance day for the rainwater harvesting system
we use here       we use rainwater as our only source of water 

please do a rain dance for us as we need rain around here

here is a picture of our filtering system

you can do a google search for rainwater on  google search
on the right side of this blog to read about the system we have

the rain falls on roof then goes through a roof filter then goes to
a sleeve filter to rainwater tanks     from there the water goes
through the 4 filtering systems above

once a month remove the white filter housing and clean it
well as below       a new filter is then placed   this is a
10 micron filter     it catches most stuff that may be in the
water

twice a year have to remove the blue  filter housing  and clean
out the blue housings       remove one at a time      wash each
with soap and water, irrigate it well, then sterilize it with a
cholorox-water solution      then irrigate it again, then put in a
new filter

the first blue filter is a white woven 5 micron filter
the second blue filter is a carbon filter that is a 2-5 micron filter
it catches any odors or chemicals in the water

the last blue filter houses the ultraviolet light     this  is replaced
every 12 months     it goes inside a quartz tube(broke
that sucker once-it was expensive and shut down my system
until could get a new one ordered)
this sterilizes the water

last thing do is put a chlorox solution in the the blue housing
with the ultraviolet light        the water is turned on and when the
solution reaches the faucets in the house the water is turned
off     let it sit for four hours      this sterilizes the whole
system    

this is how we get our pristine water      great for drinking,
bathing, and cooking-and making coffee!!!

GOOD FOOTBALL WEEKEND
well razorback fans yall going to miss that quarterback
next year      know the pros are drooling over him
they almost did not make it

good thing that the auburn quarterbacks dad didnt get that
money from the miss state alumni or he may have beaten the
razorbacks in that close game

next week lsu  (texas fans can you say texas am game)
this is what this game is like

longhorns won and looked good doing it
they looked like the longhorns we were expecting
this year     of course the competition wasnt good

next thursday is the am and texas game
records dont matter    
a win would be good then
there wont be a loosing season

just give the ball to that big guy johnson and let him
pound the ball

go cowboys today       beat the lions
would be a good morale booster
jason garrett may be the answer(solution)

the organicgreen doctor