live longer

LIVE LONGER

new studies have shown that you might be able to live longer
with discoveries from recent research

although they are not cures for cancer or for cardiovascular disease
they greatly reduce the incidence of both

the best reduction was in the incidence of lung cancer
(besides quitting smoking or not smoking at all)



its not some new miracle drug with terrible side effects or some
new drug that will cost us all a ton of money or
some drug that the us drug companies cant produce enough of
to make a profit so we have to go to a foreign country to get
the drug

its not some new cardiovascular drug or some new cardiovascular
surgical procedure or some new device to hook up a patient to

its not some big study sponsored by a big drug company or
product manufacturer

its studies sponsored by the aca american cancer society and the
aha american heart association

this new preventative treatment may reduce according to one study
the incidence of cardiovascular mortality by 48% in men and 58% in
women
the incidence of cancer mortality  may be reduced by 30% in
men and 24% in women

these are significant numbers
these findings are very significant
dont see a lot of information on these findings on the news though

whats this new miracle treatment that can decrease the incidence of
heart attacks and strokes and multiple different cancers

are you ready for this new treatment

its diet and exercise
diet and exercise
diet and exercise

some recommendations
4.5 cups of fruit or vegetables a day
lets see i eat an orange,a banana, an apple, carrots at lunch
a salad at night and usually one vegetable at night
check

2 or more servings of fish a week
dont do that one
do take an omega 3 fish oil supplement a day

less than 1500 mg sodium a day
check

not more than 36 oz of sugar sweetened beverages a week
feel sorry for those sweet tea lovers
dont drink any of this
mostly drink rainwater
check

three servings of whole grains a day
check

maintain body mass index the bmi <25
mines 25
call it a check

maintain blood pressure 120/80
mines really close to that
give it an almost complete check

maintain blood sugar at <100
check
(read where statins may slightly increase this number
may be the reason mine was slight up at 104+ in the past)

maintain a blood cholesterol < 200
am using diet and a statin for this one
check

maintain at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity
a week or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity a week
wore a pedometer the other day in the afternoon when working
on my property and walked 2.5 miles total
give this one a check

interesting if you just change one of these you get a significant
improvement

interesting enough is that these same parameters if followed seems
to slow down or prevent the delay of alzheimers disease and
cognition problems
it also is the treatment to prevent diabetes and are the parameters
recommended for the treatment of someone with diabetes

surely it cant be this simple
no copay
no health insurance needed
no drugs to take

just

eat right and exercise

the organicgreen doctor

square foot garden, be careful

SQUARE FOOT GARDEN

my wife she and i are going to donate a new
square foot garden to the new homeowner of
the habitat for humanity house im working on

i took some left over 2x6 untreated boards and
made a 4 ft frame with reinforcement of  the corners

i then ran some wire every foot across the frame to
make 1 square foot spaces for planting

we will dig up 6 inches of soil from the garden spot
and place the soil in her compost pile
then will line the bottom of the hole
with cardboard that will extend up to the top of the boards

this will block all weeds from popping through
then will line this wilh sheets of newspapers
this will help hold in moisture and will provide some food for worms
they love newspapers

(the home owner has deep soil not like my thin caliche soil so as the
newspapers and cardboard break down and the compost composts
her deep soil will  only get better
her garden should be better each year)

then will surround the frame with plastic sheeting covered with
mulch or crushed granite to keep away grass and weeds

we then will dump into the hole and frame good organic garden soil that
was purchased at the natural gardeners store
it has all the goodies needed to plant and grow vegetables
compost, green sand, minerals, good bacteria and good fungi

the home owner will be able to just plant her vegetables and
then just water and wait for the crops to come in

we also will be adding a 1 ft diameter cylinder of concrete wire with
an inner ring of chicken wire which will be placed in the middle of the garden
it will be buried 1-2 ft into the soil and will extend 2-3 ft over
the top of the soil
this will be filled with compost material and will be watered well
as it composts down she will be able to add more compost material
and water
this will feed and partially water this 4 ft square garden

its my version of a keyhole square foot garden

when its all completed i will post a picture of it

also all that green stuff in that picture is all weeds that are surrounding
my barn
many of your yards look this way
you cant spray your way out of all these weeds
keep em mowed so they wont set seed
read my last weeks blog to amy on what to do

BE CAREFUL
its so unseasonably warm here you have to be careful and
avoid that urge to stick the maters and peppers in the ground
if you do and you live around here they will probably get nipped
by a frost that is probably coming

i know because i do it every year and usually lose them
you can put them in pots and move them inside and out every
day then transplant them into the garden later on in march

last year the tomatoes that did the best
which isnt saying much since none of them did well last year
i put in a large container and kept it in a small green house
until the first week of april then planted it

be sure and prep your garden bed with 1-2 inches of compost
and add some organic fertilizer over the bed also
make sure and keep it watered if we dont get rain
then all you have to do is plant the veggies when the
day comes

this year my goal is to avoid the urge
if i can

the organicgreen doctor

nba vs oscars, oscars, interview, habitat

NBA VS OSCARS

had to chose between the oscars and the nba all star game last night
im a big fan of basketball
always try to watch the nba allstar game

what were they thinking putting both on last night
the nba im sure lost a lot of viewers last night
even me
couldnt pass up the red carpet and the oscar presentations

add this to the blunders that the nba has done this year

OSCARS

that was fun
did the wind blow too hard on jlo
did barak accidentally spill those "ashes" on ryan
boy that ticked ryan off

am glad octavia spencer won for the help but sure
liked rooney mara in the girl with that tatto for best
actress
but knew that meryl strep would be hard to beat

george clooney was real good in descendants
how sad he was beat by someone who didnt talk
at all in his movie

the group of movies this year were good
seems better than in most years

the one movie i havent seen yet that i want to see is moneyball
i also want to see war horse

INTERVIEW
my wife she and i were interviewed again for the video for
ut southwestern
they wanted shots of me blogging and in my garden
and an interview of my wife she and i together

was asked to read some of my blogs
especially my most popular ones
tried to read  the last day thanks blog but couldnt finish it

when this video is all done will post it here on the blog

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

it sure was cold when we started but by the end of the day it
was sunny and warmer
we finished up almost all of the siding and the roof
on wednesday the finishing touches on those will be done

soon the outside will be painted and the inside work will
began

there are a lot of high school and college students that volunteer
to work on this house
what a energetic and hard working group
makes you feel good for the future when you see kids like this

the organicgreen doctor

walking time, weed in yard question

WALKING TIME

the alzheimers association is now starting to prepare for
the walk to end alzheimers for 2012
this is their biggest fundraiser of the year
last year in austin it was an successful year for the local chapter

the alzheimers association provides educational activities
about alzheirmers especially for the caretakers
they are also a good source for whats available in your
communtiy for the support of the alzheimers patient

remember the big a is replacing the big c
more people are worrying about getting the big a than
the big c

if you are affected in someway by alzheimers join or form a
team for the walk to end alzheimers in your area

that would be everyone who reads this
we all are affected in some way
some more than others

go to the walk to end alzheimers site and type in your state
and find what walks are available in your area

get involved
it will affect you if it hasnt already

i will have my team again in austin  the organicgreendoctor.com
my wife and i have made this our charity we donate to each year
as we are so personally affected by this disease

WEED IN YARD QUESTION




amy wants to know what to do as her yard is 90% weeds
patience is the answer

options are
dig up al the yard put down new soil and re sod
thats time consuming and expensive

landscape away all of the grass
(thats what i did and replaced it with native plants walkways
and mulch)
(i do zero watering zero fertilizing zero mowing on my front yard)

start a good organic yard care program
see the natural gardeners site for their program
you can use their lady bug brand or medinas brand or gardenvilles brand
or other good brands
of organic fertilizer for the yard

then keep the yard mowed regularly so the weeds wont seed
hand remove what you can or spray the weeds directly with the
vinegar orange oil liquid soap weed killer i posted yesterday

in the fall and the early spring-oct and feb here in central texas-
apply corn gluten which inhibits seed germination
dont apply it if you are planting any seeds as they wont germinate
corn gluten also acts like a mild fertilizer

many of the weeds you have now germinated in october so treating
it now with corn gluten wont work for these weeds but it
would prevent the spring early summer weeds

spraying your whole yard with this vinegar mixture probably would
not kill all the weeds or the grass
bermuda is almost impossible to kill this way

weed and feed should not be used at all
many countries prohibit it use
can you say frogs with one eye and 6 legs

i got rid of my st augustine by solarization
i put black plastic or you can use clear plastic over all of your yard
when the weather is its hottest in the summer
this will kill everything under the plastic
then you can scrape it off and re seed or re sod

i covered my plastic up with mulch and left it for two years
and gradually planted raised beds with native plants
and added the walkways ponds garden etc

part of the problem around here is there is no good
soil under most peoples grass
bad dead soil was brought in or none at all and
the lawn was seeded or sodded over this
these lawns are doomed to never do well
now in some cities 4 inches of good soil have to be placed
before the grass is planted

i dont have a hoa
well i do its called the country n hoa and i run it
but most people do
so a lot of these things people cant do under hoas rules

amy
i would do a small area of total solarization this summer
then replant it after putting in new soil
even if its only a 4 ft square

over time especially if you plan on staying in your house
you will end up with a good yard

follow the natural gardeners recommendation
basically corn gluten oct and feb
compost fall and spring
probably fertilize just once in april or may after youve
mowed three times

keep the yard mowed to prevent seed formation
hand dig or spot spray with the vinegar spray weeds
that you can

be patient
each year your lawn will look better

also this year is the worst year in awhile for weeds
last year wasnt bad

also a lot of grass died around here last year but
may come back in april and may when the soil warms
up

hope this answered your question

always
the organicgreen doctor

its the way it is, weed resistance

ITS THE WAY IT IS

in a county near us a guys dog and a stray dog got together
and slaughtered the neighbors 12 chickens
the county has an ordinance that dogs that kill livestock have
to be euthanized
so the two dogs were both euthanized

so now the county is rethinking the ordinance

i have lived in three states and there is an unwritten understanding
that if your dog attacks someones livestock the dog will be shot
on site

in the area where i live if your dog did this it would be shot and
probably hung on the fence by the highway along with the coyotes
that have been shot
thats the way it is and we all understand it

if my two dogs went to my neighbors and killed his chickens or
other animals
i understand that they will probably shoot both of them
and i would not say a thing
if their dogs did that to my chickens i would get my old rifle out
if i could find the bullets and shoot the dogs myself
if it even worked
if not my neighbor would do it for me

its just understood that thats the way it is
i keep my dogs inside my property and even though i live in
the country i walk the dogs on a leash always
because i know the rule of the country

and i love animals and love my dogs and cats
but i also love my chickens

WEED RESISTANCE


bam bam
i hit those weeds yesterday morning with my organic mixture
of 10% vinegar, orange oil, and liquid soap
by 500 pm they were wilted and dead
no contamination of the water system with this stuff
and it works well

i sat down yesterday after working outside all day
what a great spring day (even though its winter)
opened my email
there was the weekly newsletter from the texas gardener

in tennesse the bluegrass state? some of the bluegrass seems to
have developed resistance to glycophosphate (roundup)
so that the stuff wont kill the weeds like it is suppose to
so far resistance hasnt been found in other weeds

does that mean they will be using higher concentration of
this stuff now to kill the weeds
more pollution of our rivers lakes and groundwater
we dont have enough water now as it is

maybe we dont have to have perfection in our lawns
or maybe we dont need all those lawns
landscape some of it away with native plants
and you dont have to use that glycophosphate stuff

maybe just maybe this could lead to people not using this stuff
hopefully they wont find some other chemicals to replace it

ill just keep using my organic recipe
1 gallon of pickling vinegar (9-10%)
1-2 oz of orange oil
1 tsp of liquid dishwashing soap

dont spray it on your skin or youll find out why it works so well

no resistance possible to this stuff
stay organic

the organicgreen doctor

this isnt right, pennies from heaven, fear of flying

THIS ISNT RIGHT
all or acute lymphocytic leukemia that usually hits kids
is over 90+% curable
or it was until
methotrexate  is becoming unavailable in the usa

when i was a kid if you got leukemia of any kind it was usually
fatal
the cure rate wasnt very good

can remember as an intern the first patient i had when i
was taking care of pediatric patients that were hospitalized
had leukemia
i found it very traumatic and sad to see a previously healthy
10 year die
i wrote a blog about it once and still got teary eyed when i
wrote it even after all these years
he wasnt even my child or my nephew or my friends kid
he was just assigned to me because it was my time for the
next admit
so sad
it shouldnt happen in the year 2012 in the usa
but it might

this makes me even more p^$$&* off at the drug companies
at least get this one right
ok

PENNIES FROM HEAVEN

this is where we might have to get our pennies in the future
why
it cost 2.4 cents to make a penny (11.2 cents to make a nickel)

guess it doesnt matter to me much since i never ever have coins
or bills in my pockets any more
if i do my wife she just steals them from me
so
i dont ever use them
i use my debit card
if i buy something i get 15 cents back from my credit union
heck that will pay for one nickel
or
7 pennies

if i use my credit card i get 1% or 3% or 5% back
then i pay for even more nickels and pennies

why dont they make them out of plastic instead

the administrative cost of making a penny cost 1/2 a cent
maybe thats where the cost can be reduced

if you hand someone a dollar for a 96 cent item
how do they give you your change back
?in candy like the restaurants give you after meals
now that would be ok with me since i could eat them
since i never use the pennies anyway

maybe they could make a 1 cent candy and call it a us mint

FEAR OF FLYING

i have a reoccurring dream that i can fly
but of course i cant
of course the aricept (donepezil) im on makes those dreams
more vivid and the experience of flying even better

last night i watched a show on hbo about a  guy that flies
using a suit they puffs up with air and he looks like a
flying squirrel

he jumped and flew off of all kinds of structures including
the empire state building and the eiffel tower in france
and off of lots of mountains

he flies as fast as a small plane
except once he clipped the edge of a mountain and
broke his feet and legs

he still flies though
wonder if i could do that
fly like in my dreams

wouldnt that be something to do from my bucket list

the organicgreen doctor

new diet drug

NEW DIET DRUG
Qnexa is a new drug that is waiting approval by the fda for
weight loss
(sounds like lunesta doesnt it)
two years ago the fda denied its approval as a weight loss drug

wait
the two ingredients in the new proposed drug are already approved
by the fda
phentermine as a weight loss drug and
topiramate (topramax) as a seizure medicine and migraine medicine

weight loss specialists are already using the combo for weight loss
they both come generic and are fairly cheap to buy in the generic form
about $15 and $25 a month for the two

so why all the big fuss by the fda to approve this new combo
granted theyll probably charge $200+ a month for it
when most can just get the generic versions of the individual drugs
at a fourth of the cost of the new drug

guess all the marketing on tv and newspapers and online and
magazines will make people want to use the more expensive
versions though

if i was on the fda i would vote against the qnexa
because cheaper generic versions can be found and overtime
people will save a lot of money using the generic versions

when i was in practice i never would order the weight loss drugs
as i felt the correct way is for people to do exercise and
eat a proper diet

thats not working for people very well is it
just look around and you can see how well thats working

granted
those who use diet and exercise to loose weight are more
likely to keep the weight off

if i was in practice now i would order this combo of the two generics
why the change of heart

now im on the other side
as a patient

obesity is the number one health care issue in america
it is causing diabetes heart disease stroke cancer hypertension hyperlipidemia
chronic back and knee pain depression and ....

the side effects and long term problems from taking this combo of
drugs
is no where near the potential health problems from continued obesity

yes if i was in practice i would order this combo
both drugs have been around for a long time
and they both work to help people to loose weight
if you can get some one to add exercise and diet to their regimen
the effect is even greater

gosh im on aricept (donepezil) which has a lot of side effects that
ive learned to tolerate
these are much worse than the side effects of the combo of phentermine
and topiramate

if you are morbidly obese its like having cancer
it probably will be what kills you
so be aggressive in treating it like you would cancer

if the fda doesnt ok this new drug (well its not really a new drug since
the ingredients have been around for a long time and are available
as generics) then it doesnt matter really
peoplell just save money using the two separate drugs

its interesting how you think about medical things when you
are on the other side
makes you think differently

just saying

the organicgreen doctor

lins real, rainwater, leslie

LINS REAL


just wanted to see for myself
and not rely on all those news reports
well i saw jeremy lin play yesterday on tv
friends he is the real deal

he reminds me of steve nash the way he can
shoot handle the ball and pass the ball

he plays almost all of the game
and plays it well
wonder who he replaced in the line up
if they were hurt they probably wont get
their spot back on the roster

yep
hes the real deal
guess ill have to start watching those knick games now

RAINWATER
we got 3 inches here at the country n this weekend
thats over 6000 gallons of water we collected here
if i had to buy it like that community near here does it
would cost $600

we now are about 80% full in our rainwater tanks so that
we have enough water to last my wife she and i for a year
unless we have visitors

its going to be so sad if we get another rain like we did this
weekend and have to see all those tanks run over because they
will be full when we get another 2 inches of rain
thats always so hard to watch
if you collect rainwater at all you know what im talking about

you just want to go and get more rainwater tanks

the lakes here have risen some in the last few weeks instead of
dropping so much
maybe more rain will come and land on all their tributaries so they will
fill up for the summer
and fill up all those coves that are empty so peoples boats and docks
can now float on water

in this summers drought didnt ever think these tanks of ours would
ever fill up

i will never ever complain though if we get too much rain
just hate to see all that water run off on the ground
but my wife she says no more tanks
you got too many now

LESLIE
well leslie says hes moving back to colorado
whos leslie
if youve lived in austin for awhile you know who he is
he is austins most famous street person
you might see him down town in his high heels and thong
on his bike

heck he even ran for mayor once and got 30% of the vote
wont tell if i voted for him
might if he ran for president

hope he doesnt leave though
hes part of what makes austin weird

the organicgreen doctor

wichita lineman is still on the line, more studies

WICHITA LINEMAN IS STILL ON THE LINE
watched glen campell at the grammys sing
he did a good job singing
but
seemed a little lost when he finished

he is in i think stage 4 alzheimers
he probably doesnt drive
he probably couldnt use his phone and call someone
he would not do well on the simple mmse test thats given
in many doctors office and would do less well on the moca or
more advanced neuropsychological testing
he may not know what day it is what time it is whos president
his addresss his phone number but

he was able to sing his old songs without a problem
the brain does funny things doesnt it
if youve been around alzhiemers patients you know they will
sometimes be able to do things like singing a song they wrote
and had sung it a lot over the years then not be able to tie their shoes

the cruelty of this disease

good job glen campbell we wish you the best
keep it up as long as you can

MORE STUDIES
since what i have may be very early alzheimers disease i keep up
with as many new studies or articles on alzheimers as i can
i know if i have the big a then i have a window of time where if
something comes along it can help me
if the disease progresses too much so much damage is done its
unrepairable

two companies are doing phase 11 and phase 111 studies on their
version of the alzheimers vaccine
basically antibodies bind to beta amyloid-the culpirt thought to be the
cause of alzheimers disease or the end result of whatever the process
is that causes it-
these antibodies-betamyloid are then removed from the brain
its not a 100% effective product
it may be only 25% effective
only some of those treated will get improvement
some will have side effects
on apoe 4 genotypes like i have the vaccine may not be as effective
and more side effects are noted

time will tell

air pollution exposure may spend up the development of alzheimers
studies showed that in some the exposure to higher levels of pollution
could increase the rate of cognitive decline by up to 2 years

am glad i live in the country where there is good fresh air
another good reason to live in the country

another study showed that sleep deprivation can lead to
cognitive decline
ever tried to take a test after staying up all night studying
thats a simple test

those patients with sleep disturbances had increased levels of
that bad old beta amyloid

another reason to have a good night sleep

add good restful sleep to your bucket list along with exercise
good diet cholesterol control blood pressure control and
normal weight

the organicgreen doctor

kids save water, new water tank, school tank, habitat

KIDS SAVE WATER
theres a nearby community that was hit by the fires
that hit here the most notable fire was the bastrop fire
there were several homes burned in the community

then
because of the drought the lake near the community
went dry and the wells where they get their water went
dry as the aquifer level dropped below the well depths

water was having to be trucked in to the city water tanks

the kids in the local elementary had to go on severe water
restrictions both at home and at school
many were hit with the double hit of losing their homes to the fires
and now not having enough water

but as usual kids adapt and do whats right
(they are better than adults that way
think thats why i enjoyed seeing a lot of pediatric patients
in my practice)

in the school eg the faucets were those that do not shut off
automatically so the kids had to learn to turn them on then off
scrub their hands good them rinse off

although im sure this has been stressful for the kids
they are doing whats right when it comes to saving water
some are more worried about the fish than themselves

if we dont get water into the headwaters of the lakes soon a large
part of the population here in this area will have to restrict
their water use
we should be doing it anyway

of course kids are the ones that will probably handle it the best

NEW WATER TANK

this is the picture of my newest water tank
i call it my volcano water tank
since the top looks like a volcano

it sits on a platform to raise it up to the level of the other tanks
so the water will fill each tank equally
its used as a reservoir to water the landscaping in my front yard
and to provide water for my water ponds

from above a metal rain gutter from my upper roof runs down
and drops the water
into the mouth of the volcano
a screen in the opening catches debri form entering the tank

also an arbour that is 50 ft long has metal roofing over half
of its top and catches water also and sends it to the
volcano
one inch rain catches 75 gallons off this arbour
one inch rain catches 500 gallons off this roof

my wife she said i had to stop at this rain water tank
since i have so many now
its an addiction you know
if you get a  50 gallon tank youll find out what im talking about

SCHOOL TANK
one of the local high schools has a 2500 gallon tank that they use to
have hooked up to some of those temporary buildings
you know the ones that they add as the school outgrows
its building
reminds me of trailer houses that seem to multiply as the kids
move back home on the property and start adding the trailers
then their kids add trailers etc

during recent reconstruction of the school the tank got shoved over
into a corner and just was left there

now the environmental club wants to hook it back together
to use to water the landscaping at the school

luckily years ago i had gone up to the school and taken pictures
of the tank and its connections when i was looking to do my
own system
(one of several places i visited and photographed)

last night i met a student and their advisor at the school
there was that lonely big ole tank shoved under a tree with a
bunch of other tables and benches
the pipes appeared to have been just ripped off
all the down spouts and drain tubes were gone

it all looks salvageable
we will probably be able to hook the tank so the water
will be dropped about a foot into the tank from the gutters
and no extra tubing will be needed
a good savings for the environmental clubs budget

the building is a 50x20 ft building that if all the water is
captured will yield 500 gallons with a one inch rain
5 inches of rain will fill up the tank
they may be able to only catch water off the front side
of the building

will report its progress as we go along

HABITAT
the rain we had put a damper on what was planned
the roof was not completed as hoped yesterday
it was too wet
and muddy
i looked like i had been in a pig pen when i got home
my wife she made me leave my clothes outside

we did do most of the siding and outside trim
so it should be all finished soon
next the roof should be finished so the house will be
all closed in well

my wife she and i have plans to donate a 4 ft square foot
raised garden to the home owner using the method ive
described in past blogs
will add a keyhole component to it
will post pictures when its completed

we also will give her a 50 gallon rain water collection tank
to start out with
we know it will be addicting

the organicgreen doctor

cholesterol in kids

CHOLESTEROL IN KIDS
at the age of 40 i had my cholesterol check
my total cholesterol was 340
my ldl my bad cholesterol was 250
my hdl my good cholesterol was 20
those my friend are bad numbers
i call them heart attack or stroke numbers

my older brother had a heart attack at the age of 60
he was a non smoker in good health
he was active
his cholesterol was like mine

at the age of 40 i changed my diet to a low fat low cholesterol diet
and i was started on a statin drug and have been on one now for
several years

what if my brother or i had been checked at 9 years old
was started on a proper diet and possible a statin drug
at the age of 12
would he not have had his heart attack at 60
more than likely yes
hes lucky it didnt happen sooner

what if my younger brother with alzheimers disease had got
checked at 9 years of old for cholesterol and then got started
on a proper diet with the addition of a statin drug at 12
and had not smoked and controlled his blood pressure
would he not have alzheimers at his young age
possibly

the new guidelines recommended for children is to have their
cholesterol checked at the age of 9-11 and again at the age of
17-21
the risk factors for heart disease and stroke are also turning out
to be the risk factors for alzheimers disease

the recommendation for cholesterol is the same as adults
diet first then if numbers are high enough consider a statin drug
exercise regularly
maintain a normal weight

if you are genetically kin to me and your child is in this age range
you should get them tested and start some type of intervention now
so that your child willl not be like
your uncle with azheimers
your uncle with a heart attack and heart failure
your grandparents with alzhiemers heart attacks strokes and leg amputations

a life time of prevention can decrease the chances of these terrible
diseases and can delay their appearance and when they do appear
later in life the severity will be less

its up to you the parents to do something now

i think of cholesterol clogging up arteries like a water pipe in a house

over 60 years of running well water or city water into the pipes causing
them to gradually corrode so that they can be completely stopped up
with hard calcified plaques that will stop water flow

if you use rain water that corrosion doesnt happen
in fact if you change to a rain water system the rain water will
gradually over time begin to dissolve the calcified plaques in the pipes


the same thing happens with cholesterol over the years
(see the picture above of the clogged heart artery)
adding proper diet and statin drugs can gradually dissolve
some of the plaque formation
by starting treatment in kids this can be prevented

get those kids tested
make a difference in their future health
dont have them wait like me and my relatives have until
the symptoms and blockage has occurred

yes organic green living can make your life better

the organicgreen doctor

happy valentines day, bagels, keyhole garden

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

hope every one has a happy guess thats what you say valentines day
today especially my wife she
she is always a good sport about me writing about her on this blog
sometimes i do pay a price for doing it

here is an article on the history of valentines day from a posting today
on komando.com
history of valentines day

BAGELS

every morning i eat a bagel with a fresh organic free range egg that has
been microwaved
i even have a special microwavable dish just for microwaving eggs
i like the yellow part soft almost runny
it seems to have more flavor that way but
those holes are a problem in the bagels
they let the yellow runnnnnny part come through

so why do they have those holes in bagels anyway
so i googled it as they always have the answers
well some i cant post here but

the holes were originally removed because the middle part of the
bagel did not get cooked well so it was removed
and later the hole was used to place several bagels on a stick so they
can easily be presented for sale
so google says

guess ill just have to overcook that egg or plug the hole in the bagel
with something

KEYHOLE GARDEN

here is the photo of my keyhole garden i made out of an old
watering trough
i was computer challenged to get this picture off my phone so
my rain water tank nephew who really didnt fall into my rain water
tank helped me transfer this to my computer then got it posted

when i did it google didnt like it and wouldnt keep it posted
now maybe itll stay on my blog

in the center is a 1 foot circle of chicken wire that will be 3 ft high
its buried down to the bottom of the trough (about 2 ft)
inside this compost bin i placed shredded newspaper, my compost,
chicken poop, the natural gardeners farm style compost then a layer
of leaves and repeated this layering until its full
i will keep the center part watered well and all these goodies will
diffuse out into my garden

on the far side barely visible is a wedge like a piece of pie cut
from a pie that has rock stones and crushed granite that i can
step on to easily access the compost tower and the plants in the
middle of this garden

the metal bucket is a 10 gallon bucket that is attached to a drip line
that encircles the bed of the garden with about 1 ft distance between
the circles
this i fill with water and let gravity drip the water on the plants

i am thinking about adding the compost tower to the center part
of any 4 ft square foot garden i do for novice gardeners so they
will have a ready made compost pile thats simple to use and
easy to add more compost materials

kiss method at its best (keep it simply simple)

the organicgreen doctor

lin man, intense, sad, habitat

LIN MAN
we all love a good story
well heres one
a harvard grad who is playing professional basketball
translation he is smart but may not be a good player
major was economics
he is making $750,00 plus a year
(i know thats a lot to most people but not in the nba
the two players out with injuries make combined $38 million a year)
he sleeps on his brothers couch in his apartment

this is a rarity a harvard grad in the nba

he wasnt drafted out of college
no surprise
not sure if a harvard grad has been drafted before

lets check google
theyll know
looks like one named smith was drafted in the 50s
only three have ever played in the nba

he was cut by two nba teams
then played for 2 nba d league (thats the minor league nba
basketball league eg austin toros is the d league team for the
san antonio spurs)

he was picked up by the ny knicks
and sat on the end of the bench down by the water cooler
and was about to be cut from the team when a lot of injuries
occurred and one night he got put in the game

bam like emerald does when he spices up his meals
jeremy lin added bam to the ny knicks now for several games
he threw down over 30 on kobe bryants lakers the other night
he is filling the arenas wherever he plays
all his team mates and his coach are at awe with his performance
he came out of nowhere

what a great story this year
think i will use this as the point to enter the basketball season
since we are almost two weeks out from football

what a great way to start

lets go lin man
keep it up
a real good feel good story

INTENSE
my wife she and i went to see the movie girl with a dragon tattoo
intense
is the only way to describe this movie
makes you think a lot about a lot of things going on in our society
dont think i could watch it again though
but
do plan on reading the book so i can learn more about the characters
especially the tattoo girl

SAD
sometimes in medicine we have to face the realities of society directly
something politicians dont have to do
this is an article posted on facebook by one of my former classmates
as a non political posting but just to show what really happens

here is the article
many of us who have worked ers in the past have found ourselves in these
situations although less often in past years
am afraid though that it will be occurring more often

this article makes you think about this issue
no matter what side you are on

HABITAT
the construction of the house is going well
its ahead of schedule
the roof decking is almost on as well as most of the siding
the windows and doors were placed this weekend

its starting to look like a house now
next the roof will be placed and the siding all put up
then its inside for the duration except for outside painting

the organicgreen doctor

? a new drug for alzheimers, early detection, more funding

?A NEW DRUG FOR ALZHEIMERS

the theory is that beta amyloid accumulation in the brain is what
either causes alzheimers disease or is the end result of what ever the
process is that causes the disease

a lot of time and effort and money is being spent to stop this
accumulation of  beta amyloid in the brain or once its there to
have it removed

a study recently done in mice who had beta amyloid in their brains
used an anticancer drug thats used for
lymphoma
the drug called bexarotene caused the mice to have some removal
of the beta amyloid in the brain

then cognitive testing done on them showed some improvement in
their cognitive scoring

its use in humans would be a long time away as it would have to be
tested first in humans which would take a long time to do

this is one way alzheimers will be attacked in the future by giving a
drug like this to patients like me or even patients years before their
symptoms start
think of it has a statin drug for alzheimers like lipitor or crestor is for
heart disease by lowering cholesterol you can lessen the chance of a heart
attack or stroke

this drug could lower the levels of beta amyloid in the brain which
might result in clearing of or preventing alzheimers disease in the brain

this drug is already approved by the fda for cancer treatment so the
studies will be easier to do since its using an already approved drug

all these new treatments are really a generation away
ie my kids and your kids will benefit

EARLY DETECTION
as these new drugs and treatments get developed new ways to detect
people early are being worked on
find people early like me and get them on something when symptoms
start or before the symptoms start

a recent small study using just 4 questions from the alzheimers
questionnaire dementia assessment test might pick up patients with
amnestic mild cognitive impairment (mcia)-thats what i have but
have a very mild form of it

these could be used in a doctors office and could be easily used as
a screen test for patients

the questions are
does the patient have trouble repeating questions or statements
in the same day
does the patient have remembering the date year or time
does the patient have difficulties managing finances
(oops my wife she flunked this one)
does the patient have a decreased sense of direction
(oops again my wife she flunked this one also
she never could read a map)

no my wife she doesnt have mci
i pass all four of these test as mine is picked up on more extensive tests
but there are a lot of patients showing up in doctors offices who
can not answer these questions and families and friends arent really
aware they have a problem
if they dont pass the screening then further testing could be done

click here for a good
copy of the test to take

MORE FUNDING
the obama administration and congress signed the national alzheimers
plan agreement (napa) to
increase funding and emphasis on alzheimers here in the us
so at least congress and the president worked together on something that
was useful for the us

the administration just committed another $80 million for alzheimers in
addition to the $450 million now committed for research
we spend $180 BILLION a year now on treatment and care and will soon
spend $1 TRILLION

hopefully this extra funding although more is needed and new research
will soon lead to some significant treatment for this terrible disease
a disease that could overwhelm our national budget in the next few years

the organicgreen doctor

more half time, habitat follow up

MORE HALF TIME
struck a nerve there with my blog on the half time show
thanks for the comments sent via email, comments on this blog,
facebook and twitter

the good thing about doing a blog is that its yours and you can
give your opinion on topics or in this case events

i realize that the people who read this blog live in most of the states
in the united states and several foreign countries
so they will all never agree with my opinions
there is great diversity  in religious views, political views, social views
and obvious musical views

i always try to stay away from the political and religious views as
not to offend many of the readers of this blog
well sometimes my views slip through some its hard not to

i respect other opinions but dont have to agree with them

some of my best friends have opposite views on these things
above but we still get along

i have gone back and watched the madonna half time show several
times as i had dvred it
i still stand by my original assessment
she has a  beautiful voice when you can hear it
she is a good choreographer which showed on this half time show
she seemed pensive and stiff and not flexible-maybe she has a ham string
pull or a high ankle strain or just plain ole rheumatism
she did stumble once
she is over 50 and yes its amazing that she can do all of this
and that she is in great shape for her age
but she has to be viewed like someone whos 25 years old as she
was on the greatest stage where the greatest numbers were watching
live
ive always liked madonna and her independent spirit
but
i was expecting more from her that night

she was responsible for the whole show though
the middle finger and the four letter word that was said was her
responsibility
it cast a shadow on the half time show no mater how good the show was

those two things the middle finger and the 4 letter word dont offend me
i have been known to use both before

but its not acceptable to do this at the half time show of the super bowl

its on her

they need a half time show that appeals to the under 40 age group
i realize thats what madonna was trying to do
in my opinion she almost pulled it off

in the state of texas football is god
to have a football stadium full of fans especially the revered cotton bowl
at the texas state fair come to not watch the game but the half time show
then have them mostly all leave after the bands perform

now thats amazing

those bands are the best bands ive ever seen
and ive watched a lot of bands good ones play at half time
but to watch these two bands and watch the choreography and the
precision and the quality of music
that was and is appreciated by those fans and fans across the us
and the world
now thats amazing

i would not travel and pay to watch madonna do this half time show
or to do a concert
but
i would travel and pay to watch the grambling/prairie view am bands
compete and preform at half time or in a show

just sayin

HABITAT FOLLOW UP
am developing a respect for construction workers
they work in all kind of weather
dang it was cold yesterday

am also impressed with the skill and knowledge of some of the
workers

the group i was with put up the hardie board siding yesterday
have always wanted to do this and plan to one day do this
to my old barn

next the doors and windows will be placed
am looking forward to this as
ive never seen it done live before just on this old house

also the roof will be completed to get ready for the roofing
dont plan on helping with that as i dont want to be
on the ladder guy list

the organicgreen doctor

half time show, meals on wheels

HALF TIME SHOW
always thought the half time show was designed to energize and
entertain the fans at the half time
gosh if they are going to take 31 minutes for the show at least make
it a good one

thought about writing a letter to roger goodell the head of the nfl to
please get us a half time show that everyone will be talking about
the next day about how good it was and not about what body part
malfunctioned during the show
sunday it was the finger and some worn out bodies

they need to quit using entertainers that are at the twilight of their careers
loved the beetles in their day, loved mick and his guys and loved watching
the energy from madonna is years past
guess she didnt take her geritol or 5 hour energy before she performed

here is  a story of a half time show my family and i went to once
it was the best half time show that i have ever seen

when my youngest son was in middle school he played in the band
and was at that time interested in the band
so we took him and two of his friends to the cotton bowl one year
to watch the half time show there at a game being played during
the texas state fair
no it was not texas vs oklahoma
thats all about football

this game was grambling vs prairie view am
these are two majority black schools one from louisina and
the other from texas
(my younger son had done a interview the year before with
the legendary grambing football coach eddie robinson)

this was not all about football but was all about the bands
the cotton bowl was full that day when the game started
there was people actually sitting and standing to squeeze
in to see the show

think 60000+ fans at a concert
all getting excited and energized during the first half of
football getting ready for the main event the half time show
this would be pure entertainment that was
fast paced exciting and energizing

it was a true battle of the bands
at a level i had not seen before

the crowd went crazy during the half time show
those bands marching dancing moving playing energized music
got your heart rate up and got you up out of your seat
now thats how a half time show is suppose to be

dear roger please call the presidents of those two universities and ask
that their two bands provide the half time show next year
they wont need geritol to preform
and the fans wont care about those commercials

also after the half time show at that game
after the game restarted at the 2nd half most of the fans left
as they had come like us only for the half time show
we also left early

roger get it right next year please

MEALS ON WHEELS
yesterday i started my delivery of meals on wheels to seniors
in the area where i live
this is a good program that spends its money well
it uses volunteers to deliver the meals to the seniors

the seniors are appreciative as you deliver the meals
for some it may be the only human contact of the day
am sure they look forward to the interactions

also thought after seeing the numbers that there are
probably a lot of seniors who qualify for these meals
who havent been identified

my mom used these meals every day
it helped insure she was getting a well balanced diet
and gave another person for her to interact with every day

meals on wheels
hope those people we elect dont try to knock the wheels off
this program

the organicgreen doctor

keyhole garden

KEYHOLE GARDEN
my cowgirl sister in law sent me an article on how to
do a keyhole garden
i had not heard of that before
i read the article at this link on keyhole gardening

basically you lay out a circular garden of  8-10 feet
in the center you do at least 1 foot circle
this is where you will place a cage for your compost pile
then you lay out a wedge of the circle like a piece of pie
cut out of a pie

then you do the sides of the garden with stone bricks etc
also lining the pie wedge
you fill the garden with dirt compost newpapers etc

in the center circle you add things much like you would
in a compost pile grass clippings, dirt, leaves, newspapers,
kitchen veggie scraps putting it in layers

when you get through you have a circular garden with a central
compost pie with a pie wedge that you can step into to work
on your garden and to get to your compost pile


when its viewed from above it looks like an old keyhole

this method is used in africa and countries where there is
a scarcity of food and of water
they use whatever materials they can find
rocks straw cow dung etc
and are able to raise food for their families
the stones are high enough usually 3 ft to keep the
cattle from getting in the garden

i couldnt stand it after reading this article
i had to build me a keyhole garden

i had an old circular water trough that was rusted out on the
bottom  and moved into my yard
i filled it with composted garden soil that i had stored on my
property-was good garden soil mainly hill country soil from
lady bug or the natural gardener-they had already done all the
work on the soil
all i have to do is keep it going with the addition of compost as
i need it

in the center i put a 1 foot circular roll of old chicken wire i had
in the center i filled it with leaves manure my compost i had made
and barnyard compost from the natural gardener
i then watered the compost well to get things started

i then laid out a pie wedge leading to the center compost pile

over time the goodies will diffuse out into the circular garden
i will keep the center compost pile watered and the
plants watered as needed

in the garden portion i planted
lettuce onions swiss chard kale broccoli cilantro arugula asian greens
spinach and fava beans to climb over the wire compost bin
later this spring i will plant basil and malabar spinach there also
the chard kale arugula and onions will last into the the summer

this summer i will work on getting my soil to taper down from the
circular compost pile out to the edges of the garden

except for the plants i bought to plant here i already had all the
supplies to build this
key hole garden



this should work great for small areas limited for space
think of it as a circular raised square foot garden with a
compost pile in the middle and a wedge to walk into the middle

will report my produce reports later this year

the organicgreen gardener

the game, habitat

THE GAME
to those who know me well i did stay awake for the game
but i did dvr it just in case

well i really dvred it so i could go back and watch those
commercials i missed or i did not understand
and will go back to the halftime show to see if i can find that
middle finger she threw during the show
i missed that part as it moved so fast

my favorite commercial was actually the one about the car
and the vampires that were camping out
and of course the overweight dog that couldnt get out of
the doggie door and
well i liked the fiat one also

sometime today i will do a video review of them and see
them without any interruptions to get the full appreciation
and artistism and wit of each of them
for a million plus for a 30 second commercial they should be
good

then there was the game
that eli
he sure stays calm all the time
he looks the same no matter whats happening
he is a good contrast to brady

the game could have gone either way
guess that running back at the end couldnt avoid making
that touchdown
wouldnt that have been something if brady had come back
and scored
the running back would have be dissed forever for scoring a touchdown

the sad part of all of this is that football is over
now theres a big sports void until march madness
guess ill have to go to movies instead
which is ok with my wife she

next year the cowboys will....
?choke again

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
worked the work site again on saturday
always feel good after the day is over
also sleep good at night afterwards also

usually try to do something there that ive not
ever done before
like use the nail gun
saturday helped put up the tyvek wrap the white paper looking
stuff that goes around the house
thought that was an easy job and i had never done it before
it was windy so unrolling a big roll of paper in the wind was
not easy
now i know how to do it correctly and will be ready for my
next project here at the country n

the trusses were placed also on saturday
decided i didnt want any part in doing that this time
maybe on the next house

now the house really looks like a house with those trusses up
am sure the home owner will like the way its looking

am enjoying watching things being done and getting to ask a
skilled person how to do it and about the different tools that are
used
wished id done this years ago

the roof is coming soon but im not going to get up on that roof
i dont want to be one of those guys that is put on that ladder guy list
(see this ladder guy blog to find out what a ladder guy is)

have a good week and good luck with the football withdrawals

the organicgreen doctor

those gamers, testing, super bowl

THOSE GAMERS
exergaming is where you do some form of exercising at the same
time you use a monitor or tv to interact with whats happening
on the screen
wii fit or playstation move are examples

a recent study was done in patients with mild cognitive impairment
who did exergaming and then were followed for a period of time
they rode recumbent bikes while looking at a virtual reality display
using a 3d landscape and rode against a ghost rider based on their
last  performance
controls rode bikes without the screen

the study found a 23% relative risk reduction compared to the
control group and showed a significant cognitive benefit also

its thought the added mental exericise to navigate the 3d image
aniticipate turns, and competing against others required more
mental atuneness (i made that word up but i think everyone
understands what it means)

one scientist predicts that if such behavioral interventions such
as exercising and diet could trim 1 million off the 8 million cases
diagnosed in future years

so again
for your heart and your brain
exercise
eat right
ditto ditto ditto
maybe start with your kids

TESTING
if you are genetically related to me then you should be reading
this blog and doing all these things that are recommended
although most cases of alzheimers are not genetic ours in our
family may be

yes im talking to all my nephews and nieces and their kids
and of course their parents and cousins

multiple aunts and uncles had some type of dementia as well as
at least 2 grandparents and at least one great grandparent
and a 1st cousin of mine developed it under the age of 60
both my parents had it and my younger brother has it

because of this a close relative decided to get evaluated
they took the article that was written about my case and
showed it to their primary care doctor and to a neurologist

the labs were all done and were normal
the history and examination was normal
the lengthy neuropsychological test was done recently and
although described as a torture test like i describe it
the test was normal adjusted for age and degree of education

(my test showed and still does a deficit of short term memory loss
that is below what is expected for my age and degree of education
when compared to a shorter version which was normal two
years before)

they feel a sense of relief that everything was ok
its like getting a brain scan for severe headaches
and there not being any brain cancer or tumors
it doesnt mean it wont happen but its not showing up
as being there at the present
for me my last test shows that it has not progressed
which is like getting a scan and showing that a mass
has not changed in size

we all worry about getting the big a or the big c
the sense of relief from this work up is unmeasurable

the only part missing of course is some testing that is
not available yet to the general public-blood biomarkers,
spinal fluid biomarkers (beta amyloid and tau protein),
and a pet scan for beta amyloid
when these are available and done then an even more
reassurance can be given to patients

SUPER BOWL
its happening on sunday
the super bowl
think the giants will win
they seem to have all the momentum
and like green bay last year they are a surprise team this year

eli vs tom
although tom is a tough competitor
still predict eli will come through

lets see if im correct on monday
dont forget the commercials and ?watch madonna at
half time

the organicgreen doctor

oopsy, heart, habitat

OOPSY
if you are a female who has being taking birth control pills from
pfizer products then you need to check and make sure its
not one of the 1,000,000 pill packages that are being
recalled

(if you are a male on these then you have other issues)

it seems that due to a manufacturing problem they put the fake
pill-you know those last 7 pills that many dont take because
they are just sugar pills with no drugs in them-in the wrong
day slots
(always wondered if they just thought women were stupid
when they did those sugar pills)

so
one of the warnings you give when you give a prescription for
the pill is that if you miss a day then take 2 pills the next day
but in this case with the mistaken sugar pill you dont know that
you missed a real pill and guess what may happen

so
either nothing happens or you have an extra period or you can
get pregnant
so
check and make sure your pills you have are not in that batch of
messed up pills and
either be worried or get tested

they also mistakedly put real pills with the hormones in them in the
fake sugar pills
guess what happens
you wont have a period then thatll make you worried also

which is what women have done in the pass during important events
such as weddings, honeymoons, anniversaries, vacations,
events etc so they would be period free during those times
by taking a real pill in place of the sugar pills

looks like no matter what wrong pill they put in it will affect you
the worse case is that youll get pregnant
otherwise you will be ok

wonder if pfizer will have to pay for a lot of deliveries this next year
dang those drug companies
last month they were putting narcotics in the wrong prescriptions

who can we trust any more

HEART
this is the american heart month
you know valentines day
its red month

youll hear a lot about prevention
its the same as what we advocate for purple month in the fall
for alzheimers disease

exercise regularly
eat correctly
control your weight
control your diabetes
control your blood pressure
control your cholesterol
dont smoke
dont drink to excess
avoid stress
get good sleep

now you have two reasons to do whats right
your heart and your brain

HABITAT
did my second day at the habitat for humanity work site
the highlight of the day was i got to use a nail gun for the first time
ever
wished id had one around for all those repairs ive done over the years
bam bam bam and youre done
just too easy

my job was to help put the cap on
not on my head
but to put the 2x4s on top of the walls to give it strength and support
and to do all the markings for the trestles that will be put up at the next
session

also learned how to do blocking, put nails in concrete and to put bolts
in concrete

i plan to use these skill learned here at the country n

the house is starting to look like a house now
and the home owner is getting excited

sure feels good to do this

the organicgreen doctor

no water

NO WATER
well they ran out of water
that community of 1100 people that live near here
they had been on stage 4 water restrictions for awhile
which dont allow for any outside use of water
and limited inside use
guess they didnt restrict enough
as they ran completely out of water

this should be a wake up call for people to restrict water use
in general as its a precious commodity
we cant live without it

since we use rainwater as our only source of water here at the
country n we stay in a perpetual state of water restrictions
we still take good showers, flush our toilets, wash our dishes
and water what needs watering outside

our solutions were to get rid of our st augustine yard completely and
replace it with xeriscaping and all native plants that get no supplemental
watering once they are established
we collect water for the landscaping-a simple solution with all kind
of different sizes of tanks available now
we use drip irrigation in the garden
we reuse some grey water for some irrigation
by using a 5 gallon bucket to catch shower water and dish water
we have low flow shower heads that can be turned off with the flip
of a lever during showers to eliminate wasted water
we have low water use washing machine
we dont run the water while shaving or brushing teeth or scrubbing
our hands
we let yellow mellow sometimes and use the outside facilities when
possible-little boys who visit get some pleasure in this
as they arent allowed to do it in town
i just tell them to find a weed and kill it for me

so if we all did some of these water restrictions we would all be in
better shape with our water supply
its not going to get better as this area continues to grow
many of my neighbors including myself have had their wells go dry as
the water levels drop around here

apparently the subdivisions water was from wells that were
dug into the aquifer that went dry and the water levels continue
to drop in the lake system that provides a large amount of water
for the central texas area

the water for the subdivision is being shipped in via tanks at an
expensive rate several times a day
we did this 3 times this spring and summer and its expensive
and is scary to have to depend on it as your water source
hopefully that wont happen here again

heck we got 5-6 inches of rain just east of austin but none of that
rain fell on the tributaries that feed the lakes
the lakes continue to drop
what will be bad here if we get into the summer here with no rising
lake levels
then a large area will be in stage 4 water restrictions

maybe i can start a water conservation class for homeowners
as we have become experts at it