organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-exiting

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-exiting: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-EXITING should i or shouldnt i that is what ran through my mind when she called and said we need to schedule exiting vis...

alzheimers news-exiting

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-EXITING

should i or shouldnt i
that is what ran through my mind when she called and said
we need to schedule exiting visits

exiting interviews
i thought

yall jerked the rug out from under me and over 1600+ folks who had our hopes for the future
dashed
like throwing a wine glass into a fireplace
we crashed and burned

then
after 24 hours of thinking about it
i had a change of heart

it helped to read this article from the ny times by a writer who was also in the study
while reading the article i realized that i am earlier than probably most of the folks who were in the study
i barely made the cut
when i went online to see if i qualified i answered all the questions they asked on biogens website
result
you dont qualify

however when the testing at the alzheimers center at ut southwestern in dallas occurred there were steps you went through to get approved for the study
the first was my old records when i was first diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment that showed lower than normal scores on my memory tests
these are what i think got me into the studies
that and the positive amyvid brain pet scan for amyloid that was done at the end of the lengthy evaluation to get into the study

i was excited my family was excited my friends were excited my former patients were excited people i dont know were excited

now i knew that removing the amyloid was only part of the story
there was more to treating this disease that i was missing
like the tau protein that accumulates
but
i felt like that this treatment with aducanumab would slow things down some
i really feel like when they look back and if they keep following folks longer they will find that those like me probably got some benefit from the treatments

so here is where i am
yes like him i felt like i got punched in the stomach
knocking out all my wind
im just now catching my breath

i have to do exit interviews next month
having a full neuro exam
having memory testing
now on the memory testing they cant get better than they have been in the last two year
ie normal
a final exit mri
then
in 18 weeks a final final visit to do a final check out

i could say f you
but
i realize that something may show up when they really analyze the data from the study
i want all my information i can give to be available

now my clock is reticking
in 6 months i should be able to apply to enter another study
maybe
which i plan to do

i know that since ive been on the aducanumab for awhile that most of the amyloid that can be seen on the amyvid pet scan is gone from the brain
to get in many of these studies you have to have a positive scan
how long before my scan gets positive again i dont know

a conundrum

now when i chose this study
i realized i might only have one chance to get this right
i looked carefully at all the studies that were out there
some starting some not quite ready to start
i think most researchers and patients would have chosen the biogen aducanumab study

i also realize that this might be my only chance to get in a good treatment study
if so
i accept that
i knew that could happen

so
its for now

living right
taking my supplements that may or may not help me
taking good care of my health

enjoying my life
never ever looking back

exiting stage right

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: there you go again

organicgreendoctor: there you go again: THERE YOU GO AGAIN one of the reasons that the democrats did better in the last election was the healthcare issue so it seems strange no...

there you go again

THERE YOU GO AGAIN

one of the reasons that the democrats did better in the last election was the healthcare issue
so
it seems strange now that the republicans are making it an issue to get rid of obamacare which includes all the protections for us that protect us no matter our political beliefs
ie we all vote

its like someone with a gun that just shoots themselves in the foot

now i dont care if they get rid of obamacare to put in a new system
just make sure it protects us all like obamacare does
but
i dont see any idea any proposed plan of what the new healthcare system would be like

i suggest until something better truly better is developed then leave this one alone

as you start to support one side or the other on the healthcare debate
i suggest you set your politics aside and look at your own and your familys situation
and
say
how is this going to affect us

then the maybe number one issue among multiple others is getting rid of the preexisting conditions protections
if that is allowed to be a new law or rule then many of you will be gravely affected

now i feel like the best system is a medicare for all system so that we all are on the same plan
but
i also am a realist
i realize that will require changing our whole health insurance delivery system
it would have to withstand the powerful lobbying of multiple healthcare systems like medical groups hospital groups big pharma insurance companies etc
its not going to happen

my suggestion is adding a medicare policy as a choice for folks who maybe have to buy their own policies or maybe add it as an option at work or add it to the exchanges or let brokers add it to their insurance list

the medicare system works
it is the one system that has kept healthcare costs from getting even higher

i have been on it for almost 9 years and have no complaints

at my last ucla infusion visit the nurse that cared for me was from canada
i asked her about the canadian system
she said healthcare is not a worry there like it is here
we pay our taxes that pay for our healthcare
most canadians accept thats the way to pay for it and are pleased with the healthcare system

as to them trying to change the healthcare law again
like reagan i would say
there you go again

lets dont let them do it to us

the organicgreendoctor

organicgreendoctor: i want to read it all myself

organicgreendoctor: i want to read it all myself: I WANT TO READ IT ALL MYSELF nbcnews.com i mostly quit watching the news yesterday even the ones i usually agree with i got tired of hea...

i want to read it all myself

I WANT TO READ IT ALL MYSELF

nbcnews.com
i mostly quit watching the news yesterday even the ones i usually agree with
i got tired of hearing the spin folks all say the same thing

all i know is that the house of representatives all of them voted to have the mueller report released for all of us to see and read

thats what i want to do is read it myself

i have always enjoyed political hearings
i like to watch them myself and make my own opinions

yesterday as i flipped across different news channels it was interesting that both sides were each using their sides same words like they both looked at their sides playbook and thats all they would say

cant you just say what you really think

now i think we as americans should not accept anything less than full release of the mueller report
for us to all read

from what i know of mueller he is a straight laced guy who does a thorough investigation following the law as he goes
he leaves no stone unturned
he seems to have the total respect of most folks

i totally trust what he says in the report and i for one will totally accept what he found and what he reported in his report but i want to read it myself

my guess is thats where most americans are at right now
in fact 90% of us want the report released for us to see
let us know for sure what he found
not what the politicians and news folks want us to think it says

this morning i read a political opinion piece from fox news that i had to do a second reading on to be sure it was really fox news

yes
the opinion pretty much said what i wrote above

release it
let us all read it
we all trust mueller
one of the few folks most of us seem to trust nowadays
hum maybe he should run for president
he would have my vote for sure

lets all accept what he found
then
lets move on after that

if its not released for us to read and know whats in the report
it will never be accepted by most of us

lets dont let political folks tell use how to think
we can all read and think for ourselves

we also need to remember that there are things done illegally and unethically that will not be covered by the mueller report
it seems some folks dont understand that

yep
i want to read it all myself

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: mine are not on the list

organicgreendoctor: mine are not on the list: MINE ARE NOT ON THE LIST these are my first tomatoes of the year they are early girls that i planted two months ago in a larger containe...

mine are not on the list

MINE ARE NOT ON THE LIST

these are my first tomatoes of the year
they are early girls that i planted two months ago in a larger container that i moved back and forth from our living room onto our front porch
later i transplanted it early into my garden
i covered it with row cover to keep it warmer at night and during the day
it doesnt freeze here so i dont have to worry about that
it looks like it may reward me with my first ripe tomatoes soon

now when i get to pick them when they are juicy red and ripe
i can be sure that they are safe to eat
no pesticides were used
all organic compost and organic fertilizer and liquid fish emulsion molasses seaweed were and are used on this plant
its mostly been watered by rainwater since planted we have had nice weekly rains

so i will pluck this thing
knowing that tomatoes are on the list
but
not these

the list
thats the most contaminated with pesticides list
sort of like those wines and beers that were contaminated with roundup

here is the dirty dozen most pesticized veggies

strawberries
spinach
kale
nectarines
apples
grapes
peaches
cherries
pears
tomatoes
celery
potatoes

how to avoid eating pesticized veggies
grow your own organically
buy organic ones

i grow my own spinach kale tomatoes celery so mine are poison free

the biggest worry is growing kids eating these contaminated veggies
and the behavior and developmental issues they may cause

now for the 2019 clean fifteen

avocados
sweet corn
pineapples
frozen sweet peas
onions
papayas
eggplant
asparagus
kiwi
cabbage
cauliflower
cantaloupes
broccoli
mushrooms
honeydew melons

70% of these have no pesticides
1% of  avocados and sweet corn tested had some pesticides

many of these pesticides arent even allowed to be used in europe

i grow sweet peas eggplant broccoli onions asparagus cantaloupes
100% of mine have no pesticides

we all need to eat more fruits and veggies to stay healthy
eating those on the dirty dozen i wonder if the pesticides in them zeroes out the good effects of the veggies and fruits on your health

so
eat organic as much as possible
grow your own organically

click here for article on this

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-more musing on bad news

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-more musing on bad news: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-MORE MUSING ON BAD NEWS the headlines read   this one hurts yes it did it was felt by the patients their families the do...

alzheimers news-more musing on bad news

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-MORE MUSING ON BAD NEWS

the headlines read   this one hurts
yes it did
it was felt by the patients their families the doctors the researchers the investors those of you who will be affected
this drug aducanumab was the big hope
the one we were all waiting for




this is the alzheimers graph of someone like me with late onset alzheimers
if you look at the 45 year point on the lower part of the graph
go straight up to the first s shaped line that reads ab amyloid
thats when amyloid first gets deposited in the brain
so for me that was when i was 45
that was the point when removing the amyloid should have been started
not today 20+ years later

for the aducanumab to really been effective it would have needed to be started when i was 45
removing the amyloid as it formed so no destruction of brain cells were started
so the amyloid plaques wouldnt form
it was started in me when i was 65
too late to do its job

i compare this to using statin drugs like crestor lipitor zocar lovastatin early in ones life like when you are in your 40s so that you wont have a heart attack or stroke when you are 65
so it is with removing amyloid from the brain

now look back at the graph
see the next s line that is tau protein
it is a protein that is in the cells that when they get damaged by the amyloid they unwind and get released forming tau tangles that further damages the brain
amyloid starts the process years before
tau finishes the job

so without amyloid accumulating tau tangles may not happen

so for all this to work we have to identify folks like me when we are in our mid 40s
then
start a drug like aducanumab then not 20+ years later
its like using lipitor when the arteries to the heart or brain are all clogged with cholesterol
its not going to work

thats what i think happened with the aducanumab infusions

yes now they are trying to identify folks years earlier and start these drugs
those studies are starting up or ongoing now

so now back to me

my orignal amyvid pet scan done two years ago was positive for all that amyloid accumulation in the brain
i took 27 infusions of the aducanumab so that my last amyvid pet scan done a few weeks ago should show that  most of the amyloid gone from my brain
20 years too late i must add

whats left is that i have a brain full of tau tangles doing their job on me
its what needs to be attacked now

did removing that amyloid help me
i think so
i also think i didnt get the placebo since i had the severe headaches when i started that folks with the apoe 4 apoe 4 gene can have when they take aducanumab

now my brain is partially empty of amyloid i think it helped to get rid of this
i know though that it will reaccumulate up there
which eventually will speed things up again

so my goal now will be to attack the tau protein

there are studies that will start in the future where the amyloid and the tau will be attacked at the same time
i may be too late for them though

there is a national study removing just the tau
i cant get into the study for 6 months since i have to be off the aducanumab study for that long to start a new study
i have the protocol for that new study to remove tau
i plan to start it next week
at the end of the year the results should be out
if its working ill just stay on the drug

there is also a study using iv infusions of an antibody against the tau protein
i will probably have to wait for 6 months before i can enter it
i plan to do it if i can qualify

then i realize that it is important for me as well as for all of you to do things that we all can do to slow down or maybe prevent this disease

these things below i think are really why i have gotten better
plus i do feel like the aducanumab helped some
even though i was much better when i started the study
i barely got into the study because my memory was improved

these things to do ive been doing for a while
i plan to fine tune them some

exercise increases the blood flow to the brain carrying more nutrition and oxygen to the brain cells
it can actually help lower the amyloid in the brain

strict control of cholesterol and blood pressure
these two are real important in slowing down the disease and preventing it from starting

the mind diet
this one is probably just as important as blood pressure and cholesterol and exercise

keep my mind and body active

maintain a normal weight

sleep is a major issue
i sleep only 5-6 hours at night but have incorporated a nap schedule in the early afternoon
this helps a lot
its mainly caused by the lack of sleep from my alzheimers med aricept (donepezil)

relax i mainly do this with my gardening
if i was a meditator that would help

i am revisiting dr bredesens reversal of cognitive decline protocol to fine tune that

then as of right now thats all i can do until i find another promising study

i would hope that many of you at risk will aggressively do these same things


in this study i received 27 infusions
there were 1600+ of us in the study
its estimated the infusions cost $4,000 each
thats over $200,000,000 just in infusions
thats only part of the cost of doing this research
i had around 3 amyvid pet scans thats $24,000,000 for all of us in the study
i had around 10 mris thats $48,000,000 for all of us in the study
i had tons of blood work
i had mulitple memory tests
i had multiple neurology doctors visits
i had muliple ekgs

this study cost millions and millions of dollars to do
the biogen company bet the farm on the study as one reader wrote me
they may have lost it all

hopefully it will show some use as an early early preventative treatment to prevent the alzheimers cascade from starting when folks are in their middle age like mid forties

that is an age though when its hard to convince folks to do something to stop the disease thats years away

i hope it all was not for naught
and
yes
if i could do it over again i would do it again

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-this really funks me out

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-this really funks me out: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-THIS REALLY FUNKS ME OUT each morning i open my google news feed to read the days news updates there staring at me was th...

alzheimers news-this really funks me out

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-THIS REALLY FUNKS ME OUT

each morning i open my google news feed to read the days news updates
there staring at me was these headlines

i must say when i read them
i was overwhelmed with the same feeling i got 8 1/2 years ago when i was first diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment thats due to alzheimers disease
when i was waylaid by that neuropsychological exam that showed me that my time my alzheimers time had arrived

i was funked then
i am funked today
i would say they rank about the same

i have seen my memory scores over these last 8+ years
i know that they dropped after my diagnosis then after 2 years have eventually returned back to normal levels
whatever i did that made my memory improve
it got better

i was certainly hoping big time that it was the aducanumab that over the last 2 years that was like the icing on the cake
my memory was already getting better before i received my first dose
so
whatever i was doing pretreatment before receiving biogens aducanumab was making me better

now i knew that removing amyloid from the brain was only part of the story
i knew removing that wouldnt cure me but i felt like it would probably slow down the disease some
in fact i still think it does

in fact i was already looking for something some study using drugs to remove the tau that would accumulate after the amyloid did its damage

i knew both had to be attacked
aggressively

i was excited yesterday as i went for my 27th infusion of this drug aducanumab
knowing that it was removing amyloid that had probably been up there for 15-20 years
knowing that even if it was removed that the damage done might not be healed
but
hoping and still hoping that it would slow things down

so
i must say i was shocked this morning when i read this article linked here
and linked here
announcing that biogen was discontinuing the study the aducanumab study that i am in

what a lousy birthday present for me this week

but
today i will start looking for a new study to participate in
i in fact yesterday i was asking the researchers about a new study i have been monitoring
in fact
i asked then yesterday if i could participate in the study that removes tau
no i was told
well
maybe today the answer will be yes

in fact i was about to blog on this new study saying i wish i could be in it
since it attacks the tau protein

to review
amyloid builds up and damages the brain cells which eventually release tau protein which causes further brain cell damage
both have to be attacked together
in fact i have been talking about this all week
i even told my wife she yesterday the problem is im not attacking the tau thats accumulating in my brain

if you look in my brain now and compare it to two years ago
a large portion of the amyloid accumulated up there has been removed
i really believe having that done will help me
granted it will start reaccumulating again

now
i need to start getting rid of the tau

i plan to start today

its like a boat with a large leak and you are trying to bail out all the water
its a losing battle
the water will win eventually
you just try to make it as long as you can

i plan to funk out today then restart tomorrow

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: the tower girl

organicgreendoctor: the tower girl: THE TOWER GIRL see the  kxan.com  article at the university of texas there is a structure called the ut tower sometimes it gets lit up ...

the tower girl

THE TOWER GIRL

see the kxan.com article

at the university of texas there is a structure called the ut tower
sometimes it gets lit up with orange lighting at night
it can be seen easily as you drive down the interstate near the campus

the ut tower is better known for the ut tower shooting back in the 60s where the shooter climbed up in the tower and with a powerful rifle starting shooting folks on campus
not a good thing to be known for is it

it was closed for years
once a few years ago our friends he who had huntingtons disease before it got worse and she who after being a caregiver for his last years developed metastatic ovarian cancer not long after he died
but
on that ut tower day we all were feeling good that we would be able to climb that tower and look out over the austin city
this was a few years before the downtown high rise growth occurred

it was as my wife she says an amazing sight
but
a sobering one
thinking about what happened up there years ago

occasionally the news folks will relive the day of the ut tower shootings
the shooting i guess was a prediction of what was coming in the future
since
it seems it these shootings seem to be more common
almost accepted it seems
the outrage doesnt seem to be there like it use to be

now
the ut tower has something that gives it a more positive light
its the tower girl

she is a peregrine falcon that has set up home in the ut tower
they had set up a nesting box
she moved in
so far this year she has laid  several eggs
her male friend has stayed around to help
hopefully the eggs got fertilized

im sure they did some partying up above 6th street up in the air where they zoom around
looking for food
maybe
they also looked for love

here is the link to her falcon cam
at daybreak she is just sitting there looking around
hopefully
she will hatch some eggs or an egg and a new baby will appear

just now she started looking around as the sun just started hitting her nesting box
she stood up
took a couple of steps
stood on one leg like she was stretching or doing morning exercises
then
stepped forward standing on the other leg
raised her wings like she was stretching all over
looked down along the street
i figure shes looking for a starbucks for her first morning joe
then she jumped off and flew away
leaving
4 eggs visible in her nest

i sure hope they hatch
i sure hope her boyfriend stays around to help

i like this ut tower story better than the old one

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: natural gas scares me

organicgreendoctor: natural gas scares me: NATURAL GAS SCARES ME did you wonder why natural gas smells like rotten eggs or spoiled cabbage well here is why the picture above is o...

natural gas scares me

NATURAL GAS SCARES ME

did you wonder why natural gas smells like rotten eggs or spoiled cabbage
well here is why

the picture above is of dorothy ann
she was born on january 3 1925
she died tragically at 12 years old on march 18 1937
today is the 82nd anniversary of her death
she would be 94 if she was still alive

she was my maternal grandmothers niece
if my ancestry tree calculations are correct she was my 2nd cousin

her last place of residency was new london texas
her final resting place is in pine bluff arkansas

she went to a school at the new london independent school district that was the richest independent school district in the united states at that time
thanks to the gas and oil in the area

the district to save money on gas hooked the school up to an unauthorized gas line
ive heard stories over the years of folks doing that

now this was a rich school district
they were saving $300 a month on gas

there was stories that teachers would have the kids open the windows to improve the ventilation and wear their jackets in the classroom in the winter because of the headaches and other symptoms

now natural gas is an odorless gas
it at that time was not a gas that smelled bad like it does now

thanks to this school all natural gas has to be foul smelling now
a very tragic thank you
they say what happened that day has probably saved thousands of lives over the years

at 230 pm that day grades 1-4 were released to go home

just about 30 minutes later the shop teacher turned on a sandpaper grinder in the shop which ignited the odorless natural gas that had been leaking for awhile under the crawl space under the school

it blew through 8 inches of solid concrete
a 2 ton concrete slab was blown 200 feet away
it lifted the building up several feet in the air dropping it back down collapsing the walls and the roof trapping all in the rubble
some students were blown as much as 75 ft in the air

dorothy and 299 students and teachers were killed that day
her sister survived that day

eventually because of this tragedy the foul odor we all know caused by mercaptan and have probably smelled was added to natural gas

why does tragedies always have to happen before the right thing is done

i have always not liked living in a house with natural gas
now that fear has been reinforced


here are links to the story
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/yqn01
https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/the-new-london-school-explosion/

thanks to my historian brother who discovered dorothys story while doing our ancestry tree

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-if they get it do we get it

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-if they get it do we get it: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-IF THEY GET IT DO WE GET IT ive read this several times when reading about alzheimers disease and have heard alzheimers sp...

organicgreendoctor: organicgreendoctor: a pretty how town

organicgreendoctor: organicgreendoctor: a pretty how town: organicgreendoctor: a pretty how town : when i was in high school i remembered reading his poem with this name it fascinated me i decided ...

alzheimers news-if they get it do we get it

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-IF THEY GET IT DO WE GET IT

ive read this several times when reading about alzheimers disease and have heard alzheimers speakers say this several times
just because our parents and grandparents have alzheimers disease doesnt mean we will
im sure that made a lot of folks rest easy

however
this recent study from the university of utah may change that view some

after i read the study i went back and looked closer at my family tree and who on those branches may have had alzheimers disease
this information was gathered from my own experiences
eg i remember both grandmothers having memory issues
cousins have related stories to me about my uncles and aunts dementia
a cousin wrote a book about her mothers battle with alzheimers and her grandparents battle with it
discussions with older siblings who remember some of these folks better than i did

in my family tree
these probably had it
my maternal great grandfather
both grandmothers
both parents
6 uncles and aunts
several cousins
two siblings

thats a real positive history there
my guess is its because i have the double apoe 4 gene which increases the odds of getting alzheimers disease a lot
the apoe 4 gene also is involved in cholesterol metabolism so the levels can tend to be real high in folks with this gene
high cholesterol is associated with stroke heart attack and probably alzheimers diease
stroke is also a common cause of memory loss and dementia

the university of utah had records on folks going back to the 1800s including death certificates
the mormons were and still are good record keepers
they looked back at at least 3 generations on thousands of folks

the risk was greater for those who had it through each generation like our family does
the risk could reach 15 x in those folks

this article goes more into depth on the study results

even with this increased risk you can alter it by living a healthy lifestyle negating somewhat your family history

at least i hope so
thats what im trying to do

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: a pretty how town

organicgreendoctor: a pretty how town: when i was in high school i remembered reading his poem with this name it fascinated me i decided if i ever was a writer i would write lik...

a pretty how town

when i was in high school i remembered reading his poem with this name
it fascinated me
i decided if i ever was a writer i would write like him

here is a link to his poem a pretty how town


wikepedia.org

if you look at that poem it looks similar to my style of writing
without of course the poetry artistic touch he had

i decided i didnt like capital letters and punctuation
you know
like texting
which i call the modern day ee cummings method

so when i started my blog i saw it as an opportunity to use my own style ala ee cummings to write my blogs
i have noticed that it has oozed over into my emails and messaging
if fact if i have to write an official letter or recommendation or a reply to someone i struggle to do all the capitalizations and punctuations to make it write

see that write why do we have write right and rite
see i know the official correct word above is right
i once has an english professor who said if you understand the correct words and pronunciation its ok to break the rules
he was talking at that time about using the word aint instead of am not
cannt we just have one word maybe the short rite one

ive noticed there are times when you read my writing but you have to stop and do some thinking to figure out what im riting
sometimes thats done on purpose

when i read texting i notice folks use a different writing
we seem to usually understand what they are saying

i wonder if maybe ee cummings would have enjoyed the texting era
i know i do

someone once said to me
i try to read your blog but i have trouble understanding it

its
poetry maybe
it happens when i write things it the words just flow out of the tip of my fingers
i go back after i write it to try to clean it up and organize it

a writer once told me i wrote like ee cummings with a flight of idea method

ok
ill take that

so thats why i write like i do with no caps and no punctuation
its in honor of ee cummings
its just to be different
maybe a little irreverant
maybe a little rebelliousness left over from my youth

but
i once did live in a pretty how town
it all left its impression on me

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: oh no not in my wine

organicgreendoctor: oh no not in my wine: OH NO NOT IN MY WINE i am on a regimen of things that might slow down this alzheimers thing one of the items is a glass of red wine at n...

oh no not in my wine

OH NO NOT IN MY WINE

i am on a regimen of things that might slow down this alzheimers thing
one of the items is a glass of red wine at night
my wife she and i use that as a time to stop at 500ish to visit relax and sip our wine
we enjoy these few moments
i wonder if that 30 minutes is like doing yoga or meditating
both which is recommended also

the red wine is also in the mind diet that is recommended for conserving your memory
so
there seems to be a lot of good reasons to sip the wine at night

then
i read this below
now
this all ties into my organic gardening thats my other area of relaxation i do

there is an author of organic books on gardening from dallas
his books are the best references for
organic vegetable gardening
insect and pest recognization and organic treatments
organic care of trees shrubs and plants
i had all of those books and used them almost daily
when we moved i donated them to various folks
sort of
passing it on
the knowledge the organic method

now i agree with most of what he says but not everything
on this below im with him

the author has a weekly radio show out of dallas
he has a real good organic website that i have used multiple times
he is called the dirt doctor
he writes a newsletter regularly online which i receive in my inbox
this week it caught my eye

it was about roundup or glyphosates
the stuff that kills weeds and will kill your trees and shrubs and plants and veggies if you happen to spray it on them
some feel like it will even kill you

so apparently there is a normal ppm of roundup or glyphosate that is ok to be in food products and apparently in beer and wine

i always stop and think
why is there a normal or acceptible amount of this stuff in our food and now in our
wine and beer
shouldnt it be like zero or 0.0 ppm

in this article the levels of glyphosate from roundup is discussed in some popular beers and wines
i wont list the names of the wines and beers but they are in the article link
but click here to see them

i have personally consumed two of these five wines tested
i have personally consumed seven of these 14 beers tested and im not a beer drinker

there was only one beer tested without any glyphosate from roundup and it was an organic ipa beer
sadly all the beer i grew up on after of course my teenage years are on the list

what is more bothersome is that it is found in baby formula and has even been found in some breast milk

it is a carcinogenic according to the world health organization
our government doesnt think so
many countries especially in europe outlaw its use

the fda or epa acceptible levels in some crops for glyphosate range from 0.1-310 ppm
these wines and beers and some baby food and baby formualas are in the acceptible range
but shouldnt that range be
zero or 0.0

maybe box wine wont have any of it in there

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: how to follow

organicgreendoctor: how to follow: HOW TO FOLLOW AS I DESCEND folks ask me sometimes how can i follow your blog first to read articles  read newslettters or  watch our v...

how to follow as i descend

HOW TO FOLLOW AS I DESCEND

folks ask me sometimes how can i follow your blog

first
to read articles  read newslettters or  watch our video on my story you can go to my blog online at the links below or www.organicgreendoctor.com

at the top are several links to these articles newsletters videos my facebook page
just click on them to read or watch the video

to follow the blog

-you can just type in www.organicgreendoctor.com hit search

if you use a computer or another device where you can see all of my blog page you can access my complete blog page like in the picture above and follow it several ways
eg on your cellphone you wont see these links above or below

-twitter
i post my blog to my twitter page each day when i write my blog
i rarely post other things to my twitter account though
my twitter link is
@organicgreendoc

-facebook blog page
you can click on this link here or click on my link to this page at the top of my online blog page
i post my blog here each day
i occassionally will post other pictures or posts during the day
you can sign up to receive my facebook blog posting on facebook at the above link

-on the upper right side of my blog page online there is a block where you can sign up your email address to receive the blog automatically in your inbox each day
it usually takes a day before the system will ok your email address
commonly the blog wont show up until about 12 hours after its posted

i have posted about 1500+ blogs over the years
you can go to the search block on the right side of my online page to search a topic
eg if you type in alzheimers you will get a lot of postings

those who follow my blog daily usually get it from
-my facebook blog page posting
-signing up for email notifications
-twitter feeds
-google blogger
-some from my william nash facebook but that has been restricted some for privacy reasons
-some from instagram although again for privacy reasons that is being reduced

i recommend the email notifications since it can be easily turned on and off
or
my facebook blog page
i add extra to this page sometimes that the other methods dont receive
like pictures or supplemental postings
i also respond to comments on this site
or
my twitter account

since i started writing this blog over 8 years ago i am approaching a million page views of my blogs
i hear from people all over the united states and the world
most comments or communitcations folks cant see
i always try to reply to folks who comment or ask questions
usually the questions are about gardening or alzheimers disease

eg i have assisted folks who are about to have memory testing or folks looking for clincial studies or folks needing gardening assistance

i have learned a lot writing this blog
the blog is one of my ways to keep my brain active
eg i may have read several articles or listen to podcasts to research some of my blogs
i have made contact with a lot of folks over the last few years
i hope to continue for a few years more

i want yall to follow me when my time comes to make that descent into the abyss and then follow me until the end
hopefully that descent will be slow and gradual
i plan to write as long as i can and maybe get others to do the finish for me
i want you to say when this is all over

i feel
i understand
what its like

thank you

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: i dont like it at all

organicgreendoctor: i dont like it at all: I DONT LIKE IT AT ALL in this picture above the time says its about 4:10 it feels like 4:10 am but the clock on my cellphone and my co...

i dont like it at all

I DONT LIKE IT AT ALL

in this picture above the time says its about 4:10
it feels like 4:10 am
but
the clock on my cellphone and my computer says 5:10
my body clock says its 4:10 am
by the time my body clock matches up with the new daylight notsaving time
it will be time to change it again

now whats the real time like it was before daylight timing time
more light in the morning or more light in the evening
im not sure whats right anymore

as a mostly morning person i like more morning daylight

so back to my watch
my old simple black casio watch that i would have for years before the watchband would break
when it broke since they were cheap i just bought another one and threw the old one away even though it was till ticking a way

i think that in some trashheap somewhere in the world there are these two cheap black casios still ticking in the trash with a broken band
i think of it like a pacemaker in someone who dies it just keeps zapping the heart and wont ever stop
acutally
im not sure how what they do
do they turn it off or do they just bury folks with the  pacemaker like they probably did my old watches
ill have to google that

an aside here
someone like a doctor or a techician turns off the pacemaker
if the embalmer who removes the pacemaker happens to get zapped well have you ever climbed over an electric fence and got zapped then you know how it feels
the pacemaker has to be removed before someone is cremated
wonder if they could turn off my watch for me after i die

now my watch has four knobs to push to move the numbers around
my math says 4x3x2x1 equals 24
so there are 24 possibilities when i try to push the buttons to try to get the new time

so i have saved on my computer the pamplet with the discription on how to do the time
pages and pages of directions
so i try to folow the directions closely but usually give up
so
i start pushing buttons trying all the possibilities
all 23 of them
not 24 since it seems the correct setting doesnt really exists on this watch
its all done to torture us here in the united states
all planned by the chinese who made it

i havent started pushing all the buttons yet
when i do
the numbers got forward and backwards
theyll zoom to mst then cst then est then theyll change to eruope time then russian time then hawaii time
itll move from all the airports in the world
itll turn into a timer then a stopwatch
itll add the date and the year then take it away making it a swirling timer
it does all kind of crazy things

if you look at the watch picture above it says 47 h
i guess that means 47 hours
why i have no idea
its suppose to say pst for pacific standard time
it never does though
i think what happened was mr h push that button when he was chewing on my watch one day

then
those lower numbers have been spinningg for weeks
all day all night one moving slow the other much much faster

i want it to say down there
monday
march 11 2019
so
when i do my memory test and they ask the date the day of the week the year the location
i can just look down and read it off
last time
they asked the location i said 47 h
the other info
i said 16:55 and counting
9:09 counting evern faster
i think i failed that part of the memory test
next time i wont look down
ill just guess

so i have four choices to fix the watch

one
look only at the time
add one hour
never have to change anything
this may be the simplist one

two
start punching buttons until the hands whirl forward to the right time
done that
sometimes it works sometimes it really messes things up

three
use the pamplet which doesnt ever work for me

four
hand it to my son
who pushes a few buttons
hands it back to me after a few seconds
here dad
i look at him
thanks son

i then put on the watch
thinking
in 6 months ill just hand it to him and be done with it

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-the new stats are in

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-the new stats are in: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-THE NEW STATS ARE IN alzheimers disesae is the 6th leading cause of death in the us some think its number 3 5,800,000...

alzheimers news-the new stats are in

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-THE NEW STATS ARE IN

alzheimers disesae
is
the 6th leading cause of death in the us
some think its number 3

5,800,000 people have it in the us
by 2050 that number will around 14,000,000

caregivers give 18,500,000,000 hours of care
valued at $235,000,000,000

it will cost the nation $290,000,000,000
by 2050 it will cost us $1,100,000,000,000
this is when it may break the healthcare bank
yes thats our kids generation

82% of seniors say its important to have memory testing
only 16% have regular assessments

every 65 seconds someone develops alzheimers disease

between 2000 and 2017 heart disease deaths decreased by 9%
alzheimers deaths increased by 145%

1 in 3 seniors die from alzheimers and related dementias
it kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined


so
folks those are grim statistics that arent getting better it seems over the last 8 years since i have been diagnosed
it seems we are making progress its just those numbers above dont really confirm that


in regards to my attempts to do my part to alter those stats at least for myself and my family

i am in the long term extension part of biogens aducanumab study
the aducanumab infusions remove the beta amyloid protein from the brain that is believed to start the process of alzheimers
im getting the real drug but will not be told what dose i am getting
from what i know and since i have the apoe 4/apoe 4 gene i am probably getting the mid range dose
of 6 mg per infusion
unless the study is broken ill never really know
until that is when i start getting the drug after the fda approval then i might learn the dose
i hope

i have several mris of the brain at the beginning then in a few months i will go to just the monthly infusions only for awhile
i also have more memory testing here at the beginning then that tapers off as the long term extension phase progresses

i thought a lot about those stats above and my personal situation when i was with mr hs nephrology appointment

here i am at the end of life facing a terrible disease that i am trying to slow down with whats available

here mr h is at the beginning of his life facing a terrible disease that he is trying to slow down with whats available

i must say though lucky guy his prognosis is much better than mine

we are kindred spirits

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: dear mr h-that was a long day

organicgreendoctor: dear mr h-that was a long day: DEAR MR H-THAT WAS A LONG DAY mr h thats a picture of you at 6 months old holding a dinosaur kale leaf from the garden at your house yo...

dear mr h-that was a long day

DEAR MR H-THAT WAS A LONG DAY

mr h
thats a picture of you at 6 months old holding a dinosaur kale leaf from the garden at your house
you seemed to like the rough texture of the leaf
when i wasnt looking wink wink you took a bite out of the leaf
dont tell anyone ok

for those who dont know mr h is my 6 month old grandson who has chronic kidney failure or chronic kidney disease as its officially called
he had an urethral obstruction that developed in utero which backed up his urinary system into his kidneys which left him with severe kidney damage
it took just a few minutes to open the obstruction when he was born
the system is flowing normal now
however he was left with two severely damaged kidneys
so that
one day in the next few months or years he will need a kidney

except for the kidneys and its drainage system he is a normal happy pleasant growing well developed 6 month old

so
how do you explain all this to him
heres how i would do it

mr h
we spent a long time with your doctors yesterday spending a total of 5 hours with getting your checkup with the cardiologist and the carpenter plumber electrician urologist and the architect nephrologist

i was so impressed with how you could lay on that table for an hour to get your echocardiagram
then your ekg
granted we helped you with toys lights funny noises bottles to detract you
i must say you were pretty good
you got an a on the two exams

no residual problems are present from all that fluid backed up when you were born
that heart muscle that was too big from pumping against high pressure is all back to normal
no further problems are anticipated
that was a long 3 hour visit

i did think about my nephews grandson who has congenital heart disease how he must have gone through this exam multiple multiple times his first year of life
thank goodness it seems he might have that laid back pleasant smiling personality like you have

i thought of ways to explain to others and you whats wrong inside of you
heck
sometimes when i hold you you smile look up at me and grab my beard and glasses
how i think can you have anything wrong
you just look so normal

you are normal except for your farm
ill explain

lets say there is this farm up in the hills
there is a long driveway to the house
there is a creek that flows along side the driveway
the house has 2 back doors that open to a road
one to the right the other to the left
the road go to these two separate barns

now let suppose some beavers dammed up the driveway midway from the mailbox to the house
that blockage backed up the water up the driveway above the obstruction to the house
it damaged the house
then
it backed all the way up the two roads to the two separate barns
damaged them lets say about 60 % damaged so they could still be used but you know that one day
they would both collapse and couldnt be used

so thats your kidney and its drain system when you were born
your creek was backed up all the way to the barns

so
first thing was the beaver dam was broken up
it only took a few minutes to do in your case it was an in and out catheter

then the water all flowed down the creek so that all the backed up water was gone
everything was flowing good
however
your house was damaged
livable but it will one day need some roof repair and the back doors need to be redone
that would be your bladder

then
the roads to the barn are damaged
they need to be repaired some
so the roads would be your ureters

now to the damaged barns
the cows can live there and the hay can be stored there
however
one day that will both collapsed and cant be used
the barns would be your kidneys

so
some day a new barn will need to be brought in with its own road
the old barns will not be torn down since they might be used some even though they are severely damaged

that new barn will be donated by someone like a friend a relative a stranger or someone who dies and their family gives it to you
these folks have two barns but only really need one of them
the new barn will be your new kidney
it will save your life

so
one day when the electrician plumber carpenter urology does his repair work on the house and the roads when the architect the nephrologist says the old barns are about to collapse
mr h
she will say ok its time to fix the infrastructure and the house and doors so we can move in your new barn
then
in will come the barn movers with your new house and put it into place
they will be your transplant surgeons

when will that happen mr h
it seems its when we hear creaking in that old barn structure giving signs its going to all collapse
the longer we wait the better it will be for you
but
we cant wait too long though

so mr b
its all like a farm

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: its about the service

organicgreendoctor: its about the service: ITS ABOUT THE SERVICE traderjoes.com it was with interest yesterday when i saw the headline on my news feed amazon was about to to ente...

its about the service

ITS ABOUT THE SERVICE

traderjoes.com

it was with interest yesterday when i saw the headline on my news feed
amazon was about to to enter the grocery business
now they already have whole foods
this would be different

from what i could tell it would be like some of amazons other stores
you walk in and get what you want
check yourself out maybe with your cellphone
sack it up
and
you are out of there

you just amazoned it

what do you do if you cant find the ketchup or the pasta sauce eg
do you ask some kiosk or something

now me
when i was in texas it was no doubt hands down heb
but
here in california heb aint here
there is absolutely nothing like a heb ive found here

so
we shop at trader joes
they have 90% of what we need
they have friendly folks you can stop and ask where something is
they will stop what they are doing and go help you find it
when you get ready to check out
they load the stuff onto the check out counter
then check your stuff
they then load up your bags for you
all  professional like
talking friendly chit chat while they are doing it
there is usually not any long lines

i dont think amazon can match that trader joes feeling you get when you shop there
its definitely not at the other grocery stores in this area either

its all about the service

now
i get these gift cards that spin off from my american express card so i use the orange big box store
to buy hardware stuff until i run out of the gift card then i go back to our favorite local ace hardware store

sbhicace.com

at the orange one if you can find someone to help you commonly they dont help much
some do but most dont
if you can find one
then
their lines are all check out yourself lines
long ones sometimes just like the other grocery store lines

at the orange store if you talk to the garden folks they really dont usually know much
however
at the local store you can talk to the garden person all day about gardening

they have folks walking around with red vests that are looking to help you and they know what they are talking about and they dont seem to run when your walk towards them like the orange store folks do

then when you check out there are multiple lines manned by folks who smile and are helpful

i prefer going there

its all about the service

so
i wonder why the other chain of stores dont adopt this same philosophy

my wife she and i were talking about going into stores and not being able to find anyone to help you
they were either not around or seem to play hide and seek with you

the last time i shopped at a sears store to buy a small appliance i never was able to find someone to talk to
so i went to the cashier who said just got get what you want off the shelf
that was the last time i shopped at sears
that was years ago

so
why cant these folks figure it out like traders joes did and how the local ace store has figured it out

its all about the service
for me at least

the organicgreen doctor