organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-does it put you at risk for covid ...

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-does it put you at risk for covid ...: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-DOES IT PUT YOU AT RISK FOR COVID 19 the apoe 4 gene puts you at risk for developing late onset alzhemers disease if you ...

alzheimers news-does it put you at risk for covid 19

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-DOES IT PUT YOU AT RISK FOR COVID 19

the apoe 4 gene puts you at risk for developing late onset alzhemers disease
if you get one version its increased up to 5 times
if you get the double version it may be increased up to 10-20 times

i have the apoe 4 double version of the apoe 4 gene
i probably got the covid 19 infection
did the apoe 4 gene make me at risk to get the covid 19
maybe
according to the study linked here

apoe 4 is involved in cholesterol transport and in inflammation

it may be the involvement in inflammation that makes a double variant apoe 4 person to tend to get the more severe form of covid 19 infections

the researchers looked at people who had the double version of apoe 4 then looked at how severe the infection was that these people had
these apoe 4 apoe 4 patients had a two times increase in the severe cases of covid 19 as compared to apoe 3 apoe 3 patients

some researchers wondered if it was because apoe 4 double version patients tended to have alzheimers disease at a greater rate than folks without the apoe 4 gene
having alzheimers disease puts you at risk for not only covid 19 but also other infections like pneumonia and flu

there is a inflammatory response that is involved in these severe cases
could the apoe 4 inflammatory response be the reason they got more severe illness
maybe

patients with alzheimers disease and the elderly are more vulnerable to the covid 19
many alzheimers patient are in long term care facility which are themselves high risk places to be
they these long term care facilities have been sources of some outbreaks

if you are around an elderly person or one with alzheimers or dementia
be safe

wear a mask around them
keep 6ft distance from them
wash your hands before and after seeing them
dont touch your face or nose

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: 52nd day post quarantine

organicgreendoctor: 52nd day post quarantine: 52ND DAY POST QUARANTINE this is the mask i wear if i go outside my door to what i call a high risk environment or where i want to be more...

52nd day post quarantine

52ND DAY POST QUARANTINE

this is the mask i wear if i go outside my door to what i call a high risk environment or where i want to be more safe for others i will be around ie mr hudson

this is a n95 mask that i wear when i go to traders joes to shop for groceries
they seem to be the safest place in protecting those who enter the store
you have to wear a mask
the carts are handed to you all wiped down
a limited number of folks are let in the store
there are marks for what looks like a long 6 ft to stand if you wait in line
when you check out you stand in a red box marked on the floor which is at least 6 feet from the cashier
the cashier stands behind a plexiglass screen
when the cashier finish checking your groceries you walk up on your side of the plexiglass shield and run your credit card through the card reader
i use a card that doesnt need a number entered in
you grab your own receipt
they sack your groceries in a box or paper bag
there is no bring your own bag
after you unload your cart into your car there is usually a parking lot person that takes it from you

if i go to the doctors office or the pharmacy i wear my  n95 mask
if i go to the garden i wear my cloth mask but if there are several people in the garden i will switch over to my n95 mask

i must say traders joes feels much safer than going to the doctors office or the pharmacy

the rest of the time if i go out my door i usually wear my cloth mask
why
it especially the n95 protects me from getting reinfected and protects others if i am infected
the cloth one mainly protects you from infecting others but also offers some protection from you inhaling the virus

now i probably have antibodies and i likely am protected from the virus infecting me for awhile
i cant be sure though that im immune and probably wont know until later this year when more research is done and more accurate antibody tests are available

why someone will not wear a mask i cant understand that
if you get a bad case like i had you wont be so macho and political about wearing one

wearing a mask may protect your pregnant wife your child with asthma or other immune suppressing disease your elderly parents or elderly grandparents your obese friends and family members
folks you know with diabetes heart disease hypertension etc

so
wear a mask protect those around you

i also wash my hands entering the house and leaving the house
i have hand sanitizer in my car that i use whenever i get back in my car

after entering our condo i wipe down my keys cell phone the door knobs railing etc with disinfectant
i wipe down our countertops every day also

i change my shoes at the door
i usually change my clothes if i feel i was in an unsafe environment

so we all should
wear a mask
wash our hands
keep a safe distance from each other i like 10 ft
limit your exposure

be safe

this is the week where if trump or pence got exposed and got infected they will show symptoms

its been over 2 months since i got sick
my residual symptoms are
hoarseness
fatigue
a loss of appetite
weight loss
continued shortness of breath on exertion but definitely better than even 2 weeks ago
my shingles seems to be gone except for some intermittent discomfort that doesnt require me to take any meds for it
my blood pressure is now under control after my medicine was restarted
since i lost weight my dose that works is half what it was before i got sick
as i gain weight back i may have to have it increased some

i have accepted the fact that fatigue and shortness of breath will be with be for awhile
that
i can live with

my case wasnt severe and even though i have residual symptoms they are not as bad as what many folks are left with
many are left as respiratory cripples requiring oxygen and inhalers and limited activities

im good
ill take what ive got since i can deal with this

be safe
follow these simple rules
protect yourself and your at risk loved ones
wear a mask
wash your hands
keep social distancing

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: update on mr hudson

organicgreendoctor: update on mr hudson: UPDATE ON MR HUDSON mr hudson his time has arrived he has to now have his transplant his kidney function has deteriorated to the point w...

update on mr hudson

UPDATE ON MR HUDSON

mr hudson his time has arrived
he has to now have his transplant
his kidney function has deteriorated to the point where
either he gets transplanted now
or
he has to start peritoneal dialysis
there is no more waiting

for those medical folks
his bun is 77
his creatinine is 8.44
this is worse than last months labs

we are all ready to get this done
you can now tell that he doesnt feel good
someone who didnt know him wouldnt think he had anything wrong with him
but
sadly
he does

he was scheduled to have it done last month
we were all ready as was the live kidney donor
then
the covid 19 outbreak shut down transplants all across the country
including at his hospital cedars sinai

now like most transplant services they are starting to do the transplants again

right now his transplant is scheduled for july 7th
six weeks from now
hudson and his parents have to be in los angeles to live for at least 4 weeks if not longer after the transplant

the big issue is
we have to keep hudson and the living donor covid 19 free
then
we have to get the living donor here safely from the east coast

if she drives or comes via a commercial flight she has to be quarantined in los angeles for 2 weeks before the transplant
driving and commercial flying is high risk
i wouldnt do it

the option that is the best to get the living donor here covid 19 free is to fly her on a private jet
where she doesnt have to get off the plane at all until she gets to los angeles
plus
she doesnt have to be quarantined for 2 weeks

thats the option that everyone from his kidney doctor his transplant doctor his infectious disease doctor his parents his grandparents think is the best option

a few months ago the childrens organ transplant association or cota fund for mr hudson was set up
at that time there were no thoughts of having to transport the living donor via private airplane

the cota sets up a fund for mr hudson that stays with him all of his life
any funds donated to him is kept in the fund for him to access for expenses related to his kidney disease
like heath care not covered by his private insurance
like living and travel expenses associated with his medical care
now
it seems
part of the funds will be used to safely transplant the living donor here via private jet

so
mr hudson has pilots and owners of a private jet that will fly the donor to los angeles
all the family has to do is provide for the flight expenses
yep
its not cheap
somewhere between $30000 to $50000
the transplant itself will cost around $1 million
most of the transplant expenses but not all will be covered by private insurance
the fund will also be used to cover those noncovered costs

this week the ceo of the company hudson mom works for when he found out about hudson sent out a hey we need to help mr hudson video to the employees
so far over 335 folks have donated close to $55000 to the cota fund in the last few days
the donors are friends relatives fellow employees and strangers

as of now there is enough in the fund to cover the cost of flying the living donor here via private jet
the rest will be used for all those thousands of dollars that arent covered by health insurance

this week the local tv station and local news service did a story on mr hudson

the article can be linked here

the youtube video is below

mr hudson if i would describe him would have the personality the temperament of my mother
those who know her understand what a pleasant person she was

during the interview my son described mr hudson as a kind soul

thats how i think best to describe him
a real kind soul

i last got to hold and play with mr hudson on 3-20 the day before i got sick
thankful i didnt transfer the infection to him

after i got out of quarantine or self isolation i still continued to have some symptoms so on the safe side i had decided to not get near him until i felt better
then as i got better i last week ended up with the shingles so i still havent after all this time to be able to play with him
i have though stayed outside the fence and watched him from a distance

every time i see him he wanders over to the flower bush
picks a flower
hands it to me through the fence
yep
i tear up every time he does that

because of the covid 19 restrictions my wife she and i will not get to go to the hospital at all when he gets transplanted
only mom and dad can be there and they can only have one of them at a time

im not ok with that but in these times i accept it

we are all ready to do this
yep its time

you can access the childrens organ transplant association fund for hudsons transplant 
at this link

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-a critical review of the protocol

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-a critical review of the protocol: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE PROTOCOL not long after i was diagnosed dr dale bredesen published a paper about the reversal of...

alzheimers news-a critical review of the protocol

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE PROTOCOL

not long after i was diagnosed dr dale bredesen published a paper about the reversal of cognitive decline
he took 10 people and put them on his protocol
it was a 36 point protocol
its outlined in the link here and above
9 of the 10 people on the protocol got better
his theory was if you did those 36 things that can help memory or might help memory that all added together may help to slow down the disease or make it better

its hard to do good scientific studies on something like 36 things
usually you do them one at a time when you study things
not 36

doing a study like that probably will not ever be done

he later wrote a best selling book called the end of alzheimers

i read the book and started on some of his protocol not long after it was published in 2014

now much of what is in his protocol is recommended by most memory care specialists
some of the supplements and labs are agreed to be helpful by these specialists

things recommended that i did or had done that most memory specialist agree with are
a diet similar to the mind diet
try to do a 12 hr fast between evening meal and breakfast
get a good 8 hrs of sleep
reduce stress in your life
exercise
be mentally active
do good oral hygiene
be socially active
control your blood pressure your cholesterol your diabetes your weight

the labs i did were
homocysteine which was too high so i take folate and b12 to lower it
vitamin b12 was low so i take b12 orally
vitamin d3 was low so i take d3 orally
testosterone levels were normal
thyroid levels were normal
crp that measures inflammation in the body was normal
i chose not to do the rest of the labs he recommended

most memory specialists have no problem with these labs i had done

i started on supplements that i thought might help
i have settled on these to take every day since they are sometimes recommended
turmeric
probiotics
coconut oil caused indigestion so it was stopped
vitamin e but stopped eventually since it caused indigestion
omega 3 but stopped for the same reason
resveratrol but stopped it later since a well done study showed it may not help
coq10 but stopped it later
b complex but stopped because of indigestion

so after doing all of this for 6 years i settled on this regimen above for me
its probably one that most memory care specialist would have no problem with

so recently a neurologist from ucsf wrote an opinion piece on what she thinks of the bredesen protocol
its linked here

if you are on the protocol or have considered the protocol i suggest you read it
then
form your own opinion of whether it works for you

i read the article which is critical of the protocol
reviewed the original reversal of cognitive decline protocol
it didnt change my mind on what im doing

there probably is some truth in what he recommends thats not accepted by most memory specialists
it just hasnt been studied in good well done scientific research
and
sadly probably never will be done

in the meantime
i picked out the parts that work for me then thats what im doing
i dont begrudge anyone who decides to do his complete regimen

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: garden news-t tomato babies

organicgreendoctor: garden news-t tomato babies: GARDEN NEWS-T TOMATO BABIES this t tomato named after my wet suitcase sister in law grew up as a volunteer in the bed against the wall at ...

garden news-t tomato babies

GARDEN NEWS-T TOMATO BABIES

this t tomato named after my wet suitcase sister in law grew up as a volunteer in the bed against the wall at the entry to their house
it got morning sun and as it grew up and over the wall it started getting some afternoon sun
it grew in this spot for two years producing a ton of delicious tomatoes shown in the picture below

as many of us gardeners know volunteer tomaotes plant themselves and sometimes seem to do better than the tomatoes us gardeners plant ourselves

i ate several of these tomatoes over the summer and into the fall
so
i took one
let the seeds dry
then saved them in a seed envelope until this january
then i planted several of them in 4 inch pots then as the plant grew i stepped it up to a 1 gallon pot
i donated two of these tomatoes to my wet suitcase sister in law for her garden this year

the tomatoes were kept in our living room and front porch
when i got sick with the covid 19
my wife she took over their care for two weeks which despite a brown thumb took good care of them

when i was able to go to my garden i planted four of the remaining babies in my garden
then
i donated some to the gardens veggie sale

here is the t tomato growing happily in my garden
i actually have picked 3 tomatoes off one of them
my wife she ate them before i could get a picture

the day i got sick i was actually in the community garden planting this t tomato
it has its own special yellow metal support cage
i must have done a good job planting it that day since its much bigger than the other tomatoes in the garden

i look forward to harvesting these t tomato babies to see what they look like
i sure hope they are as good as the original t tomato

if you look in the bottom of the t tomato that green stuff growing is purslane
here its a weed that is weeded out of the garden
at the country n i use to plant it in the garden
we used it in our salads

the purple plants around the tomato is amaranth
i pick the young leaves to use in salads
you can pick the larger leaves to use in stir fries

the yellow flowers are sunflowers

this last week i prepped this 30 ft bed with the community garden compost then i planted two rows of green beans
these will be donated to the local food kitchens and shelters

here is the row of onions that i planted several weeks ago
these onions are the same as i have planted in my garden
when the onions fall over
that means the green tops fall over to the ground
they will be pulled and dried for a few days in the sun then will also be donated

here is hoping those t tomato babies are as delicious as the original one

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my rainwater brother

organicgreendoctor: my rainwater brother: MY RAINWATER BROTHER this weekend my rainwater brother died unexpectedly we shared the special interest of gardening and rainwater collec...

my rainwater brother

MY RAINWATER BROTHER

this weekend my rainwater brother died unexpectedly
we shared the special interest of gardening and rainwater collection and financial stuff
we taught each other gardening i taught him about rainwater collection and he taught me about financial stuff

this tank above we selected and picked out for a special spot at the country n
he and i went to a small plant near where we lived to find the right one
this one was like a funnel on top which we would be able to help catch the water off the roof of our upstairs deck
he liked this rainwater tank
he eventually bought two at this plant that matched the brick on the front of his house so it wasnt noticeable from the street to keep the hoa happy
he watered his front shrubs with them
his backyard was an accumulation of several sized tanks that watered all his garden and his shrubs
he spent a lot of time asking me questions about my rainwater system which was a complete water system
he put in as much as he could in his yard since he was limited by hoa regulations

he had a rich nutritious soil and garden
the first thing we would do when i came to visit him was to spend time looking at his garden and rainwater system
he asked me lots of questions about gardening and rainwater collection


there were three times in my life that stand out where he helped me

after high school i dropped out of college and was working at a bag plant and later a road crew
he and my historian brother convinced me to leave that area and move in with my historian brother who was stationed in southern california  in the air force

when he came home between his junior and senior year at the air force academy i went back with him
he dropped me off at the bus station in albuquerque
i went on to california and he drove back to the academy

after graduation his first assignment for a year was flight school in california a few hours away

through his and my historian brothers encouragement i went back to college

then
a few years later i was married with one son and had just moved to little rock to attend medical school there
the week before school started my loans fell through and i had no money to pay for school
zero

he had told me to let him know if i needed funds for school
so
i reached out to him
by monday morning i had enough money sent to me to get us through the first semester
he refused to take any payments back for the loan
later after i was in practice i did pay him back but had to do so without him knowing i did it

thats how he was
he did a lot of things for folks in his life but most people didnt know about it
he never talked about it

he had a bachelors degree from the academey and also had two masters degrees one an mba
he also did two years in law school while in the military but had to discontinue it because of military assignments
he retired from the air force after twenty years mostly as a pilot
he worked around 10 years as a civilian teaching military pilots how to fly the big planes he flew

he was stationed some in saudia arabia flying the big awac planes who do the traffic control
he would do 3 months there then go home for a few months
this was during the iran and iraqui wars

he also was the wing commander of the awacs which are the big 747 planes with the huge satellite dish on top
his planes provided the air traffic control for the military when the us invaded panama

he rarely talked about his military experiences though

later he also became a certified financial planner a cfp
he used my historian brother and me as his first customers

i didnt really understand stocks and bonds and all that financial stuff
so
he began a many years of educating me on my finances
so
that the last several years i have been able to do most of it on my own
occasionally i would reach out to him when i needed help

then
recently he and i sat down and he showed me the file he had set up for his wife whenever he died
so she would know where everything was at like the will the bank accounts the retirement stuff and all the other information one needs when the spouse dies

we did a final review this last summer of how he had his all set up
i came back to california and started doing the same for my wife she and i
after being sick with probable covid we became more aggressive doing all the paper work
so all the information is there when its needed

he will be missed
he saved me first when i was 20 and influenced me to make a move that changed my life
he saved me to help me get started that first year of medical school
he saved me with my financial education
he and i shared many an hour talking gardening and rainwater collection

he helped a lot of people we didnt ever know about
the family is starting to hear some of the stories now that he is gone

he was a special person
he will be missed

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: 45th day post quarantine

organicgreendoctor: 45th day post quarantine: 45TH DAY POST QUARANTINE its hard to believe its been over 2 months since i got sick i still have these symptoms malaise and fatigue tha...

45th day post quarantine

45TH DAY POST QUARANTINE

its hard to believe its been over 2 months since i got sick
i still have these symptoms
malaise and fatigue thats worse in the afternoon and evening
continued shortness of breath if i overexert
i would say my endurance is about 75% of what it was before i got sick
i still have some hoarseness but its better
i still have a reduced appetite
i read that these symptoms are common in people who recover from a covid 19 infection

my malaise and fatigue is complicated by restarting my aricept (donepezil) which i got off of when i was the sickest
after my body readjusts to the aricept which usually takes a couple of months it causes less symptoms

this fatigue is aggravated now by an outbreak of shingles on my forehead or the supraorbital nerve
i recognized it as starting late thursday night since i had 2 pustules with redness pop up on my forehead that were tender
i also had a headache where that nerve that goes up the forehead and into scalp and had eye pain
yes i had the shingles shot when i  turned 60
i realized though that i didnt get the 2 shot series which came out a couple of years ago
neither will protect you 100%
the one i got protects you around 50%
the two shot one protects you at a much higher %
yes i can get shingles again
since i was having some eye pain i went to the ophthalmologist the next day
i had no eye involvement yet that he could see
i will do a 10 day course of an antiviral valtrex to slow this down
acetaminophen every 6 hours keeps the pain under control
the lesions and redness and tenderness have almost gone
so
the med valrex and the shingles both can add to the fatigue

yes there are several reports of folks getting shingles after the covid 19 infections
anything that knocks down your immune system can do this
i am hoping since i recognized what this was and jumped on it within a few hours that the meds will work
if you get treatment after 72 hours its less effective
im sure you have seen folks with a bad flare up before and saw how painful this can be
my wife she had it bad once and was in bed and in pain for a week
hopefully i wont do this

this week because of the exertional shortness of breath i saw a cardiologist to evaluate my symptoms to make sure the shortness of breath wasnt cardiac in etiology
the covid 19 causes blood clots which can get in your heart arteries and cause heart attacks
and causes strokes and causes clots in the extremities and causes pulmonary blood clots
it also can cause arrhythmia problems with the electrical system in the heart
most of us has read about what it can do to kids with the kawasaki like syndrome that hits the heart

the cardiologist did a stress echo which does
an echocardiogram before i exercise and after i exercise
a continuous ekg before during and after the stress test
i really was able to go much longer than i really thought i would do

my irregular heart beats are mostly premature atrial contractions which are usually benign

afterwards he gave me a green light to increase my physical activity

now the shortness of breath which is much much better is probably due to a lost of conditioning and probably residual damage done from the covid 19 to the lungs
in most folks that usually returns back to normal

my appetite is better
i am eating more at each meal
i am usually not real hungry but i eat anyway
i am still eating the organic soup kitchen soups once a day since they are loaded with calories and nutrition
i am also loading in calories where i can
when i was at the cardiologist i weighed 3 lbs more than i did 10 days ago

there are a lot of us who have had this covid 19 infection who are having these symptoms
i see malaise and fatigue and shortness of breath as a persistent symptom they have now

i am not complaining
i am happy to be alive
if i am now left with how i am now then i am definitely ok with that
i can live this way and be happy
minus of course the shingles

this morning i read this article which i will link here
it was written by the physician author of the book being mortal
many of you have probably read this book
if you havent you should
he works at brigham young hospital system in boston which has one of the lowest rate of infection among its health care workers

what they are doing to keep down the infections we should all be doing
if we are going to open up our economy this is what we all have to do
its simple and not much to ask to save our jobs and save our loved ones lives

each thing is like a leg on a chair
do all of them you can sit in the chair
dont do one and the chair topples over

wear a mask
do hygiene like wash your hands and disinfect high use areas
keep a safe distance from others
stay home if you have symptoms

each by itself doesnt help as much
as
if you do all four together

dont do one then it doesnt help

i look at all those folks who got let out this weekend at the beaches and the bars and the stores
i notice they all arent do these 4 simple things

i expect from looking at these pictures and videos that you can draw a circle on the map where they are at
i saw a lot of high risk folks in those pictures and videos
you will see an outbreak in about 2-4 weeks there

so
in summary

wear a mask is that too much to ask of you
do hygiene like wash your hands and clean counter tops
keep a safe distance from others
stay home if you have symptoms

maybe its not just the deaths we should be looking at
it may also be the disability that folks are suffering from who have had the covid 19 infection

in spain it appears that only 5% of the population even got the infection
but
look at all the deaths and illness it caused there

this is the most highly contagious disease that anyone alive has ever seen
worse than the plague worse than the flu worse than polio

all we are being asked is to do these 4 simple things
thats not to much to ask is it

just
to save our jobs
to save our loved ones lives

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-blood test for alzheimers

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-blood test for alzheimers: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-BLOOD TEST FOR ALZHEIMERS when you do an evaluation of someone with memory loss to rule out azheimers and other dementias ...

alzheimers news-blood test for alzheimers

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-BLOOD TEST FOR ALZHEIMERS

when you do an evaluation of someone with memory loss to rule out azheimers and other dementias there is a fairly standard way to do the evaluation

do a good history and physical evaluation

do screening labs like a cbc thyroid levels and a complete metabolic profile for glucose liver functions kidney functions electrolytes etc

do an in office memory test like the mmse or moca
if its abnormal or if the history shows the need a more involved neuropyschological exam is done

do an mri if the above doesnt give you a diagnosis
this rules out masses or tumors or brain shrinkage or increased fluid or stroke or some vascular abnormalities

most of the time the workup can end here
since the diagnosis can be made

if needed more testing can be done
usually insurance doesnt pay for these extra tests

an amyvid pet scan for amyloid can be done
if a person has alzheimers it will be positive
sometimes folks who dont have alzheimers will have a positive scan
but
if again if you have alzheimers even if you are early in the disease process the scan will be positive

a spinal tap for amyloid and tau analysis of the spinal fluid
the amyloid and tau levels are abnormal in alzheimers disease

after all these tests above you can usually tell someone with a good degree of accuracy if they have alzheimers or not

of course
these last two tests are not covered by insurance and can cost several thousands of dollars
the amyvid pet scan is around $5000+
i paid over a $1000 for my spinal fluid analysis 10 years ago

researchers have been looking for an accurate blood test that can be ran on a persons blood so they dont have to have the expensive and uncomfortable amyvid scan and spinal tap

they are close but not there yet

recently as described in this article linked here
researchers at mcgill university may have found the blood test
also linked in that article is the original article on this blood test in the medical journal the lancet

as alzheimers develops amyloid accumulates first leaving plaques of amyloid that kills brain cells
the amyvid pet scan identifies the amyloid
its an expensive test

later proteins in the nerve cells called tau unravel and form tangles that get deposited in the brain
these also kill brain cells
the spinal tap can identify when this tau accumulation happens and also the amyloid accumulation
its well a spinal tap and it cost a thousand bucks to do the test

if you could do a good accurate blood test you could bypass these two test

at mcgill researchers think they have found it

the protein is called ptau181 which can be measured in the blood and seems to be accurate
even early on

when compared to the amyvid pet scan and  the spinal tap for amyloid and tau it was just as accurate as the amyvid pet scan and the spinal fluid analysis

if you want you can read the article and go to the original scientific the lancet article to get more details
this is my simple version of what it says

so at a much lower cost you might be able to do a blood test in your primary care providers office for the ptau182 blood test to go along with all the other workup that they do ie the history and exam and the other blood tests mentioned above and the memory test and the mri scan

when this is all done then you should have an accurate diagnosis without all the expensive and uncomfortable testing of the amyvid scan and the spinal tap fluid

these are all tests that a primary care provider would be able to do

i sure hope this blood test for the ptau181 protein ends up to be the one we have been waiting on

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #42-the interviews

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #42-the interviews: MY STORY REVISITED #42-THE INTERVIEWS since i was diagnosed almost 10 years ago i have been interviewed multiple times by newspapers and t...

my story revisited #42-the interviews

MY STORY REVISITED #42-THE INTERVIEWS

since i was diagnosed almost 10 years ago i have been interviewed multiple times by newspapers and television reporters and students from high schools and colleges about my story and about alzheimers disease
i never turn them down

the best and the most well written article linked here was by mary ann roser from the austin american statesman who was at that time the medical writer for the paper

she did an interview for over 2 hours at our country n with me
she also interviewed my wife she for a long time
she interviewed my office nurse our clinic administrator the head of our clinic my neurologist who was also the investigator for the adni alzheimers study i was in at ut southwesteren the research director there and a top well known alzheimers researcher from harvard
she did a good thorough job

it was published in the austin american statesman but was also picked up by the associated press and was published in papers across the us
i got messages from friends and family who saw it in their local papers

mary ann roser and i have stayed in contact over the years
she follows my blog
once on a flight from austin to san francisco she was on the plane
we sat together for part of the flight
she did most of the talking like she was reinterviewing me

about a year ago i got a facebook message from her
she said you know you should take your alzheimers blogs you have written over the last 10 years and make it into a book

i told her im not sure i have the energy and skill to do that
so
instead i look at my old blogs and clean them up some then write what i think about it 10 years later

i have so far redone 42 of them and i havent gotten through the first year yet

its interesting to see some of my thinking back then and compare it to where i am now

i must say getting ill with the covd 19 and having issues after leaving quarantine that are still lingering even almost 2 months later
well
it does make you rethink things a lot

ive written before when i was at my low point when i was sick i really worried that this was it
i was going to be really disappointed that all that effort and work i did for 10 years was going to be just wiped out by this fing virus
but
its looking like i may come out on the the side mostly intact minus a few lbs

i feel like a shipwrecked survivor who looks like crap
but
over time is able to return back to normal

here is the link from the archives of the austin american statesman on the article
a reporter from the statesman use to call me every 3 years to do a follow up article on how i was doing
these are also in their archives

here is the link from the deseret news from salt lake city of the same article

thank you again mary ann roser for a job well done
we need more newspaper writers like you
__________
11-22-2011
THE ARTICLE
the article in the austin american-statesman was published today
here is the link to the article
note this link no longer is available see above for the archive link

this article was written after a 2 hour interview with me at my house
by mary roser the reporter for the american-statesman
she is very good at doing interviews
and seems to understand the essence of my story and captured it well

thanks to her for a good job

i have decided not to do a regular blog today but to let this article be
my blog today as it does capture the essence of what i am and what
i want to do

if you are new to this blog read last fridays blog about how to
navigate some of my past blog postings

thanks to jeff carlton for writing the article for the ut southwestern
alzheimers research center and for helping arrange the interview
with mary roser
here is his article at this link see pages 2 and 4

i am impressed with the professionalism that both these reporters
have and how well they seem to reach the essence of my story

in these times where newspapers and internet news and television
news are not using reporters any more to do stories
ive realized how important they are to getting the stories right

take the day today to think about alzheimers disease and how it
has affected your life and how it will affect your life in the future

get involved in some way
__________

jeff carlton also did a lengthy interview with me and wrote the article for the alzheimers centers newsletter about my story linked above

rereading this sure makes my brain go into full gear thinking about the last 10 years
which is good for jump starting some of my brain cells that have been inactive for a few weeks

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my take on the covid 19

organicgreendoctor: my take on the covid 19: MY TAKE ON THE COVID 19   i am a retired family physician who managed to survive a moderate covid 19 infection this year i have read a ...

my take on the covid 19

MY TAKE ON THE COVID 19 

i am a retired family physician who managed to survive a moderate covid 19 infection this year

i have read a lot about past pandemics throughout history

we can learn a lot from what worked then and what didnt work

the same applies to this covid 19 pandemic

i watch news about the covid 19 but try to stay away from the fringes on both sides

i read a lot of reputable articles on the covid 19

i am in a high risk category and have several folks in my circle that are high risk

i want to do what i can to protect them from getting infected like my wife she and i did

as i think about it i probably got infected from volunteering at the school or at the grocery store

those were my two highest risk exposures

i listen to two people who tell the truth

dr fauci and dr birx

they are speaking true science unbent by politics

science doesnt lie it tells the truth

man lies and doesnt tell the truth

if we follow what they say we will fare better than those who oppose what they say

this is the  most contagious virus that is easily spread to everyone we have seen in my lifetime

my wife she and i probably maybe could be immune

science will tell us soon if we are

we happily await the vaccine

this virus will come in waves

this first one is not the worst one 

that will be the next one caused by folks now overexposing everyone to the virus

that surge should be coming over the next few weeks

then

the next one maybe the biggest one will hit us this fall when the flu usually hits

until the vaccine comes the waves will just keep on coming

although they might get smaller as time goes on 

trump and pence were exposed and we will know in the next 2 weeks if they are infected

theres nothing they can do but wait and not infect others

the rules to keep from getting it are simple

follow them and you will fare better than those who dont

my guess is one of the two will get it

schools should not open this year that includes colleges except for online courses

they the younger kids are good vectors for this virus

if they do open we will see those kids who are immunosuppressed and the teachers and employees in high risk groups get infected and their families

i cant see a scenario where kids can go to school and not have this happen

there will be no football or baseball or basketball etc at any level this year

they will try 

but

the numbers will not be good especially i predict tor football

those big ole lineman arent going to fare well with the covid 19 infections

the us has 1/3 of the cases in the world

we have 1/4 of the death cases in the world

those numbers arent good

those numbers arent accurate

the actual cases are much much higher probably tens if not a hundred times more

the death rates are also much higher 

this fall if folks cant do mail in ballots 

well people are going to vote

voting will kill a lot of people this year

except 

in states where they do mail in voting

i know what needs to be done to keep from getting this infection

and

from spreading it to others

i am taking personal responsibility to make sure that doesnt happen

i look around at folks

and

see them 

without masks

in groups

too close to each other

thats 3 guarantied ways to catch this virus

i feel like i have been able to find the truth in all of this

i know what needs to be done to be safe

thats what i/we are going to do

if you chose to not do this then you bear some responsibility for the viruses spread

each employer has to look closely at how they can make it safe for their workers to work

for their customers to be safe

eg

i look at traders joes as a model of how to do it

there are some business that just cant safely operate until this all passes

until this all passes in 1 or 2 or even 3 years

we in the us 

we are heading in the wrong direction and are leading in the wrong statistics

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: 38th day post quarantine

organicgreendoctor: 38th day post quarantine: 38TH DAY POST QUARANTINE ive documented my journey with the covid 19 infection over the last 7 weeks hoping to give folks an insight to w...

38th day post quarantine

38TH DAY POST QUARANTINE

ive documented my journey with the covid 19 infection over the last 7 weeks hoping to give folks an insight to what this virus can do to you
if you asked me 3 weeks ago what i would be doing i would have said im back to where i was before i got sick
well
im not there yet
its been almost 7 weeks since i got sick

i have no fever no headache only occasionally runny nose no sorethroat hoarseness if i talk too much no cough no chest pain
i still have a lost of appetite
i think i could go all day without eating and have it not bother me
i have no diarrhea or stomach pain or bad nausea
just what my wife she said its like you have morning sickness

i have fatigue that hits me harder in the afternoon
i still have my shortness of breath that is definitely better than it was a week ago
enough that i can do more in the garden my measure of how im doing
i still have my ectopic heart beats that arent better and not worse

i have my stress echo scheduled this week to evaluate the heart
the covid 19 infections can attack every organ of the body
many folks think its just the lungs
but it can go after the heart causing damage to the heart muscle blood clots to the arteries inflammation of the heart and heart arrhythmias or irregular heart beats
thats what i am having evaluated with the stress echo and probably based on what it shows maybe a lengthy heart monitoring that i wear home with me

this will give me a good screening of my heart for any effect this covid 19 had on my heart
i had this done about 15 years ago when i developed chest pain after hiking in big bend national park
yes it was ok then

my risk factors are hypertension hyperlipidemia family history of heart attacks and heart disease and strokes
i have kept my blood pressure and cholesterol normal for several years
i also eat a mostly vegetarian diet or mind diet but i do eat meat if i want it ie sometimes i just want a real hamburger or some good ole bbq

after my cardiac workup i may have a baseline lung evaluation

my stomach issues are aggravated by the fact that im tapering back onto my dose of aricept (donepezil) for my mci due to alzheimers disease
i know that coming completely off this medicine may cause me to have a regression in my memory
since taking the aricept (donepezil) the last 10 years may be one of the reasons im doing so well
i dont want to lose that

so
the problem is it takes a month or so for those side effects you get from aricept to lessen
i take a pill each time i take the aricept that helps to control the nausea and indigestion it causes
i eventually will be able to stop that extra pill

now
this is my story with this virus

i would say i had a moderate infection that mainly attacked the gastrointestinal system and the respiratory system and maybe the cardiovascular system

more than likely i will return back to my preinfection state eventually and can go back to doing all that i was doing before this all started

i have lost another 5 lbs in a week so i weigh now what i weighed in high school
interesting is when i google my ideal body weight for my age and height and body build
it says that im at my ideal body weight
sorry
i want to be 15 lbs heavier than i am now

the organic soup kitchen soup for lunch each day adding a half an avocado and a scoop of rice and a scattering of cheese to the soup has increased my caloric intake

i actually researched how many calories i needed a day based on my age and usual activity
i realized i was not getting the calories i needed to regain my weight
so
i did a caloric count of my daily intake
i am able to increase calories by adding cheese and a slice of turkey to my morning egg sandwich
i added over a half a cup of mixed nuts a day spread out over 4 feedings
i added all that stuff to my lunch
i also added the same stuff to may evening meal
i also added things to increase my calories like ginger ale at lunch to help with nausea
this adds over a 100 calories a day

so
i basically am doing the opposite of what most folks are always trying to do
im trying to overeat as much as i can

i would hate to be one of those folks who were hit by a worse case of this infection than what i had
i can only imagine the health issues they must have

even if on the other side of all of this i am left with where i am now
im ok with that
i can do most of what i like to do
and
im alive

getting a case like this gives you a different perspective of this virus
a respect for what it can do to you

i think if more of those folks that arent doing what needs to be done to slow this down
ie
wearing a protective mask to protect those around them and maybe themselves
washing their hands a lot
keeping a safe distance

if they got this like i had or a more severe case
they
well
if they survive the infection
they would see things different


here is my or should i say our plan

if we leave our house we will wear a n95 mask
we wash our hands when we leave and when we return
we avoid going into any place of business
if we do we have our mask on
we disinfect our hands our car keys etc afterwards
we leave things we buy in quarantine for 72 hours unless its perishable

we realize we both may be immune from this virus
my guess since they are doing good research right now that by the end of the year we will know if we are truly immune

we will know in a few months if the first vaccine really works
if it does it will be mass produced to be given before the end of the year or right after the first
if it doesnt work there are several different ones that are being researched
we plan to get immunized if its available

until this happens with the testing and the immunization
my wife she and i will pretend we are not immune

if you mark you calender for 10 days
if trump and pence arent symptomatic they probably didnt get the infection
if they dont get it i hope they learned their lesson

they need to do all those things the rest of us are doing
even more so
those around them need to do all those things you would do if your loved ones were high risk for getting this infection
restrict who is around them
all who are must wear a mask
all should use hand washing a lot and frequent hand sanitizers
they both should probably be quarantined as much as possible
they need to keep their distance from others
the two of them should never be around each other

if they dont do this
one of them if not both will probably get infected

also
as you mark our calendar be ready since we will probably see an surge in cases again as more people are out there exposing each other not doing what they should be doing to protect those vulnerable to this disease

be safe
follow the rules
you dont want this infection

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-here comes the seaweed

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-here comes the seaweed: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-HERE COMES THE SEAWEED the last thing china sent us was a bad thing maybe this seaweed thing will be a good thing here...

alzheimers news-here comes the seaweed

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-HERE COMES THE SEAWEED

the last thing china sent us was a bad thing
maybe
this seaweed thing will be a good thing

here is the scientific article from nature on their research
warning its a lengthy article that has a lot of scientific and medical stuff in it

here is a short summary from being patient the alzheimers educational website thats written in more layman terms

i wrote about this seaweed pill in the past

china has approved a pill called oligomannate which is derived from seaweed for use in mild to moderate alzheimers disease
supposedly it works by altering the gut biology which affects maybe inflammation in the brain

in alzheimers there are three components to the disease

the deposition of amyloid which forms plaques
the unraveling of tau proteins from the nerve cells to form tau tangles
both of these causes brain cell death and inflammation

the worsening of inflammation in the brain from this damage
somehow the oligomannate seems to help in some way by altering the gut bacteria so that changes occur in the brain to fight this inflammation
in the chinese studies folks with alzheimers seemed to show some improvement when put on this drug

its approved to be used in china
it cost around $500 a month

the company that makes it will be doing studies in other countries including the us
yes several well know research sites are looking to take part in the studies

there will be two groups

one group will receive the real drug
another group will receive a placebo drug
then
after a period of time probably 6 months all study subjects will be placed on the real drug

these studies will be late phase studies my guess is phase 2 or phase 3

this is how you show if a drug really works
many of the us experts are doubtful this stuff helps
but
these studies will help tell us if it does

heck
i dont mind chewing on a little seaweed if this helps

i use seaweed when i water my veggies with my liquid fish emulsion+seaweed+molasses every two weeks
no
sorry
theres no way i would drink that stuff either
but
if this stuff would be truly shown to work then i would go for it ie take the oligomannate
but only if it showed it really helped more than slightly or a little bit
for $500 bucks a month i would want it to really work to take it

remember
some countries are not as strict as the us when it comes to evaluating a new drug then releasing it on the market for folks to take

my guess this will not be a cure all
but
maybe it could be one of those 30+ things i have written about that may slow things down

in the mean time till these studies get done
ill just stick to the healthy things im doing now

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: chickens and veggies

organicgreendoctor: chickens and veggies: CHICKENS AND VEGGIES for the last several weeks i ordered eggs on my instacart order and didnt get any for awhile so i was able to get egg...

chickens and veggies

CHICKENS AND VEGGIES

for the last several weeks i ordered eggs on my instacart order and didnt get any for awhile so i was able to get egg beaters which are basically eggs without the yolk
not as good but it is a good substitute during desperate times
now it seems the supply may have caught up with the demand since the last 3 weeks we have been able to get eggs
ok so i go to the old folks early morning shopping at traders joes when all the shelves are fully stocked
ok so i get there so im in the first 10 ones in the store and im out of there about 10-15 minutes later
virus free i hope

we have had backyard chickens half of our married life
when we were in college we rented a house that i was able to set up a chicken coop and we obtained 2 chickens which provided us with fresh eggs for almost a year
we were hooked after that

when we moved to the country n one of the first thing we got was chickens
i built a portable coop that later i converted to a stationary one

we ate fresh eggs every day for years
we gave them away as presents

since moving here we miss those fresh eggs every day
for awhile we would go to the farmers market to pick them up on saturday morning
we paid extra but the flavor was worth it
since we had the covid 19 we havent been back for fresh eggs

we are limiting our exposures since we cant be sure we are immune to the covid 19

im sure our condo wont allow us to keep chickens

we started our research on backyardchickens.com

we also went to presentations on backyard chickens

we also attended the popular austin funky chicken tours each year to see example of coops and to talk to the chicken coop owners

most if not all cities in the united states allow chicken coops with certain rules like no roosters and not too close to the neighbors and not too close to the house

yes even santa barbara allows them


next you should consider doing a veggie garden

if you live in an apartment you can easily grow them in pots
the secret is using a good potting soil dont skimp on this
veggies like tomatoes  may need to be watered twice a day during hotter weather
use a liquid organic fertilizer
i use an organic fish emulsion +sea weed+molasses solution to replace the nutrients that can be washed out easily in the warmer weather from the extra watering
i use the solutions at least every other week to twice a month
i get mine at the local ace store here
some but not all the local nurseries have this combo
in austin most if not all the nurseries have it
dont use a granular non organic fertilizer in these pots since salts will build up in the soil

you can also if you have space do a garden
a simple design is a 4 ft square one
dont use treated wood
but you can do any size you want
my son has a 5 ft x 8 ft garden that is easily accessed from any side
his is a foot in depth

its surprising how much you can grow in this size of a garden

you have to start with good organic soil
dont skimp here
for those in the austin area there are a lot of good sources for bulk organic soil
elsewhere you may have to get bags of soil
usually the square foot garden soils work well since they have everything already added to the soil

a couple of nurseries here that i have talked to here are selling their veggies and seeds and garden soils like hot cakes
folks are trying to grow some of their own foods

at our community garden we would have a plant sale each spring on easter saturday
which got canceled this year
so
we did a serve yourself sale that allowed folks to pick out their veggies and put the money in a larger jar sort of on the honor system
they werent exposed and we werent exposed
it was open all the time

interesting is that this is one of the best years for the spring veggie sale at the community garden

here is a nice article on starting your own garden titled
...how to start one

here is a link to a newsletter from the texas gardeners seeds newsletter which will be available on this link later this month
the may 6 2019 newsletter has an article entitled
5 tips for building a Victory Garden 2.0 raised garden bed
you can sign up for the newsletter online

so think about getting you a chicken or two
think about starting your own garden on your patio or porch or in your yard
then
enjoy your own fresh eggs and fresh veggies

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #41-my younger brother visit

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #41-my younger brother visit: MY STORY REVISITED #41-MY YOUNGER BROTHER VISIT as i sat there in the mexican restaurant with him and my rainwater brother i looked at him...

my story revisited #41-my younger brother visit

MY STORY REVISITED #41-MY YOUNGER BROTHER VISIT

as i sat there in the mexican restaurant with him and my rainwater brother i looked at him and listened to him and watched his movements
all i was thinking was
that is going to be you soon
when
i am not sure

today sitting here i really thought by now almost 9 years later that i would be closer to where he was with that disease that day
but
i am not and i am thankful for that

as i have written before i for some reason maybe the stuff to do below to slow it down
maybe all this has helped
i must add
starting the aricept (donepezil) early may have made a difference in slowing down symptoms

i know its up there since i have had all of the diagnostic studies one can have done today in modern medicine

that visit that day with him really bothered me a lot and is permanently burned into my brain
we spent all day with him and the evening with his family

all i can say its a cruel cruel disease

some of the things i tried early on i stopped
like the axona powder
and the omega 3 since it caused indigestion
i decided to prioritize what i was doing
you cant do all that might help so i decided to do the most important things
most of them listed below

when we went to see him that day it had been 10 months since i was diagnosed
i like him was on aricept (donepezil)

i frequently when im alone especially in the garden i will pause and think about that visit
just wondering how far i am time wise to that point


                    
10-28-2011
MY YOUNGER BROTHER
my rainwater brother and i will be visiting my younger brother
today
i havent written much about him in the past
he is progressing through a health problem that i did not want to
write about without permission from him and his family

i am glad am able to write about him now as he is part of this
alzheimers picture that i may have to deal with

he has alzheimers disease
he was diagnosed several years ago and has gradually progressed
with his disease

he is the mirror at which i see myself in the future
i just dont know how long that will be
im hoping that some of the things im doing will slow the process
down some for a period of time

what may help
controlling blood pressure and lipids
exercise
maintaining a normal weight
maintaining a normal diet and or a
mediterranean diet
being socially active
moderate alcohol intake
controlling diabetes
no smoking
staying mentally active
listening to music or playing a musical instrument
limiting stress
getting adequate sleep

taking aricept
maybe taking axona (smart powder) (alzheimers milkshake) ??
omega 3 fish oil
maybe turmeric acid (curcumin)
maybe vitamin d

although none of this will prevent the disease it may slow slow
slow slow it down some
so i can enjoy the next few years

here is the face of alzheimers disease
my younger brother he was the youngest of 5 boys
you know what his earlier life was like
he was always good at defending himself
(except for the time his historian brother hit him with the piece
off the plow and blooded his face and made him get a lot of stitches
-you can still see the scar-)

he survived his childhood eventually
he spent years as a fireman and retired in his forties
he then worked for several years as a deputy sheriff until his
retirement from that job
he had two drug dogs that traveled with him in remote areas of
southern arkansas
he and the dogs arrested a lot dealers
they were involved in the rescue of a child once who was lost in a
wooden area thanks to the ability of the dogs he had trained
it would get calls frequently to travel to help look for a lost person or
an escaped prisoner
the prisoners usually gave up when the dogs caught them
those who did not suffered if they tried to fight with the dogs
the dogs always won

after his retirement was when things began to unravel
i remember having him help me move my mom from her apartment to
the nursing home
he had difficulty getting the chairs through the door and got lost driving to
the nursing home

it was about this time he had an evaluation and was diagnosed with
alzheimers disease and was placed on aricept
the same medication im on and the same medication our mother was on

his disease has progressed now faster recently it seems
this is such a sad disease
here is a fireman deputy sheriff who built his own house once and who
could take a car motor apart and put it back together
and now
he has difficulties just doing his daily activities at home

he has two daughters and has 3 grandchildren who love him
his wife works full time and also has started the difficult job of
being a caretaker
the caretakers always get forgotten in all of this

they are lucky in that they live in a small community where people
can help and are usually willing to help
it seems to be part of the culture and nature there to do that
many people with this disease get isolated socially
its less likely to happen there as much as in other places

but it does happen though as
people are afraid of this disease and dont want to look it in the eyes

it is such a sad disease
it devastates the person and his family both emotionally and eventually
financially

one thing ive learned through all this is to seize the moment
the moment is today when we get to see him and spend the day with
his family
whether he knows me and my rainwater brother doesnt really matter
just that he knows that we were there today to visit him

seize the moment before it passes

we love you my younger brother who doesnt deserve this
terrible disease thrust on him and his family
                    

lets dont forget those who have suffered with this disease

the organicgreen doctor