organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-its getting closer to approval

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-its getting closer to approval: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-ITS GETTING CLOSER TO APPROVAL biogens aducanumab drug for alzheimers disease goes before the fda advisory committee next we...

alzheimers news-its getting closer to approval

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-ITS GETTING CLOSER TO APPROVAL

biogens aducanumab drug for alzheimers disease goes before the fda advisory committee next week on friday november 2020
here is the link to information on the meeting

if it is approved it could be available for use to slow down alzheimers disease as early as march 2021
or
the fda may make biogen do another extension of the trial that i am in 
or
they may make them do a lengthy phase 4 study that will delay its approval for several years

i got a notice this week that the alzheimers association sent this letter supporting aducanumabs approval for use in alzheimers disease

the aducanumab is an antibody against amyloid
it was discovered in elderly folks who dont get alzheimers disease
the drug company makes it in the lab in large quantities 
when given intravenous it removes the amyloid from the brain

in the phase 3 study that i am in it did remove amyloid from the brain such that a year after receiving it those on the higher dose had most of the amyloid removed from the brain
they also had the tau protein another culprit in alzheimers disease reduced in number
they also noted that folks activity of daily living and their memory decline got better taking the drug

i got 18 month of the placebo then i got 7 months of a high dose of aducanumab before the study was halted
i suspect if i had an amyvid pet scan done it would show that the amount of amyloid in my brain would have declined

i should find out in two weeks when this study i am in will be reactivated
if it is reactivated then i will receive the infusions for about 2 years more
if it is not reactivated then i plan on starting the infusions whenever the fda approves it for general use

it has been since 1996 since aricept was approved for use in alzheimers disease
now 14 years later we may have biogen aducanumab approved for use in alzheimers disease

im ready to restart the drug aducanumab whichever way i can get it

the studies to get the drug in research studies are closed

there is a drug called ban2401 that is in phase 3 studies ongoing now
here is the link on clinicaltrials.gov that  tells you more about that drug
it works similar to my drug aducanumab and is also made by biogen

i am excited to hear what the fda committee says about aducanumab
real excited

become involved with the alzheimers walks in your area
they are all being done virtually this year
find one and participate
you will make good contacts with folks that can help you when the time comes

here below is the information on my team organicgreendoctor that will walk in this years santa barbara walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 7 2020

the opening ceremony will be virtual
so anyone can watch it online

then

each individual member will walk in their neighborhood or favorite hiking trail wearing their purple alzheimers shirts for the 2-3 mile walk 
this is the safest way to do the walk this year
please wear your mask and keep a good social distance from others
hopefully next year we can all be live

here is the link to our team
the organicgreendoctor team

donate and or join us that day
you can walk wherever you live

maybe 2021 will be a good year

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: make your vote count

organicgreendoctor: make your vote count: MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT i voted almost 3 weeks ago i was able to track my ballot from the time it was mailed to me to the time it arrived to th...

make your vote count

MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT

i voted almost 3 weeks ago
i was able to track my ballot from the time it was mailed to me to the time it arrived to the voting office and when it was counted
i know my voted counted

i dropped mine in the mail in one of those blue post office boxes a block away
my wife she took hers to one of those ballot boxes
we have over 30 in our county 
alas in texas they only have one per county
harris county in houston has several million folks for that one ballot box
that is how voter suppression works

it seems that voter suppression that is going on mainly affects the democrats
but
there are a lot of republicans whose vote is being suppressed along the way

those lines dont discriminate on whose standing in them
granted those lines are not at all of the voting places
its pretty obvious whats going on 

but voting is a funny thing
people take it real serious
they will go through a lot to vote
some have had to stand in the rain and hot weather for hours and hours
but
they stuck it out and voted

they wanted to make sure their vote counted

if you are going to mail in your ballot
the advice in many states now is 
dont

take it to the voting offices and deposit them
hand carry them to the post office and have them hand stamp it before its mailed

the mail has slowed down in some places
accusations are it is being done on purpose
or
go vote in person if you have to 

be sure and wear your mask to protect yourself and the poll workers and the other voters

now here in california and some states thanks to the supreme court ruling 
if its postmarked by election day then you have 17 days for it to arrive
some states allow less time

know what the rules are in your state
dont lose your vote
make sure it counts

i hope that when this election is over with 
a bipartisan committee of half democrats and half republicans is formed to correct all of this voter suppression that is going on 
to make our elections so its easier and less restrictive for all folks to vote

be ready
we probably will not know who won for a few days unless biden wins by a huge margin
if he does it will be obvious that first day

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #63-amyvid

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #63-amyvid: MY STORY REVISITED #63-AMYVID that scan below with the red stuff on it is an amyvid pet acan  the red stuff is amyloid if you have alzheimer...

my story revisited #63-amyvid

MY STORY REVISITED #63-AMYVID

that scan below with the red stuff on it is an amyvid pet acan 
the red stuff is amyloid
if you have alzheimers you will have that red stuff show up on your amyvid pet scan
if you dont have that red stuff show up on your amyvid pet scan then your memory loss is not due to alzheimers

in 2012 the amyvid had just came out
i had one in the adni 2 study and had two of them in the biogen aducanumab study
the one in the adni 2 study i didnt get the results of it
the first one in the biogen aducanumab study i got the results of it
it was positive
which means
i have alzheimers when you put together my clinical history as described below
if it had been negative i would not have been accepted in the aducanumab study

in 2012 it wasnt being used in private practice
now in 2020 it is
when you have your workup for memory loss and if its needed to make the diagnosis then an amyvid pet scan can be done on you
you still have to pay for it unless of course like me you get them free in a research study

as i have written before in 2020 you can definitely find out if you have alzheimers disease if you have memory loss

when i wrote this blog 8 years ago i was planning on having an amyvid pet scan and just pay for it
but
i found out if i had one then some of the upcoming treatment studies would omit me if i had a recent amyvid pet scan so i decided not to do it

it would be about 4 years later before i finally got one that i could get the results of it

they now have a pet scan that looks at just the tau protein in the brain 
the tau protein tangles show up later after the amyloid accumulates

my guess is that both of these will be used one day in the workup of memory loss
__________
05-4-2012
AMYVID

here is the alzheimers associations statement on the new fda approval
of the florbetapir pet scan amyvid by eli lilly

i wrote a blog on this recently
their statement i totally agree with
its a beginning for diagnostic tests that may help define the
cause of a persons dementia

for me
i have short term memory loss showed on multiple neuropsych exams
i had a normal evaluation two years before they became abnormal
i have normal labs looking for other causes
i have had 3 normal mris
i have had one normal glucose metabolism pet scan
i have a strong family history of alzheimers-mother father brother and
distant relatives
i carry the apoe 4 double allele gene thats associated with an increased
chance of developing alzheimers disease
i have a borderline spinal fluid analysis for tau protein and beta amyloid

i have had a beta amyloid pet scan like the amyvid last year and will have
one next year but i cant get those results as they are part of the
alzheimers disease neuroimaging initiative adni-2

if i had the amyvid beta amyloid pet scan done and it was completely
negative them there would be some reassurance that what i have
is not due to alzheimers
if the scan is positive for beta amyloid plaques then it would be more
information added to the other that says that i probably have
alzheimers disease

so will i have the test
yes
i plan on doing it as i want to know as much as i can about whats
going on with me so ill know where im at

not everyone will benefit as well as i will to have this test done
estimated cost $6600 non covered by insurance
__________
i have not had the tau pet scan but if i were to enter a new alzheimers study i might get to have it done

fyi on november 6 2020 the fda will have a hearing to decide if they will proceed with the approval of the use of my drug biogens aducanumab in the treatment of alzheimers disease
if its approved it might be available next spring or summer for use

in two weeks i should find out the status of the adcuanumab study that i was in 
if it gets restarted i will start back my monthly infusions of this drug
so far i got 18 placebo infusions and 7 aducanumab infusions

so will it work 
well 
im going to find out eventually

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: these guys scare me

organicgreendoctor: these guys scare me: THESE GUYS SCARE ME   wsu.edu i think i could have a nightmare about these guys i am sure i could incorporate them into some disturbing aric...

these guys scare me

THESE GUYS SCARE ME 

wsu.edu

i think i could have a nightmare about these guys
i am sure i could incorporate them into some disturbing aricept dream

these guys scare me
this is from someone who use to capture rattlesnakes for extra credit in college
i would hunt them at night 

the most painful bite or sting i have ever had was from a hornet
in fact i think the knot where it zapped me is still on my arm even though its been years
i can only imagine how bad the sting bite from this one would feel like
they dont call it the murder hornet for no reason right

my high school mascot was the hornet
im sure if this guy had been around back then that we would have chosen it to be on our jackets

so
i googled to find out what bad stuff this hornet could do to us humans

heck they bite off the heads of bees and suck their juices out of them
how bad ass can a hornet be right

the sting from one of these varmints is described as like being poked with a hot metal pin
the stinger can pierce through the standard bee suit
50 people die each year from their stings in japan

they can devastate a beehive in just a few minutes
they are a big threat to our honeybee industry if they get out into our environment

many of us saw those folks on the news in their spacesuits using that big ole vacuum cleaner to suck the hornets out of that tree that had been wrapped tightly with what looked like saran wrap
im sorry to say but my guess is there are more of these guys out there

here is a good article on these gals from scientific american titled 
just how dangerous are these murder hornets

btw they are called murder hornets because of the way they go in and slaughter a beehive
dont worry
its not because they kill humans

i watched with interest as they captured one of those guys well i guess i should say gals and used dental floss to tie a radio transmitter to her then tracked her back to that tree

it reminded me of my childhood
we use to get my moms sewing thread and tie it to either a giant horsefly or to a bumblebee and walk around with them as they tried to fly off

please dont let your kids know about these things
they have enough to worry about with what all is going on in the world

first there was covid 19 now its those murder hornets
2020 cant go away soon enough
right

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-this graph shows how your activities rank

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-this graph shows how your activities rank:   COVID 19-THIS GRAPH SHOWS HOW YOUR ACTIVITIES RANK we decided to take a covid 19 year off this covid 19 thing is going to just get worse o...

covid 19-this graph shows how your activities rank

 COVID 19-THIS GRAPH SHOWS HOW YOUR ACTIVITIES RANK
we decided to take a covid 19 year off
this covid 19 thing is going to just get worse over this fall into the winter into the spring
it seems it will be a crescendoing increase that should peak sometime probably in late january or february

we have coming up 
halloween
then
thanksgiving
then
christmas
then
new years 

each will do its on influence on the peak of the covid 19 cases in the next few months
the problem is the cases wont really go down probably 
each bump from these holidays will just make the peak higher and higher
we may reach a half a million deaths from covid 19 by march 

think about this as you start to celebrate these holidays
will it be worth it
is it worth not wearing your mask


i made me a simplistic graph of what it may look like
we are starting today at around 80,000 cases a day
this number will gradually increase until it peaks out
thats the peak of that third wave or whatever it gets called

you can use cases or hospitalizations or deaths
it doesnt matter as the graph will look the same
bad real bad

sorry to say many of you will be contributing to that peak
i and my wife she plan not to be part of this 
we plan to take a covid 19 year off

if we all do big thanksgiving and christmas get to togethers and big new years parties and go all out for halloween
if those non mask wearers dont change what they do 
if big gatherings keep happening 
then
it will be a dark winter this year


here below is an infograph of where the behaviors we do are ranked
low risk
moderate risk
high risk

if you dont wear a mask you are automatically in the high risk activities categories
as well as those who you are around like friends coworkers family neighbors
ie you make them high risk people

you can see a larger view of this infograph at this link 

my wife she and i since we were sick in march have not done any activities not in the low risk categories
as i wrote above not wearing your mask puts you at a high risk activity level all the time as well as those you potentially expose 

as we head into the cold winter months look closely at what you are about to do 
there will not be a vaccine if its available for most of us until this summer
there will not be a medication that will stop this virus

we all of us can only do these things
wear a mask
keep our distance from others
wash our hands
reduce our risky behaviors

if we dont
what happens this winter 
is on us

be safe
avoid risky behaviors

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-now what do you do

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-now what do you do: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-NOW WHAT DO YOU DO  now you are diagnosed what do you do well this is what i did i started reading up on alzheimers disease ...

alzheimers news-now what do you do

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-NOW WHAT DO YOU DO 

now you are diagnosed what do you do
well this is what i did

i started reading up on alzheimers disease so that i could understand what we knew about the disease
then i looked at what can you do to slow down the disease
those things one could do was easy to find since it was on the alzheimers websites and frequently showed up in articles on alzheimers in the lay press

i made sure i had a complete evaluation which i eventually had
so
my diagnosis would be accurate before i started changing my life

my mother had alzheimers and my younger brother was diagnosed a few years before i was
so i had seen personally what this disease could cause in ones own family

to review
i had a good neurological history and exam
i had screening labs that are done looking for other causes of memory loss
things like blood count chemistry profile thyroid levels vitamin b12 levels folate levels vitamin d levels homocysteine levels
my b12 and my vitamin d3 levels and my homocysteine levels were abnormal
i took and still take supplements to keep them corrected ie b12 d3 and folate
i had a good memory exam in the form of the in office moca test and the full neuropsychological exam
i had several mris that were normal
early on in the disease the mri may be normal
it also rules out other causes for memory loss like strokes masses too much fluid etc
i had a spinal tap for amyloid and tau that was abnormal
i had an amyvid pet scan for amyloid for the aducanumab study that was positive
so
i know with a high degree of certainty of my diagnosis

make sure you or your loved one has had a complete evaluation

then i started looking for treatments
there are a lot of alternative treatments like with cancer that folks can take your money and they really dont help any

i used supplements for awhile but after whatever i had in march that made me sick i stopped most of them but continued the ones that treated something i could measure each year with labs
low b12 low vitamin d3 high homocystiene level

i even used axona for awhile
it is a food supplement medical food that is prescription that produces ketones that provide a food source for damaged brain cells
it has not been shown to help much in studies
i stopped it after a few months

i did go right to aricept (donepezil) since it had been shown to maybe slow down the symptoms
if its started earlier enough in the disease it can slow the symptoms for awhile

i went to the alzheimers association website and became quite familiar with it
i also utilized other alzheimers websites
i read a lot of alzheimers blogs
i read a lot of articles on alzheimers by signing up for a google newsfeed on alzheimers
i dont miss much that happens in the alzheimers world

you and your loved ones have to educate yourselves about this disease 
others arent going to do it for you

if you are the caregiver or will be the caregiver you need to be ready
look for caregiver support groups
read about the disease
you will have to be your loved ones advocate one day 
the more you know about the disease the better it is

look for alzheimers research studies 
participate if you can 
i dont regret doing my eight years of research studies
i got the full workup one needs to have
i got treatment with biogens aducanumab that may turn out to slow down the disease
also you feel like you are adding to the cause of finding a treatment and cure 

find you a good primary care doctor or neurologist to help you as you go through this disease journey

also
here is a link to a two page handout from the national institute on aging on what steps to take once you or your loved one is diagnosed 
the title is next steps after an alzheimers diagnosis

there is a good book on this written by the mayo clinic titled
mayo clinic on alzheimers disease 

then 
become involved with the alzheimers walks in your area
they are all being done virtually this year
find one and participate
you will make good contacts with folks that can help you when the time comes

here below is the information on my team organicgreendoctor that will walk in this years santa barbara walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 7 2020

the opening ceremony will be virtual
so anyone can watch it online

then

each individual member will walk in their neighborhood or favorite hiking trail wearing their purple alzheimers shirts for the 2-3 mile walk 
this is the safest way to do the walk this year
please wear your mask and keep a good social distance from others
hopefully next year we can all be live

here is the link to our team
the organicgreendoctor team

donate and or join us that day
you can walk wherever you live

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: the voice provides some relief

organicgreendoctor: the voice provides some relief: THE VOICE PROVIDES SOME RELIEF we both looked at each other last night after it was over that was nice that was relaxing we dvred the voice ...

the voice provides some relief

THE VOICE PROVIDES SOME RELIEF

we both looked at each other last night after it was over
that was nice
that was relaxing

we dvred the voice and watched it last night
we zoomed through the commercials
we didnt have to watch any political commercials

aside here my favorite coach is blake
my guess is my wife shes favorite coach is probably john

in fact i realized we havent really watched many political commercials at all
we mostly watch dvred tv shows even the news so we can miss the commercials
we also watch stations like pbs or netflix or amazon prime or hbo that dont do commercials
even when i watch sporting events i have them dvred so we also can miss all those political ads etc
it also speeds up the games
yes i turn my phone off when i watch the games so no one will text me the scores

all the sporting events lately we have been able to watch have also given us some relief from all the bad news thats on tv and all the political stuff thats going on
of course being a cowboy and longhorn fan makes it hard to watch
i may have to switch back to being a razorback fan

prior to watching the voice last night we watched the pbs news
there was no crazy talking going on 
one session was on dealings with china
a former trump person gave his side and a former bush and obama foreign affairs person gave their side
there was no histrionic stuff going on 
both gave their side of what needed to be done with china
i didnt mind listening to the side i didnt agree with
they made good points and were respectful of the moderator and the opposing side
im ok with that

it would be nice if we could all do that

we sometimes almost hate to turn on the tv or look at social media at all anymore
but
we both felt good after finishing the voice
it was just the singers and their stories trying to make it in a tough business and the judges all accomplished artists trying to pick the best ones who they think might win
an almost all feel good tv show

it was such a relief to just sit and enjoy a show a feel good show

i noticed when i looked at social media that many folks are voting early 
now many i know have voted the opposite of how i voted but im ok with it
as long as they vote and no one interferes with their right to vote

all of us voting is what makes our democracy work
not voting leaves the control of it in the hands of a limited view

if you are undecided at this point on who needs to be president well maybe you shouldnt vote on that race
im not sure how anyone can be undecided can you

yall keep voting even if you cancel out my vote

what i do when i go to vote i think to myself as i vote
im canceling out put a name here their vote
it makes me feel better when i do it that way
but
i can only chose one person
no 
i want tell you who that person was
but
i will admit though i have voted before to cancel out my wife shes vote

keep voting
be safe when you are doing it
dont let anyone keep you from voting

yes
right before we went to bed
we said
that felt so good to just watch tv and enjoy it

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #62-best tests

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #62-best tests:   MY STORY REVISITED #62-BEST TESTS this was the status of the best tests to have in 2012 to get your diagnosis of alzheimers disease it has...

my story revisited #62-best tests

 MY STORY REVISITED #62-BEST TESTS

this was the status of the best tests to have in 2012 to get your diagnosis of alzheimers disease
it hasnt changed much since then 
they have recently approved the tau protein brain scan to add to the regimen but its mostly only used in research studies
a quick review is that amyloid usually appears first then later tau appears as tau tangles
the amyvid pet scan can show amyloid deposits
the tau pet scan can show tau deposits
insurance doesnt pay for either
the amyvid pet scan is used more now in diagnosing folks in the private world if the patient is willing to pay for it or if like me i was able to get it done in a research study for free

if you have alzheimers disease your amyvid pet scan will be positive
when my younger brother was first seen for memory loss he did not have a complete workup 
later though when he got worse he had a complete workup
my younger brother in his second workup had all the tests one would have at that time

i wrote that his mri was normal but my guess knowing what i know now about this disease that had he had an mri on that first visit  his mri might have been normal or it might have been abnormal
they might have seen some brain shrinkage and some changes in his hypothalamus on the mri
his amyvid pet scan had it been available would have been abnormal on that first visit

my mris have all been normal which goes along with my early diagnosis

so even in 2012 once we had the amyvid scan available you could diagnose someone who has alzheimers with a great degree of accuracy

also since 2012 the accuracy of reading the amyvid pet scan has gotten a lot better

just like in 2012 really the only meds to use to treat it has not changed
most get started on aricept (donepezil) or a similar drug like i was started on 

now in march of next year at the earliest the fda could approve the use of biogen aduanumab in the treatment of alzheimers disease

i should find out next month when the biogen aducanumab study i was in will be reactivated
if it does get reactivated i will restart my monthly infusions again
because of the covid 19 i have lost over a year of treatment infusions

so
make sure you or your loved one has had a complete evaluation for their memory loss
__________
04-27-2012
BEST TEST(S)

the new amyvid beta amyloid pet scan recently was approved by the
fda to scan for amyloid deposits in the brain for helping diagnose
alzheimers disease

that is it helps to diagnose alzhiemers
because you can have amyloid plaques form in the brain and not have
alzheimers disease
so the test is not a definitive test for alzheimers
it just adds icing to the cake to make the diagnosis



for example
if my younger brother had a neuropsychological exam done when he was
first evaluated it would have shown then that he had definite defects in his
short term memory
all of the blood tests and mris and depression screens would have been
negative
an amyvid scan would have probably been positive
his diagnosis then would be as definite as a person could be in 2012
now several years later we know he definitely has it as he has progressed
a lot over this period of time

he did not have the spinal fluid analysis and the apoe 4 genotype done
but more than likely he would have been positive for both

for me
i had a normal mental status screen that was normal then two years later
a full neuropsychological test that showed the development of early short term memory changes
all my lab tests and mris were normal
my apoe 4 gentotype was posistive for the double gene
my spinal fluid tests for beta amyloid and tau protein were borderline
my fdg glucose metabolism test was normal
my beta amyloid test similar to the amvid test was done but again i dont
know the answer to the results

if i had the amyvid test and it was positive then my diagnosis would be
more certain
although it would eliminate any hope for my future
i would know what i was facing for sure

so in summary the neuropsych test and the mri of the brain are the most
important tests to have done in evaluating someone for alzheimers disease
as well as ruling out other causes with labs and a good medical history
and examination
the amyvid scan just adds more certainty to the diagnosis

folks if you appear to have alzheimers or if you have a family member in
this situation
please dont resist taking medication as you want to be on this stuff as soon
as you are diagnosed
as it slows the symptoms of the disease for awhile
failure to take the medication may make your loved one progress quicker

it may save a few weeks or few months or if you are lucky a few years of
slowed progression of this terrible disease

thats why im taking aricept (donepezil)
i know it has no effect on this disease at all but only just slows the symptoms
for awhile
but there is nothing else available
yet
__________
i do feel like the fact that i have been on aricept (donepezil) for 8 years is one of the reasons that i have not worsen during that time


the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-herd immunity

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-herd immunity: COVID 19-HERD IMMUNITY if you want to know how herd immunity works or should i say doesnt work all you have to do is look at small pox small...

covid 19-herd immunity

COVID 19-HERD IMMUNITY

if you want to know how herd immunity works or should i say doesnt work all you have to do is look at small pox

small pox use to decimate the world in waves for centuries
it never was able to achieve herd immunity
it never was under control until we as a world had a highly effective vaccine
it now has been irradiated

herd immunity when you listen to true scientist and not politicians doesnt ever work in infections like covid 19 unless there is a highly effective vaccine and folks do those things that we all know you should be doing

when you hear politicians and others spout we should just let herd immunity take over to control this covid 19 pandemic
well
this is what would happen
look around you
look at your parents grandparents your immunocompromised relatives those with at risk diseases like asthma diabetes heart disease kidney disease obesity etc
many of them wont be around if we try to do herd immunity
only 10% of us have been exposed so far and look what its done so just imagine if the other 90% of us get exposed

what devastation to our economy and to our health would occur

basically the idea with herd immunity is you let the kids and young adults all get infected since they dont usually get real sick
well most of them dont but a few do and die

then
you protect all those vulnerable folks like my wife she and i and mr hudson and my mother in law so they we wont get infected
i guess they would just lock us all up

right now the wave this third wave of the first wave or is it the second big wave weve heard about since march and thats starting to hit us now
all states are seeing an uptick of cases well maybe a few arent but most are
and
we are just starting this second wave season
its predicted that we will lose another 200,000+ folks from covid 19 by march

if you use this herd immunity then multiple that by either 3 or 4 or 5 or some say 10 times
and
those who die will be your loved ones
none of our families will be spared a covid 19 death

you have only two choices to control this thing
herd immunity is not one of them

one is to do those things we all know we need to do

wear a mask

when you see someone without a mask just know they dont respect you and they must not like their at risk relatives very much or even themselves

keep your distance and 6 ft is probably not far enough

avoid groups
just remember the most dangerous get togethers this year may be thanksgiving and christmas get togethers
if you do them i would say enjoy them since some of those folks there if they are at risk may not be there for the 2021 holidays
avoid superspreader events
that big ole bike rally in the dakotas is probably the largest superspreader event so far leaving hundreds of covid 19 cases in its wake

avoid those high risk situations like those above and bars and indoor restaurants and sporting events and parties and well if you have any sense youll know what they are

wash your hands
the covid 19 can stay on your skin for up to 8 hours

then
when its your time to get the vaccine when it becomes available please get it
for most of us that will if things go right that will be next summer or fall
then
even when you get the vaccine this next year you will still need to do all those things above
for
if we dont
we may not ever get to return back to a normal life again
we
will be like they use to be in the small pox era

in summary
dont listen to the herd immunity talk
get your flu shot this year
if you are older get your pneumonia shot
when the covid 19 vaccine gets here and its your turn to get it then get it for all our sakes
then
wear a mask
keep your distance
avoid gatherings
wash your hands

if i do it and you dont then neither of us are helped much

we are about to enter the darkest months over the next 3-4 months of this pandemic
how it turns out will be based on what each individual does to be safe

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-dont let this happen to your loved...

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-dont let this happen to your loved...:   ALZHEIMERS NEWS-DONT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOUR LOVED ONE we went down to manhattan beach to do the walk to end alzheimers that goes along th...

alzheimers news-dont let this happen to your loved one

 ALZHEIMERS NEWS-DONT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOUR LOVED ONE


we went down to manhattan beach to do the walk to end alzheimers that goes along the strand between manhattan beach and hermosa beach
in the opening ceremony there was a speaker whose wife had gone missing several months before
they were together at the los angles museum of art when she just disappeared never to be seen again except once on a stores video walking down the street 
her name was nancy paulikus a 55 year old who had early onset alzheimers disease
here is a news report of her story

there is also a new documentary on her story playing at some of the film festivals
here is a link to a story about the documentary with a short trailer video

the family and police searched for her for months
then
two years later her remains were found on the side of a hill in los angeles about 15 miles away from where she was at the museum
they dont know where she had been or what happened to her

her story led to the los angeles sheriff department being aggressive on providing bracelets for risky alzheimers patients

once when i was on a panel for an alzheimers la alzheimers seminar i met a fellow panel member who had mild to moderate alzheimers disease
he had one of these bracelets on so that if he went missing the sheriff department could track him down

i always thoughf that these things ought to be used on everyone who is at risk for wandering
maybe even use a chip like they do on dogs and cats

my younger brother who had alzheimers disease would sometimes wander off
once he wandered off into the woods 
he loved to hunt so im sure he thought he was going squirrel or deer or hog hunting
he was found safe but when these patients wander off things can sometimes like with nancy paulikus they can not end well

here in our condo complex a gentlemen had alzheimers disease and would sometimes wander off
i found him once down by a bus stop a block away
i walked him back home
another time i found him wandering along the sidewalk along the street nearby
again i walked him back home

his wife eventually had to place him in a long term facility for his safety 

the same happened with my younger brother 
even there he would try to escape

im sure when my time comes and i start to wander off all they will have to do is to go look for me at the garden

ive also told my wife she when i start doing that just dont hesitate its time for me to go live somewhere else like a long term care facility

so if you have a loved one who has dementia and they reach that time when they could wander off 
then its time you protect them
find a bracelet system
find a long term care facility for them

dont let it all end tragically
 

be looking for your local alzheimers walks this fall
they are all being done virtually

below is the link to the santa barbara walk to end alzheimers to be done on november 7 2020
the opening ceremony will be virtual 
then everyone is asked to walk in their neighborhoods or their favorite walking spot using covid 19 safety guidelines

the promise garden with its different alzheimers flowers will be at the santa barbara missions beautiful front grounds
we plan to walk to the mission to see the promise flowers
we will pause there for a few moments to remember our loved ones whom we lost from this awful disease
in our case it is 
my mother 
my younger brother
probably my father
multiple other aunts and uncles and grandparents

consider getting involved with your local alzheimers walks

here below is the information on my team organicgreendoctor that will walk in this years santa barbara walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 7 2020

the opening ceremony will be virtual
so anyone can watch it online

then

each individual member will walk in their neighborhood or favorite hiking trail wearing their purple alzheimers shirts for the 2-3 mile walk 
this is the safest way to do the walk this year
please wear your mask and keep a good social distance from others
hopefully next year we can all be live

here is the link to our team
the organicgreendoctor team

donate and or join us that day
you can walk wherever you live

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: garden news-togd method of making garden soil

organicgreendoctor: garden news-togd method of making garden soil:   GARDEN NEWS-TOGD METHOD OF MAKING GARDEN SOIL there is a method of making soil called the lasagna method and the keyhole garden method my...

garden news-togd method of making garden soil

 GARDEN NEWS-TOGD METHOD OF MAKING GARDEN SOIL

there is a method of making soil called the lasagna method and the keyhole garden method
my method of making garden soil is sort of a combo of the two methods
the picture above is one i did at the country n 
this is a large water trough that had rusted out its bottom
it was about 8 ft in diameter and about 3 ft in height
i converted it to a keyhole garden using the keyhole garden method linked above from deb tolman
in this picture is my red potatoes growing
it had a central composter that was 1 ft in diameter and was 4 ft tall
i had a good crop of potatoes that year

i made the soil similar to my togd method described below that i recently used at the community garden where i garden to fill up a donated raised bed

the bucket brigade volunteers made 2  3 ft x 10 ft raised bed from oak pews from a church that was donated to them
yes it was heavy to lift

the plan was to make our own soil to fill up that large garden bed in one of them
i talked them into letting me use the togd method that i used at the country n to make my soil 
i will admit that sometimes there i simply bought soil that was already ready to plant in 
the austin area had several good sources for good organic garden soil that was quite rich 
my guess is the togd method or lasagna method or keyhole garden method produces a soil that is as good if not better than those sold from the garden centers

i had helping me that day two helpers
a hardworking 8th grader who was using this as a science paper topic he had to do 
his mom 

we accumulated these materials

dirt from around the garden 


cardboard and newspapers
we soaked them in water in these barrels 
yes i was found raiding the recycle bins at our condo for several days for these products
cardboard and newspapers equal carbon 
i am sure i will get one of those hoa condo letters reprimanding me for digging through the dumpsters
or maybe they just thought it was a homeless person digging through the trash

browns which are carbon sources
we used material harvested from the garden that were run through a wood chipper
we also got wheelbarrows of mulch


greens which are nitrogen sources
we used green materials from the garden 
one large batch was christmas lima bean vines that were growing up a 10 foot tee pee
there were clippings from trees shrubs some grasses some flowers some citrus leaves all green


fertilizers another nitrogen source

we used this organic fertilizer that also has fungi and bacteria in it
we also used a mixture of fish emulsion plus seaweed or kelp plus molasses
the molasses provides a sugar source for the living organisms in the soil
these living organisms ie bacteria and fungi make the plants grow better
you cant grow veggies well in dead soil


compost
this compost we make here in the garden in 4 ft square bins from donated food scraps and chipped up material from the garden 
the final product is rich dark and usually full of worms

  

first we lined the bed with wet cardboard

second we added a layer of dirt

third we added a layer of browns

fourth we added a layer of greens

fifth we added a layer of compost

sixth we added the organic fertilizer and a good soaking of the fish emulsion seaweed molasses

 

seventh we soaked this all in well with our water hose

eighth we covered this with a layer of wet newspaper


ninth we repeated this over and over again until we reached a few inches below the top of the garden bed frame
the last thing we added to this was a half a bucket of worms and worm compost from my worm 5 gallon composters from my garden 
we added probably a thousand worms
they will love all that cardboard and newspaper and plant material
one measure of a good soil is if you find worms in it


tenth we covered this all up with a couple of layers of good wet cardboard 

we will let this sit for a couple of days then we will add our final layer
a mixture of good potting soil mixed well with compost
this will be soaked well with the fish emulsion seaweed molasses mixture
this will be covered back up with the cardboard to help hold in moisture
then
when our seedlings are ready to plant we just take off the cardboard and plant them into the richest soil one can use in your garden

this makes a fluffy rich black soil with a lot of airspaces 
when we finished you could push on the soil and it felt like a soft mattress

i am predicting a lot of veggies will be grown in this bed 

if you were a vegetable woulnt you love this soil

that my friends is the togd method of garden soil production 

the organicgreen doctor 

 

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #61-one should volunteer

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #61-one should volunteer:   MY STORY REVISITED-ONE SHOULD VOLUNTEER 10 years ago i went from seeing 20-30 patients a day in the office to one day i was done just bam ...

my story revisited #61-one should volunteer

 MY STORY REVISITED-ONE SHOULD VOLUNTEER

10 years ago i went from seeing 20-30 patients a day in the office to one day i was done
just bam abruptly it all ended

over the next two years i had to find things to do to fill in all that free time

at the country n when i was in practice i would work on my weekends off and on my wednesdays off on our 10 acres doing farm ranch work like fencing and mowing and cutting down dead trees and gardening and reroofing my barn and rebuilding my garage etc

now i really had time to do other things 
so
i started a lot of projects at the country n 
i started hiking or walking 3-4 miles a day
i was in the alzheimers research study called adni 2 at ut southwestern in dallas and had to go up at least once a month for the study 
so i started looking around for things to volunteer at
i picked the alzheimers association to volunteer at by doing alzheimers talks for them by manning booths at events by being on their walk committee etc
later they separated from the alzheimers association to become alzheimers texas so i stayed with them doing volunteer work
i also started doing a meals on wheels route once a week that took about 3 hours to do
then
i had always wanted to build a house from scratch so i decided to volunteer with habitat for humanity 
i worked every time they did building
i watched the concrete slab being laid 
i helped with the framing
i helped put up the roof
i helped to put up the siding
i helped to put up the fascia
i helped to put down the flooring
i helped to put up the doors
i helped to paint the walls and ceiling  and the outside of the house
i helped put up the cabinets
i helped with the landscaping

so my volunteer schedule was full
i did this for the next 5 years until we made the move to santa barbara
i lost count of how many houses i helped build

here i volunteer some with the alzheimers association and did a kindergarten garden one day a week for three years and do volunteer work at the community garden where i have my garden plot

since covid 19 hit i now only do the community garden volunteering 
i do ms bs kindergarten class three days a week as her proctor
all that keeps me busy enough 

all the volunteer work i did made me feel good especially when you see the smiles on folks faces when they get needed help from others
that was my payment for the volunteer work i did

a part of the treatment and prevention of alzheimers is to be socially active
volunteering for me helped to provide some of these social connections and interactions
plus it made me feel good

you should try it sometime 

also here is a link to a newspaper article that was written about my volunteering a few years ago
lhindependent.com/diagnosis-alters-doctors-path-but-not-his-passion-for-helping
____________

04-16-2012

HABITAT HOUSE FINISHED
after i retired i decided i wanted to do volunteer work 1-2 days
a week
since i was busy with my work here on the country n and with the
alzheimers association and the alzheimers research study and
with some travelling the 1-2 days would fit well into my weekly
activities

we all need to give back in some way
since i had to give up my medical license and discontinue medicine
i couldnt do volunteer medical care
its a shame i spent all those years going to school and practicing
medicine and left medicine at the peak of my abilities as a practicing
family doctor and not be able to use that skill and knowledge to
help others by volunteering
but since the decision was made to discontinue medicine because of
my diagnosis my medical license dea number board certification, and
dps certificate as well as my medical malpractice were all discontinued
(i do have what they call a tail coverage on the medical malpractice
that covers me until i die and probably after i die)

thats done and i cant go back so
i volunteer in non medical ways
ive chosen the habitat as one source of my volunteerism

the way habitat for humanity works is it depends on donations and
volunteerism for it to survive
its an international organization that has branches everywhere
i just googled habitat for humanity and found the local branch
i contacted them and started volunteering when this latest
house was started

ok i also always wanted to watch a house be built from the beginning
to end
thats what i did on this house
from the walls being constructed to the landscaping being placed
i learned to use tools ive not used before
how to do cuts on boards and molding so they would fit right
a problem i always had when i did things at the country n
how to put up tyvek siding paint properly and put down flooring

i did use my influence as an organic green person and added a
keyhole square foot garden and recycled all the concrete that
was broken up and used it for the edging of flower beds and
beds around the house and recycled some of the cardboard

i also helped with doing the landscaping and made sure the
oak tree which my nurse she and her husband donated to the
land owner and other trees and landscape plants were properly
planted
(the soil has clay under the topsoil so i made sure everything
was planted with small raised beds with good soil so the plants
would get a good start
the trees were also planted high enough so the root flares were
all visible-a big problem with a  lot of trees being planted)

this weekend we finished the house
all the landscaping was done
the closing ceremony was done on sunday
the house will be hers later this week
another good deed done

shes a single mom with a 10 year old she is raising on her own
she works and is active with her sons activities
the deal is she went through a lengthy screening process that
requires a lot of screening
when chosen she has to do a certain amount hours of work on the
house and after she moves in may have to do more to get all her
hours in
she gets a no interest loan for 20 years for an amount that is
probably 40% of what the house would cost if she had done
this on her own
(the labor was all donated except for some skilled persons like
plumbers and electricians and concrete work)

this house is in a good neighborhood and should only increase
in value over time
in fact it will increase in value by 60% the day she moves in
eg a $40000 note on a house that will be worth $100000 when
an assessment is done

not a bad deal is it
so yes there is good in this world
we just have to look for it and
hopefully we all will try to be a part of this good
and
yes there is hope for the future
and im getting to be part of that good and hope for the future
___________
one of the reasons i think i have done well since my original diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers ten years ago is the fact that i have stayed busy every day since i was diagnosed
volunteering has helped me get better
along of course
with 
controlling my blood pressure staying mentally active taking the biogen aducanumab infusions in the aducanumab study controlling my cholesterol staying physically active eating correctly keeping my weight under control
well since i was sick in march this year with maybe covid 19 and losing 40 lbs my weight is not an issue except maybe it got too low
eating a good healthy diet
doing all those healthy things we all really should be doing

yes
i would add volunteering to your regimen that you do to stay healthy 
yes
for sure
i would do that

the organicgreen doctor