organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-can explosives cause alzheimers

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-can explosives cause alzheimers: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-CAN EXPLOSIVES CAUSE ALZHEIMERS the answer to that question in the title of this blog is  maybe now i wasnt ever in war wher...

alzheimers news-can explosives cause alzheimers

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-CAN EXPLOSIVES CAUSE ALZHEIMERS

the answer to that question in the title of this blog is 
maybe

now i wasnt ever in war where explosives were going off
but
i did sustain at least 3 concussions and another traumatic facial injury from a car wreck
all 4 of these can contribute to the process that starts alzheimers 
maybe somehow the trauma or force can stimulate these changes

my first was when a pole broke while pole vaulting as a 7th grader landing on the back of my head
my second was playing quarterback in the 9th grade when i was hit hard while being tackled
i ended up in the opponents locker room at halftime and my coach had to come in and bring me back to our locker room
i played the second half
my third was playing softball when after sliding into third base the opponents pitcher jumped over me and hit my head with his knee
i ended up in the hospital overnight because i was talking all crazy
i had post concussive symptoms for over a month 
one symptom ii had was i was having trouble thinking as my brain seemed to be on slowmo 
then
when i was 18 i was involved in a car wreck and took the bite out of the steering wheel
the injury eventually over time led to the loss of my six front upper teeth
i had facial bruising and facial lacerations
i cant remember if i had a concussion or not but the degree of force applied to my face was great enough to have caused one

these four head injuries have a cumulative effect so that they might be one of the causes that have contributed to my present diagnosis
mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers disease

not proven but possible

i thought about this when i read this article on explosives during war that may cause or aggravate things that could lead to alzheimers and other neurological diseases and symptoms 

this is one of the questions you get asked when being worked up for memory loss
have you ever had a concussion

now maybe they will add 
have you been in war where explosives went off

the study discussed in this article shows how those exposed to shockwaves from military explosives may be at a higher risk of developing alzheimers disease

the research was done by the university of north carolina at pembroke and dvids the army research lab and the nih or national institutes of health 

when alzheimers starts in the brain it affects the hippocampus first then spreads throughout the brain 
the hippocampus is where early memory is formed and processed

these researchers took slices of the hippocampus and grew its brain cells in petri dishes
they then exposed these hippocampus brain cells to controlled shockwaves from military explosives

they found it disrupted the nerve endings of these brain cells so that these blasts decreased the components of the brain connections called synapses needed for memory and decreased the electrical activity from these nerve connections

this is the subtle changes that you see in the hippocampus during early alzheimers

this may also explain some of the other neurological symptoms you see in military folks coming back from war
depression
headaches
irritability 
memory problems

think of our loved ones from ww1 ww2 korean war viet nam war the middle east wars that have come home with these issues

were they and are they at an increased risk for developing alzheimers disease
and or
is it like the head injury concussions that seem to increase that risk

wars do have great consequences

the organicgreen doctor 

organicgreendoctor: garden news-jbg gardens a total loss

organicgreendoctor: garden news-jbg gardens a total loss: GARDEN NEWS-JBG GARDENS A TOTAL LOSS this is a picture from the jbg blog showing its rows and rows of onions all frozen and now laying all ...

garden news-jbg gardens a total loss

GARDEN NEWS-JBG GARDENS A TOTAL LOSS

this is a picture from the jbg blog showing its rows and rows of onions all frozen and now laying all dead and limp on the ground
it seems the bulbs under ground may have survived

jbg stands for johnsons backyard garden

i first became aware of them when i was doing the annual chicken coop tour in austin a few years ago
one of the homeowners who was showing her home chicken coop was wearing a jbg hat
so she told me all about the jbg organic farms

later one of my patients actually worked there one day a week
his pay was made to him in vegetables
i thought i would like to have done that to get good organic produce

jbg was started when the owner put in a vegetable garden in his back yard then later took over his front yard with a vegetable garden 
he sold his produce to his neighbors
then he expanded his garden to his neighbors yards

this all eventually led to a 200 acre organic garden along the colorado river in east austin

go to any of the organic farmers markets in the austin area and they the jbg organic farm has a booth there

now i dont go to the farmers market much anymore since i grow most of the veggies we eat in my garden plot
but when i did go to the farmers market in the austin area i also went to the jbg display and bought their veggies

even after we moved to santa barbara i still read their weekly newsletter
to read their recipes
to see all the farm photos
to read about what was growing in their garden
you name a veggie and they have at least one recipe for that veggie

they do csa boxes each week all over central texas
they extend from san antonio to dallas to houston
they provide a lot of produce to local restaurants

i never made it to the farm for a tour
it seemed they always happened when i had other things to do 
i regret not ever doing a tour

they were booming in the organic vegetable markets
then
kaboom
here came the big freeze
the texas kartrina
no power no water everything frozen 
i mean everything

i read this blog post the week before the freeze
they were tying to get ready 
they kept everything irrigated and wet
sometimes if you water plants right before the freeze
some may survive
they covered things with row cover
they moved their thousands and thousands of transplants into storage greenhouses
they picked as much as they could to store in their giant coolers

alas
it was not enough 
the pumps all froze
electricity was lost
plants like lettuce carrots kale collards cauliflower broccoli all brassicas onions 
well all their veggies froze
a total loss
maybe the onion bulbs in the ground and rutabagas might survive 
but i have my doubts

they
have transplants that survived and will be sold at their annual transplant sale
they 
have a lot of repair work on water lines and pumps to do
they 
have to start over

a big source of income is their weekly csa or community supported agriculture boxes
they have no veggies for the boxes or for the farmers markets or for the restaurants

they think they might survive all this 
time will tell
how sad it would be to lose a business like jbg organic farms

if you live in texas plus support your local organic farmers
since
like jbg organic farms
they have been devastated by this deep texas freeze

we need to keep them around

the orgaincgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #76-bad dreams

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #76-bad dreams:   MY STORY REVISITED #76-BAD DREAMS i always had dreams but since i started on aricept (donepezil) they have become more vivid but usually a...

my story revisited #76-bad dreams

 MY STORY REVISITED #76-BAD DREAMS

i always had dreams but since i started on aricept (donepezil) they have become more vivid but usually arent disturbing
last night there were these two big ole monster looking things in our bedroom that were coming after me
i woke up as my pillow crashed against the far wall
then 
knowing they were gone i settled back down for more sleep
thats the life of an aricept dream

usually i dream about being a doctor but last night i didnt 
i just remember those monsters that looked almost halogramish in their appearance

i also know that dreams and acting out them can be a sign that alzheimers can be worsening

it also can be the sign of different type of dementia that could be worse to have
i dont have that one thank goodness

so 
ive learned to deal with these dreams 
at least they arent usually disturbing
although 
those monsters were scary last night

interesting was when i was on some meds for my stomach and my weight loss my dreams become more subdued and less vivid
now that i am off these meds my dreams have reverted back to my normal ones

be aware of this dream phenomena in your loved ones with dementias and who are on meds like aricept (donepezil)

this dream below i described several years ago i do not remember it
but
im sure after reading that old blog that it was one of my dreams i had
__________
11-2-2012
BAD DREAM
ive written before about my vivid dreams that are caused by
the aricept (donepezil) that i take for my diagnosis of
mild cognitive impairment that may be due to alzheimers disease
and how they are never bad ones

well i had a bad one

last night i was in the denver airport
guess denver because of all the talk about colorados role in
the election as a swing state

i met little abbie and her family there guess because someone
had written me a message that they had read the blog about
her and how it was such an inspiration (her blog is the one of
my popular blog posts on the list to the right of this blog)

i also ran into several patients of mine at the airport
some had medical problems that they needed help with
so i stopped and spent time with them to help them get
the right advice on where to go to get the right care and treatment
for their problems

guess thats because i had a patient a teenager i had talked to
this week about a medical problem she had and was able
to give some advice about what evaluations she needed to have done

i of course have to be careful since i have given up my license and
cant legally practice medicine anymore-thanks to my diagnosis and
my personal choice to end my career

so there i was in the denver airport actually with a group of former
patients that were all flying on the same plane back to austin that
i was to fly on

i use to have an old silver metal briefcase that i got when i was in
college from my historian brother and i used it all the way
through college medical school and my early practice
think something james bond would have carried stuff in in his
early movies
ive since donated it to one of my former patients who needed an
old briefcase for a school project using it as a star wars or something
like that prop

in my dream i put my wallet my cell phone my jacket and my airline
ticket in that old briefcase
i sat it down as i ordered a drink
when i got ready to board the plane i couldnt find my briefcase

so there i was in the denver airport without a wallet or id without a
cellphone without a ticket and if you are like me you have no idea
of anyones cell phone numbers
i know mine and our home number and no one elses
not even my wife shes number

what was i going to do

what i did was woke up suddenly and couldnt go back to sleep
i had wanted to finish this dream to get a better outcome

yep
bad dream
__________
i just hope that my dreams dont get worse over time
sometimes there is medication that is given to slow down the acting out of dreams if they get too unmanageable

in the meantime
i usually just enjoy them

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: wwtogdd

organicgreendoctor: wwtogdd: WWTOGDD yes thats me planking on the top of my barn a few years ago behind me is our first set of solar panels several years later we double...

wwtogdd

WWTOGDD

yes thats me planking on the top of my barn a few years ago
behind me is our first set of solar panels
several years later we doubled the size of our solar panels so we produced about 70% of our electricity 
we were grid connected so we didnt do electric battery storage

what does wwtogdd mean
maybe my wife she would guess but probably not

it stands for what would the organic green doctor do
togd is an abbreviation given to me by a reader who started calling me togd after how i sign off my blogs

the organicgreen doctor

this is a picture of some of my rainwater tanks
i had six 3000 gallon tanks and three 1500 gallon tanks for home use
it was all ran through filters and uv light so it was pure clean rainwater

if the electricity would go off there would be no water being pumped to the house and no water could be pumped from the well
however since the water level was higher in the tanks than the sink you could turn on the sink in the kitchen and downstairs bathroom to get some water 
it flowed by gravity 

it just wouldnt be sterilized since the uv light would be off 

the electricity would go off frequently more so in the summer 
if you live in the rural areas of the us you probably experience the same thing

in our house we had a wood burning stove in the living room that could potentially if needed heat most of the house to keep things from freezing

we also had a fireplace in the dining room kitchen area

we had the ductless ac heater units to heat and cool the house

so if i still lived there after that devastating disaster that hit texas last week
what would i think about doing

i would think about putting in a battery storage system in our barn to store the generated electricity 
ie be off the grid
there are new battery systems like the tesla one that can be installed now to help store electricity 
if possible i would still try to remain on the grid somehow to have the best of both worlds

i would have a back up generator that operated off gasoline or have a backup propane generator
our friends had one in arkansas as a backup when the electricity went off since he had several pieces of medical equipment that he used

i would add a propane tank with a hook up to our fireplace in the dining room kitchen and one in the upstairs bedroom fireplace

so now i would have heat with 3 types of sources of energy 
wood
electricity 
gas

now the big issue would be frozen pipes
this deep freeze will have identified the weak spots in your insulated pipes
as many of you found out when the big thaw occurred

i remember when we got down to  8 degrees a few years ago the water started oozing and spewing when the big thaw occurred
i systematically redid the lines and super insulated them 
some were buried deeper under the ground
just talk to you relatives that live way up north 
they can tell you what to do 
i also brought in some fill dirt to make the soil depth deeper over my weak spots

i looked at my landscape 
it was easy to identify the plants that would not return to life
they were the non native species

i had a beautiful tall flat large pad cactus that was about 6 feet tall
it looked like someone had sucked all the air out of it

it was a goner
it didnt return 
warning 
be sure and remove all that big ole pile of dead cactus
it will smell like a sewer real soon if you dont
i speak from experience
the native cactus the prickly pear although bitten by the cold eventually recovered
the non native succulents were done for

all my trees and most of my shrubs and plantings survived since they were native to texas

i saw on social media all those plantings that i told my wife she as i looked at them
those plants are done for

think about staying with native plants in your yard 
they are adapted to this weather and should recover

yes
if i till lived there
i would be ordering me a generator 
maybe two of them 
knowing they would be used every year whenever the electricity would go out

then 
i would evaluate the battery storage choices

then
i would have a propane tank ordered with lines ran to the house
i might consider changing to a gas stove or gas water heater

then
i would put my plumber hat on like i lived in the dakotas and protect the pipes 

then
i would be ready for the next time

so 
thats what togd would do 

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-some light can be seen at the end of the ...

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-some light can be seen at the end of the ...: COVID 19-SOME LIGHT CAN BE SEEN AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL we are at 500,000 deaths from covid 19 in the us over the last year its enough that...

covid 19-some light can be seen at the end of the tunnel

COVID 19-SOME LIGHT CAN BE SEEN AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

we are at 500,000 deaths from covid 19 in the us over the last year
its enough that our longevity has gone down by one year
most of you have friends and or family and or coworkers in that number
271 of them were kids
this 500,000 is more deaths than were seen in the civil war ww1 and ww2 combined

i have seen recently several obituaries of couples that have both died

usually before covid the deaths were due to some tragic accident where both died
nowadays its usually from covid 19
many it seemed had more to give to society 

i recently sat with a doctor who helps in the hospital some doing admissions since the hospital has been overwhelmed with covid patients
he said that about 60% of the admissions to the hospital are due to covid 19
he can usually identify the ones at admission that will not make it
he works in the clinic then all night in the hospital then all day in the clinic
he said its tiring work

he wants to quit the hospital work but doesnt feel like he can until this pandemic is over

we were talking to an acquaintance this weekend who is a middle age asthmatic on inhalers who went to visit his daughter who is in college rooming with other students
their daughters roommate just tested positive for covid 19

now he is concerned that he will catch it since he is at risk since he is asthmatic

the cases are dropping here
the hospitalizations are dropping
the deaths are starting to drop
the icu availability which was close to zero is now at around 33%
the numbers are dropping but they are still higher than they were in november

the rise from super bowl sunday will show up by this weekend 
hopefully the numbers are dropping enough that it will overcome the super bowl bump
i sure hope so 
we need some good numbers

we need to beware the ides of march
if we do things wrong the numbers may rise again

the who and acog american college of obstetrics and gynecology and cdc says its ok to immunize pregnant women
of course they say discuss with your doctor

pregnant women get covid 19 easier than non pregnant females
why
pregnant women have a decrease in their immunity against some diseases

studies are starting in kids 5-11 in europe using one of the covid vaccines
these will tell us how safe it will be to use them in that age group
this age group dont get covid 19 as much as older kids but we have to remember that they do get it
and
they can spread it

in california starting in march they are setting aside 10% of vaccines for teachers and day care workers

the secret to opening schools is immunizing teachers and school employees
adding all the mitigation things like
mask wearing
safe distance
hand washing
improved ventilation that will allow all schools to reopen 
i doubt that many people will argue about opening schools if all this happens

that should all be in effect for sure by this fall in most states
the kids need to be in school but only if its done safely 

around here eg in la the r factor is less than 0.8
you want it below 1
here in our county we have vaccinated 3% of the  population
but
you can tell though that those vaccination numbers will be increasing a lot over the next few weeks

the icu rate is 32.9%
the positivity rate is 8.3
if it drops less than 8 the county will drop down another tier
allowing elementary schools to open
if they do those schools should all do the mitigation things schools should do

i still think the teachers and employees should be immunized first

some infectious disease experts feel like we may be on a good downward trend
since
about 30% of the population has had covid 19
some think that number is higher
then you add to the fact that about 10% of the population has been immunized with the vaccine
plus
the cold weather is ending soon and the spring will be here
this virus infections tend to decrease with nicer weather
probably since more people go outside

they the experts think with this downward trend we are seeing coupled with the nicer weather 
and

the ramping up of the immunization numbers
will start to lower the number of infections with covid 19

by this fall the only people left to get covid 19 will be those who either cant get vaccinated for various reasons or those who refuse to get covid 19 vaccination
the virus will seek those folks out and try to infect them

we have to be wary of the variants or mutant covid 19 virus that could throw a ringer in this improvement picture
so far
the vaccines seem to mostly work against these mutations or variants or at least prevent severe disease from them

we will have to keep wearing masks even if you are vaccinated
why
you can pick up the virus if you are vaccinated and it wont make you sick but you can give it to a vulnerable person who is unvaccinated
keep washing our hands
keep a safe distance
keep avoiding large gatherings

yes
we will be safe to
have some togethers again 
eat at restaurants
travel
go to concerts
you know do all those things we use to do

yes
i can see some light at the end of the tunnel
i think its bright sunshine
hopefully there will be this big ole bright rainbow there also

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-brain donation gives the final answer

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-brain donation gives the final answer: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-BRAIN DONATION GIVES THE FINAL ANSWER my official diagnosis is mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers disease that diag...

alzheimers news-brain donation gives the final answer

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-BRAIN DONATION GIVES THE FINAL ANSWER
my official diagnosis is mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers disease
that diagnosis is as sure as one can be in the medical world right now

there is only one way to know for sure and that is when i die that my brain be donated for evaluation by a research center for a brain autopsy

that will give a 100% accurate diagnosis
it wont help me any but it will give my family a final answer
it might also help others 

i so far have left a long trail of evaluations at two well respected alzheimers centers
the university of texas  southwestern in dallas
ucla

some of my information from alzheimers research studies is scattered around the world at alzheimers research centers and universities 

i spent 5 years in the adni or alzheimers disease neuroimaging initiative phase 2
the adni studies are the most important studies ever done on alzhiemers

in that study i have left a trail of genetic blood tests my human genome my dna and my rna multiple mris of the brain several amyloid pet scans several glucose metabolism pet scans and many many memory tests

i spent almost 3 years in the biogen aducanumab embark study where i received 18 months of placebo and later 7 months of the real drug as infusions
i am due to restart that study in march for at least 18 more months

i also have been seen by two different neurologists managing my care 
one in dallas and the other at ucla

so i have left a long trail of information that says my diagnosis is correct

however 
in medicine nothing is ever 100%
but
if i donate my brain to the ucla center they will do a brain autopsy 
it will be 
the final answer

now
when i was in medical school as a sophomore student i was a morgue attendant that checked in the bodies after hours and on weekends
on weekends if an autopsy was done i assisted the pathologist in doing the autopsy

one of my jobs was to remove the brain
i made an incision at the back of the head just behind the ear from side to side
the brain was removed carefully
the skin was then sutured 
this was all done so at the viewing the area where the brain was removed could not be seen

so i know what is involved when one donates their brain
since
i was the one that removed the brain on patients scheduled for autopsy

i knew before i entered my first study the adni study that i wanted my brain autopsied
even the research people were a little squeamish about talking about it
some even teared up 
they get attached sometimes to their patients
but i persisted

last year right before i got sick with what i think was covid 19 we had started finalizing our end of life paperwork
like will power of attorney health care directive hippa paperwork etc
after i recovered we got more aggressive about getting it finalized

i discussed the brain donation with the neurologist i see at ucla who is also the alzheimers center research director

i filled out this form thats partially shown above
both she and i signed it
on the second page not shown is directions on what to do when i die

this form is on file with my will 
it is on file in my medical records at ucla and with my primary care provider

basically when i die
the neuropathologist on call is contacted
ucla sends someone up to pick up my body 
they transport my body to ucla then remove my brain hopefully as careful as i use to be when i did it on folks
then
our funeral person will then come pick up my body 
i plan to be cremated

then ucla will do the brain autopsy and later send a full report to the family

they will be able to compare what they see on my brain autopsy with all the medical records and scans and labs they have
they actually have all my stuff from dallas there
they also will have some access to my adni records or they can send in my results to the adni study folks and to biogen

this brain donation is a final step in finding out what really goes on in alzheimers

brain donation is available to everyone
it is especially important in the alzheimers world
most centers have a group of experts who sit with the autopsy results and with the medical records to see how accurate the diagnosis was while the person was alive

here is an article form the nih or national institutes of health and the nia or nation institute on aging on brain donations

or
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/infographics/brain-donation-faqs-gift-future-generations

donate yours 
i am 
help us add to our knowledge

its a gift to future generations

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: deep freeze

organicgreendoctor: deep freeze:   DEEP FREEZE in the picture above is some of the rainwater tanks we had at the country n when we lived about 30 miles north of austin in th...

deep freeze

 DEEP FREEZE

in the picture above is some of the rainwater tanks we had at the country n when we lived about 30 miles north of austin in the upper edge of the hill country 
we had approximately 30,000 gallons of rainwater collection tanks

the next picture is of the filter system we used to purify our water
just below these filters sat a well pump that would pump the water out of the tanks through these filters with the last one being an ultraviolet light to sterilize the water
the water then went out of the pump room in the barn to the house when we turned on the water

we also had a well that we had turned off but reactivated it a few weeks before we moved

so the country n had two water sources 
rainwater and well water

we also had solar power that provided us with about 60-70% of our electricity 
it was grid tied so if we overproduced what we needed it would run back into the power lines for the grid to use
we would get credit for the amount of electricity we produced

if the power lines from the grid shut down then our solar power production would shut off
this was a safety feature so that power wouldnt be going back through the line when the power company workers were working on the lines

some people chose to be off the grid and use a battery system to store the electricity 
it easier to be just tied to the grid
unless
a big ole once in a century or maybe once in a five hundred freeze reaches texas

well this week thats what happened there

in texas the power grid is run by ercot or electric reliability council of texas
maybe it will now be called the unreliability council
it the grid is not tied to the national grid
its nice to be independent but not so nice when things go wrong
there is no tie to the grids outside of texas
note el paso is not on the ercot system and has had no electric issues

folks say its so the texas power grid doesnt have to follow rules and guidelines
like
you know 
like make sure this doesnt happen to your grid

despite what you hear from politicians what happened was the grid froze because precautions were not taken to prevent equipment and gas lines from freezing
like
things required in other parts of the country under federal regulations

it was like building a house safely at the edge of a 100 year flood plain but then you get hit with a five hundred year flood
your house gets swept away

so 
thats what happened this week 
texas electric grid got swept away by inept management 

costing texas millions and millions of dollars and sadly a lot of lives

heads need to roll but sadly again probably the wrong ones will get blamed
you might look at the people that got all the votes who made the bad decisions

now back to the country n
i have thought a lot of what it would be like to be at our beloved country n during this latest disaster

now it got down to the lowest when we lived there to 8 degrees one night
but this week these temps went on for days and days plus they got ice and they got snow
not only did the grid get frozen but trees fell on power lines making it all worse
then
water is not available to thousands of folks
neither is heat
theres no food either
theres not much traveling going on 
a true disaster

at the country n here is what we would have probably experienced

the rainwater system filter system and pumps were kept warm with three nice heating lamps
our barn cats use to sleep under them in the winter
those would have not been working since the grid was down even with the solar since the solar shuts off automatically 
the water in the tanks because of its mass doesnt freeze but most likely the pipes going from the tanks to the ground would freeze even though they were wrapped
i also would in the winter pile up bags of leaves over the pipes for extra insulation
you could always pull water out of the top of the tanks with a  bucket like they use to do with a rope and bucket in the old wells

the well house for the well would have a heating lamp on it but again that light would be out since the grid was down
the pipes would be frozen

there would be no way to protect the garden even with heavy row covers since the temps were just too low
the garden would have been mostly wiped out
this time of year i grew potatoes onions garlic kale lettuce spinach bok choy cabbage
its not likely that most of it would have survived if any
i am interested to see what the organic farm i follow in austin called jbg organics says this week in their blog about how much damage was done
a true disaster for them im sure

so there would be no water or electricity to our lovely country n

but luckily we had a nice wood burning stove put in years before we moved
our large living room had limestone walls and Saltillo tile floors
after a few days of use this stove would heat up the walls and the floors and radiated heat like you were in an oven
this heat would radiate out to other room and especially would travel up the stairs to our large upstairs bedroom

on the stove you could heat water and cook things
my wife she had accumulated old cooking gear for that purpose like you would use for campfire cooking or like your ancestors used

your could also melt snow if needed

it only snowed twice when we lived there
it was melted by noon 

there also was a fireplace in the dining room and kitchen to heat that part of the house

the house was normally heated and cooled with individual units of a ductless samsung system
it of course wouldnt be operating without electricity

my guess is we could have protected the pipes inside from freezing as long as we had plenty of firewood which we usually did

im sure when this all thaws this weekend that what froze inside and out will be quite evident
after the 8 degree cold there that one time i had outside lines freeze
but
i super insulated them and protected them so hopefully the damage wasnt too bad there
but
it will be devastating though for most of the state

so 
if we were living back at the country n we probably would have survived this natural disaster that has overtaken the state of texas

sadly 
most people werent ready for this 
definitely the powers that be were not
heads need to roll for sure
maybe even a few politicians

make sure texans that those folks who are to blame dont divert the blame to someone else
thats what they do you know

this im afraid is a texas katrina

today i will guiltily have to get dressed soon to go work in my garden
i have to decide between wearing shorts or wearing jeans

i hope all my family and friends and old neighbors and former patients are safe

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #75-alzheimer worms

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #75-alzheimer worms: MY STORY REVISITED #75-ALZHEIMER WORMS in the research world you never know where you will find the answer to a disease sometimes its from t...

my story revisited #75-alzheimer worms

MY STORY REVISITED #75-ALZHEIMER WORMS

in the research world you never know where you will find the answer to a disease
sometimes its from the dirt from sewage from the ocean from unusual animals
remember penicillin came from mold like my wife she gets on our bread 

so maybe an answer to alzheimers can be found this way 

in 2012 at the walk to end alzheimers in austin texas a researcher from the university of texas had a booth demonstrating some research they were doing using worms
the main professor doing the research wasnt there but his grad student was
she answered our questions

it intrigued me how this little worm described below in the blog could be used in alzheimers research
could a treatment be found using these as i called them itty bitty worms

i set up a time to go visit the lab at the university of texas

i met the professor who was the brains behind the research
sorry i cant remember his name

here i found the link to an article on his research after i wrote this blog

he was young and had a small child who had downs syndrome
down syndrome patients eventually tend to get alzheimers disease as they age
so
he was interested in finding a treatment or cure or something to slow down this disease

so he was focusing on what i called after seeing the lab them alzheimer worms

just that week i had purchased from a mail order worm about 2 lbs of compost worms to put in my compost pile and in my raised bed garden 
so my brain was all focused on worms that week

basically as i remember it the researchers took the alzheimers gene which would be the one that causes early onset alzheimers disease and inserted into the worms dna
ie causing them to have alzheimers or what happened was they produced products like amyloid etc

these worms only live about 2 weeks so you can see the effects of the gene within a week

next they would add medications like the cancer drug mentioned below into the growing medium of the worm
if the worm didnt develop alzheimers then that drug possibly could be used in humans

so there are hundreds of drugs and chemicals that can be quickly tested this way 
if they seem to work then they might get moved to the next level
eg
it would then be given to mice who have the alzheimers gene inserted in their dna to see if it worked on them
if it did 
then more research would be done on the drug

hundreds of medications some already in use especially the cancer drugs could be screened for possibly slowing down alzheimers disease

to think
worms could be used this way to find a cure for this awful disease

heck they do miracles on your soil in your garden leading to beautiful healthy vegetables
so
why cant they help make beautiful healthy brains again these little alzheimer worms
__________
10-30-2012
ALZHEIMER WORMS

well thats what i call them
alzheimer worms
their official name is
caenorhabditis elegans
c elegans for short
they are 1 mm long live in the soil and are transparent
they are used in research because you can see everything
the digestive system reproductive system nervous system

at the walk to end alzheimers this weekend in austin
researchers from ut austin were there talking about the
research they were doing on this itty bitty worm

they have developed a worm
the ones i call the alzheimer worms
who develop alzheimers in 3 days
so they can test drugs on these worms and in 3 days see
if they work to prevent alzheimers disease
they can tell by looking at the nerves in the worms to see
if they have degenerated
have those beta amyloid plaques

they are testing many new drugs and chemicals and
are also testing the bexarotene the anticancer drug that will
be used next year in a clinical trial in humans to see if it
slows down the alzheimer process in the brain

so who would have thought that a composting worm would
help me at home in my garden and in the research lab to
evaluate treatments for this awful disease

makes me have a new appreciation for those worms now
__________
every time i open up my buried 5 gallon buckets in my garden that  are just teeming with worms
i always think about these alzheimer worms

i also think about that professor and his child with downs syndrome who would now be a teenager
they are starting to do some clinical studies on using the monoclonal antibodies like i am on to see if it can slow down the disease in these patients

he must feel good knowing he is adding to our knowledge of this disease and by doing so is helping his son

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-what did the teachers tell me

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-what did the teachers tell me:   COVID 19-WHAT DID THE TEACHERS TELL ME last week i wrote this blog titled what do the teachers and school nurses really think in the blog ...

covid 19-what did the teachers tell me

 COVID 19-WHAT DID THE TEACHERS TELL ME

last week i wrote this blog titled what do the teachers and school nurses really think
in the blog i had a list of question for teachers and school nurses to answer
some sent responses to my questions
then
i reached out to 10 teachers and nurses and asked them to read my blog and respond to the questions 
they were young teachers and older teachers and in between
at least one retired mid year around christmas i think because they didnt feel safe

the school districts represented were 2 rural schools 2 non white schools most were mostly white schools
5 schools were urban and some were more affluent schools
when i write teachers i also mean school nurses in the answers to the questions

i did one phone interview
the rest were responses via email messenger text or comments on my blog
i feel like they were all honest in their responses
i promised to keep their identities anonymous

i have personally been in all but one of the schools
they are from several states

one common theme that they all said was

the kids really need to be in school
many made comments like
they are missing out on so much
we worry about their mental physical and social well being

none of the schools are all virtual and none are all in school
some are hybrid

at least one school is more open with no hallways just walkways
most of the schools are enclosed with hallways
some are new schools and some are older schools

many of the schools have poor ventilation systems that may not be fixed
but ventilation is an important part of opening the schools 

should the schools be opened or should they wait

they all said the schools should be opened
but
should be done safely
some felt like their schools should have waited to open or should have gone all virtual when the covid numbers got real bad

if you are in school do you feel safe

some said they did not feel safe early on and especially didnt feel safe when the numbers got so high
most feel safer now 
at least one decided to retire since they didnt feel safe anymore

have you been immunized yet

at least 3 have been immunized

if so how does they make you feel being immunized and teaching vs unimmunized teaching

many feel more safe now that they are immunized
many feel like if all the teachers nurses and employees and students were immunized things would be much safer
one stated she felt guilty being immunized and her students and their at risk family members were not

if you were running the show what would you do

offer virtual and live classes
provide chrome books and hotspots for those without access to the internet
provide health clinics where testing could be done and immunizations can be given
at least one school has a health clinic in it with a nurse practitioner
the students could be seen in that clinic 
the students could be tested instead of just being sent home and either be quarantined 
they could be tested and know the results while at school
now many if they have symptoms are just sent home and cant come back for 10 days or a note from a doctor
provide better ventilation
provide more stricter mask compliance
provide stricter social distancing

do you know of a student that got covid from the school

most said yes

do you know of a student who carried the virus home to a vulnerable loved one

some said yes

do you know of a teacher or nurse or school employee who has caught the virus from the school

yes

several of the teachers have been quarantined
at least two tested positive
some had a shortage of subs and teachers when so many got quarantined

do you know if any that got infected that way have died

no teachers or student died but family members at home died but they werent sure if they caught it from the student or the teacher
one teacher said a fellow teacher got it and almost died

what is the school doing to protect you and the students

all have mask requirements but some dont monitor it closely while others are strict
all require social distancing
all offer either virtual or in person some do a hybrid
if students or teachers are symptomatic they are sent home and a quarantine of contacts is done
some schools provide chromebooks or hot spots if needed
all require hand washing and other sanitation methods
some closed during bad outbreak times and others did not 
some schools tried to hide the fact that there were outbreaks in the schools


in summary for the future i think

the states should require all schools to follow the new cdc guidelines closely if not 100%
the new guidelines are color tiered from red to blue
almost 90% of schools are in the red tier the most restrictive one

if school openings will be our top priority then teachers and school employees should be in the top priority category for getting the vaccines
i notice here they have been added to the list starting in march
some states already prioritize them
i personally feel like the schools shouldnt be open unless all teachers and employees are vaccinated

if things go bad like it might if there is a fourth surge or bump that will be the worst one yet then the schools should all go back to virtual

it has to be fluid going from live to virtual if needed

the teachers and nurses all are really worried about the kids well being
one worries about their teenage students who seem to go to a dark place sometimes
many worry about the kids that depend on the school for food like breakfast and lunch 
many go without meals
many younger kids are left at home in unmonitored situations

the solution starts with getting all the school employees immunized
then the students when their time comes

one younger teacher said that she felt schools should not be opened to live classes unless all teachers and employees are all vaccinated

ventilation is an important part of being safe
most schools are not well ventilated
most cant open windows or doors because of the weather

the schools and states and cities dont have the money to do all that needs to be done
they need federal money
i cant think of better ways to spend our money than on this generation of kids

all mitigation efforts should all be done like testing ventilation mask wearing safe distancing hand washing and sanitation etc

how we all act in slowing down this disease will determine whether these schools will all open
how we all act will determine how much harm will be done to our kids

what is our priority

we truly may have a generation that will have lost so much if we dont control this pandemic
some will recover some will not

a special thanks to the teachers and nurses who took time to answer my questions and follow up questions

they are the heroes we need to be talking about more

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-its like the hunger games

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-its like the hunger games: COVID 19-ITS LIKE THE HUNGER GAMES   the other day when we were on our computers and our laptop searching everywhere for a covid 19 vaccine ...

covid 19-its like the hunger games

COVID 19-ITS LIKE THE HUNGER GAMES 

the other day when we were on our computers and our laptop searching everywhere for a covid 19 vaccine for my 80+year old mother in law and my wife she and me
my wife she turned to me and said

you know this is like the hunger games
i thought about it
well
i guess i have to agree with her

i realize you cant sit around and wait for the system to work and for the vaccines to just come to you
i must say its not fair to those who dont have the digital knowledge to figure this out
luckily for us 
we do

along with articles on alzheimers disease and kidney disease i read several articles every day on covid 19
so i generally know whats happening in the covid 19 world
as a physician i am able to sort through the false information thats thrown out there

im just glad im not on the front lines fighting it

so in searching for vaccines i signed up for several websites that notify us if vaccines are available
the state the county the local hospital the local large clinic in town pharmacies etc
when you start looking for a vaccine you realize how screwed up all of this is 
luckily it seems starting in march in california it is going to be streamlined some

even though we are giving 1,600,000 shots a day in the us
thats much better than it was but it needs to be more

none of these are available around here right now

the biggest obstacle besides an inefficient delivery system is the lack of vaccines
luckily again the numbers of vaccines available will increase soon 

so
i decided i couldnt wait 1 to 2 to 3 months as that was too long to wait
although covid infection numbers are dropping around here 
i know from my reading and listening to the experts that we are about to possibly hit that dreaded fourth bump of cases that may be caused by the variants or new strains
this fourth bump will be the worst one so far

we may be about to see the lull before the storm

we are at 484,000 so far that have died because of covid 19
i can only imagine how high that number will be after the fourth bump
some say 600,000+

i already see some states removing mask mandates
their numbers will be worst because of this 

so i felt like things are going to get bad
its time to do the hunger games thing
so
i aggressively online began searching for vaccines for us
i really wasnt having a lot of luck
just this week this area got notice that those over 65 could start getting them
the catcher though was
well
we dont have vaccines to give

then about 2 weeks ago we got a notice from a medical center about an hours drive north of here that they were giving over 75 year olds their shots
my mother in law got hers and is due for number 2 in few days

then 
last thursday on my email popped a notice from ucla

here is your ticket to get your covid 19 shot
i see a private neurologist at ucla and am in the alzheimers research study for the biogen aducanumab
so 
i qualify to get the vaccine via ucla
so
i signed up for last saturday

i asked can my wife she get hers also
no she is  not a patient

so 
i called the alzheimers research team to see if they could help
no we have no control on the vaccines they are giving

however
they said
here is a link to a pharmacy chain that just got some vaccines and will be scheduling them soon

i went directly to the link
my wife she is now signed up tomorrow to get her vaccine at a pharmacy an hours drive away in the next county
i think we were able to get her a slot since not many folks knew about it
now the slots are all filled up 

interesting is that when i went directly to the pharmacy website there was no link about the vaccines becoming available

i think it was fate that got us to the link early

i did feel like i was in the hunger games
it shouldnt be this way 

on saturday as we were driving to ucla in the morning for our 2 hours commute
its about 3 hours during the week
i thought about how people probably felt in the 1950s traveling to get their polio vaccine 
a virus polio that had been infecting folks for years especially in the summers
what a relief they must have felt to have gotten that sugar cube for polio
a disease that has since disappeared from the us

thats the only way we can really make this covid 19 to go away
if were all get vaccinated

for those who could take the vaccine but dont you arent doing your part to make our country safe

i thought
just think in about a week
i will be over 50% safe from getting the covid 19 then in three weeks after i get my second shot that number will be up to 95%
i also so far will be protected from the new strains of the virus 
the ones that will cause that fourth bump

i will be safe then my wife she will be safe then mr hudson will be safer since he will be in the last of the ones to get vaccinated

we have shared our link to the vaccine to others that are in the high risk group

the hunger games for sure 

as i entered the ucla medical center i paused for a second to let what all what this means to soak in 


as i sat down i asked the nurse 
now you arent learning how to give shots are you
i knew i didnt want a medical student to give mine
since
i know about see one do one or in some cases never seen one but do one
she said no im a rn in gi you know where they do colonoscopies
that shut me 
i told her though no im good for ten years


i got my shot but didnt get this sticker but i plan on getting one to wear every day to advertise to others hoping they will do their civic duty and get theirs
no i didnt break out in hives or itch or get short of breath 
no ididnt fall over dead

after i scheduled my second shot we left to make our trip home
the almost 5 hours spent traveling in the car were worth it all
we partially won the battle today



i have made copies of this vaccine card and put in on my cellphone
it will be also laminated and left in my wallet

it will be a passport in the future probably to get on airplanes buses trains concerts sporting events amusement parks hospitals clinics jobs schools colleges research studies and more 

not sure what those that dont have one will do 

i did my civic duty 
i hopefully protected myself and protected anyone i get around especially mr hudson from getting this awful highly contagious virus that has devastated us

do your part
get vaccinated
protect others

i still will
wear my mask double mask sometimes
keep my distance from others 
avoid gatherings
avoid travel

be safe
encourage others to do the same
do your civic duty 

the organicgreen doctor 

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-more dementia patients die from co...

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-more dementia patients die from co...: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-MORE DEMENTIA PATIENTS DIE FROM COVID 19   its seems logical that those with dementia would die more with covid 19 than the ...

alzheimers news-more dementia patients die from covid 19

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-MORE DEMENTIA PATIENTS DIE FROM COVID 19 

its seems logical that those with dementia would die more with covid 19 than the regular population just because they tend to be older and in long term care and in assisted care situations at their homes and have a bunch of different health issues that put them at risk for covid 19 infections
if they get the infections they are likely to die

we have all seen the reports of how this covid 19 goes through long term care facilities like a wild fire

however
when these researchers looked at dementia patients vs non dementia patients with the same living arrangements and age and health issues 
the dementia patients were up to 4 times more likely to die from covid 19

why is that
it could be they are more dependent on others for their care 
others who do not have dementia may not need as much care

remember these folks will probably only catch it from others bringing covid 19 to them
either as healthcare workers or family or friends
an elderly downstairs neighbor of an acquaintance just died from covid 19
her son may have brought it to her
he is now in the hospital with covid 19

remember its the younger folks who are spreading the virus to these older patients
then
if they are in a large facility the patients start spreading it around themselves or it gets spread by the staff

i think these facilities should have a requirement that all staff and all long term patients have the covid 19 vaccines
no vaccine you dont stay there and you dont work there
no exceptions
exceptions leads to more deaths

this may be what a lot of schools employers medical offices hospitals etc may have to adopt as their policies

this will more likely to start happening with the liability law suits start
that always forces the issue

so there is something happening in these dementia patients that is different than the non dementia patient

is it social or physical
social for sure
just think about a loved one with dementia trying to survive in this covid 19 world

physical probably 
the dementia patient has probably a worse immune system 
they probably have poorer nutrition 
they probably have poorer personal care
their vascular system tends to not be as good 
there is inflammation ongoing in the brain as part of alzheimers disease

there is something happening with them thats making them die at a higher rate

we need to try to protect them as much as possible

anyone around them should get the covid 19 vaccine
that includes family friends healthcare workers personal care workers
especially family 

anyone around them should be double masked
wash their hands frequently 
keep people distanced from them 
let them safely get fresh air
and for goodness sakes dont have a family get together with them

i told my wife she the other day 
if i get to where i am demented and am not living life as i would want to
and 
i catch covid 19
please isolate me so i cant give it to others
then
let me go 
do not i repeat do not let me go to the hospital
consider it as my time

yesterday 
i got this my chart notice from ucla
you have an invite a ticket to review

i signed on and there it was an invite a ticket 
to get a covid 19 vaccine this weekend

i consider it a phenomenal valentine card
well thats what my wife she said
she doesnt have to give me one this weekend this ticket will suffice

so tomorrow i will with her make the trip south to ucla to get my vaccine
either moderna or pfizer 
ill take whatever one is available

now
we have to find one for her

please be careful and safe with your elderly family and friends
be especially careful with those who have dementia
they are even at greater risk of dying from covid 19

my heart goes out to folks whose family have dementia during this pandemic
especailly those in long term care

i cant imagine having to deal with something like this when my mom and my younger brother were in these facilities

be safe with them
please

the organicgreen doctor