organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-another interview can covid cause...

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-another interview can covid cause...: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-ANOTHER INTERVIEW CAN COVID CAUSE ALZHEIMERS DISEASE i have been interviewed twice recently about my story and about my invo...

alzheimers news-another interview can covid cause alzheimers disease

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-ANOTHER INTERVIEW
CAN COVID CAUSE ALZHEIMERS DISEASE

i have been interviewed twice recently about my story and about my involvement with the aduhelm (aducanumab study

one interview was with the new york times linked here
the other was with the santa barbara news express and includes a video interview along with a written interview linked here

i like the last one since it included most of my interview for the article
the new york times article was based on an hour interview and was condensed
ie a lot of what i said was left out


then recently i was contacted by being patient a popular website and newsletter and podcasting site on alzheimers and related dementias
they have interviewed a lot of the well known folks in the alzheimers world

the originator of being patient is deborah kahn
she is a journalist and producer whose mother has alzheimers disease
from reading her website and listening to her podcasts i think her mom is farther along in the disease process

i was asked if she could interview me for her podcast she does about my story and what its like to be in the aduhelm (aducanumab) study and what my thoughts were on aduhelm (aducanumab)

this week i had a preliminary interview with one of her assistants 
then
the interview podcast with either her or one of her assistants will be on 
monday august 9th at 1200 noon pst or 200 cst
it will be live

you can click on the link below to rsvp for the live interview
you give your name and email and one of those prove you are a live person logos
you then get an email that has the link to their facebook page where the interview will be shown live

here is the link 
navigating life with alzheimers as a retired family physician

it also will be available on youtube for awhile after the interview

also
if you are in the alzheimers world now you would benefit by receiving her weekly newsletters 
i have learned a lot from her and her interviews

then
this week at the aaic alzheimers association international conference there were presentations on covid and dementia
this was discussed in this npr article this week
doctors worry that memory problems after covid may set the stage for alzheimers

there is some growing concern that some folks have neurological symptoms that are similar to those seen in patients with alzheimers disease
especially in the long haul covid patients

one patient a nurse in her thirties in great health spent two weeks in the hospital and has spent months trying to rehab from it
she has had tremors excessive fatigue and problems with memory and thinking

she would fall asleep in mid conversation with folks

she had just finished getting her masters degree before she got sick
she now reads at a 5th grade level
she can only do simple math now
she first lost her sense of taste
many patients loose their sense of smell
she after covid once couldnt remember what a fork was used for

researchers looked at pet scans of the brain done before they got sick then looked at pet scans after they got sick
they see changes like they see on alzheimers patients
looking at genetic tests that are associated with alzheimers disease are also associated with an increased risk of catching covid

alzheimers is more common in patients in the 60s and 70s who have had severe covid infections

those patients who loose their sense of smell are more likely to have mental symptoms
interesting the sensory nerve for smell is the olfactory bulb which sits near the short term memory center in the brain

these patients are described as having an alzheimers like syndrome
there are millions of patient with these post covid symptoms
will it go away 
will it progress like alzheimers 
will it stay the same

anther researcher measured biomarkers especially for inflammation in the brain
these get elevated in patients with alzheimers brain injury and brain inflammation
they were elevated in these patients

interesting was some of the newer biomarkers in the blood that will also make up the new screen test for alzheimers in the future are also elevated in some of these patients

i sure hope their brain fog goes away and doesnt persist

now
we have another good reason to get vaccinated against covid
so
you wont get alzheimers disease

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: garden news-best tomatoes that kids like to eat

organicgreendoctor: garden news-best tomatoes that kids like to eat: GARDEN NEWS-BEST TOMATOES THAT KIDS LIKE TO EAT mr hudson will turn three next weekend gradually over the last 3 years i have exposed him to...

garden news-best tomatoes that kids like to eat

GARDEN NEWS-BEST TOMATOES THAT KIDS LIKE TO EAT

mr hudson will turn three next weekend
gradually over the last 3 years i have exposed him to the garden so he feels comfortable being in our larger community garden

being six ms b has been well exposed now for 6 years

mr n since he is just almost one just looks at all the plants and birds in the garden
he loves the tomatoes also


when mr hudson comes to the garden one of his jobs he does 
well he doesnt look it like a job
is to water the kids garden
he fills up the birdbath with water
he fills up the blue container with water
then
dips in his watering can to fill up the can 
then he waters the plants in the kids garden
one pot has a beautiful unnamed flower he planted that he likes to water
i tell him its his flower
i must say he does his job well

in the picture at the top above he is helping me pick sun gold tomatoes from my sun gold tomato plant in my garden plot

he is picking them by the handfuls off of the plant
occasionally he pops one in his mouth

now in this picture above is some he picked last week
most we picked early 
since our cooler weather and foggy mornings has kept them from ripening completely on the vine
so
we pick them and place them in a plate on our dining room table which gets bright morning light
this causes them to ripen to their known for golden color

if you get one ripened just right its like eating candy 
thats 
why kids love their taste and will eat them right off the vine
grandparents do the same

so 
in my experience with two grandkids and soon the third one who is now almost a year old mr n
and my experience growing tomatoes with elementary kids
i have found these tomatoes below to be easy to grow and are ones the kids love to eat

sun gold being number one of course
its candy sweet
the crack of all the tomatoes

sweet 100s is a red cherry type sweet tomato
i would rank it number two

juliette a red grape shaped one 

yellow pear is a yellow sweet small pear shaped one that grows and grows all summer long
it is not as sweet as the sun gold

brown heirloom cherry tomato tastes good if growing conditions are right

so
if you are looking for a good tomato to grow in your garden for your kids or grandkids to snack right off the vine
choose one of these
i ranked them by my preference
or
should i say their preference

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #96-would she have been too lat...

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #96-would she have been too lat...: MY STORY REVISITED #96-WOULD SHE HAVE BEEN TOO LATE FOR THE NEW TREATMENT   this morning when i was reviewing what old blog to write about i...

my story revisited #96-would she have been too late for the new treatment

MY STORY REVISITED #96-WOULD SHE HAVE BEEN TOO LATE
FOR THE NEW TREATMENT 

this morning when i was reviewing what old blog to write about i came across this one from 2013 comparing my symptoms and workup and my diagnosis in 2013 and comparing it to hers

who is she
pat summitt

we were diagnosed about the same time
she was diagnosed with alzheimers disease
i was diagnosed with mci that is turning out to be due to alzheimers disease

she lasted 5 years after her diagnosis
she died in 2016

i am still with us
10+ years ago i didnt think i would still be cognitively here in 2021
my memory it actually better than it was when i was diagnosed in 2010

i once got a call to be in a symposium sponsored by her alzheimers foundation
it didnt work out for me to be there in knoxville

so would she qualify today to receive aduhelm (aducanumab) if she was just diagnosed

now the fda didnt publish very good guidelines on who should get it
here is a link to a new recommended protocol for who should receive aduhelm
one of the authors has over 5 years experience treating patients with aduhelm (aducanumab)
why didnt the fda do this to begin with 

looking at this protocol for myself i definitely qualify
then
looking at what i observed from watching her on tv and interviews and reading articles about  her and reading her book
i think she would have qualified based on these criteria

nowadays she would have been able to get the amyvid pet scan to ensure she had alzheimers
she did while looking at the diagnostic tests she had ie memory testings mri glucose metabolism pet scan
so there is no doubt what she had was alzheimers disease
the amyvid pet scan if it had been done and was positive would have solidified her diagnosis

now if you looked at her 2-3 years after her diagnosis 
then she would be too late

thats why its important to get diagnosed early so treatments like aduhelm (aducanumab) and the ones that will come after it can be started early enough to make a difference

studies are now being done on prealzheimers or prodromal alzheimers 
the folks have no symptoms but have a positive amyloid amyvid pet scan or positive spinal tap for amyloid and tau or a positive blood test now being used in research

hopefully treating people before symptoms start would slow down the disease a lot more

__________
05-05-2013
SUM IT ALL UP


i just finished the book by pat summitt
the university of tennessee hall of fame womens basketball coach
who wrote this book about her career
and her progression to her diagnosis of alzheimers disease

she was open about her life
and open about her diagnosis of alzheimers disease

she even coached her last year while on the alzheimers drugs
aricept and namenda

after reading the book i was able to piece together her process of
getting diagnosed and how she began to notice the early symptoms

comparing my journey to hers

mine
mild cognitive impairment amnestic type
stage 2
hers
early mild alzheimers disease
stage 3

mine
mildly abnormal short term memory tests on the neuropsych exam
hers
more abnormal short term memory tests on her neuropsych exam

mine
positive beta amyloid in spinal fluid and mild elevation of tau protein
hers
not sure of her results
my guess was they were abnormal

mine
normal mri scan of the brain
hers
abnormal mri scan showed some early changes on the initial scan

mine
normal pet scan for glucose metabolism of the brain
hers
abnormal pet scan for glucose metabolism of the brain which
showed some decreased uptake of glucose which means she
has areas of alzheimers disease that has developed

mine
amyvid pet scan of the brain
ive delayed this for awhile
hers
not sure if she has had one

source
her book sum it up

so her diagnosis is a more firm one
she has it and it has progressed some

mine is possible alzheimers disease at this time and
more testing in follow up will show a trend if it occurs
towards the positive diagnosis

so
pat summitt you are my buddy
wish you well

but man after reading that book
i dont think i could ever play for you as a coach
but
with your record of success you definitely seemed to know
what you were doing
__________
would the aduhelm have slowed down her disease
probably
if it works

do i think it works
yes i do
time will tell us how well it works

eg
in ten years if i am writing this blog 
then
you will know it worked 

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: duct tape to the rescue

organicgreendoctor: duct tape to the rescue: DUCT TAPE TO THE RESCUE this is one of the best uses of duct tape that i came up with over the years this old chair was redone with several ...

duct tape to the rescue

DUCT TAPE TO THE RESCUE


this is one of the best uses of duct tape that i came up with over the years
this old chair was redone with several rolls of gorilla black duct tape
we sure hated to leave it behind in texas when we made our move
the second picture is ms b playing in the chair
it would spin around and rock back and forth 
i childs dream chair


once the stopper in our tub got stuck so i put duct tape over the top of it and was able to pull it back out 
i then was able to repair it


these are my historian brothers old mowing shoes he repaired with duct tape
his wife eventually threw them away


i once repaired my favorite wheelbarrow at the country n with duct tape
it worked for several years afterwards


my cowgirl sister in law sent me this picture of duct tape used by a farrower on a horse hoof

these were my favorite garden shoes i repaired with duct tape

the pictures from my old blogs go on and on

other uses for duct tape

i keep a roll in my garden basket to have available when needed

remove warts
i used this frequently in my medical practice
leave in on for a week and some warts peel off after a week

remove a splinter

remove unwanted hair
ouch on that one

patch a hose like a water hose or vacuum cleaner hose

use as a fly catcher or insect catcher

remove lint 

use to open a jar

wrap your insole insert with it to keep your feet warm

fix a hem

emergency patch of torn pants
ive used this before working at habit for humanity 

repair damaged hiking shoes
i did this for my wife she once when we were hiking in big bend park in texas
they lasted the whole trip

remove ticks

make a duct tape wallet

make a bandage with it or to hold a laceration together
that one ive done before

wrap a sprained ankle

hold a splint on a fractured arm
that one i did once while working at habitat for humanity 
a volunteer fell and broke their wrist
i used a board and duct tape as a splint for her to wear to the emergency room

use the roll as a cup holder
ive done that more than once

use to prevent blisters on feet and ankles

patch a window screen

repair broken glasses
i did that once when i broke my glasses that time when the eagle got into our chicken coop and i fell when i was trying to remove the eagle from the coop
i used a t post to force the eagle away
i used duct tape to hold my glasses together until i could get my new glasses

so
most of these i have done
im sure there are dozens and dozens of other uses for duct tape

fell free to contribute to the list

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-here comes the fourth surge

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-here comes the fourth surge: COVID 19-HERE COMES THE FOURTH SURGE yes i am afraid this is the start of the fourth surge it is being called the delta surge or the surge o...

covid 19-here comes the fourth surge

COVID 19-HERE COMES THE FOURTH SURGE

yes
i am afraid this is the start of the fourth surge
it is being called the
delta surge
or
the surge of the unvaccinated

99.5% of the deaths are in the unvaccinated folks

0.098% of vaccinated folks catch the covid virus
catching covid after getting vaccinated is a rare event
they have usually minimal symptoms if they do catch it
those who are vaccinated who die usually are immunocompromised 
they have connective tissue diseases like lupus ulcerative colits crohns disease rheumatoid arthirits psoriatic arthritis etc cancer patients transplant patients morbid obesity diabetes to name a few diseases

most vaccinated patients who die are older patients
death from covid after getting a vaccine is an extremely rare event

below is a picture of a graph from the ny times of the surges of covid so far
the interactive link to a good source of information is under that graph

ny times covid in the us article

the first bump or surge is when it frist started in the us
then
the second bump occurred in the late spring of last year
then
the third and longest and worst bump started this time last year 
it killed thousands of americans and maimed thousands more permanently
then
it went down down to the lowest levels since the pandemic stated over a year ago
then
here you can see the start of the delta surge

stop a second

look at those three surges
think or should i say wish or hope
that the delta surge will be like the first one

im sorry to dash your hopes
but
this delta surge im afraid will not be like the first two surges or bumps
it 
will
be more like that 
long long drawn out third surge that killed so many

dont worry if you have been vaccinated you are mostly protected

you need to worry though if you are not vaccinated

its sad that a lot of innocent people are caught it the middle
they are older folks over 65
they are immunocompromised like those mentioned above
they are folks who cant tolerate immunizations

in our circle there are three people who come to mind
mr hudson who had a transplant 
relatives who have a connective tissue disease and are over 65
a relative who cannot tolerate immunizations
they didnt or cant get full protection

our goal should be to protect these innocent folks

how
get an immunization
wear a mask especially around them to protect them
avoid high risk covid situations

if you refuse to get a covid vaccine i have no sympathy for you if you get ill from covid
you had your chance

here in our zip code we are 66% fully vaccinated which gets us close to the magic herd immunity number
however
i am afraid that in the us we will never reach that number

this fall as school starts colleges start sports start back up and labor day happens and the weather gets colder im afraid things will get bad real bad again
each person that dies from covid died unnecessarily

ive done my part
half of you have too
the 
other half of you have not

i know that when this is all over with if it ever does that i can look myself in the mirror
and
know i did what i could to slow down this disease

sadly some of you wont be able to do that

so
wear a mask
get your vaccination for covid

also
if someone was going to write a scientific horror book and make it into a movie about a virus that spreads over the world and killed thousands and thousands of americans and millions in the world
but
alas
the scientific world would come to our rescue and quickly develop a vaccine that 99.5% protected us from dying from the viral infection
but
alas
only half of americans agreed to take it this allowing the virus to kill and maim for years to come
killing thousands and thousands more of americans
all this happening while the world was begging for the vaccines

nah
even stephen king with his warped horror mind could not make up a story like this 

sorry 
but its a true to life story
maybe someone could do a true documentary instead of a book

sad 

sad
isnt it
that its ending this way

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-controlling your cholesterol does ...

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-controlling your cholesterol does ...: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-CONTROLLING YOUR CHOLESTEROL DOES LOWER YOUR RISK over the last 10 years when i discussed what healthy things you could do t...

alzheimers news-controlling your cholesterol does lower your risk

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-CONTROLLING YOUR CHOLESTEROL DOES LOWER YOUR RISK

over the last 10 years when i discussed what healthy things you could do that could make a difference in slowing down the development of alzheimers one of the things i wrote or have said to do was to control your cholesterol

the lipid profile you do has the total cholesterol the triglycerides the hdl cholesterol and the ldl cholesterol

it seems the ldl cholesterol is the one we need to be paying attention to 
it seems that we want to keep our ldl levels below 100
this matches where the cardiologists want you ldl level to be to decrease your risk of developing heart disease
it seems that level works for the brain like it does for the heart

there a saying in the alzheimers world
whats good for the heart is good for the brain

i might add controlling your blood pressure is another thing to do 

i looked back at my old ldl cholesterol levels dating back to my 40s
my initial ldl level done was way too high
it was over 240
over time with diet and with the off and on use of medication i kept it down lower than 130
but
knowing what i know now it would have been better if i had got on a strong dose of a statin to keep it below 100

when i was diagnosed over 10 years ago i have been on a strong statin and have kept it below 100

less than 100 is where this study i read about recommended it be at
the earlier the better 

they found keeping the ldl level down below 100 in middle age may help slow down the development of memory loss or dementia a decade later

i probably lost some ground by not keeping  mine in the less than 100 all those years
but at least i dropped it over a 100 points just with what i was doing in my 40s and 50s
had i not i might have progressed sooner with my disease

here is the scientific article from the lancet

here is a review of the article that is easier to understand

so basically what they are saying is 
to control your ldl cholesterol in your middle age to prevent the showing of memory symptoms ten years later

whats good for the heart is good for the brain

there are these white matter hyperintensities that show up on your mri
they can be caused by high blood pressure and probably also high cholesterol as well as diabetes smoking aging etc
the more you have the more likely they can cause memory loss or dementia or stroke

i have had over 10 mris in the last 10 years
i looked at my first one from 2010 and my last one from 2 months ago 
my white matter hyperintensities have not changed in the last 10 years
thats a good thing
for my brain

it also may be another reason why i am doing better now than i was 10 years ago
controlling my cholesterol and blood pressure may have helped

this is me standing outside the building at ucla where i get my monthly infusions of biogen aduhelm (aducanumab) in the continuation of the study i am in 

i received my second infusion in the restart study
i received 7 infusions in the original study that was stopped before the pandemic
i received 18 infusions of placebo in that study 
so
i have received 9 total infusions of aduhelm (aducanumab)
so
if you could see my original amyvid amyloid pet scan and compare it to the one i did about a month ago
you would see that some of the amyloid is gone from my brain now
then
in a year when i get my next amyvid amyloid pet scan then most of the amyloid would be gone from the scan

i just finished two infusions of 1 mg/kg dose
i now will get two infusions of 3 mg/kg dose
then
i will get two infusions of 6 mg/kg dose
then
i will start the recommended treatment dose of 10 mg/kgm dose
then
after getting those two infusions i will have an mri done to see if i am having any microbleeds in the brain called aria or amyloid related imaging abnormalities
most of these are asymptomatic
if symptomatic you can get headaches dizziness changes in metal state confusion nausea tremor and gait disturbances

luckily most are asymptomatic
very few patients have had to stop the study because of these symptoms

when interviewed i was asked was i worried about these arias
my answer
no
i dont give it second thought
as
i am on a mission here
i dont want anything to get in my way

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #95-my two year adni visit

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #95-my two year adni visit: MY STORY REVISITED #95-MY TWO YEAR ADNI VISIT adni stands for alzheimers neuroimaging initiative 2 this was a five year study using a normal...

my story revisited #95-my two year adni visit

MY STORY REVISITED #95-MY TWO YEAR ADNI VISIT

adni stands for alzheimers neuroimaging initiative 2
this was a five year study using a normal control group and a group with mci and a group with early alzheimers
they were followed for 5 years
at the beginning we got a neurology history and physical a neuropsychological exam which included the moca memory test a coke can sized blood draws for all kinds of alzheimers related testing much of it new studies mri genetic blood tests spinal tap for amyloid and tau proteins and finally the amyvid amyloid pet scan

these folks in the study were followed for 5 years doing these serial testing
eg i had two spinal taps 2 amyvid pet scans a gallon of blood donated several mris of the brain several neurology history and physicals
so 
at the end of 5 years i was well evaluated

it was at the end of those 5 years that i decided i would not do any more alzheimers clinical trials unless they were treatment trials
so
over those 5 years while in the adni 2 study i began to search for what drug study i might qualify for and what drug might be the one that would make it to market

in fact the last amyvid pet scan at the 5 year mark i skipped as there was concern it would interfere with my acceptance in the aducanumab treatment study
ie if you had a amyvid pet scan you had to wait several months before you could apply to be in the aducanumab study 

as i written before 
i seemed to have chosen the correct one

the biogen aduhelm (aducanumab) treatment study

it made it first to the finish line
it got there 3-5 years before the others did
some didnt finish the race

its got approved for the fda
i got 7 months of it two years ago until the study was stopped
sorry that i got those 18 months of placebo
but 
someone had to be in the placebo group 
right

i had a 67% chance of getting the real drug 
but
i got in the 33% group ie the placebo group

now im in the full treatment group so i will get it another two years 
its possible that it might be extended after that 
so i wont have to get it in the private world for awhile

hopefully by then we will know how well it really works
this study i am in is the one that will really tell us if it aduhelm really helps or not

so 
i have now gotten 9 months of the real drug

yes 
it was worth it 
doing these last two years of clinical alzheimers trial

the result of that effort
i am getting the aduhelm early and will continue to get it into the future
the cost
time and effort
some peace of mind
__________
05-02-2013
MORE TODAY

theres even more today
its been a busy 10 days for me as im completing my 2 year
follow up for the alzheimers disease neuroimaging study and
then prepared for and did a presentation for the
alzheimers symposium on april 30

the study required visits last week on two different days to dallas
which i have written about as they have happened

now today my wife she and i go back to dallas to the
alzheimers disease research center at the university of texas
southwestern medical school for our final day of testing

today they interview her to see if she has noticed any problems
with me
the only problem i think she has with me is that sometimes i dont
listen to her and i dont do what she wants me to do
now thats been going on for years
then theres the falling asleep in the chair at night while watching tv
something that many of the people that know me well have
experienced over the years

they have already interviewed me about some event in the last month
to see if our stories match up
the  problem is that my wife shes doesnt remember the story as well
as i do
whos got the memory problem huh

then i have a boatload of blood work
they take out more blood than lance uses to load up with before a race
and test it for the usual things like anemia liver tests kidney tests
glucose etc
then they test it for blood biomarkers-beta amyloid and tau proteins
inflammatory markers and other proteins to use in their profile thats
been developed to help diagnosis alzheimers
a test that may be available in the future to everyone

then i have the my wife shes fainting spinal tap done
for beta amyloid and tau protein
last time my results from a private lab showed my levels
were close to those of someone with alzheimers disease
i have to decide this morning if i want to repeat those at a private lab
im leaning towards doing that

before the tap we plan on lying my wife she down on a table
elevating her feet
dropping down her head some
starting an iv to infuse fluids if needed
we want to be prepared for a repeat

then following that i go over and get to sit in that whirling machine
again for an hour plus

they give me an iv infusion of a radioactive substance that binds itself
to beta amyloid in the brain
wherever its located that sticky gooey substance that forms plaques
and is thought to be the indicator of alzheimers disease
will show up as abnormal areas

if you have alzheimers you will have beta amyloid in the brain
100%

now you can have beta amyloid and not develop alzheimers disease
but the odds are against you if you do have it

my decision after today will be do i want to spend the $3000-$6000 to
know at a private xray place if mine is positive
i will decide after i complete the test today
(the study im in is a blind study so that i dont get the results of the tests)

then when thats all done
after a busy 10 days i get a break to going back to my normal activities
for a year or
until i decide to be involved with some of the new studies that are looking
at potential treatments for this disease that could be available in
the future for people to prevent or slow down the disease

im ready and willing to try anything
the choice otherwise
is...
__________
my wife she survived that 2nd spinal tap
i wasnt sure if she would after that first one

she has been a good trooper through all of this 

i never got the amyvid pet scan in the private world since i got one to enter the biogen aducanumab study and was able to get the results
positive it was

my amyvid pet scan a year from now should be read as negative for measurable amyloid since the aduhelm (aducanumab) will remove most of the amyloid in my brain

will that make a difference
i hope so

this week after getting my second aduhelm (aducanumab) infusion we spent the day with mr n our almost 1 year old grandson mr hudsons and ms bs cousin
as i was writing this this morning i realized if you had asked me 8 years ago when i wrote that blog that day 
would i have been able to do and remember that visit
i would have said no way
i really thought i would be heading toward living in a memory center by now
but
i am not

i am thankful for where i am today
i dont really know for sure if all i have done the last 10 years has really made a difference or not

i cant help but think so

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: whats a moon waddle

organicgreendoctor: whats a moon waddle: WHATS A MOON WADDLE   when i first saw this article on the moons waddle i instantly thought about that loose skin thats on a turkeys neck so...

whats a moon waddle

WHATS A MOON WADDLE 

when i first saw this article on the moons waddle
i instantly thought about that loose skin thats on a turkeys neck
so
i wondered how if something like that got on the moon what would it do to the moons journey around the earth
i guess it would be like the spitball in baseball where the pitcher puts a foreign substance on the side of the ball
when its thrown it waddles and can do some funky things on the way to the catchers mitt

so 
that picture above of the moon with its wattle was what i was thinking 
until
i realized that it wasnt a wattle of the moon but a waddle of the moon

so
i read this article on the moons wobble
now 
i understand

what does a moon waddle look like
definitely not like in the picture above

no sorry its not a waddle its a wobble

this wobble occurs every 18.6 years
this next wobble not waddle not wattle will be in the 2030s
this change in the gravitational pull of the moon combined with rising sea levels will increase the flooding on our coastal cities
look out miami
if you thought flooding was bad now just wait until the next decade

im not sure what effect it will have on the beaches here in santa barbara
my guess with the high tides you would see some flooding on the streets near the beach
there is this slow incline of the terrain to the mountains so my guess is the rise wont be as bad since the terrain is higher 
i havent seen that in writing it just seems to me the way it will happen here

now i have seen the flood maps of what it will look like in the future when sea levels rise
i presume this rise will be accentuated by the moon wobble effects on the high tides

i guess it will be a boon for tide pool exploring during low tide
im not sure what effect it has on surfing
i presume the waves would be higher during the high tide
but im not a surfing expert

some cities in the next decade probably like miami and other beach cities prone to flooding will see flooding every couple days for several weeks

maybe
next decade you might want to skip your beach vacation to some of these flood prone areas

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-this delta surge will infect these groups

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-this delta surge will infect these groups: COVID 19-THIS DELTA SURGE WILL INFECT THESE GROUPS according to one infectious disease expert if we dont change what we are doing this delta...

covid 19-this delta surge will infect these groups

COVID 19-THIS DELTA SURGE WILL INFECT THESE GROUPS

according to one infectious disease expert if we dont change what we are doing this delta surge will be followed by another surge then later by another surge then later another surge
dr fauci said if there had been vaccine hesitancy like we are seeing now that polio would still be with us in the us

the pandemic has now become 
the pandemic of the unvaccinated 

thats about 50% of those in the us
its worse in most other countries
its worse in many states that are seeing the worst of the surge
arkansas missouri louisiana florida
one out of every 5 cases in the us is in florida

the viral load seen in the delta surge infections is 1250 times what it was in the 2020 surges
thats why this delta virus is so contagious

who are susceptible

definitely 100% of you who arent vaccinated

some of us who are vaccinated still may get covid 19 although if we get it the infection is much milder

some of those vaccinated are more likely to get infected because they are immunosuppressed
eg
folks with connective tissue diseases like rheumatoid arthritis ulcerative colitis psoriatic arthritis lupus etc and who are on immunosuppressive drugs folks on steroids long term folks with overall poor health cancer patients transplant patients etc
some folks who are elderly may have suppressed immune systems
these folks may not be as fully protected as more heathy patients
eg
i am 71 years old and in good health but im 71 years old and my immune system isnt working as well as it was when i was 40

so if you are in these categories you should be careful
you including myself still could catch covid 

even if you are vaccinated and you catch covid and like most vaccinated folks you may have mild symptoms you can still spread that to vulnerable folks listed above

this delta virus which is highly contagious is hitting the younger population harder
they are seeing sicker younger patients with this delta surge as compared to the other surges

the opening of school will cause a rise in cases
the numbers of unvaccinated in the south combined with the hot weather causing folks to stay in doors more is contributing to the rise there
the loosening or elimination of sensible measures in most areas is making things worse

listen to what your medical people are saying in your area
they know
they are seeing it day by day 
they are living it
when you see them interviewed you can see it in their eyes in their faces in their voices
they are scared they are overwhelmed they are saddened 

remember if you get vaccinated
you are likely to
not get sick
not get hospitalized
not get in the icu
not get put on the ventilator if you do get sick
not to die from covid

99.5% of covid deaths are in unvaccinated patients

statistics dont lie
they tell the truth

experts say if things dont change this virus and its surges will be with us for a long long time
if so if you are unvaccinated they said you will eventually be infected with this virus

the next variant that takes over from the delta variant will be more aggressive than this one
it called the survival of the fittest when it comes to which variant takes over
science doesnt lie

so what am i doing
i know i can still catch it and transmit it to others
though if i get it i might not get real sick
i probably will not get hospitalized or put in the icu or on the ventilator or to die from covid 

i wear a mask when i am around others
eg in the grocery store large box store gas station pharmacy etc
i dont wear a mask when i am in my garden or going for a walk or going to the beach
i dont wear a  mask around family members since they are all vaccinated
if someone is sick i wear a mask
eg if a grandchild has a viral uri like rsv or parainfluenza or bronchiolitis or vomiting or diarrhea then i will mask up 
if i were to travel which i am not going to do right now i would wear a mask 

i wash my hands frequently during the day and after going into a store or after visiting someone

remember elderly folks can get sick with the upper respiratory viral infections kids get that arent covid

if i go to a restaurant i would wear a mask but take it off while eating
i would not eat inside but would ask for outdoor seating

now
here where we live our fully vaccination rate is closer to 60% and our positivity rate is low
so
the chances of getting it here is low 
but
if i was somewhere else like missouri or louisiana or arkansas or florida i would be even more careful

im afraid this surge will be a long drawn out one
it will last through the summer into the fall and may be into the winter

if you let your guard down
well
this is what will happen
the delta surge
then
the next one will be called epsilon
then zeta
then eta
then
ad finitim


another thing that needs to happen is like this below

the university of california system will require all students all employees all teachers to be fully vaccinated to come on campus
that is over 500,000 folks that wont get covid or spread it
the waivers for not getting vaccinated are limited and restricted

now add mask wearing to this 

there should be few cases in the university of california system 

the local community college is making it volunteer
thats a cop out
the local community college will see a surge this year in cases
remember the youngest are getting hit the hardest
the faulty is asking to do only online classes

when the vaccines get full fda approval in the next few months then we will see more of these restrictions
you will also see more of them since businesses and schools will face liability problems from law suits when this happens

we in our society need to 
accpt mandatory covid vaccination like we do with polio tetanus pertussis pneumococcus meninigococcus meningitis heptatis b hepatits c mumps measles rubella in order to work in health care or attend school 
or
if we dont then we need to accept continued death and disability in our citizens from covid 19

we are at at a real inflection point right now

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-having this ancestry dna may help

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-having this ancestry dna may help: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-HAVING THIS ANCESTRY DNA MAY HELP in our family ancestry lore that was passed down in our family one of our distant relative...

alzheimers news-having this ancestry dna may help

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-HAVING THIS ANCESTRY DNA MAY HELP

in our family ancestry lore that was passed down in our family one of our distant relatives had married a native anerican princess
i had heard this many times from relatives talking about our ancestry 
then
enter
my historian brother who is a well read self educated knowledgeable person expert on ancestry
he has solved several complicated ancestry mysteries eg helping someone find a lost loved one

after obtaining ancestry dna on all 7 siblings and the daughter of my younger brother who died from alzheimers disease
his conclusion
well the facts are
we have zero or 0 native american dna
we do have some north african dna

so
no native american dna for us
bummer
especially after i read this article on native american indian dna in mixed ancestry folks
it may offer some protection from getting alzheimers disease

i will provide my simple version of this
i suggest you read the article as they did a better job of explaining it

researchers found a region in the human genome of some folks with mixed ancestry that appeared to protect them from getting alzheimers disease

they looked at a group of caribbean hispanics with mixed ancestry of european native american and african origins
a portion of the native american dna seemed to offer some protection against alzheimers disease

this genetic diversity seems to protect these people from getting alzheimers disease
so
getting this segment of dna from a native american ancetry may protect you from this awful disease

if this is true
i sure wish that old ancestry tale passed down in our family was true

the organicgreen doctor 

organicgreendoctor: garden news-this years tomatoes

organicgreendoctor: garden news-this years tomatoes: GARDEN NEWS-THIS YEARS TOMATOES these are my tomatoes from a recent harvest from my garden looking at last years harvest pictures at this ti...

garden news-this years tomatoes

GARDEN NEWS-THIS YEARS TOMATOES

these are my tomatoes from a recent harvest from my garden
looking at last years harvest pictures at this time
i noticed there were more tomatoes and they were larger

this years crop are definitely smaller and less plentiful
so far

why
i do everything the same from year to year
eg
i add a large layer of compost plus an organic fertilizer to the soil
this is all forked in well
when i planted the tomatoes i watered them in well with liquid fertilizer plus seaweed plus molasses
i also add some of my worm compost i make to the beds
i do this every year
i use a drip system to water along with watering in a 3 gallon pot buried next to each tomato
in this pot it is about 1/3 full of compost
i fill these pots with water once a week
in some beds i have a buried 3 inch pvc pipe with holes  drilled in  the pipe
i also fill these once a week
i fertilize them with a foliar feeding every two weeks with the concoction above

so 
i basically do the same thing each year

in this picture
the big purple tomato is a cherokee purple
i saved seeds from the huge cherokee purples i grew last year and planted them to produce the tomato plant that produced this cherokee purple
so its a child of last years plant
last years largest one covered my whole hand

another one is the t tomato named after my sisterinlaw who had it growing on her garden wall as a volunteer tomato
it was proliferative so i seeded it
these tomatoes are the third generation from that mother plant
the smaller red ones are t tomatoes

the larger red ones are celebrity 
i was late planting this one
it is from a transplant bought at the nursery

the next size red one is the l tomato named after a fellow plot holder whose plant produced tomatoes for two years
i took a cutting and potted it and later transplanted it

the yellow ones are sungold tomatoes
it is a transplant bought at the nursery

the other tomato not represented in the picture that i planted is the black krim
its loaded with tomatoes but i havent picked many yet
it also was grown from seed from last years crop

i tend to pick my tomatoes early then let them ripen on our kitchen table
why
to prevent loss to animals and birds

so why are my tomatoes smaller this year
the weather
the lack of rain

this year we have had our early morning fog that burns off from mid morning to noon time
this makes the tomatoes susceptible to fungal diseases and also stunts their growth
there is less sunlight during the day for the tomatoes
it has also been cooler this spring compared to past springs weather

then we are in a drought year here
we have had only 48% of our average rainfall for this time of year since new years
it probably will not rain here again until sometime in october hopefully
so
even though i water my tomatoes the overall moisture level in our soil is down compared to last year

so
the weather
the rain
thats why my tomato production is off so far

now 
i will say that i have a lot of tomatoes that are green and i should get a decent crop
my plants are about 8 ft tall alos

but
compared to how brutal gardening can be in texas sometimes i really cant complain
at least im getting tomatoes

some years in texas i would loose my whole crop to 
hail storms
grasshoppers
way too much rain too quickly 
no rain at all 
sudden onset of late spring and early summer heat that shuts down flowering of tomatoes

yep
im not complaining
as i eat ripe tomatoes every day from my garden

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #94-revisiting my story revisit...

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #94-revisiting my story revisit...: MY STORY REVISITED #94-REVISITING MY STORY REVISITED #1 i started writing my almost weekly blog on my story revisited over 2 years ago this ...

my story revisited #94-revisiting my story revisited #1

MY STORY REVISITED #94-REVISITING MY STORY REVISITED #1

i started writing my almost weekly blog on my story revisited over 2 years ago
this was also about the time that biogen stopped its biogen aducanumab clinical trial i was in
the two arent related

as i posted that first blog below on mci little did i know that would be my diagnosis in three months

the my story revisited blog idea was triggered by a suggestion from a well respected journalist that i write a book on my story 
so
instead i have written about my old blogs on alzheimers once a week

yesterday ms b who is now 6 years old and is about to start the first grade and who must think about a lot things sometimes
she said

granddaddy
do you have alzheimers

yes
ms b
i do
but
i told her
my memory is ok now
but
one day it wont be

she has been to 3 of our walk to end alzheimers here in santa barbara
she saw my pictures in the local paper and in the new york times 

she stopped for a while
thinking it seemed

oh
she said
with a sad look on her face as she moved back to her activities

ms b 
i am leaving a road for you and others who wonder what it may be like to have alzheimers and what the affected person thats me is thinking
its all in here

one day she will want to know 
so
i hope to do this as long as i can
__________
04-10-2019
MY STORY REVISTED 1
 
i was contacted recently by a journalist and writer who reads my blog and has interviewed me before
she wrote i was thinking this morning that you should take your blogs on alzheimers and make them into a book

now ive thought about that several times
you can take your blogs as written and make a book from them
they take the blogs word for word and place them on the book pages

i thought about it since she wrote me
so
what i plan to do is to take blogs and make short chapters
i will date the blog with the original date it was written and will plan to do some editing since how i write has changed some over the last 8+ years

yes
i plan to not use caps or punctuation

as i read and edited this blog on mci it was surreal
this was september before i went up in november to volunteer for the alzheimers study to be in the normal control group
man was i going to be blindsided
reading this i realize how much more i know about memory loss now

since my mothers journey with alzheimers disease and my younger brother advancing in his disease i had started to spend time reading more about it and what one might do to slow it down
in my office i started putting literature in the exam rooms for folks to pick up and read

i actually about this time began to realize how little i knew about the disease

as ive read some of my blogs during this time well yes it bothers me
its like i was so innocent about what was going to happen

9-9-2010

MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT 
researchers studied 2000 older patients that were dementia free
16 % showed symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (mci)

mci is picked up on neuropsychological tests or memory tests like the moca test
the changes may be subtle
mci is thought to be the precursor or the early beginning of alzheimers

alzheimers changes in the brain occur 1-2 decades before symptoms show up in a person
research is looking to pick up mci earlier than it is now
with mci memory problems are greater than whats expected for when a person ages
eg  
its not where did i put my dang keys but what are these things im holding in my hand

mci occurs more commonly in men than women
yes we get screwed again since we also have more heart attacks and strokes than women
mci is twice more likely to be amnestic memory loss
i sure hope that doesnt include peoples names
mci is more prevalent in those with the apoe 4 gene which is a known risk factor for developing late onset alzheimers
mci is decreased in those with the most years of education
maybe all that medical school  will help me and maybe i will work on my phd
mci is increased in those who have never married and is lower in married persons
some of my relatives shouldnt get mci then

this is a summary from an update from the alzheimers disease and education referral center
tuesday september 7 2010


after i wrote this blog i realized i now knew a little more about what mci was
man
little did i know that label would be slapped on me in a few months and it would alter my life and my familys lives and many of my patients lives

next week 
chapter 2 where i wrote about more alzheimers stuff totally unaware of what was going on up in my own brain

this may be harder to do than i expected
__________

each wednesday usually i write my my story revisited
its like looking back in your journal from the past and comparing it to how you feel today

well today i feel awfully lucky

the organicgreen doctor