Tuesday, May 31, 2022
organicgreendoctor: this was my favorite one
this was my favorite one
THIS WAS MY FAVORITE ONE
this weekend here in santa barbara they had the i madonnari street painting festival in the front of the santa barbara mission for the 3 days of the memorial weekend
there were thousands of visitors
there were about 100 different drawings
impressive drawings
some just seemed to jump out like they were 3 d ish
this picture i use for my covid blogs was from two years ago when the festival was canceled for two years
this artist drew the picture on their driveway
it seemed 3 d ish when you looked at it for awhile
we walked the half mile to the mission yesterday arriving around 830am before it got too busy
we took our time and looked at all the drawings
as my wife she said there were phenomenal drawings
we even got to talk with the artists that were still working on their drawings
it will be interesting to see whose was deemed the best one
i decided after looking at all of them that that picture above with that guy with the mask hanging off his ear was my favorite
that guys drawing it made me do some thinking
it was a few drawing viewings later
i said
oh now i get it
my wife she even visited with the young artist for a few minutes
i did not get his name to give him credit well deserved
yep
thats my favorite one
it made me have to think some
the organicgreen doctor
Friday, May 27, 2022
organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-lecanemab vs donanemab as the next...
alzheimers news-lecanemab vs donanemab as the next one to treat alzheimers
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-LECANEMAB VS DONANEMAB AS THE NEXT ONE TO TREAT ALZHEIMERS
as a review
in the theory of alzheimers disease
amyloid begins to build up in the brain for some reason and form plaques
these plaques kill brain cells
then
tau proteins inside the brain cells began to unwind and form tau tangles
these tau tangles get outside the cells and kill brain cells
then
all this brain cell death causes the bodys inflammation army to move in to try to repair the damage
causing inflammatory reaction damage to the brain
for a true treatment
you need to attack all three processes thats going on
my drug aduhelm or aducanumab goes in and removes the amyloid plaques from the brain
the amount of amyloid can be measured by doing an amyloid pet scan
in the aducanumab study after a year of treatment most of the measurable amyloid plaque is removed
it also seems to lower the tau tangle levels
it also seems to lower the inflammation in the brain
there is about a 20% reduction in memory loss after that year
aduhelm attacks the amyloid protein and removes it
now
enter lecanemab and donanemab
they both act similar but different from aduhelm by attaching to a different part of amyloid
they both seem to do a better job of doing it
they seem to have less side effects
they both also in phase 2 studies seem to work better than my drug biogen aduhelm
the fda approved aduhelm or aducanumab for use in mci due to alzheimers and in mild alzheimers
however
cms the ruler of medicare and medicaid only approved paying for it in clinical studies
the result is its not being used much in the private world since no one will pay for it
most of it is being used in clinical trials
aduhelm will be starting an at least 5 year study required by the fda before it will reconsider its ruling
my study i am in is called embark
it will be finished in about 1-2 years then we will know better after that how well it works
now the other two will be where aduhelm will be in two years this fall
both will probably apply for full coverage and full approval
they both likely will get it if their results are promising
biogen in marketing aduhelm or aducanumab tried to circumvent the system and get it approved too early
they are now paying the price
no cms approval for payment and little use of it since people in the private world have to pay out of pocket
lecanemab is a biogen and eisai drug
eisai is now running the show since biogen screwed up with the aduhelm marketing
donanemab is an eli lilly drug
gantenrumab is a roche drug that is not far behind these two
the end result may be
donanemab and lecanemab might have full approval by the fda the first of 2023
they both will be available for use
then
if they get full approval cms will most likely cover them in the private world
so
in a year from now
these two drugs will be available if all goes right for those in the alzheimers world to start using and get it paid for
i do worry though that alzheimers disease is the stepchild of the cms world and there may be attempts to limit these drugs use to save money for a disease that is only mainly killing old people
an expendable group of people when it comes to money
just watch what they try to do with social security and medicare
you can get a feel for what could happen when you look at what happened to all those elderly folks in long term facilities in regards to covid 19 care and treatment
they were expendable
so
dont let them expendable us
the organicgreen doctor
Thursday, May 26, 2022
organicgreendoctor: garden news-how to braid garlic and how to store o...
garden news-how to braid garlic and how to store onions in freezer
GARDEN NEWS-HOW TO BRAID GARLIC AND HOW TO STORE ONIONS IN THE FREEZER
back in november we bought some italian red garlic bulbs to plant in the garden here
we chose those since they had done so well the last few years
garlic growing here in santa barbara can be hit and miss
i missed on 2 out of 5 years gardening here
the fog and moisture does a number on garlic
one year mine all rotted and were also covered with brown rust a fungal disease
whereas
in texas when i grew my garlic i had no issues
this year we planted our garlic in this bed in november
it gets a lot of all day sun
the garlic seemed to do well there
we had planted last year in the next bed over and it did well
it did well this year also
a couple of weeks ago we harvested these garlic and let them sit out in the sun to dry out
we dont donate them all at once but try to donate a few to each recipient of our donations each week so these garlic will last a few weeks
we needed a place to store them so we that is i told the other volunteers about how i use to braid my garlic and hang it from the rafters of our barn or garage or bbq pit area
using the garlic as we needed them
we would have enough for months and months of use
i suggested we just braid them and hang them from our covered food prep area
so
i showed them how i did it
well i just took them and in no particular way braided them using a lot of twine to hold them in place
the other volunteers reached out to this youtube video linked below to learn step by step how to do it
correctly
this easy to follow video on how to braid the garlic resulted in the nice looking braids in the picture above minus of course the one i did with my get it done method
i must say theirs looked more artistic then mine
mine had a more rustic look
these garlic will be clipped off as needed for our donations each week
i did go back and try to braid using this method
but
i used the onions below and it seemed to look ok
these texas sweet onions were planted right after thanksgiving from starts i obtained via mail from dixondale farms out of texas
this picture above was taken in mid january
the onions can be harvested any time for green onions but the idea is to let them grow into larger bulbs like in the picture below
these are these onions from my garden
i harvested them when the green stalks started to fall over
they were left there too dry
in texas i would hang them as onion chimes using panty hose
as i needed an onion i would cut it off the chime
they would last for months and months this way
here in santa barbara i had trouble getting mine to not rotten
i guess its the cooler weather and fog
so
here what i do
remove the stalks and clean them up
chop them into quarters
throw them into a blender
it chops them up
then i place them into a gallon freezer bag
about 5 onions go into a bag
from my garden i harvested about 50 sweet onion bulbs
as i need onions i will remove about a fourth of the bag for use in soups stews etc
these onions will last us until this time next year
along the way we ate a lot of fresh onions starting in january with fresh green onions
so
thats how to braid garlic
and
how to freeze and use onions
we plan to braid the remaining onions in our community garden to hang beside our garlic until we get them all donated
then
this fall we will start all over again
the organicgreen doctor
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #137-now its ?35 down and ? to go
my story revisited #137-now its ?35 down and ? to go
MY STORY REVISITED #137-NOW ITS ?35 DOWN AND ? TO GO
like i did 5 years ago when i had my first infusion of aducanumab in the biogen clinical study of aducanumab at the university of texas southwestern in dallas
that first day i left our country n on my way to the infusion
yesterday i left our condo in santa barbara at 530am and made the beautiful 3 hour trip to ucla to get my ive lost count but its around 35th infusion in this study
luckily the drive is a beautiful one at that time of morning as the sun starts to come up
at ucla where i now get my infusions i usually go for a short walk around the area before i have to go into the building for my infusion
i got in close to 3000 steps before i went inside
i feel better doing that walk before i get tied down to my iv
today i had to have a full neurological exam since its been a year since i restarted the study
then
they drew out 7 vials of blood for various tests
once im cleared by the neurologist to receive the medicine aduhelm or aducanumab
it is ordered
i then wait usually up to an hour before the medicine arrives to my bedside
the infusion then starts and last about 60 minutes
i get a salty taste in my mouth since its got saline mixed with the aduhelm or aducanumab
in the picture below of the iv hanging the bag has no name of the drug on it
since that part of the study we werent allow to know what it was
placebo or aduhelm or aducanumab
i can know tell you it was placebo
i got 18 of those placebos
i got 7 real drug aduhelm or aducanumab after that before the study was stopped in 2019
since it was restarted in 2021 i think i have gotten around 10 more infusions of the real drug
so i have gotten around 17 real drug infusions so far
today the label has my name on it
it has the name aduhelm or a aducanumab at a 10 mg/kg dose
the maximum dose given
its the one that works the best
but
its the one that also has the most side effects
the biggest side effect as ive written before is microbleeds
ive had no microbleeds so far
they do mris to check for these
my multiple mris are negative
i have 2 more scheduled this summer
im sure my brain is electromagnetized by now
next week i have a tau protein pet scan and the following week i have a 6 hour day of memory testing et
if it works its all worth
as i went through the day 5 years ago i remember being quite excited to start the study infusions
i was the first to get them at ut southwestern in dallas
a few months later i transferred to ucla for my infusions after moving to santa barbara
___________
03-24-2017
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-1 DOWN 47 TO GO
i did it yesterday
got my birthday present
as i wrote the best ever
as i drove the 3 hours trip i did a lot of contemplating
thinking about this 6 year long journey that i have been on
hoping it will last a long long time before its all over
i thought how lucky i am to be this far along
and not have worsening memory loss
during that time this last 6 years
i lost my brother from the final stages of this disease
had my older brother get diagnosed with it
i thought maybe just maybe i am the lucky one
getting an opportunity that they didnt get
to really really slow this down
i am honored to be in this trial
knowing that if its successful as it might be
that it could be a game changer for me
and all my relatives behind me
to have a chance to avoid this awful disease
thats how close we are to finding a treatment
its right now today not off tens of years from now
for me and my family it started yesterday
yesterday the day for the rest of our lives
lets getter on is what i muttered under my breath
i arrived yesterday early of course to the infusion center
its located in this building at the university of texas southwestern
medical center
i walked up to this desk where the busy infusion center is
there sits this guy called santa claus
he is the receptionist
everyone calls him that
since he looks like santa claus
and
plays one at christmas
nice as you would expect santa claus to be
nice first person to interact with
then there was some snafu
we may have to reschedule
some protocol has to followed exactly right
i was the first one starting this study there
some special approval had to done by some god in massachusetts
or somewhere back east at biogen
we may need to reschedule if you dont want to wait
nope i said
im staying until this gets settled
ive waited too long and this may mean to much to me and my family
i just want to get this thing done
getter done i mumbled under my breath
finally after awhile it all got cleared up
back i went
nice nurse
nice receptionist
nice neurologist
it helps to have nice medical personal taking care of you
when you are dealing with the unknown
dealing with a terminal illness
i remembered as i watched them start my infusion and draw my blood
their patients are the ones that dont usually fair well
its their diagnoses
below thats the brown bag stuff hanging on the pole
the stuff thats either fake stuff or the real deal
the real deal for me please
me
i thought as i watched them hook all this up
i want to be the exception for them
i want to be a success result
the only thing i noticed as i got my infusion was
that i tasted salt on my tongue and i got real thirsty
dont know if thats a good sign or not
when it comes to whether or not i am in the placebo group
or not
if i get headaches get confused have some dizziness
then theres a good chance i got the real deal stuff
however not everyone has side effects
i am at higher risk for side effects since i have the apoe 4/apoe 4 gene
this gene put me at an increased risk for getting alzheimers disease
prior to getting the infusion i had a memory test done
for some reason i noticed that i did better on it than usual
it may be because i have had it done so much
i can anticipate the answers before they ask the questions
however
they for this study do a variety of memory tests
most of which i havent done before
which make them more accurate
so
i finished my infusion without any effects
now
i return each month to do the same thing all over again
except
i dont have to wait around the extra hour or so like i did
this time
in and out in an hour or so each time
i decided i can deal with whatever problems pop up
for
in the end it may be all worth it
i scheduled my next infusion date on 4/20
i did that date on purpose
its in case you dont know is marijuana day
why pick that day
well
there is a lot of research that needs to be done on the ingredients
in marijuana
they appear to be useful in the treatment of neurological diseases
like alzheimers
however
the federal government severely limits the research that needs to
be done on these marijuana ingredients
in my contact with folks affected by these diseases
they are using marijuana
obtaining it from states where its legal
using strands that have the potential to help
its sad that good scientific research cant be done
to find things like this that may help
its my small way of protesting our governments restrictions
on this research
but
hopefully if this aducanumab stuff works for me
i wont have to get involved with using any 420 stuff
next
a month of waiting
then
round two
keep following me on this journey
i am hoping the end result will be a good one
if it is
there may be hope for a lot of people
__________
was all the effort it has taken to be in this study worth it
all those ivs
all those blood draws
all those neurology exams
all those memory tests
all those mris and amyloid pet scans and tau pet scans
all those 3 hour drives one way
would you do it again
my answer to both questions
you betcha
the organicgreen doctor
Monday, May 23, 2022
organicgreendoctor: covid 19-now what do we do
covid 19-now what do we do
COVID 19-NOW WHAT DO WE DO
we in the us have now officially reached that dreaded 1,000,000 deaths total for this pandemic
we in the us had 10,506 deaths from covid in the last 30 days
we in the us are having around 284 deaths a day from covid
it the deaths are slowing down but they sadly arent going away
sadly most of these deaths are in unvaxxinated folks
sadly most of these deaths are in at risk folks
most still could have been prevented
the ba.2.12.1 subvariant is slowly building a surge that will take weeks or months to build up to the next tsunami wave of covid
i wish they would name it
maybe call it lucifer instead of some greek letter
make it sound more sinister so we will pay more attention it
remember it and tis cousins killed over 10,500 folks in the us this last month
most of yall will catch it and do ok but have bad cold symptoms
you wont get hospitalized and die
if you get this lucifer infection and are vulnerable or high risk even if you are fully vaxxxxed you should seek out medical care
consider getting the 5 day treatment of the paxlovid pill
it needs to be taken within five days of symptoms starting
its free right now
if you are eligible you should be getting your boosters
remember the pfizer which is given as a two shot series really should be a 3 shot series to get full protection
if you got the johnson and johnson vaxxine you need the booster to be better protected
if you arent vaxxed you should get vaxxed to prevent getting sicker or being one of those statistics mentioned above
the over 5-11 group is now approved for getting the first booster
remember if you got pfizer you really need that first booster to get better coverage
next month both pfizer and moderna are seeking approval for its shots to be used in kids under 5
the pfizer will be a 3 shot series and the moderna a 2 shot series
the 3 shot pfizer for these younger kids under 5 may be more effective
we should know more when the final fda approval occurs the first of july
many of you who had covid early on in this pandemic and those of you who got your shots at the beginning
your immunity to covid is waning
you are more vulnerable to reinfection
its expected that many of you whether your are vaxxed or not or whether you have had covid or not
will get infected with this lucifer variant
most you will do fine as you may just have a real bad cold and feel bad if you get the lucifer version
those high risk are going to get sicker
some if untreated will be hospitalized or be part of that 286 per day grim reaper statistic
i am now quadvaxxed
i am as protected as i can be
since i am over 70 i am in that high risk group
i feel heathy but i have to remember i am in that high risk worrisome group
so when i catch the lucifer covid if i do
i have at home my test kits
if i test positive i will reach out to my primary care provider or urgent care to get my prescription for paxlovid to start taking 3 pills twice a day for 5 days asap within 5 days of my symptoms starting
in folks i know who took this it seemed to help to improve symptoms quickly
i will wear a mask in high risk situations
like
going to a store or any inside building
avoiding any inside gatherings
remember i dont want to get sick
i realized this week if i do get this lucifer covid that will delay one if not two of my aduhelm infusions
something i dont want to do
yesterday i was at a gathering of around 25 people but we were all outside for two hours and i felt quite safe without a mask
when the booster shot this fall or what will probably be an annual covid shot is available i plan to take it along with my flu shot
i dont want to die from something i could easily prevent
this lucifer virus can just go back to hell and i hope it burns up
it caused enough suffering up in our world
keep a close eye on what is happening in your community to decide what to do
the organicgreen doctor
Friday, May 20, 2022
organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-a new alzheimers nasal spray
alzheimers news-a new alzheimers nasal spray
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-A NEW ALZHEIMERS NASAL SPRAY
recently i mentioned this new alzheimers nasal spray in a blog
it intrigues me
that you could spray something in you nose that may remove amyloid plaque in the brain
thus
slowing down alzheimers
slowing down or stopping alzheimers ill take either one
i figure if i can slow mine down some ill die from something else
maybe
like a sudden heart attack while working in my garden would be my choice
sparing me and my family that long road down the alzheimers final slide down that slope that happens in late alzheimers
yep ill take slowing it down anytime
just think if a nasal spray worked there would be no monthly or bimonthly infusions at an infusion center
you could just spray it up your nose after brushing your teeth
sounds too good doesnt it
no
it may happen
being patient did a good article on this new nasal spray
the nasal spray contains proteins that which when sprayed in the nose causes the bodys immune system located in the lymph nodes of the head and neck to induce macrophage and microglia the brains garbage truck guys to enter the brain and remove amyloid plaques that have accumulated
the hope is that removing these amyliod plaques may slow down alzheimers
the company that makes this alzheimers nasal spray called protollin is about to start a phase 1 study
this will be on a limited number of folks using different doses and schedules to see which works the best and to see if there are significant side effects
these 16 study subjects have early alzheimers and are between 60-85 and have amyloid plaque buildup based on amyloid pet scans
they will be treated for 6 months
if this turns out ok then a phase 2 study would be done on a larger number of folks to see if the doses chosen work and if there are any side effects that show up
occasionally if the phase one study looks real real promising then the fda will let them jump the phase 2 study and go right to the phase 3 study
thats what biogen was able to do with aduhelm or aducanumab
sometimes though its not good to take short cuts
as the problems with aduhelm or aducanumab are demonstrating
sometimes you cant rush science
if this turns out ok then a phase 3 study would be done on an even larger number of folks
this final study will really tell them if it works and if any new side effects show up in the larger group of folks
the time from the start of phase one to the end of phase 3 to final approval for use will be around 10 years
this company predicts 5 years
i am 72
if it works i would be 82
thats too late for me
unless
i could get in a clinical trial
which i cant
since im in the aduhelm clinical trial
thats true of not just this protollin drug but any new alzheimers drug in phase 1 studies now
so
this is why probably aduhelm is my last chance to get a drug that will slow down or help me
this protollin study is not even listed in clinicaltrials.gov yet
the phase 2 study probably wont happen for 2+ years
the phase 3 study probably wont happen for 5+ years
the company is hoping for a shorter timeline
if you are in the alzheimers world this is how you identify studies that may help you or your loved ones
this is how i found aduhelm or aducanumab 8 years ago
the clock is ticking
the organicgreen doctor
Thursday, May 19, 2022
organicgreendoctor: garden news-a farm tour at our community garden
garden news-a farm tour at our community garden
GARDEN NEWS-A FARM TOUR AT OUR COMMUNITY GARDEN
these are veggies that we harvested recently from our community garden that were donated to the organic soup kitchen for their delicious organic soups
note when i was sick two years ago with what i think was covid and post covid stomach issues i could only mainly eat the organic soup kitchen soups
i say its what kept me from starving to death over those long 6 months
in that wheel barrow are a lot of celery and kale and swiss chard
tucked in a another box not seen are lots of onions and squash
we also throw in several herbs they use in the soup
in that orange container is about 20 leeks
this produce is all used in the organic soup kitchens soups
we make a large donation each week to them
recently we harvested 25 lbs of organic zucchini for them
the soups described in their website are donated mainly to those in need like chemotherapy patients the elderly and others in need
i got mine each week delivered to our condo
they offered it free to me but i felt like i was able to buy the soups myself so i did
as a review of our garden
its been established now for 10 years
its mostly volunteered run
we do have a paid garden manager
we raise on out 20 thirty foot beds a lot of vegetables
all grown organically
we also have a large orchard
that fruit is all donated also
the produce is all donated to those in need
like
the organic soup kitchen
womens shelters
elderly apartment complexes
several food pantries in the area
last year we donated close to 5000 lbs of produce to these entities
this year i expect it to be more than that
this weekend the organization taste of santa barbara in association with the santa barbara food action network is sponsoring a farm tour in this area
it has included us on the tour as a representative of a non profit that can grow produce and provide education for the community in need
here is an excerpt from their promotion of the event
Join Trinity Community Gardens and the Organic Soup Kitchen to see first-hand how non-profit organizations can work together to grow food, provide nourishment, and build community. Tour the three-acre organic garden and “food forest” orchard, learn about small-scale sustainable practices and closed-loop systems that any gardener can employ, and taste a variety of delicious garden-to-bowl soups. Tour includes soup tasting.
Regional farm tours are curated in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network. All proceeds from ticket sales will go directly to the farmer, rancher, or food producer who hosts the tour.
sorry for all the caps and punctuation above :)
the event starts at 1100 am with a tasting of some of the organic soup kitchen soups
the tours around our 3 acre garden and orchard will then occur
answering hopefully tons of questions
the visitors will be both local folks and visitors and tourists
i look forward to the interactions with group
here is the link to information about the event and a link to purchase tickets
the organicgreen doctor
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #135-women still hit hardest
my story revisited #135-women still hit hardest
MY STORY REVISITED #135-WOMEN STILL HIT HARDEST
now eight years later that statistic still hasnt changed any
women still get alzheimers more than men do
part of that is that they live longer which increases their risk of getting alzheimers
since covid deaths has taken over the number 3 slot in causes of deaths
the rating of deaths from alzheimers dropped down one notch
we still dont have a cure yet eight years later
we do have treatment ie my drug aduhelm but time will tell how well the aduhelm really works
women not only get hit harder with alzheimers they also do most of the caregiving
hopefully in eight years when i write about this again things will have changed some
note the video in the old blog below is no longer available
aduhelm update
getting infusion #11 next week in the restart study
i got 7 prepandemic
i got 18 placebos lucky me before that
getting an mri a week later
this scan shows if i have a microbleed or any brain shrinkage or other abnormalities
getting a tau pet scan two weeks later
this scan measures the tau tangles in my brain and will show where in the brain alzheimers has progressed
where the tau accumulates in the brain should match with any symptoms i might have
eg if it was in the speech center i would have problems with speech
getting my annual all day testing 3 weeks later
this testing will show if i have had any memory improvement or any memory loss
the neurological evaluation will determined if i have had any neurological symptoms or signs develop like weakness numbness etc
lots of labs will be done measuring blood biomarkers and chemistry tests and blood counts and antibody levels and other tests i dont know what they are
it appears that biogen is planning on continuing the study i am in called the embark study to its end and maybe longer
by then the final results of all their studies will be done so we will know exactly how well this drug aduhelm really works
basically its what biogen should have done in the first place with the aduhelm
not applied for approval until all these studies are done
__________
05-02-2014
WOMEN HIT HARDEST
this always seems to be true about women
they always seem to get the short end of the stick on
so many things
now it seems alzheimers disease is one of those things
added to the list
watch this video maybe twice
thats what i had to do to see all the information
or
click here to watch the video
we hear a lot about women and breast cancer
thanks to education about breast cancer awareness
with self breast exam and annual breast exams by their doctors
and routine mammograms
and the treatments for breast cancer
the survival rate and quality of life for breast cancer in women
have improved
now
that we know alzheimers disease is hitting women harder
than breast cancer
we need to pour the same effort into finding a treatment
or a cure to prevent or slow down this disease
take a moment to assess your health women
make sure you are exercising
maintaining a normal body weight
not smoking
not drinking excessive
maybe a little pot occasionally according to some researchers
controlling your blood pressure
controlling your cholesterol
controlling your diabetes
getting an adequate diet
controlling depression or anxiety
staying active mentally and socially
and
get involved some way in the fight against this disease that
will affect more of your gender than any other disease
by
calling your congress folks about supporting research
doing a walk to end alzheimers in your area
make a donation to the cause
help a fellow caregiver out some
remember most of them are women
just get involved in some way
the cure and treatment is on the horizon
your help will make the sunrise for everyone happen
a little sooner
__________
i think most of the study subjects in these studies are men
most of the photos ive seen from the studies are men
wonder why that is
the organicgreen doctor