organicgreendoctor: garden news-from texas to southern califonia

organicgreendoctor: garden news-from texas to southern califonia: GARDEN NEWS-FROM TEXAS TO SOUTHERN CALIFONIA this is a picture of our charlie brown christmas tree that we have used for several years i thi...

garden news-from texas to southern califonia

GARDEN NEWS-FROM TEXAS TO SOUTHERN CALIFONIA

this is a picture of our charlie brown christmas tree that we have used for several years
i think my wife she got it at a thrift store not long after we moved here
our grandkids decorate it each year for us
how it looks can be variable based on how much they decorate

this year i told my wife she 
this is all i want for christmas
you dont even have to wrap it
what is that you say
well
that is about 500 onion plants that i order each year from dixondale farms linked here from texas
the plants are half texas super sweet and half texas early white

when we first moved here i went to order onions from a well known local seed company from southern california that i used even when i lived in texas
there were the onions i liked to plant plus it appeared they got them from dixondale
so i just direct ordered them from dixondale and have done so for the last 5 years
i have not been disappointed
i also get my leeks from them

here i plant the onions right after thanksgiving
in texas i planted them in january

this year after 8 months of having all my personal garden plot covered with plastic sheeting and a thick layer of mulch and growing my veggies on raised beds on top of this
i started removing all the plastic sheeting
the plastic sheeting was placed to kill off the invasive bermuda mint and cane berries 
so far they have mostly been eradicated

each of my 8 garden beds are a 3ft x 7ft frame
i did this below to all 8 of them

i removed all the soil down to about 1 ft 
then added a box made of galvanized gopher wire that fits in the hole which is heavily stapled to the wooden frame
then i do layers of soil etc  back into the bed
i told my wife she it looks like im digging a grave or something
yea for gophers i said

first i put in a layer of the original soil then a layer of mulch then a layer of unfinished compost
i repeat that layering until i have a bed that is raised about 10 inches above the ground level
do the math
thats about 2 ft of good soil depth

my top layer is good original rich soil and a 4 inches of good organic compost and a dusting of a good organic fertilizer 
this is then all forked in and raked smooth
i then add a soaking of medina garlic plus juice which is mainly fish emulsion and molasses and seaweed and apple cider vinegar
the drippers are added back on then a layer of pine straw is added on top
i like to do my beds a few weeks before i plant them so they can sort of cure if you will

then when i got my christmas present onions i planted them in my new raised beds
the onions are planted 4-6 inches apart and an inch deep
i do a hook up sign and use my forefinger and little finger to make the holes
thats about 6 inches
i say hook up each time i plant an onion

i was able to plant around 80 onions in this raised bed 
we will pull some for green onions as we need them and let the rest grow into big onions
the size will be determined by how our weather is in the spring
we usually put up most of these onions by chopping them up and placing in a freezer bag 
if we have a good season we can have onions unitl this time next year
fingers crossed
i always say im glad i dont do this for a living

then after planting onions in my garden i ventured into the main garden where we planted around 400 onions in our garden beds
this bed is about 35 ft long and 3 ft wide
it was prepped 2 months ago with a good 4 inch layer of organic compost then a dosing of a good organic fertilizer

this was all broadforked in and raked smooth
then it was covered with a layer of straw until we were ready to plant
at planting we raked back the straw and planted the onions one hook up sign apart
we planted around 300 onions in this bed and another 100 in another bed

again we will harvest green onions first by harvesting every other onion
later when the onion bubs finishing bulbing we will harvest let them dry and donate them
all to those in need and the underserved

thats another great christmas  present this year that will keep on giving for months

i want to thank those of you that donated to our seedmoney.org fundraiser linked here
we raised $4000 when you count the grant money that got added to our total that will be placed in our general fund to help raise these organic veggies so that we can continue to grow almost 5000 pounds to donate to those in need

just know your donation is appreciated by all we serve

a christmas gift that keeps on giving

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #195-last day revisited

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #195-last day revisited: MY STORY REVISITED #195-LAST DAY REVISITED each year about this time i go back and read what i wrote that day 13 years ago a month before i ...

my story revisited #195-last day revisited

MY STORY REVISITED #195-LAST DAY REVISITED

each year about this time i go back and read what i wrote that day 13 years ago
a month before i wrote it i knew i was done 
i had volunteered to be in the adni 2 alzheimers study in the normal control group
i had mild short term memory loss that showed up on the memory testing that lead them to a recommendation i see a neurologist
i wrote this the day i went to see her
i knew i was done

i got my official diagnosis when i saw her and a prescription for the alzheimers drug aricept or donepezil

i spent the last month of my practice getting ready to have to stop after i saw the neurologist
i knew i would be done for good
i was right

yesterday i saw the picture of the last patient i saw in my practice
an employees child a 2 year old who needed his 2 year check up
he is now a high school handsome teenager

i must say we had a grim christmas that year

i knew what that diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers disease meant having seen my mother and my younger brother go through the final stage of the disease 
my father probably had it when he died

but here i am 13 years later
writing this blog
playing with my grandkids and knowing it and enjoying it
managing a large community garden as the volunteer garden manager
blogging on a regular basis
still doing all our business and financial stuff 
doing all the shopping
i am a cheaper shopper than my wife she
i follow a list and she doesnt

in 2016 i was accepted in the biogen aduhelm study where i received over 50 infusions 
the first 18 were placebo then the last 34 or so were the real drug

the drug should have removed all the measurable amyloid plaque from my brain
that should slow down the disease some for me
hopefully it will slow down the tau migration in my brain and some of the inflammation

i am after more time arent we all right
i feel like i have been granted that extra time
im thankful everyday that i have
__________
12/22/2010

LAST DAY-THANKS 
this my last day to work as a physician
always considered myself lucky to have been able to
do in life what i wanted to do since i was a middle schooler

in high school i was able to work in a local hospital in the
summer on weekends and during holidays
our family was poor so not only did i get financial benefit from
working but i also was exposed to a lot in the hospital setting
it made me know that i wanted to be a family physician

during college i worked as a emergency room technician
on weekends, weeknights, and holidays
this also gave me financial support but also exposed me to
different doctors and different emergency situations

i was accepted to medical school but never wavered on what
kind of doctor i wanted to be
a family physician

i was accepted to a family practice residency
after completing my residency i owed the federal government
three years to work at an approved federal underserved area

i was able to create with some help a site in  the small
town near where i grew up       i  worked there for three years
although traumatic at times it was a learning experience that i
carried through out my career

after fulfilling my three year obligation and after sustaining a
large financial hit from my involvement with the local clinic
i was recruited to the area where i am working now
thanks to my medical school friend for helping me out in
my time of need

i have worked for 25 years as a family physician
i always wanted to be one

now it is time i have to quit not because i want to but
because a genetic health problem has risen its nasty head
and because of this will have to discontinue what i like to do

i do not ever dread going to work every day
feel like i have now just gotten good at what i do

realize that patients dont necessarily need all of the new
medications we have, the new tests we can do or need
the newest treatments available

they do better if you just listen to them, pat them on the
shoulder, be kind to them and be their advocate when
they need it

i have honed my skills in taking care of kids over my career so
that many of the kids have felt comfortable seeing me and look
forward to seeing me to get a sticker or sucker, hear my
duck voice, or have me joke with them
that part i will miss a lot

thanks to all my patients in the past for allowing me to fulfill
my dream of being a family physician
i hope i have done you a good job

thanks to my wife she for putting up with me during
my quest for my career
know she found hers

love yall
the organicgreen doctor
__________
little did i know when i wrote this 13 years ago that i would be sitting here writing this today
for that
thats the best christmas gift i could ever receive

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: got the last of the trifecta

organicgreendoctor: got the last of the trifecta: GOT THE LAST OF THE TRIFECTA cdc rsv   that link above is from the cdc with all the info you need about rsv the rsv vaxxine is for the young...

got the last of the trifecta

GOT THE LAST OF THE TRIFECTA

cdc rsv 
that link above is from the cdc with all the info you need about rsv

the rsv vaxxine is for the young and the old and pregnant folks

rsv or respiratory syncytial virus attacks the young babies and us older folks
its like a bad cold for some
some kids get a bad bronchiolitis with it and may require hospitalizations and nebulizer treatments for awhile
rsv is the reason hospitals fill up with sick kids during the rsv season
i spent many a night in icu with these kids
the symptoms can last for weeks to months in some cases

older folks can also get a pneumonia from rsv that requires hospitalizations
some die from it

now
its mostly preventable
pregnant moms around 32-36 weeks can get the rsv shot which protects their newborns from getting rsv after they are born
or
once born kids can get an antibody shot that will protect them for several months
then
adults like me can get the rsv vaxxine to prevent them from catching rsv from you know where
thats right
grandkids
or 
giving it to their grandkids

for older adults the rsv is part of the trifecta of vaxxines we need every year
flu 
updated covid
rsv

if i was gambling i would have a winning ticket today
at 24 hours i have no symptoms from the rsv vaxxine

even if you dont gamble you should get this trifecta
it may save your life 

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: you go girl

organicgreendoctor: you go girl: YOU GO GIRL time article on taylor swift if you are a swiftie then you will like this article and all the pictures if you arent a swiftie th...

you go girl

YOU GO GIRL

time article on taylor swift
if you are a swiftie then you will like this article and all the pictures
if you arent a swiftie then maybe you should read this article
if you have a daughter you and well she should read this article

i admit i am a swiftie
i dont wear her bracelet since i have a watch on my left arm and 3 alzheimers bracelets on my right one
one for me one for my mom and one for my younger brother
my wife she and ms b wear swiftie bracelets

ms b mr hudson and others got to see and hear her concert in los angeles
ms b made it all 3 plus hours
mr hudson almost made it all 3 hr
they like her songs and sing them
mr n and mr kd like her also

she is a unique one or a one of a kind women

her era tours have brought billions into the economies of the cities and countries where the concerts are located
her era tours grossed over a billion dollars
the first day tickets became available it crashed ticketmaster
in some countries folks camped out for months to get tickets

one of the monday night football games she attended had one of the largest viewership ever for a nfl game
mostly watched by your granddaughters daughters wives nieces and probably your wife
all mostly new viewers
lucky advertisers that night huh

that boost to the economy is called the taylor effect by the national reserve
it was actually apparently visible on the data they collected

facebook with its algorithms has even figured out i like taylor swift
so 
i get a lot of her reels and articles on her
i watch them and read them

we need someone like her in this world
be a swiftie
and
feel good about

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #194-would i do it again you be...

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #194-would i do it again you be...: MY STORY REVISITED #194-WOULD I DO IT AGAIN YOU BETCHA i am at the end of the line now i have one amyloid pet scan to go next week and one d...

my story revisited #194-would i do it again you betcha

MY STORY REVISITED #194-WOULD I DO IT AGAIN YOU BETCHA

i am at the end of the line now
i have one amyloid pet scan to go next week and one day of memory testing in about 3 months
then
im through 

the end of a 8 year journey that started in 2016 when i applied to get in the study where i would either get placebo or aduhelm or aducanumab
my journey up to 2019 is documented in my old blog below

i will have had 6 amyloid pet scans of my brain since 2010
if  you could line them up and look at them
they would tell a story 
they would show how my amyloid plaque progressed until around 2019 when i started getting the real drug aduhelm then there would be a slow decrease in the amount of amyloid plaque until now
this amyloid pet scan i will have next week should show that the measurable amyloid plaques are all gone

how i wish i could see all of them just to know whats going on upstairs in my brain

then
yesterday i had a tau pet scan 
i think this was my 3rd one i have had

the tau scan shows where tau tangles are accumulated 
where they accumulate is where in the brain the alzheimers is presently doing its damage

eg
if it was in the speech center i would have problems with speech
if it was in the frontal lobes well my family will be in for a bumpy ride

knowing where it was located well i would just like to know so we could be prepared

however all these are hidden and protected by the study 
i have asked to see them after the study is over
but
that usually doesnt happen

i could just have one done myself but they arent readily available outside of research and are quite costly

ill just wait and wonder
_________

10-25-19
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-I AM A ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH VOLUNTEER IN THE BIOGEN ADUCANUMAB STUDY

yesterday i found out that i am a step closer to getting my monthly infusions restarted soon of the biogen aducanumab drug that was in the news this last week
it may be the first drug in a long time that gets approved by the fda to be used in alzheimers disease
this is a big deal for the alzheimers world and me in particular

i meet next month with the ucla folks to discuss my getting back into the treatment study
if i am accepted sometime around january i would start reevaluation with things like medical history neurological exam memory testings mri scans to see if i still qualify to be on the drug
if im cleared and accepted it could be as soon as march when i get my infusions restarted
but
having been through this a lot before i know the research world moves slow

why is aducanumab important
it removes the amyloid most of it that can be seen on a scan from the brain
in those who got the higher dose they had an improvement of memory
thats what we are after either slowing down or improving memory loss

no
it wont stop the disease entirely but it will slow it down sort of like those speed bumps they put in the streets in residual areas to slow down cars from moving too fast
so
aducanumab slows down the alzheimers disease traffic

so
how did i get here from 9 years ago starting as a research volunteer with no symptoms who just wanted to contribute to alzheimers research and who wanted to be monitored
to now

in 2010 i entered the adni 2 study as a normal control group subject
during the evaluation i had memory loss detected on memory testing
i wasnt accepted in the normal control group

i saw a neurologist and was diagnosed with early mild cognitive impairment that has now turned out to be due to alzheimers disease

i was placed on aricept (donepezil) to slow the symptoms down
it doesnt stop the disease it just slows down the symptoms

i stopped working and was placed on long term disability

i then entered the adni 2 study in the mild cognitive impairment group
i did
at least yearly memory testing sometimes more
lots and lots of blood work heck my dna and rna is in a lot of research labs around the world
at least 2 spinal taps
lots of mris of the brain
genetic testing
at least 2 glucose pet scans
at least 2 amyvid pet scans
for those 5 years i didnt get any results of the tests having signed a waiver to be in the study
now
i did have some done in the private world
that werent covered by insurance

the last amyvid pet scan i canceled because i had decided that since the adni study was ending i would not do another study unless it was a treatment study that would help me slow down the disease in my brain

i looked at a lot of the drugs like aducanumab to see how they worked
it seemed that aducanumab stood out from the rest of these antibody drugs against amyloid

if i had done that last amyvid pet scan i would have had to wait 6 months to a year to try to get in the aducanumab study since that was their rule
so
i canceled the last amyvid scan in the adni study in 2015

my first attempt to qualify for the aducanumab study i was turned away since the initial screen showed i didnt qualify
but i can be persistent sometimes
so
later
you see my memory level was abnormal lets say i made a 25 on a test where 27-30 was normal
then over two years i dropped down to a 24 then a 23
i was starting to slide down that path
then
my memory started to climb up into the normal range where it has fairly well stayed since around 2013 or so
so
they test my memory well he dont qualify they said
but
when they got all my medical records to review and followed my memory tests they could see i started out at a deficit
plus i was put on aricept (donepezil) and i started the reversal of cognitive decline protocol and aggressively took care of my health
so
sometime around the fall of 2016 a year after finishing my adni study i began a several month screening process to get in the biogen aducanumab study
lots of medical record reviews lots of memory testing lot of blood work neurological exams ekgs mri scans
then
the last thing after i passed the other screeners after several months was an amyvid pet scan for the amyloid in the brain

if the scan is positive
you are in
if the scan is negative
you are not in

well most of you know i was accepted in the study so that means my amyvid pet scan was positive

so i started 18 months of monthly infusions at first the university of texas southwestern in dallas then later at ucla
as it turns out i was on the sucky placebo for those 18 months
then
i was given 7 infusions of the aducanumab real stuff as part of the long term extension where all participants got the real drug
i am not sure if i got the low or the higher doses
my goal is to find out which i got
im a i want to know person
so
in those 25 months i had a gallon of blood drawn lots of memory testing lots of mri scans and two more amyvid pet scans
up to this point i have had 4 amyvid pet scans in the adni study and now the aducanumab study
i would love to line them up and look at all of them to see what has happened over that time

each visit probably close to 50 of them requires a one way trip of around 2-3 hours
the infusions are a 3 hour event
they have become the top priority in my wife she and is life

i have done what i can to slow this down
the aducanumab appears if what biogen says is true to be a little icing on the cake to slow that skid down that alzheimers slope some

thats all i asked for as i started this journey 9 years ago
if you ask my wife she and i are we happy where we are today
even if im not cured
we would say

you betcha

we cant find a cure because
we need more money
we cant get enough research volunteers like me to participate

to me thats sad

only
you yes you can help us

just look at my story and see where i am today because i volunteered 9 years ago
i
unlike most folks with this disease
i
have some hope for the future

to volunteer go to clinical trials.gov and type in alzheimers disease
remember you can be in some studies even if you have normal memory
find a study near you
volunteer
volunteer

also many alzheimers centers will follow you long term even if you have no symptoms

you can sign up for trial match with the alzheimers association at this link

we need your help studying this disease

to get us money
contact your state and federal congress person tell them we need more money or research
and
of course donate and or join your local alzheimers walk
__________
where do i go from here
one part of me says im done with all of this
like someone who did chemo and radiation and said im done i dont wont anymore done

i may be there now myself
i feel like the aduhelm and other things ive done have bought me more time
im ok with that

i realize the new stuff thats coming along may not get out on the market in time to help me
and
since my amyloid scans will be negative now for maybe 5-10 years i might not qualify for any of these new treatments

i do plan to watch the studies 
i need a tau treatment drug and a inflammatory treatment drug
however
my acceptance for these treatments may be marred by my being treated with aduhelm

a conundrum 

if this is it 
well
im ok with it
ive done my part

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: give today

organicgreendoctor: give today:   GIVE TODAY our seedmoney campaign today is a day of giving be looking around for your favorite charity or non profit today is the push to ...

give today

 GIVE TODAY

our seedmoney campaign

today is a day of giving
be looking around for your favorite charity or non profit
today is the push to donate to them

these charities and nonprofits cant survive without your help

we have about 3 that we routinely donate to each year
they are ones that mean something to us personally

eg
the alzheimers association
we usually do our donations in the fall when we do our walk to end alzheimers

remember donating doesnt always have to be money
donating your time as a volunteer is a big part of keeping a nonprofit or charity going

another is our community garden linked above and below
it is where i have focused most of my volunteer hours and donations

eg i am the volunteer garden manager and am also the chair of our committee that runs the place
we do a lot of good as described in our link above and below
i do a big donation each year with my time at about 15-20 hours a week

find a nonprofit or charity that matches with whats important to you
do a money donation that you can afford
and
donate your time

that time donation is one of the hardest thing that many nonprofits need a lot of

for those of you who are looking for a place to give today 
take a look at our link below
see all the good we do

i feel good being involved with the garden

your charity or nonprofit you donate to should make you feel good inside

donate today
donate your time also

happy giving tuesday


consider donating to our fundraiser for our community garden for which i am the volunteer garden manager 
even a $5-10 donation  will be helpful

go to this link to see our crowdfunding site

https://donate.seedmoney.org/8831/trinity-gardens

we get to keep all funds donated and we also are in competition for up to a $1000 grant

make yourself feel good today
donate on giving tuesday


the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: garden news-more rainwater tanks

organicgreendoctor: garden news-more rainwater tanks: GARDEN NEWS-MORE RAINWATER TANKS rain is scarce in this area i am surprised that more people dont collect rainwater off their roofs to use i...

garden news-more rainwater tanks

GARDEN NEWS-MORE RAINWATER TANKS

rain is scarce in this area
i am surprised that more people dont collect rainwater off their roofs to use in their garden and landscape

a  couple of years ago i found 2 rainwater tanks on sale online
i guttered our two chicken coops and fixed the downspouts so they would fill up those two tanks
later someone thank you hn gave me two more tanks which i hooked up to those other tanks
this gave us 240 gallons capacity 
then i put an overflow into a 60 gallon tank
that gave us 300 gallons off our coops

we use the rainwater to water in our new plantings


then a volunteer brought these three tanks to the garden
a  neighbor was throwing them away
these are food grade tanks that hold 60 gallons
they also were throwing away the concrete blocks and the old screen
i had the 2 in pvc left over from when i did the chicken coup guttering a couple of years ago

the tops of two tanks were open so i found trash can lids to use on top
i have found some mesh drawstring tops to use on these tanks that i will order

i got a vinyl gutter at a minimal cost and put it on the side of the storage shed which is 12 ft long and 10 feet wide
since its butted against another building we can only collect off of one side

i washed the tanks and pvc with soap and water then rinsed it well
before washing them i sanded them with a fine sandpaper so the paint would stick
i used a rustoleum spray paint with primer to put 3 coats on the tanks and the pvc
you dont have to paint them but it looks better if you do

if you get the white tanks you need to paint them a dark color otherwise you will get algae growing in your tanks
you also need to have screens on any openings to keep insects especially mosquitoes out
lucky for us mosquitoes arent common around here
sorry for you guys who live in texas and the south 

i used the pvc as a downspout which empties into the top of tank one
all three tanks are connected via a faucet at the bottom of the tanks
the tanks all fill up at the same time

i have had some folks that couldnt figure out how it does that

there are a lot of online videos on how to do this tanks for rainwater collection

a one inch rain will give us 36 gallons of rainwater
12 x 5 x 0.6 equals 36 gallons

during the foggy times of the year there is so much moisture in the fog that it partially fills up our tanks
our last rain was in february or march of this year 
in our chicken coop tanks we have about 50 gallons left from all the fog we had plus a surprise small rain we had this summer

the normal rainfall total here is about 13 inches but that varies from year to year
eg in central texas usually you get around 30+ inches a year but in a drought year its much lower

we now have 180 gallon additional capacity so it would take 5 inches of rain to fill up these 3 tanks
lucky for us our rain doesnt usually come in a big downpour like it does with the texas storms
ie gulley washers
our rains tend to me slow and steady so we dont lose too much water overflowing our gutters

this year we are expecting to have that atmospheric rain totals so our tanks should fill up several times this fall and winter

so now we have 180 gallons plus 300 gallons to give us 480 gallons of rainwater we can collect

also we can easily add these water tanks in a series as we find tanks

my rainwater brother would be proud of our rainwater tanks

now if more folks would collect rainwater here
rainwater collection education continues 


consider donating to our fundraiser for our community garden for which i am the volunteer garden manager 
even a $5-10 donation  will be helpful

go to this link to see our crowdfunding site
https://donate.seedmoney.org/8831/trinity-gardens
we get to keep all funds donated 
and
we also are in competition for up to a $1000 grant

all funds will be used in our garden to continue to grow produce for those in need and to do educational classes for kids and adults

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: try hiring staff

organicgreendoctor: try hiring staff: TRY HIRING MORE STAFF i hate using the self checkout machines i like interacting with the checkout worker over time you get to know them and...

try hiring staff

TRY HIRING MORE STAFF

i hate using the self checkout machines
i like interacting with the checkout worker
over time you get to know them and they get to know you

when i use to go to cvs i usually had my favorite checkout person that i would interact with
then
i guess the pandemic hit
now
at our cvs we go to they sort of discourage you from using the real life person to checkout

now usually when i go to cvs its to get just one or two items so i usually zoom over and use the checkout machines
if they work right
half the time the checkout person ends up coming over to unlock the machine since its not working right

thankfully when i pick up my prescriptions i check out at the pharmacy and get to talk to a live person and not a machine that doesnt always work
you know old school like

there is a store i just have to go into sometimes that i always use the checkout machines since the staff are not friendly seem not competent so i just zip on through without talking to a human

one observation i made was it sure would be easy to just walk out the store and not pay and no one would probably say a thing
ok so i did that once at one unnamed store just to check out my theory
i did return it later 
no one said a thing

i am sure folks are walking out with stuff all the time 
raising their shrink rate they call it

this is a problem at lots of stores like walmart walgreens definitely cvs and home depot and probably lots of others

i read in some places that some cvs stores have armed guards with dogs that patrol the entrance
i probably wouldnt use that one if they did

one walmart is being redone so they are putting a police station inside the walmart
maybe
they should try adding competent checkout people instead of machines
checkout people that are well trained at a trader joes facility

my guess is trader joes has a low real low shrink rate
stealing from them would be like stealing from a family member

so 
my solution for them is
hire more competent staff
send them to trader joes camp
limit the numbers of self checkout machines
112.1 billion dollars of shrink rate products are being stolen each year
surely 
that would pay for more staff

no wonder folks use amazon so much

yes
my answer is
hire more staff

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: dont be taken disadvantage of

organicgreendoctor: dont be taken disadvantage of: DONT BE TAKE DISADVANTAGED OF thus is a smudged out medicare card for most americans who qualify for medicare this is what they need for the...

dont be taken disadvantage of

DONT BE TAKE DISADVANTAGED OF

thus is a smudged out medicare card
for most americans who qualify for medicare this is what they need for their medicare plan 
plus a medicare supplement f or g plus a drug plan d
eg
i have regular medicare plus a mediplan f plus a medicare d drug plan
thats what works best for most folks

now
on tv
you are seeing a lot of ads for medicare c
dont do it
there are hidden costs that will show up if you get real sick or need referrals

a word of caution anything like this advertised on tv like this especially with those celebrities is benefiting the celebrities and not the recipients or the patients

yes
they say free meals free gym membership free transportation free dental free vision
but
what about the care you get
what about the hidden expenses
ask doctors and nurses what plans they are selecting
most wont say medicare c
they know
they see what the problems are
we all have our horror stories

at the end of my medical practice years the medicare c was just starting up 
there were referral refusals for specialty care refusals of procedures refusal of medications refusals for treatments just lots of refusals

who came out ahead in this financially 
in our case the doctors 
the insurance companies
maybe the hospitals

who lost out
the patients
some hospitals

now there are a few medicare part c that turns out to be good ones
but generally usually commonly 
you dont want to chose the medicare disadvantage plans c

again
most are better off paying for regular medicare plus the medicare supplement f or for some its g and a good medicare d drug plan

except for drugs which have a copayment my wife she and i have paid zero nada nothing extra for our care since we have gotten on our not medicare disadvantage plan

if you mess up and chose medicare c you can switch back later during the sign up time in the end of the year but for some your medicare supplement f or g will cost you more

yes we pay more up front for our original medicare and our medicare supplement f and our medicare d drug plan but so far thats it on our costs

one illness or one denial of payment for a referral can easily pay for one year or easily more years of regular original medicare and its supplement f or g and its meicare d drug plan 

Here is a good review of this topic from Investopedia

dont let those ads fool you

dont be taken disadvantage of

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: its not enough

organicgreendoctor: its not enough: ITS NOT ENOUGH this is the story of one teacher who taught in one of the school districts in texas that doesnt pay into social security ther...

its not enough

ITS NOT ENOUGH


this is the story of one teacher who taught in one of the school districts in texas that doesnt pay into social security
there are a lot of these districts who did this to save money

ok that teacher is my wife she

she started working as a teenager and worked through high school through college while i was in medical school and several years after that
she paid social security all through those working years
she has a total of about 18 years of paying into social security 

she reentered the work force in her mid 40s as a high school teacher
her district did not pay into social security 
so
that means
the wep kicks it
ie the windfall elimination provision kicks in

whats that you say
its a formula where you substract your teacher retirement from what your social security would be
most teachers get a zero when they do the calculation
my wife she gets a sum of $400 on social security based on her 18 years or on half my social security

it works like this
lets say her annual trs retirement is $20,000
lets say her social security would be $15,000
then her social security would be $5,000

when i die instead of getting lets say $30,000 a year from social security 
she will only get about $12,000 a year
many teachers we know get zero

so instead of retirement income of $50,000 a year
she will only get $32,000 a year

thats what the windfall elimination provision does to thousands of teachers and other workers

now we knew this would happen thanks to my rainwater brother who was also a certified financial planner
he educated us on all of this 
so
we put a lot into my wifes 403b plan over her 17 years of teaching
so we have more than enough to cover that loss of income each year

sadly
most teachers cant afford to so this

then
theres the no cost of living adjustment on the texas teacher retirement system
why wife she has been retired for 8 years
she got two months of extra pay i guess because the legislature felt bad about the teacher retirement system

now the cola or cost of living adjustment was voted in by the states of texas
my wife she gets 2% adjustment one time
you do the math on $20,000
its $400

last year social security cola was 8.7% and next year it will be around 3.2%
if it was her trs she would get $1740 this year and $640 next year

what this means for a retired school teacher who doesnt get their social security checks
they have no cola to compensate for the cost of living
their buying power of their retirement checks drops about what the cola is each years
in 10 years they can lose 25%+ of their buying power 

now my wife she and i planned for this with her 403b which easily covers this loss for her
most teachers dont have this protection

you can easily see how a retired teacher can be forced into severe poverty

whats the solution

eliminate the windfall elimination provision
congress has to do this
sadly they cant even fix the daylight not savings time issue

give a cola cost of living adjustment thats fair each year
odds of texas doing that is low

what they are doing now is not enough

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #193-what if it came true

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #193-what if it came true: MY STORY REVISITED #193-WHAT IF IT CAME TRUE when i wrote this blog 8 years ago i was a year away from being accepted in the biogen aduhelm ...

my story revisited #193-what if it came true

MY STORY REVISITED #193-WHAT IF IT CAME TRUE

when i wrote this blog 8 years ago i was a year away from being accepted in the biogen aduhelm or aducanumab clinical trial where i ended up eventually receiving first 18 months of placebo then 35 monthly infusions of aduhelm or aducanumab
aduhelm removes amyloid plaques from the brain

what does that mean for me
my final amyloid pet scan i will have done in 2 weeks should show most if not all the amyloid plaques should be gone from my brain

then
two weeks after that i will have a tau pet scan

in the process of developing alzheimers the amyloid plaques accumulate and damages and kills brain cells first then later tau proteins in the nerve cells unwind and form tau tangles that kill brain cells then
later inflammation occurs which also kills brain cells

as the tau tangles spread around the brain where they end up determines what symptoms you will see in your loved one who has alzheimers disease

the aduhelm infusions also removes and prevents some tau tangles from forming but only to a small degree

if i could see the tau pet scan i could tell how widespread the alzheimers disease was in my brain
i dont get to see the results since its protected by the study
when the study ends biogen will decide whether to release them
usually they do not release them
so
i will have to just wonder about the scan

the end result will probably be that all those treatments will have slowed down the disease some
how much we wont know for awhile 
when they rescan folks like me who have been treated to see how long it takes the amyloid to reaccumulate they will know
some estimates i have read is around 10 years

maybe something else will get me before then

when i wrote that blog i was excited at all that was ongoing in the alzheimers research world

today i am even more excited
________
05-01-2015
WHAT IF
there was a cure for alzheimers disease in the next 10 years
thats the gist of
this article from the wall street journal

we actually could be that close if a lot of the studies
going on right now shows that the treatments used
work

we already are finding out that aggressively doing healthy things
can not only prevent or slow down not only alzheimers disease
but also heart disease and stroke

like
the mind diet
control of blood pressure cholesterol diabetes weight stress
anxiety depression sleep abnormalities
correcting abnormal labs like thyroid b12 homocysteine vitamin d
exercising
staying mentally active

there are several big studies going on right now using the
new alzheimers vaccines mainly in people who are
destined to get alzheimers but have no symptoms
if it works this will be part of the new approach

drugs that shut down the production of the bad stuff
beta amyloid that is found in alzheimers patients
these studies are ongoing now

a new anticancer drug seems to slow down the progression
of alzheimers disease

a drug given to patient with strokes that clears up tiny
blood clots in those patients may also work to clear
things up in alzheimers patients brains

a combo of vitamins and supplements may help slow
down the progression of the symptoms in alzheimers
more research on this is needed

etc etc etc

so what if
this all works

first
half of all nursing home beds would be emptied
saving the government and individuals millions
and millions of dollars

second
all those caregivers would be released from the stress
emotionally and financially of caring for their loved ones

third
those research dollars for alzheimers could be shifted to
other diseases

fourth
millions of patients destined to have the disease
will not
they can continue to be productive human beings

fifth
the fear of getting this much dreaded disease as one
ages would not exist

so i think about this
hoping that it will happen
in time for me and my siblings

we can all hope
_________
i get asked frequently what folks should do

here is my advice
presume you are going to get it and do all those healthy things mentioned above in my blog
even if you dont get it you will get other health benefits from it like less chance of a stroke or heart attack or kidney failure etc

if you get tested for the apoe 4 gene be sure you know what it means
it means you are at risk for getting late onset alzheimers disease
you can overcome that risk by yes doing all those healthy things listed above
also knowing your apoe 4 status also scares the  heebie jeebies out of you to
yes you got it do all those healthy things above

if you are at risk due to family history or risk factors you might consider finding a treatment trial for folks who have amyloid plaques in the brain but have no symptoms
those studies are ongoing now across the usa

aduhelm leqembi donanemab are all doing those studies now

it seems from study results that the earlier in the disease you seek treatment the better the results
i feel like i am doing as well as i am because i have been aggressive in my treatments

i expect that most of my relatives a generation below me will probably be in that category 

i expect these 3 drugs will apply for fda approval to be used in prealzheimers if the clinical trials show that they work to slow down the disease by starting before symptoms start

they are working on injections of these drugs that can be given at home for mci and mild alzheimers
leqembi will probably get that approval next spring

if you arise having symptoms please get evaluated early in your symptoms
there are other things that affect memory like depression anxiety medications stress loss of sleep low b12 low thyroid to name a few
treatment can improve your symptoms from these non alzheimers causes

think of alzheimers like its cancer
early detection can make a difference

if you do get diagnosed and you are early in the disease consider treatment with one of these anti amyloid drugs

soon to arrive are anti tau drugs anti inflammation drugs maybe crispr gene therapy and oral versions of anti amyloid drugs

the future treatment will be an anti amyloid drug plus an anti tau drug plus an anti inflammation drug

so 
yes
there is more hope than when i wrote this blog 8 years ago


starting november 15th consider donating to our fundraiser for our community garden for which i am the volunteer garden manager 
even a $5-10 donation  will be helpful

i consider i am treating my alzheimers disease by being the volunteer manager
by being
socially active
physically active
mentally active 
a stress reliever

doing garden meditation
having access to organic fresh produce

 seedmoney.org allows community and school gardens to fundraise then allows them to compete for grants of up to $1000
eg we spend about $1000 a year on supplies to grow our veggies for planting and our plant sale

go to this link to see our crowdfunding site
https://donate.seedmoney.org/8831/trinity-gardens

on or after november 15th  please consider donating to help keep our good work going
all our produce we grow goes to those in need
the more we raise the higher a grant we qualify for

the organicgreen doctor