welcome to the organic green doctor blog

i am a family physician who was diagnosed with
early mild cognitive impairment(mci) amnestic type on december 21, 2010
this is a precursor to alzheimers disease
because of this diagnosis i have opted to stop practicing medicine
this blog will be about my journey with this disease
please feel free to follow me along this path
i will continue blogging on organic gardening, green living,
solar power, rainwater collection, and healthy living
i will blog on these plus other things noted to be interesting

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

visit the ill, garlic planting,my wife she


VISIT THE ILL
visit the ill
when you have family or friends gravely ill with cancer, alzheimers, neurological diseases as amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis huntingtons disease, terminal lung or heart diseases or other terminal diseases
it is important to visit them near the end of their lives

this visit helps the caretaker a lot even if it is only for 10-15 minutes
the caretakers get isolated from their friends and families
have visited a lot with caretakers in my office
they can get overwhelmed with the care they have to give
they dont see their family and friends as much

with many of these diseases the patient has total mental capacity until the end
think of being trapped in an ill body but with all your mental capacity present

these visits do mean a lot to them

think of someone today in this situation and visit them
they and you will feel better when you do

GARLIC
where we live it is easy to grow garlic
plant it here in mid october to early november
just put it in the ground and months later you have garlic

get my garlic from an organic nursery that sells the right garlic for this area
also save some cloves from this years harvest to use
also usually have left garlic in my garden when harvesting
so may have garlic coming up with the beans, tomatoes, cabbage etc
can also get garlic cloves from the grocery store and plant them

the secret is the soil  
add 4 inch of good organic compost to my bed
work it in to the soil
then are ready to plant

take the garlic and break it into individual cloves
plant those about 6 inches apart with the pointy end up
if you make a mistake and plant it wrong it still grows

keep it watered if needed   dont water mine much as we usually get enough
rain in the fall and winter here

mulch mine with pine straw if it is cold to protect it

here usually pick it in may or june
whenever the green tops turn brown
we pick ours and tie them in bundles and hang them in our garage or
better inside in our pantry

MY WIFE SHE
my wife she called me after she read the story about the snake on the rainwater tank above
the hot tub she was in
think she was hyperventilating a lot      she said she was sweating and shaky when she read
the blog
my wife she said she would not have streaked but would just had a heart attack right there and died
this will cost me a lot

the organicgreen doctor

Monday, August 30, 2010

another snake story, new car keys


ANOTHER SNAKE STORY
my wife she had another snake story but she doesnt know about it until she reads todays blog
might be in trouble after she reads this one

recently she was in the hot tub -a picture of hot tub should be in this posting-enjoying a relaxing soaking     was in the yard doing my ranch aerobics(my form of exercise-put tools in wrong places so that have to walk across an acre to get them when i need them-)
glanced up at the deck where our movie star rainwater tank(was in a movie made in austin-the tanks are painted to look like corroded metal chemical tanks and we have kept them in their original state-)
there on the top of the tank was a very large snake coiled up
this tank is about 2 feet from where my wife she is enjoying her soak in the hot tub
ignorance is bliss

the snake saw me approaching and fell down onto our rosemary bush and was gone
never could find him
thank goodness he did not go the wrong way or my wife she
would have been streaking across our yard if she did not have a heart attack first

NEW CAR KEYS
we recently bought a new toyota yaris      am so happy as we have old school keys
no clicker to open car doors     no clicker to push if you sit in car too long and:

once got locked in a car in hot sun      the clicker would not work    the doors would not open     got real hot    my son was asleep in the house but would not answer his cell phone     got hotter     started to figure out ways to break out of the car
started to call 911 but then the battery ran down completely    
when it died the doors 
suddenly were able to be opened    whew!!

have a fear of running off the road into a body of water   if you have electronic key the doors wont open until you get completely under water then you can open the door
dont want to wait that long    want to get out of there fast

if have an old school key and manual window handles then you can just roll down the window
or open the door and escape

the organicgreen doctor

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Solar Bill of Rights Petition

Solar Bill of Rights Petition

rainwater harvesting system part two, cowboys



RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM PART TWO
we have a rainwater harvesting system as our only water system
our well which we used for irrigation and as a back up died last summer

put the system in myself using a do-it-yourself guide from a popular how-to book on this

recently posted how the water gets from the roof to the tanks
this is how the water gets from the tanks to the house

have about six tanks that collect the water for the house       they have to be below the lowest gutter in the system in order for the system to work with gravity

when the faucet in the house is turned on the water leaves the tanks goes through
a one way check valve   the water pump pulls the water from the tank to the
filtering unit
the water then  passes first through a 15 micron woven filter that is changed monthly
then it passes through a longer  5 micron  filter then to a 2 micron carbon filter
which captures any odors or chemicals in the water  
these two filters are changed every 3-6 months
then the water passes into a housing that has an ultraviolet light that sterilizes the water
this ultraviolet light is changed annually

every 6 months a chlorox/water mixture is placed in the last housing that holds
the ultraviolet light     the faucets in the house are turned on until the chlorox/water mixture has reached the house     the faucets are then turned off for 4 hours     this sterilizes the water lines
this mixture is then flushed out when the water is turned back on

am the water man-change filters, keep gutters clean, change tank socks, move water around to keep enough available, unfreeze pipes-but it is all worth it to have fresh rainwater to drink and bath with and wash clothes with

you do learn to conserve water-take navy showers, flush with shower water, reuse sink water for
irrigation, use washing machine water for irrigation, and dont leave water on for brushing teeth or shaving
if its yellow let it mellow

the water tastes so good     it is hard to drink water from a place that has treated water

mistakes ive made are broke ultraviolet light once    that sucked big time as was without water system for 2 days until got new uv light in to replace the broken one (learned to save an old one) left faucet on and drained out all my water, water line froze several times(think ive found the site it freezes), busted pipe that connected filters together(wasnt fun as had to take the whole unit apart), and got wrong filters

americans need to conserve our water as we are doing(we have to do it) as
clean potable water is going to be one of the limiting factors in growth as our population increases
in this area this has put limitations on development in some areas
many new homes in the hill country put in rainwater systems as their only water system

even a 50 gallon tank catching water off the roof helps your plants will love it

COWBOYS
cowboys looked bad last night     hope they got that out of their system

SMOKING
IF YOU SMOKE QUIT
if you smoke and are genetically kin to me you have enough health risk factors as it is
without making it worse

the organicgreen doctor

Saturday, August 28, 2010

football, medical stuff

FOOTBALL
ok we love football at our house      could retire and just watch sports of all kind and could be happy      maybe will wait for the nursing home for that  
love the cowboys      have been a fan even when living in different states    even when they were bad     even when the owners were/are distasteful
how about them cowboys!!!!

we follow high school college and professional football     thank goodness for the dvr

MEDICAL STUFF
flu shots are available right now     just dont get them yet      most physicians get their flu shots in mid october       if you have a health problem-diabetes, cancer, heart disease asthma emphysema-are on immunosuppressive drugs for eg rheumatoid  multiple sclerosis ulcerative colitis etc  or are elderly or are very young  you should get yours first     there apparently is no shortage      the swine hini flu  is in this shot  

in my practice last year all we saw all winter was the swine hini flu

there is a salmonella vaccine that they are giving new hens in the egg industry that will prevent the salmonella outbreaks that we saw recently     other answer is free range organic farm raised eggs

HEALTH CARE LAW INFO-your child up to 19 years old can not be denied
health coverage for preexisting conditions     and can not be dropped because
of preexisting conditions

your children can be left on your health insurance policy now until they are 26 years old

this law should have been enacted back when i was in high school
and we probably would not have some of the problems we have today in health care

the organicgreen doctor

Friday, August 27, 2010

snake skin, new kindergartener

SNAKE SKIN
my wife she doesnt mind snakes if they keep their distance
this is a story about a snake that still bothers her-she shivers thinking about it

when first moved here was over taking pictures of the house on outside-
before we moved in and started to redo the outside-added a long arbor
in front and in each entry
around back where two walls come together at a right angle noticed
something moving
it was a darn large dark snake climbing up the corner where the buildings
came together
watched it for a while as it eased its way up the wall to the roof
didnt think much of it as we werent living here yet

few weeks later after we moved partially in-we came out on weekends for
awhile-my wife she hung up a hammock that she bought me for my birthday
but she was the one who used it    she likes to sit there and grade papers-kids get
better grades this way

had noticed the snake skin hanging off a plant hanger on the upper deck off
our upstair bed room     didnt remove it as thought would see how long it took her
to find it

was working in yard when heard this terrible scream     helphelpcomeherehelphelp
knew then she had finally noticed the snake skin

never told her about the snake climbing the wall-figured was in enough trouble as
it was

KINDERGARTENER
saw something cute as we were driving down the four lane highway to work yesterday
a bus was stopped in the opposite lane with its red lights flashing
this is a busy highway but most people dont mind stopping for the kids to get on the bus

a dad and a young child-she had her pink backpack on- walked down
their driveway together to the bus    

he handed the child off onto the bus when he turned to walk a way
the little girl(probably a kindergartener-school just started here this week)
made a mad dash past the dad and ran up the driveway

the dad patiently ran her down and carried her to the bus
this time he walked her to a seat and gradually walked backwards off the bus

this time the young girl stayed in place

a large number of cars in four lanes were waiting     no one honked or seemed upset
am sure they all smiled and thought back to those days when their
kindergarteners started their first week of school

Thursday, August 26, 2010

the snake, garden prep

THE SNAKE
my wife she tolerates snakes as long as they keep their distance from her
my wife she has a continuous battle with snakes that eat our eggs
we read about using fake eggs     they eat them then crawl off to join the cycle of life

went to the hardware feed store and bought some fake eggs
they were expensive but did the job-they were soon gone from the chicken nest
the fake eggs were not cheap though soooo
found article about using golf balls in the nests
took some of my sons golf balls and put them in the nest-dang that worked

soon after telling the story people starting giving me golf balls so we
have kept the egg stealing to a minimum the last few years
we have a large supply of golf balls now and some get recycled

am a snake lover and never kill one just move it to another location
but not on my property

my neighbor who lives in the large metropolitan area and comes out here occasionally
was talking to me and said-you know i find golf balls all over my pastures
well i told him i had been practicing my golf swing-not    dont play golf   have no clubs


GARDEN PREP
if you live where i do it is too hot to do any planting in the garden
it is a good time to clean old plants out of the garden
remember diseased plants dont go in the compost pile as diseases may get transferred
back into the garden via the compost

it is a good time to plan your fall garden
soon you can plant cole crops-cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, kale
later can plant lettuces chinese cabbage, salad mixes, spinach
then garlic swiss chard can be planted
fall is the best garden time where we live

rake off the garden spot and add 3-4 inches of good compost
work in into the soil
sometimes if not using my compost will get compost from a local nursery that
has minerals, molasses, etc added
cover that all with straw leaves or newspapers to hold in moisture
my worms like to eat the newspapers
when the time gets right then just plant your plants

tomorrow another my wife she snake story

the organicgreen doctor

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

larry weekend, dentist

LARRY WEEKEND
each year we have a party at our house in the country for the employees and their family from work
we do this during wildflower season especially bluebonnets so there is usually a lot of picture taking going on
many of the kids dont get out into the country very often
they get a chance to roam the pastures, fly kites, climb on stumps, go to the river and collect tadpoles, minnows, frogs
they put them in my small water ponds so i have ample number of fish and frogs in my ponds

last year one of the moms did face painting-that was a big hit with the kids
one year i saved paper from the clinic and we made paper airplanes which we sailed off the top deck
last year one of the employees husband brought his small bbq pit(if this was small would have liked to seen his big bbq pit)     he bbqed chicken ribs and sausage       the employees brought the side dishes it was good

of course all of the kids want to see the chickens and this year was disappointed
that larry the rooster was not around-he succumbed to the cycle of life

when we had the first annual party we decided to call it after larry as everyone liked to see him and because we talked about him a lot

thats larry weekend-see picutures

DENTIST
have to go to the dentist today      will have to start on the new crown journey
would rather have my prostate checked or have a colonoscopy than go to the dentist
promised my dentist a few years ago that i would do my twice a year visits and
keep my teeth well cared for
this was after an episode of needing a root canal after i neglected to come in for 2-3 years

dental care and good dentition is very important to your overall health
as the teeth fail your nutrition status may start failing

so if i gotta do it so should you-wheres that valium or xanax i saved for this visit

the organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

egg recall, the wave, solar meter, the picture

EGG RECALL
as many of you know there is a recall of millions of eggs because of an outbreak of salmonella
these were not organic free range eggs
saw the mother of the little friend who did not like the taste of the eggs we gave him
told her to remind him that our eggs did not have that problem
these outbreaks are usually related to the mass production of products like beef, chicken, vegetables like
spinach, tomatoes where contamination in the process has large scale effect on the public

recommendation is cook your eggs well done if there is  a chance you could have one of the eggs

but me im going to just have my organic free range egg sunny side up today

THE WAVE
if you live in the country then you know what the wave is
we live near and work in  a large metropolitan area of 1000000 people
if you do the wave in town people think you are weird
in the country where we live everyone waves
as we drive down the 25 mile drive from town on the four lane highway we dont wave
when we turn onto the highway 3 miles from our house then you can start waving
at people and they appreciate it

SOLAR METER
our solar electric system is tied to the grid      we use the grid as our storage
when we are not using a lot of electricity you can go out to the meter
and watch the meter spin backwards

in the fall and spring it spins backwards real fast     at the end of the day
the meter may read less than it did at the beginning of the day

however in this 104 degree heat it spins the other way all day long
especially if my wife she is having hot flashes

THE PICTURE
the new picture labeled larry weekend is of me and a son of some one i work with
looking at old larry      larry was getting in attack mode      thank goodness for the wire cage

tomorrow larry weekend     the dentist

Monday, August 23, 2010

wedding journey, farmers market

WEDDING JOURNEY
we continued the wedding journey this weekend     we went to an engagement party for my oldest son and his fiance     whats an engagement party you ask     its where you meet the couples friends and family    now we know what one is as we experienced it

we spent the weekend with my son his fiance her mom and my youngest son  
her dad died a few years ago from a lengthy illness     we met him once near the end of his illness      from that visit from stories of him and from reading about him we wished we had known him better     am sure he was there in spirit and  will be experiencing this journey  with us

FARMERS MARKET
while in san francisco got to experience the large farmers market near the fishermans wharf
there were so much fresh organic fruit, organic vegetables, organic free range meat, eggs, fresh bread,fresh cheeses    did  a ton of sampling of the fruits and vegetables and cheeses     the flavor is so much
better when it is fresh and organic  

could have spent hours there roaming around eating and asking farmers questions
there are usually a lot of farmers markets around now     in our area there are everywhere especially on saturdays       recommend you go to these markets to support the local farmers       much of the
produce they sell was picked the same day you buy it     it also did not have to travel across the world to get to you

the organicgreen doctor  

Saturday, August 21, 2010

wedding journey, catfood sandwich

WEDDING JOURNEY
this summer we began our first wedding journey    our oldest son is engaged    they will be married next summer     he has made a good choice as has she

my wife she and i were in college in southern california    
we drove up to las vegas one weekend got married  
drove back to school then was back in class on monday

we suggested this to our son but he did not think that would go over very well
with everyone involved

help us with this journey     any suggestions comment dos and donts will be
appreciated   thanks

CATFOOD SANDWICH
my wife she makes the best lunches for me     her choice not mine      i dont argue with her
once i really p***ed her off one night      when i got ready to leave the
next morning my lunch was made as usual        later when i sat down to
eat my lunch she had a change of heart     she called my nurse and told her
that i made her mad so she made me a catfood sandwich  
  she was feeling guilty      luckily i did not bite in to it     try not to make her angry to often  

recently i started eating my sandwich at lunch    noticed a funny taste
thought back to the catfish sandwich      didnt remember making her mad
went ahead and ate the sandwich    
  the taste was a new cheese that she had put in my sandwich

my blog will be probably be  late on sunday-will probably be in the evening

the organicgreen doctor

Friday, August 20, 2010

new grand baby(not us), egg giving, motorcycle deaths

NEW GRAND BABY(NOT US)
our best friends from medical school just had a new grand baby yesterday   its a boy
know they are both happy   especially grandma    we want to congratulate both the grand parents
and the parents

EGG GIVING
we eat most of our eggs-these are organic free range eggs with great flavor
and are more nutritious than regular eggs
people love to get the eggs because of the flavor

the children that gave us the 6 'chicks" for my birthday(two died, two were roosters, and two hens)were rewarded with some of the eggs     these eggs are brown eggs    they really taste good
those of you that have had them can attest to that

later asked the youngest if he liked the eggs    he said no they did not taste good    explained to him that the eggs taste different and are better and that most people love the taste
he was not impressed and said he liked the store bought eggs better

those kids today!!     think he may need some extra immunizations in a future office visit

MOTORCYCLE DEATHS
have had two families this year loose their father/husband while riding a motorcycle    they had kids still in local schools   one lost control of his motorcycle   one was hit by a car near his house while going to work
now the kids will grow up without their father; the wifes without their husband
one of these just happened this week      the other happened in the last year    its is very difficult for the kids    the mom has a lot of stress now being a single mom
the wifes do have their own careers established   but they will have to do it all without their husbands
our thoughts are with both of these families

Thursday, August 19, 2010

those dang grasshoppers, poison ivy, lou gehrings disease

THOSE DANG GRASSHOPPERS
those dang grasshoppers are back again with a vengeance   guess they are the
off springs of the last crop that came through    if you live around here in the city
you dont realize they are around    some of my plants look like its fall and have no leaves
chickens are working as hard as possible to do their part
just need my guineas-they are grasshopper eating machines

POISON IVY
have seen a lot of contact dermatitis from this over the summer    
some people are just covered with it     can remember a relative who was burning brush and got hit with
the smoke    she was covered worse on the face
if severe enough can be left with scars from the damage to the skin
some of the most uncomfortable cases are the males that go the bathroom after
getting the oil on their hands

if you get exposed to poison ivy and know soon after it happens then you can
wash it off the skin if you get to it in time     be sure and wash the contaminated
clothes in warm soapy water     remember those who handle the clothes can get
the reaction from the oil on the clothes    worse case have seen was a mom who
got it from washing her kids clothes

if you get it take antihistamines such as generic zyrtec or generic claritin once a day
can use generic benadryl but it does make you sleepy
topically can use 1% hydrocortisone cream      
luke warm baths oatmeal baths or aveeno baths can soothe the skin     most patients can do this and get through the healing process
once you wash the oil off the skin then you can not give this to anyone else

severe cases usually benefit from  a course of oral steroids or steroid shot
so be careful        poison sumac and poison oak can also do this

LOU GEHRINGS DISEASE
lou gehrings disease or als or amyotophic lateral sclerosis  is a disease of the nerves that control almost everything      the person is left with inablillity to eat, handle secretions,  breathe, move extremities, etc     basically they are left with an intact brain function with the inability to do anything else
its a terrible disease     some people are now able to use eye movement to communicate with a computer which then speaks for them     when lou gehring was diagnosed he died within 2 years

a recent study just published suggest that repeated  concussions and head trauma in athletes can lead to the development of the disease or a similar disease    the head trauma may activate a proteinlike substance that may activate the disease   this seems to happen only in athletes that are susceptible to it
the incidence of als is higher in athletes than in the general population     it occurs in multiple sports-boxing baseball soccer etc

when they looked at lou gehrings history he had multiple episodes where he was knocked out for
several minutes in his career-maybe more than some football players    

this could be an important study in finding the cause and treatment and prevention of this disease

tomorrow-the wedding journey begins

the orangicgreen doctor

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

more on little larry, its hot here, flu shots

MORE ON LITTLE LARRY
our first rooster was named don juan.    he had all the hens to himself   he was a lover
don was was pretty and was a big rooster twice the size of little larry    when little larry came along he was tolerated by don  
that was a mistake as over time little larry started to fight don   eventually they had a fight to the death    after that little larry became the top rooster and don got the left overs
don eventually submitted to the cycle of life and is no longer with us

ITS HOT HERE
its hot here   the temperature has been up to 103-105   to make it worse it is dry here also
we need the fall and we need rain

be sure to irrigate any new trees or shrubs    it can take 3 years to develop a good root system
will water all trees and shrubs that are less than 3 years old at least once a week during this weather

if you work outside or play sports outside be sure and stay well hydrated  
will see this happen to athletes    this year a local coach got overheated and dehydrated    
may require er or hospital treatment with iv fluids  

dont forget the pets   make sure they have plenty of water and shade
dont forget the elderly or shut ends    make sure they have good air conditioning
and or good fan systems    there is already in this area  an elderly couple
who shut off their air conditioner and died from the heat

FLU SHOTS
the flu shots should be in your area starting next month and next    we usually start giving them in october
this year the flu shot should contain the swine or hini shot  
in my practice saw more cases last year of the flu than ever have since i have been in practice

the elderly, the young, the people with chronic diseases or some one who lives with some one who
is elderly, is young, or has chronic disease(diabetes, asthma, emphysema, heart disease, etc ) should receive the flu shot first    

the recommendation is everyone over 6 months of age should eventually get the flu shot

this is the 90th year since the ratification of the 19th amendment giving the right of women to vote
was going to make a joke but my wife she might make me pay for it if i do

the organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

correction, hopefully pictures, rooster rake, patient with chest pain

CORRECTION
my wife she(she loved my blog yesterday, she cried at work when she read it)
corrected my larry story.   the rooster in seinfeld was not little larry but was little jerry.
my wife she told me that we named larry larry because when he crowed he sounded like
he had laryngitis.   so thats the true story of how he got the name of larry.

HOPEFULLY PICTURES
am in learning mode.   will attempt to transfer pictures today.  one will be a picture of the
weeds i treated with my organic mixture of orange oil, vinegar, and liquid detergent.   beside the
dead ones is one i did not treat with anything.

the other one is a picture of larry that one of my wifes students painted for us.   she came out and took
pictures of our place then did drawings of several of them.  one was the larry picture.
if i can find and transfer i will do a actual picture of him.

ROOSTER RAKE
one of the funniest things that has happened here since we lived here besides me chasing the cows
with my riding lawn mower(will show video clip later of this) was when my wife she got caught
in the chicken run with larry between her and the exit.   earlier described the c shape of our
chicken run.   well the right side of the run has no exit.   you have to go all away around the c
to get out.   he was scarey when he would attack with his claws and spurs up at you.  almost had
several heart attacks when he would attack me from behind.   my wife she yelled and yelled but did
not hear her.   she finally found a large stick to protect her self with.   she then managed to escape.
this would be one of many attacks on her by larry.

we had a pooper scooper that we used to scoop horse poop from our stalls.   it had a red plastic scooper
that was about 1 foot wide.   this became the official rooster rake that my wife she used to protect herself.
will admit i used it several times myself.

over time many of the tines were broken off but it was still functional. will show picture later of what
it looks like now.

PATIENT WITH CHEST PAIN
in my previous practice in another city remember being real busy this time of year doing sports
physicals and well child exams.  remember a woman walked in to the office.   she was complaining
of chest pressure that started 1 hour previously.   it was not associated with any other symptoms
except for  mild nausea.   all of my rooms were full of well child exams and sports physical patients.
she was put in an extra room.   following our chest pain protocol she was given aspirin, oxygen,
nitroglycerin.   she got some mild relief from it.  her pain was described as just pressure not severe.
her ekg showed some mild changes only.    her bp was elevated over 200.  her heart rate was 64.
paramedic and ambulance were called.   she was transferred to a nearby large hospital where she
was found to have had a mild heart attack .   her risk factors were no exercise, obesity, mild abnormal
lipids(low hdl-happy or good one and mild elevated ldl-lousey or bad one and stess in her life.
remember the signs and symptoms of a heart attack and seek help if they happen

the organicgreen doctor
 

Monday, August 16, 2010

my wife she, larry the rooster

MY WIFE SHE
my wife she   is a good cook
my wife she   makes great grandmother cornbread
my wife she   cooks great texmex food
my wife she   cooks great peach cobbler
my wife she   doesnt like snakes
my wife she    is a good bug catcher(blister beetle story in later blog)
my wife she    is a good vegetable and fruit picker(its genetic)
my wife she    is the official egg gatherer
my wife she    loves her two sons
my wife she    loves her mother
my wife she    loves her two dogs
my wife she    is a good teacher and loves her job
my wife she    teaches english, reading, writing but definitely definitely not math
my wife she    is a good friend to have
my wife she    is my best friend
my wife she    is a good wife

LARRY THE ROOSTER 
he was the second of our dominant roosters
he was the most dominant just ask every one that confronted him

when we first started we wanted hens to eat the bugs and insects on our property
and to furnish us with organic truly free range eggs
we bought 10 "hens" from a local seller of chickens
as usual two died or was killed by our dogs-part of the cycle of life

one day my nurse from a previous clinic i worked at came by to visit
she brought her 5 year old grandson with her to visit
she stayed inside the house visiting with us while
the 5 year old grandson played outside and was all over our property

well he decided to go visit the chicken coop and the chickens
at that time we let them run loose in the yard around our house
(now they only run loose around our barn and pastures)

when he decided he would hold the chicken(he has animals at home and is
use to handling them) the chicken fluffed up its neck, jumped in the air with
its claws out and the little nobs on back of leg out.
the chicken then attacked the grandson with full force

he came screaming across the one acre yard with the chicken after him
he stayed inside the rest of the day
he refused to visit us again after that

this was when we realized that the chicken was a rooster
our son told us we should name him after the rooster on the seinfold episode where
kramer cared for the fighting rooster named little larry

so began the legend of larry the rooster

the organicgreen doctor

Sunday, August 15, 2010

signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke, alzheimers

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEART ATTACK AND STROKE

for a heart attack you may have pain in the center of the chest that may last several minutes
then it may go away the pain may be pressure fullness squeezing or just pain it may radiate to your left arm, into the jaw stomach or into the back

there may only be shortness of breath
other symptoms may be sweating, lightheadness, or nausea

the severe chest pain in center of the chest is the classic symptoms
women may not have this type of pain but just have the other symptoms

with a heart attack seconds count so if you have these symptoms get care asap
or call 911

for a stroke the onset may be sudden you may have numbness or weakness of face arm
or leg usually on one side of the body you may be confused, have trouble speaking, have
trouble seeing, trouble walking, trouble understanding what is said to you
there may be dizziness, loss of balance or coordination there may be a severe headache

a tia(transit ischemic attacks) has the same symptoms but only for a short duration

if you have the stroke symptoms get care asap or call 911

both of these-heart attack and stroke-clot blusters can be given to break up the clot and hopefully prevent damage

time is the essence-as every seconds count


ALZHEIMERS

this week a news story came out about a new test for alzheimers it involves having a spinal tap done then running the test on your spinal fluid the test tests an amyloid protein which is what gets deposited in the brain in azheimers this is in the research stage right now

if you are genetically kin to me then there is a real good chance that you will get alzheimers

what can you do to prevent it:
eat correctly lots of fruits and vegetables american heart association like diet
heart healthy diet
exercise regularly (walk 30 minutes 5-7 times a week) no gym membership is needed
if you have a pair of shoes then you have the equipment needed
maintain your blood pressure at a normal level dont be afraid to take blood pressure
medication if needed
keep your cholesterol under control by eating right exercising and taking medication if needed
if you smoke quit
if you drink excessively then quit or reduce to one drink a day

then follow the research

tomorrow my wife she and larry the rooster story

the organicgreen doctor

Saturday, August 14, 2010

vj day, google, compost, cholesterol treatment

VJ DAY
today is vj day which marks the end of ww11 in the pacific-ask my historian brother he will explain it to you

GOOGLE
my blog has arrived     it showed up in google search

COMPOST
you can do a simple small compost pile (dont have to do the 3x20 i do)
can buy the black plastic rolly thing or the black plastic box-like one or the circular one
you can get fence wire and make a circle or can get panels of wire and make a rectangle one
2 ft or 3 ft or 4 ft etc on each side
what you put in it is all the same
would start with small sticks in the bottom this allows for some air to get in bottom
then add layers of leaves etc   no meat or it will smell and animals will love your compost pile
add dirt or compost or garden soil in layers with leaves  this adds the good bacteria/fungi stuff  that
are  needed to help breakdown every thing
add scraps or leftovers from kitchen yard or garden
can add manures not dog cat or yours
keep it moist  but not wet
or can just throw stuff in  let it sit and eventually it will compost itself or can turn it occasionally with shovel
or a large fork     keep a layer of newspaper or leaves on top-ths slows down the drying out of the pile

usually need brown stuff(eg leaves) and green stuff(eg grass clippings are great, veggies from kitchen)
if you use the bad stuff-weed and feed-dont put grass clipping in your compost as the bad stuff may get in your compost and kill or inhibit your plants growth when you use it
good luck composting

CHOLESTEROL CONTINUED

the first time i measured my lipids i said oh ****
my total cholesterol was 325     my ldl-lousy, bad-was 230 nl<130    
my hdl-happy, good- was 23 nl>40     my tg(triglycerides)-ugly-was 450 nl<150
what this meant was at the age of 40 was destined for heart attack or stroke at a young age

today my numbers are total cholesterol 190      ldl 90   hdl 40   tg 70
here is how i did it:
am on a american heart association diet, heart healthy diet except for snickers chocolate pie
these are easily googled    we eat a lot out of garden    we cook most of our meals
we dont eat out often but when we do we eat what we want
its the carbs and fats and the amount you eat that will get you

quit smoking at 25
do regular exercise 1 call it ranch aerobics 3-4 days a week

doing this got my numbers to total 210   ldl 140  hdl 32  tg 100
with family history of heart disease and stroke needed these numbers better

i take niacin to raise  my hdl(men if you want to know what a hot flash is like just take a niacin without 
an aspirin-you will be much more sympathetic when your wife gets one of these)
i take a statin drug to lower my ldl-am able to take a low dose generic cheap one because my diet has lowered my ldl so much
i take aspirin 81 mg a day because am at  risk of heart attack and stroke
remember dont take these meds unless you discuss it with your pcp(thats what i am)-primary care provider

next time signs and symptoms of a heart attack or stroke

sorry about this all ran together today will try to fix this -google fixed it

the oranicgreen doctor

Friday, August 13, 2010

compost, cholesterol

COMPOST
someone asked how i do my compost
try to use the kiss system(keep it simple stupid)
use the slow and less workrequired method

took horse wire panels and make a 3 ft high rectangle that is 3 ft x 20 ft
put that in my chicken run_the chickens do all the work
layed down layers of old newspapers(we recycle them here or send to my wifes school)
then on top add leaves that collect from friends patients employees(prob 100 bags a year)
(people leave me bags of leaves at the back of the clinic all the time)
we add food scraps and  stuff from the garden if it is disease free
the chickens then over a period of time shred the leaves and newspapres completely
they eat all of the seeds in the leaves
they poop all over the pile work everything in well scratching as chickens do
and over time we have the best compost made
usually will take 1-2 years before use it so it is well composted
just pulled up all old summer crops and put this compost down for fall garden
also spread leaves all over the chicken run they shred them eat out seeds
and later will rake that up and put in compost pile
thats my kiss compost method

CHOLESTEROL
if you are genetically kin to me then you probably have a cholesterol problem
so do your children and their children
there are three parts to a lipid profile doctors run on you
ldl-the lousey or bad cholesterol     the hdl-the happy or good cholesterol    
the tg-triglycerides-are the bad stuff         ie the good bad and the ugly
people with high ldl   low hdl   high tg tend to have clogged up arteries which can
lead to strokes heart attacks kidney failure circulation problems to legs
eg this was major cause of my dads heart attacks and possible his dementia he had later on
was the major cause of my moms strokes she had and what lead to her death was the gangrene that
set in on her leg caused by the poor artery circulation to her leg and was a contributer to her dementia
was the major cause of the heart attack my brother had
is one of the contributing factors to my brothers dementia

next blog will give you my lipid -cholesterol-numbers and what i do about them
what i do is what you probably  need to do

the organicgreen doctor

Thursday, August 12, 2010

cpr again, sisters birthday, water tank, etc

CPR
think that everyone who can should learn cpr     you may save a life one day    it could be a family member friend  or stranger     you can sign up for  a class through the local american red cross, sometimes local hospitals or local medical clinics or fire departments

outside of clinic or hospital or er have done it only once
was driving on highway when came up on a wreck involving a small truck and a large truck
a man was laying across the seat and was having agonal breathing     the wreck had just happened
as i approached the man one of my patients walked up    the injured man needed cpr
my patient said doc i just finished taking my cpr class but i just cant do the mouth to mouth part
so i did it and he did the chest compressions     the ambulance arrived with volunteers    the problem was the mans leg  was hung up in  the door      we could not transport him until the door was cut off      the problem was we were 20 miles from the nearest fire department that could remove the door    we did cpr for a long time
we eventually got him loose     he was transferred to er-i went with them       he eventually died in er from a rutptured aorta      although he did not survive we at least gave him a chance    my patient worked hard and did good cpr thanks to his cpr class

SISTERS BIRTHDAY TODAY
this is my oldest sisters birthday today     want to wish her a happy birthday     tell her thanks for taking care of us when we were younger     thanks for helping me out when i needed help even though her husband yelled at me(its an inside joke)     again haaaaaapppppy birthday sis

WATER TANK
the way my system works is that the rain falls on a metal roof goes through a foam filter in the gutter then to a downspout which is 8 ft long(any junk that missed the filter collects here-i later drain that and use it to water stuff)      as it fills up it spills over into another downspout which goes under ground in a 4 inch line to a 300 gallon tank(any junk that escaped above goes into here)    as it fills up it then will spill over into my large tanks where it is filtered through a filter sock    so the water in my large holding tanks is debri/dirt/bug free
the water then sits until i need it

the 300 gallon tank is used for irrigation of garden trees shrubs etc
the only problem this week is i accidentally left the valve opened and drained  it dry      dang it

GRASS
when i first moved in this house it was covered with st augustine grass which i had to keep watered to keep green and had to mow regularly     when we switched from well water to rainwater this did not make sense to use that much water for grass soooo
i covered it all up with black plastic and covered that with mulch
after a year i then started planting native plants and herbs in beds    these dont require as much if any extra water      i also planted a native grass of buffalo mixture      dont water it ever    mow it only once or twice a year

again happy birthday  sis

organicgreen doctor

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

cpr class, life cycle, little white chicken, grasshoppers,

CPR CLASS
well went ahead and did my cpr class     now i have a card and am in the computer system so they will catch me again in  2 years to do it again     then i will have to wonder again why i have to do cpr class again
it is 30-2 except in 2 person cpr on a child then it is 15-2

LITTLE WHITE CHICKEN
we had a chicken we called 'the little white chicken'-that was her name     when i went to the coop to let the chickens out she was usually the first to come down to get the first of the chicken scratch in am     yesterday she was did not come down so looked every where for her      thought she might be sitting on eggs     no "little white chicken"
usually when this happens something got the chicken during the day time     she was the little chicken with white feathers that all the others picked on     she hardly had any feathers left     we tried to keep her away from the others at night-thats when they would peck at her     she would have anything to do with being away from the group     she would go up in coop early and hide behind ms round rock(her story in later blog)
asked my wife about her    she said she had found her a few days before dead  
she(not my wife)  was placed in the pasture where the rest of her late relatives are
this is the life cycle that all living things go through   we have to respect the life cycle

GRASSHOPPERS
we are overran with grass hoppers    they love to eat my citrus plants    use kaolin clay which is used in pottery and is a powder that looks like white flour    sprinkle this on the leaves when they eat the leaves the kaolin clay clogs up their mouthparts and they die
our chicken run goes around my garden so that the chickens get a lot of the bugs and grasshoppers before they reach the garden
we did have guineas they are a grasshopper eating machine     but the life cycle took care of all 7
eventually we plan to get more

ORGANIC WEED KILLER
dont use that bad week grass killer you get at store    not always good for environment
yesterday i sprayed my weeds in my driveway and walkways and at garden edge with the organic
recipe which is 9 or10 or 20 % vinegar+2 ounces of orange oil+1 tsp of liquid soap per gallon of vinegar
spray it like you would the bad stuff    it burns heck out of the grass weeds etc so they die
is not harmful to environment

LATTE FACTOR

so what is it     if you buy a latte or coffee etc at $2.50 everyday of month and year then in 1 month you have spent $75 a month and $900 a year and $9000     save that money over ten years and you will have more than $9000 saved to use for retirement or other things

MOTHERINLAW CANTELOPE

someone wanted to know what this was      it is not the name of a new cantelope    my wifes mom my motherinlaw(the energizing bunny-will talk about her later) loves cantelope      she comes to vist every summer  so i plant cantelope for her to eat fresh from my organic chemical free garden
thats what a motherinlaw cantelope is     although i did misspell it--it is cantaloupe

organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

my wife, cpr, 80 mpg, latte factor,garden

FOLLOWUP
followup on my wifes wasp sting.   she has got 2 large whelps    she took benadryl last night for reaction and is still sleeping good
did not sleep good again last night   i did sports physicals and ordered immunizations all night long
we have 10 days until school starts then things at work will go back to normal   do enjoy the sports physicals as it is usually the only time in the year get to see these kids    review their meds   nutrition history(which is commonly bad-no wonder we have an obesity problem in kids) discuss growth and development and on the boys do the much dreaded 'exam"

WHY DO I HAVE TO DO CPR CLASS
why do i have to do a cpr class   i worked 2 years as a er doctor full time and worked several days a month  in er for 10 years   some things like swimming biking and cpr once you have done it enough  you always know how to do it    the only difference is it 30-1 30-2 15-2 10-2 thats what is different and now it may be 30-0

here is an example of why the public needs to know cpr    my younger son who has done cpr class for a previous job was walking out of the gym where he had worked out and had played basketball
he had scratches over his arms from playing basketball   a car pulled out in front of a motorcycle
the man on the bike was thrown to pavement    my son and another person arrived to his aid  he was not breathing and was bleeding from the mouth and had blood all over him   they began cpr    my son did the mouth to mouth   afterwards he was covered in blood   they did this until the police and ems arrived    the man survived   we are proud that he rendered aid as many people now days would not have done cpr on this man
he is getting blood screens done    

but why do i have to do cpr class

80 MPG
we drive a toyota yarius and 2 toyota echos    they get 40 mpg  but during the school year my wife
and i ride to work together    we live 25 miles from my work and 35 mile from her work
so when we commute together its like getting 80 mpg
if we ride together 100 days at 50 miles a day =5000 miles divided by 80=62.5 gallons
at $2.75/gallon=$171.875 dollars divided by 2 =$85.93 saved   and 31.75 gallons saved
we then decrease our carbon foot print on those days and are saving money which i like

LATTE FACTOR
whats the latte factor-think about it and will tell you in next blog

GARDEN
in our garden right now we have black eyed peas, cucumbers(armenian), three types of egg plant, my motherinlaws cantelope, arugula, bell peppers, banana pepper, jalapino peppers(my wife makes great poppers), swiss chard, basal, pursalane(a flowering succulent but edible in salads), malabar spinach, okra,several tomatoes plants for the fall, several leftover tomato plants from the spring, buternut squash, sweet potato
this is all grown organically, make my own compost(the chickens do it for me) use no pesticides(use my wife to pick them off- will tell you the blister beettle story in future)

STUDY
am doing a study of my plants to see what will survive the summer without watering them-so far cacti are winning

organicgreen doctor

Monday, August 9, 2010

followup on roostering

roostering went much better than expected.  at 5 am i snuck in stealthyly,   all 16 chickens were asleep on their roosts. they did not move those that awoke just stared   no wonder its so easy for the varmits to come in and get them.   it was so easy.   i slowly with my fireplace gloves on reached and grabbed the first one then  placed it into the carrying cage.   i went back after the second one.   had to move several of the hens  out of the way  but easily grabbed him and placed him in the cage.  they now have a new home with some one that probably doesnt know about having more than one rooster.
red the head rooster was happy all day     he had all 13 hens to himself     the hens were happy since they did not have to watch out for 3 roosters anymore.

finished my second section of the barn    hopefully the roof wont leak now   next section has a sagging roof but at least it doesnt leak like the others did    roofers should make a  lot of money but im sure they dont    its so dam hot working up there    used a spot light to start at 4am and could only work until 9am    think ill take a roof break for a few weeks now

my next project is moving two of my 2500 rainwater tanks that are not where they need to be
when i bought them i left them where they were dumped off the truck    i connected them with water hoses so i could use them     now i will  have to pump the water out of them     then i need to make a bed to place them on so that it is level and smooth    i recycled the dirt out of the barn that i removed and replaced with river rock
the barn dirt is now like sand so no rocks etc can puncture the tanks when they get full of rainwater   when in place will extend fence around the tanks to protect them from trucks lawn mowers falling rock bars etc

well at work this is going to be a "be nice day"     called this because i need to work to be nice as i did not get enough sleep last night   when in practice in past i would be up all night delivering a baby or up all night with a er pt or hospital patient then had to go to work the next day     had to put myself in a be nice day mood

was in a deep sleep last night at 100am was staying in a motel traveling across country with friends    while sitting in the lobby of our hotel i thought i saw our good friend  from medical school wife walking by     she has a distinct voice   when i reached to tap her on the shoulder my wife  jumped up in bed and yelled it got me it got me the scorpion got me     well so much for my dream     i was up in bed suddenly turned the light on  she was jumping yelling   she had two large whelps on her chest     gave her benadryl for the reaction   then tracked down the varmit    it wasnt a scorpion    it was a wasp that was now trapped in our bedside lamp
i used an old magazine to finish him off  
she went back to sleep thanks to the benadryl but now i was wide awake      read some of my book then fell a sleep    
so today is a "be nice day" at work

organicgreen doctor

Sunday, August 8, 2010

roostering, doctoring

well today we have to go roostering.   everyone is always trying to give use animals since we live 25 miles from town and have ten acres.   for my birthday two of my pediatric patients gave me 6 chickens. after a few weeks two of the chickens began crowing.   now they are fighting with or main rooster "red".  they are fighting a loosing battle. the chickens-we have about 12-are the biggest loosers.   now they have three roosters as their beaus.
they are getting wore out.    this am before sunrise we have to sneak in the coop and capture the two new roosters so she can take them to their new owners at the nearby feed store. there will be feathers and dust every where as we wake them all up.  they probably will think a skunk or raccoon has broken into their home.
red will be happy now that he has no competiton.    red also was suppose to be a chicken.

today am working on my barn roof.  we have a 1200 sq ft pole barn whose roof was put up wrong.
am taking the roof off in segments so that i can reinforce it.  am adding more cross beams and replacing all the wood that the metal roof screws into.   am on my 2nd of 5 sections that i will be doing.   have converted one of the sections into a potting shed.      will start on the roof this am at 4:00 because it is so darn hot here now .

our solar panels are on our barn roof. we generate about 30% of our electricity.  we love to watch the electric meter run backwards in the day time. am reinforcing the roof as we plan to add more solar panels later.

we have rain water as our only water system. we have 30000 gallon capacity. we use 20000 for house use and 10000 for irrigation.  everything with a roof has a water tank attached to it. we are down to 10000 in our home system and 5000 in our irrigation system.   this is our 5th year to use rainwater and so far even with one of the worst droughts in 50 years we have not run out of water.
we conserve water use in the house and use native low water use plants.
once you use rain water no treated water or well water is good enough.

at work(in a 6 person family practice clinic which is part of a larger medical group) am doing mostly preschool  exams and sports physicals.  this will intensify as we get closer to school starting.   we are giving tons of immunizations now. all kindergartens have to have all of their shots.    the 7th graders also have to have tdap-the tetanus with  whooping cough shot- and the menactra-the meninngitis shot.  am trying to get the girls to get the new hpv shot.   (have just finished reading book called hela-the story of the patient that the hela cells used in research were obtained from and from which the discovery that the hpv virus causes cervical cancer)

while doing a well child exam on a 9th grader reviewed his past history after noticing a huge scar on his abdomen and chest.   he had a diaphramatic hernia where the intestines liver spleen stomach all are developing in the chest replacing the lungs. he had his left lung not develop well.  it was just a nub.  he spent weeks after birth in an intensive care unit.   he was hooked up to a heart-lung machine called echo so that his blood could get enough oxygen.   when stable enough he had surgery where they put the abdominal contents back into the abdomen and close the defect in the diaphragm.  this all worked. he had a rough first year.
his left lung developed more.
now 15 years later he is healthy-mom says he is healthiest of three children.

one of my former colleagues just had a baby with the same problem.  they are now 2 months into intensive care.  he is doing ok considering that the parents were told he probably may not survive after he was born.
sent her the story of my patient who had done well.  she found the story very reassuring and gave them more hope for the future during a time when they were not sure about his future.

organicgreen doctor

Saturday, August 7, 2010

introduction blog

this is my first posting

have interest in organic gardening green living rainwater harvesting solar power
and am a practicing family physician

will do section on my experiences as a family physician both past and present and
my thoughts on health care

will trace my organinc gardening through the different growing seasons and what
success and failures i have had

will discuss rainwater harvesting how i did it and how it is working

will discuss solar power and passive solar heating and how we have used it here

will discuss how our green living has developed here