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

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

i voted, women will win

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are also walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

I VOTED











this week on monday i decided that i wasnt going to wait
until election day to vote
i wanted to be through with this voting this year and just
shut out all that news stuff on the election

heck what if something happened that would prevent me from
voting next tuesday
once my wife she on election day was held up at work
she rushed to get to the voting booth but when she
arrived she was told the polls were closed
even though several people were there waiting to vote

dont want that to happen to me
heck what if a rain storm came through and flooded us
like it does sometimes and we couldnt get out to vote

just look what happened in the northeast with that
storm sandy
am sure there will be a lot of people who dont vote since
they have other things on their mind
like surviving

yep i voted early so no matter what happens between now
and next tuesday i did my duty as an american citizen and
i voted

WOMEN WILL WIN
men remember no matter what women will always win
look at this years election
it appears it will be the women who will determine the next
president


then to put a final stamp on this election by women
that super storm called sandy has come in and
has shut down the northeast and
has seemed to suspend any notion of political campaigning
for awhile

yep women they have a lot of influence
dont ever underestimate them

also wish the politicians could all get along to help get
this country righted like they are doing dealing with this
disaster

wish that all the campaigning would just stop now
and let the election occur on tuesday
and maybe donate some of that 2 billion they are spending
on the campaigns to sandy relief for those affected by
this terrible disaster

the organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

worms, alzheimer worms

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are also walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

WORMS









in digging in my compost pile
digging in my garden
digging in my flower beds
one thing i noticed was that there were very few worms

there use to be lots and lots of worms in my landscape
while wondering what happened to those worms
i realized that the drought that weve had here has taken
a toll on my worm population in my soil

since i dont irrigate my landscape anymore and i
dont water my garden in the summer unless its being
used to grow plants
which is usually only one 4 ft x 12 ft raised bed while i
let the other rest for the summer
what is happening i think is my worms are dying from
the lack of moisture
they are provided tons of organic material in the form of
compost and mulch and newspapers used as mulch

so i have found this worm farm in austin texas to order
some worms from
in fact they are giving a seminar on worm composting at
my favorite organic nursery the natural gardener on
saturday november 10th at 1000am

so i ordered 2 lbs of worms
yep just like you would order chicken or beef
theres 800-1000 per lb
so i got 2000 worms +-
they were a little sluggish when they arrived via mail
it was cheaper to have them shipped then to drive to go
get them
my mailman told me he has delivered worms before that were
all dried up
mine were alive just a little slow

once i dumped them in a hole in my garden they became
more active
i divided them into several groups and placed them in each
of my raised garden beds
all have plenty of organic material and moisture from recent rains

didnt put them into my compost pile as its in the chicken run
dont think they would have lasted long the way those chickens
go after the compost pile every day

now just need to wait until they can multiply
they are hermaphradites so each can produce babies
up to 200 per worm

hope they are ready and working hard for my spring garden next year

ALZHEIMER WORMS

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

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

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

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

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

makes me have a new appreciation for those worms now

the organicgreen doctor

Monday, October 29, 2012

we walked again, football

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are also walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

WE WALKED AGAIN
im on the committees for three of the walks to end alzheimers
in this area
our team officially walked except it rained  in the williamson county
georgetown walk a few weeks ago
but a few of us participated in the austin walk this weekend

















this walk had hundreds of people in it
this photo above is walking down one of the small hills
on the walk
there was as many people ahead of us as was behind us

what ive enjoyed about being on the committee is that ive
met people who are being involved for the same reasons
i am
family and friends with alzheimers
with this burning desire to make a difference in fighting this disease
also to learn the workings of the alzheimers association and how its
such an advocate for the disease
they have made and are making a difference in the fight against
this awful disease

also at the walks ive met a lot of people who have very personal
stories about how this disease has affected them
many get teary eyed and some are not able to finish their stories
but they are there doing their part and thats whats important

there were a lot of young people there
who are getting involved
a local drum line kept marching music going the whole time
the walk was going on
then these two guys walked to support me again


overall a good walk on a nice crisp clear fall saturday morning
all of us walking for  a good cause
and feeling good about our involvement

FOOTBALL
weekend football thoughts

alabama should move to the nfl to replace the jacksonville jaguars

that kansas state team is fun to watch
old school coach is getting it done in retirement
wonder if their qb c klein will get a clothing commercial
at least hell probably get a heisman trophy

how come all the good qbs are from texas but texas
cant seem to land them-andrew luck, rg3 etc

why does notre dame get its own national tv contract

that was a gruesome injury to south carolinas running back lattimore
sorry i cant post that picture
even as a doctor who has worked in er alot it bothers me
told my wife bet its a dislocated knee
he actually may make it back but his recovery may be a long one

then

dez bryant why did you put down that right hand to catch yourself
just fall on your butt and put both hands on the ball

dang those cowboys

the organicgreen doctor

Friday, October 26, 2012

stories arose from walking

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are also walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

many of us will be walking in the austin walk to end alzheimers
join us this weekend

STORIES AROSE FROM WALKING













several stories arose from our team at this years
walk to end alzheimers

these stories are the reasons we are all walking
to end alzheimers

all of these stories are from people who are associated some
way with the clinic i was associated with in austin
austin regional clinic

if you read this blog much you know my story
my mom died in the final stages of alzheimers
it sucked away her personality and was devastating to us
to watch its progression
my dad luckily i guess died of a heart attack before his
alzheimers advanced (he was not diagnosed officially but
i think looking back that he had it)
then my younger brother is progressing now with alzheimers
its sad to watch this happen to him and his family

then i may have it also
time when tell but all tests point to that as my diagnosis
wish i could somehow spare my friends and family all this
whats coming

one of the nurses mother has a rare cancer that requires treatment
out of state
she has had to deal with all this then this year her dad was
diagnosed with alzheimers disease
what a double whammy to have happen to your family at the same
time
thats why shes walking










another employee my right hand helper with our team and our
involvement with the walk her mom recently died after a lengthy
battle with alzheimers disease
this was my friend mr bs grandmother
she had to deal with all this from a distance of hundreds of miles
requiring frequent trips back to the northeast
her sister decided to stay home with her mom
and care for her throughout the final stages of this disease
her sister learned a lot from caring for her mom and realized
there was a great need for companies to provide good home
care for alzheimers patients and started her own company that
does for clients what she did for her mom
jos angels named in honor of her mom is the name of the company

one of the doctors from our clinic walked with us this year
he was affected directly by alzheimers disease
you see his uncle raised him
supported him through school college and medical school
and now his uncle is not around as
alzheimers stole him away








then little michael who gave me the letter last year that made me
cry and who gave me one of the pillows he made and sold to
raise money for alzheimers
this year he and his younger brother and sister sold lemonade to
raise money for alzheimers
he raised over $500 this year
hes only 7 years old
his mom started working  for the clinic in high school and used
this job to support her way through nursing school
her mother in law michaels grandma works for a local long term
care home thats provides a home for alzheimers patients
thanks again michael
this year i gave him one of my dr duck hats we wore in the walk












then the final story is josh who sang the national anthem
for the walk
he made all of us cry listening to him sing
his mom works for the clinic and has had relatives
with the disease
she started there in high school and is working there still
thanks for letting josh sing for us
what an inspiration he is

these are just some of the stories from our team
there were more and more of them from the other teams
some very heart wrenching stories

i personally want to thank austin regional clinic for being a
sponsor of this walk this year and for letting its employees be
involved in the fundraising

we have over 50 team members
we had over 75+ donors this year
we raised $4800 and raised another $2500 in sponsorship money
the austin area walks will raise $250,000+ for the alzheimers association
this money will be used to fund research for education about the disease
and for caretaker resources

use your local chapters where you live
they are there to help you
and support them with your donations

thanks to all who donated and supported us this year
special thanks to austin regional clinic









the organicgreen doctor

Thursday, October 25, 2012

recycle, dreamy

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are also walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

RECYCLE

we recycle as much as we can here at the country n
we have to haul it 10 miles to a recycle place nearby

at the habitat houses i work at im always looking for
things to grab and recycle out of the dumpster
ive even been seen climbing up inside to recover
cardboard metal and other objects

the metal i haul to a trailer an elderly man leaves out
in front of his house
when it gets full he hauls it to the metal recycling place
i guess to supplement his income

(he also is across the street from a country store called
andice country store which has those good ole hamburgers
like you use to get when you went to a drive in
no mcdonalds for me)

yesterday i scooped up a partial load of concrete pieces
that were broken up from the sidewalk in front of the
house we are working on now

this concrete pieces will be used to line my several hundred
feet of garden and landscape beds
its permanent wont breakdown will be there still when the earth
is destroyed one day

it also is used in my crushed granite walkways because
when turned upside down it looks like our native limestone
rocks

cost for me zero and
it adds to the rustic look of our place

DREAMY

whoa was i dreamy last night
aricept (donnepezil) started that dream
as it induces vivid dreams and then the aricept ended
it before i was able to finish

last night i was in high school
well i was an adult but they let me go back to high school
because they needed a quarterback for the high school team
(if you live in texas you know all about high school quarterback
recruitment)

you see growing up i was always the quarterback
all the way from the fifth grade until the end of my 9th grade
when we moved to a small town that only had basketball
i moved from quarterback to forward then

this high school had good receivers but needed a quarterback
who could throw to them
that was me

i also during the dream was a doctor and was treating some
patients who had add and was having problems with school

you know in dreams you can make the story anyway you want

the neighbors were hunting during this time and ran this big ole
buck with the biggest rack ive ever seen
we all just let him go and no one shot at him at all

the only color in the film was these brilliant red and orange birds
one was a beautiful bright parakeet

as i was tying all these unrelated things together in my dream
so they would all make sense
my aricept side effects took over
i got this gosh awful leg cramp
you know the kind that pulls you up out of bed
and makes you want to cry when it wont go away

reality meets unreality

the organicgreen doctor

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

bump, were almost no 1, dreams

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are also walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

BUMP

it seemed to me that obama won the last debate
think that romneys goal for the debate was not to
make a big guffaw
which he didnt
although the swords and spears didnt help him any
he held his own but
overall the president has appeared to get a bump
although a small one from the debate

i dont understand how anyone could be undecided
at this point in the election
there is such a clear difference between the two candidates
on almost all the issues

i know how i want the country to go the next four
years so the choice is easy for me to make
and im sure most of you know how you feel
and have made the choice also

i guess if you are a gay couple who have real conservative
political views the choice may be difficult for you to make
but for most people its not that difficult

the biggest decision i have to make is whether to vote
early or wait until election day to vote

(if you dont vote like im voting remember the election day
was moved to october 32 this year)

i like to savor the day and the moment as long as possible
but also want to just be done with the political race since
its gone on so long

WERE ALMOST NO 1

because of oil prices being so high the us is able to extract
oil that previously was too expensive to extract
this increased production has almost made us no 1 in
oil production
problem is that we are still using most of it up as our
use of oil is still high

sometime in the future we will run out and will need to be
ready to buy foreign oil or look elsewhere for energy sources
we cant let up on wind solar etc production

DREAMS

i am on aricept (donepezil) because i may have
alzheimers disease
most people on it i guess cant talk or write about
the side effects in detail since their thought processes
are so affected

since im so early and things are working up there pretty well
i can write and talk about the side effects

there are things called aricept dreams
real vivid colorful but never bad ones

heck last night i went to las vegas with two of my brothers
and their wives. my younger son and his friends were there
i didnt get to gamble any or see any shows because i got
tied up resuscitating an old guy who parked outside
in an old beatup pickup truck who was in congestive
heart failure
i had to resusucitate him in the house we were staying in
since we couldnt get him to the hospital
he survived but my vegas trip didnt go as i had planned

those aricept dreams i get to have every night
wish i could dvr them

the organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

square it, garlic

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

SQUARE IT
i am frequently asked about gardening
people are always saying to me

wish i had a square foot garden

i recently was sitting talking with some people about
gardening
one has recently moved here from out of state

if you live here you know you cant garden like you do
in other parts of the country

theres no soil
its hot in the summer
theres not much water

so you have to make adjustments to your gardening techniques

i promised to repost or redo my blog on  4 ft square foot gardening

i want to kiss keep it simply simple

find a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun and a spot
the deer cant get to

scrape off the grass

cover the area with 10 layers of newspapers that extend past the
4 ft width












build a 4 ft square frame from cedar or old left over recycled wood
but not treated wood

mark off 1 ft squares on the frame

Hill Country Garden Soil.
get the best garden soil you can find
in this area its the hill country soil from the natural gardener
it comes in bags or you can buy it in bulk like i do

Square Foot Gardening Blendâ„¢.
they also make a lady bug brand of mel bartholemews square foot
garden mix that has stuff in it that helps to retain moisture

place the frame over the garden area and dump the solid inside
the frame

start out with plants not seeds if you are new at this since
your success rate is better

plant them
keep them watered every day for a week or two then
as needed
stick your finger in the soil up to the second knuckle
if its dry you need to water it

water by drippers hose soaker or hose end low sprinkler

keep it mulched when the weather is cold

yes its that simple
the garden fails because you over water it or under water it
do the finger test

the fall is the best time to plant and garden in this area
for the 1 foot square you can plant cilantro parsley broccoli
cabbage brussell sprouts asian greens asian cabbage swiss chard
mulitplying onions strawberries
you can plant two per square of spinach lettuce some asian greens
you can plant 4 per square of garlic (see link below)
you can plant a row of carrots turnips beets to 1 square












the natural gardener also has demonstration gardens of this
technique of gardening

these plants will all grow all winter long here

yes its that simple

GARLIC

i plant garlic every year
this year i planted over 100 plants since we use a lot of it
last year i left them in the ground too long and watered them
too much at the end and was left with rotted garlic

should have read this article first
its the best one ive seen about how to grow garlic

you can put garlic in pots in the flower beds
anywhere theres a spot to plant it
and have garlic next late spring
and it looks good in the landscape

the dirt doctor has a good organic gardening book he
wrote with
i think the information in this link is also in the book

read this links article and plant some garlic

your pasta and soups will appreciate it

the organicgreen doctor

Monday, October 22, 2012

what happened, debates thoughts

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

WHAT HAPPENED



by now we have all heard about benghazi
before now i sure didnt know where it was
and probably didnt care
still dont care except that we lost an ambassador and three men
on the attack

why it happened or how it happened will be hashed out
im sure in the political arena over the next few weeks
of course when the election is over it will probably disappear
off  the radar

so what really happened
here is a good article with a timeline of what  transpired that
night and what has happened since

im sure 47% of you will think one way and 47% of you will
think another way and the rest of you will be undecided

my view
its a sad story
it shouldnt be repeated
it was on president obamas watch so yes you accept responsibility
thats the way it is

it could easily have been on someone elses watch
this stuff happens to all presidents
reagan-lebanon   carter-iran hostages   bush 2-9/11
clinton-twin towers and multiple attacks

should these be politicized
no

what really matters is what we are all worried about
economy jobs taxes medicare medicaid social security
womens issues wall street reform

it is sad this event will be forgotten mostly in 15 days


here is the link to the timeline of events that awful night
we should all read about it

DEBATES THOUGHTS











here at the country n we use to have these two roosters
(one was larry of larrys weekend
my wife shes nemesis)

they use to get along until the smallest one matured
guess his testosterone levels got high
and they began to fight on a regular basis

they would face each other
bring up their neck feathers
peck and circle each other
real macho guys
those cock fighters

thats what the last debate reminded me
was those two roosters fighting each other

so im glad this is the last debate
and that theyll be sitting down this time
bet theyll kick each other under the table
dont you

not sure how theyll talk on foreign policy for 90 minutes
know id like to hear more about the stuff that matters
to all of us as i mentioned above

ive decided next election im not going to watch the debates
live
im going to only watch them on snl saturday night live
theyre more fun to watch that way

the organicgreen doctor

Friday, October 19, 2012

prevent it, happy birthday

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

PREVENT IT
you can prevent it you know
this vascular dementia
doing the things we do to prevent heart attacks

control your blood pressure
control your lipids your cholesterols your triglycerides
control your diabetes
dont smoke
dont drink to excess
eat a healthy diet
maintain a normal weight

dementia is cognitive impairment and results in problems with memory
thinking and reasoning

(i have early mild cognitive impairment amnestic type
-cant remember s&^%-
that is possibly due to alzheimers disease and
that is mostly not noticeable to anyone but can be documented on
neuropsychological testing
i notice it though)

dementia has many causes but the most common is alzheimers disease
with vascular dementia causing about 20% of dementias
there is an overlay that can occur with alzheimers disease and
vascular dementia
its called combined dementia or mixed dementia
the older you are the more likely you are to get it

my mother had alzheimers disease but also had a component of
vascular dementia
as she had several small strokes and tias (transit ischemic attacks)
her confusion facial weakness arm weakness difficulty talking would
appear then over a few days would resolve some

it seemed with her each episode just added to the demise of her
cognition and was sped up by the progression of the alzheimers
diesease


what happens with vascular dementia is that a vessel will burst
either large small or real tiny or atherosclerosis the clogging of the
vessel with debri or a clot will form in the vessel and  will damage
the surrounding brain tissue some of it permanent and
will chip away at the brains functioning much
as alzheimers disease does as the nerve cells are damaged by the
process that occurs in alzheimers
the theory now is that beta amyloid is deposited and is the
cause of the damage or the end result of whatever the
alzheimers process is

combine the two dementias together and you can a
devastating progression of symptoms

the older you get the more likely the dementia is the combo
or mixed variety

so
if you are young and its in your family
you need to be doing those things mentioned above to slow
down or prevent this dementia

nows the time to do something
yes im talking to you

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
today is the birthday of my younger brothers wife

she deserves to have a happy birthday today

she may see my brother today
he may or may not remember probably not that its her day
as he has alzheimers disease and has had to be placed
in a long term care facility to provide the special care
he needs

i can only describe her as remarkable
as she is having to deal with this in her life
but she has shown her ability to deal with this
at least to the outside world
im sure in her private moments its difficult

i know in my private moments i can have a temporary
decomposition that can occur and mine is nowhere
near what she has to deal with

she always has done whats best for my brother as
the disease has progressed

so today i want to wish her a happy birthday
its her day and i hope she can enjoy it
you are really doing a good job
we are all proud of you
and are always thinking of you

the organicgreen doctor

Thursday, October 18, 2012

lost forever, halloween electricity

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

LOST FOREVER

when i was in practice i always was worried about protecting
the patients medical record
i never ever took a chart out of the office
for fear it would get lost or stolen
the charts were always kept inside the building locked up
at night
the only one who could steal it was someone who broke
into the building and took them

we always had this real loud alarm that would go off and
in a few minutes the police would show up
i know once i entered the building and had forgotten the
code to enter into the keyboard at the door

the alarm was so loud it sounded like a jailbreak alarm
at a prison
i felt guilty just hearing the alarm
and just knew i would get arrested when the police got there
not sure how anyone would break in and steal the medical
records

now many medical records are on our computer systems
which allow internet access
which opens them up to hackers
here is a website from the feds
that lists some of the health
entities that have reported breaches of their systems
the names on the list are worrisome
sure are a lot from texas and california

blue cross blue shield had a lot
aetna
united
mutual of omaha
kaiser permanente
mayo clinic
university of san francisco
ucla
loma linda
university of arkansas medcial systems
mdanderson cancer center
baylor medical systems
just to name a few
mulitple dental and medical offices

makes me feel good that our medical records are safer now

HALLOWEEN ELECTRICITY

saw this article from komando.com about spooky electricity loss
in the article its called vampire electricity
those things that just suck away your electricity at night and
during the day even if you dont know it

gadgets you arent using but they are using electricity even though
they are turned off

ive written before about how i took the kill a watt monitor and used
it to measure how much phantom or vampire electricity was being
used at my house

it came out to 1/4 of my electric bill was things just left on and not
being used

biggest abuser was the xbox left on in ready mode

i have solar panels that generate some of my electricity and some
months this phantom or vampire devices was eating up all my
electricity i produced
made me feel sad and disappointed

my solution was to keep things unplugged
cant use electricity if its not plugged in
if its plugged in it may be using electricity
eg your tv if its turned off is still using electricity
your xbox is
your dvr device is

so i added power strips which i plugged stuff into and just
pushed the switch to turn multiple things off at once
i also added a power strip that has a computer chip it it
so that when the strip senses that the tv etc is off it will
shut itself down or will gear down the electric use
called a smartstrip

you can also even get it all wired to one light switch and flip it off as
you are leaving

however my one device that ive decided to not hook up
and sacrifice its use is my dvr
that device is the one item that i have decided to splurge on
when it comes to electric usage
i love watching dvred football games
games without commercials are great
also its good for those of us who seem to fall asleep
before halftime

overall though i am saving electricity by limiting those
phantom electronic devices that suck away my solar power
happy halloween

the organicgreen doctor

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

post debate impressions

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

POST DEBATE IMPRESSIONS
its always interesting to see what comes out of a debate

apparently there is a group of women called walmart moms
not sure who they are but they thought obama won

i conjure up visions of those pictures of women from
facebook and social media who are morbidly obese and have
those skin tight almost see through pants on
makes me queasy just thinking of the visual

apparently the walmart moms have replaced the target moms
and the soccer moms
guess because of the economy women cant afford to go to
target and cant send their kids to soccer so they can only
afford to go to walmart

hope im wrong on that visual

then mitt said according to something thats gone viral on social
media that he got a binder of women when he got to be governor
to the victor the spoils

i know thats not what he meant but its what he said
and social media loved it

i think that next time or next election they need a timer that
goes off at the 2 minute mark that is loud and annoying and then
a real annoying sound gets louder and louder the longer they talk
you know like on the radio when the announcer wont go to
commercial so they play music that gets louder and louder until
you cant hear them

also the moderator needs to have a handheld buzzer that if they
wont shut up she just pushes a button and a zapper on a
shock collar zaps them util they shut up
like the ones on dogs for barking or going outside a perimeter

bet on the first debate mitt would have just kept on going anyway
and obama wouldnt have ever been shocked
mitt had too much red bull and caffeine for that first debate

or what would be better would  be to put them in their suits
with real big old boxing gloves and head protectors inside
a large cage dropped over the stage
with no rules and just let them go over it
like a good ole tomcats fight
who ever is left standing wins the debate

seriously though
this debate was a good one
none of them will ever be perfect
the democrats think obama won
the republicans think mitt won
the general consensus across several news media sites is that
obama had a slight edge over romney

my impression of the debate is the same

now we have 3 weeks left
wish the debates were over now
and the election would be determined by what the campaigners
do over that time period

i sure am glad that i dont live in a swing state since
we dont have to deal with all those political commercials
since the outcome here in texas is pretty definite

i did run across this article this morning from the nytimes that
is about how the campaigns both of them are monitoring
us the voters on the internet
we thought it was just big brother and google and facebook

almost makes you want to give up googling facebooking twitting
and whatevering we all do

be sure and vote

the organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

get er done, money

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

GET ER DONE

its time tonight for the two presidential candidates
to get er done
this is it
its the super bowl night of the presidential election
whoever wins this debate tonight
if they do it decidedly like romney did the last one
will probably win the election since it
appears things are too close to call

actually this is exciting for presidential politics
it seems more and more people are interested in this
years election than in years past
which is good for our american political system

(wonder if the gridlock will continue no matter who wins)
(probably)

the last debate next week wont matter as much as this one does
the people get to ask these questions
the moderator is well respected and more than
likely wont let anyone take control like romney did last time
and will ask some good followup questions and
will hold the two candidates feet to the fire
to answer the question

you know how they do it
they get asked about health care and they answer the question
like it was about a foreign policy question
both sides do it

this debate is like a super bowl between a spread no huddle offensive
team with no defense against a running team which depends on
its defense to win games
(without of course all those interesting commercials)

the two candidates are from opposite spectrums
and their parties offer contrasting solutions to our problems

the debate wont sway me to change my mind or in fact
most americans who vote
remember if you dont vote you have no right to complain
about anything

lets get er done get this game going tonight

the super bowl of the political season is a game to watch

MONEY

it is obscene the way the money is flowing into these super pacs
which is having an influence on the presidential election and other
races
there is no control over how much is donated and in some cases
who donated and how much is not available
thank you supreme court for screwing all of us

this is the first billion dollar election
thats how much money is being spent this time
shoot thats enough to buy the dallas cowboys franchise

it is scary that some outside source lets say china or some
rich person could pour millions and millions of dollars into the
election and determine who gets elected

heck china already owns wall street
could they own the presidency too

you know that money is not given without strings attached

at least in the past we knew who the big money donors were
and could tell where the influence was

this is probably one of the biggest threats to our election
process ever ever

and it apparently cant be changed without a constitutional
amendment

a new twist to the old saying that money does the talking

we probably should be more upset over the super pacs
influence on this election than anything else thats happening

the organicgreen doctor

Monday, October 15, 2012

the week that was

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

THE WEEK THAT WAS

people are always asking me
are you staying busy in retirement
some say im not sure what ill do when i retire

luckily for me i had a plan that started 12 years ago
when we decided to move to our ten acres
i have a large 600 square foot garden that i use to
grow vegetables organically of course
i maintain and repair and build everything here myself
ive contracted out some plumbing and some electrical work
but most of the plumbing and electrical work ive done myself

i have a rainwater collection system i maintain and solar panels
for electrical generation
so the property keeps me busy

i also do this blog which can take up to 2-3 hours a day
sometimes reading articles writing the blog answering email
facebook text and comments on the blog

so when i had to retire suddenly my plan was already in place

here is what my week was like from wed last week to whats
planned wednesday next week

last wednesday i worked at habitat for humanity on one of their
houses
i work there twice a week unless im out of town or have
other commitments
this week on wed and sat we painted the outside of the house
i came home with a white shirt that was now light blue
we start at 730 and usually work until 2-330

thursday i did ranch work here at the country n
i pulled the noxious weeds that have taken over
my one acre yard especially since weve had a lot of rain
lately
these several wheelbarrows of weeds are sent to the compost pile
to be composted crushed and picked over by my chickens to be
used next year in my garden
i also planted the rest of my fall garden with turnips peas and more
lettuce and spinach

in the afternoon i brought left over plants to the habitat for humanity
homeowner who i helped put in a square foot garden last year
i reviewed her garden and helped plan what she should plant this fall
then
i went to a friends house who had just moved into his new house
he wants to put in a rainwater system in the next two years
and needed help deciding where to run the collection drainage
for the future rainwater system
when i do this i realize how much i have learned about rainwater
collection over the last 20 years

also on thursday i was notified that i would be on a panel at the
schwartz ethics grand rounds at baylor medical school in dallas
using my situation with the possible diagnosis of alzheimers
as a vehicle for the panel and residents staff doctors medical students
nursing students social workers to ask me questions
i look forward to being on the  panel
spreading the word on alzheimers is also one of my retirement
missions

on friday i had a doctors appoint for follow up on a thyroid nodule
detected 2 years ago when i had an ultrasound of the carotids for
an ocular migraine i had
you know like the chest xray that shows a spot so it has to be
worked up and followed
what i get for having the ultrasound done
at least my carotids are clear
ok they have two more years to follow this thing then i quit
going back for followup
damn those doctors

from that appointment i ran my meals on wheel route
that is 30 miles long in the rural area where i live
my mother use to get those meals where she lived so i felt
like i would do my part in this area
feels good to do this
sometimes im the only person they see that day

then for lunch i had it with my son and his friend who are in town
for the acl music festival in austin
chuys mexcian restaurant of course
its called the chuys fix whenever they come back to town
hes here for three days but we never see him

then after lunch i met with a former coworker who needed help
with her 401k plan
you know they give you all those choices for mutual funds to put
your money in and no one explains it all to you
so i helped her pick funds that was appropriate for her age and
financial situation
maybe i could be a financial planner

on saturday i worked at habitat for humanity again painting the house
then regrettably went home and watched the longhorn game that i
had dvred

ok thats 4 days of retirement
next week i will redo one of my garden beds to a keyhole less
square foot garden have my annual opthalmology appointment
have a walk to end alzheimers meeting for the austin walk then
the next day a meeting for the temple bell county walk
then a day of habitat for humanity then a day of ranch work again
then a day of meals on wheels then a saturday habitat day

so yes im busy in retirement
since retiring i now have to keep a calender so i can keep up
with what im doing that week
never had to do that when i was working
i have a lifetime of work to do here on my property at the
country n
but since i have a lifetime im not in a hurry to finish it all

so dont worry about me in retirement
i am busy as i want to be

the oganicgreen doctor

Friday, October 12, 2012

those rats

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

THOSE RATS

there are rats and mice that have been genetically programmed
to develop alzheimers
all of them get the disease
so new treatments and tests are tried on these varmints first before
they do human studies

many times though what works in them wont work in humans

one study put a cell phone in the cage with the rats for a certain
amount of time each day and followed them for a period of months
those with the cell phone in the cage had a lower incidence of
alzheimers
must have been a smartphone
another reason its called that

in korea a researcher infused stem cells that ended up in the brain
of these alzheimers destined mice
the mice got better on their cognitive skills
didnt know they could think
and there was evidence that there was improvement in the
pathology of the brain

the stem cells were from adipose tissue
easily obtained now in the united states with our over abundant
supply of adipose

wonder what would happen if this was given to humans



bexarotene is a chemotherapy agent that is approved by the fda to be
used against certain skin cancers
so its available now and experience with it exists

in an experiment with those same old rats
they take a beating dont they
when these alzheimers rats received the bexarotene
there was reversal of the pathological changes behavior changes
and memory deficits caused by the onset of alzheimers

it apparently works by increasing the apoe gene expression which
increases how much beta amyloid is cleared from the brain
(beta amyloid is that sticky stuff that may be the cause or end
result of the alzheimers disease process)

so this could be a treatment that may be effective in people like
me who carry the sucky apoe 4 genotype for alzheimers
(i carry the double allele of this gene)

researchers are looking at starting its use in humans soon to see if
the results they got in mice will be the same  in humans

hey take me take me take me
i dont have skin cancer but i do have sunspots on my face and
ill gladly withstand the side effects of bexarotene

it cant be worse than whats coming down the pike for me if i do
have alzheimers

sometimes things are just that simple
we already got the drug
lets see if it works

i got an idea why dont they look at those patients who have already taken
the drug bexarotene for their skin cancer and see if some of them turned
out to have alzheimers later on and see if it helped them

i say game on

the organicgreen doctor

Thursday, October 11, 2012

etal, wonder drug

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

ETAL

just why would mitt say he was going to get rid
of big bird
he has lost the vote of those under 6 years old voters

joe and paul debate tonight
good contrast in ideas and age
should be interesting
joe needs to not make a guffaw tonight

seems mitt has to win virginia florida and ohio
dont you just hate it when they already know
stuff before it happens
it takes the fun out of all of it

its not the popular vote its the electoral vote that 
mitt or obama needs to win the election

again when you vote in my state whichever way
you vote romneys going to win
thats just the way it is 
but i still plan on voting anyway as should you 

WONDER DRUG

theres this wonder drug that does all these great things
it may even help cure cancer heart disease and alzheimers

its an old drug
its caffeine
yep a cup of coffee or a spot of tea may do the trick 

i ran across this article this am form medscape
as i sat drinking my cup of coffee

warning potential side effects are nervousness insomnia
glaucoma increase blood pressure increase anxiety affect
glaucoma and those withdrawal symptoms if you stop it
like headaches

otherwise that 1st and 2nd cup of coffee may be good for you 

although it can increase blood pressure it can lower the risk 
for coronary disease and protect against heart failure
it may lower ldl cholesterol and decrease inflammation 
often the increased blood pressure is short lived

it can cut stroke risk by 25%

it increases glucose metabolism reduces risk for type 2 
diabetes and increases weight loss

it may decrease cancer risk from several types of cancers
at higher doses like 3-4 cups a day

 it may slow progression of dementia and parkinson disease
in mild cognitive impairment it may delay progression for 
2-4 years

maybe thats why my short term memory loss seems stable
or is it the aricept (donepezil) or both

it may decrease the risk for getting depression 
it may affect dopamine and serotonin levels
the same chemicals some depression meds affect

it slows progression in liver disease in alcoholic cirrhosis
non alcoholic fatty liver disease and maybe decreases
the risk of hepatic cancer

it helps in dry eye syndrome gout and may help prevent 
mrsa infections

yep 
think ill sip on that second cup this morning
maybe itll help me find my billfold

the organicgreen doctor