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

Thursday, October 31, 2019

organicgreendoctor: dont treat this and you can go to jail

organicgreendoctor: dont treat this and you can go to jail: DONT TREAT THIS AND YOU CAN GO TO JAIL cdc.gov on tb basic facts this link is from cdc and can answer all your questions about tb if yo...

dont treat this and you can go to jail

DONT TREAT THIS AND YOU CAN GO TO JAIL
Image result for cdc tuberculosis
cdc.gov on tb basic facts
this link is from cdc and can answer all your questions about tb

if you have tuberculosis and fail to take your treatment did you know that they can put you in jail to make sure you take your medicines

there was a story a few years ago where a lawyer developed tb and had two take multiple drugs to treat his disease
he took time off to travel to europe
on the way back he was arrested and confined to a jail to make sure he took his meds
yes
they legally can do it

whats tb or tuberculosis
its a bacteria infection known to infect the lungs
when you read about historical folks who died of consumption
well
consumption is the old word for tuberculosis lung infection
it can also cause meningitis and get get in the bones and in the abdomen

these famous people died from tuberculosis
andrew jackson
jane austen
george orwell
pocahontas
vivian leigh
henry david thoreau
james madison
dh lawrence
etc

the tb germ gets into your body and can stay dormant and can hang around in your body for years just waiting for an opportunity to take over
like getting old and your immune system gets suppressed
or
getting ill like with cancer or some illness or treatment that can suppress your immune system

eg donors for kidney transplants are tested for tb since it can live in the kidney
give a tb kidney to a recipient and when they are given the immune suppressing drugs to prevent rejection the tb can take over

we all when we started medical school were tested for tb
many of my classmates turned positive half way through medical school
they took a drug inh for 6 months to be sure and kill any hidden tb germs

i have been tested multiple times during my medical career

when you see those ultraviolet lights in hospitals doctors office airports
they are there to kill germs especially tb as it can float around in the air

now there is a blood test to test you that is more accurate than the old skin test

there are around 9000 cases of tb in the us each year
there are around 500 tb deaths a year in the us
1.5 million die in the world with tb every year

a new vaccine could prevent 50% of these deaths
it may be available in a few years
even if its given to folks with the tb germ inside their bodies it still seems to work against the latent tb germ

the worst country to get tb in is india as they have over 25% of the world cases
it costs the country a couple billion dollars a year

the germ tb
has killed a lot of famous folks
its still around us here in the us
it commonly takes a multidose regimen to treat it
certain populations are more susceptible like skid row type environments
and
all those immunosuppressed folks like transplant recipients and folks on drugs for asthma arthritis ulcerative colitis crohns disease cancer and more diseases
many folks are walking around with it in their lungs and dont know it since it is latent

so we have a vulnerable population here in the us
i can see the vaccine being given to those vulnerable groups here

we cant afford to take our eyes off this disease
or it can take off in our population like it did during the early days of our country


my facebook blog page link organicgreendoctor

the organicgreen doctor

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited 26-more tests

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited 26-more tests: MY STORY REVISITED 26-MORE TESTS eight years ago i wrote after i had done some of my initial testing for the adni 2 study that if it all ...

my story revisited 26-more tests

MY STORY REVISITED 26-MORE TESTS
Image result for organicgreendoctor
eight years ago i wrote after i had done some of my initial testing for the adni 2 study that
if it all helps it will be worth it
well
was i ever right
all this i am writing about that happened in 2011 led me eventually today to where i am waiting to restart the biogen aducanumab infusions at ucla hoping they work to slow all of this down some
well
i must say it was worth it

i write about doing a teleconference neuropsych exam
i remember my son went with me for this one
he did the 3 hour trip up and back with me
i realized as we sat in the waiting room with several obviously demented patients sitting there
that this seemed to bother him
he asked to wait outside while i did my test
heck
i felt out of place in that waiting room too
i knew and i think he saw what i would be like one day
i must say back in 2011 i expected to be where some of them were back then
but
im not

yes it was worth it

i was asked by someone this week about the neuropsych exam
i explained if you were an average intelligent healthy person with no memory issues and you took a full neuropsych exam you would not get them all correct
the more involved the test the fewer correct answers you will have
you will miss some but you will still have normal memory

for those of us with memory loss these tests are frustrating
for me
i know which ones i use to have problems with and i know when they are asked
its like waiting to get an electric shock
now
i must add i do much better on the exams then i did in 2011
not long after doing the initial ones for awhile my memory scores kept dropping
now they are back at the normal range
why
aricept (donepezil)
lots and lots of healthy things im doing
biogen aducanumab infusions

for some reason in the adni 2 study i would get the results of my scans in the mail
ie my mri and my fdg pet scans but not my amyvid pet scans

spoiler alerts
my several mris in the adni 2 study were all normal except for some white hypodense areas probably associated with high blood pressure
my two fdg pet scans for glucose were normal

early on in the disease process the fdg scans can be normal
as the disease progresses the brains cells die and cant take up glucose

i never got the results of the 2 amyvid pet scans i had in the adni 2
i skipped the last one since in 2015 i was trying to enter the aducanumab study
if i had had the last adni 2 amyvid scan i would have had to wait a year to get in the study
and
i probably wouldnt have gotten into the biogen aducanumab study

my
so much has changed in our lives over the last 8 years

XXXX

04-26-2011
TESTS
i am doing a study at ut southwestern called telecognitive assessment
big words for taking a neuropsych test on the computer
i will do a 45 min test the old way then will do a 45 min test on the
computer

this test may eventually be used in remote areas or in local offices
then transmitted to a neuropsychologist for evaluation so the patients
physician can use it in the evaluation for things such as memory loss,
dementia etc

i dont like taking those tests but will do it if it helps someone

i am also having my introductory mri scan for the adni-2 study
i had one in january that was normal
this result ill never see as it gets zapped away to somewhere else as
part of the study

next in 2 weeks is a fdg pet scan which measures glucose
metabolism in the brain
in alzheimers this metabolism is affected and will show up as
abnormal areas on the scan
also i then will have a more involved neuropsychological exam
(the sucky one)

04-27-2011
TESTS
on neuropsych tests in am getting good at doing these things
now i know the questions before they are asked and
can answer them much better now

i dont know if its the aricept or if its the repetition of the tests

it does affect their validity some

i did the 2 hr neuropsych tests for the video teleconference study
they are comparing doing the tests one on one vs doing them
via videoconference
they are providing these neuropsychology tests to remote
clinics in a foreign country-oklahoma

i preferred the one on one instead of the videoconference
the results are more valid
but this may be a good substitute for remote clinics

they really need a computer based program to do these tests
so they can be done in a doctors office and immediately
assessed for the doctor to use right then while the
patient is in the office

maybe i can develop one
they just need a good screening one to see if there is a problem
then more advance testing can be done

then i had my mri for the adni-2 study
its like laying on the sidewalk still for 30 minutes while someone
runs a concrete blasting machine next to you
i couldnt even take a nap while it was being done

like the other tests i am having for this study i will never know the
results

next i will have the fdg pet scan and a more elaborate lengthy neuropsych test
i may have to have a glass of wine after this one
then a week later i will have the spinal tap and the amyloid
pet scan
i prefer the spinal tap over the neuropsych test-its like a bad
dream where you cant ever finish what you are doing or get
to where you are going

if it all helps its worth it

XXXX

yes
as i said
if it all helps its worth it
well
it all has helped
and
yes
it was worth it



our santa barbara walk to end alzheimers is on saturday november 2, 2018
here is the link to my team and the walk site

click and donate and or join us
or
donate or join your local walk where you live


my facebook blog page link organicgreendoctor

the organicgreen doctor

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

organicgreendoctor: oh me oh my pumpkin pie not

organicgreendoctor: oh me oh my pumpkin pie not: OH ME OH MY PUMPKIN PIE NOT this is a picture of a real pumpkin make a pumpkin pie out of this and you really truly have what we all thi...

oh me oh my pumpkin pie not

OH ME OH MY PUMPKIN PIE NOT
this is a picture of a real pumpkin
make a pumpkin pie out of this and you really truly have what we all think of as american pumpkin pie
why do i know this
i took the seed from some donated by the local ace store here in santa barbara
i planted the seed myself and put it into a black 1 gallon pot
i watered it until it sprouted and grew into a pumpkin plant
then
i planted it in our pumpkin patch area

as it grew i have kept a close eye on it
i touch it
i pat it
i let mr h do the same
he loves to sit on it and pat it as it sits on it

it my friend is a true american pumpkin

then this is a sweet baby pumpkin ms b harvested from our pumpkin patch the day her preschool went through our two hour fall garden program
she hugged hers and eventually took it home
her own
real
american pumpkin

now to the not thing
now if you made a pumpkin pie out of a mr h pumpkin or a ms b pumpkin
you could call it pumpkin pie

if you however went to the store and bought a can of pumpkin for a pumpkin pie
well
sorry
but
what you might have is a squash pie instead

Image result for dickinson pumpkin
rareseeds.com

one name brand pumpkin pie filling uses a pumpkin but its not a yellow orange one
its all bland light colored looking
so
if you make a pumpkin pie out of it it may not be orange looking
that orangish color is from probably a squash or another ingredient

so
pumpkin pie not
unless
you pick your own pumpkin or buy a pumpkin from the store
can you really be sure you have made a true american pumpkin pie

oh me oh my

Monday, October 28, 2019

organicgreendoctor: the elephant in the room

organicgreendoctor: the elephant in the room: THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM this is a picture of our checkbook yes i have kept my account in the credit union in texas even though i live ...

the elephant in the room

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

this is a picture of our checkbook
yes i have kept my account in the credit union in texas even though i live here in california
why
they are so efficient and their website works well when you use it
yes
we have an account here in a bank but there is a big difference

now
each month i dump x dollars into our account
out it all goes
at the end of the month the balance is near zero
but
there is no red ink ever

we have a budget that i do each january and update in june
i show it to my wife she to make sure she agrees
as i review it she is usually looking at her smartphone just saying yes ok when i ask a question
sometimes ill say
is it ok if the dinosaur eats the carrots
yea sure she says
yes
she has that millennial thing going on

thats what us americans are doing
being indifferent to something that will ruin our kids futures
we need to hold our politicians accountable

its not just a democratic or a republican thing
they both need to be addressing this

now
in the election the biggest issue that will affect us all and all our generations ahead of us
ie our kids and our grandkids...
is
the big ole deficit that we have

it is approaching
one trillion dollars a year
thats
$1,000,000,000,000

thats what alzheimers disease will also be costing us each year in the near future
so
we will be down 2 trillion dollars before we get started

that is an awful lot of red inks and a lot of zeros

the budget was balanced in 1998 1999 2000 2001 then its been red ink since then
granted the great recession didnt help any
however
we are prospering now fairly well at least some folks are not all of us
we should be in the black ink category

i dont hear donald trump talking about it
i dont hear the democrats talking about it much

im not sure why
since
we will suffer because of it

so when i do my budget
i would like to
travel all over the world
drive a maserati
live in a big ole santa barbara mansion
but
before we die we would deplete all our monies
so
ok no i dont really want all that stuff this is just for illustration

so
we decide what we really like to do
we come up with a budget so we can do it
we cut somethings we dont have to but we do it
so
we dont have no red ink at the end of the year

so
the federal government should not have any red ink

they need to put everything on the table
defense
federal programs
they all need to be cut to get rid of the red ink
we cant afford not do
eg
social security needs to be tweaked some to make it last

medicare needs to be tweaked some to make it last
if we dont completely change our health care system starting from scratch
and
even though i think thats what we need is medicare for all
we probably cant afford it but we also cant afford not to
a conundrum there

defense needs to be cut some to match what the federal programs do
then
the corporations need to pay their fair share
they have raked us enough since the big tax cuts
the richest folks like the president and other rich folks are not paying their fair share of taxes
they also have raked us enough
and
raked all at our kids and grandkids and the future generations

then really do a budget like we do
its always a farce that national budget
really do one and stick with it

if we dont do something about this elephant in the room
we are dooming our kids to dooming debt
they will suffer because of it

the organicgreen doctor

Friday, October 25, 2019

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-i am a alzheimers research volunte...

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-i am a alzheimers research volunte...: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-I AM A ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH VOLUNTEER IN THE BIOGEN ADUCANUMAB STUDY yesterday i found out that i am a step closer to getti...

alzheimers news-i am a alzheimers research volunteer in the biogen aducanumab study

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-I AM A ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH VOLUNTEER IN THE BIOGEN ADUCANUMAB STUDY
Image result for organicgreendoctor
yesterday i found out that i am a step closer to getting my monthly infusions restarted soon of the biogen aducanumab drug that was in the news this last week
it may be the first drug in a long time that gets approved by the fda to be used in alzheimers disease
this is a big deal for the alzheimers world and me in particular

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

i stopped working and was placed on long term disability

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

you betcha

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

to me thats sad

only
you yes you can help us

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


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

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

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

we need your help studying this disease

to get us money
contact your state and federal congress person tell them we need more money or research
and
of course donate and or join your local alzheimers walk
or
you are welcome to my walk linked below

we need your help in our fight against this disease



our santa barbara walk to end alzheimers is on saturday november 2, 2018
here is the link to my team and the walk site

click and donate and or join us
or
donate or join your local walk where you

the organicgreen doctor

Thursday, October 24, 2019

organicgreendoctor: santa barbara country n news-T tomato

organicgreendoctor: santa barbara country n news-T tomato: SANTA BARBARA COUNTRY N NEWS-T TOMATO these delicious looking red tomatoes were grown by a relative we will call T i have popped at lot ...

santa barbara country n news-T tomato

SANTA BARBARA COUNTRY N NEWS-T TOMATO
these delicious looking red tomatoes were grown by a relative we will call T
i have popped at lot of these in my mouth and eaten them by themselves
no salt or other additions were needed

now the name of this what i call T tomato is not known
why
well after T moved into her new house this tomato just grew up along this new wall
it actually flows over the wall down to the ground on the other side
it has now been there for two years
just like the old timex watch
it just keeps ticking and ticking and ticking
producing a lot of tomatoes

these T tomatoes are bigger than a cherry tomato but smaller than say an early girl or celebrity
there is a dripper system to the bed so it gets just the right amount of water
it also seems to be just in the right microclimate

what is interesting is that the T tomato is growing in a location that gets too much fog during the year for tomatoes to be growing this well
i must add that the T tomatos owner has grown other tomatoes abundantly
i looked at her thumb and its not a real green one
maybe a brown green one
but its not a brown one like my wife shes thumb

ive decided its the consistent water
the right light and probably heat from the wall
and
its genetics were just made for this location

so
i have been admiring this T tomato for two years now
so
i picked one that was real ripe

i googled how to save seeds from a tomato
i found this video below and followed his directions
so
first i sliced open the tomato
scraped out the seeds
all into a small jar
covered the seeds with water
covered the top of the jar with a paper towel rubberbanded in place
i went by once a day and shook it
the fermentation that happens helps to kill off any viruses and bacteria present
if you keep a lid on the jar apparently it can explode

after a week of this
i poured off the liquid leaving just the seeds
then
i poured this through a screen
rinsing off the seeds as you go
whats left is a bunch of seeds
i placed them on a paper towel to dry
then
i placed them on a plate for 3 weeks to dry completely
then
i will place them in an envelope to save for winter planting

i plan to plant several of these to grow in the greenhouse
then
plant 1 or 2 in my garden and donate the others

my label says
T tomato source ie what kind unknown

then
this tomato popped up in my garden as a volunteer
it i think is some version of juliette
but im not sure
it was the most productive of all my tomatoes this year
so
i have saved seeds of this unknown volunteer tomato
i will name unvol tomato

so
i have set aside in my garden planning for my spring crop two sites
one for the T tomato
one for the unvol tomato

am i ever looking forward to next years tomato crop

the organicgreen doctor

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-it was all worth it

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-it was all worth it: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-IT WAS ALL WORTH IT this picture is the first page of the permit for me to be in the long term extension portion of the b...

alzheimers news-it was all worth it

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-IT WAS ALL WORTH IT
this picture is the first page of the permit for me to be in the long term extension portion of the biogen aducanumab that was all over the news yesterday

the one that made my wife she post this
someday your eyes will be filled with a joy so deep that they will shine

thats how i felt yesterday when i opened my news feed and saw the biogen aducanumab story
linked here
linked here

the form in the picture above was about moving from the 18 month blind infusions to the part where all the participants get the real drug no one gets the placebo anymore
i found out i got the placebo for 18 months then was converted to the real drug
the difference in how well it worked was in the dosing
i either got the high dose or the low dose
im hoping i got the high dose since its the one that seems to be doing the job the best

now you can see my scribbles on the page
now the two nurses htat worked with me the last 20 years of my career can probably read what i wrote
one in red was about the alzheimers conference in barcelona spain
the other was about the new blood biomarker test that may be available in the next 2-3 years

yes
you will be able soon to get a blood test to tell if you have alzheimers long before symptoms start

so we are getting closer to getting a blood test to tell you that you have alzheimers and now we have a drug that may slow it down
plus
by also doing all the healthy things one should be doing we might start to make a dent in this alzhiemers thing

this form was signed march 7th 2018
it was a year later after i got my last aducanumab infusion that they announced the next day that the study was canceled

a real low point that day
after doing the adni study i decided i didnt want to do another study unless it was a treatment study
i identified the biogen aducanumab one as the one that i wanted
it seemed to be the best of the new antibody against amyloid drugs being tested

Image result for organicgreendoctor amyvid aducanumab study
so i began to track it
i saw the phase one results
basically those who took aducanumab after one year had most if not all of the amyloid removed from the brain
the scans on some of the folks were read as negative after a year
plus
their memory got better

then
the fda let them skip phase 2 studies since the results were so promising
the next step then was the phase 3 studies like mine above
these phase 3 studies are the last obstacle before approval by the fda so it can be used to slow down alzheimers disease for the rest of yall

last march the preliminary data when analyzed wasnt promising so the study was halted
then
more data was analyzed from the addtional patients that had been added
also the dosing had been increased for those of us in the study
it was this increased dosing that showed that
this drug did improve memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers and early alzheimers

when this data was all analyzed biogen made its announcement

what does this all  mean for me
what does this all mean for you

biogen aducanumab must be started early in the disease for it to help
it does not cure the disease
it does seem to slow it down though

for those of us fighting this disease we will take slowing it down
my goal and many of our goals is that alzheimers not be the disease that kills us
just old age

the company has applied to the fda for approval
if approved it will be on the market
maybe in 2020 or a year or two later

for me
i am waiting to hear from ucla if i am going to be in the group that gets to restart the study at least till the aducanumab becomes available

this 1-3 years could be the difference maker for me
since i am at the point where i am in a window of opportunity to do something to slow this down
that window will close if i dont do something

so
i will stay on aricept (donepezil) every day despite the side effects since it slows down symptoms
i will continue to do all the healthy things im doing now to slow this down
i will take the aducanumab now if i am able to
if not i will start it when it becomes available commercially
there are around 3000 of us who are waiting to hear if we can get back on it

will it cure my alzheimers disease
no
but
it will probably slow it down some

there is more to the treatment of this disease that will be coming in the future
this disease has probably multiple causes that end all with the same result
death form alzheimers disease

this finding yesterday is a step in slowing all of this down

in two weeks i am going to be on a panel at ucla answering questions from the audience after the showing of the documentary turning point which is the story of the failure of a similar drug made by lily called solanezumab

i had already prepared a five  minute response to how i felt about having the biogen aducanumab study fail after it had so much promise

it was hard to prepare that five minute response
now
i can tear that one up and do another more promising response for the audience to hear
maybe inducing tears of happiness not sadness in those present that day

so
yesterday was a high point
i admit i cried as did my wife she
we know what this means for me for us for our family
maybe
for your family

to continue this fight we need
more money
more research volunteers


our santa barbara walk to end alzheimers is on saturday november 2, 2018
here is the link to my team and the walk site

we need help to reach our donation goal

click and donate and or join us
or
donate or join your local walk where you live

the organicgreen doctor

Monday, October 21, 2019

organicgreendoctor: bad baby food

organicgreendoctor: bad baby food: BAD BABY FOOD dont feed this to your baby or carrots or sweet potatoes or juices or some fruits or other veggies or a lot of what you ar...

bad baby food

BAD BABY FOOD
dont feed this to your baby or carrots or sweet potatoes or juices or some fruits or other veggies
or a lot of what you are feeding them now

a baby and toddler has a rapidly growing brain and the rest of their bodies are growing fast
so
heavy toxic metals like arsenic cadmium lead and mecrcury are in our babies foods
it seems even if you go organic its still there
ingesting these can lower a babys iq
this can lead to learning difficulties and behavior issues

here is what one leading baby food producer gerber said
now its not just gerber it seems to be all or most of them
it regularly tests its food and is committed to cutting its heavy metal levels to as low as possible

no
they are wrong
that level should not be as low as possible it should be zero

a lot of our farmland has these toxic metals in their soil from years of dumping insecticides etc on the farmland
the stuff wont go away
as the plants grow especially rice it takes up the heavy metals and puts it in the veggies and fruits that babies eat

even if you go organic if its in your soil you are stuck with organic heavy metal soil

whats the answer

i dont have one
well one
the acceptable levels in babys food of all these should be zero nada 0000
these articles below have some suggestions

i will link this article from wedmd that has a good read on it
and
this one from consumer reports is the better one to read

if you have little kids i suggest you read these two articles on this bad baby food issue
so you can protect your kids brains

those innocent kids
are we poisoning them
well
it seems we are

read the articles please

quinoa and polenta may actually be good for you after all

the organicgreen doctor

Friday, October 18, 2019

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-exercise your brain

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-exercise your brain: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN if you want to make your biceps bigger you exercise them so it is with your brain deborah kan in he...

alzheimers news-exercise your brain

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN
Image result for organicgreendoctor
if you want to make your biceps bigger you exercise them
so it is with your brain

deborah kan in her excellent articles on alzheimers and dementia wrote about 8 steps to good brain health
you can follow her articles by signing up online for free
if all you did was read her articles you would know a lot about alzheimers

besides these eight steps you have to feed the brain
the mediterranean diet or mind diet is the one to follow
almost all foods are on these
moderation is the key
google search the two diets to see whats in them

first
get a cognitive assessment ie memory evaluation
if your doctor will not do it do the sage test
be sure and dont get help or cheat as you want an honest assessment
if there are issues you need a complete workup
you can also sign up for the online apt study
the earlier you know the sooner treatment can be started

i really believe that i am better 9 years later because i got started on aricept (donepezil) real early
earlier than most folks and got real aggressive about my brain health
i expected 9 years ago that today i would not be able to write this blog drive a car do our finances etc

second
consult your doctor about getting a genetic test
this is not for everyone
you need to understand what a positive test means
also we arent very far away before blood testing like with cholesterol will be done
for me
i wanted to know where i was with the disease so i was genetic tested
i understand what having the apoe 4 homozygous gene means
im doing what i can to counterbalance it

third
understand the risk factors for the brain like
head trauma
high blood pressure
high cholesterol
diabetes
high blood pressure in your 30s and 40s can damage the brains blood vessels
one of the things i did was to control my blood pressure with medication to normal levels
i think its one of the factors that helped me slow down symptoms

fourth
watch our vitamin d3 and vitamin b12 levels as you age
as you age your levels can drop below normal
mine did and i have to take oral supplements to bring them to normal levels
no you probably dont need b12 shots
i take otc b12 thats cheap and my levels are now normal

fifth
learn something new like a new language or playing a new musical instruments
this makes for more neuroplasticity
make that brain bigger

sixth
meditate for 30 minutes a day
when i go to my garden to work its just me and nature and i do my meditation there
in the deborah kan article linked above there is more information on this
the ex student that worked for me when she was in high school and is now a radiation oncologist has an online blog on mediation and mindfulness she uses for her cancer patients
its called the circle of hope 
just click on the link

seventh
aerobic exercise
ms kahn says if you are going to do one thing think do this one

eighth
sleep
you need deep sleep for the repair guys the microglia to come in and click all the debris in the brain while you are sleep
dont get enough deep sleep and it accumulates
also while you sleep nutrition is fed to the brain

so
work that brain and rest it and feed it the good stuff
follow these 8 steps to make your brain healthier

today
my wife she and i drive down to ucla for the 2019 appreciation brunch for those of us who volunteer to be in the research studies at the alzheimers disease clinical trial program there

we will hear about the different research programs that are ongoing there and find out what new ones are planned for the future

i have my eye on the new biogen study using an antitau antibody via infusions that may start next spring
thats when i can restart a new trial as i have to wait a year from when my last one was stopped

remember
two things are stopping us from finding a treatment or cure
money
volunteers like you and me

2 studies that caught my eye were these two

use of curcumin to fight neuroinflammation
think turmeric which has curcumin in it
i have been on turmeric now for 9 years

use of vitamin b3 derivative to remove tau from the brain
these studies are linked just above

then the money thing
we need help from the feds with money and from mine and your donations to find a cure or treatment



our santa barbara walk to end alzheimers is on saturday november 2, 2018
here is the link to my team and the walk site

we need help to reach our donation goal

click and donate and or join us
or
donate or join your local walk where you live

the organicgreen doctor

Thursday, October 17, 2019

organicgreendoctor: santa barbara country n news-busy month

organicgreendoctor: santa barbara country n news-busy month: SANTA BARBARA COUNTRY N NEWS-BUSY MONTH october is my busiest month of the year in the garden and outside the garden we have our annivers...

santa barbara country n news-busy month

SANTA BARBARA COUNTRY N NEWS-BUSY MONTH

october is my busiest month of the year in the garden and outside the garden
we have our anniversary then i have 2 alzheimers events in the los angeles area
one i chronicled last week in this blog and tomorrow we go down to ucla for a volunteer appreciation brunch
then we have our walk to end alzheimers here in santa barbara then i am on an alzheimers panel following the showing of the documentary turning point at ucla

this month in my garden its transition time from the summer garden to the fall winter garden
in the garden right now i have some new and some old stuff

my curly leaf kale dinosaur kale three basils three peppers eggplant okra are still producing produce but they are slowing down


as i remove stuff from the garden i replenish the soil by doing this
i add a layer of unfinished compost or i might use mulch from my walkways
i cover that with a bag of soil conditioner or i might use compost if its available
for my recent garlic bed i dug up one of my walkways between my beds which are about 2 ft deep filled with mulch from 2 years ago
this stuff has all composted down and is full of compost
this was added as a 4 inch layer on my garlic bed
i then added the worm compost layer of about 2 inches from my 5 gallon worm tower bucket buried in my walkways
then i added a sprinkling of an organic fertilizer
then i forked it in with a broad fork which works all this stuff down deep as far as the forks go
then i soak it all in with a solution of fish emulsion seaweed molasses which is the old johns recipe from the natural gardener in austin

i rake the bed out smooth and planted
in this case it was about 60 california early garlic cloves known as the gilroy garlic
yes that gilroy where all those folks got slaughtered with the ak47 at the gilroy garlic festival
and i
added about 20 garlic cloves saved from last years garlic
i picked the best looking bulbs to use
yes plant them pointed side up about 1 1/2 in deep

this is how i do all my beds
eg
my onion bed which i did a month ago and will plant in a month with onions from dixondale farms in texas was prepped this way
i overseeded it with a cover crop of beans oats peas hairy vetch
in a month i will cut those down and feed the tops to my worms in my worm buckets
i have seven of those do the math thats 35 gallons of worm compost i am always making in my garden plus my mulch compost walkways that are almost 2 ft deep and 1 foot wide
i have 80 ft of walkways

so when you go to my garden and see that things are bigger and more productive than most in the community garden
well you know why now

remember the old garden saying you put a $5 plant in a $50 hole

so far for the fall winter i have planted new curly leaf kale dinosaur kale red kale rainbow chard broccoli cabbage lettuce mix multiplying onions garlic
to finish out the garden this fall winter i will add carrots sweet peas cilantro onions to what i have already planted

i will leave one of my beds fallow by prepping it like above and planting my cover crops on it
i will harvest the cover crop and let it lay where it grew to act as a mulch
i also leave the roots in the ground to breakdown and leave its nutrition in the soil

i also have ran a line from the two rainwater tanks so that the overflow from them will go into my walkways providing extra rainwater to keep the mulch wet
remember we can go 6 months or more without any rain

then
this month we invite school kids to do a garden program here in the garden
around 20 schools send over 600+ kids through our program each year

we have 4 stations
seeds pumpkins rainbow food nature appreciation
when they leave they have felt smelt eaten looked at all of our garden
and get to leave with a small pumpkin a bag of seeds a good time and a smile on their faces
this is a giant pumpkin grown from doanted seeds from the local ace hardware
mr hudson loves this pumpkin
he likes to sit on it and pat it

yep
its a busy month in the garden
i personally do at least 10 of these days
and
enjoy it
this is mr hudson prepping his garden at his house

a new generation of kindergardeners

the organicgreen doctor


Wednesday, October 16, 2019

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited 25-new guidelines another study...

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited 25-new guidelines another study...: MY STORY REVISITED 25-NEW GUIDELINES ANOTHER STUDY in 2011 the new alzheimers disease diagnostic guidelines were published the previous o...