vote today or shut up

VOTE TODAY OR SHUT UP
thats what i want to say to people
if you dont vote then quit complaining about things

now i have done early voting in the past
but i like to go to the polls on election day
it just feels different
theres usually a little bit of a circus going on
further away from the election place
a gauntlet you have to run

i just smile and move on
then i like waiting in line and talking to folks
i like talking to them and listening
not giving my voting decisions away
like to know what people are really thinking
is what i do

i am white grayheaded man dressed not looking
like a professional
people always assume i vote a certain way based
on all that

wrong is what they are

i look forward to voting this morning after the early
morning rush happens
well not much of one
since i get to vote in an old recreational center in a small
country community near here

here are my thoughts on this midterm election

it looks like the republicans will win the congress
and its probably the democrats fault
for not showing up to vote and for not grabbing
some of the good things they have done

like yes healthcare
the republicans shied away from this one but the
democrats never took advantage of it
especially in states where its popular like
kentucky and arkansas

the economy which was in the tank when obama took
over
can you say almost a severe depression
and now its so much better
employment is down significantly
the stock market is real high
the housing market has recovered in most places

never heard them talking about this at all

financial protections for all us
things congress keeps taking away from us

mostly getting us out of the middle east wars
yep they never talked about these things

then im sorry but if you are a democrat you voted
for obama
if you are a republican candidate you voted for romney
just say so and quit making yourself look stupid

then
i agree with senator mary landrieu from louisiana
part of the problem with the lack of support amongst
white voters in the south is because he obama is black
quit attacking her since we who live her know
thats correct
just like part of the reason he has so much support
in the african american community is because he is
black

thats reality

then all that money thats poured into the elections
yes not our money but those rich folks
who go by the motto
the rich get richer the poor get poorer
buying our government is what they are doing
sorry
both sides are guilty
allowing this is the worst thing that has happened
to our democracy in years
its obscene

then finally we really really need a new party
an independent party
that has most of our interest at heart
since thats where most americans are in the middle

wouldnt it be nice to have a person to vote for
that is not holden to any party
not required to spit out the same rhetoric that is
programmed for them to say
maybe
really take the middle of the road on issues
instead of the far right and far left we have now

i think most of us whether democrat or republican or
independent are all tired of the inaction in washington
but heck we keep sending the same folks back
its our fault i guess

so even if the republicans win the congress
nothing is still going to get done
unless the sides start working together
so
it will be a do nothing congress again

so if you do complain to me about politics
the first thing i will ask you
whether you are a republican independent or democrat
did you vote
if you say no
then i will raise my open palm
and say

talk to the hand

the organicgreen doctor

thanks

THANKS

thanks to the hundreds of you who read this article from the
austin american statesman yesterday
doctor keeps alzheimers at bay
and
responded with your kind words

why i may have alzheimers
i had a normal mental status evaluation that changed in 3 years to
being abnormal
i personally noticed those changes
my parents and younger brother had alzheimers disease
i carry the apoe4/apoe4 gene that carries up to a 20x increased risk
of getting alzheimers disease
the levels of beta amyloid and tau protein in my spinal fluid are
abnormal
the pet scan for beta amyloid or amyvid will be done soon


for those who asked
here are the studies i am in

the alzheimers disease neuroimaging initiative or adni study
the largest most important alzheimers study ever done
i get lots of blood drawn neuropsych tests mri scans pet scans for
glucose metabolism pet scans for beta amyloid or amyvid and
spinal taps for beta amyloid and tau protein

a study of the new alzheimers blood test which may be 90%
accurate in predicting if you will get alzheimers disease
itprobably will be available in 5 years

then hopefully in december
a study of solanezumab an alzheimers vaccine infusion that may
remove beta amyloid from the brain


first
i am not doing anything different really than thousands
of americans who volunteer to help other folks every day
i know at the habitat builds and the meals on wheels there are
those dedicated folks who are always there doing their part

there are many ways to volunteer
even helping an older neighbor or friend
a disabled one
or
someone temporarily in need

do volunteer
i can speak from experience now after 4 years
the one that benefits the most from volunteering
is that person in the mirror
you

what i am doing to ward off alzheimers disease is not some
secret treatment
its been researched and documented and written about
for years
its mainstream medicine

now one thing to remember is that
in my opinion this doesnt really stop alzheimers disease
once it get rolling
its going to win eventually
but
it slows it down a lot and hopefully makes the symptoms
that you see in people less severe
kinda like
a snowball going down a hill that hits against obstructions
along the way to slow it down
but
eventually it will get to the bottom of the hill
but
it will not be as big

i do think that if a person can start all this preventative stuff
when they are young
even when they are babies and infants and toddlers and
little kiddos and teenagers and young adults
they can maybe prevent themselves from getting alzheimers disease
or
slow it down so much that they will die from something else
when they get real old

eat a heart healthy diet or mediterranean diet
or
if you  are so inclined a gluten free diet sorry i cant do that one
or be a vegetarian or vegan

dont do excesses in your life like eat too much gain weight
drink too much smoke at all use drugs

exercise

get an adequate sleep each day
this one is turning out to be important

control diabetes blood pressure cholesterol

be happy stay mentally active stay socially active

do this and we are talking about a lot of disease prevention
besides alzheimers disease

i have also got a lot of questions about this vitamin and supplement
thing im doing

if you arent going to do this stuff above then dont worry about the
supplement and vitamin thing

i first read the article on the research that was done
here is the full article
then
i discussed this with my primary care doctor and my neurologist
then i had screening labs done looking for problems

i found a low vit d and low b12 which i wasnt expecting
and am taking replacements for them
had my levels not been low i wouldnt have taken those supplements

my homocysteine level was quite elevated
it may be associated with an increased risk of alzheimers disease
its not definitely proven but i as i have said before i dont have
time to wait for it to be proven
so im taking folate  b12 vit b6 each day to lower that number

since i know that i have abnormal levels of beta amyloid in my
spinal fluid and will soon know if my amyloid pet scan is positive
i have elected to take stuff that may lower beta amyloid levels

remember this isnt proven these supplements do this yet
but in animal studies they do

one resveratrol was used in a big study whose results will be out
later this year or next year which will say yes or now if this works
this is the stuff from grapes
it takes tons of grapes to get enough for a daily dose so  thats why
its been put in a pill
if its disproved with this study i will probably stop taking it

some of the supplements i cant tolerate like melatonin
and ashwaganda which may lower beta amyloid and help
some with sleep
i got these god awful disturbing dreams with it

there are 7 things to do that we all should be doing anyway
like those mentioned earlier

so i didnt just start taking this stuff without looking at each
one individually as to whether it fit my circumstance
i look at the side effects and interactions with my medications
like my blood pressure medication or cholesterol medication

if i could access nilvadipine for my blood pressure i would
change to that drug
see last fridays blog

plus
remember there are not many options right now for me
except to do these things
if im wrong this may help then i havent lost much
if im right this may help then ive done myself and my family
some good

please do not just start taking this stuff without looking
at each one closely discussing it with your medical providers
remember these are as much medicines as those prescriptions
you are taking

and also remember this is not a cure for alzheimers disease
its like aricept (donepezil) it slows down the symptoms
but probably doesnt stop the disease

so what do i notice
i feel better
i feel more alert
i have gained more sleep
i dont get leg cramps like i did ( a side effect from the aricept)
i dont feel as tired later in the day
i have less morning nausea

so something is helping in this regimen
im not sure what it is
but its enough i plan to keep on taking it

so again i say
thanks for the interest
dont worry if a cure comes i will be overposting about it


vote tomorrow even if you dont vote like i do

the oganicgreen doctor

newspaper article

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
if you get the austin american statesman today
go to the metro page
page 2
and read this article on

doctor keeps alzheimers at bay, stays busy with
volunteer work
by
patrick beach

if not here is the link
 the article on how i am doing
warning sometimes you have to pay 99 cents to read an article


one thing he left off was my discussion of my involvement
with the central texas alzheimers association in this area
with its four
walk to end alzheimers
which is a big part of my volunteer time in the summer
and fall

a little disappointed on that but overall pleased with the
article

stay tuned

the organicgreen doctor