Friday, December 31, 2010

WHAT TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT IN 2011

It's January 2011, a time for people to get excited about the new year, a new start, and new opportunities. So what's in store for you? ...

We start over with a clean slate making sure we do not repeat the same mistakes. We look forward to a brighter future and a better economy.

First lets look back on what we accomplished in the year of 2010

The precious metals have impressively gained in spite of the bounce in the dollar. Gold topped
over $1400 up 28% this year.  Silver reached $30 up 77% and Copper up 29%

APPLE, the stock, helped the tech sector which has increased 50% this year after more than doubling in 2009.

Exxon reached new highs along with many other stocks. The Market has been a bull since March of the year 2009..

Consumer confidence dips, home prices still dipping. The jobless report show more jobs being created.

What are we to expect with this new Health Plan?  I cannot believe  that  Speaker  of the house, Nancy Pelosi said "we have to pass it to find out the rest of what is in it".

We are waiting for the HS10 food bill to be approved and no one is talking about labeling Genetic Modified foods.  How do we know what we are buying? We have the right to know which foods are genetically modified.

Apartment rentals have increased as many homeowners had to vacate their homes.  Yet I have seen luxury apartment developments rising

Hybrid and Electric cars and scooters are coming into the country and we will be seeing more and more of them on the road during 2011 and increasing by 2012

What to be careful about in 2011


New social engineering scams. Criminals used various schemes to exploit consumer fear (your account has been compromised!); relationships (my passport and wallet were stolen, send money please!) and greed (you’ve won the lottery!) over the past year. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reports a recent sweepstakes scam that sends consumers emails and letters with fraudulent checks bearing the logos of financial services companies. Expect to see variations of these schemes in the coming year using every channel of communication, including text messages and phone calls.

We were also a victim of a scheme whereby we received a check from a Texas bank with its identical logo along with a letter telling me to cash it and mail a small balance to one of their companies.  We were allowed to keep a percentage.

The check had an 800 number.  When I called, they confirmed the check was good.  Dubiously I looked the bank up on Google, and saw the exact logo, however it did not have an 800 phone number, only a local one. I called the local phone number to confirm the check authenticity.  I was told I was the 20th person that called and to destroy the check.  It was not theirs.

Another friend told me a similar story of a relative who received a $100,000 check with similar instructions.  They called the bank and was told the check was bogus.  However the relative decided to take a chance and deposited it.  Within a short time, the FBI came to his house and arrested him.  He had to pay thousands of dollars to lawyers to get him out of jail.  So please be careful.

Someone looking for employment answered an ad on Craig's list who got hurt financially. It was recently reported on the news.   I have seen that ad myself as I was looking for a job as well. It listed normal qualifications and asked to submit a resume.  Since the ad looked legitimate I submitted mine

Within 24 hours after sending it, I received a reply via email saying "based on my resume I would be perfect for the position"  Since the employer is in another country, I would be receiving checks among my other duties, and deposit them in my own account. After a few days, I should send  checks to the employer's charities  and keep 10% as my commission or wages.

When I read the employer was from another country, I knew right away the ad was bogus.  I heard on the radio, complaints from other people who lost their money believing the ad was legitimate. So watch out for this.  Some times you can tell if its bogus by the poor grammar and misspelled words on the ads.

Another scam that will happen more frequently:  Ladies, never go into crowds with a shoulder bag or purse unless it is securely under your armpit.  I am sure you have heard of many people being pick pocketed. 

On a brighter note, we look forward to a more prosperous year.  The stock market is in rally mode, The dollar is bouncing back, more jobs are being created, and scientists are working diligently looking for ways to cure cancer and other diseases.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my friends, family and loyal readers a very HEALTHY, HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR






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Friday, December 24, 2010

REVERSING DEMENTIA

Loosing a dear friend from Alzheimer's, watching other friends suffer from slight dementia has captured my interest to understand the disease.

Dementia is a big problem and growing every day. Ten percent of 65-year olds, 25 percent of 75-year olds, and 50 percent of 85-year olds will get Alzheimer's disease  at a cost of $60 billion a year to society. Worse, the number of people with Alzheimer's is predicted to triple in the next few decades. It is now the seventh leading cause of death.

From what I understood, genics, drugs and stress had an important role in memory loss and confusion.  Drugs play an important role in how we think, feel, react, and deal with emotions.

When we visit our physicians, the first thing they ask is "How do you feel?" If you answered you had a headache,  he would say "take this pill", if you cannot sleep, "take this pill", If you are tired, "take a pill." If you have anxieties, "take this pill"  and so on. The pharmaceutical companies are thriving.

Do we ever wonder why there are so many car accidents on the road?  How many times do you see direction signals of cars that were not supposed to be on.  Lights on cars during early evenings that were off.  People driving the wrong way and so on.  Approximately 80% of all of them are on medication for one reason or another.  Either too much or too little is the culprit.

Seniors all fear the aging process. Most believe it is genetic. But there is another way to think about brain aging. The brain responds to all the same insults as the rest of the body. Those are; stress, poor diet, toxins ingested or environmental,  lack of exercise or sleep, nutritional deficiencies, underactive thyroid, inflammation,  deficiencies of hormones, vitamins, and omega-3 fats.

From my research I have learned that all we have to do is give the brain a tune-up and we can see miracles says Dr. Mark Hyman, respected medical consultant, New York Times -bestselling author, lecturer, and practicing physician

This is the time when personalized medicine will replace medicine based on diagnosis and disease.

So if you know someone with memory loss, have a good qualified doctor look at all the imbalances that are present and how to fix them. Remember, there will be no one treatment that works for everyone, because everyone is different. But here are some things to think about if you or a loved one are experiencing memory loss or dementia. If all of the above fail, then x-ray, cat scans and other testing should be addressed. If your doctor talks you out of the above, go find another, or call Dr. Hyman. ( I have never met or spoken with him, just researched on Google)

• Pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome
Low thyroid function
• Depression
• Deficiencies in B vitamins, especially vitamin B12
• Omega-3 fat deficiencies
• Mercury or other heavy metal toxicity
• Vitamin D deficiency
• High cholesterol
• Unique genes that predispose you to nutritional
   or detoxification problems

Sometimes a subtle change in a persons health could explain reverse dementia. Once you identify the underlying causes of the imbalance, here are a few things that can help your mind get a tune-up:

1. Balance your blood sugar with a whole foods,
    low glycemic diet
2. Exercise daily -- even a 30-minute walk can help
3. Do yoga, deep breathing  exercises        
4. Take a multivitamin and mineral supplement
5. Take an omega-3 fat supplement
6. Take extra vitamin B6, B12, and folate
7. Take vitamin D

As we approach the New Year, we have a lot to look forward to. This is just a start, but it can go a long way to giving your brain the chance to heal and recover if you have memory problems. Even if you aren't suffering from cognitive decline, you should take these steps because they can help you prevent the aging of your brain and obtain lifelong health.

I want to wish our friends and families who celebrate Christmas, A Very Healthy and Joyful Holiday


EMAIL: iris@pushthewheel.com




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Saturday, December 18, 2010

DEMENTIA A TRUE FUNNY STORY continued part 2

At the memory center where my friends were having their memory evaluation, they were wiping the tears from their eyes. They were hysterical laughing at their interviewer because the doctor was having a senior moment. "He was about to tell me a story whereby I had to remember it at the end of the session" my friend said. However, pathetically, he forgot the story he was to tell. It was the same one he tells to all his potential patients he screens every day, all day long. "Don't worry", my friend said, "tell me a different one". But the doctor insisted he had to tell that particular story.

"He really took us by surprise", my friend said."Why, I wondered would management allow a doctor with this problem interview and screen potential patients. How could he help a memory deficient patient if he is as well?"

The doctor apologized again and told them he was diagnosed with a certain kind of dementia from sleep apnea. His wife discovered something was wrong when he was driving on the wrong side of the road with traffic coming from the opposite direction. She immediately sent him for tests.

"After explaining his problem we composed ourselves", she said. The doctor told the story he eventually remembered, followed by more questions and answers. The doctor went back to the story he told asking my friend some questions about it.She answered the best she could and thought she did a satisfactory report. However, he said she left out one thing. Therefore, the doctor recommended she go for further testing. "What about my husband?" she asked. "He was the one who came here in the first place? The doc said my husband tested fine. Perhaps in a year or two he can come back for another screening. But right now we are concentrating on you."

The head investigator came into the office introducing himself, to further explain to my friends her probable condition. He sat down at the doctors desk and explained the program. There is a good program sponsored by the drug companies to research and treat patients who are at the beginning stages of dementia. The drug companies pay for all the ex rays, cat scans, meds, everything. But my friend would have to make the commitment to follow through. He said it is not certain that she does have the beginning stages until all the tests are completed. However my friend might be a  good candidate to be accepted for the ex rays and more testing. If they found for sure, she does have dementia, then she would be admitted into a free drug trial program. She was assured that the drug given would not make her memory worse.However it most likely it will not reverse. The drug will stop further damage

"What can I say. I was devastated" my friend cried. The drive home was very quiet. She was thinking about all the times she failed to identify people's names, places, movies, etc. She always joked with friends about how she was such a quick thinker when she smoked years ago. When she quit decisions were difficult. Although people, friends, peers told her they thought she was bright, deep down she said she did not think so of herself. Just like the doctor pleading with us and reassuring us he was smart, he was a doctor, he went to school, he had books on his shelves. It is not about being stupid or smart and the doctor should have known that.

When she arrived home, I helped her research the clinic to the best of my knowledge, the drug company and the doctor. He is board certified and has written many papers.

Fear crept up on my friend that day. Fear of what will become of her and our friends who have memory problems as well. The good thing is that we have thus far seen good results with the drugs people are taking with the exception of our dear friend who passed away this year.

"I was sorry I laughed at the doctor," my friend said. "I should have shown more compassion. It was a learning lesson for me that day. People should never laugh at such a person, nor a person who stutters, a lame person who falls, anyone else who is having a difficult time. We reflect back to comedians on the stage imitating those people and making the audience laugh."I hope I wont be laughed at if........."


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Saturday, December 11, 2010

DEMENTIA A TRUE FUNNY STORY

One day my friend and her husband heard a radio commercial about free testing for dementia in their town. Since we both recently lost a dear friend who suffered from Alzheimer's and having other friends with similar problems, they wanted to know more about it.

Most seniors think about the subject because as we age our memory decreases. Some people might have slight problems with long or short term memory. We all laugh about it though as part of the aging process and we tell each other not to worry about it because it happens to all of us.

When seniors in Florida hear something is free, they line up at the door. So did my friend's husband. He made the appointment because he occasionally forgets names as we all do at times.

After giving some information over the phone to the clinic he was asked to have his wife accompany him for further questioning regarding his health. Thinking that odd, since they were not administering drugs, his wife went with him anyway.

While waiting for the doctor, she asked if she could take the free test too. God for bid she should miss something free.  The office did not think there would be enough time for the both of them since she did not have an appointment.  However they did squeeze her in with her husband after waiting for awhile. The waiting room surprisingly was filled with young adults as well as elderly seniors.

Questions were asked such as; what day was it that day, what town did she live in, simple stuff that was answered without thinking. Then she told her to remember three things. Apple, Table and Pencil. "No problem" she thought.  The interviewer made her copy a couple of triangles with pencil and paper which my friend said did well.

They chated for awhile and returned to the three things she asked her to remember. It's such a simple question she thought, but could only remember the Table.

Meeting her husband back in the waiting room he asked how she did. My friend was a little concerned when she told him she did not do too well because she could not remember those two other simple items. "Don't worry about that, it's no big deal." her husband lovingly said.

One of the doctors came into the waiting room introducing himself shaking their hands. He was a big broad man with white balding hair and a very red face. She figured it was too cold that week in December to get a sun burn on the beach, therefore he must have been a drinker. He was a very nice and friendly man, making them feel ar ease.

The doctor escorted them to his small office. They all sat down and he proceeded to take notes asking how she was with names. She told him she was terrible with that as it gets very embarrassing when introducing people especially those who are close

As the doctor was asking questions and taking notes, it appeared he was repeating the same questions over and over. When reminding him he had already asked those, he replied, "Oh yes, that's right, where were we, let's see?" He apologized and said he will now give her another test by telling her a story that she would have to remember later. But there was a long pause of silence as he was shaking his head. It appeared he forgot what the story was about.

Bewildered, the couple looked at each other not knowing what was going on. At first they thought the doctor was playing a joke on them.  The doctor was embarrassed again. He made such a fuss about not remembering the story.

My friend started to console him and suggested he tell a different one. He apologized again, with his face getting redder, "listen, I am not stupid, I have medical books on the shelves of my office, I went to college" At that point he was resting his head on the desk saying "please do not tell them in the front that I have a memory problem because they will fire me"

"What is this a joke?" she laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes. Her husband and my friend were hysterical. "Where is the candid camera?"she thought, as her eyes glanced around the office."Are they making a movie for Larry David?" Her story reminded me of the funny scene with Tim Conway and Harvey Korman from the Carol Burnett show "The Dentist" Watch the video below.




to be continued next week........

Saturday, December 4, 2010

S510 BILL AND WHY THE CONTROVERSY

There is extreme controversy over this S510 bill by advocates for and against. My son, however is very concerned and is up to speed on it. He has requested me to put this on my website for awhile now.  Not understanding this whole bill, I put it on the back burner.  Helping to stop this bill on my part with my little blog would not make a dent even if I agreed with him and blasted my website every day to oppose it. He does however keep me on my toes to research further

Finally, I sat down to review this bill. I shortened it for quick reading. To read the full bill go to  http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-510

This is what I gathered.  Simply Federal Government wants to regulate the inspections and control of how and where we get our foods. Seems reasonable. If the Secretary has reason to believe food is unsafe they have the right to inspect and collect records, data, fees, etc.

The bill wants to protect us against hazards from foods in processing plants and instituting preventing controls to preserve our health.  The Cen­ters for Dis­ease Con­trol and Pre­ven­tion es­ti­mate that food born dis­eases cause ap­prox­i­mate­ly 76 mil­lion ill­ness­es each year in­clud­ing ap­prox­i­mate­ly 325,000 hos­pi­tal­iza­tions, and 5,000 deaths in the US. These num­bers are stag­ger­ing.

Sen­a­tor Tom Harkin mentioned about re­cent food out­breaks linked to spinach, pep­pers, peanut prod­ucts, and cook­ie dough dra­ma­tized two things. First our cur­rent reg­u­la­to­ry sys­tem does not ad­e­quate­ly pro­tect Amer­i­cans from widespread food born ill­ness­es, and sec­ond the dan­gers as­so­ci­at­ed with food born out­breaks are pro­found.

Sen­a­tor Kay Hagan said "We're talk­ing about peo­ple's livli­hood. One false re­call could put a fam­i­ly out of busi­ness" But small farm­ers say they are not a part of the prob­lem and do not share the same safe­ty con­cerns as larg­er farms. This is what most small food businesses are fearing. Op­po­nents of the bill are con­cerned about the ef­fects new reg­u­la­tions would have on small farm­ers

The amend­ments would ex­empt small pro­duc­ers that sell pri­mar­i­ly di­rect­ly to con­sumers, ho­tels, and restau­rants from new reg­u­la­tions. ‘(A) IN GENERAL- In the event of an active investigation of a foodborne illness outbreak that is directly linked to a qualified facility subject to an exemption under this subsection the secretary may withdrew the exemption. Further the exempted facility (small business) must have adequate labels on their food packages showing name of business, address and here the food was manufactured. If they exceed their gross receipts to 500,000 the exempt is withdrawn

Sen­a­tor Pat Roberts says,"If we give any agen­cy in the fed­er­al gov­ern­ment new au­thor­i­ty ob­vi­ous­ly they are going to try to use it, and we could some­times get into a prob­lem and sim­ply shut down any small fa­cil­i­ty or pro­duc­er re­gard­less of the prod­uct." Crit­ics are con­cerned the FDA will not be able to ef­fec­tive­ly reg­u­late such a broad spec­trum of farms.The cost of hiring more employees to regulate this bill will increase our deficit. Didn't we hear Obama say he will cut expenses?

San­dra Eskin, the di­rec­tor of the Pew Char­i­ta­ble Trusts’ Food Safe­ty Cam­paign, said a reg­u­la­to­ry up­date is long over­due. The last time that the FDA’s law re­lat­ed to food was changed in any ma­te­ri­al way was 1938. Over the course of the fol­low­ing decades, we’ve seen our food sup­ply ex­pand and change marked­ly but the law has not kept up.

 Bottom line, those that oppose feel the government is taking too much control over our foods.  They are still sensitive about genetic modified foods that the government has endorsed and the fact we have little control to choose which foods are or not GM.  No labeling is mandatory which makes it difficult for us to choose whether to consume it or not.  I think they should have at least put labeling for GM foods in the bill.  What do you think?

Then there is the conspiracy theory  Some feel the government plants bad things for us only to invent new laws to regulate where we have little control.

 http://www.infowars.com/senate-bill-s510- Read this and you will surely go mad

It is similar to what India faced with imposition of the salt tax during British rule, only S 510 extends control over all food in the US, violating the fundamental human right to food.

Woman in India objecting to government foods


Monsanto says it has no interest in the bill and would not benefit from it, but Monsanto’s Michael Taylor who gave us rBGH and unregulated genetically modified (GM) organisms, appears to have designed it and is waiting as an appointed Food Czar to the FDA (a position unapproved by Congress) to administer the agency it would create — without judicial review — if it passes. S 510 would give Monsanto unlimited power over all US seed, food supplements, food and farming.?

This bill has been passed in the Senate. The bill now goes on to be voted on in the House. Keep in mind that debate may be taking place on a companion bill in the House, rather than on this particular bill. Dec 2, 2010 6:43AM]

Last Action: Nov 30, 2010: Passed Senate with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 73 - 25. Record Vote Number: 257.





Now that you have the scoop. what is your reaction to this?