BEGINNING TODAY

All future articles for this blog will appear on my other blog:  JOURNAL FOR DAILY PAGES....  all the internal page links have been switched to that blog as well.  This blog will remain open should anyone want to revisit previous articles that have been posted.

Low Calorie Foods

 

Attention Readers

 BEGINNING MONDAY JULY 12, 2021...

I have decided to combine three of my blogs into one blog, therefore as of the above date, all postings for this blog will appear on my blog:  JOURNAL FOR DAILY PAGES....  all of the internal page links have already been switched.  This blog will remain open should anyone want to revisit previous articles that have been posted.

Flatbread

 

Two Charts Maintained

 I have gotten myself in the habit of maintaining two charts and while these charts are really no longer needed (in my humble opinion), I maintain these charts daily just to keep myself focused and to keep myself from falling back into bad habits.

My two charts are:

• Weight
• Calories Eaten

This first chart on weight is easy enough to do because each morning my first order of business is to urinate and while in the bathroom, it is fairly easy to open my wife's closet door and slide the scales out to where I can stand on them.  Once the weight is seen, I walk over to the chart and record it.

Sometimes, my weight varies by a half of a pound and sometimes it varies by a pound or more.  While this is not a significant is helps to keep me focused.  I want to maintain 220 pounds of less, so if I increase to 222, I know to watch what I eat that day.

My second chart is for calories consumed and when I designed the chart, I incorporated and automatic totally at the bottom.  So, it is easy to see how many calories I have consumed and how that total is increasing after each meal.

My goal here is 1,600 calories each day or less.  I also know that if I go over, I can average the intake over each week and get a better understanding of how well or bad that I have done.

INTERESTINGLY,

only a few months ago my weight was fluctuating around 250 and after spending some time in the hospital due to a Staph Infection, counting my calories initially which caused a weight reduction, and having a colonoscopy, my weight was able to drop 30 pounds...

Now, I really have an incentive to maintain 220...

Eating Spinach

(CNN)If you were a kid raised anytime between the 1930s and the 1970s -- or raised by someone who was raised then -- chances are good that you grew up with the idea that spinach was a muscle builder par excellence.

We owe that notion to a comic-strip cartoonist named Elzie Crisler Segar, who created a character that he based on a rough-edged, hard-drinking local from his Illinois hometown. Segar christened the character "Popeye," a sailor who debuted in a strip in 1929.

By 1933, when he began to appear as one of the lead characters in an animated cartoon series called "Thimble Theatre," Popeye was getting instant strength from spinach.
And he needed it, thanks to an assortment of enemies on the high seas and terra firma alike. 

Whenever the diminutive mariner downed a can of spinach, muscles inflated, enabling him to pound the stuffing out of his archnemesis -- a piratical sailor called Bluto -- who was much larger and sturdier, but lacking that secret green rocket fuel.

The legend of Popeye -- and the source of his superpower -- long outlasted the character. But, experts say, answering the question of whether spinach really does make us stronger takes some complicated turns.

The science of spinach
One point that could support the spinach-strength connection is that it contains plenty of nitrates, "which might improve muscle endurance," said Norman Hord, chair of the University of Oklahoma's Department of Nutritional Sciences. These nitrates are rapidly depleted during exercise or physical exertion and replenishing them "increases force production in exercising skeletal muscle."

"More research is being done now to determine if increased nitrate in muscle translates to increase muscle strength and improved athletic performance," Hord added.  TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE...

BEGINNING MONDAY JULY 12, 2021...

I have decided to combine three of my blogs into one blog, therefore as of the above date, all postings for this blog will appear on my blog:  JOURNAL FOR DAILY PAGES....  all of the internal page links have already been switched.  This blog will remain open should anyone want to revisit previous articles that have been posted.

More Health News From NCI

 From the National Cancer Institute:


1.  COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective in some people with cancer, studies suggest -- in particular, patients with blood cancers (such as leukemia and lymphoma) or those receiving aggressive chemotherapy that weakens their immune systems. Learn more.

2.  Are you a cancer caregiver? Check out these resources that can help you care for yourself as well as for the cancer patient in your life.

3.  The development of human tumor atlases will help researchers better understand how tumors progress over time and respond to treatment.

4.  Cancer treatment may affect a boy's or man's fertility. Learn more.

5.  NCI's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center helps bring new cancer technologies and products to market.

6.  Learn how NCI's Equity and Inclusion Program will help end structural racism in biomedical research.

7.  Eliminating cancer health disparities takes all of us. As is evident from current social justice movements and the COVID-19 pandemic, disparities still exist. Learn about the work to build equity and help improve the lives of all cancer patients.  TO READ ENTIRE POSTING, CLICK HERE...

Dermatology Day

Today...  is my quarterly visit to my Dermatologist... 
sometimes, I forget that my Oncologist directed me to visit a Dermatologist every 3 months after my Melanoma decided to relocate itself to my groin area from my foot.  Since I have been visiting with this Dermatologist, I have had half a dozen SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMAS surgically removed from my body, the first one appeared right smack dab on the top of my head.

I'll never forget that one because, a few days after surgery, my wife and I were going on a cruise, so instead of letting it heal naturally, the surgeon put a couple of stitches in it.  It felt rather odd going around the ship with a patch on my head, especially at dinner where everyone had nothing better to do that make sure you got their full attention when you entered or had to pass by their table.

Incidentally, Squamous cell carcinomas are a NATURAL BYPRODUCT of receiving chemo and it appears they will appear even after you have received immunotherapy as well...  at least for me they have.

What Are You DOING!?

 Monday morning is always a bit of a slow start for me, especially after a holiday weekend like the 4th of July with all those damn fireworks going off until all hours of the morning; still, I would rather hear fireworks than nothing at all...  there's nothing wrong with celebrating AMERICA.

Since we had some guests over the weekend, my usual cooking for the week ahead was postponed, which leaves today for me to prepare something...  as what I like to do, is cook a few meals ahead of time, usually 3, and if I have filled more containers, then I freeze the excess.

Breakfasts vary, but I usually have vege sausage, cheese, and an English Muffin, an Omelette (with mushrooms, onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes) or Oatmeal (with diced peaches) so there is really nothing to cook ahead which leaves lunch and dinner wide open.

My standard approach is to use:

• onions
• garlic
• peppers
• mushrooms
• tomatoes
• yellow squash
• zucchini
• olive oil & coarse pepper
  

to which I add one or more of the following:

• Basmati rice
• Spaghetti Noodles
• Curly Noodles
• Turkey Burgers
• Diced Potatoes
• Mushroom soup
• Chicken or Beef Broth
• Corn
• Kale or Spinach
• Broccoli
• Canned Diced Tomatoes
• Chicken
• Wild Salmon
• Turkey Dogs
• Turkey Sausage
• Tuna Fish
• Cod
• Black Beans
• White Beans
• Pinto Beans

Believe it or not (and I really do keep track of this) each mean ranges from about 250 - 450 calories per container where my goal is not to exceed 1,600 calories per day.

 

Fourth of July Facts

1. The Declaration of Independence was not signed on July 4, 1776. That’s actually the day it was formally adopted by the Continental Congress, but it wasn’t signed by most signatories until August.

2. American typically eat 150 million hot dogs on Independence Day, “enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. more than five times,” according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

3. Three presidents have died on July 4: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Monroe.

4. John Adams believed that American independence should be celebrated on July 2, as that’s the actual day the Continental Congress voted for independence in 1776.

5. Annoyed that Independence Day wasn’t celebrated on July 2, Adams reportedly turned down invitations to July 4 celebrations throughout his life.

6. Massachusetts became the first state to make the 4th of July an official state holiday in 1781.

7. President Zachary Taylor died in 1850 after eating spoiled fruit at a July 4 celebration.


8. The famed Macy’s fireworks show in New York City uses more than 75,000 fireworks shells and costs about $6 million.

9. Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is held annually on July 4. In 2018, champion Joey Chestnut ate 74 hot dogs with buns in just 10 minutes.

10. Independence Day became a federal holiday in 1870.

11. As of 2016, July 4 was the number one holiday for beer sales in the U.S., according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

12. In 1778, George Washington gave his soldiers a double ration of rum to celebrate the July 4 holiday.

13. Every July 4, descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence tap the Liberty Bell 13 times in honor of the original 13 colonies.

14. Eating salmon is a July 4 tradition in parts of New England.

15. Small towns in the U.S. typically spend between $8,000 and $15,000 on their fireworks displays.

16. President Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4, 1872.

17. About 16,000 July 4 fireworks displays happen around the country each year, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.

18. With many fireworks shows canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, the American Pyrotechnics Association is asking for financial help from Congress to keep family-run fireworks businesses afloat.

19. Starting in 1818, new stars and stripes were added to the American flag each July 4 to make the creation of new states.

20. The U.S. Flag Code offers guidelines for flying the flag on July 4, and every day.

21. John Hancock has the largest signature on the Declaration of Independence.

22. The first July 4 celebration took place at the White House on 1801, hosted by Thomas Jefferson.

23. One World Trade Center in New York is 1,776 feet tall to mark the year the U.S. declared its independence from Britain.

Your Immune System

FROM WebMD...

The Immune System is a network of tissues, cells, and organs first tries to keep out germs like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites and then deals with them if they manage to get in. If it senses something in your body that could be bad for you, it triggers the release of special cells. These travel to where the trouble is, attack the intruder, and help get rid of it.

Your body has to be able to stop invaders that come from a lot different places. Germs can come from contact -- touching skin, having sex, and breathing in drops from someone else's sneeze or cough, for example. They can travel through blood that comes from a shared needle or an insect bite. You can also get germs from contaminated food or water.

Your skin is the most obvious one. It blocks invaders from getting into your body in the first place. Other blockers are the clear layer over the front of your eye (cornea) and specialized tissue that lines your lungs, bladder, and digestive system. A cut, sore, or burn can make an opening in any of these for a germ to get in and infect you.

Sweat on your skin, tears in your eyes, and mucus in your nasal passages, digestive system, and a woman's vagina can stop invaders from getting in, too. These liquids your body makes not only push away dirt and germs but also have enzymes that can kill bacteria.

A network of fine tubes throughout your body collects fluid called lymph from tissues. Part of its job is to pick up dead cells and germs. Waste is filtered out at small bean-shaped lymph nodes, and the liquid goes back into your bloodstream. An infection can make the nodes swell. You may have felt them in your neck when you had a sore throat or cough.

These are markers that your immune system can recognize. Some, called human leukocyte antigens (HLA), tag your cells so your body can ID itself. Others could be part of a foreign cell or germ, or they may be a substance like food or pollen.

When you're born, before your body comes across any unfamiliar antigens, it can defend itself from infection. This innate immunity comes from those barrier body parts as well as some specialized cells. Over time, your immune system "learns" other ways to protect you. Acquired immunity comes from antibodies you get from your mother in the womb or that you make in response to antigens that aren't yours -- like from a cold virus or a vaccine.

The soft, fatty stuff that lives inside your bones is where your body makes blood cells, including the various white blood cells that fight off germs.

They're part of your innate immunity, and they work by eating invaders. Neutrophils, the most common type of white blood cell, are among the first responders called to a trouble spot. They digest bad cells and can trap bacteria and stop it from spreading. Macrophages grow from white blood cells called monocytes, but they work in tissues, not your blood. Eosinophils mainly attach to parasites that are too big to ingest in order to kill them.

Another part of your innate immunity is this type of white blood cell. They recognize and latch onto abnormal cells like cancer, then damage and kill them. They're key players when you first get infected by a virus.

The Least Healthy

Rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, fresh fruit can be an excellent addition to a well-rounded diet. However, certain types of fruit contain more sugar and calories than others. Furthermore, some fruits can cause side effects for people with health conditions like diabetes and acid reflux. These fruits can still be enjoyed, but in smaller serving sizes.

This article takes a closer look at the fruits highest in sugar and calories, plus the ones you may need to limit if you have diabetes or acid reflux.

Highest in sugar
Some types of fruit, both fresh and dried, are high in natural sugar. If you’re aiming to reduce your intake of carbs or sugar, stick to small amounts when enjoying these.

1. Dates
Dates are known for their sweet, almost caramel-like flavor. Their dried versions are often enjoyed as-is for a handy snack or used as a natural sweetener in recipes.  Although they’re rich in antioxidants and micronutrients like potassium, copper, and magnesium, they’re also high in sugar and carbs (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).

One cup (160 grams) of dried dates contains (3Trusted Source):

• Calories: 451
• Protein: 4 grams
• Sugar: 101 grams
• Fat: 0.6 grams
• Carbs: 120 grams
• Fiber: 13 grams

2. Dried fruit
Some of the most common varieties of dried fruit include apples, raisins, apricots, figs, mangoes, pineapples, and cranberries.  Compared with their fresh counterparts, they generally contain more calories, carbs, and sugar per serving. Most varieties are also rich in fiber, potassium, and vitamin C (4Trusted Source).  Because of the high sugar content, it’s best to enjoy dried fruits in moderation, especially if you’re looking to decrease your sugar intake.

A 1-cup (160-gram) serving of a dried fruit mixture contains (4Trusted Source):

• Calories: 477
• Protein: 4 grams
• Sugar: 106 grams
• Fat: 1 gram
• Carbs: 126 grams
• Fiber: 8 grams

3. Lychees

Native to southeastern China, this tropical fruit is known for its unique taste and appearance.  It contains many key micronutrients, including vitamin C, copper, and potassium. It’s also relatively high in sugar, which may be an issue if you’re on a low carb or low sugar diet. (5Trusted Source).

One cup (190 grams) of raw lychees contains (5Trusted Source):

• Calories: 125
• Protein: 1.5 grams
• Sugar: 29 grams
• Fat: 1 gram
• Carbs: 31.5 grams
• Fiber: 2.5 grams

4. Mangoes

This delicious stone fruit is popular for its sweet flavor and soft, creamy texture.  Mangoes are also brimming with a variety of nutrients, including vitamin C, folate, and copper. On the other hand, they contain a high amount of natural sugar in each serving (6Trusted Source).

One cup (165 grams) of mangoes contains (6Trusted Source):

• Calories: 99
• Protein: 1.5 grams
• Sugar: 22.5 grams
• Fat: 0.5 grams
• Carbs: 25 grams
• Fiber: 2.5 grams

TO FIND OUT WHICH FOODS ARE HIGHEST IN CALORIES, CLICK HERE...

Treatment Options for SLL

Options for SLL generally include:

Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy medicines can be given orally or through an injection into a vein. Some chemotherapy drugs for SLL are: Cytoxan or Neosar (cyclophosphamide), Fludara (fludarabine), Leukeran (chlorambucil), Nipent (pentostatin), Treanda or Bendeka (bendamustine), and Revlimid (lenalidomide). These drugs are often used in combination with each other or with another type of medicine.

Monoclonal Antibodies -  These medicines use the body’s natural immune system to fight cancer. They’re typically administered by an injection and are often given along with chemotherapy or another type of drug. Monoclonal antibodies that are used for SLL may include: Rituxan (rituximab), Campath (alemtuzumab), Gazyva (obinutuzumab), and Arzerra (ofatumumab).

Targeted Treatments - These therapies attack different targets on cancer cells. Imbruvica (Ibrutinib) and Zydelig (idelalisib) are examples of targeted treatments for SLL. Both of these medicines are pills that are taken by mouth and are sometimes used with other therapies.

Steroids Steroids  - may be used to destroy cancer cells or treat autoimmune issues in people with SLL or CLL.

Radiation Radiation -  therapy uses high energy rays to destroy cancer cells. It’s occasionally used in people with SLL.

Bone Marrow Transplant - A bone marrow transplant, also called a “stem cell transplant,” may be an option for some people with SLL. It involves collecting stem cells from the blood or bone marrow of the patient or a matched donor. These cells are given back to the patient to restore damaged bone marrow after they receive high doses of chemotherapy, which wipe out the remaining bone marrow in their body. Because it can be hard on your body, a bone marrow transplant is often only performed on healthy, younger people.

Splenectomy Surgery - to remove the spleen doesn’t treat SLL itself, but some people might need to have it if they develop complications.

Morning or Evening Person

Summary: People who ranked higher for conscientiousness and lower in openness tend to be morning people, a new study reports. Researchers say the link between personality traits and morning/evening chronotype is partly due to genetic factors.

Source: University of Warwick

The link between the different hierarchies of personality, sleep patterns and even genetics has been discovered by researchers from the Department of Psychology at the University of Warwick.

A typical example of a morning person is thought to be someone who wakes up naturally at 6am, goes for a jog, showers, has breakfast and is ready for a productive day at work by 9am. Whereas an evening person struggles to get up in the morning and feels more productive in the evening.

Researchers from the University of Warwick with colleagues from the University of Tartu have recently had the paper, ‘Personality Traits Relate to Chronotype at Both the Phenotypic and Genetic Level’ published in the Journal of Personality, in which they have analysed the relationship between sleep timing (chronotype), preference to the morning/evening, and personality traits at a phenotypic and genetic level.

Ultimately the researchers have found that the relationship between personality and morningness-eveningness is partly due to genetic factors.

Using a large-scale sample of participants form the Estonian Biobank researchers asked them to answer questionnaires about their sleep timings and personality, personality was also assessed by someone who knew the participant well. Once answered researchers were able to identify the phenotypic relationships between the sleep and personality.

However they were also able to calculate the genetic correlations through summary statistics of large genome-wide association studies of personality and sleep preferences.

Personalities can be divided into three hierarchies: personality domains, facets and items, researchers analysed all three, but in particular they found on a domain level that people high in Conscientiousness and low in Openness were associated with being earlier chronotypes (i.e., they went to bed and got out of bed earlier).

On a facet level, researchers found that less straightforward (a facet of Agreeableness) and excitement-seeking (a facet of Extraversion), yet more self-disciplined (a facet of Conscientiousness) people were more likely to have earlier chronotypes. Higher Conscientiousness and lower Openness were also genetically related to preference for morningness.  TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE...

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy can:

Educate the immune system to recognize and attack specific cancer cells Boost immune cells to help them eliminate cancer Provide the body with additional components to enhance the immune response

Cancer immunotherapy comes in a variety of forms, including targeted antibodies, cancer vaccines, adoptive cell transfer, tumor-infecting viruses, checkpoint inhibitors, cytokines, and adjuvants. Immunotherapies are a form of biotherapy (also called biologic therapy or biological response modifier (BRM) therapy) because they use materials from living organisms to fight disease. Some immunotherapy treatments use genetic engineering to enhance immune cells’ cancer-fighting capabilities and may be referred to as gene therapies. Many immunotherapy treatments for preventing, managing, or treating different cancers can also be used in combination with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or targeted therapies to improve their effectiveness.

Unleashing the power of the immune system is a smart way to fight cancer:

1. The immune system is precise, so it is possible for it to target cancer cells exclusively while sparing healthy cells.
2. The immune system can adapt continuously and dynamically, just like cancer does, so if a tumor manages to escape detection, the immune system can re-evaluate and launch a new attack.
3. The immune system’s “memory” allows it to remember what cancer cells look like, so it can target and eliminate the cancer if it returns.

Unhealthy Lifestyles

Despite the remarkable improvements in U.S. mortality levels and longevity during the 20th century, America’s unhealthy lifestyles are undermining the nation’s wellbeing and imperiling its future.

In addition to inflicting a sizable human toll, unhealthy lifestyles are exacting substantial costs from families, employers and the U.S. economy.

Over the last 40 years, America’s life expectancy has fallen behind those of other developed nations that culminated in an unprecedented decline in longevity since 2014. Recent declines in life expectancy were driven by increasing mortality rates among working-age adults, specifically those of lower socioeconomic status. Also, noteworthy differentials in life expectancy at birth have persisted among America’s major groups, namely, Hispanics (81.8 years), whites (78.8 years) and Blacks (74.7 years).

Prior to the pandemic, America’s life expectancy at birth of 78.8 years lagged behind the levels of many other developed countries. Life expectancies at birth above 83 years, for example, were experienced in Australia, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland.

Many social, economic and political factors are behind the comparatively lower levels and recent declines in U.S. life expectancies, including the absence of universal health care, public health crisis, inadequate federal drug oversight, lower levels of educational attainment, deindustrialization of American jobs, systemic racism and unhealthy lifestyles.

Particularly noteworthy, unhealthy lifestyles that are contributing to rising levels of preventable deaths are cigarette smoking, obesity, alcohol misuse and drug overdoses.

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S., with nearly 500,000 deaths per year and smokers dying 10 years earlier than nonsmokers. For every American dying from smoking, no less than 30 others live with a serious smoking-related illness, including cancer, heart disease, stroke and various lung diseases.  TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE...