Odds and Ends

Wow that was a fast week!

Kudos! I have noticed an older woman walking in the mornings when I go out to run or ride my bicycle (yes - warm enough to bring out the bike, not yet warm enough for my morning swims). Just the other day, I saw this same woman walking when I got home from work. I said, "Wow - two a day - that is awesome!" I said this because people need to be caught doing RIGHT things. She then explained to me that she had arthritis and she had bad circulation and was stiff. Her doctor told her that she needed to walk often. I was stunned. "Wow! You actually listen - that is very, very smart."

Kudos Number Two: I was at the grocery store today and as I was coming down the condiment aisle, two teen aged girls, appearing to be sisters, were choosing a salad dressing. A woman who appeared to be their Mom was standing by. The girls were looking at Ranch dressings and one was trying to convince the other that they should get the fat free one. One sister was NOT in favor of this, but the other held out the dressings and said 80 calories - 30 calories. She was doing her best to point out that 50 calories was a significant difference. As I walked by, I said, "don't give up!" [personally I buy the Walden Farms near calorie free dressings, but all stores do not carry that brand]

A Billion Dollar Industry: I read a bit of a medical update in regards to diagnostic testing for Alzheimer's disease. More than one company has a test in clinical trials that is meant to give a definitive diagnoses of this brain wasting disease - prior to death and autopsy. The idea is to have a test that can light up a PET scan or functional MRI . The areas in the brain that light up would be those with the plaque that many scientists say are the cause of the brain destruction. In the studies, the tests are done on a person with a tentative or suggested Alzheimer's diagnosis and then when the volunteer dies, the autopsy is compared. Because so many cases of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) are expected in the coming years, the company that has the most sensitive test is going to bring in billions of dollars. There is some evidence to suggest that AD is preventable - I suggest looking into THAT!

And that my friends, is all the odds and ends I have this time!