September 28, 2010

I talked a while back about how much I love the Dr. Oz Show, and how much I learn every time I tune in. I saw two shows recently that I thought contained amazing information, and I want to tell everyone I know about it, starting with you!

I bet we would all agree that Alzheimers and cancer are two of the most dreaded diseases we can imagine. What if your diet alone could help prevent them from attacking you and your loved ones?

According to these two episodes of Dr. Oz, there are foods that can do exactly that.  Read on!

Dr. Oz said that when autopsies are done on 40 year old women who die in car accidents, 40% are found to have microscopic breast cancer cells. By the time we're 70, 100% of us have cancer cells in our bodies.

So, what makes those common microscopic cells grow into a menacing tumor? Blood supply. It's called angiogenesis; when blood capillaries grow and feed the cells so they can multiply at a sometimes alarming rate.

A study conducted by Dr.William Li has shown that certain foods do have the ability to impair angiogenesis.  The anti-angiogenesis foods include:

• Bok Choy

• Cooked Tomatoes

• Artichokes

• Flounder

• Strawberries

• Green Tea

• Chocolate

• Cinnamon

• Soybeans

Now how about Alzheimers disease?  It runs in our family, and LilSis and I will do just about anything to keep it from attacking us. Dr Oz says that we need to add these brain-boosting Alzheimers-fighting foods to our diet:

• Lentils

• Chia Seeds

• Brazil Nuts

• Coffee

I already eat most of these things, but the rest are going to be integrated into my diet (except for flounder since I'm not a critter eater).  Now…how do you cook bok choy?

~BigSis

July 21, 2009

I don't like to get off on a rant on our blog.  LilSis and I decided to be positive here, since there is so much negativity in the world, and we all need a little break from the stress of everyday life.  But I have to let it loose today!  The space program is my pet peeve, and if I see one more video of our moon landing 40 years ago I'm going to have a hissy fit.

Let me explain my unpopular opinion.  I think the space program is a gigantic race for bragging rights between countries.  It's an international ego trip.  Who can get to the moon first?  Who can get to Mars first?  Who can have the biggest and best space station?

I say who gives a flying fig?  Do you know how much we spend on the space program?  In 1969, the Apollo project cost $25 billion.  That's 40 years ago.  Now NASA wants to go back to the moon by 2020.  Any idea of how much that will cost?  President Obama has requested funds of $18.7 billion for NASA in 2010, $3.21 billion of which would go toward manned space exploration.   And did you know that the International Space Station is a $100 billion project?

My problem with all this ego spending is this.  I bet you a dollar that you know someone who has been impacted by childhood brain cancer, by breast cancer, by Alzheimer's disease, or by Lou Gehrig's disease.  What if we took the money we're throwing up into the atmosphere, and throw it at one of these diseases?  Do you think we might get a better return on our money?  I think we might. I want us to try.

I get that the space program provides a lot of jobs.  I get that the space program is a source of national pride.  But I say there are better sources of national pride. I'm proud of what our military is doing throughout the world to bring peace, for one thing.  And could there be any greater pride than that which would come from our research brainiacs finding a cure for one of these devastating diseases, as opposed to flying all over the galaxies looking for little green men…throwing our valuable mis-spent dollars out the window the whole way?

Do we really think there will come a day when we will need to live on the moon or another planet?  Really?  What are the odds of that?  Contrast that with the odds of getting one of these horrendous diseases.  I rest my case.  Let's kill the space program now.  Please.

~BigSis

January 31, 2009

I wish I had known about this fundraising opportunity before today.  It's a little bit late to tell you about it, but I don't want to assume that none of you will be able to integrate this idea into the parties you already have planned.  Check this out if you'd like to make your Super Bowl Party more than just a party; if you'd like to make it a chance for your guests to donate to an important charity.

Alzheimer's Disease has been selected as the official 2009 charity for the College Bowl Championship Series on FOX Sports.  In conjunction with that effort, there are Tackle Alzheimer's Parties and Tailgates going on all over the country on Super Bowl Sunday.  You can download a poster for your party, download donation forms, or encourage your guests to donate online.  You can find all of the details online that you need for your own Tackle Alzheimer's Party.

Any contributions at all that you are able to collect or make yourself are important.  This disease runs rampant in our family…our dad had it, and so did his mother, his sister and his grandmother.  The genetic link probably goes back farther than that, but people didn't identify it as Alzheimer's back then;  it was just dementia or senility.  If it isn't in your family, chances are you know someone whose life has been touched by this disease.  Thanks from all of the impacted families for your support of this cause!

~BigSis