CRISCO, ETC. GETS NEW MEANING

When I began this blog, Crisco was a positive thing and for many years had been a very inexpensive skin cream with multiple uses.

While in Mission Hospital for 44 days, I contacted Heather Hamilton, a mother of patients and the founder of Zoe Organics skin product company.

I asked her if there was something she could add to Crisco to make it smell better. After about a week she emailed that she didn't think I wanted to continue to use Crisco, because a butane derivative called TBHQ had been added to Crisco. I emailed the Crisco website to ask them when they had added TBHQ to their product and received the following answer:

Dear Mr. Shannon,

Thank you for contacting Crisco®. We are always pleased to hear from consumers who enjoy our products.

In response to your inquiry, Crisco Shortening was reformulated to contain zero grams trans fat per serving. The reformulation includes many of the same ingredients as the previous formula; we have reduced the level of the partially hydrogenated soybean oil and added several ingredients, including TBHQ, required to maintain the superior taste and high performance requirements consumers expect from Crisco. TBHQ is an antioxidant approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is used commonly used in food products. It was added in 2006. . . .

Sincerely,SusanConsumer Relations Representative

So Crisco and Smucker's, who owns them, have decided that adding a butane derivative is better for them because they can use less soybeans and it will last longer. They have done this without considering the future of our children, and for that reason, Crisco becomes a thing of the past and one of the many examples of companies that make changes in their products for financial reasons and not for our long-term health.

Since we no longer have Crisco, I ask Heather if she could create a new totally organic product that we could use in it's place. She has created such a product using totally organic ingredients, which contains antioxidants, vitamins A, E and D and omega fatty acids. We are currently in the process of preparing this product for marketing and hope to have it available before the end of February. I will post a notice blog when we are ready to go!

SUNSHINE FOR VITAMIN D

As we head into summer months and regarding other months of the year, I found clarification about how much sun in takes to make Vitamin D through our skin.

“In general, 5 to 10 minutes a day between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.with
minimal clothing is considered good.”

This advise works with qualifications. You can make ~2300 IU of Vitamin D if::

A) 10 minutes Full Exposure Face Up (or Down) in bikini or boxers 45% exp.
B) You are Skin Type (ST) 2 with no previous sun exposure
C) Location is 42° N Lat Clear Skies August 13th +/- 2 days @ 12 Noon
D) Almost forgot. You are 20 years old.
ST 3′s can make ~1400 IU is same time frame. 17 min to 2300 IU
ST 4′s can make ~1000 IU is same time frame. 22 min to 2300 IU
ST 5′s can make ~600 IU is same time frame. 37 min to 2300 IU
ST 6′s can make ~400 IU is same time frame. 55 min to 2300 IU

Every 25% “Base Tan” reduces Vitamin D production 25%
Every 10 Years reduces Vitamin D production by 10%

Every Hour Before or After Noon reduces another 20%

GRACE OF GOD

Only by the grace of God am I able to write that at 5:45 a.m. on March
29, I was involved in an almost deadly car accident in Dana Point and
survived! My recovery is being chronicled on CaringBridge by
Vanessa, who has already walked my path.

www.caringbridge.org/visit/drmichaelshannon

I will blog again, but it may be several months before I continue.

MWS

GRANDPARENT'S ANSWERING MACHINE

This is so good it deserves a separate blog. You will only truly appreciate this when you get to be one - and Lala and I love being one.

GRANDPARENTS' ANSWERING MACHINE

Good morning. . . . At present we are not at home but, please Leave your message after you hear the beep.. beeeeep ...

If you are one of our children, dial 1

and then select the option from 1 to 5 in order of "arrival" so we know who it is.

If you need us to stay with the grandchildren, press 2

If you want to borrow the car, press 3

If you want us to do your washing and ironing, press 4

If you want the grandchildren to sleep here tonight, press 5

If you want us to pick up the kids at school, press 6

If you want us to prepare a meal for Sunday or to have it delivered to your home, press 7

If you want to come to eat here, press 8

If you need money, dial 9

But... If you are going to invite us to dinner, or are taking us to the theatre start talking we are listening !!!

Photos are by GABRIEL RYAN PHOTOGRAPHERS

http://gabrielryan.net/#/gabriel-and-carlie--the-lead-photographers/

WHY FALL LEAVES CHANGE COLOR

I just returned from visiting my daughter, Vanessa, in West Virginia. As you can see in the photos, she has a large bandage on her left forearm from suffering two broken fingers in an auto accident in which her car rolled many times and she was so fortunate to survive.

Once again I missed the "peak" fall color, but was close. This time it occurred in the next two weeks after I was there. Last year it happened the week before I was there. So I will go again next year and keep dreaming of hitting it right on!

Even though this blog is supposed to be about things I learned in pediatrics that weren't in the book, I figured most of us don't know why fall leaves change color, so the reason is below.

Why Leaves Change

Every autumn we revel in the beauty of the fall colors. The mixture of red, purple, orange and yellow is the result of chemical processes that take place in the tree as the seasons change from summer to winter.

During the spring and summer the leaves have served as factories where most of the foods necessary for the tree's growth are manufactured. This food-making process takes place in the leaf in numerous cells containing chlorophyll, which gives the leaf its green color. This extraordinary chemical absorbs from sunlight the energy that is used in transforming carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates, such as sugars and starch.

Along with the green pigment are yellow to orange pigments, carotenes and xanthophyll pigments which, for example, give the orange color to a carrot. Most of the year these colors are masked by great amounts of green coloring.

Chlorophyll Breaks Down

But in the fall, because of changes in the length of daylight and changes in temperature, the leaves stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to orange colors become visible and give the leaves part of their fall splendor.

At the same time, other chemical changes may occur, which form additional colors through the development of red anthocyanin pigments. Some mixtures give rise to the reddish and purplish fall colors of trees such as dogwoods and sumacs, while others give the sugar maple its brilliant orange.

The autumn foliage of some trees shows only yellow colors. Others, like many oaks, display mostly browns. All these colors are due to the mixing of varying amounts of the chlorophyll residue and other pigments in the leaf during the fall season.

Other Changes Take Place

As the fall colors appear, other changes are taking place. At the point where the stem of the leaf is attached to the tree, a special layer of cells develops and gradually severs the tissues that support the leaf. At the same time, the tree seals the cut, so that when the leaf is finally blown off by the wind or falls from its own weight, it leaves behind a leaf scar.

Most of the broad-leaved trees in the North shed their leaves in the fall. However, the dead brown leaves of the oaks and a few other species may stay on the tree until growth starts again in the spring. In the South, where the winters are mild, some of the broad-leaved trees are evergreen; that is, the leaves stay on the trees during winter and keep their green color.

Only Some Trees Lose Leaves

Most of the conifers -- pines, spruces, firs, hemlocks, cedars, etc. -- are evergreen in both the North and South. The needle- or scale-like leaves remain green or greenish the year round, and individual leaves may stay on for two to four years or more.

Weather Affects Color Intensity

Temperature, light, and water supply have an influence on the degree and the duration of fall color. Low temperatures above freezing will favor anthocyanin formation, producing bright reds in maples. However, early frost will weaken the brilliant red color. Rainy and/or overcast days tend to increase the intensity of fall colors. The best time to enjoy the autumn color would be on a clear, dry and cool (not freezing) day.

Enjoy the color; it only occurs for a brief period each fall.

Courtesy of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Text prepared by Carl E. Palm, Jr., Instructional Support Specialist, Faculty of Environmental and Forest Biology

THE SUNSHINE VITAMIN

Until the second half of 2009, I knew that Vitamin D was in multi-vitamins and my calcium tablets, and way in the back of my mind somewhere was the stuff about Vitamin D and preventing rickets, but that's about all I knew. When the Panic Swine of 09 arrived and talk of a "new"vaccine hit the press, I began searching Google for other alternatives than a new, briefly tested vaccine.

I didn't have to look far to find Until the second half Dr. John Cannell, a psychiatrist at Atascadero State Hospital in San Luis Obisbo county. Dr. Cannell had become interested in Vitamin D and it's protective effect against influenza. He found that there were certain patients at his hospital who never seemed to get the flu, year after year. When he measured Vitamin D levels he found that these patients had really good levels, whereas the other patients had insufficient levels.

In addition to Dr. Cannell's work, I also found out that Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University Medical Schoom had been researching Vitamin D for over 40 years and realized that there is a Vitamin D receptor in every organ in our body. Preventing rickets in young children is just the tip of the iceberg as far as human diseases and prevention by Vitamin D sufficiency.

"When human skin is exposed to sufficiently powerful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight, a form of cholesterol contained in our skin ("7-dehydrocholesterol") is converted into the precursor of Vitamin D, called "cholecalciferol". This is then converted by our liver into the inactive bulk storage form of Vitamin D that blood tests measure ("25-hydroxyvitamin D"). Although Vitamin D is present in limited amounts in cod liver oil and some fatty fish (salmon, mackerel and tuna), it is essentially unavailable in metabolically useful quantities from dietary sources.

As we age, our skin gradually loses its youthful cholesterol and its ability to synthesize Vitamin D declines over time. Although it has not been widely studies, some reports indicate that by the age of 50, Vitamin D production has fallen to approximately 50% of its original rate, and by age 65 production will have fallen to just 25% of its original capability. And independent of age, the skin's melanin pigmentation - either from natural genetic racial coloration or tanning adaptation -- acts to absorb much of the sun's visible and ultraviolet radiation. This skin darkening has the beneficial effect of protecting our skin from UV radiation damage, but at the expense of further reducing the skin's rate and capacity for Vitamin D production. (Melanin is 99.9% efficient in absorbing the energy from ultraviolet light, converting it into harmless heat.)" These two previous paragraphs are from Steve Gibson. http://www.grc.com/health/vitamin-d.htm

There is in fact, an epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency which is now worldwide. This has occured because of several factors. The first is that the current Institute of Medicine recommendation for the daily requirement for Vitamin D was established in the 1960s and has not been revised since that time, even though most of the research about Vitamin D has occurred in the past 10 years. And the "recommended daily allowance" or "minimum daily requirement" of vitamins listed on foods is based on the minimum amount of Vitamin D to avoid rickets in young children and has nothing to do with the real requirement to prevent "long-latency" diseases like diabetes, auto-immune diseases like arthritis, heart disease, thyroid disease, mental disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis and for our immune system function. A second reason for the widespread deficient Vitamin D levels is the changes in our life style. The average American spends 95% of every day inside and the average American child spends 6 minutes per day outside. And the third reason is that even if we are outside, how much Vitamin D we can absorb is determined by our skin pigmentation, the latitude in which we live, the time of day we are outside, the season of the year (and the angle of the sun). A rule of thumb is that if your shadow is longer than you are tall, you are absorbing no Vitamin D. And effective sunscreening effectively blocks Vitamin D absorption. A fourth reason, which is especially important in sunny climates is that dermatologists have long recommended avoiding sun exposure because of the fear of skin cancer.

Perhaps the most important medical issue at stake related to Vitamin D status is the Vitamin D level of pregnant women. Prenatal vitamins contain the minimum required 400iu of Vitamin D. This is the same amount that is recommended for the newborn baby after birth. As Dr. Reinhold Vieth from Canada says, "Do the math!" The amount getting to the fetus when the mother is taking 400iu of Vitamin D is inadequate. Dr. Carol Wagner and others from the Medical University of South Carolina has completed a study of pregnant and lactating women and shown that mothers with sufficient levels of Vitamin D has 50% less C-sections, 50% less prematurity and 30% less high blood pressure in late pregnancy. With this information available, it is prudent for all pregnant women to measure their Vitamin D level and get enough Vitamin D from sun or supplement to maintain a sufficient level. (Food is not a good source.)

One would expect that all of us residing in sunny southern California should have wonderful Vitamin D levels, but there are actually a significant number of children and adults who are in the insufficient range. I measured my Vitamin D level, 25(OH)D, in September after a summer of sun and my level was insufficient. In my own personal case, I had been having chronic knee pain related to years of running down hills and mountain trails (and finding out after 64 years that one leg is shorter than the other). Once I began taking enough Vitamin D to get my level into the preventative range, my knee pain virtually disappeared. This decrease of muscle and joint pain has been reported from many different sources.

The Swine Panic of 09 was an unpleasant experience, but learning about Vitamin D and it's importance in our ongoing health made all of that Panic almost worth it. If you don't know your Vitamin D level, ask you physician to measure 25(OH)D and compare it to the following chart which shows the protective ranges of Vitamin D levels related to long latency diseases.

The next photo shows the Vitamin D levels of primates and early man.

Just as I was unaware of the far reaching implications of Vitamin D deficiency, most physicians are likewise unaware of this information. It is actually the media that is spreading the word to the public and then the public going to physicians and asking to measure Vitamin D levels.

Of final note is that the Chicago Blackhawks became the first professional sports team to be Vitamin D sufficient. The result was that they won the Stanley Cup for the first time in almost 50 years. Might be coincidental, but next time you ask your favorite sports star for an autograph, ask "What's your Vitamin D level?"

DOUBLE DIGIT YEARS OF MY LIFE

I WAS 11 IN 1955.

I LIVED IN NORMAN, OKLAHOMA. O.U. WON EVERY GAME AND AND I SAT IN THE SOUTH END ZONE FOR EVERY HOME GAME. IT WAS CALLED THE THE BIG 7 AT THAT TIME. THEY WON THE ORANGE BOWL AND BUD WILKINSON WAS THE COACH. I FINISHED 5TH GRADE AND STARTED 6TH GRADE AT MADISON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. I WAS PLAYING TROMBONE WITH THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL BAND AS A SIXTH GRADER. I WAS IN BOY SCOUTS AND A FIRST CLASS AND I ATTENDED THE NATIONAL BOY SCOUT JAMBOREE IN VALLEY FORGE, PA. OUR FAMILY DROVE TO LOS ANGELES FOR THE ROSE BOWL GAME AND OHIO STATE DEFEATED USC ON THE FIRST DAY OF 1956.

FAVORITE MUSIC: BOOMER SOONER, OKLAHOMA, THE MUSICAL

I WAS 22 IN 1966.

I GRADUATED FROM EASTERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY. I LEFT PORTALES IN MY 66 PONTIAC LEMANS AND DROVE TO CHICAGO TO BEGIN MEDICAL SCHOOL AT NORTHWESTERN. I LIVED IN ABBOTT HALL ON THE SHORE OF LAKE MICHIGAN. MY FIRST YEAR IN CHICAGO IT SNOWED LIKE NEVER BEFORE, INCLUDING 23" IN 29 HOURS ON JANUARY 27, 1967. I GOT A 90 ON MY FIRST ANATOMY EXAM IN MED SCHOOL AND IT WAS A C. I LEARNED THAT TRASH CAN PUNCH IS DANGEROUS! I LEARNED ABOUT DA BEARS AND BECAME A BLACK HAWKS FAN. I LEARNED TO COOK FOOD IN A POPCORN POPPER TO SAVE MONEY TO GO OUT. WE ATE SUNDAY NIGHT DINNER AT A CLOSE-BY HOTEL THAT HAD ALL THE FISH YOU COULD EAT FOR $1.

FAVORITE MUSIC: THE ASTRONAUTS AND THE BEACH BOYS AND SOON TO BE CHICAGO.

I WAS 33 IN 1977.

I HAD BEEN MARRIED TO LALA FOR 9 YEARS AND LIVING IN LAKE FOREST IN THE "OLD WOODS" ON JERONIMO LANE. MICHAEL PLAYED K-LEAGUE SOCCER. I HAD STARTED RUNNING AND ABOUT THAT TIME RAN MY FIRST 1OK WHICH WAS CALLED THE LAKE FOREST "MARATHON". SADDLEBACK PEDIATRICS WAS FOUR YEARS OLD AND STARTING TO GROW RAPIDLY. VANESSA TURNED ONE YEAR OLD AND MICHAEL TURNED 5.

FAVORITE MUSIC: CHICAGO, MERLE HAGGARD, EMMYLOU

I WAS 44 IN 1988.

I HAD RUN 4 MARATHONS (SAN DIEGO, SAN FRANCISCO, HUMBOLDT REDWOODS AND NYC). LALA WAS A LAWYER. I WAS COACHING GIRL'S SOCCER. SADDLEBACK PEDIATRICS WAS 15 YEARS OLD AND WE HAD MOVED TO BUILDING #3. MICHAEL TURNED 16 AND VANESSA 12. IT WAS OUR 9TH YEAR TO GO TO ALISAL AND WE HAD BEEN TO SNOWMASS FOR 10 SKI SEASONS.

FAVORITE MUSIC; CHICAGO, EAGLES, MICHAEL MCDONALD, RICKY SKAGGS

I WAS 55 IN 1999.

I HAD MOVED TO SEAVIEW PEDIATRICS. LALA WAS ALMOST RETIRED FROM LAW. MICHAEL WAS IN DENTAL SCHOOL AT UT HOUSTON AND VANESSA GRADUATED FROM RICE, ALSO IN HOUSTON, WHERE THEY LIVED TOGETHER. MY MOUSTACHE AND LONG HAIR HAD DISAPPEARED.

FAVORITE MUSIC: CHICAGO, EAGLES, MERLE HAGGARD, RICKY SKAGGS

I AM TURNING 66 ON APRIL 18.

I HAVE BEEN IN PEDIATRICS FOR 40 YEARS COUNTING RESIDENCY. I AM TAKING CARE OF THE BABIES OF MY BABIES AND I HAVE THE BABIES OF MY SON, MICHAEL, LIVING AT MY HOUSE. LALA IS ENJOYING BEING A GRANDMOTHER. VANESSA IS AN ASISSTANT PROFESSOR OF SPORT PSYCHOLOGY AT WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY. MICHAEL HAS A WONDERFUL PEDIATRIC DENTAL PRACTICE WITH SAMMY AS HIS OFFICE MANAGER. SPENCER IS IN PRE-K AND PLAYING T-BALL. OWEN WILL START PRE-SCHOOL IN THE FALL.

THE DOUBLE DIGITS HAVE BEEN GOOD YEARS!!