I got up at 8:30, got dressed, and watered the plants on the porch. It was still raining. I oiled my hair. I drank water and put on an audio: Reversing Alzheimer’s with the TEAM Protocol with Dr. Vincent Fortanasce. The speaker said Alzheimer’s begins in childhood with bad habits like overeating, not getting enough sleep and exercise. A baby is born with only 1/10th of its brain. The rest develops during childhood depending on the environment. The degeneration begins in the hippocampus, so you keep it stimulated by doing something novel and/or emotional. . Alzheimers patients have fewer social contacts than others. They must keep socialized. Isometric exercises are good for mild cognitive impairment. Give them something to smell, like coffee, and asked them what memory it brings back. Negative emotions are more powerful, more stimulating to the limbic system. Then use smells to bring back memories. Then use music, like finishing a song, and asking what that reminds them of. Use photographs to bring back memories. If the memory makes them cry, that is a bonus. We are looking for emotional memories, not intellectual ones. Spend more and more time each day on such activities. They rebuild the home of short-term memory. Patients sleep better. Cortisol reduces size of hippocampus. Human touch is very important, also soft textures. The protocol builds over 8 weeks. A healthy hippocampus produces 4000 new cells a day, but with Alzheimers, numbers begin to decrease. Thallium replaced lead in gasoline and is just as toxic. Suggested: Ocean’s Alive, Biosil, pectasol-C. I paused the audio to wash my hair and get dressed for yoga. I took yoga mat to the gym. Joelle was set up for class so I unrolled my mat and joined in. She concentrated on hip flexes and stretches. After class, her last one, I walked with Myra back to her quarters. She filled me in on the latest drama going around. Then I went home to take a shower and get dressed for my massage. I listened to the rest of the audio. I filled two small containers with Epsom salts. I took my umbrella and headed off base. I walked out in town to the massage place. The young counter clerk was not there. An older woman who did not speak English appeared. I pointed to my name on the desk calendar. She nodded and motioned to the changing room. I offered her one container of Epsom salt for the foot bath. Then I changed into a massage outfit and sat by the bath. I asked about the music, humming a tune and she gave me the ‘no’ sign. Usually they play classical piano pieces. She brought me a cup of tea and snacks. I drank the tea and relaxed. Then Miss Wongchin came out to dry my feet and escort me to a massage room. At first the massage was going well, or as well as one could expect with her using her elbow as an eraser between my ribs and on the back of my neck. But when she rubbed under my ear with her knuckle, it was painful. And she kept doing it until I protested and pushed her hand away. This happened several times. I protested in both English and Korean. She seemed to be frustrated with me, but I could not understand her sign language. Was she saying “Relax, I know what I’m doing” or “This is for your own good and you’ll thank me later.” It was not quite as painful on the other ear but again, I had to protest. Then she formed my hand into a fist with my first knuckle higher than the others and made me rub behind my ear. She also indicated points along my hairline in the back. I so wanted to be able to communicate with her! The rest of the massage was uneventful except for the right gluteus maximus. She massage a variety of points there with her elbow. One spot really hurt. So we went through this again. I tried to squirm away and she held my feet down. After doing my legs, she sat me up, massaged my neck and placed her feet on my back while pulling my arms back. Actually, that was the best part. It was over. I changed back into my regular clothes. She was waiting for the next customer to have her foot soak. I got out my phone and called up the Korean translation app but she did not type in. So I called Jane and asked her to speak to the lady. But Ms Wongchin handed the phone back and Jane explained to me that the lady was speaking Chinese, not Korean. I thanked Jane and hung up. From there, I went to the Chinese massage place. (Is there a difference?) I asked for a foot massage. I was shown a seat. I handed the clerk the second Epsom salt container. He brought me a foot bath and I sat back and closed my eyes, hoping for the large masseuse. The sumo-looking man arrived. He did not look particularly happy. But he did a good job. So I thanked him and asked for his name: Lee Pong. I made a mental image so I could remember it. I paid and headed to the market. It was cool and I realized it hadn’t been so since last spring. I went to the dollar store and looked through all the wares until I found some small containers. I only bought one package because they were cheaper online. I just did not want to wait for the order to come in. Then I walked quickly back to base to stay warm. When I got to the front gate, the guard said I was always smiling. I told her I had just had two massages. I should have told her massages were like a box of chocolates: you never know what you are going to get. I walked home and went inside our empty place. I made breakfast and ate it while reading e-mail and listening to another audio, not as good as this morning. I also did today’s puzzle. Someone had posted their pumpkin on Facebook and got lots of comments. I think sewing class will be bigger next week. Eventually Chris came home and ate supper. We watched one episode of Bones. I spent a lot of time typing up this post. Then I went to bed.
* These are the new blinds. The ones on the left are closed and the ones on the right are open. Some people are ok with them and some hate them. *
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