Optimal living for 120 years and beyond is now within reach. While the exact number of years may be uncertain, the outcome is clear, more than ever we can position ourselves for getting the most out of a longer life. Follow this blog to see how it can be done! This is not so much about longevity, it's about a longer HEALTHSPAN: healthy, meaningful, vigorous living!
An Invitation to my 120th Birthday Celebration.
After 39 years of teaching, my last words to my students on that final day came in the form of an invitation: "You're all invited to my 120th Birthday. Celebrate it by skiing with me." I think it was Sara who shot up her hand saying: "Wait, wait." (pausing for a quick calculation) "I'll be 77 years old!"
"Don't worry." says I, "I'll slow down for you!"
"Never limit yourself." had been an underlying lesson for my students. I realized that I'd need to engineer a comprehensive plan for myself to optimize the quality of my life to 120 and Beyond.
In order to take good care of yourbrain for the long game, begin by taking mindful careof your body. Read on to chart your own course for 120 and Beyond.
Perchlorate, used in certain types of plastic, a component in rocket fuel, and found in a wide variety of fast food and is popular with foods for children, babies too.
Better to be safe: Cooking with black plastic is something we should avoid as heat energizes harmful plastic compounds that migrate into our food.
"People with the highest blood levels of PBDEs, a class of flame retardants found in black plastic, had about a 300 percent increase in their risk of dying from cancer compared with people who had the lowest levels, according to a study released this year."
Black plastic food containers may be safe but how do we know if they contain flame retardants some of which are endocrine disruptors that disturb the body's hormone system, and may be associated with thyroid disease, diabetes, and cancer.
“When you’re using black plastic items, there’s going to be a risk that they could be contaminated,” Megan Liu, the science and policy manager at Toxic-Free Future."
This includes black plastic food trays, and children's toys.
Wednesday March 12, 2025 RadioTherapy Treatment #5 (watch the explanatory video below.)
This morning I found this video accurately describing the Linear Accelerator (LINAC) at the foundation of my radiation treatment. "It customizes high energy X-rays (electrons) to conform to a tumor's shape to destroy the cancer while minimizing the dose to surrounding normal critical tissue."
Radiation oncologist
Photo credit: Biomedical Engineers TV
https://youtu.be/DP70cIFiPEo?si=7OC7ee5droI8G9ow
Tuesday March 11, 2025 Radiation therapy treatment #4 today. Today Ella informed me that the radiotherapy accelerator, True Beam, is made by a company called Varian.4 Special note: this photo has been edited to illustrate where the invisible beam is generated.
Ella tells me that they treat 40 or more patients each day! I told her “thanks for taking such good care of us”
I’ve decided to drive straight home today cause I am eager to write. I want to lay out a map of the world with pinpoints to show where all of my treatment team comes from Dr. Kim was born in Michigan, Ella is from eastern Russia. Narges is from Shiraz Iran, Sohi was born in Iran then moved to Kerman Italy. Yesterday I imagined a map of the world to illustrate how far members of my care team have come to treat my cancer.
March 10, 2025 zzz
February, 16, 2025Living with cancer and navigating it’s sometimes stormy seas. This is the log of that journey.
Being extra vigilant, Dr. Pasin sent my prostate biopsy out for DNA testing, which reveals that the cancer cells are an aggressive form that requires Radiotherapy.
I was diagnosed with prostate cancer five months ago. Four weeks later it was identified as an aggressive form. Yes it’s stage three cancer which means that it’s escaped the prostate and is out to move freely throughout the body. That is until a month of testosterone suppressing hormone therapy. I’ve learned that testosterone fuels the growth of prostate cancer cells.” Without testosterone, prostate cancer cells cannot grow and proliferate. Hence, a one month prescription of bicalutamide followed by Lupron injections every 3 months prescribed to block the effect of testosterone and stop the growth and spread of cancer cells. I just had my 2nd Lupron injection and scheduled another psa blood test in preparation for Lupron #3 in May.
I’ve discovered that having cancer affects not only the patient but the whole family as well.
I've been diagnosed with the low-risk prostate cancer described in this link: #1 Click HERE for details:
"Low-risk prostate cancer often grows very slowly, or doesn't grow at all. Because of this, a treatment approach known as "active surveillance" can be considered as an alternative to radiotherapy or surgery. In this approach, the tumor is monitored regularly and only treated with radiotherapy or surgery if it grows." This is the path I'll be considering.
Though, to be extra vigilant, Dr. Pasin (my excellent urologist) ordered my recent biopsy be sent to a DNA lab for further study to:
"...to determine if there is a genetic mutation that increases risk of the more aggressive form of prostate cancer or if my family is at risk."
But there's a delay, the lab is heavily backlogged:
I just talked to Paula, Dr. Pasin's office manager. She has traced the prostate biopsy DNA delay back to an outside lab that is seriously backlogged. At my request she will: A. ask Dr. Pasin to press Dr. Su (at the lab) to expedite. and B. She also agreed to get admin. names and phone numbers at Dr. Su's lab so that I can hound them. Next, I will research other labs (not backlogged) that will shorten the wait time.
#2 December 11, 2024 Here's what I've learned since that biopsy. The DNA lab came back with a finding of "high risk prostate cancer." We later learned that those aggressive cancer cells have "escaped" from the prostate gland into nearby tissue. Dr. Pasin referred me to a Dr. Paul Kim, a top tier Stanford grad, Yale Med school, radiation oncologist who is an exceptional teacher in his ability to tell us all the most important information in a direct and sensitive manner. For example: precision-targeted-low-dose radiation will take 6 weeks with that low dose treatment 5 days a week to minimize radiation side effects.
#3 The importance of a second opinion led Patricia (my wife) to online research where she found UCI Health, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center.
While the prostate is part of male anatomy, females have homologous glands: Skene's glands which are a source of PSA, prostate-specific antigen in women.
