Soma Purana

This article which appeared in 2014 in the Atlantic and written by Ezekiel Emanuel is a guiding light for me. I have read and reread this article many times before. Here are things Emanuel says he will stop at 75 and beyond. At 75 and beyond, I will need a good reason to even visit the doctor and take any medical test or treatment, no matter how routine and painless.  [(Soma) I am not so sure about discontinuing yearly checkups. May be I will reduce it to once in two years.] I will accept only palliative—not curative—treatments if I am suffering pain or other disability. At 65 will be my last colonoscopy.  [(Soma) I am 66 now, I haven't had colonoscopy in about 7 years, my last one would be in three years when I am 69-70.] No screening for prostate cancer at any age. After 75, if I develop cancer, I will refuse treatment.  Similarly, no cardiac stress test. No pacemaker and certainly no implantable defibrillator. No heart-valve replacement or bypass surg...

I get messages once in a while from 23 and me informing me of the discovery of my newfound relatives. I have like 120 of them now. As more and more people get tested, my relatives also grow. I only recognize two people in this big list - my son Raghu and Navaneetha's son Ashok. I contacted a few people through email and relationship is quite possible, for instance, the person is from Bobburkamme community, etc. But it is difficult to figure out the exact relationship unless you have really old people from families together. This has been a source of learning, however. I saw the following estimated DNA sharing on 23 and me. Relationship Average % DNA Shared Range Identical Twin 100% N/A Parent / Child Full Sibling 50% Varies by specific relationship   Grandparent / Grandchild Aunt / Uncle Niece / Nephew Half Sibling 25% Varies by specific relationship 1st Cousin 12.5% 7.31% - 13.8% 1st Cousin once removed 6.25% 3.3% - 8.51% 2nd Cousin 3.13% 2.85% - 5.04% 2nd Co...

When I saw Dr. Iturbides on Aug 9, 2018 for annual checkup, he prescribed two vaccines - a Flu shot and a Pneumonia vaccine. I took them on Aug 29 at CVS, Plainsboro. The pharmacist said the pneumonia vaccine will hurt a little bit and the pain may last 24 hrs. It was hurting for 2 days. The flu shot was high dosage (prescribed after age 65) and that hurt too but not as much. I was reading an AARP article on vaccines one would need after 50. Here is the list. Influenza vaccine every year Pneumococcal vaccine (pneumonia)  for healthy adults 65 and older. Don’t get them at the same time. You should receive a dose of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), then a dose of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) one year later.  Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccine and/or the Td (tetanus, diphtheria) booster After 50,  You get Tdap only once, and after that, you still need the Td booster every 10 years. Otherwise, your prote...

Watched delightful The Edge of Seventeen, a teen movie that you cannot just dismiss. Heavenly Creatures, starring Kate Winslett is a very popular story in New Zealand of a murder in mid 1950s.