Dietary Supplements versus Medications ( Drugs)

Having worked for FDA( New Drugs Development and Approval) for over 12 years before my retirement in 2002, the subject of Food and Drugs still interests me. This article today is all about dietary supplements regulated by FDA as Food not Drugs. 

The website below is a complete reference of all you want to know about dietary supplements that perhaps you may be afraid to ask.  I hope you find this article informative and learned something new. 

Dietary Supplements are not considered medicines. They do not give a cure to any illness or disease. They are just taken to supplement or reinforce the need for nutrients like vitamins and minerals. Supplements are good for the body since it can help boost the nutrients needed by the body. 

Dietary supplements are regulated by the FDA as food, not as drugs. However, many dietary supplements contain ingredients that have strong biological effects which may conflict with a medicine you are taking or a medical condition you may have.

So dietary supplements have not been proven safe and effective before they are marketed but must comply with how food is regulated by FDA.  Here's a better description of the difference between drugs and dietary supplements.

Drugs are tested by the FDA. They’re defined as substances intended to diagnose, treat or prevent disease. Medications must pass clinical trials before being released to the public and the tests need to prove each drug is safe, performing just as the manufacturer claims. After these trials, your doctor can prescribe the drug to you.

Supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA. Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), the FDA treats supplements like food and the DSHEA defines supplements as “products taken orally for supplementing the diet.” Supplements can include minerals, vitamins or other natural biological substances and they’re available in a variety of shapes and sizes, including concentrates, extracts, capsules, tablets, liquids and powders.

 Here's a complete discussions of the differences of drugs vs supplements.

https://www.usada.org/spirit-of-sport/education/medications-vs-supplements/

For complete details on dietary supplements read:

https://www.fda.gov/food/information-consumers-using-dietary-supplements/supplement-your-knowledge?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=DS22 

Meanwhile, here's something for you to think about!

Lastly, yesterday, Dinah and I had Dim Sum at East Ocean Seafood Restaurant ( Ignacio Valley Rd) after my pedicure at the next door Nail's Salon. Here are photos of our Dim Sum Dinner.

I highly recommend East Ocean Seafood Restaurant for your Chinese Food Desires and Cravings.  The pork ribs in black bean sauce was outstanding as well as all of the regular Dim Sum Offerings. For Details and Reviews read:   

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g33235-d25218270-Reviews-East_Ocean_Seafood_Restaurant-Walnut_Creek_California.html

Are You Addicted to Bridge? Popularity of the Game

While Playing Bridge the Other Day, one of the players mentioned she is addicted to the game. She ask us if this is Good or Bad. No one answered.  The question reminded me of several postings I have on the subject of addiction and bridge playing. 💚

I did search on the popularity of bridge worldwide and here's what I learned. 

Bridge is a sport: the World Bridge Federation is recognised by the International Olympic Committee. Just like every sport, Bridge offers enormous benefits to its players. It is enjoyed by tens of millions of people throughout the world – more so than any other card game.

What is Bridge? | World Bridge Federation

How popular is the bridge game?

According to the American Contract Bridge League, 25 million Americans over the age of 18 know how to play bridge. These people are well educated (79 percent have a college degree), affluent (the average income is $62,000 per year), primarily white (71 percent) and older (the average age is 51).Mar 15, 2024

NY Times Article: Bring Bridge Back to the Table

La Jolla Cove Bridge Club

https://lajollacovebridgeclub.org › new-york-times-articl...

Search for: How popular is the bridge game?

How many people play bridge in the world?

The American Contract Bridge League, which bills itself as the largest bridge organization in the world, currently boasts more than 165,000 members. The number of total players worldwide has been pegged at 220 million.

Southern Living

https://www.southernliving.com › bridge-game-7504322

Bridge is a game of skill

Is bridge difficult? Bridge game rules start out simple but get progressively more complicated. There are several things to consider, such as bridge bidding, scoring, other bridge game rules that might confound beginners or even intermediate players.

How to play bridge? The bridge rules explained. - Funbridge

Meanwhile, here's my quote of the day!

Meanwhile, this is my Joke of the Week:

I can not shop at Costco anymore :-))Yesterday I was at Costco buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for my loyal pet, Necco, the Wonder Dog, which weighs 191 lbs. I was in the check-out line when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think I had an elephant?

So because I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.

I told her that it was essentially a Perfect Diet and that the way that it works is, to load your jacket pockets with Purina Nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in line was now enthralled with my story.) Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care, because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stopped to Pee on a Fire Hydrant and a car hit me.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard. Costco won't let me shop there anymore. Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the World to think of crazy things to say.

Forward this (especially) to all your retired friends...it will be their laugh for the day!

Lastly, Did you know? The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) in the Philippines, Southeast Asia’s first completed nuclear power facility, cost an estimated $2.3 billion to construct. Even though it was never operational, the country continued paying off loans for decades. This has made the BNPP one of the most significant—and controversial—investments in Philippine history.

💚https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-perils-of-casino-gambling-addiction.html

💚https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-stayman-and-jacoby-transfer-bidding.html

The Discovery of the Philippines by Ferdinand Magellan

Today's Blog, is a little bit of history about the Philippines-The Country of My Birth. This was taken from the book of H. Butterworth on the Story of Magellan and Discovery of the Philippines. If you are not a history enthusiast, please do not continue, but if you want to be inform a little bit of Philippine History, please go on.....The video about the Philippines is also worth your time.

" Of the five ships and 270 men that set sail from Spain in September 1519 on a mission to circumnavigate the globe, only one ship and 18 hungry and disheveled men managed to return. On September 6, 1522, one thousand eighty-two days after their departure, the Spanish captain Juan Sebastián de Elcano guided his ship, the Victoria, back to port, completing an exhausting and dangerous journey. It was, in the words of historian Laurence Bergreen, "the greatest maritime journey ever undertaken and the most significant." But the man who conceived the expedition, Ferdinand Magellan, did not live to see its conclusion. He was killed in the Philippines in 1521 at the age of 40.

In 1519, while much of Europe was entangled in religious conflicts arising from the Protestant Reformation, Spain and Portugal were the dominant powers on the continent, competing to extend their influence and authority worldwide amid the Age of Discovery. Magellan, a Portuguese nobleman (born Fernão de Magalhães), was already an experienced navigator and explorer when he offered his services to the Spanish King Charles V, proposing to establish Spanish trade routes to Asia by approaching from the east, instead of through the Indian Ocean.

Magellan's plan was to travel to "the Indies" (Indonesia and India) by first navigating around the "New World" (as the Americas were then called). This had never been done before, and most sailors of the time considered it impossible.

Magellan first crossed the Atlantic and sailed along the coast of South America. While waiting for better weather in what is now Argentina, he had to quell a mutiny. One of his ships was wrecked, and another turned back to Spain. It was an inauspicious start to the expedition.

Magellan managed to find a passage around the treacherous southern tip of South America (which became known as the "Strait of Magellan") and entered a relatively calm ocean that he called the "Pacific Ocean." He expected the crossing of what we now call the Pacific Ocean to take about four days. Instead, it took almost four months. As their food spoiled and the water supply began to dwindle, the men started to starve, and around 30 of them died of scurvy before reaching land. They made a brief stop in Guam but had to leave after the natives took a boat and other supplies from Magellan's ships, leading him to order a brutal retaliation (diplomacy was not Magellan's strong suit).

In March 1521, Magellan's expedition arrived in the Philippines. There, he recklessly involved himself in a rivalry between two chieftains, Humabon on the island of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu on the island of Mactan. Humabon and his followers readily converted to Christianity and allied with Magellan. But on April 26, a messenger from a Mactan chieftain named Zula told Magellan that Lapu-Lapu refused to obey the Spanish king. Magellan and a group of his men, with the support and encouragement of Humabon, set out for Mactan intending to subdue Lapu-Lapu. It was a fatal mistake.

Magellan was confident that with their armor, muskets, and spears, he and his men could easily defeat Lapu-Lapu and his followers, who were armed with bows, arrows, and bamboo spears. When his ship arrived at the island, he sent a demand that Lapu-Lapu and his people swear allegiance to Humabon, pay tribute, obey the Spanish king, and convert to Christianity. Lapu-Lapu and his people flatly refused and prepared for battle.

On April 27, 1521, Magellan and his group landed on Mactan and faced fierce resistance from the local warriors. Despite their technological superiority, the Spaniards were outnumbered and ambushed. During the confrontation, Magellan was wounded in the arm with a spear and then struck in the leg by an arrow. Disabled by his wounds, he was surrounded by the warriors and ultimately killed on the beach.

Magellan's death was a significant blow to the expedition, but his men did not give up. Led by Juan Sebastián de Elcano, they continued the journey and eventually completed the first circumnavigation of the world. On September 6, 1522, the Victoria returned to Spain with its crew, decimated but triumphant.

Despite its tragic end, Magellan's voyage remains one of the most important milestones in the history of maritime exploration. His expedition proved that it was possible to sail around the world and opened new trade routes that would have a lasting impact on global trade and geopolitics. Although Magellan did not live to see the success of his enterprise, his legacy endures, through Juan Sebastián de Elcano, as one of history's great navigators and explorers".

Credits: Miriam Baños

Here's a short video about the Philippines:

💚https://fb.watch/uygEIT5PCi/

The Philippines is one of the most mineral-rich countries in the world, ranking fifth for deposits of gold, nickel, copper, and chromite. This wealth of resources is largely due to the country's volcanic activity, which has resulted in rich mineral deposits. Although the Philippines has substantial copper-gold deposits, it does not hold the title for the largest copper deposit or the second-largest gold deposit globally. Regions like Zambales are particularly noted for their rich mineral resources. The mining industry plays a vital role in the country's economy, emphasizing the importance of responsible and sustainable mining practices.

Interesting Facts About Sleep You May Not Know

I received the following article from Phil Paris the other day(cpapnation.com). It is very interesting and I am sharing it with you. It is related to my previous posting on why sleep is the foundation of good health and longevity. I could identify with items 4 and 7, validated by my own personal experiences. I have a number of relatives that are sleep walkers. My 2 cats, Batman and Robin take 16 hours nap every day.  Here's the article for your reading pleasure.       

"Sleep is one of life’s great mysteries. We spend about a third of our lives doing it, but we’re only just beginning to uncover the science behind our nightly snooze. From animals with bizarre sleep habits to human quirks like yawning, there’s a treasure trove of strange and fascinating facts about sleep. Here’s a look at some of the most mind-boggling sleep facts that might just make you see bedtime a little differently!

1. Dolphins Sleep with One Eye Open

Dolphins have evolved to sleep with half of their brain at a time! They close one eye while the other eye stays open, allowing them to keep an eye out for danger and maintain control over their breathing. 

2. Humans Yawn to Cool the Brain

Ever wonder why you can’t stop yawning when you’re tired? Contrary to popular belief, yawning isn’t just about increasing oxygen intake. Recent research suggests that yawning helps cool down the brain! When we yawn, we stretch our jaw, which increases blood flow to the brain, and the cool air we breathe in lowers the brain temperature slightly.

3. Some People Only Need 4 Hours of Sleep—Thanks to a Gene

While most of us need 7-8 hours to feel fully rested, a lucky few carry a rare genetic mutation that allows them to function perfectly well on just four hours of sleep! 

4. Sleepwalking: Your Brain’s Autopilot Mode

Sleepwalking, or somnambulism, is a phenomenon where a person can perform complex activities like walking, talking, and even cooking while still asleep. During sleepwalking episodes, certain parts of the brain, including those responsible for movement, are active while other parts, particularly those involved in judgment and memory, remain asleep. 

5. You Forget 90% of Your Dreams Within Minutes

Have you ever woken up with a dream fresh in your mind, only to forget it moments later? You’re not alone! Research shows that most people forget up to 90% of their dreams within the first few minutes of waking. This is because our brains don’t store dreams as memories in the same way they store waking experiences. 

6. Teenagers Really Do Need More Sleep

It’s not just an excuse! Teenagers experience a shift in their circadian rhythms (the body’s internal clock), which causes them to feel tired later at night and to need more sleep overall. This shift makes early school hours particularly challenging for teens, who often aren’t fully alert until later in the morning. 

7. Why Are Cats Such Great Nappers?

If you’ve ever owned a cat, you know how much they love to sleep. Cats spend around 16 hours a day snoozing, which might seem excessive, but it’s actually a survival mechanism. In the wild, felines are predators that need to conserve energy for hunting. By sleeping for long stretches, they store up the energy required for those high-energy bursts of activity. 

8. Bizarre Sleep: Giraffes and Elephants Sleep Standing Up

Giraffes and elephants are among the animals that can sleep while standing, though they do occasionally lie down. This adaptation helps them stay alert to predators, as it’s easier to take off running from a standing position. Giraffes, in particular, need very little sleep compared to other animals, snoozing for only about 30 minutes to two hours a day in short intervals.

9. “Sleep Drunkenness” is a Real Thing

Ever wake up feeling completely disoriented, as if you’ve been wrenched from a deep sleep? This sensation, called “sleep drunkenness” or sleep inertia, can occur when you’re woken up from a deep stage of sleep, such as REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. 

10. Lucid Dreaming: When You Control the Dream

Lucid dreaming is a state where a person becomes aware they’re dreaming and may even be able to control aspects of the dream. Some people practice techniques to induce lucid dreaming and use it as a form of entertainment, therapy, or problem-solving.

https://www.zzzquil.com/en-us/article/12-fun-facts-about-sleep

Lastly, Here's a photo of my bougainvillea in bloom and the one camelia flower in my Patio.

 Here's the completed side entrance to the Fairmont Building. Looks Spacious and less clutter!

 

The Wall Mural at the Fairmont Building by Trenton Gregory

I talked to Trenton💚Gregory the other day. He said the two deers in his wall mural in the Fairmont Building ( THD) is now complete.  It is indeed beautiful and very realistic, Thank You Trenton for your art work. Your wall mural enhances and promotes the well-being and sense of contentment of the senior residents here at THD.  More Power to your Artistic Talent. 

Here are the other photos of the Fairmont Wall Mural that Trenton sent me recently.   

It has more vibrant details, more contrast and vibrancy as well as depth. 

Here is the other photo of the Mural, I took previously, before completion.

Here are the photos of ducks, heron, fox, and a rabbit and a small cottage which added more beauty and realism to the Gigantic Wall Mural.   

Meanwhile, the other day, I mentioned that I missed the Persimmon tree in the THD Garden and I was not sure what will be the replacement. Here are the photos I took today, including the ongoing landscaping improvement on the side of Fairmont as well as the new seating chairs in the swimming pool. The pool looks more spacious and inviting. 

 

Here's Trenton Gregory Website for Detail information about his Art Work.  

💚https://trentongregoryfineart.com/