The World’s First Surviving Septuplets Are Grown Ups Now
The McCaughey Septuplets – Bing video This article was originally published on ParentMood by John Travis The McCaughey septuplets born November 19, 1997, are the septuplets of Bobbi (mother) and Kenny McCaughey from Des Moines, Iowa. They are the world’s first known set of surviving septuplets.
Adding another family member and becoming a parent is one of the most life-changing experiences – so imagine welcoming seven newborns all at once. That’s what Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey did many years ago now. Fortunately, their sons and daughters lived healthy lives and ultimately became the first-ever septuplets to all survive. From babies to young adults, here is their story.
Meet The Incredible Parents
Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey felt super blessed at the arrival of a healthy baby girl in 1996. Given that Bobbi had to battle complications with her pituitary gland, which can cause problems with fertility, the couple believed their newborn daughter to be a miracle baby.
They decided to name her Mikayla Marie. They weren’t planning on having just one child, so they started to consider having their next.
Pursuing Fertility Treatment Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey knew about the difficulties in conceiving Mikayla, and that’s why they decided to seek fertility treatment for their next child.
Upon seeking medical advice, the doctor prescribed Metrodin, a medication that helps with ovulation and is required to be taken by a woman to conceive a child. With plans for their second baby, Bobbi started taking the medication.
When Bobbi and her husband went for a scan to their doctor,
Planned For One, Got Seven they were hoping that everything would turn out fine, and they wouldn’t be getting any surprises. However, the scan turned out to be life changing as it revealed that Bobbi was pregnant with not one but seven babies.
It was big news for them as they were not only looking at a big family of 10 but also because the pregnancy posed a great danger to the health of Bobbi and the babies.
A Tough Decision As multiple births can pose a danger to the health of both the mother and the babies, Bobbi’s body was under immense strain from carrying not one but seven fetuses. Due to the risk to Bobbi and her unborn babies, the doctor recommended the couple to consider a process called “selected reduction.”
In this process, those fetuses are protected, which are most likely to make it to full term. Hence, it is like aborting babies who have fewer survival chances.
Taking The Risk Bobbi and Kenny fully understood the risks involved in the pregnancy that poses a lot of dangers to mother and babies’ health, but they didn’t want to choose one of their babies above another. So, they gave it a long thought and decided to proceed with the pregnancy.
It was a tough decision because only about 40-50 births in the world have resulted from a pregnancy involving seven babies. There is a possibility that they drew some confidence from the fact that although many septuplets have not survived birth or infancy, at least one more set of septuplets had survived beyond infancy.
Getting Lots of Attention from Everyone
As Bobbi and Kenny made the big decision to keep all seven babies and not opt for selective reduction, the news spread like wildfire, and everyone across the country wanted to know more about them.
While some found the story of septuplets fascinating, some people weren’t supportive of keeping all seven babies. However, Bobbi and Kenny had made up their minds, and they were confident that everything would work out for the best.
Getting Help People who knew the McCaugheys, and those who didn’t know them at all, everyone was eager to offer them help. It was understandable because the birth of seven children at once was undoubtedly an extraordinary event.
More Assistance Came That Help: For instance, Kraft stepped. forward to give the family a year’s supply of “mac n cheese.”
They were also given boxes of diapers, and some offered help as babysitters or nannies. Amazingly, a 5,000 square foot house was also donated to the family.
Another Gift As if getting a 5,000 square foot house wasn’t showing the people’s generosity, someone stepped forward to donate a brand-new van to the family.
The van was big enough to fit all of the babies comfortably.
More Gifts Moreover, someone donated a year’s supply of groceries to the family.
As weeks and months were leading up to the birth of seven babies,
Exciting and Scary Times It was scary, thrilling, and stressful times for the family. The doctors were concerned that the stress of the deliveries could lead her to early labor.
Bobbi tried her best to keep calm, and though the couple was worried that things might not work as planned, they knew that staying positive was their best bet at that time. They tried their best to remain as positive as possible.
Delivering The Babies: The couple received the news that they would need to be at the hospital at just 31 weeks.
They were told that the babies would be delivered by caesarian section. Although Bobbi and Kenny were a bit surprised, they trusted the doctors. On November 19th, 1997, Bobby gave birth to seven babies in only the space of just SIX minutes.
The couple was happy to welcome four boys and three girls.
A Family of TEN Everyone was relieved to find out that the septuplets were healthy. All now the parents needed was to name their babies.
The heaviest of the babies was named Robert, while the other boys were named Kenny Robert, Brandon James, Nathan Roy, and Joel Steven. The beautiful girls were named Alexis Mary, Natalie Sue, and Kelsey Ann. It must be a lot to remember the names of 7 babies. Here is a challenge for you: try remembering all the names by the end of this article.
A Team Effort It wasn’t only Bobbi and Kenny’s effort in bringing seven babies into the world; there were the dedicated efforts of the hardworking hospital staff as well.
The doctors, nurses and maternity staff were happy that they were part of making American history. A few days after the birth of septuplets, all the team gathered to take a memorable group photo.
Waiting To Get the First Pictures of Babies.
As Bobbi and Kenny were asked by the doctors to come to the hospital 9 weeks before Bobbi’s due date, the news channels didn’t know about it.
When the news channels finally became aware that the births were taking place at the Iowa Methodist Hospital Center in Des Moines, they started camping out to get the first pictures of the newborns.
Spending Extra Time Under Observation
The doctors at the hospital wanted to ensure that the babies and the mother were healthy before discharging them. Therefore, Bobbie and her seven babies had to spend three months and ten days in the hospital after the delivery.
When the news broke out that the couple and babies were leaving the hospital, the cameramen and journalists gathered around to get a snap of the septuplets. As the McCaugheys headed for their home, there were a lot of smiles, cheers, and even a few tears.
Getting Police Security outside the home of the McCaughey’s
As they wanted to ensure that the couple reached their home without facing any trouble whatsoever. The babies were first brought back to the couple’s old home, but they would be moving into their new home pretty soon.
While the couple took care of their seven babies in their old home,
Exciting Times: their new home was getting ready and once their new home was organized, a ceremony took place in which they were handed over the keys to their new home. The ceremony involved the chairman of Clarke Companies, Lloyd Clarke. He gave the keys to the couple in the garage of the house. There was excitement in the air as the couple entered their new home.
Getting Countrywide Media Attention
In December of 1997 (just a month after the septuplets were born), Bobbi and Kenny featured on the front cover of Time Magazine.
Initially, the couple thought that only local reporters were interested in covering their story, but they didn’t know that their incredible septuplets had caught the attention of some big magazines as well.
After the news magazine, ABC News PrimeTime was able to get. full access to the family for a complete interview and news feature.
A Complete Interview Given that most of the coverage involved reporters retelling what others had already written, the interview with ABC covered other aspects as well.
While most of the news coverage was positive:
There Was Also Criticism and some negative reports, as well. Some people called the family irresponsible for having too many children.
Some even criticized the couple because they thought that the amount of waste generated by having so many babies could play a role in damaging the environment. But it didn’t matter to the couple as they were happy with their babies.
They felt blessed to have seven babies.
As the excitement around the septuplets started to subside with time, Trying to Keep Things Private it gave an excellent opportunity to the McCaughey’s to get on with raising their eight children. They received a useful piece of advice from the Dionne family who had quintuplets that it is best to keep their family life as private as possible. They acted upon the advice of the Dionne family with one exception; they would make a public appearance yearly on the birthday 0f seven.
The Dionne quintuplets were born in Ontario, Canada, in 1934 to Elzire Dionne.
The Advice from Quintuplets She came under a lot of criticism for the way her babies were raised. There was a lot of press focus on the children, and the press sometimes even described them as a circus. The quintuplets, who were grown adults, advised Kenny and Bobbi about keeping their children’s lives as private as possible.
Managing a Lot of Work Even a single child can make a lot of mess and increase your workload; the couple had to deal with the chaos and dirty clothes of 8 children. It was surely a lot of work. It was reported that the McCaughey’s did an average of 17 loads of laundry a week. Given they tried their best to keep their lives private, it means that they had to do a lot of house chores themselves. Luckily for them, they had two washing machines and two dryers to help them with loads of laundry.
They Needed of a Strategy,
With seven growing babies, it was apparent that there would be a lot of laundry. But there were other expenses as well. They were using, on average, 52 diapers a day between them and 42 bottles of milk. As expected, the couple was spending a lot of money daily. So, Bobbi and Kenny decided that they need to come up with a strategy to manage their large family and control their expenses.
Not Opting for Formula Milk It would’ve been understandable if Bobbi had decided only to give formula milk to her children, but she decided that she would feed her babies with pumped breast milk for the first three months. For seven babies, the pumped four to five gallons of milk would get through a week.
Everything Took Time With the septuplets, it was expected that everything from feeding them to changing diapers would take a lot of time. For instance, potty training was quite time-consuming and challenging. They were able to potty-train their first daughter Mikayla within four days, but it wasn’t that easy with the septuplets. It also took a lot of time to potty train them fully.
Volunteers Were Like a Blessing
It takes a lot of effort and time to raise a child, and in the case of McCaughey’s eight children needed to be raised. So, volunteers stepped in to help the family. The family would have needed around seventy volunteers to help with daily tasks around the house. Still, eight or nine people were helping with changing diapers, feeding the babies, and taking proper care.
Everyone Was Trying to Help. It was great to see so many helping hands. Anyone who came in contact with the family wanted to help them in some way. Even the construction workers that were involved in building their new house spent time taking care of the babies.
Here is a photo of Bobbi’s sister holding one of the septuplets.
Family Stepped In As Well It wasn’t just the volunteers who stepped forward to help the McCaughey’s; there was also a lot of help from within the family as well. The help Bobbi and Kenny received meant a lot to them as they couldn’t have done it without them.
Although everyone in the family was eager to help the McCaughey’s,
There was one particular family member who wanted to help in whatever possible way there was.
The Big Sister Being a Big Sister Big sister Mikayla helped in feeding times and taking care of her siblings. She knew that it was her responsibility to take care of her siblings to take some load off her parents.
Implementing Their Strategy: As we’ve mentioned earlier,
The McCaughey’s came up with a strategy to maintain their expenses, and they applied it quite impressively. For instance, they bought everything in bulk to save some money on everything. They also started purchasing products that came with some special offers. They manage to bring their monthly expenses to $300 a month.
Futuristic Strollers: Seeing twin strollers is not uncommon,
But what the McCaughey’s required was two sets of four-seater strollers to carry their babies around the town – something no one had ever seen before. So, whenever they used to go for a walk around their neighborhood, their strollers would get a lot of attention.
Going Green The McCaugheys were doing an excellent job at reducing their monthly expenses, but they knew that they had to do more. So, they started growing their fruits and vegetables as it was not only an organic option but a free one as well.
They were able to reduce the cost of grocery shopping by using fresh fruits and vegetables from their backyard. The only thing that they were missing was a cow.
Regular Check-ups Taking care of just one baby requires a lot of attention, and when it comes to taking care of seven babies, the amount of attention needed increases by seven times. That’s why the couple ensured all seven babies were regularly getting checked by the doctor.
Eating Healthy Breakfast Each Day All the babies loved their breakfast, and it is a good thing because all of them needed healthy food for their proper growth. The babies required massive quantities of whatever they were eating for breakfast on any given day.
Cryptophasia: As the babies grow into toddlers, they develop a unique bond between them and create their own language.
This phenomenon is called cryptophasia and it is no different as it usually happens between twins and triplets and siblings.
With each passing year, the septuplets grew older, and the family celebrated each birthday together and created more memories.
Celebrating The Milestones Together They considered the birthdays an excellent opportunity to thank the Lord for helping their babies and also for helping the couple make the right decision of keeping all of their babies.
The Pinnacle of Correct Shoe Sizes As each kid grew at a different rate, some grew stronger while some were fragile. But it didn’t matter to the parents. However, Bobbi and Kenny did decide to dress up their four boys alike and had the same outfit for three girls. They faced issues with finding the correct shoe sizes.
Clothing for Septuplets Buying clothes for seven growing kids was costing the McCaugheys huge sums of money. However, something amazing happened. A famous children’s clothing brand, Carter’s, announced that they would be supplying clothes for all of the babies until the age of five. It was one of many examples of how people showed their generosity towards Bobbi, Kenny, and their cute family.
Getting Attention of Two Presidents
When the septuplets were born, the president of the United States at the time, Bill Clinton, also called the couple and congratulated them. Years later, the next President, George W. Bush, also had the chance to meet the children. Lucky him!
Meeting George W. Bush The McCaugheys were invited in 2001 to meet with President George W. Bush. As it was a big deal for the family, the parents made sure that all the kids were properly dressed. It was a great meet up, and the kids were dressed in such a way that it attracted everyone’s attention within seconds of their arrival.
Clinton’s Call When the septuplets were born, the McCaugheys got a call from Bill Clinton. The President congratulated Bobbi and Kenny and also said to Bobbi that when the seven children finally go off to school, she will be able to get a job running a major corporation in America. “You will be one of the best-organized managers in the United States,” said President Clinton to Bobbi.
Everyone Wanted to Meet Them
It is no surprise that the septuplets were famous babies even before they were born. Everyone was fascinated by them, and they were a favorite topic of most people.
Learning How to Share: Here in the photo, you can see there are just four candles for seven children.
It is because the parents wanted to teach them the lesson of learning how to share. The McCaugheys not only tried to be economical, they were able to teach their seven a lesson about sharing as well. It seems the children weren’t too worried about it.
Different Personalities: As the septuplets started to grow up,
they began to develop different personalities as well. For instance, Brandon is brave and a little stubborn.
Different Personalities Kenny junior is considered the joker among the group, whereas Natalie and Joel like to read books. Although Kenny was always a well-mannered guy, his son, Kenny Junior, is known for causing mischief from time to time. That explains why Bobbi calls her son, “pint-sized explorer.” It is beautiful that children of the same parents grow up to have different personalities. This is something that cannot be explained, and that’s the beauty of it.
If you have a house that is full of eight growing children, taking out time for yourself can be difficult.
Dedicated Date Night That’s why Kenny and Bobbi decided to set aside Friday as their date night so that they could get much needed alone time together.
Different Personality Traits Each of the eight children has unique characteristics. As Kenny and Bobbie spent a lot of time with their kids, they were able to pick up on the different personality traits of their children. For instance, Kelsey is a “sporty fashionista,” Nathan is “determined,” and Alexis is “sweet and perceptive.”
Taking Time Out for Family Taking care of kids and running a family is hectic, and yet you have to take out some time to spend quality time together. With eight children, the McCaughey’s were finding it difficult. However, they still used to take some time out. Here is when the whole family went to Disney World in Orlando.
Getting Back on The Cover
As the children celebrated their eighth birthday, they did it in style this time as they appeared on the cover of Ladies’ Home Journal. There was also an article in the magazine which included Bobbi and Kenny answering different questions.
Getting Way Too Much Attention
As there was already a lot of media attention before and after the birth of the children, the parents could have decided to allow a reality TV show about their lives, and it would not have been something different. However, they made sure that it didn’t happen. Although, there were occasional times when the children did a feature on TV or in the press.
This time, all the kids had their cakes with 13 candles.
As mentioned earlier, the McCaugheys didn’t want a reality TV based on their lives, so they didn’t allow cameras in the house…except on the children’s birthday.
The septuplets started high school in 2012 by enrolling in Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Iowa.
Starting High School As expected, they received a lot of attention from everyone. But they handled it quite well (probably because they have been doing it their entire lives).
Joining The School Band As if the septuplets weren’t already receiving a lot of attention, they decided to raise the bar. They got into the school band and started playing together at the school’s sports matches.
Siblings with Different Interests and Talents The septuplets didn’t just captivate everyone by featuring in a school band, but they also had their talents and interests. Some of the septuplets joined the cross-country team, and some joined the wrestling team, and while the less sporty ones joined the choir and speech society.
Buffet Everyday: When it comes to feeding eight growing mouths,
It takes a lot to prepare just one meal. That’s why Bobbi and Kenny decided to serve meals in the house as buffets. It turned out to be the best time in the house, and the kids started to help in preparing the meals as well.
It Wasn’t All Sunshine and Rainbows
As we know, the premature birth of a child can affect his or her development. In the case of septuplets, there were some premature births, and it resulted in two children being born with cerebral palsy. Nathan and Alexis both suffer from cerebral palsy, which affects their movement and coordination.
“I taught myself how to walk because I really wanted to learn.
Strong Nathan As both Alexis and Nathan have difficulty walking and require walking aids, Nathan was keen to walk without support. He taught himself how to walk without the help of his walker. Strong Nathan stated: It’s just been getting better and better,” he said.
Alexis Making Waves as Well ~ Just like her brother,
Alexis didn’t want to get confined by her condition. Although she still needs aid to walk, she has shown her immense talent in many other areas, proving she is an exceptional person. She won the “Teens Miss Dreams Come True” award in 2013. Also, she is excellent in academics as well; she also finished in the top 15% of her class.
Turning Sixteen: As the septuplets turned sixteen.
they gained the attraction of the press and the world again. Everyone wanted to know what was going on in their lives and what kind of personalities they have.
As sixteen is the age when teenagers start their driving lessons,
Turning Sixteen, the McCaughey’s knew that it could be costly. So, they came up with a different, affordable solution.
Work to Make Your Wishes Come True Kenny Sr. is a firm believer in working hard, and he has made sure he instills this belief in all of his children as well. In an interview with NBC, he said, “We were taught if you want something, you have to work for it.”
Work to Make Your Wishes Come True The parents made sure to teach their children a lesson that if they want something that is out of the ordinary, they should work for it.
Capturing The Milestone As the septuplets turned eighteen, the press was ready to capture the milestone. It was a special year for the teenagers as they also graduated from high school.
Capturing The Milestone: Although they are septuplets, they were still doing regular teenager things.
Entering A New Phase of Life As the septuplets turned 18, there was a sense of relief in everyone’s eyes, not just for the children but the parents as well. Of course, their parents are always there to guide and support them. But we can imagine how difficult it would be to give advice to each of the eight children while considering their personalities and needs.
A Proud Moment: Graduation, yay!
The septuplets made their parents and themselves proud by graduating in May 2016. It was a fantastic achievement and a message for anyone who doubted they would achieve this much in their lives. It was the result of the endless efforts of Bobbi and Kenny.
Emotional Bobbi It was an emotional moment for Bobbi as she saw her beautiful children grow up and graduate from high school. The best thing for her is the bond that all her children share between them. “It’s sad to see things end, but there will be lots of firsts coming,” she said.
Alexis and Kenny Jr. decided to enroll in their local college.
Staying Close to Parents It was nice news for Kenny and Bobbi as it meant they were close to them. Alexis hopes to become a teacher, and we are sure one day she would become a great one (we can say it because she is known as an academic student, and she graduated at the top of her class).
It was a proud moment for Bobbi and Kenny
When they learned that their son Brandon had enrolled in the U.S. Army. He always dreamt of becoming a soldier, and his wish finally came true. Proud Parents: After training, he has become an expert in pistol and also carbon shooting, and we hope he serves his country proudly.
Brandon is now a part of the 75th Ranger Regiment,
Has made his parents proud and fulfilled his dream of joining the army. He followed his heart and made sure that he never deviates from it. We hope he goes on to fulfill all his desires and serves his country better.
Different Path for Kenny Jr All of the septuplets have their own identities and personalities. That’s why they all find their happiness in things that they love to do. For Kenny Jr., the dream was clear; to become a carpenter. So far, he has been doing a great job at it.
When big sister Mikayla was blessed with her first child,
Gift from Little Brother Kenny Jr. decided to create a memorable and long-lasting gift for his sister. He created a classic kitchen table with benches for his sister, and she felt super blessed and happy to have it. Can’t all sisters have a brother like Kenny Jr.?
College Education Promise When the septuplets were born, the state of Iowa promised to sponsor each child’s college education at any university of their choice. Natalie, Nathan, Joel, and Kelsey took up the offer and enrolled at the Hannibal-LaGrange University in Missouri, and they are studying there right now. Although they are far from home, they get comfort from the fact that they are together.
Meet The Future Teacher
Alexis has always dreamt of becoming a teacher, and she is currently pursuing her dream of becoming one. Her social media presence shows us how she is trying her best to achieve her dream, and we are quite confident that she’ll have a significant impact on the students.
Meet The Future Scientist
Early in his childhood, Nathan took a liking to the sciences. Although he is still deciding which area of science he would like to pursue as a career, we are sure he will achieve success in whatever field he chooses.
Meet the Next Musician
Kelsey enrolled at Hannibal-LaGrange University and chose music as her major. She is inarguably a bright talent, and we are excited to see her achieve success in this field. She has been passionate about music for as long as she can remember, and it won’t be long before we can see her performances.
Meet the Next Computer Scientist
Just like Nathan, Joel chose something technical. However, his field is different as he is passionate about computer science. We are looking at the next computer scientist, and we hope to see him achieve a lot of success in the upcoming years.
Meet the Next Elementary School Teacher
Natalie is pursuing her career in education, just like her sister Alexis, but she is taking a different route. She is focusing on early-childhood education and is interested in elementary school education.
Inseparable Siblings The septuplets gave an interview on TV after their graduation. As they have experienced being in front of the media their whole lives, they didn’t feel nervous at all.
On one particular question about their closeness,
They answered that they have an unbreakable bond. We hope they always stick together through thick and thin.
Feeling Alone As all of Bobbi and Kenny’s children have gone to pursue their careers, the couple looks at their empty house and misses them. Feeling Alone, However, they are trying to get used to it as they know that their children are always with them no matter the distance.
Big Sister Mikayla How can we forget big sister Mikayla? She also started to pursue her dream and received constant encouragement and love from her younger siblings. She studied at Des Moines College and then went on to Arizona State University.
She is happily married and has a beautiful child.
Bobbi and Kenny are happy grandparents. One of the most special days for the McCaugheys was when Mikayla got married. Her sisters were her bridesmaids, and her younger brothers were part of the wedding party.
They all look so lovely together in this photo.
Beautiful Bridesmaids By the way, they hardly managed to squeeze into one photo.
Dad Keeping Himself Busy: When all your children live in different cities, you can find it depressing in your home. However, Kenny McCaughey found an excellent opportunity to occupy his spare time.
He has become passionate about his motorcycles. He scraps motorcycles and then carefully rebuilds them. He also takes rides on one of his bikes around the country.
Since all the children had left for college and moved out,
Downsizing = the house seemed too big for just Kenny and Bobbi. So, it was a good decision to sell the house and downsize to something smaller. The McCaughey’s found a buyer of the house in February of this year.
Buyer Found The new owners of the house are quite lucky as they own a house that was filled with happiness and love. So, Bobbi and Kenny are settling into their new home. Oh wait, there’s a twist.
Giving Back to the Society Bobbi and Kenny would have sold their house for a considerable sum of money, but they decided to give it to an organization called Ruth Harbor. The organization is a non-profit, and it helps young women with unplanned pregnancies.
When the couple was asked about their generous decision, they said, “We have been blessed to receive such a wonderful gift, and nothing would please us more than the idea of our home being used as a place of refuge for those in need.”
Looking Back and Feeling Lucky
Whenever Bobbi and Kenny look back to when they had to decide on selective reduction, they feel lucky and blessed that they made the right decision. After all, opting for selective reduction would’ve meant a smaller family for the McCaugheys.
Creating Awareness Having a baby comes with a lot of challenges, and Bobbi and Kenny were able to raise not one or two but eight children. They are hoping to create more awareness about it, and their eight kids show how successful they were.
It wasn’t long after the birth of the septuplets that McCaugheys decided to write and release their book, which would include their experiences.
Penning Down Their Experiences
The book’s primary theme is the couple’s faith and belief in God. You’ll find that it was the religion that played a significant role in giving them the power to raise their children. The McCaughey’s made a decision that they would try their best to keep their children away from the press and the public eye.
A Deal: To chronicle the progress of their children,
They struck a deal with Gamma Press in 2001 so that they could take a photograph of the children once a year on their birthdays. It was a smart deal as the family can look back on the images and cherish those fantastic days.
Lucky Photographers There were a few lucky photographers who had the privilege of taking photos of children each year. They were Rodney White, Holly McQueen, and Andrea Mendez. Lucky Photographers
Documenting Each Milestone in a Special Way
These photographers were keen on taking photos of the septuplets, and they were able to record the lives of septuplets as they became part of American history.
As there were group photos of the septuplets, each child also received an annual individual portrait. The portrait helped document the important milestones of each child. If you can’t identify who is who in this photo, let us help you.
Top row, from left to right, Kelsey, Kenny Jr, Natalie, and big sister Mikayla. On the bottom row are Alexis, Brandon, Nathan, and Joel.
But it is not an easy task to take pictures with energetic children.
Too Much Happiness and Energy This photo shows the calmness of Bobbi. Bobbi was able to take a relaxing photo with seven children. How cool is that, right?
Playing Together and Alone As septuplets are not a regular occurrence, many people wondered if each child got to play with his or her toys and if they had a typical childhood or not. The truth is that they started to share at a very young age, and they were able to play alone whenever they felt it.
Love for Video Games As it is the case with most young kids, some of the septuplets (especially the boys) enjoyed playing video games. They could sit for hours playing their favorite games. Although Bobbi and Kenny hoped that one day the kids would grow of their craze, it didn’t happen (it usually doesn’t happen).
The Craze Never Ends The kids have grown up, and they still like to spend hours playing their favorite games. As we mentioned earlier that Ann Curry covered the story of septuplets on the Today Show. The world was always curious to see how the kids have progressed, and Ann showed glimpses of their progress from time to time.
Will It Happen Again? If you’re wondering if multiple births will run in the family, then the simple answer is probably no. It is because Kenny and Bobbi were fortunate enough to have septuplets because of undergoing fertility treatment. So, it seems like it won’t happen in the family again.
Would They Have Swiped Septuplets for Twins?
One thing we have learned from the story of Bobbi and Kenny, Is that they feel blessed to have septuplets, and they wouldn’t change anything about it. If they would give you one important piece of advice; if you want anything in your life, just go for it.
MG4 EV review: The best-value electric car you can buy.
MG is on a roll at the moment. Story by Tim Pitt • Yesterday 9:51 AM
The HS was Britain’s best-selling car in January this year, beating big-name rivals such as the Nissan Qashqai and Volkswagen T-Roc. And the MG4 was recently named UK Car of the Year 2023 by a panel of expert judges, including our own Tim Pitt.
Winning this award means the electric MG4 has a lot to live up to. Thankfully, this is one of those rare occasions where the hype is justified. One reason the MG4 has made such an impact is its price tag. The entry-level SE version, as tested here, starts at just £26,995 to dollars – Search (bing.com)
Put simply, a Volkswagen ID.3 or Renault Megane E-Tech Electric will cost at least £10,000 more than an equivalent MG4.
Frugal and fun This SE version is powered by a 170hp motor, which propels the car to 62mph in 7.7 seconds. Torque delivery is instantaneous, making for peppy real-world performance. Wet roundabouts can remind you of the MG4’s rear-wheel-drive setup, but should you get too confident with the accelerator pedal.
Despite steering that feels light regardless of the driving mode chosen, the MG4 reacts quickly and can be placed with precision. It’s genuinely engaging and fun to thread through a series of bends. A firm ride is the only downside, but the impressive body control makes it worthwhile.
In SE trim, the MG EV is equipped with a 51kWh battery pack, with official figures suggesting the ability to cover 218 miles when fully charged. SE Long Range Trophy versions come with a larger 64kWh battery, boosting potential range to 281 miles. The big battery also increases power output to 200hp, although the extra weight offsets most of this.
After a long wait, the MG Comet EVfinally makes its debut in India. Although a small car, the MG Comet EV offers a spacious interior, and with its introductory price tag of Rs 7.98 lakh ex-showroom, the Comet is now the most affordable EV in the country.
MG India will commence bookings for the Comet EV on May 15, followed by deliveries in the same month, in select cities. Is this small urban roundabout for you, or would you pick one of its more traditional EV and ICE rivals?
Even the MG4’s standard 51kWh battery offers a longer range than alternatives. Such as the Vauxhall Mokka-e. Rapid-charging speeds of up to 135kW are possible, meaning it can be replenished from 10-80 percent battery capacity in 39 minutes. Long Range models require just 35 minutes. The infotainment system is a gentle reminder of the MG4’s budget status, with small text and intuitive menus. A 10.25-inch touchscreen controls most functions, with a row of buttons beneath for the climate control. A 7.0-inch digital driver’s display is also standard, with steering wheel toggles to tweak the various settings.
The MG4’s minimalist interior looks good from a distance:
But the materials used don’t always stand up to closer scrutiny. The floating shelf for the gear selector, for example, is unlikely to have any premium brands worried. MG does offer a comprehensive list of standard equipment, however. LED headlights & LED taillights, rear parking sensors, lane-keeping assist & adaptive cruise control are all included. Trophy models benefit from satellite navigation, wireless smartphone charging and a surround-view camera. A 7-year or 80,000-mile warranty is generous, too. A 363-litre boot is only slightly less spacious than the Volkswagen ID.3. There is room to accommodate four adults onboard, with rear headroom notably better than a Renault Megane E-Tech.
It all makes for a very well-rounded family EV. Beyond some cheap interior materials, the MG4 is hard to fault. It’s a true bargain in a world where everything suddenly seems expensive. Time to believe the hype. John Redfern writes for Motoring Research
Study: Global warming robs people of sleep. A new study finds warming temperatures around the world may cause people to lose sleep. CNN’s Rosemary Church interviews the study’s co-author Kelton Minor.
Kanpur, UPDATED: May 23, 2023, (Photo: India Today) By Simer Chawla:
Electric cars are more harmful than conventional, hybrid cars: IIT Kanpur study. A recent study done by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur challenged the claim that electric cars are more environment-friendly than hybrid cars and conventional internal combustion engine cars.
The IIT Kanpur study suggested that electric vehicles are doing more harm to the environment. Battery Electric Cars (BEVs) emit 15-50 per cent more greenhouse gases in different categories than other vehicles, according to the study. The manufacturing, use and scrapping of electric cars is producing 15 to 50 per cent more greenhouse gases (GHGs) than hybrid and conventional engine cars, according to the report by IIT Kanpur’s Engine Research Lab.
In the per kilometre analysis, the purchase, insurance and maintenance of electric vehicles (EVs) are also costlier by 15-60 per cent. The study also showed that hybrid electric cars are the most eco-friendly.
STUDY ON EVs, HYBRID AND CONVENTIONAL CARS The study was conducted by IIT Kanpur with the help of a Japanese organization on electric, hybrid and conventional cars. The study divided the cars into three categories — two foreign categories and one Indian category– to calculate the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of the vehicles.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES MORE HARMFUL TO ENVIRONMENT The study conducted by Prof Avinash Agarwal of IIT Kanpur found that Battery Electric Cars (BEVs) emit 15-50 per cent more greenhouse gases in different categories than other vehicles. In BEVs, the battery has to be charged with electricity, while currently 75 percent of electricity in the country is generated from coal, which emits carbon-di-oxide.
Similarly, the cost of buying, using and maintaining battery cars is 15-60 per cent higher per km as compared to hybrid and conventional cars. Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) emit the least amount of GHGs of the other two categories of vehicles but are more expensive than the other two categories of cars. High government taxes on hybrid cars is the primary reason for high prices. The IIT report highlighted that if the government wants to promote clean technology, hybrid cars should be taxed at par with battery vehicles.
EV AFFORDABLE FOR TAXI PURPOSES The report also suggested that despite harming the environment, battery electric cars are being promoted through lower taxes and other benefits to the buyers. Hybrid cars get one-and-a-half to twice the mileage per litre as compared to conventional engine cars.
Prof Aggarwal also added that for personal use, a car with a conventional engine is cheaper than a battery-driven car. But a battery-driven car is more efficient for taxi operators. While hybrid vehicles are the best in terms of the environment.
According to Cox Automotive, the parent to Kelley Blue Book, electric cars at the end of the third quarter accounted for 5.6% of the total vehicle sales, compared with 2.9% in the same quarter last year. Five years ago, manufacturers offered only five electric car models for sale in the United States. Today, you can find nearly 40 models offered. Here’s a list of what some of those plans include: EV Buying Guide | Edmunds
Hyundai Unveils EV Platform, 23 Electric Vehicles Coming by 2025 (caranddriver.com) In mid- to long-term, Hyundai aims to secure leadership in the EV market and achieve 8-10 percent share of the global EV market by 2040. EVs based on the new platform, Hyundai said, would be capable of about 310 miles of range on the WLTP scale and capable of charging to 80 percent in 18 minutes, thanks to an 800-volt architecture that supports charging speeds up to 350 kW. A five-minute charge can add about 60 miles. Hyundai did not release details on battery sizes that will be available on any of the upcoming vehicles or even a range of battery-pack sizes for the upcoming platform. It does note that the batteries will sit under the cabin and the vehicles will have a long wheelbase that would enable more cabin space for occupants and cargo.
Pickups: There’s a growing trend toward electric pickups with the release of the Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, and GMC Hummer EV pickup. Chevy Silverado and Ram 1500 will bring electric versions to their lineups in the next few years. Tesla plans its Cybertruck. So, yes, manufacturers take EVs seriously. It’s looking probable that fully electric vehicles could take the place of most gasoline-powered cars in the coming decades. Most of the world’s largest automakers have bet profits on it.
Scientists Find the Holy Grail: the Reason Why Lithium-Metal Batteries Fail (msn.com) Scientists always knew lithium metal could revolutionize batteries, but they have one fatal flaw: they often short circuit. – No one knew why this happened—until now. – Now, scientists can build better lithium-metal batteries to eventually produce more electric vehicles. When looking for an anode material for your next-gen battery, you can’t do much better than lithium metal. Due to its high capacity, low density, and non-flammability, lithium-metal batteries could be an absolute game changer for electric vehicles and the green tech revolution at large.
We must not have learned from history, because we’re repeating it.
Which Came First The Electric Car or Internal Combustion Engine. We all know the adage about those who refuse to learn from history—and it seems we learned nothing from the earliest days of electric cars. Go back through the history of the great gas-vs.-electric battle, and you will likely be amazed at the similarities between then and now: Range anxiety, quick charging, electrics as chariots of the elite, Elon Musk as the electric car’s Messiah, even Tesla’s well-publicized battery fires and Ford’s promising new EV—the whole pantomime played out more than 100 years ago, almost exactly as we’re seeing it today. Who Built the First Electric Car? Electric cars date back to the dawn of the electric motor, when Hungarian inventor Ányos Jedlik fitted his “lightning-magnetic self-rotor” of 1827 to a toy car. But it wasn’t until the 1880s that EVs really started to gain traction. Credit the electric trolley: Its speed gave many people their first taste of rapid transit, while large crowds on the cars spurred interest in personal transport. The primary beneficiary was the newly developed safety bicycle, but much of the technology developed for trolley cars—motors, control systems, and batteries—could also be adapted to smaller vehicles.
What Did The First Electric Car Look Like – Bing images Despite the fact that early electric cars outperformed their internal-combustion competitors, Thomas Edison was seriously impressed by the Quadricycle of 1894. “Young man, that’s the thing,” he supposedly told Ford. “Electric cars must be kept near to power stations. The storage battery is too heavy. Steam cars won’t do, either, for they have to have a boiler and a fire. Your car is self-contained—carries its own power plant—no fire, no boiler, no smoke, and no steam. You have the thing. Keep at it.”
The Quadricycle was Henry Ford’s first attempt to build a gasoline-powered automobile. It utilized commonly available materials: angle iron for the frame, a leather belt and chain drive for the transmission, and a buggy seat. Ford had to devise his own ignition system. He sold his Quadricycle for $200, then used the money to build his second car.
The Quadricycle was as simple as Ford could make it and utilizes commonly available materials. The frame is made from angle iron, the transmission is a combination of leather belt and chain drive, the seat is from a buggy. The two-cylinder engine is based on a Kane-Pennington design described in the January 9, 1896, issue of American Machinist magazine. The details of the engine were incomplete, and Ford had to devise his own ignition system.
Originally the engine was air cooled, but it ran too hot and Ford added water jackets to the cylinders. Ford sold the Quadricycle in late 1896 for $200, which he spent on building his second car. In 1904, with Ford Motor Company becoming successful, he bought the little vehicle back for $65. Engine: Kane-Pennington-Ford, inline 2-cylinder, atmospheric intake valves, overhead exhaust valves, 59 cu. in., 4 hp (est.) Detailed Description
The original Ford Model A is the first car produced by the Ford Motor Company, beginning production in 1903. Ernest Pfennig, a Chicago dentist, became the first owner of a Model A on July 23, 1903;[4] 1,750 cars were made from 1903 through 1904 during Ford’s occupancy of its first facility: the Ford Mack Avenue Plant, a modest rented wood-frame building on Detroit‘s East Side. The Model A was replaced by the Ford Model C during 1904 with some sales overlap.
Ad for the Model A from a December 15, 1903, newspaper.
The car came as a two-seater runabout for $800 or the $900 [5] four-seater tonneau model with an option to add a top. The horizontal-mounted flat-2, situated amidships of the car, produced 8 hp (6 kW). A planetary transmission was fitted with two forward speeds and reverse, a Ford signature later seen on the Ford Model T. The car weighed 1,240 lb (562 kg) and could reach a top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h). It had a 72-inch (1.8 m) wheelbase and sold for a base price of US$750. Options included a rear tonneau with two seats and a rear door for $100, a rubber roof for $30 or a leather roof for $50. Band brakes were used on the rear wheels.[1]
However, it was $150 more than its most direct competitor, the Oldsmobile Curved Dash, so did not sell as well.[4] The company had spent almost its entire $28,000 initial investment funds ($844,459 in 2021 dollars [6]) with only $223.65 left in its bank account when the first Model A was sold. The success of this car model generated a profit for the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford‘s first successful business.[7] Although Ford advertised the Model A as the “most reliable machine in the world”, it suffered from many problems common to vehicles of the era, including overheating and slipping transmission bands. The Model A was sold only in red by the factory, though some were later repainted in other colors.[8]Source:Ford Model A (1903–04) – Wikipedia
The Cost of owning an electric car Story by Austin Kilham •
At first, electric vehicles were marketed as luxury cars with price tags that put them out of reach for most people. However, as interest in eco-friendly cars rises, more automakers are releasing electric vehicles aimed at the masses.
By the end of 2022, there may be over 100 different electric vehicle models for sale in the United States. These cars promise to be environmentally friendly and save you money at the gas pump. However, the price of gas isn’t the only cost to consider. Read on to learn the factors that can affect the cost of an electric car, as well as look at whether electric cars are more cost effective.
Generally speaking, electric vehicles are more expensive than traditional gas-powered cars. Related: Does loan purpose matter?
How Much Do Electric Cars Cost? By Author Jonah Matthes
Are Electric Cars More Expensive than Gas-Powered Cars? Electric vehicles will cost anywhere between $30,000 to well over $40,000 to purchase off the lot. The least expensive 2022 standard internal combustion engine vehicle costs around $15,000 in comparison. However, new electric vehicles can qualify for federal tax credits ranging from $7,500 to $12,000, depending on the criteria. These tax credits can transform a $40,000 electric car into an affordable vehicle under $30,000. Not to mention, EVs accrue annual savings on gasoline. Some electric vehicle models save $800 to $1,400 on gas annually, depending on the circumstances. These savings can build up over time, saving anywhere from $2,400 to $4,200 over three years. Electric vehicles also require fewer maintenance costs than standard internal combustion engine cars. Some studies have found that electric vehicle owners spend anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 less on operations and maintenance costs each year. These savings can add up over the long haul, making EVs a less expensive option over time. So what’s the main issue with electric vehicles? The high upfront costs and finding one to purchase. Electric vehicles still have higher premiums than standard internal combustion engine models and can be difficult to find due to supply chain issues and high demand. So, in the long run, EVs might be more cost-effective than standard internal combustion engines if you can find one.
Other Detailed Cost to Owning an E.V.
1. Charging Station Costs When you charge your electric vehicle, you’ll pay per kilowatt-hour. The national average is around $0.12 per kilowatt-hour, according to data from electricity marketplace Electric Choice, though price tends to vary by state. And as a rule of thumb, the faster you charge your vehicle, the more expensive charging will be. That said, the price of a kilowatt-hour is much more stable than the price of gas. The nationwide average cost today is only a couple cents more than it was a decade ago.
2. Charging an EV at Home Charging your electric vehicle at home is the most cost-effective method of charging. In fact, one Consumer Reports study found that individuals could save $800 to $1,000 on fuel costs if they charged their electric vehicles at home. Plus, at-home rates will vary in price much less than public charging stations, as each network has its own rates. You will have to install some sort of charging station in order to charge your EV at home though. Depending on how your house is wired and what type of station you want or need, installation costs can vary widely, ranging up to about $2,500. Equipment costs tend to be anywhere from $200 to $1,000, while the cost of installation can range from $800 to $1,300 or more, according to data from Edmunds, an online automotive resource. Higher prices tend to correspond with the need to do a lot of electrical work to prepare the charging site.
3. Maintenance Electric vehicles have fewer moving parts than their gas-powered counterparts. Consider one of Tesla’s claims to fame: Their cars have only 17 moving parts, compared with the 200 or so in a traditional vehicle. As a result, there are fewer parts subject to wear and tear and therefore in need of regular maintenance. Research shows that individuals who buy an electric vehicle can expect to save about $4,600 in maintenance and repair costs over the life of the car, per data from Consumer Reports. If you take a look at a mile-for-mile breakdown of maintenance costs, electric vehicles typically cost about $0.03 per mile to maintain, compared to $0.06 per mile to maintain a car with an internal combustion engine.
4. What is Insurance on an Electric Car – Search (bing.com) Is similar to insurance for conventional vehicles, with the same coverage options such as liability, bodily injury, collision and comprehensive coverages12. However, insurance for electric cars may cost more than insurance for gas-powered cars, because electric cars have higher price tags and more complex equipment that may cost more to repair or replace3.
The cost of insurance for electric cars also varies by the model and the company45. Some companies offer cheaper rates for electric cars than others, and some models are cheaper to insure than others45. Tax incentives and long-term savings on fuel and maintenance can help offset higher insurance rates for electric cars3. So, it’s important to weigh out the pros and cons.
Is Owning an Electric Car Cheaper Than a Gas Car? While the average up-front cost of purchasing a new electric vehicle may be more than the average gas-powered car, they are cheaper to operate and maintain, and you could ultimately save thousands of dollars over the life of the car. What’s more, government incentive programs may reduce your out-of-pocket costs by a significant amount, making an electric car a more feasible option for those with smaller budgets. Still, there is some give and take with the costs of owning an electric vehicle to keep in mind. For one, insurance premiums tend to be higher. And while there is less maintenance needed overall, some repairs like battery replacement can be costly. You’ll also want to keep in mind the cost of charging, including if you want to install an at-home charger, the most cost-effective option. All told, however, the average cost per year of charging an electric car is about half that of gas vehicles, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
How Can I Pay for an Electric Car? When it comes to purchasing an electric vehicle, your options are the same as buying a traditional car. Here’s a look at the ways you can pay for an electric car.
1. Cash If you have enough savings on hand, you can buy a vehicle in cash. Doing so may give you some leverage as you negotiate a purchase price. It will also mean you don’t have to pay any extra costs in the form of loan fees and interest.
2. Financing You may also choose to finance your car, taking out a loan through a bank or other financial institution. Or you may consider dealership financing. When you take out an auto loan, you usually make a down payment and then pay off the rest of the cost of the vehicle, also known as your car loan principal, over a series of monthly payments. In return for allowing you to borrow the funds, your lender will charge interest, adding to the cost of your loan. The amount of interest they charge will depend on a number of factors, including your credit score, income, and whether you’re using a co-borrower.
3. Leasing Another option you have when it comes to getting an electric car is leasing. There are a number of benefits to leasing an electric car as opposed to buying it outright, including being able to avoid the steep depreciation that comes with electric vehicles, steering clear of dealing with eventual battery degradation, and getting access to newer, evolving technology when you trade in your car at regular intervals. However, you’ll lose out on potential federal and state tax credits when you lease instead of buy — though sometimes the leasing company may pass on their savings to the consumer. Plus, with leasing, you won’t actually own the vehicle.
4. Refinancing Your Car Loan With an EV In the future, you may consider refinancing your auto loan. When you refinance, you take out a new loan with better terms or interest rates and pay off your old loan. You may be wondering, when should you consider refinancing a car? If your financial situation improves, interest rates drop, or your electric car payments become unmanageable, looking into refinancing may be worthwhile. It’s important to consider the benefits and disadvantages of refinancing, though. On the plus side, you may be able to settle on more manageable monthly payments, save money on interest, and free up cash to put toward other financial goals. On the other hand, you may also find yourself dealing with prepayment penalties and fees to originate a new loan. Here’s a rundown of what to ask when refinancing your car to help you make a decision for your financial situation.
The Takeaway While you’ll skip costs at the gas station with an electric vehicle, there are still costs of an electric car to keep in mind if you’re considering getting one. Added costs can include charging — both at public stations and at home — as well as maintenance and insurance. Still, the average cost of an electric car does tend to be cheaper in terms of operation and maintenance than its gas-powered counterparts, even if their sticker price is currently higher. This article originally appeared on LanternCredit.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Simply put, your metabolism is all of the chemical reactions that helps to keep your body alive. It also determines how many calories you burn per day. The faster your metabolism, the more calories you burn. The speed of your metabolism is influenced by four key factors (1Trusted Source): Resting metabolic rate (RMR): How many calories you burn while you are resting or asleep. It is the least amount needed to keep you alive and functioning. Thermic effect of food (TEF): How many calories you burn through digesting and absorbing food. TEF is usually 10% of your daily calories burned.
Exercise: How many calories you burn through exercise. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT): How many calories you burn through non-exercise activities, such as standing, fidgeting, washing the dishes and other household chores. Other things that can affect your metabolism include age, height, muscle mass and hormonal factors (1Trusted Source). Unfortunately, research shows that your metabolism slows down with age. A few reasons for this include less activity, muscle loss and the aging of your internal components (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).
Summary: Your metabolism comprises all of the chemical reactions that help keep your body alive. Resting metabolic rate (RMR), thermic effect of food (TEF), exercise and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) all determine your metabolic speed.
People Tend to Be Less Active With Age Your activity levels can significantly affect the speed of your metabolism. In fact, activity — both exercise and non-exercise activity — makes up roughly 10–30% of your calories burned daily. For very active people, this number can be as high as 50% (4Trusted Source). Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the calories burned through activity other than exercise. This includes tasks like standing, washing the dishes and other household chores. Unfortunately, older adults are typically less active and burn fewer calories through activity. Research shows that over a quarter of Americans aged 50–65 don’t exercise outside of work. For people over 75, this increases to over a third (5Trusted Source). Research also shows older adults burn roughly 29% fewer calories through NEAT (6Trusted Source).
Staying active can help prevent this drop in metabolism. One study of 65 healthy young people (21–35 years) and older people (50–72 years) showed that regular endurance exercise prevents metabolism from slowing down with age (7Trusted Source).
Summary: Research shows that people become less active with age. Being less active can significantly slow down your metabolism, as it is responsible for 10–30% of your daily calories burned.
The average adult loses 3–8% of muscle during each decade after 30 (8Trusted Source). In fact, research shows that once you reach 80, you have roughly 30% less muscle than when you were 20 (9Trusted Source). This loss of muscle with age is known as sarcopenia, and can lead to fractures, weakness and early death (10Trusted Source). Sarcopenia also slows down your metabolism, as having more muscle increases your resting metabolism (11Trusted Source).
A study of 959 people found that people aged 70 had 20 pounds (9 kg) less muscle mass and 11% slower resting metabolism (RMR) than people aged 40 (12). Because muscle mass is affected by your activity level, being less active is one reason why you lose more muscle with age (13Trusted Source). Other reasons include consuming fewer calories and protein, as well as a decrease in the production of hormones, such as estrogen, testosterone and growth hormone, (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).
Summary: Muscle mass increases your resting metabolism. However, people lose muscle with age due to being less active, changes in diet and a decrease in hormone production.
METABOLIC PROCESSES SLOW DOWN WITH AGE. How many calories you burn at rest (RMR) is determined by chemical reactions inside your body. Two cellular components that drive these reactions are your sodium-potassium pumps and mitochondria (15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source). The sodium-potassium pumps help generate nerve impulses and muscle and heart contractions, while the mitochondria create energy for your cells (17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source).
Research shows that both components lose efficiency with age and thus slow down your metabolism. For instance, one study compared the rate of the sodium-potassium pumps between 27 younger men and 25 older men. The pumps were 18% slower in older adults, resulting in burning 101 fewer calories per day (16Trusted Source). Another study compared changes in the mitochondria between 9 younger adults (average age of 39) and 40 older adults (average age 69) (20Trusted Source). Scientists found that older adults had 20% fewer mitochondria. Additionally, their mitochondria were nearly 50% less efficient at using oxygen to create energy — a process that helps drive your metabolism. That said, compared to both activity and muscle mass, these internal components have a lower effect on the speed of your metabolism.
Summary: Cellular components like the mitochondria and sodium-potassium pumps become less efficient with age. However, the effect on metabolism is still less than muscle loss and activity.
How Much Does Metabolism Slow Down With Age? The speed of your metabolism is affected by your activity levels, muscle mass and several other factors. As a result, metabolic speed varies from person to person. For instance, one study compared the RMR of three groups of people: those aged 20–34, 60–74 and over 90. Compared to the youngest group, people aged 60–74 burned roughly 122 fewer calories, while people over 90 burned around 422 fewer calories.
However, after accounting for differences in gender, muscle and fat, scientists found that the people aged 60–74 burned only 24 fewer calories, while those over 90 burned 53 fewer calories on average daily. This shows that maintaining muscle is incredibly important as you age (21Trusted Source). Another study followed 516 older adults (aged 60 plus) for twelve years to see how much their metabolism fell per decade. After accounting for muscle and fat differences, per decade, women burned 20 fewer calories at rest, while men burned 70 fewer calories.
Interestingly, both men and women were also less active and burned 115 fewer calories through activity per decade. This shows that staying active as you age is crucial to maintaining metabolism (3Trusted Source). Nevertheless, one study found no difference in RMR between women of all ages. However, the oldest group of people in the study lived very long (over 95 years), and it is thought their higher metabolisms are the reason why (22Trusted Source). In short, research seems to show that being less active and losing muscle has the greatest negative effect on your metabolism.
Summary: Research shows that losing muscle and being less active are the biggest reasons why your metabolism slows down with age. Compared to these two factors, everything else only has a minor effect.
How Can You Prevent Your Metabolism Slowing Down with Age? Although the metabolism typically slows down with age, there are many things you can due to fight this. Here are six ways you can combat the effects of aging on your metabolism. 6 Mistakes That Slow Down Your Metabolism (healthline.com)
1. Try Resistance Training Resistance training, or weight lifting, is great for preventing a slowing metabolism. It offers the benefits of exercise while preserving muscle mass — two factors that affect the speed of your metabolism. One study with 13 healthy men aged 50–65 found that 16 weeks of resistance training three times weekly increased their RMR by 7.7% (23Trusted Source). Another study with 15 people aged 61–77 found that half a year of resistance training three times weekly increased RMR by 6.8% (24Trusted Source).
2. Try High-Intensity Interval Training High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help prevent a slowing metabolism. It is a training technique that alternates between intense anaerobic exercise with short periods of rest. HIIT also continues to burn calories long after you finish exercising. This is called the “afterburn effect.” It occurs because your muscles need to use more energy to recover after exercise (25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source). In fact, research has shown that HIIT can burn up to 190 calories over 14 hours after exercising (26Trusted Source). Research also shows that HIIT can help your body build and preserve muscle mass with age (27Trusted Source).
4. Eat More Protein-Rich Foods Eating more protein-rich foods can help fight a slowing metabolism. That’s because your body burns more calories while consuming, digesting and absorbing protein-rich foods. This is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). Protein-rich foods have a higher TEF than carb- and fat-rich foods (31Trusted Source). In fact, studies have shown that consuming 25–30% of your calories from protein can boost your metabolism by up to 80–100 calories per day, compared to lower protein diets (32Trusted Source). Protein is also essential to fight sarcopenia. Thus, a protein-rich diet can fight an aging metabolism by preserving muscle (33Trusted Source). A simple way to eat more protein daily is to have a source of protein at every meal.
5. Make Sure You Eat Enough Food A low-calorie diet can slow down your metabolism by switching your body into “starvation mode” (34Trusted Source). While dieting has its benefits when you’re younger, maintaining muscle mass is more important with age (35Trusted Source). Older adults also tend to have a lower appetite, which may decrease calorie intake and slow metabolism (36Trusted Source). If you struggle to eat enough calories, try eating smaller portions more frequently. It is also great to have high-calorie snacks like cheese and nuts handy.
6. Drink Green Tea Green tea can increase your metabolism by 4–5% (37Trusted Source). This is because green tea contains caffeine and plant compounds, which have been shown to increase your resting metabolism (38Trusted Source). A study in 10 healthy men found that drinking green tea three times daily increased their metabolism by 4% over 24 hours (39Trusted Source).
Summary: Although your metabolism slows down with age, there are many ways to combat this. This includes resistance training, high-intensity training, getting plenty of rest, eating enough protein and calories and drinking green tea.
Q. How can metabolism be increased?
Dr. Howard E. LeWine M.D. Chief Medical Editor,
Harvard Health Publishing · 40 years of experience · USA
Metabolism is the combination of all the chemical processes needed to sustain life. The minimum amount of energy needed to carry out these basic processes while fasting and at rest is your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Total energy expenditure (TEE) is a combination of BMR, plus energy used for physical activities and energy used to digest food. You can’t make any significant changes to your BMR. But you can increase your TEE by getting more aerobic exercise and doing strength training as well as staying physically active throughout the day.
Dr. Sanju Sarangan
Doctor of Medicine (MBBS) · 2 years of experience · India
Does sugar slow down your metabolism? 1. Reduce beverage or soda consumption and increase intake of water. 2. Exercise and high-intensity interval training commonly called HIIT helps to increase your metabolic rate by burning more fat than normal exercises. 3. Eat plenty of protein in your diet as it induces a feeling of fullness and prevents overeating. 4. Drinking green tea and coffee regularly helps boost metabolism. 5. Doing more exercise and burning more calories are the way to go. 6. Proper sleep plays a vital role as well.
5 ways to boost metabolism 1. Exercise more. Add interval training to your cardio routine and burn more calories in less time. 2. Weight train. Add muscle mass to your body and you can burn more calories at rest. 3. Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast. 4.Eat fat-burning foods. 5. Get a good night’s sleep every night.
The Bottom Line Research shows that your metabolism tends to slow down with age. Being less active, losing muscle mass and the aging of your internal components all contribute to a sluggish metabolism. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to fight aging by slowing down your metabolism. This includes weightlifting, high-intensity interval training, eating enough calories and protein, getting plenty of sleep and drinking green tea.
If you’re getting more forgetful as you age—and who among us isn’t— there are two things you can do about it this Memorial Day weekend. Take a multivitamin. And go for a 30-minute walk. Oh — and then keep both of them up.
So report peer-reviewed scientific studies out this week, which have found that regular vitamins and walks can slow or even reverse the effects of cognitive decline on the aging brain. The average effect on the aging brain of a daily multivitamin is the equivalent of being a full three years’ younger, according to the study conducted by researchers at Columbia and Harvard medical schools and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. “We estimate that the effect of the multivitamin intervention improved memory performance above placebo by the equivalent of 3.1 years of age-related memory change,” the researchers report in the latest issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
This was based on a study of more than 3,500 senior citizens over three years. The participants were randomly assigned either to take a Centrum Silver multivitamin or a placebo every day. They were subjected to various standard brain tests every year, such tests requiring people to recall as many words as possible from a random list. Researchers say the benefits were most pronounced in those with underlying heart disease. The benefits of the daily vitamin showed up as early as the first annual test, and persisted in years afterward, the researchers said.
These findings confirm similar findings in a parallel study published last year, which found that a daily multivitamin benefited the whole brain, not just the memory. That study, too, found the effects were most pronounced among those with underlying heart disease. Meanwhile another independent study, conducted at the University of Maryland, found that walking for 30 minutes three or four times a week also has a significant beneficial effect on the brains of older people. The study involved 33 participants aged between 71 and 85, who exercised on a treadmill under supervision over 12 weeks. Verbal memory tests and MRI scans showed brain and memory benefits, even that quickly.
There are so many scientific studies coming out these days—on age-related cognitive decline as well as everything else—that it’s easy to become injured. But cognitive impairment, and full-blown dementia, are already pandemics… way more extensive than Covid.
Alzheimer’s is currently killing over 6 million Americans, and the numbers are rising. And the scientific breakthroughs in terms of medical treatments, let alone cures, are scarce and expensive. Alzheimer’s is already killing six times as many Americans as all those who died with Covid, and the numbers are heading up.
So it’s good news that there are things we can do on our own. These include not just vitamins and walking, but eating the right foods, avoiding the wrong ones, studying, doing crosswords, and meditating. We can hardly do them all at once. But anything is better than nothing.
Multivitamin supplements may help slow the normal forgetfulness that comes with aging, researchers reported Wednesday. The analysis of data from more than 3,500 older participants showed that those who took a daily Centrum Silver pill over a period of three years had better memories than those who received a placebo treatment, according to the report published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The effects seen in the study are “very, very encouraging,” said study co-author Adam Brickman, a professor of neuropsychology at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. “Cognitive change and memory loss are a top health concern for older adults,” he said. “And we don’t have many strategies to mitigate the changes that come with aging.
So, it’s encouraging that a supplement can help address one of the main health concerns older adults have.” To explore whether a daily multivitamin could benefit cognitive function, the researchers turned to participants in the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS), a multiyear study which has enrolled 21,442 older men and women to investigate the effects of cocoa supplements and multivitamins on cognition and the risk of cancer and cardiovascular events. Haleon, formerly known as Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, makes Centrum Silver and provided vitamins used in the trial. Mars Edge, part of the Mars candy and snack maker, partially funded the study with the National Institutes of Health. Neither company had any role in designing the trial or input in the findings.
A multivitamin supplement may slightly improve memory and slow decline. For the new study, Brickman and his colleagues followed a subset of 3,562 individuals from the larger trial who were randomly assigned to receive a multivitamin or a placebo. The researchers used a new web-based test to evaluate participants’ memories at the beginning of the study, at one year and at three years. Compared to the placebo group, the men and women taking a daily multivitamin did significantly better on the memory test, which evaluated a person’s ability to immediately reproduce a list of words after reading it, the study found.
The researchers estimate that the multivitamin intervention improved memory performance by the equivalent of 3.1 years compared to the placebo. It’s the second large study to find a cognitive benefit from taking multivitamins. Last year, another trial, COSMOS-Mind, found that daily multivitamins were associated with a 60% slowing of cognitive aging globally. That study also used data from a subset of COSMOS participants. It’s not uncommon for researchers to fail to replicate the results of “big flashy studies,” Brickman said. “We have a clear replication of the effect of multivitamins on cognition. That gives us a lot more confidence in the data.” The researchers don’t yet know which ingredient in the multivitamins, which include A, C, B vitamins and zinc, might be driving the effects on cognition. “It’s important to understand this,” said epidemiologist Howard Sesso, an associate professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School and study co-author.
It’s also not clear whether these results would be seen with other brands of multivitamins. “This particular brand was selected because it is commonly used in the U.S. and has a good quality and safety record,” said Sesso, who is also a researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “In addition, we tested a very similar Centrum Silver formulation” in an earlier study called the Physicians’ Health Study II, he said. That study found no cognitive benefit from taking multivitamins.
The researchers have not yet looked at other types of multivitamins to determine if they would work as well or if the benefit is specific to a certain formulation. The effect seen by the researchers is relatively small, so an individual might not notice any improvement although it can be seen in the larger data, said Dr. Paul Newhouse, director of the Vanderbilt Center for Cognitive Medicine, who was not involved with the new research. It’s notable “neither group showed a decline in cognition,” he said. “Rather, you’re seeing the degree to which one group improved over three years.”
Although the effect is small, using multivitamins along with other lifestyle modifications already shown to reduce the risk of cognitive decline, such as exercise and following the Mediterranean diet, might lead to a larger combined impact, he said. Newhouse doesn’t recommend that doctors prescribe multivitamins to their patients to prevent cognitive decline. “We need longer studies,” he said. “But this study does suggest that multivitamin supplementation is not harmful and may be potentially beneficial.” Also, because the participants had either finished or attended college, the results might not be the same for other groups of people, said Dr. Riddhi Patira, an investigator at the Alzheimer’s Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
They are also not typical of the patients she sees, who are already experiencing cognitive decline. “These are normal individuals who are able to go online to take the test,” Patira said. “They are highly motivated people.” When patients ask her for lifestyle changes that might help prevent cognitive decline, she suggests a healthy diet. Patira, who was not involved with the new study, feels the follow-up isn’t long enough to suggest multivitamins for a cognitive boost. In healthy people with normal cognition, declines “move so slow, it’s hard to detect anything meaningful after a year,” she said, adding that differences might not be detectable for five to 20 years.
I have been researching everything I need to know about Alzheimer’s & Dementia lately. What has been helping my 94-year-old mother is a complete breakfast, Shopping Cart Therapy, Word Search Puzzles and in the Evening MeTV (MASH, Andy Griffith Show, Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres). Laughter is Great Medicine and after she watches those old shows she is fast asleep, and a good night sleep helps a lot.
Seven Signs of the End Times – Rapture Forums Featured: Imminent 6th Seal Rapture (WW3) Year 2011 Extreme: Historic Events, Worst Death & Destruction Typhoon Sendong/Washi – A Harbinger of Massive Earthquake & Tsunami A Marker for the Divine Judgment in the Philippines Beginning in 2012 January 2012 Updates were transferred to: January 2012 News Starters The Nation of Isaac & The Nation of Ishmael Egyptian Cleric:
Isaac and Ishmael: Where the Conflict Began – Akron Alliance Fellowship “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
SIGNS: 1. False Messiahs/False Christs 2. Rumors of Wars 3. Uprisings/Protests 4. Famine/Food Price Increase 5. Earthquakes/Natural Disasters 6. When Will Yellowstone Explode? (rumble.com) I would really pay attention to Yellowstone right now. People who live nearby, please research this information
“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against these people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
SIGNS: 1. Israel against the Arab World 2. Israel vs Iran Nuclear War Threat 3. Israel – Palestine Peace Treaty 4. Division of the Land of Israel 5. 1967 borders – giving up of Jerusalem’s sacred sites.
“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.. right at the door..” “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be accounted WORTHY to ESCAPE all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Source: Matthew 24 – Mark 13 – Luke 21
This knows also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be: – lovers of their own selves covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers – disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, – trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, – traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. – Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers’ lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Is it possible that we are in the midst of the sixth major mass extinction? Many scientists believe we are. A number of known species have been lost since humans’ evolution. Since these mass extinction events can take millions of years, perhaps we are witnessing the sixth major mass extinction event as it happens. Whether or not humans will survive has yet to be determined. Earth is currently in the midst of a mass extinction, losing thousands of species each year. New research suggests environmental changes caused the first such event in history, which occurred millions of years earlier than scientists previously realized. Most dinosaurs famously disappeared 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period. Prior to that, a majority of Earth’s creatures were snuffed out between the Permian and Triassic periods, roughly 252 million years ago. Thanks to the efforts of researchers at UC Riverside and Virginia Tech, it’s now known that a similar extinction occurred 550 million years ago, during the Ediacaran period. This discovery is documented in a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences paper.
Although unclear whether this represents a true “mass extinction,” the percentage of organisms lost is similar to these other events, including the current, ongoing one. The researchers believe environmental changes are to blame for the loss of approximately 80% of all Ediacaran creatures, which were the first complex, multicellular life forms on the planet. “Geological records show that the world’s oceans lost a lot of oxygen during that time, and the few species that did survive had bodies adapted for lower oxygen environments,” said Chenyi Tu, UCR paleontologist and study co-author. Unlike later events, this earliest one was more difficult to document because the creatures that perished were soft bodied and did not preserve well in the fossil record.
“We suspected such an event, but to prove it we had to assemble a massive database of evidence,” said Rachel Surprenant, UCR paleontologist and study co-author. The team documented nearly every known Ediacaran animal’s environment, body size, diet, ability to move, and habits. With this project, the researchers sought to disprove the charge that the major loss of animal life at the end of the Ediacaran period was something other than an extinction. Some previously believed the event could be explained by the right data not being collected, or a change in animal behavior, like the arrival of predators. “We can see the animals’ spatial distribution over time, so we know they didn’t just move elsewhere or get eaten — they died out,” said Chenyi.
“We’ve shown a true decrease in the abundance of organisms.” They also tracked creatures’ surface area to volume ratios, a measurement that suggests declining oxygen levels were to blame for the deaths. “If an organism has a higher ratio, it can get more nutrients, and the bodies of the animals that did live into the next era were adapted in this way,” said UCR paleontologist Heather McCandless, study co-author. This project came from a graduate class led by UCR paleontologist Mary Droser and her former graduate student, now at Virginia Tech, Scott Evans. For the next class, the students will investigate the origin of these animals, rather than their extinction. Ediacaran creatures would be considered strange by today’s standards. Many of the animals could move, but they were unlike anything now living. Among them were Obamus coronatus, a disc-shaped creature named for the former president, and Attenborites janeae, a tiny ovoid resembling a raisin named for English naturalist Sir David Attenborough. “These animals were the first evolutionary experiment on Earth, but they only lasted about 10 million years. Not long at all, in evolutionary terms,” Droser said.
Though it’s not clear why oxygen levels declined so precipitously at the end of the era, it is clear that environmental change can destabilize and destroy life on Earth at any time. Such changes have driven all mass extinctions including the one currently occurring. “There’s a strong correlation between the success of organisms and, to quote Carl Sagan, our ‘pale blue dot,’” said Phillip Boan, UC Riverside geologist and study co-author. “Nothing is immune to extinction. We can see the impact of climate change on ecosystems and should note the devastating effects as we plan for the future,” Boan said.
WILL HUMANITY DESTROY HUMANITY TO SAVE THE PLANET ? Orlando, Florida among cities that rank high as the best to avoid the worst climate impacts. Orlando is a favorite among the best cities to avoid worst climate change impacts. Here are others.
12 climate resilient cities These are the cities tops on Keenan’s list: With house insurance rates escalating and more frequent flooding from rising sea levels and extreme rainfall, some prospective home buyers are asking more questions about climate impacts before signing up for a 30-year mortgage. Economists, flood experts and others often consider which cities might be safest from climate change impacts in the long-term, considering factors such as flood risk, sustainability and preparation to make communities more resilient.
The truth is every place has its risks, said Steve Bowen, chief science officer and meteorologist with Gallagher Re, a global reinsurance broker. “You have to inherently understand there is no risk-free place anywhere in the country,” Bowen said. “It’s picking the type of risk you want to be subjected to.” Across the country, people are struggling with rapid shifts between drought and extreme rain, warming temperatures and severe storms that produce hail, rain and tornadoes, Bowen said. More extreme weather events aren’t the only thing causing insurance rates to shoot up, but they will increase pressure on the market, and could price people out of their homes and send them in search of less riskier places to live.
Climate migration already underway Landlord mortgage crisis on track to trigger the sale of 735,000 rental homes. It appears people already are moving away from the coast in states like North Carolina and Louisiana, and that pace is expected to increase, said Jesse Keenan, an economist and associate professor of sustainable real estate at Tulane University who studies urban and infrastructure planning. Keenan once referred to Duluth, Minnesota, in a presentation as “the most climate-proof city in America (sort of)” and to his amusement, the suggested slogan – among several he presented – stuck. Although the slogan keeps resurfacing in news stories and conversations, other cities also offer promise as climate change, natural disasters and other stressors force property owners inland. While conducting research, he and his research team have developed a list of cities that could be best bets. The communities stand out because of some combination of their geographies, economies and what they’ve done to get ready for the changes that lie ahead, he said.
Earth’s Annual CO2 Levels | Watch (msn.com) Earth inhales and exhales carbon, indicating where and when vegetation is growing. (Sucking up carbon dioxide) or dying off (releasing carbon dioxide).
Climate change a factor when people consider a move Orlando has long been seen by investors as potentially being “the great beneficiary of an outflow of people” as southeast Florida “essentially depopulates to Central Florida,” Keenan said. He has heard from residents of some cities, such as Asheville, North Carolina, who say they already see an influx of people moving in from coastal regions. It may be a small number, but it’s resonating with the locals, he said. “People don’t wake up in the morning and say I’m moving because of climate change,” Keenan said. “They wake up and make a very complex set of decisions that weigh a lot of factors and climate change is one of those factors. It’s about jobs, family connections, school districts and all these other things that generally drive relocation.”
Sea levels rising Greenland’s ice is melting three times faster than at the start of the 20th century. One thing is certain, sea level rise is accelerating, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Sea levels have risen about a foot over the last 100 years, and the pace has picked up in recent decades, William Sweet, a NOAA oceanographer said during a May briefing by Sciline, a service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Broadly, the U.S. is headed for about a foot of sea level rise in the next 30 years, Sweet said. “Sea level rise continues to creep up and run amok amongst our infrastructure.” “A little bit of sea level rise goes a long way in terms of the types of impacts that are really starting to grow in leaps and bounds,” Sweet said. The change is most evident not in the number of huge floods, he said, but in the localized, minor flooding events that occur more and more often. “It’s not just weighing on people’s minds, but it’s weighing on commerce and commutes within communities,” Sweet said. Downtowns are flooding. People aren’t shopping. In Norfolk, Virginia, for example, minor flooding events happened about five times a year in 2020.
By 2050, moderate flooding will happen five to 10 times a year.
A bold reassessment of what caused the Late Bronze Age collapse Earth Is Spinning Too Quickly – Clocks Aren’t Keeping Up – Search (bing.com) Thanks to a speed-up of Earth’s rotation, the length of the astronomical day and the length of the clocks isn’t quite matching up. Eventually, international timekeepers may need to subtract a second.
In 1177 B.C., marauding groups known only as the “Sea Peoples” invaded Egypt. The pharaoh’s army and navy managed to defeat them, but the victory so weakened Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did most of the surrounding civilizations. After centuries of brilliance, the civilized world of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt and cataclysmic end. Kingdoms fell like dominoes over the course of just a few decades.
No more Minoans or Mycenaeans. No more Trojans, Hittites, or Babylonians. The thriving economy and cultures of the late second millennium B.C., which had stretched from Greece to Egypt and Mesopotamia, suddenly ceased to exist, along with writing systems, technology, and monumental architecture. But the Sea Peoples alone could not have caused such widespread breakdown. How did it happen?
In this major new account of the causes of this “First Dark Ages,” Eric Cline tells the gripping story of how the end was brought about by multiple interconnected failures, ranging from invasion and revolt to earthquakes, drought, and the cutting of international trade routes. Bringing to life the vibrant multicultural world of these great civilizations, he draws a sweeping panorama of the empires and globalized peoples of the Late Bronze Age.
Showing through history that it was their very interdependence that hastened their dramatic collapse and ushered in a dark age that lasted centuries. A compelling combination of narrative and the latest scholarship, 1177 B.C. sheds new light on the complex ties that gave rise to, and ultimately destroyed, the flourishing civilizations of the Late Bronze Age―and set the stage for the emergence of classical Greece. The Great Depression Facts, Information & Timeline – Search (bing.com)
Experts said the rock is not a useful landmark for measuring sea level changes. Michael Oppenheimer, a Princeton University professor of geosciences and international affairs, said a single, stationary object “anchored in bedrock and free of tectonic activity” can sometimes be used to measure local sea levels. “But all it can indicate is local sea level, not ‘sea levels’ generally or the global mean rise,” Oppenheimer said. Local sea level rise can significantly differ from the global mean sea level rise because of landsinking or tectonic activity, he said. Gary Griggs, a University of California, Santa Cruz, professor of earth sciences, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been tracking sea levels relative to land in Boston, near Plymouth Rock, for 100 years. These records show that sea levels have risen about 11.4 inches in the past century.
Satellite data, which has been used to measure sea level rise since 1993, indicates an average rate of global sea level rise of about 13.9 inches per century, Griggs said. That rate is accelerating; over the past decade, the rate has increased to about 19.7 inches per 100 years, he said. “This is relatively simple science, and there are no alternate interpretations or facts,” Griggs said. “Sea-level rise is directly connected to a warming climate. The warmer the planet gets, the more sea water expands, and the more ice melts, all adding to sea level.” Oppenheimer also said global mean sea levels are rising annually and that the rise is accelerating. “There is no doubt about this,” he said. Rising sea levels cause problems, some of which have already begun, Oppenheimer said. “So-called nuisance or fair-weather flooding has increased in frequency, meaning that high tides now flood streets on a regular basis along the coast in many states — up to 10 times as frequently as 50 years ago,” he said. “Furthermore, in large coastal storms, flood risk is increasing as water penetrates inland further and to higher elevation.”
Fact Check: There’s no proof that Plymouth Rock was at sea level when it might have welcomed the Pilgrims in 1620. The rock has also moved several times in the past 400 years and is sometimes submerged during high tides and extreme weather. Experts said that Plymouth Rock is not useful for evaluating sea level changes. That sea levels are rising, however, is undisputed.
Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and other smog-forming substances from cars1234. Can pollute the air, contribute to climate change, and harm human health123. Cars and trucks produce about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year on average and account for 41% of global transportation emissions and 1/5 of all emissions in the US45. Electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles do not produce tailpipe emissions, but they may have upstream emissions related to the production of their fuel1.
What Emissions Do Cars Produce? It’s Not Just CO2. Cars are one of the biggest producers of carbon emissions in the world today, but it isn’t just carbon dioxide they’re putting into the atmosphere, it’s other potentially hazardous emissions as well.
An estimated 150 million people living in the U.S. live in areas that do not meet air quality standards, and most of this bad air is due to our own reliance on fossil fuels. The main source of this pollution, especially in areas like Los Angeles and other cities, is automobiles. Passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks are a major source of air pollution — and it isn’t just carbon they’re emitting.
It is estimated that in 2013, transportation contributed more than half of the carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere.
What emissions do cars produce? Combustion engines from cars and trucks produce a number of polluting elements including ozone, particulate matter, and other smog-forming emissions. Nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide are other main components of this exhaust, and both have had a proven negative impact on the environment.
It contributed to almost a quarter of the hydrocarbons emitted into our air. Diesel exhaust, in particular, is a big contributor to the sooty exhaust that gets belched into the open air by long-haul trucks. The particulate matter found in soot may only be less than one-tenth the diameter of a human hair, but it still poses a serious threat to human lungs. These fine particles can penetrate deep into the lungs, causing all sorts of respiratory issues.
Car exhaust also contains a number of volatile organic compounds that react badly with nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight. These compounds form what is essentially ground-level ozone, the main ingredient in smog. Other dangerous chemicals in these volatile organic compounds include toxic air pollutants such as benzene, acetaldehyde, and 1,3-butadiene, all of which have been linked to cancer.
What exactly are carbon emissions?
The term carbon emissions is usually synonymous with the term greenhouse gases. These gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and water vapor. When they are released, say by a car, the gasses flow up into the atmosphere, where they trap the sun’s heat. The average global temperature goes up and the resultant long-term heating of Earth’s climate is known as global warming.
Fossil fuels like petroleum and coal, are some of the main contributors to this global warming effect. It is believed that 82 percent of all total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. were the result of carbon emissions, and most of those were from automobiles. According to the EPA, 28.9 percent of all carbon emissions are caused by transportation.
What are the health effects of car emissions?
The health risks of air pollution are extremely serious. In places where everyone drives everywhere, smog from automobiles can blot out the sun or cause the air quality to become so poor that it risks the lives of those living there. The chemical mix from smog-producing vehicles can exacerbate things like asthma and bronchitis and raises the risk of people developing life-threatening conditions like cancer.
What is being done to make cars more environmentally friendly?
Clean vehicle and fuel technologies have become much more sought after in recent years. It’s almost as if science and the proof of smog-soaked cities have caused some naysayers to realize that perhaps, we have a bit of a fossil fuel problem. The addition of strong federal policies is helping to solve this problem as well, though those initiatives depend entirely on the willingness of politicians to recognize the problem. Sadly, not everyone does. Why are red states hiring so much faster than blue states? (msn.com)
Nevertheless, Elon Musk’s Tesla and a number of other clean-tech companies have come up with practical, affordable solutions to the gas-guzzling artifacts many of us are currently driving. Fuel-efficient vehicles that use less oil, cleaner fuels that produce fewer emissions, and electric cars and trucks are all new innovations that have risen in popularity over the past decade. These new contrivances are meant to provide people with an affordable, available means of reducing transportation-related air pollution and lowering emissions, and as the EV industry grows, we move a little bit closer to fewer emissions and cleaner air. 50 years ago, government decided to clean up car exhaust. It’s still at it. – Hagerty Media
A drug that destroys the deadliest brain tumors has been developed by scientists. It passes through the blood-brain barrier that protects neurons from foreign invaders – wiping out cancerous cells. Experiments found the small molecule killed them all – leaving healthy tissue alone.
Results were described as “very promising.” The mice were cured – with no relapse after more than six months. It works in combination with chemotherapy.
Tumors quickly returned in peers given only the latter and spread rapidly. Improved therapies are urgently needed for glioblastomas – which are often incurable. The international team believes it could be introduced in clinical practice within 5 years. The breakthrough has potential implications for other aggressive cancers.
Lead author Professor Leif Eriksson, of Gothenburg University, Sweden, said: “These are the first clear results with brain tumors that can lead to a treatment which completely avoids surgery and radiation. “We have also begun studying the use of our substance on other aggressive tumor forms like pancreatic cancer, triple-negative breast cancer and certain liver cancers.”
Approximately 14,000 cases of glioblastoma are diagnosed each year in the United States. Only about seven percent survive. Most patients succumb within two years, and few make it past five – a statistic that hasn’t improved in decades.
The drug, named Z4P, blocks a mechanism that fuels the tumor’s protein production – causing cells to die of stress. Cancer cells, especially those that form aggressive tumors, are out of control. To manage this pressure, they hijack healthy cells.
Eriksson explained: “We have now succeeded in stopping this by inserting a specially developed molecule in the cells that inhibits one of these hijacked adaptive mechanisms in the cancer cells. This causes the cancer to self-destruct.”
Advanced simulations on supercomputers came up with a version that got it through the blood-brain barrier that prevents uptake of most pharmaceuticals.
“Today cancer treatment consists of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, all cancer cells are not killed and the tumor returns.
“Once the cancer relapses the tumor cells have often spread and developed resistance.”
The technique described in iScience does not apply to other forms of brain cancer because they develop differently. Current treatments for brain tumors often have severe side effects. None were identified in Z4P. The treated animals-maintained weight had no apparent changes in behavior and there was no sign of an impact on the liver.
Extensive lab tests on cells have shown the substance is non-toxic – even at very high doses. Eriksson and colleagues are now optimizing the treatment procedure and planning additional animal studies. But they are confident it should be able to arrive relatively quickly into clinical treatment. Eriksson said: “It largely depends on whether funding comes in that allows taking the different steps as smoothly as possible.
“If I’m optimistic perhaps it might take five years. That’s a short timeframe, but at the same time glioblastomas are nearly 100 percent fatal, so any improvement in medical care is major progress.”
This molecule Z4P inhibits one of the mechanisms that regulate protein production in a cancer cell. This inhibition causes the cancer cell to die.
Three pictures show the spread of the tumor after 20 days of treatment on mice. Control: Untreated tumor. TMZ: Follow-up treatment solely with chemotherapy. Combo: Combination treatment with chemotherapy and the inhibitor Z4P.
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, working with French colleagues, have successfully developed a method able to kill the aggressive brain tumor glioblastoma. By blocking certain functions in the cell with a docked molecule, the researchers cause the cancer to die of stress. Cancer cells, especially those that form aggressive tumors, are in one way or another out of control and live a very stressful existence.
To manage this stress, The cancer cells hijack mechanisms that the healthy cells use to regulate protein production and process the surplus proteins that they create. Without these hijacked mechanisms, the cancer cell would die. “We have now succeeded in stopping this hijacking by inserting a specially developed molecule in the cells that inhibits one of these hijacked adaptive mechanisms in the cancer cells. This causes the cancer to self-destruct,” says Leif Eriksson, professor of physical chemistry at the University of Gothenburg.
Swedish-French collaboration. Leif Eriksson’s group has worked with a research group at INSERM in Rennes, France. Using super computers and advanced simulations, the researchers developed a version of the molecule that can also pass through the blood-brain barrier that protects brain tissue. They have presented their findings in the journal iScience. The breakthrough applies to glioblastoma brain tumors. These make up about 45 percent of all brain tumors and around 400 Swedes are diagnosed with glioblastomas every year. For the EU as a whole, there are 19,000 cases annually.
Currently, the prognosis for malignant glioblastomas is very bad. Only a few percent survive five years after diagnosis and treatment. “Today, cancer treatment consists of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, all cancer cells are not killed, and the tumor returns. Once the cancer relapses, the tumor cells have often spread and developed resistance,” Leif Eriksson.
Studying how it can be used with other cancers Studies with the new method have shown very promising results. The researchers saw that a combination treatment with the new substance and chemotherapy was enough to completely kill the tumors while also preventing relapse. Since the tumors were stressed to death, all cancer cells disappeared, and in animal experiments with mice there was no cancer relapse after 200 days. In comparative experiments with just chemotherapy, the brain tumors relapsed after 100 days and grew rapidly. “These are the first clear results with brain tumors that can lead to a treatment which completely avoids surgery and radiation. We have also begun studying the use of our substance on other aggressive tumor forms like pancreatic cancer, triple-negative breast cancer and certain lever cancers,” says Eriksson. There are other types of brain tumors that develop differently than glioblastomas. This new method does not work with these forms of cancer.
No side effects Current treatments for brain tumors often have severe side effects. With this new treatment, the researchers have not yet seen any side effects with the substance. The treated animals maintained weight, had no apparent changes in behavior and there was no sign of impact on the liver. While more in-depth studies are needed, extensive cell tests have shown that the substance is non-toxic for healthy cells even at very high doses. Research on this molecule will now continue. There is still much to do, such as optimizing the treatment procedure and additional animal experiments. But Leif Eriksson hopes and believes that it should go relatively quickly to get the pharmaceutical into clinical treatment.
“It largely depends on whether funding comes in that allows taking the different steps as smoothly as possible. If I’m optimistic, perhaps it might take five years. That’s a short timeframe, but at the same time glioblastomas are nearly 100% fatal, so any improvement in medical care is major progress,” says Eriksson.
About this brain cancer research news. Author: Olof Lönnehed Source: University of Gothenburg Contact: Olof Lönnehed – University of Gothenburg Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Contact: Leif Eriksson, professor of physical chemistry at the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Gothenburg. Phone: +46 (0)721-94 43 90, email: leif.eriksson@chem.gu.se
Abstract A novel IRE1 kinase inhibitor for adjuvant glioblastoma treatment.
Highlights In silico screening yields a structurally new and brain permeable IRE1 inhibitor. Co-treatment with temozolomide prevents glioblastoma relapses in mice. Validation of IRE1 as a therapeutic target for adjuvant treatment in glioblastoma.
Summary Herein, we report the discovery of structurally new IRE1 inhibitors identified through the structural exploration of its kinase domain. Characterization in vitro and in cellular models showed they inhibit IRE1 signaling & sensitize glioblastoma (GB) cells to the standard chemotherapeutic, temozolomide (TMZ).
Inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) is a major mediator of the unfolded protein response (UPR), which is activated upon endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Tumor cells experience ER stress due to adverse microenvironmental cues, a stress overcome by relying on IRE1 signaling as an adaptive mechanism.
Finally, we demonstrate that one of these inhibitors, Z4P, permeates the blood–brain barrier (BBB), inhibits GB growth, and prevents relapse in vivo when administered together with TMZ. The hit compound disclosed herein satisfies an unmet need for targeted, non-toxic IRE1 inhibitors and our results support the attractiveness of IRE1 as an adjuvant therapeutic target in GB. Scientists Find Chronic Pain Signal Pathways in Brain (msn.com)
With the example of her parents, Tada lived a very active life all through her growing-up years, enjoying riding horses, hiking, tennis, and swimming. On July 30, 1967, when she was 17 years old, she dove into the Chesapeake Bay after misjudging the shallowness of the water. And she had a fracture between the fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae and became a quadriplegic (or tetraplegic), paralyzed from the shoulders down.[1] During Tada’s two years of rehabilitation, according to her autobiography Joni, she experienced anger, depression, suicidal thoughts, and religious doubts. However, during occupational therapy, she learned to paint with a brush between her teeth and began selling her artwork. She also writes this way, although for most writing tasks she relies on voice recognition software. To date, she has written over forty books, recorded several musical albums, and starred in an autobiographical movie of her life, and is an advocate for people with disabilities.[1]Source:Joni Eareckson Tada – Wikipedia
Even in the midst of suffering, God is still good. Music is one of my absolute favorites among God’s many beautiful gifts to mankind. I heartily agree with Martin Luther, who said, “Next to the word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.” Music has particularly been dear to me in times of affliction. During trials, music— especially old hymns—uplift my spirit, encourage me and draw me closer to the God of all comforts. When Joni Eareckson Tada was 17, she took a dive into shallow water in the Chesapeake Bay that left her paralyzed from the neck down. Over 55 years later, she also wrestled with chronic pain, lung problems, and cancer. And during her seasons of intense suffering, she drew comfort and hope from timeless hymns of the faith.
Joni Eareckson Tada breast cancer – Bing video In 2010, Tada announced that she had been diagnosed with Stage IIIbreast cancer. She underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy.[38][39] Her treatment proved successful, and she was declared cancer-free in 2015.[40] In November 2018, Tada was diagnosed with a malignant nodule on her chest wall near the site of her original cancer.[40] Radiation treatments for the nodule proved successful, and, in July 2019, she announced that she had once again been declared cancer-free.[41]You can read Joni’s cancer updates here.
Therefore, she wrote Songs of Suffering: 25 Hymns and Devotions for Weary Souls to teach us the songs that helped her persevere in her pain. Tada handpicked these songs to encourage and edify weary Christians. She says, “The song must possess enough spiritual muscle to barge into my soul and shake awake a hopeful response. It must be a hymn whose lyrics raise me onto a different plane spiritually; it must summon in me the emotional wherewithal to remember my station in life so that I can rise above my circumstances. A well-crafted song of suffering—filled with truths about life and God—has power to do that. It grinds biblical truth into our souls, like a pestle grinding powder in a crucible.”
The 25 hymns are arranged in three main sections: Songs of Comfort, Songs of Strength, and Songs of Hope. They feature hymns such as Abide With Me, Wonderful Peace, Dear Refuge of my Weary Soul, Faith is the Victory, The Deep Deep Love of Jesus, and Face to Face with Christ, My Savior. Each hymn has lyrics, a devotional lesson, related Scripture, gorgeous artwork, and sheet music.
Songs of Suffering is a delightful and encouraging devotional song! In God’s providence, I read this book while in pain, and I was blessed by Joni’s inspiring example and the biblically rich lyrics of the songs. The devotional not only comforted me, but it also strengthened me, instructed me on suffering like Jesus, helped me refocus on Christ, and reminded me of my eternal hope in Him. One feature I particularly enjoyed was the quotes from past saints, particularly my favorite, Charles Spurgeon.
I cannot praise Songs of Sufferings enough, and I highly recommend it! This devotion deserves to be in your library and regularly visited as you experience new seasons of sorrow. Don’t only read the devotional; learn the hymns, memorize them, and practice singing glorious praises to our God amidst adversity. *Crossway publishers graciously gave me a review copy, and this is my honest review.*
Like this: Songs of Suffering: 25 Hymns and Devotions for Weary Souls By Joni Eareckson Tada, Foreword by Keith and Kristyn Getty
Joni Eareckson Tada Offers 25 Hymns for Worship for Difficult Times As an author, speaker, and advocate for people with disabilities, Joni Eareckson Tada has inspired people around the world with her story of faith in the midst of suffering. In this beautiful collection of hymns and devotions she acts as a “song leader,” guiding readers through their own painful seasons with heartfelt praises to God.
Songs of Suffering includes 25 hymns with accompanying devotions and photography designed to spark hope in hardship. Opening with a special message from hymn writers Keith and Kristyn Getty, this book is a source of comfort for anyone who needs biblical encouragement, prompting readers to seek refuge in the Lord and rejoice in his goodness. A Beautifully Designed Book from Joni Eareckson Tada: Includes 25 hymns with sheet music, devotionals, and photography. An Uplifting Call to Worship: Emphasizes the Bible’s command to sing and leads readers in hope-filled praise. Comfort for the Hurting: Makes a thoughtful gift for friends or family dealing with pain, illness, or loss. Opens with a Message from Keith and Kristyn Getty: Read their reflections on worship and Joni Eareckson Tada’s inspiring ministry. Read Chapter 1
Suffering Redeemed will teach you who you are. It’s a textbook that will show you the stuff of which you are made. And sometimes it’s not very pretty. Suffering will squeeze that out of you. We say we know Christ. The next time you suffer hard, find out what comes out of your mouth. That will show you how much you know Jesus.
And in that sense, it’s good.” No one has spoken more personally and insightfully into the intersection of suffering and faith than Joni Eareckson Tada. In this 13-minute documentary, hear more from Joni herself about her story, how she reacted when she learned 55 years ago that she would never walk again, and what she does to find the heartbeat of Christ within her daily struggle with chronic pain and quadriplegia. Joni Eareckson Tada’s Songs of Suffering: 25 Hymns and Devotions for Weary Souls – YouTube
Songs of Suffering – Christ is Strength In Affliction “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, and my stronghold.” – Psalm 18:1-2
In her book, Songs of Suffering:25 Hymns and Devotions for Weary Souls, Joni Eareckson Tada unpacks the beauty and truths of 25 timeless hymns that gave her strength when she felt tempted to despair. Through a diving accident just after her high school graduation in 1967, young diver Joni became paralyzed from the shoulder down. The doctors permanently diagnosed her with quadriplegia. Joni honestly shares many of her feelings from the past few decades, recounting her physical, emotional, and spiritual turmoil. However, shares how she firmly held to Scripture, even singing aloud on her bed unto the Lord. Sanctification in Suffering
Throughout her book, Joni sprinkles the message of sanctification in the midst of suffering. She uses examples of others who allow their season of suffering to mature them and press them into the image of Christ. Using certain hymns as her literary of remembrance, Joni invites readers to press deeper into worship in the midst of suffering. Pressing into the worship of Almighty God also grants us the unshakeable peace that we “may not be moved” by our physical distress.
Teresa Ann Linowski McMullin- the best mother ever, the strongest woman ever, passed at 9:37pm this evening. We are heartbroken and miss her terribly. The void will be felt for the rest of our lives. She NEVER STOPPED FIGHTING this awful disease- even when the end seemed near she defied laws of nature, fighting until the very end. She is a hero. Words can’t describe just how brave and heroic and selfless she is. WE LOVE YOU FOREVER MOM
Before Teresa McMullin passed from Leiomyosarcoma, she was frustrated with the medical community’s lack of treatment for LMS but also lack of concern from the time a fibroid was giving her trouble. Not that we would wish LMS on anyone but she used to say that “someone big” would have to get diagnosed with this disease for anything to change, Teresa never stopped fighting and finding a cure for #LMS was always something she talked about. We will never stop fighting for her and everyone affected by this horrible cancer. Days like today also remind me that I need to do more. Life gets crazy and day to day things can take over, but this is what is important. It is truly a matter of life and death. How To Say Leiomyosarcoma – YouTube
· I get notifications so often that someone has viewed this page. I can’t help but think every time I do, it is from someone newly diagnosed with Leiomyosarcoma. And that breaks my heart and sends me back to when Teresa, my mom, was first diagnosed. We scoured the internet, looking for treatment options and most importantly, hope. I know how terrifying it is. I know how little information is out there on this cancer (even though there is considerably more than when Mom was diagnosed in 2009 which while I wish it was more and faster does always give me more hope), but I know the diagnosis is still scary and can feel lonely, but you are not alone. We support you and are with you in our hearts. My biggest piece of advice when newly diagnosed is to learn everything you can on LMS and become your own advocate and have at least 0ne person close to you that is also going to be your advocate and be an additional keeper of all your medical records both physically & mentally. New York (columbia.edu)
July 16, 2013, OK I need a favor from all of you BUT especially from those of you whose lives have been affected by uterine LMS. In the July 22 edition of FIRST for women on page102 someone writes in with the question should fibroids be removed? Then she gives a brief explanation of her past health issues. The first line in the doctor’s answer just makes me want to scream…and I quote…”There’s likely no reason for concern.”
Wait, I have to take a deep breath. This honesty to God makes my insides shake. I lived this life and am totally blessed to be a nine-year survivorship I have. But for all those who didn’t survive or have LMS somewhere else now….PLEASE WRITE THIS DOCTOR. If you don’t want to buy the magazine that is fine…here is the address….Laura Corio, M.D.health@firstforwomen.com She does go on in her article that the doctor needs to watch for growth or bleeding that could require additional treatment. When I was diagnosed with uterine fibroids in September. I was told nothing can be done. Then I am told ULMS has no cure…. Man, I will never forget that day. Please help me with this one. A quick email to this woman might save someone’s life. It also might make this doctor realize that she doesn’t know it all and needs to think more about how she answers questions.
Hope – Always, 9 year ULMS survivor Teresa
!!!!!!!MUST READ!!!!! Yesterday I haphazardly was lucky enough to talk to Dr. Bradley J. Monk of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Arizona. Dr. Monk happened to look at my “Together for Teresa/Leiomyosarcoma” purple bracelet and asked me what it was for as the writing is the same color as the bracelet. I said Leiomyosarcoma, my mom passed from this in December and was ready to jump into explaining LMS, however, he knowingly nodded. “You know about it?!” I asked. What’s New in Leiomyosarcoma? | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (mskcc.org)
But then learning who he was and what he did, I learned that he had first-hand knowledge of this deadly cancer, trying to make strides in it (though he said he’s more specialized in cervical and ovarian, he is still firsthand experienced with LMS and friends with Dr. Martee Hensley and Dr. Mario Leitao. – Search (bing.com) – Search
I wish I had met this man over 3 years ago. After discussing with him in depth he asked me what I should be focusing on, I replied I wanted to spread awareness that fibroids can be cancerous and to always seek out specialist care in any medical problem. He replied with these words and these will help shape my future fighting of this disease: “OBGYNs deliver BABIES, NEVER, NEVER let an OBGYN perform surgery on you. Surgery should ONLY be performed by an OB GYN ONCOLOGIST because THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING WHAT IS INSIDE A FIBROID UNTIL YOU TAKE IT OUT.
Once an obgyn cuts into an unknown LMS fibroid it’s over (Because they just spread it.) Once LMS reoccurs it’s over.” This will be my mission, fewer and fewer obgyns will do hysterectomies for fibroids. Women around the world will know to see an ob gyn oncologist. He also told me about a robotic surgery called the Davinci that can do the hysterectomy abdominally safely with minimal recovery time.
Now I’m not trying to scare anyone with the it’s over talk, but he and I agree that the most solid defense we have against this disease is in the initial surgery. As for chemo, he said he always does adjuvant therapy after surgery and he is also trying to get Yondelis back in the U.S.
“Teresa faced the challenges of her sarcoma with great courage and grace and good humor and optimism. Her laugh would light up the room. It was truly a privilege to know her and care for her.”~ Dr. Hensley
PLEASE READ! LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, DON’T LET A DR TELL YOU SOMETHING IS NORMAL THAT IS NOT:”I had uncomfortable menstrual cycles with heavy bleeding. And, despite exercise and diet, I maintained a little ‘pooch’ or baby belly — and I was not pregnant or trying to be pregnant,” Bachtell said. “things just didn’t feel right.”
GET EVERY TEST IN THE BOOK:”I had another ultrasound, an MRI and a colposcopy — a biopsy of the uterine wall — as well as a Pap smear.”
KNOW THE RISKS AND POSSIBILITIES: “There are treatments that make it manageable, but no definitive cure,” she said. “I’m hopeful that a cure will be found. But realistically, I think finding ways to manage cancer like other chronic diseases is just as good.”
How and where was your (or your loved one’s) Leiomyosarcoma found? Interested in putting together a survey and making pamphlets for awareness. Please feel free to post but PLEASE EMAIL TO: TeresasfightagainstLMS@live.com. Thank you ahead of time for sharing your story.
Teresa’s diagnosis: Teresa never really had normal periods, they were always heavy and she was never told this was abnormal. In July of 2009, she began bleeding post menopause caused by a “fibroid cyst” in her uterus. The doctor told her they would ‘keep an eye on it’ and only take action if it continued to cause problems. They did an ultrasound and a biopsy and told her “it is not cancer”. She then had a vaginal hysterectomy during which they had to cut into this large “fibroid” which was filled with cancer in order to get it out. I am really convinced that this misdiagnosis is the biggest mistake made in all of her treatment and that Leiomyosarcoma is better handled by safe complete removal before it has a chance to spread through the bloodstream as it is a chemo resistant cancer. From the email groups, it seems the longest survivors had one surgery and no mets and therefore no chemo. This survey I think will help others who will be diagnosed with Leiomyosarcoma before they are!
Going through mom’s first diagnosis paperwork, it’s hard, but constantly try to come back to it to help others. Her endometrial thickness or uterine stripe was 5.9 mm. The normal endometrial thickness of a postmenopausal woman is 5mm. They considered this close enough to the norm – I know it’s small but I don’t. Her original fibroid was 5x5x5 cm determined after an ultrasound on June 24th, 2009. Another ultrasound was never done. After the hysterectomy on August 19th, 2009, the tumor was estimated to be 6×9 cm. Talk about growth. * Causes of Brown and Yellow Vaginal Discharge | Healthfully When I read the first article about Amy Reed in the Philadelphia Inquirer I knew it immediately – this was the champion LMS needed. Every single woman who has a fibroid will be looked at with more caution, every hysterectomy done in a safer way, ‘leiomyosarcoma’ going from being a word people asked me “what’s that?” to actually being a recognized word in conversations now is all due to you and your amazing husband Hooman Noorchashm, Amy.
This is exactly what happened to Teresa and what we want to stop happening in the future. PLEASE if you have a #fibroid#uterinefibroid#abnormalperiods, please see a specialist, don’t let them cut into your fibroid, see an obgyn oncologist, not your regular obgyn!
Hysterectomies: Controversy grows over rare cancer risk – nj.com Sickening that there is still so much resistance in the medical field to ban this procedure. They’d feel differently if it was their own loved one! We will be heard! We won’t back down! We will keep fighting! So much gratitude to Dr. Noorchashm and his wife Dr. Reed for leading this fight even while she battles the consequences of this awful procedure and fights Leiomyosarcoma.
FBI Investigating Johnson & Johnson Over Morcellators – CBS Pittsburgh (cbsnews.com) Doctors Noochashm and Reed discuss the dangers of using a surgical morcellator to remove tumors of the uterus. Although most are benign, if an unsuspected cancer is present, then the malignancy will most likely be spread throughout the abdominal cavity, causing advanced and often incurable disease. Also, discussed are the FDA and the 510(k)-approval process. Jack Pattie Show May 12, 2015
“If the sarcoma had been taken out whole, her five-year survival rate would have been 50 percent. With the cancer morcellated, it was between zero and 20 percent. “Basically,” says Hooman, “they created a man-made stage four cancer.” Exactly what happened to Teresa. http://m.prevention.com/…/morcellation-surgery-when…
CyberKnife Surgery for tumors – Bing video Today we went to Fox Chase – Bing video to find out if cyberknife was an option. It’s not because of the size of tumors and bc they can’t tell from scans what’s tumor and what fluid and rupturing fluid would cause infection. Moms have been suffering an unrelated to chemo severe upper back/neck muscle spasm the last couple of days and are really tired from chemo.
1 in 350 women seeking surgery for symptomatic fibroids has a hidden cancer. We want surgeons to remove the whole, morcellated uterus vaginally when they can, and do the old-fashioned open surgery when they can’t.
DoctorOz – YouTube You changed the fate of so many and we can never repay you for what your fight and work means to us. Your legacy will never die as we continue this fight. I know Teresa was one of the first to greet you with a lot of other women who I know greeted you with hugs and a standing ovation – while I wish you were still here that image is a beautiful one. All of our love to you, Hooman, your beautiful 6 children, and your entire family. All of our gratitude forever.
In lieu of flowers, please donate! https://slaysarcoma.com/donations/ “I’ve always hated the idea of “battling cancer”, or people saying they “kicked cancer’s ass”. There’s no battle.. if cancer wanted to take you out it could do so with ease. If you have an aggressive cancer and don’t die of it you’ve been spared. I don’t think I could ever kick cancer’s ass, but science can. “
I saw this woman’s (who unfortunately recently passed from her cancer) blog posted on a sarcoma group on facebook and wanted to share. Her first paragraph hit my thoughts on the head. I am sorry to hear that cancer has taken another bright and beautiful person from us. Maybe one day science will actually come through…..
Thank you for sharing your story and your fight. I just lost a dear friend at the age of 49 to this rare Cancer. Her surgery was not preformed with one of the killer machines. With that said, her physician as well as everyone involved were shocked her tumor had this cancer inside it. Gail Jessell Akers had rounds of Chemo that didn’t work and tumors kept growing in her bowels. She fought tooth and nail to stay alive for her 3 young children. Too bad God had other plans and just shortly after 10 months of fighting, she went to God. Keep the fight up and know Amy, you are in my prayers as your whole family is. Attached is a picture of Gail and I 7 days before she passed.
Today I started my volunteer work driving cancer patients to their treatments. While I know I keep this page going and I am always trying to raise awareness for #Leiomyosarcoma and participate in raising money and awareness in any way I can, I really wanted to personally help people directly as well. I knew it would be an enriching experience for me but I don’t think I knew how overwhelmed with emotion I would be. It helped to reinforce that my fight is not over, our fight as people is not over, and that many individuals are fighting for their lives every single day.
I will fight cancer until my dying day just as Teresa, my mom, did. I will fight in her name. Today my patient told me he was “Superman” (even though his surgeries have left him without a vocal box). He is indeed. So many heroes out there fighting for their lives like my hero, my mom, did. Keep fighting all you superman and superwoman, I’ll be right beside you fighting with you.
Here’s how you can volunteer to drive cancer patients to their treatments. Honestly you can drive once a month, once every other, as many times as you want! You can drive one way, or round trip depending on what the patient you select needs. If it’s in Philadelphia, they won’t even ask you to use your own car (but rather Enterprise Carshare) so technically if you’re in a major city you might not even need to own a car but just have a license!
She went from being a counselor to thousands of patients on how to be proactive and take charge of their own health, to taking unknown paths in search of hope for surviving a disease that does not have a single established medical treatment. She embarked on a spiritual journey, which took her to Omega Institute, Bali and Brazil, where she met healers, a guru, a physician and other extraordinary people who became instrumental in her finding peace within and starting to believe that everything can be healed, even the Purple Dragon.
Born in Brazil, Patricia moved to the United States at age 20. She has a Master of Nutrition Science from the University of California, Davis, and has worked as a university professor, researcher, speaker, clinical dietitian and diabetes educator. She is also the proud mother of three children (including an angel in heaven) and the founder of Helping Children Heal (HCH), an NGO that provides medical treatment for impoverished and sick children who don’t have health care.
Patricia is a world traveler, having backpacked solo in Tibet, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Namibia, India and many other countries. Above all she is a proactive woman who has been inspiring many as she travels the paths of healing and discoveries, keeping alive the flame of faith that even the Purple Dragon can be tamed.
finally makes its debut in India. 
Dr. Howard E. LeWine M.D. Chief Medical Editor, 
USA
Dr. Sanju Sarangan
India
Dr. Himanshu J. Vats
Dr. Marcella Abunahman Pereira
Brazil
