Medicare News

March 2020 Edition

My goal with this newsletter is to:

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Keep You InformedI will be sharing current articles about the changes in Medicare.
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Answer Your QuestionsI'm available to answer issues specific to you.
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Stay ConnectedI want to make Medicare coverage as simple as possible.

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The New and Improved MRI - "Brain Mapping"

THE EXTERNAL PHENOMENA of aging are known to all of us. We can expect graying hair, bone loss, fatigue or memory difficulties.

But what actually happens to our brain as we get older, and what goes wrong when aging develops into a neurological disease like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's? This is a primary focus of neurological specialists around the world working to map the brain and unlock its many mysteries.

Previous animal studies have shown that molecular changes in the composition of lipids and proteins in brain cells affect brain function and may cause cognitive impairment. Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, scans allow us to look into the human brain in a non-invasive manner and learn about the changes that occur in it with age.

A research group has developed new approaches that transformed the MRI from a "camera of the brain" into a measuring device that can quantify and characterize changes in the biological composition of brain tissue – methods called quantitative MRI.

Instead of producing images of the brain, it uses biophysical models to obtain brain maps that contain quantitative information about the tissue, such as changes in the water content and the molecular composition of the brain, just as a blood test is used to decipher the composition of a patient's blood. Using these maps, it is possible to compare accurately different scans of the same subject, or between healthy brains and those showing signs of disease.

In the study, the new MRI technique was used to decode the molecular composition of synthetic lipids and protein compounds. They also compared postmortem brain scans to a real molecular examination of tissue. They then proved that the method could be used to map the composition of the brain rather than just imaging it.

When fully implemented, this method can predict the concentrations of different lipids and also the ratio of proteins to lipids in the brain. This means that they were able to use non-invasive MRI to measure the molecular composition of biological tissues, instead of the current invasive and dangerous procedure.

In the research, they scanned young and old individuals and showed that the molecular signatures of different brain areas change with age. In some areas – for example, in the white-matter – there is mainly a decrease in the volume of brain tissue. In contrast, in other brain areas such as the gray matter, tissue volume is maintained with age, but they have also identified extensive molecular alterations between younger and older subjects.

It is hoped that in the not-too-distant future this method will be used to distinguish non-invasively between normal aging and cases in which the aging process is accelerated by diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's.

Local Events

40th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival
March 14, 2020
Cost: Free

Come experience the largest St. Patrick's Day Parade west of the Mississippi! Join the Irish Congress of Southern California for the 40th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival taking place on Saturday, March 14, 2020 starting at 10:30 AM at Fifth Avenue and Laurel Street. Join more than 30,000 attendees in our annual celebration featuring a parade with over 120 entries, followed by an Irish Festival in Balboa Park. Following the parade, an event- filled Irish Festival in Balboa Park (Sixth and Maple) features live entertainment on 3 Stages.

Parade and Festival Schedule
9:45 AM: Flag presentation ceremony, Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street
10:30 AM: Parade starts up Fifth from Laurel
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM: Irish Festival in Balboa Park, Sixth & Maple Street

The Flower Fields
March 1-May 10, 2020
Cost: $9-24

For more than sixty years, Mother Nature has transformed the rolling hills of North San Diego County into one of the most spectacular and coordinated displays of natural color and beauty anywhere in the world. The nearly fifty acres of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers that make up the Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch in Carlsbad, California, are in bloom for approximately six to eight weeks each year - from early March through early May - literally bringing the famous fields back to life. This annual burst of color, which has become part of the area's local heritage, also is one of nature's official ways of announcing the arrival of spring here in Southern California.

The Julian Daffodil Show
March 21-22, 2020

Visit Julian to marvel at Daffodils on display and have any questions about daffodils answered by National Daffodil Society experts. Springtime is a lovely time to visit the beautiful town in the mountains of San Diego.

St. Patrick's Day Shenanigans

Irish Soda Bread
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 1 hour 5 mins

1/2 cup white sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups raisins
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch round cast iron skillet or a 9 inch round baking or cake pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour (reserving 1 tablespoon), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, raisins and caraway seeds. In a small bowl, blend eggs, buttermilk and sour cream. Stir the liquid mixture into flour mixture just until flour is moistened. Knead dough in bowl about 10 to 12 strokes. Dough will be sticky. Place the dough in the prepared skillet or pan and pat down. Cut a 4x3/4 inch deep slit in the top of the bread. Dust with reserved flour.

Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 65 to 75 minutes. Let cool and turn bread onto a wire rack.

View Full Recipe »

Jim Robeson CLU, ChFC

Medicare Made Easy
10755 Scripps Poway Pkwy #617
San Diego, CA 92131|(858) 935-9120
jim@themedicareanswerguy.com
themedicareanswerguy.com

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