Category Archives: General Info

Summary of my nutrition talk to runners

  • Use weight as a guide to hydration

–I’m ok with 1 lb weight loss after running

  • Hydrate with water and/or fluids with some salt in it like coconut water or apple juice.

–And Yes, you can be on a liquid diet while running, you do not need to eat solids while running

  • Some people are heavy salt sweaters.
  • I’m ok with running on fasted state (empty) but well hydrated for up to 1 hour
  • Everyone is different and nutrition is complex, and talking about nutrition is akin to religion or politics. It’s not always one size fits all, and even as our own personal health changes, our diet needs changes. So it’s not one size fits all at all times.
  • The world of nutrition research is complicated by people with agendas.
  • I choose for my own health, plants and the associated carbohydrates with whole plants: legumes, grains, potatoes, rice, fruits.
  • I choose blender over juicer for fiber. We all need lots of fiber.
  • B12 is made by anaerobic bacteria. We need B12.
  • All plants have protein even rice.
  • Just a fun fact: 1 calorie of broccoli has more protein than 1 calorie of steak.
  • Yes, athletes need more protein, but they also need for calories. By naturally eating more calories, we will naturally make up for it in protein.
  • We were made to eat plants more so than cats. Cats have protein taste receptors on their tongues but they can’t taste carbohydrates.

Nutrition lecture for runners was given 2/11/17 at Doctors Hospital in Manteca, California.

How to do Panorama with Coolpix

I have the Nikon Coolpix S9700

Nifty purchase from Costco, here in Modesto.  I’m thinking about using it in our Modesto Plastic Surgery practice or our Modesto Botox practice – at least the staff could have fun using it for whatever purpose they would need it for in the medical office.  They could document packages which arrive.  Or they could document any leaks in the roof if any (fingers crossed).

Panorama with Coolpix, nikon

panoramic blur. This is not how you take a panoramic picture

How to figure out Panaroma on the Nikon CoolPix S9700

I couldn’t exactly figure out how to do Panaroma on this camera, but I stumbled upon it by fiddling around with it.  I’m sure it’s probably in the manual, but I haven’t even gotten that far yet.

It wasn’t the most intuitive because it didn’t have a button on the camera which says “panorama.”  That would just be way too easy.

I’m thinking this would work on several other in the Nikon Cool pix series.

Step by step Panarama:

  1. Turn camera on
  2. Rotate the top right dial to “Scene”
  3. Press “menu” on the bottom right of the camera (when looking at the camera screen)
  4. The on the screen, scroll down to the choice that says “easy panorma”
  5. Select how “wide” of a panorama you want:  it will ask you to choose between 180 degrees or 360 degrees.  Usually I find 180 degrees to be sufficient.
  6. Then press the shutter button and start rotating the camera to the right/left or rotating the camera up/down.  The motion needs to be stead.  Follow the on screen prompts.

Done.

For some reason it wasn’t straight forward for me.

Where were we before Modesto, Botox and Plastic Surgery?

Before Plastic Surgery, Modesto and Botox, we spent met a wonderful retired pianist named Joan Orvis who lived next door.

There’s a lot before Modesto, Botox, and Plastic Surgery.  But today, I was reminded of Dr. Wu (Tammy’s) neighbor – while she was an undergraduate student at Brown University.

Here’s the story which I posted on FaceBook, but I share here:

My story of pianist Joan Orvis, our friend.

I want to spend a moment here to celebrate my memory of my friend pianist Joan Orvis. I met her when Tammy and I were young students at Brown University. Tammy lived off campus on Blackstone Blvd. She had a neighbor (Joan) in her apartment complex who played piano from time to time. She found out that I played violin. She introduced me to piano trio music at the highest level. I had always loved listening to piano trios, but never had the chance to play them. Her sister lived nearby and was a professional cellist. The three of us would get together regularly through my 8 years at Brown University and play trios. This was completely off the grid from Brown University. We even performed throughout Rhode Island as a trio. Some of my favorite classical music is piano trios and quartets, and all this blossomed from the time that I spent with Joan and her sister. Joan was a retired piano professor from University of Wisconsin-Platteville for nearly 30 years. I was just checking the internet to see what has happened to my friend whom I’ve lost contact with. I just found out that she passed away in 2001. My memories of that time were jogged when I saw Chee Yun’s posting about a piano quartet which I’ve always loved. I’ve shared that version on FB this morning (please see that video – it is quite worthy). In this link, the piano is played by one of Joan Orvis’ teacher (Menahem Pressler who is now 90 years old), so I share it here: http://youtu.be/W4_aE1CVr1s.

 

and for reference, here’s Chee Yun’s posting of a rehearsal in Hawaii:  http://youtu.be/V0O7egcMCHg

I have much to be thankful for.  Thank you Joan for your friendship and the wonderful music.

– Calvin Lee

 

Ear Plugs for musicians and hearing protection

I posted this on my personal FaceBook

“I suffer from hyperacusis (sound distortion) in mainly one ear. I’m wondering if there are ear plugs out there that would work with piano or music playing. About 15 years ago, I had an ENT in Springfield Illinois make me a custom ear plug which cut down the sound partially, but I only had it made for one ear. I’m thinking that I might need it for both ears, and I’m not sure if anything is now off the shelf. I could probably just use those foam buds. If anything I could try Botox around the ear for this – it hasn’t been tried yet, I could be a pioneer here. It seems that Botox works for so many other things.”

And I got the response from another fellow doctor who suggested:

“Try etymotic , they reduce DB in a flat style, appropriate for musicians.”

I’ll have to try these ear buds for hearing protection, and I hope to report back.  This would be great in an operating room environment too.  There is a lot of suction and other noises going on in the operating room.  I’ll have to see if these will work.  I have heard that dentists use ear plugs like these, so I think it would work well for surgeons in the operating room as well.

custom ear plugs

My previous ear plugs (hearing protectors) were made by Westone Laboratories, Inc.   – westone style # 49.  These were custom made and I had them made by an Ear Nose Throat Surgeon who made a mold of my ear canal and sent it to the company.  But this was back around the year 2001.  I just visited their webpage and it seems to have Etymotic ear plugs for sale at their webpage as well.

Google search “westone style 49.” for more info.

 

 



Random notes on Mount Diablo

I’m thinking about planning a Surgical Artistry / Plastic Surgery staff hike on a weekend at Mount Diablo.  Perhaps it would be a nice relaxing and healthy activity.  This may never happen, but it’s a thought, and here are some of my notes.  I figured we spend enough time at work talking about Botox, Breast Augmentation, Tummy tucks, and Acupuncture – that I think we could get a change of scenery from our Modesto plastic surgery office.

Notes about Mount Diablo

Mount Diablo state park CA.gov page

Mount Diablo state park Brochure

Hours of operation at Mount Diablo

8am – sunset

Water at Mount Diablo

  • All the water faucets have been turned off as a result of the drought (info rom 10/20/14)
  • Portable toilets are now used instead of flushing restrooms.
  • It’s is encouraged to bring your own water for drinking.

Mailing Address for Mount Diablo

Mount Diablo State Park
96 Mitchell Canyon Road
Clayton CA 94517

Directions for Mount Diablo

North Gate Road Entrance
1300 North Gate Road
Walnut Creek, 94598
(Concord / Walnut Creek)

South Gate Road Entrance
2675 Mt. Diablo Scenic Boulevard
Blackhawk, 94506
(Danville)

Macedo Ranch Staging Area
3756 Green Valley Road
Alamo, 94507
(no vehicle access to the Summit)

Mitchell Canyon Staging Area
96 Mitchell Canyon Road
Clayton, 94517
(no vehicle access to the Summit)

What is Mount Diablo

It is a mountain of the Diablo Range in Contra Costa county.  Located northeast of Danville.  In relation to Modesto, it is North West of Modesto, CA.  It’s about a 1.5 hour drive (73.1 miles according to Google maps).  It is east of San Francisco.  It is located south of Clayton.

The peak is in the state park which is about 20,000 acres in area.  Alcohol is strictly forbidden in the park.