Health Report

Oh dear, my last weigh in was back in Australia on the 24th October 2019. I weighed 65.9 kg. Today, on the 9th December 2020, I weight 71.4 kg. That's an increase of over 8% or, another way to look at, is that back then I weighed 92% of what I weigh now. I couldn't help but notice that the blubber was accumulating and so I took the plunge and bought a pair of digital scales. 

Over the past week, I've been taking an early morning walk of about 2.5 km and I'll gradually increase this distance or maybe go for an afternoon walk as well. I think a reasonable weight for me would be about 68 kg. I was definitely too thin when I was hovering around the 64 kg mark some years ago. 

I'm also thinking of buying a sphygmomanometer to measure my own blood pressure but also my wife's. Her sister, a couple of years younger than her, died recently of a stroke after suffering from high blood pressure for a number of years. She was overweight however, unlike my wife but it will still be a good idea to monitor it.

I also want to start measuring a resting pulse as that's a good indicator of increasing fitness. I could also measure it at the start and finish of a walk. Right now, sitting here and typing this post, it is 69 beats per minute, which is OK. I can record all these details in the Samsung Health app on my Android phone.

Meanwhile I perform my hip-strengthening and flexibility exercises on a daily basis but of course I could do a lot more. One thing at a time however. For the moment, I'll focus on increasing the distances that I walk and monitoring my weight. I know from experience that walking is the easiest way for me to lose weight.

Thymoma or Thymic Cyst

 I was reading a medical journal article this evening and here is its introduction:

The normal thymus evolves over the course of a lifetime, with involution and gradual fatty replacement beginning around puberty. The thymus originates from 3 embryonic germ-cell layers and thus has the potential to transform along a number of neoplastic cell lines. On computed tomography (CT), the normal thymus appears as a triangular-shaped structure in the anterior mediastinum (see Figure 1). Variations in the morphology of the normal thymus gland, along with its association with a diverse range of pathologic processes, can make the thymus an imaging enigma and diagnostic challenge for clinicians.

Figure 1: source 

An abnormal appearance of the thymus can be attributable to either diffuse enlargement of the gland or a discrete mass. Benign thymic hyperplasia and lymphoma can both cause diffuse enlargement of the thymus. Many lesions—including thymoma, thymic carcinoma, and thymic carcinoids—as well as benign lesions—such as thymolipomas and cysts—can present with a focal thymic mass. This is often an incidental finding in an asymptomatic patient undergoing imaging for unrelated reasons. Clinical presentation can play a role in the evaluation of patients with thymic masses. One study found that more than 75% of asymptomatic patients with mediastinal masses had benign lesions, whereas almost two-thirds of symptomatic patients with mediastinal masses had malignant lesions. It has been suggested that expectant management can be considered for observation of asymptomatic patients with diffuse thymic enlargement. For symptomatic patients, biopsy or, at times, resection may be appropriate.

At present, CT remains the imaging modality of choice for the evaluation of mediastinal masses. Magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography (PET) are useful adjuncts. While there is overlap in the features of many thymic lesions on imaging, some lesions have a characteristic appearance on CT. Thymolipoma, an uncommon benign thymic neoplasm, typically manifests on CT as a large anterior mediastinal mass containing fat intermingled with areas of soft-tissue attenuation, which may conform to the shape of other mediastinal structures. On CT, idiopathic multilocular thymic cyst, an acquired benign thymic lesion, cannot be reliably distinguished from the cystic components of malignant thymic lesions, including thymomas, Hodgkin lymphoma, and mediastinal germ-cell tumors. The appearances of thymomas on imaging can vary according to their staging and histologic subtype; lobulated contours, calcifications, and heterogeneous attenuation are associated with more-advanced, rather than early stage, thymoma.

Figure 2: source

The increasing use of CT has led to more-frequent identification of incidental lesions in the anterior mediastinum, and with recent advances in minimally invasive surgical techniques, an increasing number of thymic lesions are referred for surgical evaluation. Consequently, some patients may undergo invasive procedures for ultimately benign disease. If the benignity of a thymic lesion could be determined on imaging with a reasonable level of confidence, then the need for invasive procedures may potentially be obviated for a number of cases. The purpose of this study is to identify imaging features that help distinguish benign thymic lesions from early stage malignant thymic neoplasms.

From this study, we learn that "14% of patients with thymic cysts also had hepatic cysts" and:

A thymic cyst is a benign mediastinal disease which has been reported to be the second most common type of primary mediastinal cyst. Thymic cysts are rare, and the majority are believed to be congenital in origin. Approximately 60% of patients with a thymic cyst were asymptomatic, and the most common symptoms were cough, dyspnea, and chest pain, according to the literature (1,4). However, there were no specific symptoms for thymic cysts. 

Given that an ultrasound revealed that I had one or more cysts on my liver back in 2009, then the possibility increases that I might have a thymic cyst rather than a thymoma. It might be self limiting and not cause any severe problems. Up to this point, I've just assumed that what I had was a thymoma but that may not be the case. As the study says, it's often not possible, using CT, to determine the exact nature of an abnormality in the anterior mediastinum. Surgery may be carried out when it is not necessary. 

What struck me, when looking at the diagram in Figure 1 and similar depictions, is that there's not a lot of room in there and this means trouble when neoplasms or cysts develop. Lately I've been feeling quite tired during the day and fatigue is one of the symptoms of thymoma. For the moment, let's wait and see if my condition worsens or not.

Magnetic Healing

It was interesting to read that a thymoma is considered a relatively indolent neoplasia. In my case, it does seem to have an indolent quality and is certainly slow moving or perhaps it's stopped growing. Maybe it's self-limiting. In saner times, I might have sought an ultrasound to probe its extent but any contact with hospitals nowadays is best avoided. 

I asked my inner physician today what could be done to treat it and the answer that came back was magnetism. That was interesting. I decided to do a little research. I was surprised to learn that magnetism is used as a therapy in mainstream medicine. See Figure 1.

Figure 1: source

Figure 1 shows that magnetic fields (pulsed and static) and ultrasound (high intensity focused ultrasound and low intensity focused ultrasound) can be used to treat cancers. Hyperthermia, DNA damage and apoptosis (the death of cells which occurs as a normal and controlled part of an organism's growth or development) are some of the effects of the magnetic fields. 

However, given that I don't think my thymoma is carcinogenic and that I'm actively avoiding hospitals, any therapy that is carried out will be with my own magnets at home. So what's the news on magnetic healing at home? This site has the following to say:

Magnetic field therapy uses different kinds of magnets on the body to help boost your overall health. It may also help treat certain conditions.

There are several types, including:

Static magnetic field therapy: In this, you touch a magnet to your skin somehow. You might wear a magnetic bracelet or other magnetized jewelry. It could be a bandage with a magnet in it, or you may wear a magnet as a shoe insole. You could also sleep on a special mattress pad with a magnet in it.

Electrically charged magnetic therapy (electromagnetic therapy): The magnets you use here have an electric charge. Treatment with electromagnetic therapy usually comes through an electric pulse.

Magnetic therapy with acupuncture: Magnets go on the same sections of your skin that an acupuncturist would probably focus on in an acupuncture session. You may hear these areas called your energy pathways or channels.

How It Works

Your body naturally has magnetic and electric fields. All your molecules have a small amount of magnetic energy in them. The thought behind magnetic field therapy is that certain problems happen because your magnetic fields are out of balance. If you put a magnetic field near your body, it's believed things will go back to normal.

Does It Work? 

There haven’t been many studies on magnetic field therapy. The ones that have been done don’t have enough data to draw solid conclusions. Though some clinical trials have shown potential for magnetic field therapy as a treatment for back pain, for the most part, there's no clear proof that it can treat any condition.

The site is very much mainstream medicine so there's not likely to be much support for this type of therapy. Here is an abstract from an article on another site discussing the uses of neodymium magnets:

The strong magnetic field properties of magnets have led to their use in many modern technologies, as well as in the fields of medicine and dentistry. Neodymium magnets are a powerful type of magnet that has been the subject of recent research. This review provides a brief explanation of the definition, history, and characteristics of rare earth magnets. In addition, a broad overview of results obtained in studies performed to date on the effects of magnets, and neodymium magnets in particular, on body systems, tissues, organs, diseases, and treatment is provided. Though they are used in the health sector in various diagnostic devices and as therapeutic tools, there is some potential for harmful effects, as well as the risk of accident. The research is still insufficient; however, neodymium magnets appear to hold great promise for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

These magnets can be bought easily online (see Figure 2):

Figure 2: source

There's no reason not to purchase one and try it out. The 40mm x 20mm size costs Rp218,400 which is about A$20. I should check first with my psychic healer in Medan who is overseeing the handling of my physical condition. If he approves, then I'll go ahead with it.

I don't know what's happened to my quoted text in this post. 

It's ended up italicised and enlarged for no reason that I can discern.

Manganese

In my previous post, I asked the question "what's wrong with my thymus?" and got the answer "you have a hollow heart and the I'm trying to fill up the gap that has been created". Last night, I thought I'd try again with another question, namely "what happened to my gall bladder?" I was lying in bed preparing for sleep and the question was only asked half-heartedly but an answer came back as quick as a flash: "manganese".

This came as something of a shock because this single word clearly didn't emerge from my unconscious because I've never really thought about manganese or even read anything much about it. It occurred to me that there might have been some sort of interaction between the manganese compounds in my body and the fluoridated water that I was drinking in Brisbane at the time my gall bladder problem arose (late July of 2016). I resolved to investigate the matter further in the morning.

And I did. It turns out that:

• gallstones are often found in people with “lower levels of Vitamin E, manganese, and the amino acid methionine.” 
  
  
  https://motherearthworks.com/healthy-living-learning-center/healthy-living-center-articles/relief-for-gallstone-sufferers/
  
  
• manganese “reacts with fluorine to give manganese(II) fluoride (MnF2) and manganese(III) fluoride (MnF3)”
  
  https://www.britannica.com/science/manganese
  
  
• “Manganese levels were determined in liver, kidney and bone (femur) of mice subjected for 16 weeks to 0 ppm (control), 10 ppm, 25 ppm, 50 ppm, 100 ppm and 200 ppm of fluoride in drinking water. Following fluoride ingestion, manganese levels were significantly reduced in liver (in 50, 100 and 200 ppm groups) and kidney (in 100 and 200 ppm groups). On the other hand, bone manganese levels were significantly elevated following ingestion of 25 ppm or more fluoride. The results suggest that excessive fluoride ingestion disturbs manganese metabolism.”
  
  
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0048969782900717

Manganese does react with fluoride very readily and this information confirms what I'd already suspected: after twenty years in Asia, my body was not used to fluoridated water and reacted badly after a year of exposure to it. The lowered levels of manganese probably encouraged the growth of gallstones and eventually one obstructed the blood flow to my gall bladder, leading to the demise of that organ.

It's too late for my gall bladder but this ability to ask a question about a physical ailment and get an answer is intriguing. I've really only tried it two times now and I wondered if I can ask questions for other people and receive answers. I asked a question for a friend of mine who has small fibre neuropathy but who is also on antidepressants. I asked what would help his peripheral neuropathy and the answer came back "iodine" with an image of mixing bowl filled with a yellow powder. I did a little research as came back with:

• Peripheral Neuropathy: Iodine Deficiency can also damage the body's peripheral nerves. In this condition, one can face several issues, such as tingling in the hands or feet, sharp, stabbing pains, numbness in the hands or feet, thinning of the skin, drop in blood pressure and others. Source: https://www.news18.com/news/lifestyle/world-iodine-deficiency-day-some-common-consequences-of-hypothyroidism-2355177.html
  
  
• Some widely used psychoactive drugs, such as tricyclic antidepressants and antipsychotic phenothiazines exhibit iatrogenic effects on the thyroid. These side effects may arise from interactions at different steps of thyroid hormone biosynthesis. These drugs can induce a change in iodine capture by thyroid cells or can complex iodine, making it unavailable for thyroid hormone synthesis and thus decreasing thyroid hormone blood levels; they can also inhibit thyroid peroxidase activity and thus T3 and T4 synthesis or enhance deiodination of T4 to T3 or to Rt3 by stimulation of deiodinase activity. Moreover, tricyclic antidepressants interfere with the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis via the noradrenergic or serotonergic systems and might therefore decrease T4 or T3 blood levels, respectively. Phenothiazines can induce autoimmune hypothyroidism, as shown by an increase in the expression of the major histocompatibility complex antigen and by a production of antithyroglobulin or antithyroperoxidase antibodies. However, all these mechanisms are only speculative in humans, as they have only been demonstrated in vitro or in animal experiments. Clinically, thyroid function and affective disorders are closely linked. On one hand, the therapeutic response to antidepressants could be influenced by the thyroid status; on the other hand, the larger the thyroxin decrease induced by antidepressants, the better the therapeutic effect might be. Moreover, cotreatment with thyroid hormones and antidepressant drugs could allow either a decrease in the rate of treatment failure or a faster recovery from depression. As antipsychotic or antidepressant treatments are administered over long periods in humans, their thyroid toxic effects must be taken seriously. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9571980/

It does seem that iodine may help him. I've sent him the second bullet point but did not mention how I came upon it. He is going to check with his neurologist about it so it will be interesting to hear if anything comes of it. As to what the mixing bowl filled with a yellow powder was all about I don't know. I did find such an iodine-related image (see Figure 1). However, it related to iodine trichloride that only has industrial uses.

Figure 1

I'll continue experimenting with this (perhaps) new found ability and see what comes of it.

Solfeggio Frequencies and Other Matters

This is a continuation of my former blog on WordPress at: 

https://wordpress.com/post/seanreeves.wordpress.com

I've abandoned that site due to uploading difficulties and other frustrations. Here are some links to former posts:

• Self Healthy
• Earthing Update
• Earthing
• Thymoma
• Costochronditis