A Frosty Rest Day

Today is a school holiday and under normal circumstances, I would've gone to the gym this morning. But today is not like other days. Because my thermometer reads -3F and that's awfully cold. Eventually, I do go out to retrieve the newspaper, refill the bird feeder, haul trash and recycling to the bins, and note that the trees glisten with ice in the low winter light. The wind makes the tips of the branches wave and shimmer. It's rare to see ice-encrusted branches move in the breeze without breaking off. My husband still hasn't gotten up so my car is stuck in the driveway anyway.

He has to drive to Boston today. I wasn't expecting him home until next weekend, but he got back late Saturday -- just after my son and I had finished with the Scout district Klondike event, a 6-hr trek in 26F weather from skill station to station. Yesterday we shoveled heavy ice and wet snow off the walkway, driveway, and cars before the arctic blast descended. There's black ice everywhere, and no relief promised until Wednesday when temps are promised to rise into the 40s. Just as quickly though, another arctic blast will descend and send temps plummeting, but perhaps not quite as deeply.

Meanwhile, I get a cryptic letter from my doc telling me all my blood tests are normal, whatever that means. I have to do a bit of research to find their website, look up my password and log into a patient portal to find the actual results of all the lab panels. I take notes on any values that are slightly askew and look them up later. A slightly elevated CO2 value can signal slight dehydration. That sounds about right since I hadn't had my coffee or gone to the gym before the blood was drawn. My cholesterol is again elevated in total (but less than last year) and raises no red flags because I have a high HDL value, and the ratio between my total cholesterol and HDL is less than 5. In fact, all my values are good, but my HDLs are so high that they're raising the total value.

There is some recent concern that high HDL levels are an indicator of future heart issues and greater mortality risks. Click here to read that article. Of course, participants in the study already had established heart disease, so it's hard to know whether I should be alarmed.

Countess Erzsébet (Elizabeth) Báthory de Ecsed

I just read about the "enhancing effects" of blood transfusions from healthy young people to older folks. It's a bit macabre and calls to mind the Hungarian Countess of Blood, who reportedly drank and bathed in the blood of young girls, and horrific Nazi experiments (sewing twins together). After a brief summation of the experimental procedures and results so far (which involves surgically attaching younger mice to older ones) the article ends with suggestions to lower inflammation and extend healthy longevity without resorting to buying blood transfusions. Click here to read the Men's Health article. I'm pleased to see a reference to 4 x 4 HIIT cardio training (aka Norwegian). I guess I'll be doing that tomorrow after I drive my son to school.