Dr. D's Tips For Your Health

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CONTENTS: (BLUE indicates recently posted)

1. What's Healthier - Fresh or Frozen Produce?

2. Nuts for Health

3. Pet Food Danger

4. The Truth About Measles

5. Hawaii Measles Alert

Measles Update

6. Webinar with Dr. Shintani & Dr.D

7. Don't be a Victim - Elder Fraud - Part 1

8. Elder Fraud - Part 2

9. Down to Earth - 2 Big-Savings Events

10. Dye Put into Aquifer near Red Hill

11. HMSA - Hawaii's largest health insurance company

12. Navy's Most-Lethal Nuclear-armed submarine

13. Getting Cancer? - chances are good

What's Healthier – fresh or frozen produce?

A National Geographic Premium article, for subscribers, by Hannah Yasharoff, reported frozen produce “can often be just as healthy---if not healthier---than fresh produce.” A study comparing nutritional content of fresh and frozen corn, carrots, broccoli, spinach, peas, green beans, strawberries, and blueberries found vitamins in frozen produce are “comparable to and occasionally higher” than their fresh counterparts. Other studies found “the only major nutritional difference between frozen and fresh produce is when refrigerated fresh produce loses nutrients after a few days.”

Nutrition experts say produce is most nutritious when picked at peak ripeness. Fresh produce sold in supermarkets and grocery stores are usually picked before peak ripeness so that they are not rotten by the time you buy them. From the time produce is picked to when you put them in your shopping cart can take a week or two. Frozen produce is picked at or around peak ripeness then frozen, which helps preserve nutrients. Dietitian, Kylie Sakaida said, “Freezing that produce locks in those nutrients, so we see all the vitamins and antioxidants remain stable for a long period of time.” Frozen produce is often less expensive, lasts longer in the freezer than fresh produce in the refrigerator, and makes available crops that are out-of-season.

Fresh grocery store produce “still contains plenty of nutrients.” Locally grown produce sold at farmers markets “typically travel a shorter distance from the farm to the market than grocery store produce” so are “usually harvested at peak ripeness.” Locally grown, organic produce sold by Down To Earth stores here travel a shorter distance than produce in other local supermarkets, including Whole Foods Market, that arrive from the US mainland and elsewhere. Dietitian, Caroline Thomason, said, “It's not that one is better or worse . . . whether you're getting frozen or fresh produce, you're still getting produce, and that is something we should celebrate.”

Nuts for Health

As an AARP member I receive The Magazine. In “Healthy You,” Kelsey Ogletree reported, “Adding more nuts and seeds to your diet may help improve your mood, sharpen your cognition, and fend off the diseases of aging.” Jessica Cording, registered dietitian, calls nuts, “nutritious superfoods.” She said the omega-3 fatty acids and other unsaturated fats nuts contain help reduce inflammation and promote heart health. Ogletree said consuming nuts help protect your brain partly because of their “mix of healthy fats and antioxidants” and also because of their fiber content. Dr. Uma Naidoo, nutritional psychiatrist, said, “Eating enough fiber from food helps maintain a more balanced microbiome, which supports overall physical and mental well-being.”

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a form of omega-3 fatty acids, supports brain health. Ogletree said, “Walnuts provide higher amounts of ALA than any other nut.” She said, “Researchers at Loma Linda University found that nuts have a positive impact on the brain's ability to generate brain waves, including gamma waves, which are critical for cognition and memory.” Of the nuts tested, pistachios were found to have the best effect on gamma waves. Almonds were found to be “the most potent source of vitamin E. Low intake of vitamin E has been linked to an increase in dementia risk.”

Pet Food Danger

Olivia Ferrari reported for National Geographic that in December, a pet food company recalled raw turkey frozen pet food after it tested positive for H5N1, “the highly deadly bird flu virus.” A house cat that ate it died. Genetic testing matched the virus in the cat with virus in the food. Another house cat tested positive for the H5N1 virus after eating a different brand of raw pet food. In March, two house cats in New York tested positive for the virus after eating another raw pet food. All of these cats died.

Raw pet food “contains animal protein that hasn't been cooked or heated enough to kill germs.” Dr. Aimee Simpson, medical director at VCA Cat Hospital of Philadelphia said, “Some commercial raw food is frozen, freeze-dried, or dehydrated, which may give people a false sense of security about its safety. . . . these methods are not reliable or effective ways to kill bacteria or viruses like avian influenza [bird flu].”

Ferrari reported, “Pets that eat a raw food diet can be exposed to parasitic infections---like Toxoplasma gondii, the leading cause of death from food-borne illness in the U.S., and Echinococcus granulosus, a tapeworm that can cause gastrointestinal issues and may be fatal if spread to humans which can happen through direct contact with food or via contaminated surfaces.” There's also risk of bacterial contamination with pathogens commonly found in raw meat such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. These can cause severe gastrointestinal illness in animals and humans. In 2023 a Salmonella outbreak in humans was linked to handling raw dog food. In 2017 an E. coil outbreak in humans was linked to dogs that were fed raw food.

The Truth About Measles

I subscribe to Wired. Emily Mullin reported, “Most people alive today have never experienced measles, thanks to vaccines that were first rolled out in 1963.” I experienced measles because I got it before there was a measles vaccine. Mullin wrote, “In the decades before the vaccine's introduction, an estimated 3 to 4 million people a year were infected with measles in the United States. Of those, an estimated 48,000 people were hospitalized and 400 to 500 people died each year.” Measles has a dark side.

Mullins explained, “Measles is known for its characteristic rash . . . but the measles virus can wreak havoc on the body in more serious ways.” It's highly contagious. It “spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes.” That virus can remain in the air for up to two hours. Dr. Glenn Fennelly, pediatric infectious disease specialist and assistant vice president for global health at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, said, “The measles virus is strongly immunosuppressive.” It will interfere with the function of many white cells in the body that fight other infections. The virus attacks and destroys memory cells, an important part of your immune system. Memory cells remember pathogens your body encountered from prior infections, to help your body fight them. Destruction of memory cells can leave you vulnerable to other infections for several weeks to months. “It can take 2 to 3 years after a measles infection for protective immunity to fully return.” “About one in five people who get sick with measles in the US is hospitalized, and one in 20 will develop bacterial pneumonia.” Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, said, “Pneumonia is the most common cause of death for measles in young children.”

Mullin reported measles can cause encephalitis or swelling of the brain which can be fatal. “About one child out of every 1,000 who get measles will develop encephalitis.” It can cause convulsions and in rare cases, deafness or intellectual disability.

Hawaii Measles Alert

Hawaii is essentially eight main islands in the middle of a vast ocean. Our economy relies on tourists traveling here. Our own people enjoy traveling to neighbor islands, the US mainland and all over the world (see “Signs of Hawaiian Life in the Universe” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, any Sunday). While you enjoy your vacation, keep in mind The World Health Organization reported 10.3 million measles cases worldwide in 2023. Victoria Budiono reported for Star-Advertiser, “Measles cases are on the rise across the United States and around the world . . . health officials in Hawaii urge residents to stay vigilant.” Budiono said, “Every year, cases are brought into the country by un-vaccinated travelers who contract measles abroad.” According to Hawaii's Department of Health (DOH), “The highly infectious nature of the virus means even a single case bought into Hawaii could rapidly spread within the community.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that if a person has measles, 9 out of 10 nearby people who are not immune will become infected. The DOH said if you suspect you have measles, call ahead before visiting a clinic or doctor's office to prevent further spread.

The DOH warned Hawaii “remains at risk for a travel-related measles case, which could lead to an outbreak due to the virus' extreme contagiousness and sub-optimal vaccination coverage.” In 2023, the CDC reported 59 measles cases in the U.S. In 2024, there were 285 cases. This year there are 301 confirmed measles cases across 15 US states as of March 13, 2025. Advice from the CDC on the best way to protect against measles is with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two does of the MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles. A single dose is about 93% effective.

Measles Update

Thank you to Christine Donnelly, “Kokua Line,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser for these guidelines. Because measles is highly transmissible and a disease common in many parts of the world, if you plan to travel internationally, it's recommended that you “be fully protected against measles, at least two weeks before you depart. . . . Hawaii's Department of Health says that all adults born during or after 1957 should have documentation of at least one MMR vaccination, unless they have a blood test showing they are immune to measles or have had the disease. . . . Adults at higher risk of exposure, including international travelers, need a second dose of MMR vaccine at least four weeks after their first dose.”

Here are some excerpts from Donnelly's summary of CDC guidance on measles. For more, see Kokua Line, StarAdvertiser, 03/19/25, A7, A12. “People born in the United States before 1957 generally don't need the MMR vaccine because they are presumed to have caught the measles before the vaccine was available, and developed life-time immunity.” Americans born between 1957 and 1962 either got measles and natural immunity or got the vaccine which was first available in 1963.

If you received the LIVE measles vaccine in the 1960s, you do not need to be re-vaccinated. People vaccinated before 1968 with either inactivated (killed) measles vaccine or measles vaccine of unknown type should be re-vaccinated. They should get at least one dose of live attenuated measles vaccine. The killed measles vaccine was available in 1963 to 1967 and was not effective. Adults vaccinated after 1968 generally do not need to be re-vaccinated although if they received only one dose of the MMR vaccine, they should consider a second dose if they are in higher risk groups such as international travelers; health care workers; in close contact with people who are immunocompromised.

Next Zoom Webinar with Dr. Shintani & Dr.D

Dr. Shintani covers the latest in longevity, anti-aging (slowing aging), anti-cancer, and more.

If you missed my info on DEMENTIA ("Good News They Don't Want You to Know") or you want a review, I will cover Part 1, in addition to other health-related topics.

There will be a small charge to attend this webinar. Net proceeds go to support the Hawaii Health Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization. NO charge for HHF supporters

There will be drawings during the webinar for items like EES bracelets ($62 value), melatonin ($30 value), boxes of essential oils, and more. All of these have health benefits. Attend the webinar to learn about their benefits and to enter the drawings.

Check back here for more information to be posted about the webinar.

Don't be a Victim – Elder Fraud - Part 1

According to the FBI, “Each year, millions of elderly Americans fall victim to some type of financial fraud or confidence scheme.” Last year, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) released the 2023 edition of its annual Elder Fraud Report (2024 edition is not yet available). The FBI said, “This annual publication provides statistics about incidents of elder fraud---or fraud that explicitly targets older Americans' money or cryptocurrency---that are reported to IC3. Here are some things to remember from the FBI:

People 60 and older lost over $3.4 billion to fraud in 2023. Average elder fraud victim lost $33,915. Older Americans seem to be disproportionately impacted by scams and fraud. More than 101,000 victims, 60 and older, reported this kind of crime to IC3. That's only the people who reported. Experts, including the FBI, believe there are many that go unreported.

Tech support scams were the most widely reported kind of elder fraud in 2023. In addition to tech support scams, the other top five most common types of elder fraud include personal data breaches, confidence and romance scams, non-payment or non-delivery scams, and investment scams.

Investment scams were the costliest kind of elder fraud in 2023, costing victims over $1.2 billion in 2023. Some other types of elder fraud include business email compromise scams, government impersonation scams, grandparent scams, sweepstakes and lottery scams, home repair scams and TV/radio scams. Advice from the FBI: If you or someone you know may have been a victim of elder fraud, contact your local FBI field office or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov If the suspected fraud was internet-facilitated, you can file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov

Elder Fraud – Part 2

If you are an AARP member, like me, you receive the AARP Bulletin. The March/April 2025 issue is filled with information about fraud, for example, “Protect Your Money;” “How Crooks Are Using AI;” “Who is Targeting You Now?” The cover story is “Fraud 2025 – How to Stay Safe and Fight Back Against the Latest Scams.” If you received this AARP Bulletin, be sure to read it. It contains so much good information I cannot put most of it in this blog post.

Ken Budd reported on some of the top scams for 2025. Here's one example. You use a credit card to make an online purchase. The card gets rejected so you try a different card, but that one gets rejected too. “The charges, however, have occurred for each transaction, despite the card-declined notices, and often for more money than [you] thought.” Melanie McGovern, director of public relations for the International Association of Better Business Bureaus Inc., said, “We've seen a noticeable increase in card-declined problems.”

Some elderly people have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fraud, particularly online fraud. Their family members become victims too. Rory Macleod learned at least $800,000 was stolen from his mother in a series of romance scams. He said the crime took a terrible toll on his family. After $300,000 was stolen from Carisa Kelly's 73-year-old mother, Kelly said, “My mom was victimized, but it affected the whole family.” Family members may lose money if they now have to support a scam victim or if they loaned them money that was stolen by the scammers. They may have to postpone their own retirement to pay off debt incurred by the scam victim, Some family members may have nothing to give. They may be financially struggling or they give everything they have to help the victim, putting themselves in trouble financially.

Don't become a victim. In the March/April 2025 AARP Bulletin read “AARP Can Help Protect You from Fraud.” It includes information about their Fraud Watch Network on the AARP website which offers tips on the most common frauds today and a map where you can see what's being reported in your area. Also see information about AARP community education. AARP holds events all over the country in person and online, including seminars and webinars on protecting yourself from fraud.

Down To Earth – 2 Big-Savings Events

30% off 30 Best Selling Items, including organic apples, carrots, celery; Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar; Ezekiel Bread (the only bread Dr. Shintani recommends); & more. Some items up to 50% off.

30% off deli buffet – hot bar and salad bar

Live Music; Drawings for DTE gift cards, gift baskets, and more.

This event will be at 2 DTE stores only:

Saturday, April 12 at the Kakaako Down to Earth store

Saturday, April 26 at the Kailua Down To Earth store

Disclaimer: I am not compensated for sharing information about Down To Earth (DTE). I shop at DTE because I like DTE products because they are good for health, including fresh, local, organic produce; a large variety of quality grocery items; freshly-baked pastries; vitamins & supplements; skin-care & hair-care products; household cleaning products; made-to-order pizzas; hot deli buffet; and more.

Dye Poured into Aquifer near Red Hill

I'm a Stars & Stripes subscriber. Wyatt Olson reported University of Hawaii School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology researchers are using “florescent dye in the aquifer near Pearl Harbor to better understand the flow of water beneath the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, site of a massive jet fuel spill three years ago.” This is the aquifer that provides water to most of Honolulu. This is the aquifer that had jet fuel leaking into it for decades from the Red Hill facility that people had been trying for decades to get shut down. In February the “researchers injected 50 pounds of rhodamine dye, mixed with 5,000 gallons of water into a well shaft operated by the Navy.” They say the dye is nontoxic. Olson explained, “Understanding movement in the aquifer is important as the Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill works to empty and clean the Red Hill fuel facility, which was ordered permanently closed by defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in March 2022.” The way the previous administration's policies and orders are being overturned, is it possible this closure can be reversed too?

HMSA – Hawaii's largest health insurance company

Daryl Huff, for Hawaii News Now, reported some doctors and families say, too often, HMSA [Hawaii Medical Service Association] is refusing to pay for care they need. Hilo attorney, Ted Hong “compiled the stories of more than 30 patients who say they were denied needed care by HMSA's pre-authorization process.” Tammy Souza told her husband, Craig McKinzie, HMSA refused to cover radiation treatment for her breast cancer. He said, before she died, “The last thing she wrote was, 'I want everyone to know that HMSA was basically responsible for my death.'”

Scott Norton was required by HMSA to get weeks of physical therapy before HMSA would approve an MRI or specialist care. His son said Norton “just got worse.” He was in a lot of pain, but no one knew he had cancer because HMSA denied the MRI. “The cancer was literally eating his bones at the time that he had to go through physical therapy.” After months of suffering, Norton died. “He was angry. He said we had been paying HMSA all these years.”

Charlene Orcino was examined by an OBGYN who prescribed medication to stop her premature labor. She went to two different pharmacies that told her HMSA refused to honor the prescription. She had to be medivaced to Honolulu for emergency delivery of an extremely premature baby at 25 weeks gestation. The baby is “substantially disabled.”

Sophie Cocke, for StarAdvertiser, reported, HMSA executives “received hefty pay raises and bonuses during the COVID-19 pandemic” at the same time HMSA was eliminating and outsourcing the jobs of nearly 200 employees. 107 HMSA workers lost their jobs. Another 89 employees now provide customer service for HMSA as employees of a company based in Mumbai, India, or provide tech assistance for HMSA as employees of a company in Maryland and Bengaluru, India.

Total compensation to Mark Mugiishi, HMSA President and CEO, rose from $2.5 million in 2021 to $3 million in 2022 (18.6% increase).

Gina Marting, HMSA executive vice president and CFO: total compensation rose 20% from $902,402 in 2021 to $1.08 million in 2022.

Janna Nakagawa, HMSA vice president and chief administrative and strategy officer: total compensation rose from $788,287 to $995,633 (26% increase) in 2022.

David Herndon, HMSA executive vice president and chief business operations officer: total compensation rose to $817,361 (3.7% increase) in 2022. Jennifer Walker, HMSA senior vice president for data and analytics and general counsel: total compensation rose nearly 20% to $737,689 in 2022.

Nakagawa said compensation for the top officers is determined by HMSA's board of directors. The board “also voted to begin compensating itself.” Board Chair, Robert Harrison was paid $105,000 in 2022. HMSA has 14 directors. Elizabeth Hokada was paid $99,500; Lisa Sakamoto was paid $93,500. Other directors received between $67,000 and $88,000 in 2022. According to HMSA bylaws, the board is required to hold at least four regular meetings a year.

HMSA is a nonprofit organization. It reported profits of $48.9 million in 2021 and $26.9 million in 2022. In 2021 employee salary increases were capped at 1.5%. Average increase was 1%. In 2022 average employee raise was 3% according to HMSA.

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Navy's Most-Lethal Nuclear-armed Submarines

Hawaii Health Foundation subscribes to Honolulu Star-Advertiser. I first saw articles by Kevin Knodell in the Star-Advertiser about 3 years ago during the Navy's massive, Red Hill jet fuel leak into the aquifer that supplies water to most of Honolulu. I don't know why this young man is working at our local newspaper but I hope he doesn't leave because his writing and articles appear to be at the level of national news reporting. Knodell reported, “Hawaii is being put squarely at the center of the new administration's military strategy” with the Hawaii-based U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) which oversees all operations across the Pacific. Elizabeth Freund Larus, adjunct senior fellow at the Honolulu-based Pacific Forum, said there appears to be a “priority shift from Europe to the IndoPacific. It recognizes that China poses the biggest threat to the post-World War II global order.” Knodell wrote, “Hawaii currently has the highest share of the military's construction budget of any state . . . The biggest share of those funds ---$1.2 billion---is meant for Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard's Dry Dock 5, which is the single most expensive construction project in Navy history.”

Larus said Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, “is single-minded when it comes to the US military. He has said over and over that the mission of the US military is war-fighting. . . . Hegseth and President Trump want to return the US military to a fighting force that is more lethal than that of its adversaries.” Knodell wrote, China has been proactively building up its military capabilities . . . China now has the worlds' largest navy in terms of number of ships and is growing its capacity, while the US is struggling to maintain ships at aging shipyards.” Larus said, “The biggest mistake that previous administrations made in the Pacific is failing to maintain a navy adequate to sustain US maritime power in the region and to uphold the peace and security of the Indo-Pacific. US Navy assets are inadequate to deter China's muscular and growing navy. In particular, the US has lost its ability to keep up with China's shipbuilding capacity.”

It seems to be a good thing - good for Hawaii in terms of military funding, good for Hawaii and America, that the US will be strengthening its defense and military capabilities. I have no disagreement against that. But keep in mind this also makes Hawaii a target. Remember Pearl Harbor? Also, Lynda Williams' Letter to the Editor in the Star-Advertiser is sobering. She wrote, “Dry Dock 5 at Pearl Harbor . . . is set to host the US navy's most lethal nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarines . . . by accommodating Ohio-class and eventually Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines, each capable of carrying Trident missiles with multiple nuclear warheads. The detonation of even a single modern warhead could result in millions of deaths . . . An accident on such a submarine near Pearl Harbor would be catastrophic and could cause widespread contamination across Hawaii. Hawaii's residents were not consulted about housing nuclear-armed submarines in Honolulu.” Was there anything we could have done even if we were consulted?

Getting Cancer? – chances are good

Kate Kelland reported for Reuters that an analysis published in The Lancet found “people around the world are living longer, but many are also living sicker lives for longer.” The study of all major disease and injuries in 188 countries led by Dr. Theo Vos, a professor at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, found general health has improved world wide, but healthy life expectancy has not increased as much, so people are living more years with illness and disability. One illness that detracts from quality of life and imposes heavy costs is cancer.

T.J. DeGroat reporting for Lifestyle News, said hearing your doctor say, “you have cancer” is something no one wants to experience. No one wants to hear that ever, but chances are good you and many other people will be hearing those words. Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, oncologist and former deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, said one in two men and one in three women in the US are expected to be diagnosed with cancer. You can keep your lifetime cancer risk lower than the numbers predict because lifestyle does play a role in raising or lowering your risk.

In addition to a healthy lifestyle you need to know how to protect yourself from toxic exposures. There are many different kinds of hazards. These are known to cause genetic damage and gene mutations that can lead to cancer. The gene mutation may appear random because it often takes time, even years before the result of the mutation or a cancer becomes apparent. Dr. David Katz, founder of Yale University's Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, said, “random mutations are not necessarily random at all,” they may arise as a result of lifestyle factors. He said, “Mutation rates are higher in those exposed to toxins and lower in those exposed to health-promoting conditions. Studies have already shown that cancer-promoter genes are turned off and cancer-suppressor genes turned on by healthy living.” In our zoom webinars, Dr. Shintani covers information on promoting health and I cover toxic exposures.

Information in this blog is not intended for diagnosis or treatment of any health condition. It does not take the place of medical advice from your physician or healthcare provider. Obtain advice from your own healthcare provider before making changes in your decisions or actions pertaining to your health.

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