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Beautiful and rare, gold has been manufactured for millennia.  It’s been used in jewelry, medicine, conductors, cuisine, photography, heat shielding, and electroplating.  There are over 187,000 tons of it above ground, worth about $8.9 trillion, with half used for jewelry and the rest in investments and industry.  It means ‘to shine’, so let’s shine a light on some gold-related trivia.

1)  Used in jewelry and as household wealth, what country imports the most gold and has the most clothing made with gold thread?

2)  Launched in 1977, a gold-plated record was included on a space probe to send out of our solar system. It had many images and sounds of humanity. Name the probe.

3)  In 1957 Rawlings created baseball’s Gold Glove Award for defensive skill. What Hall of Famer holds the record for winning the most Gold Gloves, with 18? He pitched for the Cubs and Braves.

4)  The California Gold Rush began in 1848 when James W. Marshall discovered gold at a mill in Coloma. Who was his boss?

5)  As you might imagine, this European country has the world’s most gold per capita.

6)  There are three James Bond movies with “GOLD” in the title.  Name them.

Both mental and physical health problems can either be caused or exacerbated by poor posture. There are ample scientific studies on this relationship as well as biofeedback devices developed to help remind us when we slouch.  Rather than go into these areas, I want to address some factors that cause this ever-increasing problem affecting our wellbeing.

As I have mentioned in earlier articles, my approach in treatment of pain and dysfunction is holistic.  Simply put, I study everything about the patient that could possibly contribute to why that patient has come to me for help. A holistic approach is never limited to modern medicine, for ancient medicine, in many cases, is far more effective and less threatening to the patient’s health, happiness, and life.

In my TMJ practice I have found a remarkable increase in neck, shoulder, and back pain, in addition to myofascial, headache, and joint pain.  A holistic look at the public, in general, demonstrates an incredible increase in slouching.  Some of it is caused by the introduction of backpacks to even very young students. In earlier cultures, loads were carried on heads, causing a person to stand up straight.  People only looked down for food, obstacles in their path, or footprints.  Now the excessive use of cell phones, social media devices, games, and computers have resulted in excessive slouching.

Any time there is a sudden change of human activity and posture that has existed for endless years, it’s logical to expect this could trigger a negative response to health, both mental and physical.

I recently took part in a big game fishing tournament in Mexico. There was no WiFi at the location which forced otherwise too busy businessmen to talk to each other.  I got to have conversations with some very interesting men and women and learned about their businesses and their lives and we became international friends. Wi-Fi would have prevented this. In coffee shops we have the same problem; everyone is looking at their cell phone, thus they don’t get to know each other. In addition, challenges that could be shared don’t get discussed which opens another door to mental health and social problems.

In the November 2019 edition of the Townsend Letter, “The Examiner of Alternative Medicine,” they introduce a biofeedback device—the “Upright Go 2.” This device, when applied to one’s back, vibrates when one slouches. When this device was used to treat one group along with a control group not using it, the study showed “significantly improved physical and mental health scores” for the group using the device.

In my practice at Advanced Oral Diagnosis & Treatment Center, when we’re dealing with patients suffering from chronic pain, we know their physical and mental health are major factors to consider. As you can easily understand, the holistic approach is far more complicated and time consuming than “let me give you something for your condition.” For more information about my practice, please visit:  www.aodtc.com or call 925-837-8048.  I specialize in TMJ therapy and custom made oral devices to treat obstructive sleep apnea.

Q. For Mother’s Day, I received a beautiful silver-gray foliage, pink flowering Bromeliad. It’s thriving, and several new plants are forming at the base. How would I go about transplanting these plants?                                              

A. Bromeliads are an ideal indoor flowering plant as they are in bloom for months. They reach maturity and stop producing new leaves when in bud and bloom. It is at this point that a healthy bromeliad produces offshoots from the base called pups. The main plant is often referred to as the mother plant. Once the pups reach about one-third the size of the mother plant, they’re easily transplanted, and it’s pretty easy to do. First, cover your work area with a layer of newspaper. You then gently remove the mother plant from the container, exposing the area where the pups are joined. If necessary, remove any additional soil from the crown area, so you have a clear view of the base of both plants. The pups may or may not have their own root system. The pups should easily separate from the mother plant without the use of any tools. If they resist, give them a firm but gentle tug, or you can cut them off near the base of the mother plant with a sharp knife or use a pair of pruning shears. The pups are not replanted right away. Instead, place them in a dry location for a couple of days to allow the cuts to seal themselves. This is called callusing. The callusing prevents any soil-borne diseases from entering through the soft tissue wounds. The pups, one per six-inch pot, are centered in the new container using any commercial type of potting soil. You gently press the pre-moistened soil down around the base of the pup to keep them upright, and don’t forget to add water to the center of the leaf whirl. Transplanting shock should not be a concern. You can transplant all the pups or just the most vigorous. The pups mature in less the nine months, flower, and form their own pups. The mother plant is usually discarded after removing the pups as they very often naturally die.

Q. After pruning my roses, is there any special winter fertilizer I should apply? Also, what should I treat the bare stems to minimize the Rose Rust and Black Spot this year?

A. While there isn’t any particular type of winter fertilizer for roses, they do need to be fed, but it’s a bit early to start. I’d wait another month or when the new growth is about a one-half inch long to make my first application. There are a lot of great foods available for roses, so no one brand or type is the best. Dr. Earth is a fabulous, organic fertilizer. Miracle Grow is perfect for those that love to fertilize often and for those that infrequently fertilize like me, there is Osmocote. Osmocote is a time-release fertilizer that is applied every four months. Roses are heavy feeders, so whatever fertilizer you choose, reapply it regularly right through October. You start your rose disease control program starts after pruning. The rose canes are sprayed with Bonide Copper Spray but first strip off any of the remaining leaves and remove all the debris from under the plant(s). Ideally, this is done before the new growth is too far along. This is a preventive measure to remove any of the local sources for the diseases. It sort of sanitizes the area. The spores from Black Spot, Rust, and Mildew, can over-winter in this material. The spores of Rose Rust, Black Spot, and Mildew are airborne, so there is a better than average probability that they’ll return with wet, damp, and rainy conditions. The length of time moisture remains on the leaves after the sun goes down triggers the problems. The damaged leaves show up about ten to eighteen days after being infected. Last spring, the rose diseases were a big problem almost until Mother’s Day, because of the wet spring we had. So applying a rose fungicide to foliage is recommended and again there are a lot of choices. No fungicide will eradicate the diseases, they only control them: hence, depending on the weather, repeat applications must be made until the rainy season concludes. Also, keep in mind to be effective, the fungicide must be on the foliage before the moisture arrives not afterward. This can be challenging with all the other things that can be happening during a week. My solution is Bayer Advanced All in One Rose Care. It feeds my roses, provides a systemic fungicide for six-week control of the rose diseases, and finally as a bonus takes care of the Aphids, Thrips, and Spider Mites. Bayer Advanced All in One Rose Care is available in a liquid, which doesn’t have to be sprayed on the foliage and easy to apply granules. Unfortunately, Bayer All in One Rose Care is not an organic solution, and I only use it in the spring until the rainy season has concluded. You can certainly separate these into individual tasks, but I prefer one and done.  

Buzz Bertolero is an Advance California Certified Nursery Professional. The Dirt Gardener’s website is www.dirtgardener.com and questions can be sent by email tobuzz@dirtgardener.com  or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Buzz.Bertolero

The holiday season has ended. The weather is cold and bleak. The Christmas tree is gone and the lights and décor have been packed up and put away. The only thing to look forward to is the inevitable arrival of bills reflecting the overindulgences of the past few months, and the joy of compiling our 2019 taxes.

Sigh. A dark time of year, to say the least. Before you pull the covers over your head and try to wish it all away, consider this: why not spice up this January with splash of gin?

If there was ever a time for a stiff drink, it is now. Gin has been a favorite of the intellectual set for just about forever. The likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Dorothy Parker threw back gin martinis with aplomb, the magic elixir only serving to ignite their creative muses even further. The literary members of New York City’s storied Algonquin Round Table sipped on gin martinis during their famously intellectual literary meetings. Gin is positively historic.

Although the young hipsters of today prefer everything made with vodka, vodka, and more vodka, those of us in the know understand that a gin martini holds more elegance, romance, and sophistication than a mere vodka martini, or “Vodkatini,” if you will, ever could. Gin is the choice of James Bond, so how could that be wrong?

What is gin, you may wonder? Gin’s base is a neutral spirit that can be made from grain, molasses, or potatoes. Grain spirit is the most commonly used today. Gin is in fact, simply flavored vodka. But it’s so much more than that.

To carry the moniker “Gin” there are certain requirements to which to adhere. The spirit must be infused with juniper, first and foremost, as that is gin’s defining flavor. Other botanicals often used include star anise, citrus peel, coriander, angelica, cardamom, orris root, and licorice.

The crafting of fine gin is a thing of beauty involving distillation vapors passing through spices and exotic roots in enormous copper pots. Some gin makers allow their fruits and botanicals to macerate in a neutral spirit before distillation for extra intensity of flavor. Each label has its own recipe and gins may vary wildly in flavor from brand to brand.

In the world of quality gin, each producer creates a revelation of its own, from Hendrick’s Gin’s delicate rose petal and cucumber gin, to smooth Plymouth Gin, to Scotland’s exotic “The Botanist” Gin, to the most intriguing and flamboyant of all, South African Elephant Dung Gin. You think I’m kidding. I’m not.

According to the creators of this award-winning gin, elephants ingest a wonderful array of leaves and flowers, nuts and fruits. As it turns out, most of this potpourri remains undigested as it passes through the elephant. A few intrepid South Africans decided to make use of those pre-mixed flavors, so to speak, and create a uniquely South African Gin. This gin was awarded a double gold medal at South Africa’s Craft Gin Awards, so it is truly something rare and tasty to seek out.

As you navigate the dark months of winter, don’t forget to grab a bottle or two of good gin to sip on a chilly evening. Whether you enjoy your gin in a cocktail, over ice, or neat, you may soon find yourself surrounded by adoring family and friends. Gin is simply irresistible.

Cheers!