Opinion, Out and About

Out and About

June 4, 2025 | Sandi Kemp

I’m starting to feel “up there” in age – but only because of events and not because of how I feel. As we discovered a few weeks ago, I founded this newspaper 25 years ago. Since that time, I’ve seen a lot, and when I talk about “I remember when,” I sound like people that looked much older when I was younger and sat around a picnic table and recounted times past. I noticed that Patrick Moore is on our cover this week and I remember when he owned my favorite sandwich shop 30 years ago – named Dagwoods. The fact that I know who Dagwood Bumstead is dates me. He had the cartoons with his wife Blondie, and the central theme was that he liked sandwiches piled high – taller than his head. The wife’s character really caught on and she later had her own strip called, “Blondie.” I remember when (here I go again) Patrick had to change the name of his shop because of possible “copyright infringement.” He decided to rename his sandwich shop, All-American Heroes. I think he gave the creators of the cartoon an idea because shortly after the name change, I saw a franchise called Dagwoods, named for the comic strip. Apparently, the creators started licensing the name and I believe (I could be wrong) that they got the idea from Patrick. My favorite sandwich that Patrick made was the Cashew Chicken and I could only eat half of it. We wish Patrick well on his next adventure in California.

But speaking of longevity and aging, I’ve always been a health nut but now I think I’m a fanatic. Every other day (it seems) I’m trying something new, and some would consider me an easy target for just about every new health idea or gadget out there. One of them is a hydrogen water bottle that puts more hydrogen in my water – and when I drink it, it is supposed to give me more energy. I already feel energized, until I go home at night – but that is another story. My son-in-law, who has a Ph.D. in microbiology asked, “So, it makes your water more…watery?” and laughs at me. (Hydrogen is already in water, hence, H20) Since I don’t know a lot about my biological medical history, and because I’m super curious about everything – I love looking under rocks and at bloodwork. My primary care doctor 20 years ago yelled at me for getting an “Executive Physical” by Baptist Hospital that included a CAT Scan or MRI. He showed me a shadow on my hip and said that technically he should follow up on that – but he wasn’t going to. He said I shouldn’t be looking for trouble. Well…he isn’t my doctor anymore, mainly because he left the area. He had his perspective, I have mine. Recently I started listening to podcasts that included a Functional Health doctor, Mark Hyman, and he is part owner in a lot of health-related companies, and one is called Function Health. The tag line is, “It’s time you own your health.” I 200% agree with that statement. We are totally responsible for our own health and there are things you can do to eliminate years of life or add to them – and we should all own that. When I see Krispy Creme doughnuts, I decide if I’m having half of one or more. There are choices and consequences, just like everything in life. Heredity has a lot to do with how our cells react to certain things, but there is new research that is showing that you can have control over your DNA, especially by our lifestyle choices and the foods we eat. How you maximize the genetic potential that lies within your genome to be the best person you can be is where the rubber hits the road. I paid out of pocket for more than 100 different blood tests through Function Health because I want to own my health and treat the root causes of disease, not the disease.

The good news is that the blood work I received back so far says that overall, my biological age is 12 years younger than by birth certificate. The good/bad news is that the blood work is coming back with all the markers for what my newly found biological aunt told me to look out for. It is good news because if it wasn’t for me owning my own health, and “looking for trouble” it may have just been found in the autopsy like they did when my biological sister died last year. Knowing that I have the same precursors doesn’t scare me, it empowers me because now that I know, I can do something about it.

Quote of the Week: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
― Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.): The Founder and Pioneer of Clinical Medicine

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