Dr Lisa Shaver

10/12/2026

Smiles for your Monday.

10/04/2026

Razor clam harvesting closed coastwide in Oregon due to high domoic acid levels

Razor clam harvesting is closed coastwide in Oregon as of Friday Oct. 2.

The announcement from the Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stated that domoic acid levels are above the safety threshold.

The closure includes popular razor clam harvesting areas on Clatsop Beach. Mussel harvesting on the south coast is now open, making mussel harvesting open coastwide. Bay clams and crabs are also open coastwide.

Domoic acid is a marine biotoxin. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, shellfish like razor clams feed on small plants in the water called phytoplankton that produce the toxin. When people eat contaminated shellfish, the toxin affect the digestive system, nervous system, or both.

Call the Shellfish Safety Hotline at 1-800-448-2474 for up-to-date information on shellfish harvests, or visit the ODA Recreational Shellfish Biotoxin Closures Webpage. To reopen an area for harvest, the ODA must collect two consecutive tests from an affected area with results below closure limits.

10/03/2026

People who walk more or walk faster live longer

Walking is an easy, accessible way to meet your exercise goals. To reap longevity benefits from a daily walk, you can walk either farther or faster, a new study suggests.

The study relied on data from 64,743 adults in the United Kingdom whose average age was 62. All wore wrist activity trackers for a week to monitor their daily step counts and pace. During a follow-up period of about eight years, there were 1,697 deaths in the study group, 502 of those from cardiovascular disease.

To determine each person’s walking pace, researchers averaged steps per minute across the 30 highest-activity minutes of their day, which were not necessarily consecutive.

Daily step counts were categorized as less than 5,000; 5,000 to 7,500; 7,500 to 10,000; and above 10,000 steps per day.

They compared groups with different combinations of those parameters to a reference group of people who took fewer than 5,000 daily steps at a pace of 45 steps per minute.

People who took fewer than 5,000 steps per day but at a faster pace had a substantially lower risk for dying from cardiovascular or other causes. In fact, their risk was similar to that of people who walked between 5,000 and 7,500 steps per day but at a slower pace.

Taking 7,500 to 10,000 steps per day was linked to the lowest death rates among all the step groups.

Maintaining a brisk pace — at least 90 to 100 steps per minute — for 30 minutes a day is a promising target for longevity, the authors say.

For people with barriers such as limited time or ability, flexible combinations of step counts and speed can also be good options.

The study was published online Sept. 8, 2026, by the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

- Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter

09/28/2026

Generic Armour Thyroid Recall

The FDA upgraded a voluntary recall by Vitruvias Therapeutics to a Class I risk level for one nationwide lot of generic natural desiccated Thyroid Tablets, USP 30 mg (Lot No. 504950, NDC 69680-166-00).

The pills are recalled because they are potentially superpotent, meaning they contain excess active hormone that can cause hyperthyroidism.

Recall Details
Product: Thyroid Tablets, USP 30 mg (porcine-derived natural desiccated thyroid)
Lot Number: 504950NDC
Number: 69680-166-00
Expiration Date: September 30, 2026
Distribution Dates: January 31, 2025 – September 30, 2025
Risk Level: Class I (highest risk; probability of serious adverse health consequences or death).

Excess thyroid hormone can cause hyperthyroidism symptoms: rapid or irregular heart rate, chest pain, high blood pressure, weight loss, nervousness, and heat intolerance.

Vulnerable groups include elderly patients, pregnant women, and infants

09/26/2026

09/26/2026

Corn Fritters - gluten-free

Crisp on the outside and irresistibly light & fluffy on the inside! Just 6 ingredients and super easy to make, this savory goodness satisfies that craving for something warm and bready.

Recipe: https://www.healthygffamily.com/recipe/gluten-free-corn-fritters/

09/24/2026

The Portland Art Museum admission is free on the first Thursday of every month from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Programs at the Tomorrow Theater in Southeast Portland are free as well.
Portland Art Museum
1219 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR

Current exhibition:
The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art
Sep 5, 2026 - Jan 3, 2027
This eye-opening exhibition introduces North American audiences to the diverse and distinct visual iconographies of Indigenous Australia, which is made up of more than 250 distinct Indigenous nations.

This eye-opening exhibition introduces North American audiences to the diverse and distinct visual iconographies of Indigenous Australia, which is made up of more than 250 distinct Indigenous nations. Explore this rich and living history of creativity through over 100 works made by more than 130 artists.

Drawn exclusively from the collection of Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria, The Stars We Do Not See offers a rare opportunity to experience some of the most significant examples of modern and contemporary Australian Indigenous art. Charting watershed moments in Indigenous art from the late 19th century to the present, this exhibition reveals a rich history of creativity that predates the arrival of the British.

09/22/2026

Smiles for your Monday. 🍂🍁🍂