The North Carolina Mason

March/April 2016 The North Carolina Mason Page 15 UNC treasure is a Masonic icon Our back pages CHAPEL HILL —e first public pro- cession of our Grand Lodge was to set the cornerstone of UNC's Old East, the first building on the campus of the first public uni- versity. GM William R. Davie, Father of the University, set the stone with Masonic ceremo- ny. A brass plaque com- memorating the event was placed. It was lost in the 1800s and mi- raculously recovered in 1916 from a scrap pile about to be melted in Tennessee. It was re- turned to the University by the Grand Lodge on University Day, exactly 123 years after its origi- nal deposit. It is dis- played today in Wilson Hall on UNC's campus. From the Medical Committee Weight loss and carbs So many people have difficulty los- ing weight —it is a struggle. As I have worked with hundreds of patients on weight loss, I see one common theme — a basic misunderstanding about what is "good for you." ere is so much misinformation out there about how to shed those extra pounds. Certainly, eating fewer calories than you burn with your body will lead to weight loss. e grain-based diet that Ameri- cans have learned for decades is not ideal for staying thin specifically be- cause it is carbohydrate dense. Car- bohydrates are an important source of energy for humans, and we need carbohydrates. However, eating carbo- hydrates causes a rise in blood glucose which, in turn, causes a rise in circulat- ing insulin levels. Insulin is a critical hormone for our bodies, but with chronically elevated in- sulin levels, a person will be in constant "storage mode" and will be predisposed to gain weight. Exercise is secondary to weight loss. It is most practical to lose weight by al- tering nutrition, balancing healthy pro- teins, healthy fats, and non-processed carbohydrates, not by adding exercise. A good rule of thumb is to limit daily carbohydrate intake to 50 grams. How you will lose weight will need to be based on your individual situation, but start by an honest evaluation of what you eat and then educate yourself on macronutrients. Lonnie Lassiter is a member of Polk County Unity 482. By Lonnie Lassiter, MD DURHAM — Invoking the aspi- rational spirit that put U.S. astronauts on the moon, Vice President Joe Biden visited Duke Health February 10 as part of the national "moonshot" initia- tive he is leading to advance cancer re- search. Duke Department of Neurosur- gery Chairman John Sampson, a North Carolina Mason, led a laboratory tour for Biden during his visit. After that tour, the vice president held a roundtable discussion with key leaders in the cancer community who were convened to share their aspirations for the moonshot. With the Duke Cancer Institute and the Duke University School of Medi- cine as a backdrop, the vice president cited the unique history of the Research Triangle area, where major universities, biotechnology companies, and federal research agencies have long combined forces. He said the area's teamwork demonstrates the sort of collaborative effort that the cancer cure moonshot aims to foster nationwide. "I'm not naïve that we are going to cure every cancer," Biden said dur- ing a roundtable discussion. He noted that more government funding is just one element necessary to achieve the moonshot's goal of condensing a de- cade worth of research advances into just five years. Biden urged all groups to work together across academic dis- ciplines, joining business and industry, philanthropic organizations, advocacy groups, and others. Dr. Michael B. Kastan, executive director of the Duke Cancer Institute said, "It's a very exciting time in cancer right now, and it's a very challenging time," Kastan said. "When the National Cancer Act was passed in 1971 by Con- gress, people expected that discoveries were going to be made very quickly. But, we were in no position to quickly advance our diagnosis and treatment of cancer at that time." Cancer has proven to be a formidable foe, he said. After 40 years of research and devel- opment, however, the field is at a pivotal point, Kastan said. e vice president's advocacy for the moonshot initiative could be that final push that enables science to reach its goal. "In many ways, Vice President Biden is asking the same questions we are," Dr. Eugene Washington, chancel- lor for health affairs at Duke Univer- sity and president and chief executive officer of the Duke University Health System, said. "How do we accomplish ten years of advancement in five years? How do we really pick up the pace? In research, education, patient care, and our communities locally and globally, that is exactly what we aspire to do and what we will do." — Sarah Avery and Health News Office Shawn Rocco/Duke Health photo Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. John Sampson, left, talk during a roundtable dis- cussion at Duke Hospital. Biden brings cancer moon- shot to Durham, Mason meets him there

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