Friday, September 27, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
Some good music...
Monday, July 1, 2013
2013-07-01 Happy Canada Day
Open "Video letter" to Canadian Members of Parliament re. Bill C-442
http://youtu.be/m08yIz-nKuM
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Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The Real Dangers of Lightning - Medical Myths
Don't take a bath or shower during a storm. Yes, you can get shocked if you are near pipes or faucets during an electrical storm, so experts recommend that you avoid taking baths or showers when lightning is striking nearby. You also should avoid being near bodies of water if you are outside during a thunderstorm.
Avoid using the phone during a storm. Using a phone with a cord during a thunderstorm is not a good idea because an electrical shock may be transmitted along the phone cord to you. In fact, the use of any electrical appliance should be avoided.
Talking on a cordless phone indoors is not considered a high-risk activity, even during an electrical storm. However, using a cell phone outside should be avoided because the metal in the phone may act as a lightning rod.
Know how to calculate a storm's distance. If, after you see lightning, you count the seconds until you hear thunder, that amount of time is not equivalent to the number of miles away the storm is. Rather, you should divide the number of seconds by five. For example, if you see a lightning bolt and count 10 seconds before you hear thunder, the source of that bolt is about two miles away.
Don't take refuge under a tree. In fact, it is best to avoid being near tall objects (which are more likely to attract lightning) during a storm.
Don't huddle with others. If you are caught out in a storm, it is best to stay at least 15 feet apart from others to reduce the chances that any one person will be struck by a bolt of lightning. If you stay close together, multiple people are more easily injured by a single bolt.
Don't sit on the ground. If you are caught out in the open during an electrical storm, avoid sitting or lying down on the ground. Most lightning that injures people strikes the earth and travels through the ground; for this reason, the less contact you have with the ground the better.
Ideally, you should avoid trees and other tall structures and avoid open spaces altogether. Seek shelter in a fully enclosed structure (such as a home, school or car). As a last resort, if you are unable to find shelter, crouch down low on the balls of your feet (to minimize contact with the ground).
Don't try to "read" the sky. If the sky is clear above you or the storm is far away, you can still be struck by lightning. Actually, "bolts from the blue" account for a significant proportion of lightning-related injuries. Because lightning may travel more than 20 miles before touching down, a storm can be in the next town and still cause injury or death. For this reason, experts recommend that you go inside when the source of lightning is six miles away or closer (that is, if the interval between lightning and thunder is 30 seconds or less) and wait until 30 minutes have passed since the last lightning or thunder struck before you resume outside activities (this is known as the "30/30 rule").
It is safe to help a lightning victim.One of the most prominent lightning-related myths is that you should not touch a lightning victim or you'll also be shocked. In fact, it is safe to help a lightning victim. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other forms of medical help may save them.
Be Careful
When the circumstances of a lightning-related injury are analyzed, it is often the case that some action on the part of the victim might have averted the injury.
For example, if you find yourself in a temperate climate with frequent thunderstorms, the last thing you should do is walk around open, hilly terrain with a metal rod. Yet golfers in Florida (where the largest number of lightning-related injuries and deaths occur) do this every day. Perhaps it is because they are not paying attention, they underestimate their risk or they are just unlucky.
To reduce your chances of attracting a lightning strike, recognize that you can do a few simple things to reduce your risk -- such as hanging up your phone if it has a cord.
For More Information
Colorado Lightning Resource Center, National Weather Service
National Lightning Safety Institute
Robert H. Shmerling, M.D. is associate physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. He has been a practicing rheumatologist for over 20 years at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is an active teacher in the Internal Medicine Residency Program, serving as the Robinson Firm Chief. He is also a teacher in the Rheumatology Fellowship Program.
From: intelihealth(dot)com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/35320/35323/327889.html?d=dmtHMSContent with thanks
Friday, June 14, 2013
Park-time, tick-time.
http://amppe.org/2013/06/07/mountain-of-change-in-store-as-canadas-national-parks-aim-to-attract-mass-tourism/
Teen puts hope in U.S. disease treatment | Welland Tribune
I just cried when I read this. Please tell people her story.
"She was screaming, she was in so much pain,"....
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They are indeed here
Take care this summer.
"The disease works in such a way that it can go dormant in your body for long periods of time, only to 'awake' and cause a number of symptoms, including palsy, heart problems, vertigo, arthritis, and many more. In Canada, we use the western blot test that does not detect the spyrocete while dormant. In the U.S., they use a much more accurate test that can detect traces of the disease — dormant or awake."
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Friday, June 7, 2013
Self-administering IM Injections: A How-To Guide
http://youtu.be/kl1uMWOIgck
http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=3a4a1c30-dd47-4eb2-9a6e-22063962c0c3
DIAGNOSTIC HINTS AND TREATMENT GUIDELINES FOR LYME AND OTHER TICK BORNE ILLNESSES
Sixteenth Edition Copyright October, 2008
JOSEPH J. BURRASCANO JR., M.D.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Trouble in Never-neverland
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
What is herxing? Find the answer here.
Patients who respond to IT report periodic exacerbation of their symptoms as an apparent direct response to Benicar and pulsed antibiotics. This phenomenon is known as the Jarisch-Herxheimer Reaction and is often referred to informally as herx or herxing.
Herxing is believed to occur when injured or dead bacteria release their endotoxins into the blood and tissues faster than the body can comfortably handle it. This provokes a sudden and exaggerated inflammatory response....When the intraphagocytic bacteria are killed by the immune system, the cells they lived in also die (apoptosis). As the immune system tries to clear up this cellular debris, it releases a host of inflammatory molecules which, along with the toxins released by the bacteria as they die, cause a rise in symptoms in the area in which the bacteria are being killed."
Read the full article here:
https://chronicillnessrecovery.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=161
Who knew these famous folks fought fights like these?
Lyme Awareness will be spread in Canmore today, Wednesday, June 5th!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease
Animal lovers take heed
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Friday, May 31, 2013
It's almost camping-time. Tick-tick-tick.
Friday, May 17, 2013
May is Lyme Awareness Month
P R E S S R E L E A S E
After a cold start, Spring in Alberta is finally here and Summer seems to be within our grasp. Something sinister could be lurking on a blade of grass, or on a shrub, waiting for us to brush by. It will reach out to us and hop on. For some Albertans summer could bring with it this unwelcome hitchhiker -- a tick. A tick bite this summer could mean a life of chronic illness for some -- Lyme disease. Ticks carrying the Lyme disease bacterium have been collected in Alberta. As a result of global climate change, evidence suggests that ticks are becoming increasingly more common in Alberta and across Canada.
The Lyme Disease Association of Alberta (LDAA) is a newly formed non-profit organization. In honor of Lyme Awareness Day, The LDAA will be hosting its launch event. The aim of the LDAA is to raise awareness about Lyme disease and to probe into the controversy that surrounds it. People who have been diagnosed with this disease will attest to the fact that when they had their blood tested in Canada, results often came back negative. Yet, when their blood samples were sent, at their own expense, to licensed U.S. laboratories specializing in Lyme disease, the reports came back positive for this illness.
Both Lyme disease testing and treatment of the disease are topics of hot debate. The LDAA, shares the view held by the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, that through examination of scientific studies, a consensus can be reached, bridging the gap between these polarized views and with it a with a better patient outcome.
The Association has planned the meeting for Wednesday, May 22, 6:30-9:00 p.m. at the Strathcona Community Association. The intent of the meeting, part ofLyme Disease Awareness Month during May, is to broaden awareness that Lyme disease is a serious issue in Alberta. A better understanding of this illness is needed if new legislation in the federal Parliament in the fall, Bill C-442, is to be approved. Bill C-442 is a private member's bill calling for a new national strategy for Lyme disease, sponsored by Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, and dealing with the testing and treatment of Lyme.
Petitions supporting this legislative action will be available at the Association's session:
Meeting date: Wednesday, May 22nd
Strathcona Community Association
277 Strathcona Drive, S.W. Calgary"
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