Existential Punk

For The Love Of G-D & Country, Legalize Weed!

It is so crazy that marijuana is illegal and people go to jail for possessing small amounts of it. It is not addictive and is NOT a gateway drug to harder drugs. That is a scare tactic by those who are involved with  the 'WAR ON DRUGS' instituted by President Reagan. This war has done NOTHING to stop drugs from entering our country and being consumed. Several states, including California, have legalized weed for medicinal purposes. Medical Marijuana is used to help menstrual cramps, pain related to cancer and HIV AIDS, and other medical problems. Weed has less of an effect on people than alcoh

The USA should legalize weed. By doing this they can regulate it and make A LOT of money. They could model it after the coffee shops in the Netherlands. If the government chooses not to legalize it, then they should not press charges for possession of small amounts. The coffee shops in the Netherlands are just like Starbucks; They serve you great coffee and food but with safe and high grade weed!  'Technically, pot is not legal in the Netherlands but but prosecutors won't press charges for possession of small amounts. Coffee shops are able to sell it openly.'

These are simply my personal thoughts and opinions. No one has to agree with me. i do not have a problem with people smoking marijuana. They are much nicer being stoned than many belligerent alcohol induced drunkards! To some, i am  already a heretic for being queer and calling myself a Christian. So, why not add fuel to the fire, eh?! If i am already on my way to hell, i figure anything else must be icing on the cake! i am looking forward to being able to get Medical Marijuana when we are back in California for all the pain i am in due to the Lyme Disease. My joints and head are looking for some much needed relief! As a person who suffers chronic pain, i see medical marijuana as something that can help me reduce the agonizing pain i live with day in and day out. And, i really don't mind detractors calling me a heretic. i wear that as a badge of honor because a heretic is someone who holds an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted. There is nothing really wrong with that. It's just a difference of opinion! The History of Weed video below is very informative!

Even Glen Beck, who most of the time says asinine things, thinks legalizing weed is worth it! HT Huffington Post for these two videos: Glenn Beck says to legalize Marijuana and stop the violence:

History of Weed:

Dr. Zackrison Speaks About Lyme Disease, Part 1 & Part 2

MY Lyme Literate MD (LLMD) i have been seeing for treatment over the past 4.5 years speaks on Lyme Disease. She is brilliant and has a warm, loving, and caring bed side manner! i will definitley miss her after we move back to California.

IMPORTANT Lyme Disease Legislation Introduced

'Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, along with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), have introduced the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2009. The bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD).'

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE.

PLEASE PHONE YOUR CONGRESS PEOPLE AND INSIST THAT THEY SUPPORT THIS VERY IMPORTANT LEGISLATION FOR ALL OF US LYME DISEASE & OTHER TICK-BORNE DISEASES SUFFERERS! LYME DISEASE IS AT EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS, WORSE THAN HIV/AIDS! PLEASE TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS LEGISLATION! THANK YOU! As someone who suffers daily with this HORRIBLE and GHASTLY disease that has wreaked havoc on my entire being, PLEASE help me and all the others who suffer mercilessly with this disease that is HELL ON EARTH!

New IDSA Guidelines Panel, Unbalanced & Biased: Congressman and Patient Groups Voice Concerns

California Lyme Disease Association (CALDA) reports this extremely frustrating and disappointing news on the fight for fair and balanced guidelines for treating Chronic Lyme Disease and other tick -borne diseases. i really hope President Obama will do something about the unfairness of the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA). i hate that these people are in bed with drug companies and insurance companies where it is ALL about money and their own interests rather that the health and well-being of those who are chronically ill, like moi!

Greenwich, CT, January 28, 2009-Patient groups voiced concern and disappointment about the new Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Lyme disease guidelines’ panel, which excludes physicians who treat patients with chronic Lyme disease. Last May, the Connecticut Attorney General found the IDSA Lyme disease treatment guidelines’ panel had conflicts of interest, engaged in exclusionary conduct, and suppressed scientific evidence. The investigation resulted in a settlement forcing the IDSA to reconstitute a balanced panel free of conflicts of interest under the oversight of an ombudsman to monitor conflicts of interest. No input from patients or treating physicians was permitted in selection.

“This situation is déja vu all over again,” said national Lyme Disease Association president Pat Smith about the newly created guidelines’ panel. “All Lyme disease treating physicians who applied for a seat were denied, based on having a “conflict” if they made over $10,000 treating Lyme disease. They have confused helping patients get better with ‘real’ competing conflicts such as interests in testing and vaccines, and relationships with insurers−a profile found in the original panel.  Physicians who treat understand what makes patients well.”

Attorney Lorraine Johnson of the California Lyme Disease Association points out “The problem is that guidelines conclusions generally reflect panel composition.  That is why it is critical that a panel be balanced and include different points of view.  Excluding the point of view of physicians who treat chronic Lyme disease makes no sense and biases this panel.”

READ the rest here.

Jeremy Piven Quits Broadway For Health Problem

Jeremy Piven, who plays my favorite tough nuts agent Ari Gold on HBO's acclaimed series, Entourage, has been diagnosed with extreme Mercury toxicity and has had to bow out of a Broadway show in New York City. i feel really bad for him as i understand what it's like to live with this. His sounds even worse than mine due to the quantity of sushi he consumed.

As reported at Huffington Post:

The doctor says that Jeremy is suffering from extreme mercury toxicity. Colker tells ET that a major symptom of mercury poisoning is extreme fatigue. In addition, Jeremy began experiencing neuro-muscular dysfunction late last week, which led to extreme difficulty in lifting his arms and legs. Then, this past Sunday, he began feeling dizzy. Now, the doctors have ordered enforced rest. Jeremy spent three days in the hospital recently and the doctor tells us exclusively that he is no longer in New York.

Colker tells ET that Jeremy has been an avid sushi eater for many years, regularly eating sushi twice in one day. He notes that Jeremy has also taken certain Chinese herbs, and that, in combination with the frequent sushi consumption, could have led to these elevated mercury levels. He informs us that a test revealed that Jeremy had the highest level of mercury that he has ever seen, which amounts to six times a healthy amount of mercury, in his system.

i have heavy meta; toxicity, including fairly high levels of mercury for which i am being chelated on top of my treatment for Lyme Disease and Babesia. Listed below are the symptoms of mercury toxicity, of which i expereice most of them.

HIGH MERCURY LEVEL SYMPTOMS

While the high mercury count of seafood is well-known, not everybody knows what to look for. Thanks to the EPA, here are some mercury poisoning symptoms:

* Impairment of the peripheral vision

* Disturbances in sensations ("pins and needles" feelings, numbness) usually in the hands feet and sometimes around the mouth
* Lack of coordination of movements, such as writing
* Impairment of speech, hearing, walking;
* Muscle weakness
* Skin rashes
* Mood swing
* Memory loss
* Mental disturbance

 

World AIDS Day

HRC reports that today is World AIDS Day and honors those who have suffered and urges support of research and treatment. Please talk to your friends, family and loved ones about AIDS.

12/1/2008

WASHINGTON–On the 20th annual World AIDS Day, the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights group, today called for a renewed focus on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment policy at the federal level. The organization encouraged the new Administration, along with the Senate and House leadership, to bring a more concentrated approach to the epidemic through the development of a National AIDS Strategy.

“Far too many across the world are still suffering from this terrible and preventable disease,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “It is time for a coordinated federal response to preventing and treating HIV/AIDS as well as programs designed to lower HIV incidence, increase access to HIV care, and reduce racial disparities in the epidemic and integrate HIV with STD, viral hepatitis and TB programs at the local level.”

Solmonese urged partnership among advocacy groups, the new presidential administration, and Congress.

“Our allies in Congress understand that a comprehensive effort must, among other things, rely on evidence-based policy and programming, set ambitious and credible targets for improved outcomes, and address social factors that increase vulnerability to infection.  The President-elect and his team know how critical it is to work across communities.  Reaching out to multiple sectors, to those most affected, will be key to the development of a National Aids Strategy,” continued Solmonese.

HRC also urged its members and supporters to participate in a global effort to donate unused computing power to researchers fighting HIV/AIDS around the world by participating in the World Community Grid Challenge. Grid computing joins together many individual computers, creating one of the world’s largest “virtual supercomputers” with massive, fast computational power that far surpasses that of other stand-alone supercomputers.

“World AIDS Day serves to increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education around HIV/AIDS issues,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “So many of us who care about this too-long-unresolved epidemic are looking for ways we can address this crisis. By simply participating in the World Community Grid, you can help those doing critical research access the resources they need to do their work.”

HRC has taken part in the World Community Grid since 2006. During that time, the HRC Team has contributed over 414 years of total run time, at a rank of 35 out of over 20,000 participating organizations.  The HRC Team alone donates 160 days of humanitarian research per calendar day.

HRC is challenging all teams on the World Community Grid to increase their participation and grow the amount of Run Time, which can be translated into years of research time and donated to vital humanitarian research. This is an easy way to volunteer and a way to give back, at no cost, during the Holiday Season and on World AIDS Day.

To participate, please take the following steps.

• If you already participate in the World Community Grid, all you need to do to join the HRC team is to  click on the web address below and then click on the “join now” button on the page that appears.
  http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/team/viewTeamInfo.do?teamId=LDRMH21ZP1 
• If you have not yet joined World Community Grid, just click on the link below. When you register, our team will be automatically selected for you. You will still need to download and install the World Community Grid software. 
  http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/reg/viewRegister.do?teamID=LDRMH21ZP1

The World AIDS Day Challenge starts on December 1 and ends on December 31, 2008.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Lyme Disease Assciation Petition Text

HERE'S THE TEXT OF The Lyme Disease Association's Petition:

Lyme Disease Association, Inc.

PO Box 1438, Jackson, New Jersey 08527
888-366-6611 Lymeliter@aol.com 732-938-7215 (Fax)
LymeDiseaseAssociation.org

Petition

We, the undersigned, are gravely concerned by the new Infectious Disease Society’s (IDSA) guidelines on Lyme disease. These guidelines call for absolute reliance upon either the presentation of an Erythema migrans rash or positive serologic blood tests to diagnose Lyme disease and recommend severely limited courses of antibiotic treatment when either a rash or a positive test are present. They take the place of a longstanding policy of deference to the clinical discretion of the treating physician in both diagnosing and treating the disease. We find it most troubling that the new IDSA guidelines fail to explain the scientific justifications for their absolute reliance upon the rash and current blood testing to diagnose the disease in light of the numerous studies and medical opinions concluding that the rash is either not discovered by or present in many infected persons and that the serologic testing methods recommended by the IDSA are inherently unreliable because they do not even remotely approach a dispositive level of accuracy. Widespread adoption of these guidelines by practitioners, insurers, and government entities will, therefore, cause real and egregious harm to many patients by inhibiting physicians who otherwise would be free to clinically diagnose and treat this disease.

These guidelines fail to meaningfully address the needs of patients with chronic Lyme disease, who are now relegated to the pile of diseases with unknown etiology, like CFS and FMS, and who are provided with only symptomatic relief, while the underlying infectious disease is allow to progress unabated. Studies have shown that patients with chronic Lyme disease suffer a degree of debility equal to that of patients with congestive heart failure. Failure to address the underlying infectious disease etiology keeps these patients sick, which is inhumane and immoral. There are no chronic Lyme disease patient studies supporting symptomatic therapies, which presumably would be necessary for life at considerable cost to insurers and society. Moreover, the IDSA rejected out-of-hand the requests by patients and their treating physicians to participate in the guideline development process. No medical society should be able to dictate patient healthcare through exclusionary guidelines that ignore considerable scientific evidence and fail to meet the basic goal of medicine-to improve the quality of life of the patient.

This Is Inhumane!

PLEASE  READ THIS AND SIGN THE PETITION! THIS IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE to those of us suffering with Lyme Disease & other Tick-Borne illnesses!

From an email i received this evening:

New IDSA Guidelines Effectively Stopping Treatment for Lyme Patients: SIGN PETITION HERE
The new IDSA guidelines published in October by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) are already causing patients to be denied treatment for chronic Lyme disease. The guidelines have recommended against any long term treatments, listing numerous specific antibiotic classes not to be given, listing alternative treatments and even supplements not to be offered to Lyme patients. Clinical discretion has been removed from treating physicians. We ask that you, your families, and friends across the country sign this petition immediately. Lyme treatment is at stake.

Petition Information: The petition on this website is for those 18 years and older to sign. Names and addresses will NOT appear on the internet but will be printed out with the petition when it is ready to be presented to the appropriate entity. LDA never sells names, nor shares them with marketers. The petition will be used in an effort to advance our cause at the appropriate time and will be kept private until that time. Remember, like many of you, LDA is all patients and families of patients ─ and all volunteer.

Philip Yancey on Faith . . .

Found another cool blog here. On the about page he quotes Philip Yancey on faith:

“Unavoidably and by instinct, I question and reevaluate my faith all the time.”

Wes then follows up the quote saying this:

"He and I share that affliction. I envy those to whom faith seems to come naturally, because it’s often more difficult for folks like me who are skeptical by nature

I’m not as certain about as many things as I used to be. That applies to doctrines, other religions, and my spiritual worldview in general. In fact, I am 100% (as in totally, completely, etc.) certain about very little in those realms and I am comfortable with that. I like being on that edge, and I think part of my purpose is to (carefully) be there. I think God can handle all of my doubts and curiosities. Despite all the unsettled questions, I believe in Christ with both mind and heart. I respect the many who don’t and I believe that I have much to learn from everyone, no matter their faith (or lack thereof).

I have little time for traditional churches, but hey, if you’re happy at one then more power to you"

i absolutely LOVE the honesty and authenticity expressed by both of these people. i find myself relating wholeheartedly with these sentiments as i have trudged through this life often referred to as a journey. The old cliche that the journey is much more important than the destination never rang more true for me than in my life over the past decade or so. i enjoy when i find things others write that i resonate with because living with Lyme Disease has impeded my cognitive abilities. So, when i struggle to find how to express my inner workings, it is a huge help when i find people like Yancey and Wes who are going through similar things as me. My Creator is so GOOD!

Dr. Oz and Lyme Disease

"Under Our Skin's" director, Andy Abrahamson Wilson, will be a featured guest on Drr. Oz's satellite radio show. Here's the lowdown from a Lyme Disease Yahoo group Katryna is signed up on:

Under Our Skin will be featured on Dr. Mehmet Oz's radio show on Oprah
and Friends.

XM Satellite Radio, November 26, 2008.

It airs 3 times during that day at 1:00 am, 7:00 am and 6:00 pm Eastern time.

*You can listen to via the Internet FOR FREE even if you don't have Satellite Radio!

Plus Dr. Oz said, "He wants to hear from people who are suffering with Lyme."

Dr. Mehmet Oz said, "His entire family couldn't stop watching Under Our Skin". Dr. Oz interviewed filmmaker Andy Abrahams Wilson along with medical reporter Kathy Fowler for nearly an hour about the complications and controversies of Lyme disease.

It's a very big deal for the Lyme community that Dr. Oz featured this topic on his show because he is well respected and has a lot of influence in the medical community as well as the general public.

Dr. Mehmet Oz is professor and vice chairman of surgery at Columbia
University in New York City, director of the Cardiovascular Institute
and founder and director for the Complementary Medicine Program at
NewYork-Presbyteria n Hospital. He is a regular contributor to The Oprah Winfrey Show and Oprah.com.