I don’t generally write much about politics. I figure “to each his own”. Most the time I figure we are just trying to vote for the lesser of two evils, but being a woman I found the following quite interesting.
According to an article by Bobby Eberle on Welcome to the Loft.com when it comes to "future President" wannabe, Barak Obama, "the more we get to know him, the more we realize that his actions are quite different than his "hope and change" rhetoric.
As an example, take his recent speech about pay discrimination between men and women. Obama told the audience in Albuquerque, NM that he supports "a Senate bill to make it easier to sue an employer for pay discrimination." Yet, upon a review of Obama's payroll, we learn that women are paid less than men. Keep talking Sen. Obama.
As reported by CNSNews.com, "While Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has vowed to make pay equity for women a top priority if elected president, an analysis of his Senate staff shows that women are outnumbered and out-paid by men. That is in contrast to Republican presidential candidate John McCain's Senate office, where women, for the most part, out-rank and are paid more than men."
In his speech, Obama spoke about how his single mom worked to raise her family. He spoke of hardships of his grandmother, and also his wife. He set the stage beautifully by noting the successes of these women... then what did he do? He blasted Sen. John McCain, saying, "But when you look at our records and our plans on issues that matter to working women, the choice could not be clearer. ... It starts with equal pay."
It starts with equal pay? Did he seriously say that with a straight face? As CNSNews.com notes in their analysis, "On average, women working in Obama's Senate office were paid at least $6,000 below the average man working for the Illinois senator." CNSNews.com also points out that "of the five people in Obama's Senate office who were paid $100,000 or more on an annual basis, only one -- Obama's administrative manager -- was a woman."
In contrast, women outnumbered men on McCain's Senate payroll by 30 to 16. The women were paid an average of $3,000 more than the men.
In his speech Obama said, "We can't afford an economy where folks keep working harder for less. We can't let the women in our workforce get paid even less for doing the same work." Oh really? It appears that Obama, as an employer, has no problems doing exactly what he is speaking against. I guess he means "other" employers. Certainly we shouldn't look at what his own hiring practices really are, right? This is just one other part of his record that he'd prefer be kept out of the spotlight.
Near the end of his speech, Obama said, "I want my daughters to grow up in an America where they have opportunities that are even greater than their mother had, or their grandmothers, or their great grandmothers -- an America where our daughters truly have the same opportunities as our sons."
Note to Obama's daughters.... Don't go to work for your dad."
I thought this was hilarious and just points out once again how Obama is just another politician that says one thing and does another.
To see the full article, please visit the link above.
Just Another Politician
What The Heck Is CoQ10? Why Do I Care?
Why is CoQ10 so important, anyway?
Because CoQ10 is everywhere, in every cell of the human body. It functions as a "spark plug," enabling the mitochondria, which are the energy producers in each cell, to produce ATP. ATP is the energy that cells in the human body use to function. CoQ10 is also a potent antioxidant that protects your cells from free-radical damage. Even if you eat a healthy diet and take a comprehensive multi-nutrient, your body may still need life-enhancing CoQ10. Your body's level of CoQ10 is abundant when you're young and in perfect health, but diminishes with age or illness.
About Gardisil
First of all I would like to say that as a consumer, I am trusting anything done by Merk (major prescription drug manufacturing company) less and less. It seems from everything I have read, it is becoming more and more apparent they have no morals and no conscience when it comes to selling their drugs. In more than one instance they seem to hide information that is derogatory concerning the outcome of their testing and their reports seem to be more fabrication than fact. Unfortunately for the public, we don't learn how dangerous these drugs really are until they have already been unleashed with fatal or near fatal consequences. Gardasil is just one example.
My oldest daughter is 26. She went thru the whole 3-shot series. As with many others, the first 2 shots produced no unusual side effects. With the third shot in the series however, it has been 3 weeks and she still suffers with pain in her arm that is painful enough she can't raise her arm above shoulder height. When she called me to ask what I thought I didn't know enough about it to help her one way or another. That is when I did the research that everyone should do before subjecting themselves to what can possibly happen with this vaccine.
This vaccine is not the "holy grail" of cervical cancer the way it's presented to be. Merk did such a good job of marketing not only do 38 states make the vaccine mandatory, but they also are considering giving it to boys. I guess they figure they will kill the Human Papilova Virus where they say it starts. It also only kills 4 strains out of 40 possible strains of the virus, and they say those 4 would probably cure themselves without any treatment at all! What the doctor is not likely to tell you along with the above is that according to a Journal of the American Medical Association study, less than two percent of all women develop the two types of HPV that are responsible for 70 percent of all cervical cancers. American Cancer Society guidelines state that 90 percent of adolescent HPV infections are resolved without treatment – the same is true for about 75 percent of HPV infections in adults.
The adverse reactions that have been recorded in less than two years by the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (maintained by the Center of Disease Control and the FDA):
1,981 emergency room visits
143 hospitalizations
68 cases of permanent disability
51 life-threatening events
5 deaths
(There seems to be a slight discrepancy on whether it's 5 or 7 deaths, but any is too many).
While I believe in many cases vaccines are necessary, with all of the news lately about giving too many vaccines at once to our babies, and flu shots are only about 40% effective, yet they scare us into getting them every year, I don't follow as blindly as I used to.
Disclaimer: I am not licensed in any healthcare capacity. The above is my opinion based on my own research which you should probably do for your self also.
Avoiding Food Poisoning on Vacation
Food poisoning is an acute gastroenteritis caused by the consumption of a food material or a drink which contains pathogenic micro organisms, their toxins, or poisonous chemicals. Food poisoning is common in hostels, hotels, communal feedings, and festival seasons. A group of people will be affected with same type of symptoms, and they give a history of consumption of a common food just a few hours earlier.
Types of food poisoning are:
- Bacterial food poisoning: Here the micro organisms called bacteria are responsible.The food material may contain the pathogenic bacteria or their toxin, and will be ingested along with the food.
- Non bacterial food poisoning: Due to the presence of toxic chemicals like fertilizers, insecticides, heavy metals and etc.
Since bacterial food poisoning is most common that is what I'll discuss here.
All bacteria are not harmful. There are some pathogenic bacteria which secrete toxins and cause clinical manifestations. These organisms enter the human body through food articles or drinks. Food poisoning occurs:
- When there is a presence of bacteria in water.
- The raw materials for the food may contain toxins.
- Premises where the food is prepared may contain micro organisms or toxins.
- Food handlers may have some infectious diseases.
- Some animals like dogs or rats may contaminate the food.
- If prepared food is kept at room temperature for a long time and heated again, there's a chance for food poisoning.
Then we've all heard horror stories of what people who prepare your food can do to it. That is why it's good to be aware of how clean the places appear to be where you eat.
Some common bacterial food poisonings are:
- Salmonella food poisoning. There are actually three different varieties of salmonella bacteria, salmonella typhimurium, salmonella cholera suis, salmonella enteritis. These bacteria are present in milk, milk products and eggs. Symptoms of this food poisoning include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Fever is also common.
- Botulism. This is the dangerous type of food poisoning caused by clostridium botulinum. The spores of these organisms are seen in the soil and enters the human body through pickles and canned fish, etc. Compared to other food poisonings, here vomiting and diarrhoea are rare. Mainly the nervous system is affected.The symptoms start with double vision, numbness with weakness. Later there will be paralysis with cardiac and respiratory failure ending in death.
- Staphylococcal food poisoning. It is caused by staphylococcus aureus. These organisms usually cause skin troubles like boils and eruptions. It causes mastitis in the cow. Through milk and milk products it enters the body and causes gastroenteritis. There will be vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhoea.
- Closteridium food poisoning. This is caused by closteridium perfringens. They are present in stool, soil and water. They enter the body through meat, meat dishes, and eggs. If food articles are cooked and kept at room temperature for a long time and heated again before eating, this kind of food poisoning can be the result. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal cramps.
- Bacillus cereus. The spores of these organisms can survive cooking and cause gastroenteritis. Diarrhoea and vomiting is common in this infection.
So how to do you investigate food poisoning? First, examine each and every person affected. Were more in your party sick besides you? Get a water sample and have it tested. Are the kitchen, store room and food samples clean and cared for properly? The cook and food handlers should be questioned and examined to see if they are passing along illnesses to you. When you see a doctor they will take samples of vomit and stool of all victims to be tested for identifying the bacteria.
How can you prevent food poisoning? The truth is you can't always, especially when you're on vacation, but here are a few tips.
- Only purified water should be used.
- Hygiene should be maintained by all persons keeping contact with food.
- Workers should use masks, cap and gloves during cooking and serving.
- Sick individuals should not come in contact with food materials.
- Kitchen and premises should be neat and clean.
- Vessels should be washed with soap and hot water.
- Should not keep the prepared food for a long time at room temperature.
- All food materials should be kept in closed containers.
- Animals like dogs, cats, rats, etc. should not come in contact with food materials.
- Vegetables should be washed before cooking.
- Meat should be fresh and should be purchased from a recognised slaughter house.
These are great tips if you are at home, but when you're out they are not always very practical. One of the main things for protecting yourself is to make sure what you eat is fully cooked. We all remember the outbreaks of food poisoning from hamburger and poultry not being cooked enough. Visiting the local hospital for any reason while on vacation usually isn't a pleasant experience.
Quit Smoking By Suicide?
Once again the FDA appears to be on the side of "Big Pharma" to help doctors sell us more drugs. They suggest physicians combine counseling with medication, and are encouraged to suggest anyone who wants to quit smoking go on some sort of drug. The latest and considered to be the most effective is Chantix, and even tho the FDA for a second time has instructed Pfizer, Inc. to put stronger warnings on the packages, they push us in that direction.
The new warnings will appear in the WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS sections of the Chantix prescribing information. This a stronger form of WARNING that the one set last year. This warning comes after confirming that 39 suicides have occurred in patients taking varenicline (Chantix). Eighty-seven percent of those suicides have occurred in the United States.
If you google Chantix, you can find many message boards with so many comments, good and bad concerning this drug. Many people have had great success with the only side effects being nausea or wild dreams. Unfortunately there are also the stories of:
1) the guitarist, who after taking the drug for one week, mixed it with alcohol, became extremely violent and confused, beat up his girlfriend, kicked in his neighbor's door, to be shot dead by the neighbor
2)Dad-of-two Wayne Marshall, 36, was found hanging shortly after finishing a 13-week course of Chantix.
Wife Emma, 28, said: "He went downhill so quickly. He stopped going out. He closed himself off completely from everybody."
3) TV editor Omer Jama, 39, slashed his wrists at his home in Bolton last October.
A further 62 suicidal-type reactions have been reported to the medicines regulator. ( Lucy Thornton 21/01/2008)
Due to the fact that when you're having a "psychotic episode" you're probably the last one to know it, the directions tell you to advise friends, family, co-workers to bring it to your attention if they notice differences in your behavior such as increased agitation, violence, or depression.
Lois Biener, a researcher of tobacco use and control efforts at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, said most people who quit do so without smoking-cessation drugs.There's little evidence that these drugs are superior in the long run to quitting without help, and while a few studies have shown some benefit, it's "way less than what is claimed" by medication advocates, Biener said.
I found it interesting that the new guidelines for physicians were headed by Dr. Michael Fiore, an expert on smoking and health issues, and was a consultant to the maker of Chantix. Of course he says he has no ties to the drug, but I can't help but feel he may be a little biased. I also found it interesting that three of 24 panelists who wrote the guidelines reported "significant financial interests" in the pharmaceutical industry, including speaking fees and stock ownership. What a coincidence!
God Bless you if you are trying to quit or have quit smoking. God knows, I should quit, but like other drugs that doctors tout for money vs. my well being, this one scares me a little too much.
Another Tylenol Crisis
Just a friendly warning for those who didn't think this really happens, or those who don't hear much about it in the news anymore.
The last few days my son Frankie has spent quite a bit of time at Valley Med (hospital)
with a friend whose liver is failing. This is only a 20 yr. old kid!
The reason his liver is failing, Tylenol. I know this kid drinks, I'm not sure what kind of drugs he's done, but he's young. You would think his liver should be able to handle just about
anything. This is why I switched from keeping Tylenol to keeping aspirin behind the bar years ago.
Just because they keep it quieter now, doesn't mean the problem has gone away. According to the statistics, there are over 70,000 cases of liver failure a year due to Tylenol, or acetaminophen overdose. The maximum dosage for an adult is 8 extra strength pills in a 24 hr. period, but liver failure can happened at half that dosage. This is where it becomes so dangerous for people who drink alcohol. For adults who drink 2 or more drinks a day, the dosage is 4 extra strength pills in a 24hr. period. People often take Tylenol with alcohol, or with other drugs (Vicodin, Nyquil, etc) that already have a strong dose of acetaminophen in them. What really surprised me in my search for information, is that there are more cases from suicide attempts than from accidental overdose. After reading about that, I of course asked my son if that was his friends case. He said no, but that was the first question the doctors had, so it must be pretty prevalent.
Acetaminophen is the leading cause of liver failure even if you've never had a drink. It is also responsible for many kidney failure cases.
What's scary about this stuff is 12 to 24 hrs. after an overdose, your sick as a dog, vomiting, etc.
One guy thought he just had the flu, so he started taking more medicine with acetaminophen. From 24 to 48 hrs. you actually feel better. Then at 72 hrs. after ingestion, the liver blood tests abnormalities start to show up. I must say, if I got that sick 3 days after I took Tylenol, that would be my last thought. I would be thinking maybe food poisoning from the nite before.
Accidental overdoses in children make up less than 10% of acetametophin toxitity. Most of those are not caused by little ones getting into a bottle of Tylenol, but by adults who do not calculate the proper dosage. In small ones, dosage should be by weight vs. age.
If you drink and/or take certain drugs (Check with your doctor) STAY AWAY
FROM TYLENOL. I know there are times when doctors cannot give aspirin, but I personally am surprised acetemetaphen is used so freely.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or any kind of health care professional. Just a concerned citizen, who now prays for my son's friend not to die.
Don't Drink The Water?
What have they been pounding into our heads for years now? "Your body needs at least 8- 8oz glasses of water a day to work properly". I have to say I was a little shocked the other nite when on the "Evening News with Katie Couric" they announced "Recent research shows this just is not true". I have to laugh out loud at this one. Here we are fighting about whether "bottled" water is better than tap, what the plastic from the water bottles is doing to the environment, and now they're saying we don't need it anyway! Well, that's not exactly true, but we don't need as much as they have been telling us we need. If your urine is dark, drink more. If your urine is clear, you're drinking too much. It's that easy.
What's funny is one of the doctors I have been getting a newsletter from for quite awhile, has been preaching this now shocking news about water for a few years. While regular medicine calls him a quack regarding many issues, this is another one he can now rack up on his "I was right" side. For me as a lifelong dieter, I will continue to drink water along with all the other liquids I consume because I drink it to flush my body, not to hydrate it.
Feel free to leave your comments concerning how you feel about this news. I put it up there on the scale with "Mammograms Don't Save Lives", altho I thought that was a really stupid piece of journalism.