Yes, people of the world, chronic myofascial pain is real. And it really fricken hurts!
Myofascial Pain — a Neuromuscular Disease
News in the World of Myofascial Pain
Life has been tough for those of us with myofascial pain syndrome. We have too often been met with doctors who “don’t believe in” CMP. We have been hampered by the lack of a scientifically credible and understandable cause for this condition and an officially recognized set of diagnostic criteria. This resulted in a lack of training of physicians and therapists. The insurance companies and the Social Security Administration made our lives even more difficult. This is about to change.
We now have facts that cannot be disputed. At last we have proof that myofascial pain caused by trigger points is a true disease. We know what creates a trigger point, what it is, and many of the ways it can cause us pain and other symptoms. We know what causes those taut bands that constrict our muscles, and we know why our muscles become so tight that they hurt.
A myofascial trigger point is a localized area starving for oxygen. It creates an increased local energy demand. This local energy crisis releases neuroreactive biochemicals which sensitize nearby nerves. The sensitized nerves initiate the motor, sensory, and autonomic effects of myofascial trigger points by acting on the central nervous system. Muscles with trigger points are muscles in a constant state of energy crisis.
Myofascial trigger points can be identified and documented electrophysiologically by characteristic spontaneous electrical activity (SEA). They may also be identified histologically (which means that the structure of the cells have changed) by contraction knots — the lumps and bumps we know only too well. Both of these phenomenon seem to result from excessive release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) from the nerve terminal of the motor endplate (the complex end formation of the nerve).
We now have objective confirmation of electromyographic imaging of a myofascial trigger point. There is also ultrasound imaging of local twitch responses of trigger points, and biopsies of myofascial trigger points that show contraction knots and giant rounded muscle fibers. To quote from this article, "The endplate dysfunction characteristic of MTrPs involves both the nerve terminal and the postjunctional muscle fiber. This relationship identifies MTrPs as a neuromuscular disease." Simons DG. 1999. Diagnostic criteria of myofascial pain caused by trigger points. J Musculoskeletal Pain 7(1-2):111-120.
A MTrP is always found in a taut band which is histologically related to contraction knots caused by excessive release of ACh in an abnormal endplate. The pathogenesis of myofascial trigger points appears to involve serious disturbance of the nerve ending and contractile mechanism at multiple dysfunctional endplates. Doctor Hong has even formed a theory concerning fibromyalgia tender points. Hong, C-Z. 1999. Current research on myofascial trigger points-pathophysiological studies. J Musculoskeletal Pain 7(1-2):121-129.
Please ask your librarian to obtain these articles through Interlibrary loan, and give them to your doctor. Don’t forget to keep copies for yourselves.
For more information on this issue of the Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain go to Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain from Haworth Medical Press.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Very touching video from a 15 yr old girl
http://www.youtube.com/v/ervaMPt4Ha0&autoplay=1
So sad, made me tear up.
Support our troops!
So sad, made me tear up.
Support our troops!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Do your part to help stop global warming!
This is taken from the World Wildlife Fund website. These are some great tips!
Stopping Global Warming
As pollution increases, so does the world's average temperature. Global warming forces rapid changes in human and animal habitats. Life becomes more difficult, many species will not survive. Human industries and activities produce the world's air pollution, most of it carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gases that result in global warming. The U.S. releases approximately 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per person each year.
What You Can Do
You can help stop global warming by taking these 10 steps to cut your yearly emissions of carbon dioxide by thousands of pounds.
1. Next time, buy a car that gets at least 30 miles per gallon (reduces carbon dioxide 2,500 pounds a year over a car that gets 10 mpg less.).
2. Where you can, choose an electric utility company that does not produce power from polluting sources such as fossil fuels and nuclear fission. (Enormous potential reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.)
3. Replace standard light bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescents. (Reduces emissions by 500 pounds per year light bulb.)
4. Replace worn-out home appliances with energy efficient models. (Reduces emissions by up to 3,000 pounds per year.)
5. Choose the best energy-saving models when you replace windows. (Reduces emissions up to 10,000 pounds per year.)
6. Wrap your water heater in an insulating jacket. (Reduces emissions up to 1,000 pounds per year.)
7. Install low-flow showerheads that use less water. (Reduces emissions up to 300 pounds per year.)
8. Ask your utility company for a home energy audit to pinpoint the biggest energy-wasters. (Potential reduction of thousands of pounds per year.)
9. Whenever possible, walk, bike, carpool or use mass transit. (Reduces emissions by 20 pounds for every gallon of gasoline used.)
10. Insulate walls and ceilings and save about 25% of home heating bills. (And reduce emissions by up to 2,000 pounds per year.)
Additional Resources
Energy Star Website: http://www.energystar.gov - Energy Star products use less energy than other products, save you money on utility bills, and help protect the environment.
WWF's Climate Change site provides more information, breaking news, and online actions.
Stopping Global Warming
As pollution increases, so does the world's average temperature. Global warming forces rapid changes in human and animal habitats. Life becomes more difficult, many species will not survive. Human industries and activities produce the world's air pollution, most of it carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gases that result in global warming. The U.S. releases approximately 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per person each year.
What You Can Do
You can help stop global warming by taking these 10 steps to cut your yearly emissions of carbon dioxide by thousands of pounds.
1. Next time, buy a car that gets at least 30 miles per gallon (reduces carbon dioxide 2,500 pounds a year over a car that gets 10 mpg less.).
2. Where you can, choose an electric utility company that does not produce power from polluting sources such as fossil fuels and nuclear fission. (Enormous potential reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.)
3. Replace standard light bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescents. (Reduces emissions by 500 pounds per year light bulb.)
4. Replace worn-out home appliances with energy efficient models. (Reduces emissions by up to 3,000 pounds per year.)
5. Choose the best energy-saving models when you replace windows. (Reduces emissions up to 10,000 pounds per year.)
6. Wrap your water heater in an insulating jacket. (Reduces emissions up to 1,000 pounds per year.)
7. Install low-flow showerheads that use less water. (Reduces emissions up to 300 pounds per year.)
8. Ask your utility company for a home energy audit to pinpoint the biggest energy-wasters. (Potential reduction of thousands of pounds per year.)
9. Whenever possible, walk, bike, carpool or use mass transit. (Reduces emissions by 20 pounds for every gallon of gasoline used.)
10. Insulate walls and ceilings and save about 25% of home heating bills. (And reduce emissions by up to 2,000 pounds per year.)
Additional Resources
Energy Star Website: http://www.energystar.gov - Energy Star products use less energy than other products, save you money on utility bills, and help protect the environment.
WWF's Climate Change site provides more information, breaking news, and online actions.
Hooray to the Humane Society for all that they do! plus Kinevel pics
As some of you know, animal cruelty is one thing that upsets me greatly and I really try to do what I can to help out animals who have been abused, neglected, etc. I even rescued my own kitty 4 years ago off the side of the road, at only a month old!
Follow this link to see what the Humane Society has achieved over the last few years - it really is amazing! https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=17640186
Here's my kitty right after we first found him:
And here he is now at 4 years old - this is actually a picture taken from my photography series entitled: Kitty and the spider :)
Follow this link to see what the Humane Society has achieved over the last few years - it really is amazing! https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=17640186
Here's my kitty right after we first found him:
And here he is now at 4 years old - this is actually a picture taken from my photography series entitled: Kitty and the spider :)
Sunday, December 9, 2007
The Geminids are coming!!! Meteor shower next week!
The Geminids Are Coming
This is an abridged version of an article that appears in the December Sky & Telescope, page 71.
Geminid meteor
A bright meteor from the 2004 Geminid meteor shower was captured with a tripod-mounted digital camera and a 16-mm lens. It’s a 1-minute exposure at f/2.8 with an ISO setting of 800.
Courtesy Alan Dyer.
The night sky offers many wonderful sights, but few are as magical as meteors. These “shooting stars” are fleeting, unpredictable, and incredibly beautiful. Every time I see one, I feel as though I’ve received a special gift from the cosmos.
Meteors happen all the time. You’re almost sure to see them any time you spend a few hours looking at a clear, dark sky. But you can improve your odds tremendously by going out during one of the annual meteor showers — bursts of meteors that take place on roughly the same dates every year.
The strongest and most reliable meteor showers are the Perseids of August and December’s Geminids. Balmy weather and summer vacations have made the Perseids well known and popular, but the Geminids are actually easier to view from mid-northern latitudes. For one thing, nights are much longer in December. And while the Perseids are best viewed before dawn (as most showers are), the Geminids offer excellent viewing starting in mid- to late evening.
This year, the best time to view the Geminids from North America is the night of December 13–14, with good prospects the following night as well. In Asia, December 14–15 should be better, and in Europe, it’s a tossup between the two.
Your Detailed Local Forecast
This photo shows Geminids streaming away from the shower's radiant near the star Castor. It was made by combining 83 out of 1,256 exposures shot over an 11-hour time span on December 13-14, 2004. Click above for a larger image.
Fred Bruenjes
All the meteors in a shower appear to stream at us from a single spot in the sky: the shower’s radiant. Meteor showers are named after their radiants. For instance, the Geminids stream away from a point in the northeastern corner of the constellation Gemini, which is currently host to brilliant Mars.
All other things being equal, the higher a shower’s radiant is in the sky, the more meteors you’ll see. The Geminid’s radiant is highest around 2 a.m., and it’s already well above the eastern horizon by 9 or 10 p.m. for observers at mid-northern latitudes. That means that the Geminids usually offer excellent shows in the late evening. But there are two more factors to consider.
The darker the sky is, the more meteors you’ll see — and the more spectacular they’ll appear. So it’s usually best to pick a time when the Moon isn’t up. Fortunately, the Moon is a thin waxing crescent during this year’s Geminids, setting before the shower is in full swing and not very bright even while it’s still up.
The final factor is the shower’s inherent strength: the number of meteoroids hitting Earth as a whole, regardless of your own local circumstances. Some showers stretch over many days or even weeks, but the Geminids have a very sharp peak. The curve is also strikingly asymmetric. It takes two days for the rate to climb from one-fifth of the maximum to full strength, but less than one day to drop back to the same level.
This year the Geminids’ peak arrives at 17h Universal Time on Friday, December 14th. That’s great news in East Asia, where the peak coincides with the radiant’s reaching its highest point in the sky, during the early hours of Saturday morning. But in the Americas, the peak falls right in the middle of the day, at noon Eastern Standard Time on Friday. So we’ll miss the very best part of the show.
Because the Geminid rate rises slower than it falls, prospects for North Americans are better before the peak than afterward. Activity should start out modestly around 9 or 10 p.m. on Thursday, December 13th, and then strengthen steadily throughout the night. Just before dawn on Friday morning, you might see a meteor every minute or two from a dark location.
On Friday evening, activity should start about as well as it did on Thursday evening but then decline steadily throughout the night. In fact, the predawn hours of Thursday may offer better viewing, even though they’re more than a day before the shower’s peak.
If you'd like to try not just sightseeing but doing a genuine meteor count, one worth reporting to the International Meteor Organization, see our article "Advanced Meteor Observing". It's easier than it sounds.
This is an abridged version of an article that appears in the December Sky & Telescope, page 71.
Geminid meteor
A bright meteor from the 2004 Geminid meteor shower was captured with a tripod-mounted digital camera and a 16-mm lens. It’s a 1-minute exposure at f/2.8 with an ISO setting of 800.
Courtesy Alan Dyer.
The night sky offers many wonderful sights, but few are as magical as meteors. These “shooting stars” are fleeting, unpredictable, and incredibly beautiful. Every time I see one, I feel as though I’ve received a special gift from the cosmos.
Meteors happen all the time. You’re almost sure to see them any time you spend a few hours looking at a clear, dark sky. But you can improve your odds tremendously by going out during one of the annual meteor showers — bursts of meteors that take place on roughly the same dates every year.
The strongest and most reliable meteor showers are the Perseids of August and December’s Geminids. Balmy weather and summer vacations have made the Perseids well known and popular, but the Geminids are actually easier to view from mid-northern latitudes. For one thing, nights are much longer in December. And while the Perseids are best viewed before dawn (as most showers are), the Geminids offer excellent viewing starting in mid- to late evening.
This year, the best time to view the Geminids from North America is the night of December 13–14, with good prospects the following night as well. In Asia, December 14–15 should be better, and in Europe, it’s a tossup between the two.
Your Detailed Local Forecast
This photo shows Geminids streaming away from the shower's radiant near the star Castor. It was made by combining 83 out of 1,256 exposures shot over an 11-hour time span on December 13-14, 2004. Click above for a larger image.
Fred Bruenjes
All the meteors in a shower appear to stream at us from a single spot in the sky: the shower’s radiant. Meteor showers are named after their radiants. For instance, the Geminids stream away from a point in the northeastern corner of the constellation Gemini, which is currently host to brilliant Mars.
All other things being equal, the higher a shower’s radiant is in the sky, the more meteors you’ll see. The Geminid’s radiant is highest around 2 a.m., and it’s already well above the eastern horizon by 9 or 10 p.m. for observers at mid-northern latitudes. That means that the Geminids usually offer excellent shows in the late evening. But there are two more factors to consider.
The darker the sky is, the more meteors you’ll see — and the more spectacular they’ll appear. So it’s usually best to pick a time when the Moon isn’t up. Fortunately, the Moon is a thin waxing crescent during this year’s Geminids, setting before the shower is in full swing and not very bright even while it’s still up.
The final factor is the shower’s inherent strength: the number of meteoroids hitting Earth as a whole, regardless of your own local circumstances. Some showers stretch over many days or even weeks, but the Geminids have a very sharp peak. The curve is also strikingly asymmetric. It takes two days for the rate to climb from one-fifth of the maximum to full strength, but less than one day to drop back to the same level.
This year the Geminids’ peak arrives at 17h Universal Time on Friday, December 14th. That’s great news in East Asia, where the peak coincides with the radiant’s reaching its highest point in the sky, during the early hours of Saturday morning. But in the Americas, the peak falls right in the middle of the day, at noon Eastern Standard Time on Friday. So we’ll miss the very best part of the show.
Because the Geminid rate rises slower than it falls, prospects for North Americans are better before the peak than afterward. Activity should start out modestly around 9 or 10 p.m. on Thursday, December 13th, and then strengthen steadily throughout the night. Just before dawn on Friday morning, you might see a meteor every minute or two from a dark location.
On Friday evening, activity should start about as well as it did on Thursday evening but then decline steadily throughout the night. In fact, the predawn hours of Thursday may offer better viewing, even though they’re more than a day before the shower’s peak.
If you'd like to try not just sightseeing but doing a genuine meteor count, one worth reporting to the International Meteor Organization, see our article "Advanced Meteor Observing". It's easier than it sounds.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
The real horrors of Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia – Its Many Possible Symptoms, Diagnosis via Palpation
of the Musculoskeletal Tissues (Mapping), and the Guaifenesin
Protocol
by R. Paul St. Amand, MD and Claudia Craig Marek, MA
12-01-2007 Fibromyalgia is a symptomatically progressive illness
that affects millions of people. It is manifested by many complaints
that early in the disease come and go, but later are unrelenting.
Recurrent flares eventually involve multiple body areas and systems
until patients simply cycle from bad to worse.
They are typically referred from doctor to doctor based on
individual complaints. The specialist may fail to grasp the extent
of the problem and divide the disease into categories that lead to
medical dead ends or incomplete treatments. Some of these symptom
clusters are:
Chronic fatigue,
Systemic candidiasis,
Myofascial pain,
Irritable bowel, or
Vulvar pain syndrome.
There are no diagnostic x-ray or laboratory tests to diagnose
Fibromyalgia.
The American College of Rheumatology recommends eliciting pain from
at least 11 out of 18 predetermined "tender points" to confirm the
diagnosis after a medical history is taken. Unfortunately,
individual pain perception and tenderness vary greatly. Chronic
fatigue patients have high pain thresholds and are not particularly
sensitive to finger-poking. They may feel stiff, but complain mainly
of exhaustion, muscle stiffness and cognitive impairment. The
confirmation of affected tissue is more reliably obtained by using
our method of palpation that we call mapping.
The original description of fibromyalgia as "rheumatism with hard
and tender places" has been forgotten. The tender-point exam seeks
subjective patient pain sensations and so lacks the accuracy of
objective, sequential body examinations (mapping).
We examine the musculoskeletal tissues using the pads of our fingers
to feel muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
With practice, multiple swollen places become obvious. We sketch
their location, size and degree of hardness on a caricature that
becomes our baseline for future comparisons. Hands should move as if
to iron out wrinkles in the underlying tissues. Expressions of
tenderness do not influence findings. The most important site for
confirming the diagnosis and establishing the efficacy of treatment
is the left thigh. The outside of the quadriceps muscle (Vastus
lateralis) and the front part (Rectus femoris) are involved in 100%
of adults; they clear within the first month of proper treatment.
Fibromyalgia has no set symptoms.
Various combinations from the following list can be anticipated.
(But importantly: Do not assume fibromyalgia is the cause of all
symptoms. When in doubt or confronted with new problems, please
consult your personal physician or appropriate specialist.)
Central Nervous System: Fatigue, irritability, nervousness,
depression, apathy, listlessness, impaired memory and concentration,
anxieties and even suicidal thoughts. Insomnia and frequent
awakening due to pain result in non restorative sleep.
Musculoskeletal: Swollen structures press on nerves to produce all
types of pains including stiffness. Any muscle, tendon, ligament or
fascia in the face, neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees, ankles,
feet, arms, legs and chest may be involved. Calf/foot cramps,
numbness and tingling of the face or extremities is common. Old
injured or operative sites are commonly affected. Fibromyalgia is
erroneously considered non-arthritic even though joint pain,
swelling, heat and redness occur in a large percentage of patients.
Irritable Bowel: Symptoms include nausea (usually transient,
repetitive waves), indigestion, gas, bloating, deep pain, cramps,
alternating constipation and diarrhea sometimes with mucous stools.
Genitourinary: Mostly affecting women are pungent urine, frequent
urination, bladder spasms, burning urination (dysuria) with or
without repeated bladder infections and interstitial cystitis.
Vulvodynia (vulvar pain syndrome) includes vaginal spasm, irritation
of the labia (vulvitis) or deeper (vestibulitis) that induce painful
intercourse (dyspareunia) all without the typical cottage-cheese
discharge that accompanies yeast infections. Fibromyalgia is worse
premenstrually.
Dermatological: Various rashes may appear with or without itching:
Hives, red blotches, itchy bumps or blisters, eczema, seborrheic or
neurodermatitis, and rosacea. Skin is dry and nails are brittle or
easily peel; hair is of poor quality and often falls out
prematurely. Strange sensations (paresthesias) are common such as
cold, burning (especially palms, soles and thighs), crawling,
electric vibrations, prickling, super-sensitivity to touch, and
flushing often with sweating.
Head, Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat: Headaches (migraines), dizziness,
vertigo (spinning) or imbalance; itchy, burning and dry eyes or lids
sometimes produce morning sticky or sandy discharges; blurred
vision; hay fever or nasal congestion and post-nasal drip; painful,
burning or cut-tongue sensation, scalded mouth and abnormal tastes
(bad, metallic); intermittent low-pitched sounds or transient
ringing in the ears (tinnitus); ear and eyeball pain; sensitivity to
light, sounds and odors (perfumes or chemicals).
Miscellaneous Symptoms: Weight gain; mild fever; reduced immunity to
infection; fluid retention with morning eyelid and hand swelling
that gravitates to the legs by evening, stretches tiny tissue nerves
to produce restless leg syndrome; adult-onset asthma.
Hypoglycemia Syndrome: This is a separate entity that may affect
thirty percent of female and fifteen percent of male fibromyalgics.
Sugar craving, tremors, clamminess, anxiety, panic attacks, heart
pounding, headaches and faintness induced by hunger or by eating
sugar and starches (carbohydrates) are solid clues for diagnosis.
R. Paul St. Amand, MD
Associate Clinical Professor Medicine
Endocrinology - Harbor-UCLA
of the Musculoskeletal Tissues (Mapping), and the Guaifenesin
Protocol
by R. Paul St. Amand, MD and Claudia Craig Marek, MA
12-01-2007 Fibromyalgia is a symptomatically progressive illness
that affects millions of people. It is manifested by many complaints
that early in the disease come and go, but later are unrelenting.
Recurrent flares eventually involve multiple body areas and systems
until patients simply cycle from bad to worse.
They are typically referred from doctor to doctor based on
individual complaints. The specialist may fail to grasp the extent
of the problem and divide the disease into categories that lead to
medical dead ends or incomplete treatments. Some of these symptom
clusters are:
Chronic fatigue,
Systemic candidiasis,
Myofascial pain,
Irritable bowel, or
Vulvar pain syndrome.
There are no diagnostic x-ray or laboratory tests to diagnose
Fibromyalgia.
The American College of Rheumatology recommends eliciting pain from
at least 11 out of 18 predetermined "tender points" to confirm the
diagnosis after a medical history is taken. Unfortunately,
individual pain perception and tenderness vary greatly. Chronic
fatigue patients have high pain thresholds and are not particularly
sensitive to finger-poking. They may feel stiff, but complain mainly
of exhaustion, muscle stiffness and cognitive impairment. The
confirmation of affected tissue is more reliably obtained by using
our method of palpation that we call mapping.
The original description of fibromyalgia as "rheumatism with hard
and tender places" has been forgotten. The tender-point exam seeks
subjective patient pain sensations and so lacks the accuracy of
objective, sequential body examinations (mapping).
We examine the musculoskeletal tissues using the pads of our fingers
to feel muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
With practice, multiple swollen places become obvious. We sketch
their location, size and degree of hardness on a caricature that
becomes our baseline for future comparisons. Hands should move as if
to iron out wrinkles in the underlying tissues. Expressions of
tenderness do not influence findings. The most important site for
confirming the diagnosis and establishing the efficacy of treatment
is the left thigh. The outside of the quadriceps muscle (Vastus
lateralis) and the front part (Rectus femoris) are involved in 100%
of adults; they clear within the first month of proper treatment.
Fibromyalgia has no set symptoms.
Various combinations from the following list can be anticipated.
(But importantly: Do not assume fibromyalgia is the cause of all
symptoms. When in doubt or confronted with new problems, please
consult your personal physician or appropriate specialist.)
Central Nervous System: Fatigue, irritability, nervousness,
depression, apathy, listlessness, impaired memory and concentration,
anxieties and even suicidal thoughts. Insomnia and frequent
awakening due to pain result in non restorative sleep.
Musculoskeletal: Swollen structures press on nerves to produce all
types of pains including stiffness. Any muscle, tendon, ligament or
fascia in the face, neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees, ankles,
feet, arms, legs and chest may be involved. Calf/foot cramps,
numbness and tingling of the face or extremities is common. Old
injured or operative sites are commonly affected. Fibromyalgia is
erroneously considered non-arthritic even though joint pain,
swelling, heat and redness occur in a large percentage of patients.
Irritable Bowel: Symptoms include nausea (usually transient,
repetitive waves), indigestion, gas, bloating, deep pain, cramps,
alternating constipation and diarrhea sometimes with mucous stools.
Genitourinary: Mostly affecting women are pungent urine, frequent
urination, bladder spasms, burning urination (dysuria) with or
without repeated bladder infections and interstitial cystitis.
Vulvodynia (vulvar pain syndrome) includes vaginal spasm, irritation
of the labia (vulvitis) or deeper (vestibulitis) that induce painful
intercourse (dyspareunia) all without the typical cottage-cheese
discharge that accompanies yeast infections. Fibromyalgia is worse
premenstrually.
Dermatological: Various rashes may appear with or without itching:
Hives, red blotches, itchy bumps or blisters, eczema, seborrheic or
neurodermatitis, and rosacea. Skin is dry and nails are brittle or
easily peel; hair is of poor quality and often falls out
prematurely. Strange sensations (paresthesias) are common such as
cold, burning (especially palms, soles and thighs), crawling,
electric vibrations, prickling, super-sensitivity to touch, and
flushing often with sweating.
Head, Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat: Headaches (migraines), dizziness,
vertigo (spinning) or imbalance; itchy, burning and dry eyes or lids
sometimes produce morning sticky or sandy discharges; blurred
vision; hay fever or nasal congestion and post-nasal drip; painful,
burning or cut-tongue sensation, scalded mouth and abnormal tastes
(bad, metallic); intermittent low-pitched sounds or transient
ringing in the ears (tinnitus); ear and eyeball pain; sensitivity to
light, sounds and odors (perfumes or chemicals).
Miscellaneous Symptoms: Weight gain; mild fever; reduced immunity to
infection; fluid retention with morning eyelid and hand swelling
that gravitates to the legs by evening, stretches tiny tissue nerves
to produce restless leg syndrome; adult-onset asthma.
Hypoglycemia Syndrome: This is a separate entity that may affect
thirty percent of female and fifteen percent of male fibromyalgics.
Sugar craving, tremors, clamminess, anxiety, panic attacks, heart
pounding, headaches and faintness induced by hunger or by eating
sugar and starches (carbohydrates) are solid clues for diagnosis.
R. Paul St. Amand, MD
Associate Clinical Professor Medicine
Endocrinology - Harbor-UCLA
Gates vs. GM - this is so funny!!!
My favorite is #5, yes I am very anti-Mac, for many different reasons. But that's for another day. Enjoy!
Gates vs. GM
For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.
At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated,
"If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."
In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:
If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):
1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........Twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.
6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.
7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.
Gates vs. GM
For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.
At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated,
"If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."
In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:
If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):
1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........Twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.
6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.
7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Why you should not drive while talking and holding a cell phone!
I'm sending this because I want people to be as safe as possible while driving on the road, whether you are in a city, town or on the freeway. I realize that those of you who are safe drivers, already know about the law that states that if you turn your windshield whippers on during rain, mist, fog and/or snow, that you must turn on your headlights. Well, during the last rain storm, I noticed that at least half the people I saw on the road did not have their headlights on, and even when I flicked my lights at them, they had no clue as to why I was doing that. On the freeways, the numbers of people without their lights on was more like 75%, which just scares me to death.
I just do not understand what these people don't get about needing to turn on their lights so that other people can see them and also because it's a state law in California, as well as in 28 other states. You shouldn't even have to be told that it is a law - it should be automatic. But sadly this is not the case :( So because of this and until law enforcement understands that they need to start cracking down on this and ticketing people for it during storms, I think it would help if we all try to spread the word to our own friends and family and have them do the same in return. I think that if people really made the effort to do this, we would have less accidents. I realize that people also need to slow down, instead of seeming to drive even faster when it rains than they do when it is not - (someone please explain this to me because the logic of it makes no sense) - and that the two combined would probably prevent a majority of the number of accidents we see and the traffic created by those accidents.
So please spread the word, and help educate those who are not aware. I believe that education will greatly help to make drivers drive safer in those types of conditions. If no one ever tells them about a new law (and this one was passed in 2005), then they will never obey it. Here is some more info on this particular law:
Headlamps on Motor Vehicles
24400. (a) A motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, shall be:
(1) ( )1 Equipped with at least two ( )2 headlamps, with at least one on each side of the front of the vehicle, and, except as to vehicles registered prior to January 1, 1930, they shall be located directly above or in advance of the front axle of the vehicle. The headlamps and every light source in any headlamp unit shall be located at a height of not more than 54 inches nor less than 22 inches.
(2) Operated during darkness, or inclement weather, or both, with at least two lighted headlamps that comply with paragraph (1).
(b) As used in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), “inclement weather” is a weather condition that is either of the following:
(1) A condition that prevents a driver of a motor vehicle from clearly discerning a person or another motor vehicle on the highway from a distance of 1,000 feet.
(2) A condition requiring the windshield wipers to be in continuous use due to rain, mist, snow, fog, or other precipitation or atmospheric moisture.( )3
Added Sec. 2, Ch. 415, Stats. 2004. Effectve January 1, 2005. Operative July 1, 2005.
Amended Sec. 9, Ch. 311, Stats. 2006. Effective January 1, 2007.
The 2006 amendment added the italicized material, and at the point(s) indicated, deleted the following:
1. “During darkness and inclement weather, a motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, shall be equipped”
2. “lighted”
3. “(c) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2005.
And for those who are not aware of this either, now is the time to stop using your cell phones in your vehicles OR get a hands-free headset, because come Jan 1, 2008, a new law will come into effect banning the use of cell phones by the driver of a vehicle - meaning you cannot be holding your phone with one hand and talking while driving your vehicle. I believe this is one of the top reasons that accidents happen all too often these days. Most of the time, when I am driving around, it is the people who are weaving, driving right on the line seperating two lanes on streets or freeways plus not even paying attention to what they are doing, let alone looking straight in front of them and even driving eratically while multi-tasking with their phone in their car, who are responsible for accidents and traffic.
I no longer answer my phone while in my car and people just need to accept that. When I drive long distances, like up to Oregon, I especially don't answer it. If I need to make a call or return one, I will do so at a rest stop or I will pull over. I don't care how someone wants to justify it, it is just not safe! So go buy your hands-free headsets and you'll be just fine. I have one on my Christmas list :)
Instructors who teach driving classes will tell you the same thing - even with the use of headsets for phones, there are still certain conditions where it is not safe to be doing something else while driving such as having a conversation with someone - in the car or on your phone! See what happens the next time you are driving your vehicle and you're having a conversation with someone who is also in your vehicle. What happens when you suddenly have to hit the brakes to prevent crashing into someone who has stopped quickly in front of you or because there is suddenly a build up of stopped traffic? I bet you anything, that you are going to stop talking for that temporary moment while you slow down your vehicle and assess what is going on in front of you.
Please help spread the word, to help make our roads safer to drive on. Thank you!
I just do not understand what these people don't get about needing to turn on their lights so that other people can see them and also because it's a state law in California, as well as in 28 other states. You shouldn't even have to be told that it is a law - it should be automatic. But sadly this is not the case :( So because of this and until law enforcement understands that they need to start cracking down on this and ticketing people for it during storms, I think it would help if we all try to spread the word to our own friends and family and have them do the same in return. I think that if people really made the effort to do this, we would have less accidents. I realize that people also need to slow down, instead of seeming to drive even faster when it rains than they do when it is not - (someone please explain this to me because the logic of it makes no sense) - and that the two combined would probably prevent a majority of the number of accidents we see and the traffic created by those accidents.
So please spread the word, and help educate those who are not aware. I believe that education will greatly help to make drivers drive safer in those types of conditions. If no one ever tells them about a new law (and this one was passed in 2005), then they will never obey it. Here is some more info on this particular law:
Headlamps on Motor Vehicles
24400. (a) A motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, shall be:
(1) ( )1 Equipped with at least two ( )2 headlamps, with at least one on each side of the front of the vehicle, and, except as to vehicles registered prior to January 1, 1930, they shall be located directly above or in advance of the front axle of the vehicle. The headlamps and every light source in any headlamp unit shall be located at a height of not more than 54 inches nor less than 22 inches.
(2) Operated during darkness, or inclement weather, or both, with at least two lighted headlamps that comply with paragraph (1).
(b) As used in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), “inclement weather” is a weather condition that is either of the following:
(1) A condition that prevents a driver of a motor vehicle from clearly discerning a person or another motor vehicle on the highway from a distance of 1,000 feet.
(2) A condition requiring the windshield wipers to be in continuous use due to rain, mist, snow, fog, or other precipitation or atmospheric moisture.( )3
Added Sec. 2, Ch. 415, Stats. 2004. Effectve January 1, 2005. Operative July 1, 2005.
Amended Sec. 9, Ch. 311, Stats. 2006. Effective January 1, 2007.
The 2006 amendment added the italicized material, and at the point(s) indicated, deleted the following:
1. “During darkness and inclement weather, a motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, shall be equipped”
2. “lighted”
3. “(c) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2005.
And for those who are not aware of this either, now is the time to stop using your cell phones in your vehicles OR get a hands-free headset, because come Jan 1, 2008, a new law will come into effect banning the use of cell phones by the driver of a vehicle - meaning you cannot be holding your phone with one hand and talking while driving your vehicle. I believe this is one of the top reasons that accidents happen all too often these days. Most of the time, when I am driving around, it is the people who are weaving, driving right on the line seperating two lanes on streets or freeways plus not even paying attention to what they are doing, let alone looking straight in front of them and even driving eratically while multi-tasking with their phone in their car, who are responsible for accidents and traffic.
I no longer answer my phone while in my car and people just need to accept that. When I drive long distances, like up to Oregon, I especially don't answer it. If I need to make a call or return one, I will do so at a rest stop or I will pull over. I don't care how someone wants to justify it, it is just not safe! So go buy your hands-free headsets and you'll be just fine. I have one on my Christmas list :)
Instructors who teach driving classes will tell you the same thing - even with the use of headsets for phones, there are still certain conditions where it is not safe to be doing something else while driving such as having a conversation with someone - in the car or on your phone! See what happens the next time you are driving your vehicle and you're having a conversation with someone who is also in your vehicle. What happens when you suddenly have to hit the brakes to prevent crashing into someone who has stopped quickly in front of you or because there is suddenly a build up of stopped traffic? I bet you anything, that you are going to stop talking for that temporary moment while you slow down your vehicle and assess what is going on in front of you.
Please help spread the word, to help make our roads safer to drive on. Thank you!
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