Crazy MS Cures and Causes

Yesterday a very well intentioned person gave me an article to read about aspartame.
A very hysterical article claiming aspartame causes most illnesses,including MS. Now I'm not saying it couldn't be a cause and I did give up my Diet Cokes because of aspartame. Not because I thought it would lessen my MS or improve my health directly. I think the most sensible arguement against aspartame is that it causes an insulin response in the body. You taste sweet in your mouth. Even though it is fake sweet, your mind doesn't know the difference and assumes it to be real sugar. Your body starts pumping more insulin into your bloodstream, only there is no sugar to balance it. Result is you either eat more or crave sugar to maintain a balance. That leads to weight gain and even diabetes. So I suppose that not consuming aspartame keeps me healthier, which helps me cope with MS.

I just get annoyed at over simplistic,unproven, theories (and they are always internet articles) written by people who always seem to have an angle or warped sense of public duty( things ______ fill in the blank, they don't want you to know!!).

The internet is great,yet at the same time it is overloaded with all sorts of crack pots claiming to have knowledge about causes of disease and cures. The cures most often involve a special diet, which features unpalatable drinks (swamp water anyone?) hard to follow exercise plans ( marathons etc.) half baked philosophies (I love having MS !!!) and unconventional treatments ( magnetic bracelets) If they work, great, even if it is placebo, however if they don't , well that's because you didn't stick with it, or you didn't really believe. Good cop outs.

This morning I saw an ad for an herb steamer, which claims breathing the steamed herbal air can cure almost anything. Maybe it smells nice, and maybe that can create a sense of well being, but I think that's about it.It ain't gonna cure nothin. Better off to use the herbs in your cooking for some tasty food.That will make you feel good. Just don't eat too much.

Face Crimes

Today I had a person look at me with the meanest, hate filled, angry face.
If you are reading this Sir/Madam( that's our standard greeting on letters) I would like to tell you that : 1. You are wasting your own precious mental health because you prefer to be mean spirited, rather than promote goodwill 2. I'm not surprised when I'm told you encourage spying and back stabbing. 3. If your soul is as ugly as your face, you are in big trouble. 4. Are you aware of how much you are hated ? I guess you don't care. You should, for your own sake.

There, I did my little rant and I feel better.

Things are moving along at work. My prediction is things will be finalized by the end of March Can't say why I think that. Maybe once it's all over I will tell.

Crazy weather. It went from bitter cold in the morning, to rain this evening.

Read an interesting article in Foreign Policy magazine about failed nation states.The prediction is that Mexico will soon become like Somalia, due to the drug wars. My friend down in the South West tells me the major of Juarez,which is on the border close to El Paso,has sought asylum in the U.S. Imagine the major of your city gone and war raging on the streets. Hamilton is a boring place, but I don't have to worry about getting caught in the crossfire of a drug war.

Know It All

Been spending my time reading other blogs and posting know it all comments. Really should stay on my own soap box here. Not a bad day today The Peregrines have returned!
Saw them flying around my neighbourhood today.
I missed the annual union meeting tonight. I came home with the intention of getting changed,having dinner, and then off again. As usual my haunted house conspired against me. The dishwasher wouldn't drain and the water backed up in the two sinks. Had to go out and buy Liquid Plumber at the local convenience store,which means I paid a million dollars for it. By the time I cleaned the mess and waited to see if the dishwasher was draining properly,it was six o'clock and I was exhausted. Ah !let the healthy people go to the meeting.

Speaking of meetings I have another torture session on Friday I hate Friday meetings. If they go badly I stew about it all weekend and if they go well. What am I saying! They never go well these days.

Saw an article in the paper about the optimist gene. Guess I don't have that one

Nurse Practitioner Clinics

I promised I would post this photo of the Ukrainian Church . So here it is ! That's where I was when I got caught in the snow storm.What a day that was.


The Ontario government announced the opening of 25 nurse practitioner clinics .
This is due to the family doctor shortage, which is acute in remote areas. Nobody wants much to be a family doctor,nor do they want to practice in a small town.I guess it isn't cool to be one and you don't make the big bucks.
I don't know very much about these clinics .I got in touch with a nurse friend out in B.C. to ask what she thinks. I'll do a post once I find out. Anybody have experience with them ?

Bad weekend for me. I don't seem to be able to handle the cold at all anymore.Not the best place for me to be living then. Is it?

Another meeting this coming Friday, when management gets their last kick at the can
(me).Then I'm not sure what will happen.My rep keeps on telling me it will be a good outcome, so I will try to believe that. What else can I do ?

Quotable

"If she was working at Quiznos making subs, she would be out of a job now"

"Anybody can go to their doctor, whine, and get a note to get out of work"

After 4 medical reports: "How can we help if we don't know what her needs are?"

Fun Is ?

Peeing my pants in the middle of a snowstorm and having it freeze.

Zero Patience

Know a good way to open a make up compact when you can't figure out how it opens?
Smash it on the floor. Yeah that's what I did and it worked. OK, it is broken now and I did waste some of the make up. I think I'm so fed up with things not working, and excuses, and everything, that my patience is shot.

So it's smashing time, as the kids in the movie "Hope and Glory" use to say. This is old lady make up,or as my young co worker refers to us "mature women"(thanks for the compliment,now go away) Don't these companies realize that I can't see that great in the morning,I'm rushing, and I really don't have time to fiddle with a silly container.

Had some good news today at work but I can't tell yet. Soon

Barbie is fifty today. That really makes me feel mature.

Interesting news story in The Independent today. The former head of MI5 stated that governments are using the threat of terrorism to curb civil liberties. I know that we are overly concerned at my office with security. You can barely move without needing a key or an electronic pass to get around. We have keys for cabinets with keys. I have a dozen pass words in order to use all the systems and have to change them every couple of months. The computer keeps track of every password I have used in the past and won't allow me to use them again. We can't send external email or use the internet, only the approved intra net. It gets very tiresome.

Good line in the Kung Fu movie tonight "Sorry to tell you this, but you must die"

Poor Blog

Poor blog I've been neglecting it. I've been indulging in my postcard hobby and Oh! so nice to be able to walk on the streets with no snow or ice. Above is a shot of the steel mill, which use to be Canadian, was bought by Acelor(France), which was bought by Mitaal(India) and then by Rio Tinto(Brazil). Now ChinaAlco, is buying up Rio Tinto, shares, because they are broke.All this in the space of a year.Crazy globalism
My son mentioned that even though steel production is way down, tin is way up. Why?
People are buying more canned food due to rising food prices and the recession. That's sad,although it is keeping the mill busy and workers employed. There have been so many layoffs.The plant where my son has a part time job has cut an entire day of production and cut staff.

My shopping trip to Toronto on Saturday was enjoyable,with a super fast commute.I took the 6:20 bus home and was in my house changing clothes,by 7:07. If it was always like thatI would never have transferred from Toronto.Then I remember those awful rush hour commutes,of 90 minutes and even 2 hours. No way do I want to go through that again.I have said this many times.We need a dedicated bus lane on the highway.That will never happen because the car is still king around here,so we are left with a half assed public system. When it works it's brilliant, when it doesn't,it's a nightmare.

Been a week now since I quit the Amantadine. I can't say that I notice any difference. The main reason I started taking it was to help me get through the work day and avoid taking so many days off.That didn't happen.I have taken a record number of sick days the past couple of months,therefore I see no point in continuing on a drug that had minimal effect. The side effects were not that big a deal but enough of a nuisance to be glad they are gone. What drug next? I don't know Right now I need to concentrate on losing a few pounds,well more than a few, several. The days are getting longer and if this decent weather holds up I'll be able to do some longer walks and not be worried about falling.
Can't give a work update right now except to say things are moving along.It really hit the fan last week, which is a good thing. I should have some news by the end of this week. Not that I'm holding my breath.

Valentine

Another lazy blog post. Getting ready to go out shopping.

This is about all I have energy for this week. I just don't feel like writing. Going shopping in Toronto tomorrow which will actually be a nice break

Fall Girl

Had another fall,the fourth one now this winter. A real spectacular one. The entire right side of my body is sore ouch, ouch. At least I can walk normally and since I'm an almost total left hander can still work. This time I can't say it has anything to do with MS. It's simply that the sidewalks and roads are skating rinks,with lots of black ice out there. I have to give up my morning short cut and stick to the heavily salted main streets. The temperatures are supposed to be above normal all week going up to 11C today. That should get rid of the mess. It would be nice to not have anymore snow, but that's very unrealistic.

Had another very long,boring,meeting yesterday about my medical accommodation.A woman who is on the new team reviewing all the claims, and my union rep,trying to sort out the whole mess. They have decided the best way to proceed is to cut out the middle men/women, and go to the top.I certainly have more than enough documentation! They can never say(management) I didn't go through the proper channels(which got me nowhere) or that I didn't cooperate fully. In fact I was told I gave too much information and was too co operative. Well, I think that the old saying "give them enough rope" applies, and will work to my advantage.I also know that I'm not alone in having my case drag on endlessly.

One thing is certain. I can't handle anymore of these long meetings.I came out of that one exhausted and feeling feverish. My rep is going alone to the next one on Thursday. I think that best. She's a good speaker,has lots of confidence and has been through all this herself. I'll post an update later in the week. Maybe with some good news? (son in background :"we've heard that before")

I really wish on the morning news they wouldn't show a report about a mummy casket being opened. Doesn't go well with my bagel and tea.

Volunteering and The Economy

Tonight I want to ask your opinion (if anybody is out there) on volunteering .
The reason I ask, is today I got into a spat on a forum ( note to myself: silly pointless waste of time) . One of the administrators on this website, who is a volunteer, is constantly reminding people of how it is an unpaid job, and how busy she is to not have much time to attend to her duties. Anyway, I finally got fed up and blasted her. I find it an insult to volunteers in general that this person feels the need to remind everyone that what she does has no compensation .
Well isn't that what volunteering is all about ?

"You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45)


This quote is not intended to imply that only Christians volunteer


Alarming to read in the newspaper about the heavy job losses in January and worse to come. The city estimates it will need another $3 million to cover social service costs this year. That over and above the 5% property tax increase . My wage roll back feels minor in comparison,although I really don't get how cutting my wages will stimulate the economy.

My own review of the Canada and U.S. stimulus packages ? A big thumbs down for many reasons. Cutting income taxes is irrelevant when people are unemployed. Offering rebates on sales taxes for a car purchase and a tax credit for the interest on a car loan,is pointless. Most dealers already offer zero interest on a car loan and many are willing to suck up the sales tax. The problem is people don't have any money to buy a car and even if they want to,they can't get credit.Toyota just leased another 180 acres of land to park all the cars they can't sell .This on top of the hundreds of acres they already have.

Same goes for the enticements to buy a new home.What's the point if you know the house will be worth much less in a year( and it will be )yet you still have the same mortgage.Isn't that why people walked away from their homes in the first place? What bank is willing to give a mortgage to the no money, no job, no down payment, crowd now? The very thing that created the housing bubble,which has resulted in the mess we are presently in.

As for the credit for home renovations, once again you have to spend big money up front to get a meager refund in a year from now.

Infrastructure spending ? Great if it goes to fix the crumbling systems already in place. Most of that money is going to new projects like highways. Yeah just what we need,more highways for more urban sprawl.

We should do what the people of Iceland did this week Insist that our government fire all the bankers and start over again.

Leaky Basement

Well it never fails, every weekend it's something. Because the massive piles of snow are melting so quickly, the drain is backing up and I have water in my basement. Not all that much and only in one corner, still though it's frustrating. The city never cleans up at our end of the street . Because my street ends at an intersection and then continues further south , after a sharp left, then right turn, we are forgotten. How many people have said to me "Oh I didn't know that street went so far west" Sometimes that can be a good thing, to be forgotten. Street cleaning day not being one of those times.
It's supposed to be above freezing all week. Hope my house doesn't float away.

Did the usual cooking marathon this morning. Friday night I had run out of easy things to cook so we went to a new Indian buffet place. The food was excellent, fresh and lots of variety . Not a bad deal either, considering they included soft drinks with free refills. I ate way too much, which is always the danger with all you can eat buffets. The staff were very friendly . Nice to know there's a place close by to have dinner that is good, when I don't feel good. Gee ! that's most of the time.

My typing and printing are getting much worse. For example I wanted to type" time" and instead typed "mind" and I'm not even going fast.Bizarre. I'm screwing up my postcards too. I know what I have to print, yet I'm getting the letters mixed up. At least on a computer it's easy enough to correct .
I also had this odd sensation today while brushing my teeth. It felt like there was something on my arm, like a hair or drops of water, only there wasn't anything. It kept happening and I kept on trying to wipe it away, yet nothing was there. And how the heck has this tingle managed to get up into my left arm ?

The dentist from U of T called. I have an appointment in March for yet another consultation about the dental implants. They keep changing the diagnosis. First it was yes , then no, then maybe. I think it's back to yes now. I can't afford to get them done privately as my plan won't pay and no way do I want anymore crowns done. What an expensive torture that is.
Can't think of any other thing I spend so much money on that I hate so much, except maybe having my basement dug up.

There's a movie on t.v. tonight that I've never heard of "A Deadly Affair" with Simome Signoret( did it again, typed" seemore") and James Mason. The last time I saw her was in "Daibolique" on the french channel .The 1950's one, not the crappy remake with Sharon Stone. What a scary, weird, excellent movie !

Vitamin D and MS

An article in The Independent today, about the link between vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and higher risk of MS for the child. This reminds me of the link between spina bifida and folic acid deficiency. Cases of spina bifida have dropped significantly since women began taking a supplement early in their pregnancy . Perhaps prevention will be the answer for MS? Pregnant women will be advised to take a vitamin D supplement during pregnancy. It wouldn't eliminate all cases of MS since there are still genetic and enviromental influences. At least it would be a step in the right direction and what harm would a vitamin supplement do anyway.

I notice the British papers always have stories about MS, more so than the ones here. Wonder why that is ? Canada has a high rate of MS, yet I hardly ever see or hear any news about it.

Another meeting at work this afternoon, long and tiring, but positive. My new union rep is very energetic and is herself a duty to accomodate worker. She has first hand knowledge of the process which should help speed things up. Well how could they go any slower ? I was compiling documents for her and some go back to 2006. Meanwhile I try to hang in there ,but it's getting harder.

New Union Rep

Home late tonight as I had dinner with my new union rep. I'm exhausted, the woman is a ball of energy which is a good thing. Hope to have some positive news to report soon. I can't type my finger is really sore from banging it

Another Test

Strange weather out there. Europe having huge snow storms and we a big melt. On the news this morning I saw London practically shut down, no buses, very little traffic.

Wiarton Willie has declared six more weeks of winter. Blah

It was a bit tricky for to walk around today, between the puddles and the ice.I did manage to get over to the old court house, which is now the downtown campus of Mc Master University
Took a few photos with my camera phone . Above you can see the statue of United Empire Loyalists. I'll have to go back when all the snow is gone to get a better shot.

Spoke to the doctor today about my hands, as the tingling is getting worse. He is sending me for another test similar to the EVP only I can't remember what he called it Guess I'll find out when I get the letter for the appointment time. I really didn't want to call him It makes me feel like a whining hypochondriac and if it wasn't for work I probably wouldn't . Everything needs to be documented.

Health Central sent me an email today about the take over of Wellsphere. I get the impression it will remain a as separate website. If that is so,I'm going to go back to it tomorrow and maybe link my blog again .


Don't think I'll be going to work tomorrow I'm a total wreck and I have awful soreness in my heels ! Have no idea why. I'll finish watching this Kung Fu movie which is a weird one tonight. Alcoholic Buddhist monks ? The dubbing is so bad I'm sure he isn't saying" We monks think nothing of this wine. We call it rice nugget tea " as he takes a huge gulp.

From Peacock to Feather Duster

You want to know my philosophy? One day a peacock. The next day a feather duster."
PAT QUINN, the governor of Illinois, on his turn in the spotlight.