Things that make me scream

I can't unsee the pattern.

Bras for the Cause

Bras ARE the Cause.


My best friend had breast cancer. They put a zillion tubes in her boob and pumped her full of radiation. She did that for weeks. She survived and is still cancer free.
Nobody ever told her a bra might restrict lymphatic system circulation.

EVER.

I hate you guys.

Things that make me laugh

We Need More Doctors, Stat!

One family physician told the New York Times, "Everybody with a brain knows we do not have enough doctors."

Zombie of the Day

I was pretty sure he was going to be the lead-off hitter... he posted a few weeks ago that he's allergic to wheat.

Andrew Sullivan

It's been fascinating to watch how my new diet has affected me. Adjusting to fewer carbs has meant a long phase of relative tiredness now beginning to lift. But my muscle-fat ratio has shifted in the right direction a little. The rash is now gone.

I have been writing to him for years, telling him he's a narcoleptic.

Welcome, Andrew. It gets even better.

For the record

This is how I will know they are serious-

When the AMA lobbies for and delivers over-the-counter distribution of valacyclovir.

And not before.

Doctor My Eyes

I went to the ear-nose-throat doctor today to get nasal care tips. I told him about my theory that common facial diseases cause mental illness. He seemed to think this might be a lucrative new market for him.

Guess again, buddy.
Me and the crazy ladies are going to take care of those of us who managed to stay out of your institutions. You, however, really should go in them and rescue those poor souls with massive neglected infections.

By the way- if you want to help us- you're going to have to get a lot better at diagnosing nasal ulcers. Pretty sure we all have them. Hint: you don't need a CT scan...

What is really up with that anyway? Do you get a bonus for ordering tests? Or is it just more fun than looking in noses? I am really curious about that.

Happy Solstice Everyone

It's actually sunny here and the dog and I are going to sit outside all day.

Here's my old song for the day- I can see clearly now

Sorry if you hate it, I have sentimental obligations.

Feel free to add your own selection...

Old Song of the Day

The Logical Song

Heh.

Guerrilla Neuroscience

My Dreams:

I really like the idea of a gluten-free trailer park out in the middle of the desert somewhere.With a train car diner and a school bus filled with books and lots of kitsch. Garden statuary, picket fences and at least three dogs.
Drive-in zombie rehab.

I also have this other favorite rumination about a storefront in New Orleans called "The Sanity Shoppe". With a dental clinic on one side called "The Grateful Head", and a gluten-free cafe/pizzaria on the other side named "Pan de los Muertos". We would sell mouth rinse and coconut oil and ketostix and strep tests and dispense accurate information to ordinary people. We would have bake sales and dental fairs and give out gluten-free food and tooth care kits to homeless people.

But mostly I dream of an alternate universe. Where none of that is even necessary anymore.

Sit down. Buckle Up. Hold On. Here we go...

Through the Looking Glass

Unforgivable

Smoking-pill suicides overlooked in missing reports

From MSNBC:

Hundreds of reports of suicides, psychotic reactions and other serious problems tied to the popular stop-smoking drug Chantix were left out of a crucial government safety review because Pfizer Inc., the drug’s manufacturer, submitted years of data through “improper channels.”

Some 150 suicides — more than doubling those previously known — were among 589 delayed reports of severe issues turned up in a new analysis by the non-profit Institute for Safe Medication Practices.

“We’ve had a major breakdown in safety surveillance,” said Thomas J. Moore, the ISMP senior scientist who analyzed the data. The serious problems — including reports of completed suicides, suicide attempts, aggression and hostility and depression — had been mixed among some 26,000 records of non-serious side effects such as nausea and rashes, with some dating back to 2006, the year Chantix, or varenicline, was approved.

End of the World

From the CDC:

Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse

The rise of zombies in pop culture has given credence to the idea that a zombie apocalypse could happen. In such a scenario zombies would take over entire countries, roaming city streets eating anything living that got in their way. The proliferation of this idea has led many people to wonder “How do I prepare for a zombie apocalypse?”

This is Why

Christina graduated from college last weekend. And she has been accepted to a graduate school to get her PhD.

It just doesn't get any better than that.
Because her doctor told her she was imagining it too.

Ha. She's a zombie brainiac. A neuro-surfing wunderkind. He should have listened to her. She IS the bleeding edge of medicine.

You go, girlfriend. Make those dreams come true.

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

I wasn't going to start outing people just yet, but this guy annoys me.

Nervous Nellies by Taylor Clark
Girls don't start out more anxious than boys, but they usually end up that way.

He recycles the oldest, tiredest arguments on this subject possible: child rearing and social expectations. And then claims "cutting edge research" corroborates his conclusions. It's all correlative studies and he blatantly dismisses all kinds of direct studies which prove anxiety is governed by physiological processes and affected by sex hormones.

It's just flat out crap.
And then he goes on and gets all pretentious at the end:

"So take heart, women of the world: You're not necessarily bioengineered to be worry machines."

Screw Yourself Buddy. It's attitudes like yours that leave us in this frakking nightmare. You clearly do not understand the first thing about high anxiety women.

Yeah.... such as.... you really shouldn't piss us off...

Silliness

I am deep in the brain tornado. Taking a sanity break.

Zombie Theme Song- I listened to this a lot when constructing the web site.

Zombie Fight Song- The greatest rock song ever recorded. Put on your headphones and get a contact high from 1976. Sadly, Tommy slipped into the abyss later that year.

Acyclovir

Just thought I'd discuss dosing, since I never have.

Standard dosing is 800 mg of acyclovir per day.
I had to take 1200 to suppress my symptoms.

I am now on 1000 Valtrex instead. I like it better.
But if I go out in the sun I need to take another half tablet at night or I get headaches again.

Gluten used to nullify the effects immediately. Within an hour I would have a migraine. This last time it took about a week of cheating to feel the effects. I started getting a lesion so restricted my diet again.

I have another illness right now though. Your mileage may vary.

Anyhow, both my sister and my mother had intractable headaches for many years. I cringe at the thought of all the procedures they endured. They too went into complete remission within a week of acyclovir treatment.

You will have to pry those pills out of our cold dead hands....

Homework Assignment

Anyone with sleep disorders must get this book and read it.

Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye, by Ellie Phillips DDS

Narcolepsy is associated with strep bacteria and those live in your mouth. Sleep disorders cause mouth breathing and increased growth of bacteria.

I am currently writing up a hypothesis on how this all interacts with the gluten and viruses and everything else. In the meantime, do yourself a favor, and read the book.

Bread for Democracy

From Twitter:

mysocedge RT @Alex_Ogle: Gotta do what you gotta do -- amidst the flying rocks in the #Egypt protests, one brave man makes a helmet out of bread

Check this out

The World Health Organization is reviewing the safety of GlaxoSmithKline's Pandemrix H1N1 flu vaccine after a Finnish study suggested children who got the shot were nine times more likely to suffer from narcolepsy, a rare sleeping disorder.
Researchers at Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare (NIHW) said Tuesday their research suggested it was "most likely" the increase they found in narcolepsy was a joint effect of Pandemrix and some other factor or factors.
Their research, which was described as preliminary, was conducted by the Finnish national narcolepsy committee and published by the NIHW, found an increase in cases of narcolepsy among children aged four to 19 years who had the vaccine.

I got this vaccine last year around this time, and have been having problems ever since. Infections, night sweats, rage, depression. For a while there I had so much trouble working on the kitchen I thought I had Guillain-Barre syndrome....

This is Why

For the second year in a row, the U.S. military has lost more troops to suicide than it has to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dental Health = Mental Health ?

I need to buy some time. All of a sudden I have tons of research to do before I publish the next round.

So, when I quit the gluten- the viruses acted up.
And when I suppressed the viruses- it seems a bacterial infection flared up.
For many reasons, I believe this is a strep infection and in my case causes depression. It's probably the reason I haven't been able to write.

Anyhow- I am beginning to believe we have lowered immunity to any number of oral pathogens. Our immune response is messed up and all of those pathogens and antibodies accumulate and interact in our digestive tracts and disable our orexin cells, among other things...

I really think we need to maintain our mouths more carefully than other people.
And we don't. And if we do it doesn't help. And there's a reason: the standard products make it worse.
• Normal toothpaste contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate SLS, which is a detergent and strips the mouth of it's protective mucous layer, allowing more pathogens into the skin.
• Normal mouthwash contains alcohol, which dehydrates the tissues and also affects permeability.

I have found a regimen which may actually help...
• SLS Free toothpaste- Sensodyne is one
• Prevention Antibacterial Mouth Rinse- no alcohol, fights bacteria and viruses
• Liquid Fish Oil- 2-3 tsp. a day. Carlson is flavored and get the best reviews.

Fish oil is antiviral and also shown to inhibit common oral bacteria.
You have to use the liquid though. It has to get on your gums and down your throat. Because that's where all the viruses and bacteria and affected nerves are....

This is what I am doing now-
• I put the rinse in a shot glass and brush my teeth with that. I only use toothpaste for the nicotine stains in front. Then I rinse my mouth with the rest. Let it sit for a while.
• Then I put some fish oil on my other toothbrush. ( I made a mix of fish oil, some liquid sweet-n-low, and a drop of mint extract and put it in a little bottle.) I rub it all over the gumline. It seems to seal everything up. I also consume 3 tsp. a day.


When I do this, my head unclenches. It's fascinating.
My teeth are also staying much cleaner. Go figure.

This is working so well, I really had to tell you all before I research all the details.
I hope it helps! Let me know!

UPDATE: Although the antibacterial rinse worked well at first, it is now giving me headaches and a black tongue. I think the hydrogen peroxide is killing the anerobic but facilitating the growth of aerobic bacteria.
The periodontal rinse I got from the dentist does not do this.

UPDATE 2: Biotene Dry Mouth Toothpaste and Mouthwash. Miraculous.
And I have switched from Fish Oil to Olive Oil. Works and tastes better.

Happy New Year!

I just wanted to share the best day of last year-


July 29, 2010
I had the most amazing experience of my life.
I totally messed up the balusters on my railing that I'm building.
Will have to cut them all over again, lost an entire days work.
I just stood there saying "omigod omigod omigod" and Jeff thought I was going to cry-
But I was freaking out because my heart rate did not go up one beat when I realized my mistake. I stood there and waited for it to hit me- the explosion in my throat and ears- but it never did. I just stood there and calmly thought- "well I guess I know what I'm going to be doing tomorrow".
It blew my mind.
I cannot recall EVER not being panicked by a failure.
EVER.
I usually have to compose myself after spilling coffee...

The darkest of them all

Happy Solstice/Eclipse Everyone...

Here's my old song for tonight:
Dream Weaver by Gary Wright

I always hated that one, ever since it came out. Thought it was too sappy. Now all of a sudden it gives me a sentimental feeling about Dreamland. I really like this video because he's old now too.

Take care. Make it through the night.

Zombie Party

Okay, I get the feeling there are more of you out there, but you don't want to use your names.
I understand. There's a lot of weird stuff in my world.
Anyhow, I've opened up the comments to anonymous users-
Please say HI.

Glorious Pile Management

This is the type of thing that gives me a geeky thrill:

Ikea's Wicked Cool Automated Warehouse

The apex of both furniture and organization. My two favorite things...

The twisted things that make me laugh

NEW YORK – Fruit is free under the latest Weight Watchers plan.

The weight-loss giant is replacing its Points plan with a new system called PointsPlus.

Fresh fruits and most vegetables are zero points. Dried fruits and starchy vegetables such as potatoes and corn still have points assigned to them.

The new system was unveiled Monday. Weight Watchers says it will help dieters realize that a 100-calorie apple is a better choice than a 100-calorie bag of chips.

The chief scientific officer of Weight Watchers International Inc. says the program is based on the latest scientific research. Karen Miller-Kovach (KOH'-vach) says it's designed to guide people toward healthy and satisfying foods.

THIS IS INSANE. This makes no biochemical sense whatsoever.
An apple is not better for you than chips. They are both carbohydrates. They stimulate insulin production which STIMULATES FAT STORAGE. Neither one is very good if you want to lose weight. And the fructose in the apple is actually metabolically inferior to glucose.
Please see the fructose video I referenced earlier.

THESE PEOPLE CLAIM TO BE NUTRITION AND WEIGHT LOSS EXPERTS.
Their only thing their diet does is guarantee you will fail.
Maybe even faster with their " new, improved" nonsense...

Happy Narcolepsy Day!

Although I won't be cheating- I give you all permission do so.
Have a real nice nap for me.

And get back on the wagon tomorrow...