May 18, 2014

Injection phobia - any advice?

I have my blood drawn fairly often - I just turn my head on general principals. But, even the thought of an injection makes me queasy. Any advice on how to break this phobia?

May 18, 2014

WWJI

Who would Jeb invade?

May 16, 2014

Operation American Spring really isn't a joking matter -

If we believe the official story, all it took was one guy with a mail order rifle to murder John Kennedy. If we believe the official story, all it took was one criminal with a rifle to murder Martin Luther King.

Numbers don't matter if the wrong person is in the right place at the right time.

May 15, 2014

Anyone ever use old CDs hanging from a string to keep chickens out of

a berry patch?

May 15, 2014

Anyone here familiar with Boston, esp South Boston?

Today is the 60th Anniversary of Brown v Board of Education, which led to forced busing in South Boston in the 70's (IIRC). It was bitterly opposed by many Southies. My impression is that they had a point; that it was the busing of poor whites and poor blacks into each others' neighborhoods and that it ignored middle class and wealthy white neighborhoods.

1. Do you have any corrections on the above?

and, more importantly:

2. Did the busing mean that the Southies were forced out of a small community into contact with the outside community, and if so, what were the results?

May 14, 2014

"Lupus Studies Point to Gut Microbes, Epigenetics"

"The complex network of genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors believed to contribute to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is slowly being dissected, researchers report in a special issue of Lupus devoted to environmental causes of SLE. Several lines of research converged on the commensal bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract (the gut microbiota), which can be influenced by dietary and other external factors to alter immune response, and on environmental agents that inhibit epigenetic T-cell DNA methylation, which can trigger lupus flares in the genetically predisposed.

......

"n the clinical setting, Dr. Kriegel recommended that patients pay a little more attention to what effects various diets may have on their disease. "The long-standing anecdotal patient reports of certain diets worsening or improving flares might be more real than we thought. They should be studied more systematically, now that we know that almost any dietary component acts on the gut microbiota, [which] in turn has profound effects on the immune system," Dr. Kriegel said. He also warned that patients should not assume that the various "probiotic" products now available to consumers would have a beneficial effect in lupus. "Probiotics could theoretically even worsen a disease state, since it is possible that physiologic immune responses against benign commensals could fuel autoimmune responses via cross-reactivity (as we hypothesize) or other mechanisms," he said.

Dr. Kriegel concluded, "I think the best will be to wait until we have a better understanding of which commensals or commensal-derived products might be driving which autoimmune disease and then target those with a diet that is known to modulate these strains or products. Ideally, the field will also develop eventually novel types of antibiotics or vaccinations against certain commensals. Such approaches would allow us, in the future, to more specifically modulate the gut microbiota in autoimmunity.""

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/825045

May 12, 2014

Have you heard anything about the Synod coming up this Fall?

http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/francis-families-give-prayer-help-october-synod

I know the conservative blogs are all a-twitter over this to the point of emphasizing that the pope is infallible only when HE (and it will always be a he, according to them!) speaks Ex Cathedra. On the other hand, those who want change may be very disappointed if change comes too slowly or not at all.


Either way, it looks like rough sailing ahead for St. Peter's barque! Time for some heavy duty prayer!

May 12, 2014

Forget the KeyStone Pipeline - shouldn't every Senator and Representative from a coastal state

be pushing today to stop any further explotation of fossil fuel reserves on public lands?

I heard a discussion today about how preserving the range of the Sage Grouse will slow the economic growth of Western states by slowing down oil and gas production on public lands. What about the economic damage to the entire East Coast from rising sea levels? What about the loss of half of Florida?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/08/us/florida-finds-itself-in-the-eye-of-the-storm-on-climate-change.html

May 8, 2014

Autoimmune - I am thrilled that I seem to be in remission for now -

still have the dry mouth, dry eyes, dry skin and slow digestion, but I'm sleeping well and can actually move during the day. I'm still way slower than the average person, but I'm getting more done than I've been able to do in 2 or 3 years. So - my room is tidied, I cleaned out the chicken house and I planted my roses and berry bushes.

I still have to be careful not to over do it - which means taking a break every hour and being careful not to get overheated. I don't sweat anymore, so my outdoor activities are limited to temps below 70 and/or to cloudy days.

I think most of us would benefit from a blood test that measures fatigue. I still have all the characteristic symptoms of Sjogren's, but the drop in fatigue level has made an enormous difference in my quality of life.

May 8, 2014

Score 1 for me!

I got the raspberries and blackberries planted in the bed I prepared, but there is no room for the strawberries.

But - I've had a large pile of wood chips sitting nearby for 2 years, and I finally cleared it mulching the berry beds and blueberry bushes.

I now have a large weed-free, cleared circle that is pre-mulched.

Guess where the strawberries are going!