Day: 04/23/2015

And this is one of the reasons I don’t use a cell phone…

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2015/04/23/stores-track-your-movements-ftc-case-shows-how/

Stores Track Your Movements, and an FTC Case Shows How

The FTC alleges that while Nomi promised that people could opt out of being tracked — but by not telling anyone they were spying on them, they gave no way for consumers to stop the surveillance…

Nomi collected data from nine million mobile devices in just the first nine months of 2013, the FTC said, tracking movement both inside and outside stores, the type of device used, dates and times and even the phone’s signal strength. Collecting all that information, the company would tell its clients about when customers would walk by without going in, how long they stayed in the store when they did go in, and whether they went to other locations of the same chain…

The settlement doesn’t punish Nomi. The company is simply forbidden from misrepresenting what options consumers have when it comes to how the information is being collected and used.

Who else buys this type of information?  Maybe the DEA?  Insurance companies?

Email to HuffPost on behalf of pain patients

Fri, Apr 24, 2015 12:06 am

To:  jason.cherkis@huffingtonpost.com, ibrahim.balkhy@huffingtonpost.com

Re:  The DEA’s war against those who suffer from chronic pain

Dear Huffington Post reporters:

I really appreciate your coverage of drug abuse and addiction, which has spurred at least one state to reverse course and provide some support for those who suffer from these illnesses.

But I don’t understand why the Huffington Post is not covering the war against pain patients and their doctors by the DEA, State Medical Boards, pharmacies, insurance companies, and anti-drug advocacy groups. Like the stories of pain patients unable to find a doctor to treat them, as well as prescribe any drugs to help relieve their suffering (except antidepressants, of course). Like stories of signs in doctor’s offices that say, “We don’t treat chronic pain patients.” Like the stories of pain patients being abandoned by their doctors and forced into the underground drug market to manage their constant pain. Like the story of a veteran in New Mexico who was denied renewal in the Medical Cannabis Program, and weeks later, committed suicide.

As a 30-year intractable pain patient, I’ve lived and breathed the drug war, but I’ve never seen it do this much damage. Pain patients have faced a lot of discrimination throughout the last three decades, and being labeled a drug addict and criminal just because you suffer from chronic pain is nothing new. But now even doctors and the medical industry refuse to support pain patients, while the media just inflames the public with stories of drug overdoses and deaths caused by opioids. Calling 16,000 deaths an epidemic, when millions upon millions of pain patients take these drugs without any problem, allowing them to participate in their own lives.

So I’m writing because I hope the Huffington Post, as a major news organization, will do something to help us. Don’t worry, I don’t expect a response — if I can’t get one from government agencies like the Medical Board and Department of Health in my state, I surely don’t expect to receive one from the Huffington Post. But I had to try, because maybe, just maybe, the right media coverage will save the life of one chronic pain patient. Maybe if pain patients see this coverage, they will begin to have hope. If our stories can be told, then maybe it will stop a pain patient from giving up and committing suicide.

Thanks for reading this email.

Johnna Stahl
Albuquerque, New Mexico
painkills2.wordpress.com

When blogs refuse to moderate comments

https://getwellcoaching.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/fentany-and-morphine-addiction-how-to-stop-them-right-away/

FENTANY AND MORPHINE ADDICTION – HOW TO STOP THEM RIGHT AWAY

I’ve never heard of Fentany — do you mean Fentanyl?

If you had gone to the doctor because you are suffering from chronic pain, and you have been prescribed something called morphine, fentany or methadone, these are opioids that are derived from poppy seeds that are very addicting and also very powerful painkillers. Many people will use them illegally simply because they give you a high that makes it possible for you to experience euphoria and pain relief at the same time.

Most chronic pain patients don’t experience euphoria with pain medications — the euphoria you speak of is felt by those who take these drugs but are not in pain.  Chronic pain sucks up every bit of that side effect, especially after a short adjustment time. Most chronic pain patients only get a small percentage of relief when taking pain medications, and very few experience enough pain relief to feel euphoria.

Opioids and morphine derivatives are one of the most addicting substances on the planet, and here’s how you can end your addiction right away.

Sounds like you’re only trying to spread fear, not information.  Trying to convince people not to use pain medications, no matter how much pain they’re in, preferring that people just suffer.

Opioids And Morphine Derivatives

The reason that these products are so incredibly addicting is because they affect a certain area connected to your central nervous system which are called your mu receptors. These are derived from poppyseed which can create a number of different products including codeine, Norco, Vicodin, Percocet, and many other drugs that are extremely popular on the street today. You can get prescriptions for them if you legitimately are experiencing chronic pain on a regular basis.

Actually, no, there’s a war against pain patients going on right now, and many can’t even find doctors to treat them, let alone prescribe pain medications.  Then many patients have the problem of finding a pharmacy that will fill prescriptions for many of the drugs used to treat chronic pain (except antidepressants, of course). Your post was written in January 2015 — what, don’t ya’ll read the news?

They will also be given to people that I’ve gone through severe surgery, one that can lead to very painful recovery times.

Ya’ll obviously need a proofreader for your blog.  Hey, is this blog a front for the DEA? They are notoriously bad spellers, although sometimes they do it on purpose in an attempt to fool gullible readers.

Treatments For Opiate Addictions

There is no easy way to get over an opiate addiction if you have been taking these drugs for several years.

Addiction or dependence?  Which one are you talking about?  Do you even know the difference between the two?  

No, withdrawal isn’t easy, but then living with constant pain isn’t actually a cake walk either.

Even if you have only have them for a couple months, the withdrawals will be tremendous. Shaking, vomiting, and an uncontrollable desire to get more of them into your system is going to plague you for several weeks until you can get through the withdrawals, allowing you to reset your mu receptors so that you won’t have to read them in your system anymore which is the goal of all those that are addicted.

painkills2 on April 23, 2015 at 8:47 am said:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Actually, cigarettes and alcohol are more addicting than opioids. And if you’re going to mention chronic pain and opioid use, then perhaps you should include the fact that dependence is different than addiction. Also, after only a couple of months of use, the withdrawal from opioids will not be “tremendous” for most people, especially if you wean yourself off of them, a little at a time.

And I’ll just add this to my comment:  The title of your post doesn’t reflect what’s in the body of it. “How to stop them right away” — there isn’t even an attempt to answer this question.  Is that because it involves maintenance drugs like methadone and buprenorphine, which your blog is likely against?

Hey, is this blog a front for the NIDA?

There is no useful information on your blog, getwellcoaching.  Please stop following mine, as I don’t want my blog connected to yours in any way.

Breakfast Of Champions

http://carnaldish.com/recipes/pizza/homemadechicago-style-deep-dish-pizza/#.VTiM4yFVikp

I can highly recommend this recipe (obviously).  It’s a lot of work, but very much worth it.  I cut the recipe in half and didn’t make enough sauce, so I had to add some salsa around the edges. (Yum!)  It also needs more cheese, which I’ll be sure to remember next time. (When you go to Walmart at 2am for cheese, don’t kid around with the cashier.  Believe me, she’s not in the mood.)

I overcooked it a tad, so the crust is a little dry. But that’s okay, because the middle of the pizza is perfect. And you know what tastes good with pizza crust? That’s right, ranch dressing. 😀

New Campaign Launched to Raise Awareness about Chronic Disease

http://nmhealth.org/news/awareness/2015/4/?view=250

4/21/2015

New Mexico’s Chronic Disease Prevention Council (CDPC) has launched a new website and campaign to help raise awareness about the difficulty of living with multiple chronic diseases. The CDPC is a multidisciplinary body of experts, with representation from the Department of Health, seeking to reduce chronic disease in New Mexico…

Hey, Department of Health, doesn’t chronic disease usually include chronic pain?  Is there some reason why that issue isn’t mentioned in your press release?  And why not include mental illnesses that are chronic too?  Or didn’t ya’ll know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month?

And are there any patients on your Chronic Disease Prevention Council, or don’t you think our voices are important?

Because if you really want to help those who suffer from chronic pain and disease, how about expanding the Medical Cannabis Program and making it less restrictive and expensive?  (Why do I continue to scream at an agency that’s not interested in what chronic pain patients have to say?)

Sex, Drugs and Dead Soldiers

http://www.truthdig.com/

But it wasn’t the first time U.S. military personnel died under murky circumstances in Africa, nor the first (or last) time the specter of untoward behavior led to a criminal investigation. In fact, as American military operations have ramped up across Africa, reaching a record 674 missions in 2014, reports of excessive drinking, sex with prostitutes, drug use, sexual assaults, and other forms of violence by AFRICOM personnel have escalated, even though many of them have been kept under wraps for weeks or months, sometimes even for years…

Thinking of you, Molly Alice Parks

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/23/dad-obituary-drug-overdose-daughter-molly-parks_n_7123336.html

After losing his daughter to a heroin overdose, a grieving dad penned an honest obituary for his child. He says he wanted to highlight the dangers of drug addiction, and to help others who may be fighting similar battles.

Molly Parks, 24, died on April 16. Her body was found in the restroom at her job; she still had a needle stuck in her arm.

Parks, who lived in Manchester, New Hampshire, had battled drug addiction for several years. But her dad, Tom Parks, told the Washington Post that there were signs recently that she’d maybe taken a turn for the better.

After three stints in rehab last year, she got a job delivering pizza. She reportedly worked 55 hours a week, and was seemingly getting her life in order…

“Molly graduated from Old Orchard Beach High School in 2009 and attended one year at SMCC until her addiction took over. Most recently, she was employed as a delivery driver for Portland Pie Co. in Manchester, NH. She enjoyed theater, fashion, reading – especially Harry Potter, and will always be remembered for fearless personality and her trademark red lipstick…”

I believe there is a connection between the amount of risks someone is willing to take and the illness of addiction.  I also think there’s a connection between the amount of stress someone who’s addicted to drugs can handle, especially during the first couple of years of being drug free. I don’t want to question this family’s attempts to help her, but if she had been on methadone maintenance therapy or something similar, perhaps she wouldn’t have gone back to heroin.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-662-4357 for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 24-hour helpline.

(Photo taken 10/9/2014.)

What are my dreams, aspirations and goals?

https://theonlysup.wordpress.com/2015/04/23/infinity-dream-award-and-versatile-blogger-award/

Nominating you for Infinity Dream award .
I want you to talk about your dreams, aspiration, and goals in your next post. That’s the challenge I’m giving . Keep rocking .

If you follow my blog, you’ll know that I don’t participate in all the different WordPress award thingies.  But if you’re going to challenge me, well, my Type A personality has a hard time turning down a challenge. 🙂

And this one is really easy, because I don’t have any dreams, aspirations, or goals.  As a chronic pain patient, getting through each day is hard enough without being concerned about working towards long-term goals.  In fact, after 30 years of suffering from constant pain, it’s hard to remember a time when I had goals or dreams.

I guess you could say that I have daily goals, like trying to sleep and manage my pain levels. Trying to be physically active every day, even if it’s just to make myself something to eat and clean up afterwards.  But my pain levels and insomnia have a mind of their own, and trying to work towards specific goals in these areas doesn’t really work.  In fact, I’ve learned that being flexible is more important, so I can make daily adjustments according to my pain levels.  And I’ve also learned not to be discouraged by all the numerous setbacks, which if I had goals, would make that harder to do.

I suppose I have an aspiration that this blog can help other chronic pain patients, although that doesn’t seem very realistic, especially considering the light amount of traffic this blog receives.  I also have an aspiration that the different kinds of therapy I practice, like art and music therapy, can help me to manage the constant pain.  I guess it helps to write about the bad thoughts so they’re not stuck in my head, but it doesn’t really help my pain levels.  However, it’s a lot cheaper than renting movies or other kinds of distraction therapies, so that’s a plus.

I know that many chronic pain patients have dreams about returning to their prior lives before the pain became constant, hoping that the medical industry will come up with some treatment which will help them.  But after three decades as an intractable pain patient, I don’t have any illusions about the future — that my pain will be better treated or some cure will be found.

However, I can dream about the legalization of cannabis, and hope that sometime in the future, I will again have access to it, so I can try to keep rockin’ on.  Peace out. 😀

Why nobody knows what’s really going into your food

http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/04/17/17181/why-nobody-knows-whats-really-going-your-food

This “GRAS” clause means companies can determine on their own that what they’re adding to our food is safe.

Then it’s up to the company to inform the FDA if they want to. That’s right. Companies have no legal obligation to tell the FDA what they’re putting in our food…

Companies have added at least 1000 ingredients to the food we eat without ever telling the FDA.

Hearing airs charges that states took grant money while violating laws

http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/04/22/17205/hearing-airs-charges-states-took-grant-money-while-violating-laws

At a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, federal employees and child advocates argued that states have been allowed to take juvenile-justice grant money while violating laws against jailing kids for minor infractions…

“One of our clients threatened suicide, following her release from the detention facility, and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital by her parents,” Rivkin said, describing the story of a 15-year-old Knox County girl whose experience was featured in the Center report…

“In the juvenile jail,” Rivkin told the committee, “our clients were shackled, indiscriminately drug tested, asked to strip, given orange jail jump-suits, and placed in a facility that held serious juvenile offenders. They were not screened for mental-health problems.” …

Why are politicians still referring to marijuana as a gateway drug?

https://theconversation.com/why-are-politicians-still-referring-to-marijuana-as-a-gateway-drug-39348

When analyzing what acts as a “gateway” to hard drug use, there are a number of factors at play. None involve marijuana.

-Poverty and poor social environment is a gateway to drugs, according to much research.

-Association with people who use hard drugs is a better predictor of harder drug use.

-Certain mental illnesses, such as antisocial personality and bipolar disorder, are found to pre-dispose some people to use drugs.

-Other research notes that criminalization and prohibition are real gateways to harder drugs…

Meanwhile, in the United States, addiction researchers and addiction treatment professionals are heavily invested in the weakly supported claim that marijuana is a gateway to hard drugs. For decades, scientists who study addiction have received millions in government and pharmaceutical funding to perpetuate the gateway hypothesis. Many would lose their respected reputations (or continued funding) if a gateway mechanism is not a legitimate research goal.

Those who work in the vast addiction treatment profession are especially invested in keeping the gateway theory believable, since the majority of their treatment patients are marijuana users. Their jobs depend on a belief in addiction as a disease and on marijuana being an addictive drug…

Studies consistently find that the traumatic experience of being arrested and incarcerated for marijuana possession is the most harmful aspect of marijuana among young people. Arrest for possession can result in devastating – often permanent – legal and social problems, especially for minority youth and low-income families…

On the periphery of the marijuana-as-gateway-drug debates are studies showing marijuana as beneficial for the treatment of opiate addicts…