greymouser

24
Jan
2020
Tylenol and Opioids

Tylenol and Opioids

Tylenol and Opioids

Is Tylenol leading us into an Opioid epidemic?

We had a surprise answer to one of our questions at a recent Drug Education lecture.  We lecture Junior and High School children on drugs.  We cover drugs in general but do spend a bit of time on alcohol and marijuana.  Alcohol because it destroys so many lives and marijuana because it is becoming and has become legal in many areas.  And is no less dangerous because of it.  

We also explain opioids, from morphine to oxycodone to Fentanyl and Carfentanil.  One of the key things that a lot of kids don’t know or understand is that opioids are pain killers. And as such are very effective. Tylenol is also a pain killer.

If you want a decent article describing Fentanyl and Carfentanil, what they are, comparisons and dangers, check out The Cabin Group 

One of the questions that we sometimes ask the kids is to name some ‘safe’ drugs.  Tylenol comes up pretty consistently.  Our point in the lecture is to make sure that the students know that even prescribed, medical drugs can be used incorrectly and create an overdose.  

Per drugs.com Tylenol (acetaminophen) is a pain reliever and fever reducer.  Used to treat “headaches, muscle aches, arthritis, backache, tooth aches, colds, and fevers.”  Acetaminophen is also in other pain relief drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet.  Percocet for one, is extremely addictive.  

The Question:

We  don’t always ask this question but it seemed pertinent so we asked for a show of hands of how many in this class had taken Tylenol.  Almost 100% of the students put up their hands.  To me, this was a bit of a shock.

Now, I’ve spoken to numerous people that grew up in the 50s, 60s and 70s.  The ‘go to’ drug after one got their tonsils removed was ice cream.  If you broke your arm, you might have been knocked out while it was being set by the doctor, but then you were told that it would likely hurt a bit when it was healing.  Most parents in the 50s and 60s may have had some aspirin in the medicine cabinet and some band aids.  My parents were a doctor and a nurse and they were hesitant to even give us that (aspirin).  The standard fix for a fall, bump or scrape was ‘kiss it better’ and ‘get back on the horse’.  

For a fever, it was a hot bath.  If you want to know why you should NOT use Tylenol for your child’s fever, and why a bath would be better, check out this page on The Healthy Home Economist 

Two things come to mind with this ease of dispensing drugs to children for every runny nose or scraped shin.  One, these small bodies are not built to handle the volume of drugs that are currently poured into them. 

"Acetaminophen poisoning has become the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States," report the authors of a new study in the December 2005 issue of Hepatology, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). Tylenol is the leading brand name for acetaminophen.

(The site with the above quote also gives some alternatives to toxic drugs like Tylenol:  Rejuvenation Science

The liver cleans out the toxins from our bodies. Overworked and weakened at a young age is going to affect a person’s immune system.  If you don’t mind an extremely technical article, (you may have to look up a lot of words), here is one that explains how a weakened liver can result in poor immune response to disease.  Science Direct

And as noted in the Healthy Home Economist page above:

“… reaching for the Tylenol or ibuprofen to suppress what is actually one of the body’s most important defensive reactions to a pathogen. In some cases, caregivers may erroneously believe that reducing the fever somehow makes the child well again, sending him/her to school or an important sporting event rather than to bed for as long as it takes for the fever to resolve itself naturally.

  Suppression of one of Mother Nature’s most important protective and detoxifying mechanisms is harmful to the child both in the short term and the long term.

  In the short term, fever suppression actually opens the door to a secondary infection and the likely need for antibiotics to resolve the illness. In other words, if you want to avoid antibiotics, don’t bring down the fever. The heat of the fever significantly slows the speed with which a pathogen can replicate and spread, thus giving the body more time to resolve the problem naturally.”

Secondly, and this is equally important, it can easily put the young person in the frame of mind where he or she would turn to a drug as a solution to any sort of problem, physical or emotional.  Over the last twenty, thirty years or so, pain, a symptom, has become something that one treats instead of finding and treating the actual cause.  Often masking or exacerbating the issue.  There are all kinds of natural treatments for inflammation for example.  But even with that, what is causing the inflammation.  But this doesn’t get resolved if a person is trained at an early age to pop a pill for a quick fix.  

A sad thing about this is that doctors are now pretty much trained to take this route.  Doctors have become pill dispensers, treating symptoms and rarely do you find a physician that will take the time to find the underlying cause.  

Take this a step further to the damage that could be caused with regard to emotional and mental issues.  If the whole ‘pop a pill’ solution transfers over to emotional issues then no one may ever have to feel anything again.  As the fellow said, you still have the problems when you stop taking the drugs. 

Opioids, pain killers, are horribly addictive.  Over the counter products like Tylenol don’t have the quantities to be terribly addictive but if your goal is to become addicted to something like oxycodone, well, it is a natural progression.  

So, please look at your life and see if you are conditioning your children to look for the quick solution of a drug, or are you teaching and training them to solve life’s issues, whether physical, mental or emotional.  

Posted by greymouser in Blog, 0 comments
27
Dec
2019
No Chemical Imbalance

No Chemical Imbalance

No Such Thing As Chemical Imbalance!

It has been proven hundreds of times over that there is no test for a chemical imbalance in the brain.  Every once in a while some article will suggest that scientists are on the cusp of discovering one to give some credibility but to date there is no such test.

 

Psychologist Bruce Levine, Ph.D., concurs: “Remember that no biochemical, neurological, or genetic markers have been found for attention deficit disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, compulsive alcohol and drug abuse, overeating, gambling, or any other so‐called mental illness, disease, or disorder.”

Posted by greymouser in Blog, 0 comments
24
Dec
2019
The War On Drugs

The War On Drugs

The War On Drugs – Legal and Illegal

There is no question that there is a drug epidemic in North America.  Whether it be opioids, pharmaceuticals, marijuana or still one of the worst, alcohol.

There is a law in the universe that you tend to get what you put your attention on.  Someone reading the newspapers, watching the news on TV and listening to it on the radio will generally only see bad things in the world or see it in a bad way.  

Police put their attention on crime and they get more crime.  

A project was initiated some years ago in Iceland to counter the alcohol/drug problems they had in that country.  Being as isolated as it is and having a smaller population and a central government, a somewhat benevolent government, they were able to successfully implement this program.  The resulting statistics are more than impressive. 

They had the parents, school boards and the government at high levels all on board and in agreement on what should happen.  Very tricky at the best of times.  There are things that were implemented that would get screamed down in countries like the United States of America.  But I would like to think and hope that people would come up with alternative solutions so that a program like this would still come to fruition.  

All a statement like, “That wouldn’t work here.” does, is keeping kids on drugs and alcohol.  There is always a solution, always a way to sort things.  

Iceland

The best article that I could find outlining how this whole  program was initiated and implemented in Iceland is from The Atlantic 

One of the key people that was behind the program was Inga Dóra Sigfúsdóttir.

First off they surveyed.The children/teens.  When countries ask them for help implementing a similar program the first thing is always a survey.  Not all situations are exactly the same.  

Here are some of the survey questions that were asked: 

“Have you ever tried alcohol? If so, when did you last have a drink? Have you ever been drunk? Have you tried cigarettes? If so, how often do you smoke? How much time to you spend with your parents? Do you have a close relationship with your parents? What kind of activities do you take part in?”

And here are some of the results of these surveys:

“The results of these surveys were alarming. Nationally, almost 25 percent were smoking every day, over 40 percent had got drunk in the past month. But when the team drilled right down into the data, they could identify precisely which schools had the worst problems—and which had the least. Their analysis revealed clear differences between the lives of kids who took up drinking, smoking and other drugs, and those who didn’t. A few factors emerged as strongly protective: participation in organized activities—especially sport—three or four times a week, total time spent with parents during the week, feeling cared about at school, and not being outdoors in the late evenings.”

My observation through life and watching kids in public school, private school or home school, is that the most important thing is parent involvement.  There is a stupid idea that one would spend ‘quality time’ with their children.  One for one, whichever type of schooling, as above, when the parents spent time with the kids and were involved their lives and schooling, the kids were fine.  Rarely would they become involved in drugs or alcohol.  

Some of the place where Iceland tried to export this program were unsuccessful because the program directors could not get the parents involved.  They just didn’t care enough.  

I have run into this doing Drug Education Lectures at public schools.  We have students, ten years old, that feel they are trapped.  They don’t want to do drugs, but their parents and often older siblings smoke pot.  It’s pretty sad.  

Iceland strengthened tobacco and alcohol laws but the most important thing they did, in my opinion (based on my experience and my own surveys), is this:

“Links between parents and school were strengthened through parental organizations which by law had to be established in every school, along with school councils with parent representatives. Parents were encouraged to attend talks on the importance of spending a quantity of time with their children rather than occasional “quality time”, on talking to their kids about their lives, on knowing who their kids were friends with, and on keeping their children home in the evenings.”

Again, this won’t work in areas where parents are setting an example of using drugs or alcohol.  Parents also have to be willing and able to spend time with their children.  The sit down family dinner is one of the most important activities for creating a strong growing family.

An acquaintance of mine, a man I’ve known for a few years knows that I work in drug education and fairly recently had some problems with his son.  This fellow has been smoking pot since he was 12.  He is now around 40 and starting to have some physical issues.  He came to me upset as his son was sent home from school earlier that day on some drug (marijuana) related problems.  He was asking for help for his son.  My heart went out to him, no one wishes this kind of thing for their kids.  I didn’t think it was an appropriate moment to suggest that he start setting a different sort of example.  When drugs become the ‘go to’ solution for every problem physical or emotional, for you, then your children observing this reaction to the issues of life, and with the fact that they generally will learn by mimicry,… well, not much you can do. The 'do as I say not as I do' sort of thing, just doesn't work.  

One parent active in the Iceland movement, said that he had a house full of instruments that he was trying to get his kids involved with and they ended up,
both sons, in soccer.  Both received scholarships in the USA to play at Universities.

There is always a solution for any problem.  

We have great success doing the drug education lectures with the younger kids that have not started doing drugs yet.  Most of them get it.  But if you want to keep your children from doing drugs or alcohol, then you may need to run a little interference at home.  

  1. Spend more time with them. 
  2. Do things with them. 
  3. Do things as a family.
  4. Find families to do things with that have similar goals.  Do things with these families.
  5. Try different activities for your kids to get involved in. Could be sports, could be music, theatre, making movies, photography… some children will get fascinated with things mechanical.  Make sure they give anything they try a chance though.  
  6. Keep them busy in the evenings.
  7. Be involved in how they are doing with schoolwork.
  8. Make sure you know how they are getting along with other kids.
  9. Make sure that when you are trying to ‘fix’ a problem they might be having, work on the positive aspect.  You will get what you put your attention on.  

I think that last point is the key.  Put your attention on the positive.  It would be great if we could take half the police force and get them helping create activities for
kids.  I’d be willing to bet that would do more than them concentrating on criminals.

I recently read a quote by Don Winslow, the author of ‘The Force’: 

“Fifty years and a trillion dollars after we declared the war on drugs, drugs are now more prevalent, cheaper, and more potent than ever before.  If this is victory, I’d hate to see defeat.”

You get what you put your attention on.

Maybe if the concentration in the USA had been on educating kids and keeping them involved in extra- curricular activities as above, then we might not have
had these problems.  

This program worked for Iceland.  They have the statistics to prove it.  And it is working with varying degrees of success in other countries.  So, there is hope.

Posted by greymouser in Blog, 0 comments
21
Dec
2019
Is Marijuana Production Good for the Environment?

Is Marijuana Production Good for the Environment?

Is Pot Production Good for the Environment?

There is no limit to the lies that people tell about the benefits of marijuana.  One of those is how pot is so environmentally friendly.  I’ve taken this data straight from a website called Mother Jones.  They have referenced these statistics.  

I’ve said numerous times, if you are going to smoke pot, drink alcohol or do other drugs, fine, do it but don’t tell me it is good for you.  Or safe.  Check out the stats below:

From montherjones.com

24 Mind Blowing Facts About Marijuana Production in America

“You thought your pot came from environmentally conscious hippies? Think again. The way marijuana is grown in America, it turns out, is anything but sustainable and organic.  Check out these mind blowing stats, and while you’re at it, read Josh Harkinson’s feature story, ‘The Landscape-Scarring, Energy-Sucking, Wildlife-Killing Reality of Pot Farming.’”

“Of the estimated 22 million pounds of marijuana grown each year on the United States, nearly 80 percent comes from California, Tennessee, Kentucky, Hawaii, and Washington.”

“In 2013, California authorities seized 329 outdoor grow sites and hauled away: 1.2 million plants, 119,000 pounds of trash, 17,000 pounds of fertilizer, 40 gallons of pesticides, 244 propane tanks, 61 car batteries, 89 illegal dams and 81 miles of irrigation piping.”

“Trespass grows accounted for 72 percent of outdoor plants seized in California in 2013.”

“Nearly half of the cannabis eradicated by law enforcement nationwide was on public or tribal land.”

“During California’s growing season, outdoor grows consume roughly 60 million gallons of water a day - 50 more than is used by all the residents of San Francisco.”

“An estimated one-third of America’s pot crop is grown indoors.”

“And indoor grow module accommodating 4 plants sucks as much electricity as 29 refrigerators.”

“In California, indoor marijuana grows account for about 9 percent of household electricity use.”

Nationwide, the electricity used by indoor grows is enough to power 1.7 million homes.  That’s the equivalent to the output of 7 large power plants.”

“For every pound of pot grown indoors, 4,600 pounds of CO2 goes into the atmosphere.”

“The production and distribution of pot in America emits as much carbon as 3 million cars.”

“The energy to produce a single joint is enough to produce 18 pints of beer and creates emissions comparable to burning a 100 watt light bulb for 25 hours.”

motherjones.com

(Sources: Jon Gettman (2006), US Forest Service (California outdoor grow stats include small portions of Oregon and Nevada), Office of National Drug Control Policy, SF Public Utilities Commission, Evan Mills (2012)

Posted by greymouser in Blog, 0 comments
11
Dec
2019
Is Marijuna Safe For Pregnant Women?

Is Marijuna Safe For Pregnant Women?

Marijuana Safe For Pregnant Women?

Is Marijuana safe for pregnant women to use?

Is Marijuana safe for breastfeeding women? (Is it safe for the babies?)

If  you listen to the media and others that are pro pot or are marketing marijuana, you might be convinced that marijuana is a cure all.  Claims from curing cancer, headaches and a myriad of other ills.  

Before going any further, I will define what we mean by a drug.  

“"Define your terms, gentlemen, define your terms. It saves argument!”
- Dr. Samuel Johnson

I’ve heard so many people having an argument about pretty much anything and it is pretty easy to see from the outside that they haven’t first defined their terms.  This stands for marijuana.  97% of people walking around will agree that marijuana can be defined as a drug.  We’ll take a definition from a Random House Dictionary.

"A drug is any substance (other than food that provides nutritional support) that, when inhaled, injected, smoked, consumed, absorbed via a patch on the skin, or dissolved under the tongue causes a temporary physiological (and often psychological) change in the body."  (This definition compiled from Stedman's Medical Dictionary and Random House Dictionary.)

That said, we can move on.

Go to a health show in your local city and walk up to the ever increasing ‘Grow’ booths and others that are promoting pot and ask the vendor if Marijuana is safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women.  The answer is usually affirmative.  In Canada, where marijuana is now legal, you will see more of this. 

But, in contrast, here is what Health Canada and the FDA have to say.  

Health Canada and FDA:

Health Canada

“Health effects during pregnancy and breastfeeding

Just like with tobacco and alcohol, a pregnant woman or new mother's use of cannabis can affect her fetus or newborn child.

The substances in cannabis are carried through the mother's blood to her fetus during pregnancy. They are passed into the breast milk following birth. This can lead to health problems for the child.

Cannabis use during pregnancy can lead to lower birth weight of the baby. It has also been associated with longer-term developmental effects in children and adolescents, such as:

 - decreases in:

- memory function

- ability to pay attention

- reasoning and problem-solving skills

- hyperactive behaviour

      • increased risk for future substance use”

(ref: Health Canada - Cannabis)

And:

“Mental health effects:

In some people, cannabis use increases the risk of developing mental illnesses such as psychosis or schizophrenia, especially those who:

- start using cannabis at a young age

- use cannabis frequently (daily or almost every day)

- have a personal or family history of psychosis and/or schizophrenia

Frequent cannabis use has also been associated with an increased risk of:

- suicide

- depression

- anxiety disorders

There is evidence to suggest that combining tobacco with cannabis can increase:

- the strength of some psychoactive effects

- the risk of poor mental health outcomes including  addiction”

(ref: Mental Health)

And from FDA (USA Food and Drug Administration) www.fda.gov

“FDA strongly advises against the use of cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and marijuana in any form during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. … FDA wants you to know there may be serious risks to using cannabis products, including those containing CBD, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.”

“marijuana use during pregnancy may affect fetal brain development, because THC can enter the fetal brain from the mother’s bloodstream.”

“…This THC may affect a newborn’s brain development and result in hyperactivity, poor cognitive function, and other long-term consequences.”

With regard to CBD, there are no test proving it harmful, meaning that there are no tests proving is safe either. 

Years ago alcohol was touted as safe for pregnant women.  Alcohol was then another drug untested and considered safe for many physical and mental problems.  We have learned the hard way about fetal alcohol syndrome.  

What is ‘fetal alcohol syndrome’?

“Fetal alcohol syndrome is a condition in a child that results from alcohol exposure during the mother's pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome causes brain damage and growth problems. The problems caused by fetal alcohol syndrome vary from child to child, but defects caused by fetal alcohol syndrome are not reversible.” from mayoclinic.com

Are we going to learn the hard way (again) that marijuana causes health and development issues?  I have been at Health Shows in Toronto, Canada, where marijuana is now legal, and have heard the vendors at ‘Pot’ booths telling pregnant women that it is entirely safe; that pot will help with morning sickness and other pains and aches.  Completely irresponsible.  There is no proof that it is safe.  None whatsoever!  In fact, there is plenty of information coming to light that the worst time for anyone to use marijuana is while the brain is developing.  

Per mentalhealthydaily.com:

“Although brain development is subject to significant individual variation, most experts suggest that the brain is fully developed by age 25.”

Also, significant tests have been done to show that the brain patterns of someone under the effects of marijuana mimic or are the same as the brain of a schizophrenic.

Do you want that for your child? 

Life is difficult enough.  There are enough barriers to one’s survival without adding to it the handicap of drugs.  One of the side effects on children and teens, as stated above, is the inability to pay attention.  So you now you end up labelling your child ADHD.  If you do take this chance, then you may end up tempted to further compound your child’s problems in feeling the need to use pharmaceuticals such as Ritalin.  Setting up your child for drug use for life.

So, be compassionate.   Give you child a fighting chance.  Keep away from marijuana (and other drugs) while pregnant and while breast feeding.  

There is more information on this website as to the effects of street drugs and also prescription drugs such as Ritalin and Prozac.  

Remember, before starting an argument, define your terms. 

Posted by greymouser in Blog, 0 comments
06
Dec
2019
Synonyms for ‘Stoned’

Synonyms for ‘Stoned’

Synonyms for ‘Stoned’

Wherever you look these days, in the media and other places, we are told that marijuana is a panacea, a cure all.  If you see a ‘pot booth’ at a trade show, the dudes there will gladly tell you that pot is completely safe for pregnant women.  Pretty irresponsible if you ask me.  There is not one iota of evidence to support this.  Years ago alcohol was considered completely safe for pregnant women.  Have you met any alcohol syndrome children or adults?  I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.  Do we find out in ten, twenty or thirty years from now that marijuana has similar effects.  These dudes at the weed stores are not doctors, have done no research and really don’t have a clue.  

All kinds of justifications for smoking weed.  It calms you, it is great for anxiety, cures cancer and a million other things.  A placebo can do the same thing and likely with a higher success rate than marijuana.  

By far the majority of people are not smoking or ingesting marijuana for the health benefits.  Most are just trying to get stoned.  Very few people that drink will tell you that it is completely good for you. They drink alcohol to ‘get away’ from things or some kind of escape.  

I’ve put together a list of words and phrases that people use to refer to the effects of marijuana on one.  None of them reflect mental acuity.  

ripped

wasted

baked

bombed

buzzed

doped

fried

totaled

spaced out

high

lit

druggie

stoner

zonked

crapulent

crapulous

hooked

whacked out

spaced out

stinks

blitzed

blotto

high as a kite

pothead

doped up

looped

cockeyed

out

comatose

out of it

junkie

hash head

wiped out

sizzled

jewelled

muddled

befuddled

fuddled

gone

dazed

narced

out of his head

numbed

senseless

catatonic

freaked out

lush

benumbed

dopey

fried

wrecked

fucked up

blasted

blissed out

in a trance

insensible

off one’s head

jacked

in a stupor

out of one’s mind

... In fact they reflect just the opposite.  Marijuana is used to not confront the world around one.  Some people will experiment with it because it’s now legal in some areas.  Largely, though it is used to escape.  Problem, as with any drug, one often needs more and more to get the desired effect.  And then other drugs.  Some don’t move on to other drugs and these are the ones that get quoted but statistically the majority do. 

I’ve heard people assert that it makes one a better driver when stoned.  These people are pretty disconnected from reality.  It is illegal to drive (DUI) stoned.anti depressants  That’s because the people looking at you realized that you are impaired when driving NOT more capable.

DUI/DWI laws by State (USA)

One of the known side effects of marijuana is that is slows reaction time. That is not going to make you a better driver. 

If you are going to be using or trying marijuana, please read through the list and note the effect that it actually has instead of listening to the statements of someone who is going to make money from your slow demise. 

And please don’t ever get in a car with a driver who is stoned/high on marijuana or hashish. 

This from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (USA)

“Several studies have shown that drivers with THC in their blood were roughly twice as likely to be responsible for a deadly crash or be killed than drivers who hadn't used drugs or alcohol.”

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/drugged-driving

There has been a lot of effort over the last couple of decades to ‘rebrand’ marijuana.  In the 1970s and 1980s there were movies such as ‘Dazed and Confused’ and ‘Up in Smoke’.  Other scenes and movies of this era showed pot to diminish one’s abilities. 

The conglomerates that are trying to market pot to the masses have spent millions trying to change the impression that people have about the drug.  (It is still a drug.)  Trying to convince people that the (untested) benefits outweigh the harm that marijuana can do. 

The plans and money spent on this rebranding are well documented.  You can find links other places for these on this website. 

Know before you go.  The drug dealer doesn’t have your best interests at heart.  Whether that drug dealer is in a nice suit and employed by the government or your friend’s brother, he or she is in it for the money. 

Posted by greymouser in Blog, 0 comments
09
Aug
2019
The War On Terror

The War On Terror

The War On Terror

When there is a terrorist attack, why would you, or anyone, talk about or forward their message?  

With domestic terrorism or global terrorism, who are the real casualties?

I believe that one of the best ways of combating terrorism is to not talk about it.  Lately, it seems, though, social media and terrorism go hand in hand.  If terrorists had no way of creating fear in the hearts of many, I’m quite certain they would not be so active.  

This from Encyclopedia Britannica:

“The goal of terrorism generally is to destroy the public’s sense of security in the places most familiar to them. … and that terrorist acts are intended to create an overwhelming sense of fear.”

Every time you talk about an incident that occurred, every time you forward some news article, you let the terrorists win.  

The Media and Terrorism ... or Suicides ‘R Us

There are a couple of places where suicides are known to occur in volume.  One is on subway lines around the world and another is a place like Niagara Falls.  People jump in front of trains and people jump into the Falls.  These suicides used to be sensationalized in the press.  This was stopped in most places as this type of media coverage normally resulted in an increase of suicide attempts.  Usually a spike after any media attention.  With less media attention, they still occur but to a much lesser extent.  

If you knew that as a result of your promoting that someone jumped over Niagara Falls and committed suicide resulting in three other people doing the same thing, hopefully, you would feel somewhat guilty and not promote this thing any more.  The media did stop, or at least put this type of news on page 23 and the number of suicides went down.  

The same could be predicted for the war on terror.  A terrorist attack that no one hears about is just some idiot killing people.  If they are not creating a climate of fear and worry, if they are not alarming populations as a whole, then the terrorists are not winning.  

Domestic Terrorism in the US of A

There are many examples of domestic terrorism in the US, but by far the most prevalent and obvious is the recent school shootings.  And not so recent. There have been a lot over the years.  

You may realize where I’m going with this…

If you insist on telling everyone on Facebook, Twitter or other social media how sorry and concerned you are about the shooting in whatever school then you are feeding the frenzy.  You are doing exactly what they want. You are forwarding the fear and  feeding the terror.  

If you say on Facebook that your heart goes out to all those in Texas for some tragedy, I honestly believe that is a useless bit of sympathy.  No one in Texas is going to read your post.  

For every Tweet and Facebook post about some terrorist attack, whether it be a  bombing in Paris or the Columbine Massacre one is just forwarding the terrorists message and creating fear and upset. 

The media’s mantra ‘the people need to know’ is simply put just bullshit.  That is just an excuse to spread and create a feeling that the world is a horrible place. Years ago someone coined the phrase ‘merchants of chaos’ as a moniker for the media.  I think this is quite appropriate.

Big Pharma - The Real Terrorists

The media is pretty much controlled by the advertising companies.  If you disagree, just try and get an article attacking Big Pharma in a woman’s magazine. Any pharmaceutical company is going to love these terrorist attacks in schools.  The upset that occurs I’m sure drives their drug sales out the roof.  They are going to milk this for all it’s worth.  

If you really want to calm things down and fight terrorism, then don’t give in to it.  Don’t forward the fear.  90% of the people in the USA would not even consider not talking about this.  They will believe the media.  They will feel that it needs to be talked about.  They will feel that posting on Facebook, Twitter and other social media is going to help.

I ask you how?  How is this going to help.  You are upset about it and now you are going to upset all your friends?  How does that make a safer environment?  Please tell me how that is good and beneficial. 

So, I would propose that the real cause of the increase in school shootings is social media. Twitter, Facebook and the like.   The media in general has been feeding terrorism for years and years.  Guns are a factor.  Psychiatric mood altering drugs  and street drugs are also undoubtedly a factor.  But for the surge over the last few years of these domestic terrorists (school shootings), I can only thank (or blame) social media.  Or the people using social media to stir up fear and alarm in others.  

So, just stop!  If you are fearful and alarmed and need to talk to someone, then talk to one person, don’t create fear and alarm in 10 or 20.  As far as I’m concerned as soon as you do that you are partnered with the school shooter or the Paris bomber.  

So, just stop!

Posted by greymouser in Terrorism, 0 comments
21
Jul
2019
Marijana – Is It a Gateway Drug?

Marijana – Is It a Gateway Drug?

Marijuana – The Gateway Drug?

Pro pot arguments:

1. Marijuana is not a gateway drug.

2. No one has ever died from marijuana.

3. It is impossible to overdose on marijuana.

4. What about alcohol? It is a legal drug and causes thousands of deaths.

5.There are no studies that prove marijuana is bad for you.

6. It is safe for pregnant women.

7. Marijuana is just a herb.

8. Marijuana: it is just a plant.

9. Marijuana is not a drug.

10. Big Pharma is afraid of marijuana legalization.

11. The traffic fatalities attributed to pot can’t be, they must be because of some other drug.

12. Big Pharma is afraid of marijuana legalization.

13. Marijuana is OK to drive

14. Safe for children and teens.

15. Marijuana cures cancer

16. Marijuana slows or stops black market sales/Lessens crime related to drugs.

17. Marijuana is not addictive.

18. Marijana is not a hallucinogen.

19. Medical Marijuana

One of the issues that concerns me most about the marketing of marijuana is that it makes other drugs so much more acceptable.  My youngest son lives in Colorado and tells me that it is very hard to find someone like him that doesn’t like or do drugs. 

He was out with one girl who was frustrated when she arrived and said that because of the stress, she had to take a couple of Adderall just to get through the day.  Like it was nothing.  Adderall is a very addictive drug.

In the 1960s when drugs like marijuana were coming into mainstream society, we did them.  We knew they were drugs.  We knew they were bad for you.  We didn’t argue that.  We did them anyway.  Then most of moved on and got on with our lives.

I saw this comment from someone that had used marijuana for years.  He pointed out that when you are doing a drug like marijuana, you are going to be around other drugs.  You are often going to be around people that will offer you other drugs.  

Let’s look at these one at a time: 

“No-one has ever died from marijuana!”

"A ten year old pointed out (I’m paraphrasing here): “Is that your criteria for whether a drug is good or bad: it doesn’t kill you?”

First Death in Colorado from Marijuana Edible

Also, granted it is very difficult to overdose from smoking pot, but numerous people have died in many ways from being under the influence.  

Automobile fatalities have increased in areas that pot has been legalized.  Often used with alcohol, pot exacerbates the danger.  Individuals having psychotic episodes have been killed or committed suicide.  

“It is impossible to overdose on marijuana.” 

(The logic here being because of that, as above, you can’t die from it.) 
How about the teen that had asthma and was too stoned to grab his inhaler and died.  And, as said earlier, is that really the criteria that you are going to use to measure if something is bad for you or not.

“What about alcohol? It is a legal drug and causes thousands of deaths.” 

This is true and is horribly tragic.  But is also a deflection of the argument.  Do you want another legal drug that takes lives? 
“Marijuana-related traffic deaths increased by 154 percent between 2006 and 2014;” - factcheck.org

There are numerous other places that link marijuana and traffic deaths.  Often marijuana is used in conjunction with alcohol, increasing the damaging effects of both with respect to driving. Driving stoned is still DUI.

“There are no studies that prove marijuana is bad for you.”

There are dozens of studies.  Many that show the dangers of pot for young people with developing brains.  Here is one article that tell  of the reduction of IQ with pot smokers, particularly with teens.

Study Shows Heavy Adolescent Pot Use Permanently Lowers IQ

“There is less crime if pot is legalized.”

One can find numerous opinions where people think that the logical result of marijuana legalization will lower crime.  One does need to factor in the data that possession crimes are not now going to be added in. 

The Colorado Government stats show:

“Felony marijuana court case filings (conspiracy, manufacturing, distribution, and possession with intent to sell) declined from 2008 to 2014, but increased from 2015 through 2017.

The most recent increase in filings might be in part because legislation changed the legal indoor plant count, providing law enforcement agencies with greater clarity and tools to increase their enforcement of black market activity.

Felony filings in 2017 (907) were still below 2008 filings (1,431).

Filings in organized-crime cases followed a similar pattern, with a dip in 2012 and 2013 followed by a significant increase since 2014.

There were 31 organized crime case filings in 2012 and 119 in 2017.”

“It is safe for pregnant women.”

https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/factsheets/pregnancy.htm

“Given the potential of marijuana to negatively impact the developing brain, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that obstetrician-gynecologists counsel women against using marijuana while trying to get pregnant, during pregnancy, and while they are breastfeeding.”

(Ref: Marijuana Use During Pregnancy and Lactation - ACOG. ACOG. http://www.acog.org/Resources-And-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Obstetric-Practice/Marijuana-Use-During-Pregnancy-and-Lactation. Published July 2015. Accessed October 12, 2016.)

And from livescience.com

“Researchers studied marijuana's effects on mice and brain tissue from human fetuses, and found that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, interferes with the formation of connections between nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for higher thinking skills and forming memories.”

“Marijuana is just a herb.”

Yeah, so is hemlock.  Hemlock is also a poison.

“Marijuana: it is just a plant.”

Yeah, so is the poppy - where heroin comes from.  Cocaine comes from a plant.

“It (marijuana) is not a drug.”

If you want to redefine the word ‘drug’ to your liking then no one can argue with you, of course.  But if we take the common legal term and use that definition, then, yes, it is a drug. 

Marijuana is not a hallucinogen!

Per   Villanova.edu :
“Examples[of a Hallucinogen] include: LSD, PCP, MDMA (Ecstasy), marijuana, mescaline, and psilocybin."

“The traffic fatalities attributed to pot can’t be, they must be because of some other drug.”

Do your homework.  Because of the acceptance of marijuana and that it has been promoted as harmless, young people are drinking alcohol and also smoking pot and driving. 
From the Denver Post 2017:

“The number of drivers involved in fatal crashes in Colorado who tested positive for marijuana has risen sharply each year since 2013, more than doubling in that time, federal and state data show.”

“Big Pharma is afraid of marijuana legalization.” 

This couldn’t be further from the truth.  The sales of mood altering drugs via Big Pharma have not faltered anywhere that pot has been legalized.  These organizations have more than enough money to fight it if deemed necessary.  As I mentioned earlier in this article, the acceptance of marijuana helps to make other drugs more acceptable and prevalent.  

Meth Deaths Surge In Oregon

Well, I use 'Medical Marijuana'

There is no difference between regular marijuana and medical marijuana. Some will say that because medical marijuana is regulated it is safer.  It supposedly has a higher CBD and lower THC content.  Both of these facts can be shown to be inconsistent.  

From wikileaf.com

“Would it surprise you to know that there is no fundamental difference in the plants used for medicinal purposes and those used for recreational purposes? Granted, medical marijuana is often grown organically and tested for consistency and potency, but the plant itself is still simply marijuana.”

Summary

When I read comments on Marijuana articles I think that most of the pro-pot people must be trolls.  The reason for this thought is that in the majority they resort to name calling and inflammatory remarks as opposed to citing studies with links, that support their view.  Or they will use some generality like, ‘it’s common knowledge’, which is a bit silly because that again doesn’t really back up their view with anything concrete.  I’m pretty sure these trolls are trying to stir up emotion so that people react instead of having a civilized conversation.  If they can’t argue the point they criticize the writer.

Posted by greymouser in Marijuana, 0 comments
11
Jun
2019
Should you take SSRIs?

Should you take SSRIs?

Depression and SSRIs

There are millions of dollars spent on ads on TV and thousands of doctors and psychiatrists that will promote and tell you how wonderful Prozac and Ritalin and similar drugs are for you.  Zoloft is also an SSRI.  SSRI definition: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.

Read the articles below if you want to do proper research to find out how these drugs can affect you.  Are they really effective is solving what they are prescribed for?

Five Reasons

If you are taking any of these 'depression' or mood altering SSRIs, for heaven's sake DO NOT go cold turkey.  Don't quit without proper medical supervision.  Almost always, the effects/reactions one has when trying to withdraw or quit can be be much worse than whatever you were experiencing beforehand.  There is some data in this article from

Crossfit.com

There is also a great book by renowned psychiatrist Peter Breggin on coming off drugs and how to go about withdrawal.

Please know what you are getting into before you start doing something like this.  Don't do these drugs casually or even with a doctor's prescription without doing your own proper research.

Posted by greymouser in Terrorism, 0 comments
13
Dec
2018
The Scientific Method and Psychiatry

The Scientific Method and Psychiatry

The Scientific Method and Psychiatry

Psychiatry: Claims to be a science.

In talking to people in general, the feeling is that for the most part psychiatry is benign. The understood purpose is to help people that are dealing with anything from ADHD to Depression to Psychosis.

Automobile Seat Belts - An Analogy

Normally, when one sets out to fix something, they would measure adequately to know if the results warranted continuing.

The Problem:

For example, let’s take car fatalities. Years ago, in the 1950s and 1960s, seatbelts were not mandatory. A lot of people were severely injured or died as a result.

The Results:

In 1968 seat belts were made mandatory for all cars in the USA. From there, mandatory use followed in all states and Canada. Took a few years but….

Resulting Statistics:

Here is a reference from the Journal of The Royal Society of Medicine showing the before and after statistics of injuries and deaths with respect to seatbelts:

“The number of those who escaped injury increased by 40% and those with mild and moderate injuries decreased by 35% after seatbelt legislation. There was a significant reduction in soft tissue injuries to the head.”
February 1990"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1292501/

A 40% reduction in deaths is a significant reason to continue to enforce the use of seat belts.

What about Big Pharma and Psychiatry

Big Pharma and the psychiatric industry market depression drugs like Zoloft, Lexapro, Prozac and Cymbalta which if you think about it, should result in far few people being depressed. The result of that would be fewer suicides. One would think.

The problem with the psychiatric industry is that the ‘solutions’ they use mask or bury the problem. An active child that the parents don’t have time for: put him on a drug that quiets him. Turns him or her (usually him) into a zombie and mom and dad who don’t really have time to deal with the noise of their child, are happy because said child is quiet and not in their hair. Thus, Mom and Dad are convinced of the success of the drug.

Here is how it should work. There is such as thing as the Scientific Method. It is the logical, agreed upon procedure for figuring ‘stuff’ out.

Some definitions:

Science:(Definition) A fact in science is when some happens the same every time in the same set of circumstances. (definition.org)

Science: (Definition): a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws.

Science(Definition): The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. Oxford Dictionary

So, we want facts and truths. Simple, right?

The Scientific Method:

The steps of the scientific method go something like this:

1. Make an observation or observations.
2. Ask questions about the observations and gather information.
3. Form a hypothesis — a tentative description of what's been observed, and make predictions based on that hypothesis.
4. Test the hypothesis and predictions in an experiment that can be reproduced.
5. Analyze the data and draw conclusions; accept or reject the hypothesis or modify the hypothesis if necessary.
6. Reproduce the experiment until there are no discrepancies between observations and theory. "Replication of methods and results is my favorite step in the scientific method," Moshe Pritsker, a former post-doctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School and CEO of JoVE, told Live Science. "The reproducibility of published experiments is the foundation of science. No reproducibility – no science.”

Taking the car/seat belt example from above, the Scientific Method applied properly saved countless lives.

Insulated Winter Boots - Another Analogy

If one were running a business; let’s say making high quality insulated winter boots. If they kept people feet warm, they would be successful. If 80% of the time, they did not keep people’s feet warm, it is very likely that people would stop buying them.

So, using this analogy, let’s say the marketing was good but as time went on more and more people were using these ‘wonder boots’. But more and more people were walking about with freezing feet and getting frostbite and worse but the boot people marketing would just tell them they need more of these boots. A second pair or change to another pair of boots that are also not properly insulated but, what the hell, we are making a bundle of money, so who cares. Then the boot manufacturers lobby the government representatives and get laws passed that enforce people to wear these boots. They get papers written on how effective these boots are.

People still have cold feet. So, now they convince the people with cold feet that it is their problem and not a problem with the boots. Tell them how they are mentally blocking their feet from getting warm.

Not very good Scientific Method. The solution would be to make a boot that worked. Use that method to actually make a boot that kept your feet warm.

So, what of the Pharmaceutical Industry and psychiatry. One would assume they have done adequate testing on their drugs and various techniques and procedures. Maybe, maybe not.

Let us take depression stats as example. Psychiatry and Big Pharma have been pushing this one hard for a number of years and pumping various anti-depression drugs into their US the rest of the world for years now.

The Results:

Per the CDC https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/suicide/index.html

“… The incidence of suicide increased 30% from 1999 to 2016.”

And concurrent with the increase in suicides:

In the UK: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jun/29/nhs-prescribed-record-number-of-antidepressants-last-year

“The total number of prescriptions dispensed has risen 46.8% in the last 10 years, from 752m items in 2006 to 1.1bn last year. The average number of items prescribed for each person has gone up …”

In the USA:

“The rate of antidepressant use in the United States increased nearly 400 percent over the last two decades, according to a report released Oct. 19.”
https://psychcentral.com/news/2011/10/25/antidepressant-use-up-400-percent-in-us/30677.html

These drugs are supposed to make things better. But, if I’m to line up these two preceding facts, I should get a bit worried. The rate of suicides follows the rate of increased use of anti-depressants.

A comment on psychiatry’s use of The Scientific Method:

“…it ignores much of the genuine science there is and goes on supporting and perpetuating concepts and treatments that have little scientific support.”
By Sami Timimi, MD from madinamerica.com
https://www.madinamerica.com/2018/01/the-scientism-of-psychiatry/

And from same article, Dr Timimi shows more of the total lack of Scientific Method. Giving the example of ADHD he clearly points out that diagnosing this so called disease has absolutely nothing to do with science:



“Consider the following example: If I were to ask the question “what is ADHD?” it is not possible for me to answer that question by reference to a particular known pathological abnormality. Instead I will have to provide a description, such as ADHD is the presence of the behaviours of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and poor attention (plus a few extra qualifiers such as age of onset). Contrast this with asking the question “what is diabetes?” If I were to answer this question in the same manner by just describing symptoms such as needing to urinate excessively, thirst and fatigue, I could be in deep trouble as a medical practitioner as there are plenty of other conditions that may initially present with these symptoms and diabetes itself may not present with these symptoms in a recognizable way. In order to answer the question “what is diabetes?” I have to refer to its pathology involving abnormalities of sugar metabolism. I would get independent (to my subjective opinion) empirical data to support my hypothesis about what may be causing the patient’s described experiences (such as testing the urine and/or blood for levels of glucose). In the rest of medicine, therefore, my diagnosis explains and has some causal connection with the behaviours/symptoms that are described. Diagnosis in that context sits in a ‘technical’ explanatory framework. In psychiatry, what we are calling diagnosis (such as ADHD) will only describe but is unable to explain”.

This is only one example, where, in psychiatry there is no standard response or technique. There is no Scientific Method applied to issues like depression or ADHD. If it was applied then it would follow that there would be fewer and fewer people depressed and fewer and fewer suicides. But the opposite is happening. Make it as complicated as you want. All of the obfuscation in the world doesn’t change the fact that these drugs are making things worse.

When confronted with information like above, a Big Pharma representative will likely tell you “…it is more complicated than that…”. They will try and ‘baffle you with bullshit’. Answers are generally simple. Even for big issues. It is not really complicated.

If you are applying a solution to a problem and that problem gets worse, then stop for god’s sake! Big Pharma and the psychiatric industry are driving the suicide rate out the roof.

A real test would be to stop feeding people drugs like Prozac, Ritalin and Zoloft and watch depression and suicides plummet.

So why, then, to people consider psychiatry a science?

Posted by greymouser in Big Pharma, 1 comment