Two families, one survivor

Here is a crazy story. I couldn't imagine this happening... there was actually a story like this that was portrayed in the show House last year.


Two families, one survivor
One woman buried under the wrong name, another cared for by the wrong family

Mistaken IdentityTwo years ago, Laura Van Ryn was a 22-year-old senior studying communications at Taylor University, a small evangelical school in Indianapolis. She was outgoing and athletic, with a wide circle of friends and a deep faith in God. So was Whitney Cerak, an 18-year-old freshman at Taylor, who was described as giggly and joyful by her family.
The two young women had several friends in common, but never actually spoke to each other until April 26, 2006, the night a deadly car crash, followed by an unbelievable string of events, joined the Van Ryn and Cerak families forever....

For the full story go to:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23820719/?pg=1#Coprod_MistakenIdentity_080327&GT1=43001

Important petition

Hello everyone. I'm not sure if many of you like signing petitions, but I think that this is one worth signing. This is what the petition states:

"Petition for Better Reporting of Drug Side Effects

I support requiring all drug ads to include a 1-800 number and website so citizens can report drug side effects (petition docket 2008P-0012/CP1).

All too often, drug advertisements fail to present the benefits and risks of using prescription drugs in an accurate and balanced way. It is often the newest drugs that are the most heavily advertised, and it is these drugs whose side effects we know the least about.

The current system for collecting information about side effects catches only a fraction of actual cases. The recent law passed to require print drug ads to provide a 1-800 number and website (FDAAA -- P.L. 110-85) is a step in the right direction, but should be extended to include TV ads which are viewed far more frequently and with a greater command of the viewing audience.

Increased reporting of adverse events will help in the earlier detection and better analysis of problems. All television ads should contain information on how patients can report side effects to the FDA."

This is being organized by the Consumers Union (They are the ones who publish Consumer Reports). You can go to the following website to sign the petition: https://secure.consumersunion.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=Rx_Drug_Ads_Petition&JServSessionIdr005=cw17lglr21.app44a

Optical illusion

If you are bored, or need a break from whatever you are doing, check out this picture. Can you see what it is? For the answer go to this website: http://www.ukpuzzle.com/puzzles.htm

At that website you'll also find a bunch of other cool optical illusions.

Drugs on Tap

Here is some more info on the drug water... also to see what is written in the comic better just click on it....


Drugs on Tap

Just how safe is your drinking water? News that pharmaceuticals were found in the drinking water of 24 major cities has concerned citizens searching the Web for more information.

Where to? Most searches start at the EPA. Some people just give up the tap and drink bottled water. But we all still want to know this: How did the drugs get there in the first place?

The lineup of controlled substances in our pharma-laced "agua" says a little something about our, er, drug habits. Just what was found flowing from the faucet?

Mood stabilizers;

Sex hormones;

Antibacterials.

And what exactly is an anticonvulsant?


If you go to this link, you can click on many of these words as hyperlinks and get more info.... http://a-list.msn.com/

Drugs, Dollars & Diagnosis

Hello all. Here is an interesting article... well, at least to me; which is why I am putting it on here... =) Even though I don't think that all drugs are evil, nor do I believe that all drug companies are evil, but I think that there is something seriously wrong with the fact that drugs are marketed directly to consumers here in the USA. I think that by marketing directly to consumers, that shows that many drug companies are more concerned about making money than trying to help people. This is my opinion, what is yours???

Here's the first part of the article:

Drugs, Dollars & Diagnosis
Does diagnosing controversial conditions help patients—or are drug companies the only beneficiaries?
By Maia Szalavitz for MSN Health & Fitness

Every few years, it seems, there’s a new diagnosis for a controversial disease or condition.

Are ADHD, restless leg syndrome (RLS) and fibromyalgia, to name a few disorders du jour, imaginary, or do these labels identify conditions that are all too real for people suffering from them, with symptoms ranging from irritating to debilitating?

The controversy is fueled by the observation that there seems to be a money trail attached to some of the attention for the most fashionable disorders. As pharmaceutical company critic, psychiatrist and author David Healy notes, “when antidepressants were on-patent and making money, we heard a lot about depression; now that mood stabilizers are making money, we hear a lot about [bipolar].”

You can go to this link for the whole article: http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100198253>1=31036

Baby girl born with 2 faces in India

This is a crazy story. There wasn't a lot of information on the details... such as did she have any other duplicate body parts... brain, heart, etc.? According to the article below the mom and baby are healthy.

Baby Girl Born With Two Faces Worshipped as Reincarnated God
Thursday , March 13, 2008

She's only a few days old and already a baby girl in Northern India is being worshipped as a reincarnated god.

The newborn is unlike any other child villagers have seen before — she has two faces.

The girl was born on Monday at a hospital in the suburbs of Delhi, according IBNLive.com.

Since then, people in her rural village have been singing and dancing — offering money and asking for her blessings, IBNLive.com reported.

The parents are hoping the government will help with medical treatments needed for their baby girl in the future.

For now though, both mother and child are healthy and doing fine, according to a doctor at the hospital.


If you go to the link, you can see a short video and picture of her: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,337492,00.html

An apple a day can do much more than just keep the dentist away

I have always liked apples, but never really ate a lot of them until recently. For some reason this past year as a family we have really started to eat a lot of them. We have even convinced our boys that fruits such as apples and grapes are dessert. I would say that I eat at least 1 if not 2 apples a day, and my boys probably eat about 1 or 2 a day themselves. (Yes, we go through a lot of apples!). So this article really stood out to me.


WHY APPLES ARE SO HEALTHY
Blog Name: Natural Cures Herbs And Treatments For All

What exactly is it about this seemingly magical fruit that causes doctors and health experts from all around the world to advertise the health benefits of apples? Is it due solely to the high levels of nutritional content in apples?

We are now beginning to gain a better understanding of the vitamins found in apples, as well as the highly beneficial characteristics of the numerous compounds found in apples. Knowing why apples are good for you and your family will further encourage you to pursue them as a vital part of your family's diet.

Before we look at some of the many health benefits of apples, you may be wondering why you can't just take vitamins that contain the same nutrients as found in apples. That is a good question. It is better to eat apples than it is merely to take vitamins because it now appears that the many vitamins and minerals found in apples act together to provide you with more benefits than when taken alone. Simply put, the sum of an apple is more valuable than its individual vitamins and minerals. The health benefits of apples are:

Continued mental health... High levels of fiber... Reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes...
Weight loss and a reduction in asthma....

For the full article go to this link: http://www.foxnews.com/bloghealth/?bbPostId=Cz9aXSfaXMcU7B8dHFkhSQRcECz1GvwWYMkakQCzCKKhWMLUAU2&bbParentWidgetId=B7vTq211WR1v6GHdP9Zdm1e

Did you know?

Did you know?
You burn 1.3 Calories for every minute of laughing.

....I know that I could laugh a little more often.

Check out the waterbed video below. (I moved it to the bottom because part of it was cut off.)

Water follow up....

If you are wondering how the drugs are getting in the water in the first place, here is one explanation that I found: "When people take medications, their bodies do not absorb them entirely, and some of the drugs are passed into the sewage system; some drugs are resistant to current wastewater treatment processes, and when the treated water is released back into the environment, it often ends up as part of the drinking water supply." Some of the drugs include: antibiotics, anticonvulsants, mood stabilizers, and sex hormones. So, what are we to do? We are suppose to drink water, but the water is contaminated. I don't think that people should freak out and stop drinking water, but I do think that we need to speak up and get some new regulations and filtration systems put into place fast. I don't want to be drinking other people's waste and drugs.

Tainted City Water....

Here is an article about how major city water sources tested positive for pharmaceutical products. So that means we are drinking all sorts of drugs, since we drink tap water here in our home. It's sad that all the stuff we are need for basic survival is getting contaminated... air, water, soil, etc. It appears that most city officials think that the public doesn't need to know if their water is contaminated. They are saying that it is because of possible terrorist threats, but I don't think that is just a lame excuse for not taking responsibility.

"Tainted drinking water kept under wraps

Many researchers fear public would misunderstand, overreact to disclosure.

When water providers find pharmaceuticals in drinking water, they rarely tell the public. When researchers make the same discoveries, they usually don’t identify the cities involved.

There are plenty of reasons offered for the secrecy: concerns about national security, fears of panic, a feeling that the public will not understand — even confidentiality agreements.

“That’s a really sensitive subject,” said Elaine Archibald, executive director of California Urban Water Agencies, an 11-member organization comprised of the largest water providers in California.

She said many customers “don’t know how to interpret the information. They hear something has been detected in source water and drinking water, and that’s cause for alarm — just because it’s there.”

As The Associated Press documented in a five-month investigation, drinking water provided to at least 41 million people living in 24 major metropolitan areas has tested positive for trace amounts of pharmaceuticals."

Check out this link for the full story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23504373

Teens Who Skip Breakfast More Obese

I have been a believer in the importance of breakfast since I was a kid, and I have always tried to eat a decent breakfast. Now here is some more proof to back up the importance of eating breakfast.


"While many teens skip breakfast in order to cut calories and lose weight, those who opt not to eat the morning meal weigh an average of 5 lb (2.3 kg) more than teens who consume a healthy breakfast. A five year study of more than 2,000 youngsters found that though breakfast skippers consume fewer calories each day, teens who take the time to have breakfast tend to lead more active lifestyles. Eating in the morning helps people maintain energy levels throughout the day and may prevent food binges at lunch and dinner."

Here's the story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7275554.stm

Now this is a story to tell!

You wanna talk about miracles... if this isn't a miracle, I don't know what is.

Baby Girl Survives Fall to Tracks

In India, a newborn baby girl survived a terrible ordeal after her mother prematurely gave birth while relieving herself in the bathroom of a moving train. The toilets on such trains empty directly onto the tracks, and as the newborn child slipped through the hole, her mother fainted. Upon regaining consciousness, the mother immediately alerted family members who stopped the train and ran to search for the baby. Nearly two hours after she was born, the baby was found uninjured and transported to the hospital. She remains in intensive care due to her premature birth.

Here's a link to the story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080228/od_nm/india_toilet_dc;_ylt=Avxx50DioK0OQ3rRd.Awczus0NUE

Antidepressants are Little Help for Most

I don't find the results of this study to be too far off. Grant it, like it says some people do benefit from these drugs (well at least in some respect, but what are the side effects), however they do appear to be over used. According to the article millions of people are taking these types of drugs... that seems like a little too many to me.

"A study analyzing the results of 47 clinical trials of antidepressants found that the pills are barely more effective than placebos in treating most people with depression. The review investigates data from trials that were conducted before the drugs were approved in the US and concludes that only patients who are at the upper end of the severely depressed category get any meaningful benefit from taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class drugs. Manufacturers of these drugs dispute the study’s conclusion, arguing that 'extensive scientific and medical experience' have shown that SSRI drugs like Prozac are effective anti-depressants."

For more information you can check out this link: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5idJMA3ijPV9hXfLkfw0p-Y5qvE2A