Saturday, August 18, 2007

It's Done!


I know -- long time no blog. Hey, what can I say? Life happens!!

"A Pocket Manual for Advocates" was launched in mid July has been accessed close to 10,000 times. Advocates find the info helpful, and I've gotten great feedback from this project. I'm glad it's done, though, as I can now focus on other projects, including expanding this into book form in the future. Also, look for a contribution in a future book published by Home Education Magazine.

Resources: Check out Amy Sellers, a dedicated mom who devotes her artistic talents to benefit the Out of the Rain Society, which benefits children and families living with autism.

Looking for a dietary supplement database? The International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) Database gives you access to citations and abstracts.

Related: CARDS, Computer Access to Research on Dietary Supplements Database.

Open Courseware Consortium has free educational coursework available in collaboration with over 100 higher ed institutions worldwide. "The mission of the OpenCourseWare Consortium is to advance education and empower people worldwide through opencourseware."

Until my next blog, enjoy what's left of summer! (Did that go by fast, or what???)

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Pocket Manual for Advocates Update & New Resources

It's been a bit since my last post. I've been busy working on A Pocket Manual for Advocates. I'm currently verifying links to make sure what I publish is accurate. You can sign up for updates on this and other writing projects on my front page. Please verify your subscription by responding to the follow-up email.

I have a few resources to list, then it's back to my current project.

Teachers Pay Teachers is a place where educators can buy and sell original course material. Some of it is free.

HSAdvice is a business that provides advice, curriculum and resources for homeschooling families. There is a section for information such as state laws, links, etc.

From removing crayons to washing cars. From cleaning to organizing. eSSORTMENT's detailed home cleaning page is a must see.

Happy Spring!!!

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Medical Assistance Grants

Here's some info for those who need help paying for your child's medical expenses. Yeah, I know, insurance should cover everything, and we can spend billions on war and pad the pockets of big oil companies, leaving us struggling... But maybe this will help in some small way...

The United Healthcare Children's Foundation is offering medical assistance grants "to families nationwide to help pay for children's medical needs and equipment not fully covered by insurance."

More info at their site.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

The Menacing Mathematics of Multiple Meds

I found this article interesting and thought I'd share. I've been using EFT for over a year and it has helped with a multitude of stressors.
~ Janie

The Menacing Mathematics of Multiple Meds

By Gary Craig

There's something scary about drugs that concerns a growing number of physicians and should wobble the knees of every patient on the planet. It's obvious to any mathematician but somehow has escaped the general scrutiny of the health industry.

It has to do with combining meds.

Ever since I can remember I have been fed the perception that drugs are governmentally evaluated and thus are safe if taken under the guidance of competent physicians. However, even if we accept the presumed safety for the ingestion of one drug, we must ask ourselves how might that safety change if we take multiple drugs?

For safety assurances, proper testing should be done for every drug combination we are advised to take. If we take Prozac and Tylenol, for example, we should be presented with all the possible benefits and consequences before allowing these two foreign substances to mix with the chemicals our bodies already create. Same thing goes for combining Paxil with Viagra or Interferon with Lipitor.

The list of possible problems here is monstrously long because there are a b'zillion drugs and mega b'zillions of combinations. Nonetheless, I've never seen or heard of any studies that test any of these combinations ... have you?

Thus, if you take two drugs, the odds of their combination having been adequately tested for safety are skimpy at best. But if you take 3 or more drugs the danger possibilities multiply even faster.

Here's how the mathematics work: If you take 3 drugs then adequate safety testing of the various combinations require 7 separate tests. If you take 4 drugs the combinations require 25 separate tests. If you take 5 drugs it amounts to 121 tests. If you take 10 drugs the number of required safety tests total 362,881.

The conclusion here should be obvious. Namely, there is questionable safety testing if you take 2 drugs and nominal, if any, safety testing if you take 3. Beyond that you are clearly into the land of, "I have no idea what these combinations of drugs will do."

To me, this tosses our dedicated docs into a tenuous position. They have patients with problems who aren't willing to exercise, eat right, do EFT for emotional issues ( http://www.emofree.com/a/?734 ) or much of anything else to help their own health. Instead, the patients hope the physicians will produce a magic pill (or pills) to make their problems go away.

I have met many patients who are on several drugs and take some drugs to counteract the effects of other drugs. As a non-physician I look at this with a shudder. These folks are being fed chemical cocktails with little or no safety testing behind the combinations. Maybe I need some help with my perceptions here but, to me, they are playing drug roulette.

I don't know if lawyers have picked up on the simple, but compelling, math here. But I do know that I wouldn't want to be a doctor in court facing these clear facts.

In the 15+ years I have been involved in the health field, I have had the good fortune to count many physicians as my personal friends. With few exceptions, they agree that it is our lifestyles, diets and emotional stresses that cause most of our health problems ... and ... the vast majority of these problems would vanish if people would live common sense lives. Yet patients repeatedly abuse their bodies and ask for more and more "miracle drugs" as the convenient solution. I don't envy the docs at all as I often hear them complain that this is a highway to NobodyWinsVille.

Maybe what we really need are good salespeople to persuade folks to take care of themselves. I suspect that, if truly persuasive, they would do more good than the ocean of drugs at our disposal.

Love, Gary

PS: The Free EFT Get Started Package
( http://www.emofree.com/a/?734/1 ) can help any newcomer learn the valuable EFT process. If you want to save time and dive right in, get our low cost DVD Library
( http://www.emofree.com/a/?734/2 )

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Homeschool Grammar

Homeschoool... Home-school... Home School

Let's get this straight. For over ten years, I've been spelling it "homeschool." Now that we're in the mainstream media, I've seen the spelling all over the place. Folks, it's one word: homeschool. Using two words implies you're talking about your home school, as in the public school your child would attend if your child attended public school. The hyphenated form is confusing, like we're not strong enough to warrant one word.

We've been using "homeschool," "homeschooled," and "homeschooling" far longer than it's been legal. Veteran homeschooling families are not about to change lanes any time soon. So let's use homeschool, and please help educate the public.

My rant for today.

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Lost Kitty

We were frantic. Our cat didn't come home Sunday night - she'd been gone since 10 a.m. On Monday, I drove around looking for her, or signs of her. She blends in with the woods. Sigh... I made a trip to the Animal Shelter, filled out the lost cat paperwork and filed it in the appropriate notebook. The staff doesn't have time to hand-hold. Then I went home. Did I cry? I hadn't stopped crying. I took my dog for a walk, knowing I'd have a better vantage point on foot. No cat. Back home, I walked toward my neighbors shed, calling her name. Maybe she got trapped inside. No kitty. I walked behind my house, looking into the woods. Did she have a run-in with a raccoon? A coyote? I kept calling her name. Then a small meow. I kept walking and calling. She kept meowing. There she was, locked in our shed. How in the world?... One happy cat, and one happy cat owner!

Suggestion: Check the shed, twice, before you close it. Even if your cat doesn't answer...

Saturday, February 25, 2006

All About Minds - Stimulant Medication Controversy

You've mostly likely read the recent FDA vote to add black box labels to stimulant medications used in the treatment of ADD/ADHD. Read why Dr. Hallowell, one of the most respected names in the field of attention differences, believes this isn't sound.
All About Minds - Stimulant Medication Controversy

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Free Textbooks

I found a nice site for free textbooks. The site covers topics from biology to physics, including general topics and health sciences. This is great news for homeschooling families or students in public school, including college.
Textbook Revolution

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Lab Tests Online: Welcome!

Hey, this is way cool. If you need information on lab tests, or just curious which ones you might need, here's a great place to visit.
Lab Tests Online: Welcome!

Are you enjoying fall weather yet? It's getting cooler here, but our fall crop of rasberries are soaking it all in. They are huge and delicious this time of year.

Take your favorite fur-dog for a walk before the cooler weather sets in.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Are you prepared?

If you think 3 day's worth of emergency supplies are enough, you haven't heard about Hurricane Katrina or our government's (non)response in a timely manner. Here is a site that shows you how to prepare and what you'll need. Plus, what to do in the event of an earthquake, storm/flooding, terror, fire, etc. It seems fairly complete.
Are you prepared?