Muscular Dystrophy, Obama’s Health Care, Emu Oil & Toxic Beds…

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If I actually wrote in my blog as much as I think about topics, I’d probably be posting every day if not more than that!  Be that as it may, I just don’t have that much time in my day and find myself wondering where the day went not having accomplished half the things that are on “my list of things to do”.  It seems also, that by the time I actually have time to sit down and actually put these thoughts on paper, or in this case, on the computer, my ideas seem to have flittered away and the once ingenious, scholarly & well worded blog  posts I came up with in the shower are no longer anywhere within my grasp… but lucky for me, that’s why somebody invented post-its!  Now, as if my “to do lists” weren’t piling up here and there, I have that many more little notes left for myself around the house, in the car, & at the bottom of my backpack with tidbits of information that I will at some point put into more organized thoughts.

Acupuncture & Muscular Dystrophy

There has obviously been a lot on my mind lately, and first on my list of things to share is Muscular Dystrophy.  If you don’t know about this disease it is a devastating Autoimmune disease that attacks the muscles and causes degeneration (the breakdown) of the Skeletal Muscle, and eventually the Smooth Muscle.  There are a couple of reasons I am choosing to bring this up.  One; I recently had an experience with a woman who has Myotonic Dystrophy; a type of Muscular Dystrophy in which the degeneration starts from the finger-tips and toes and eventually makes its way toward the body degenerating everything in its path eventually taking over the smooth muscle of the heart.  It can be treated only by pain management and physical therapy to slow the process, but is otherwise inescapable.  With weekly visits to her Acupuncturist she can decrease her intake of pain meds from 24 IB Profen a day to just 4.  If that’s not proof in the making, then I don’t know what is!  Just imagine how much liver & kidney damage she is saving herself from by just spending 1 hour a week with an Acupuncturist!  Not to mention keeping herself pain free enough to be able to do activity and keep her muscle tone from degenerating too quickly.  Pretty amazing stuff if I do say so myself!  And two; because that day as I was leaving school there on the street, was a group of Portlands’ best Firefighters holding up signs to Fight Muscular Dystrophy.  I considered that a pretty significant sign, that the message was to be spread.

Thoughts on Obama’s Health Care 

Since we’re on the topic of Health, and since my blog is aimed at health and wellness, the second of my thoughts to share are some real facts about Obama’s new health care plan.  Since this has been a topic of hot debate lately, I figured it only fair to share this article and website since I’ve been reading some pretty crazy things from our favorite hockey mom among others.  This site is great for all things politics, its a non-partisan, non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to “reduce the level of deception and confusion in US politics” by monitoring the factual accuracy of what is read, seen and heard.  Check out this article:

Seven Falsehoods About Health Care

On to my next thought; Emu Oil!

I am not normally one to quickly endorse a product unless I have used it and personally feel that it is useful, healthy and a legit product.  If you’ve read some of my earlier blog posts you would know that I struggle with chronic eczema of the worst kind!  I’ve literally tried everything… maybe not everything, but it sure feels like it.  Anyway, I was at a local Arts Festival in Stanley, Idaho earlier this summer and came across this booth that had all organic skin products.  The reason I stopped was because they had this wonderful bug repellent, all natural and non-toxic that actually smelled good.  As I was walking away I noticed a small sign that said “treats Eczema” and since I’ll try anything (almost) that claims to help with eczema I started asking.  Turns out this Emu Oil is generally awesome!  Aborigines used to use it on the returning warriors after their battles to ease their muscle aches.  It can be used for Arthritis, Diaper rash, Eczema, Psoriasis, Ear Aches, Sports Injuries, Shingles, Diabetes & the list goes on.   Emu Oil is an excellent transdermal carrier, which basically means it is one of the best oils for crossing the skin barrier and “delivering” the essential fats to the skin, muscles and the body.  Over time I have tried numerous different natural oils on my skin, and I can tell you none have ever soaked in quite like it and actually moistened my skin.  On top of it all, it actually did get rid of a spot of stubborn ezcema on my knee; which I can safely say is a first.  I highly recommend it and here is a great website, the company is out of Boise, Idaho and they are clearly very passionate about creating a very quality product; they have great information on their website and a great Organic product.

Emulate Natural Care

And last but not least; Toxic Beds…

This creates a perfect segue into my last thought to share; toxic beds!  I have recently been doing a little experiment on myself and my skin (my eczema).  The idea came about after a good friend decided to stop sleeping in what she thought to be her toxic bed and started feeling so much better after getting rid of it.  So… I have been avoiding my bed for the past couple of weeks, and three times have found that going back to the bed actually caused a pretty instant reaction.  Though, unfortunately it was consistent for a couple of weeks, I am back at square one, having a reaction even without the bed, I am still quite convinced that beds are toxic and I’m not sure that I’ll ever feel the same about sleeping in one.  There is no way that a bed able to withstand a blow torch of ungodly hot temperatures without even a spark, is even anywhere in the ballpark of being considered “non-toxic”.  It doesn’t stop with the flame retardent either, there is also Boric Acid (Roach Killer), Antimony (resembles Arsenic) and DBDPO (known to cause cancer) in the mattress.  The more I read about it, the more I’m appalled that it is actually in the laws and regulations for mattress companies to have this stuff in their mattresses.  This article has a bunch of crazy facts regarding mattress’ and their chemical contaminants & the  regulations that are in place currently.  It’s mind blowing, and I highly recommend considering your next mattress purchase to be something non-toxic… it could save your life, literally.  Just think how many hours you spend in your bed; resting and recovering, and how many of us suffer from awful sleep, chronic fatigue and general un-ease.

People For Clean Beds.org

Hopefully this information will tide you over; there is a little something for everyone in here.  Usually I try to keep my posts pretty simple and short so you don’t get too bored, but hopefully this lengthy post doesn’t deter you from reading the whole piece & actually making it to the end.  There is some pretty valuable information in here that I hope you continue to research and continue to educate yourself about your health!

Be well!

Sources:  www.epocrates.com Aug, 21st 2009; www.factcheck.org Aug 14th, 2009; www.peopleforcleanbeds.org, Aug 21st, 2009; www.emulateproducts.com, Aug 21st, 2009