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tiredapprenticesuri · 6 years ago

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About

Basics

Name: Suri Turiya

Age: 32

Star Sign: Libra

Gender: Female

Pronouns: she/her

Orientation: Pansexual

Favourite Food: Curry

Favourite Drink: Golden Milk

Favourite Flower: Amaryllis

Animal Association: Honey Badger

Hobbies: Knitting, Sewing, Making Clothes, Cooking

Appearance

Height: 4'10" (146cm)

Body Type: Plump & Heavy

Hair Colour: Brown

Eye Colour: Blue

Piercings: Ears

Notable Features: Sickly Pallour, Flushed Cheeks, Dark Circles Under Eyes, Bloodletting Scars (Arms & Legs)

Clothing Style: Very Obviously Handmade, Lots of Knitwear, Skirts Only

History

Suri was sent away to Vesuvia to live with her aunt when she was in her early teens. Her parents believed that the seaside setting and warmer climate would be good for her health. When it became apparent that she was never going to 'get better' from her disability, her parents simply left her there so they didn't have to deal with the difficult realities of having a disabled child.

Her aunt was a kind and decent woman, but she had never had an interest in marrying or having children of her own. She treated Suri more as a lodger who happened to be young than as a niece in need of family and guidance. Suri mostly raised herself, and inherited the shop from her aunt when her aunt passed away.

Suri met Asra when he was telling fortunes on the street, and quickly realised that they could help each other. Suri needed help around the shop due to her disability, Asra seemed to be living on the streets with nowhere to stay. Fortunately, a shared sense of humour (and a generous sharing of salt) quickly turned an arrangement of convenience into a deep and trusting friendship.

As the plague began to ravage Vesuvia, Suri couldn't help but see her own symptoms suddenly echoed in everyone around her--the pain, the fatigue--but unlike her own chronic illness, the plague would worsen until it killed its victims. Her familiarity with just how hard surviving when every muscle in one's body feels like it's on fire touched her heart with empathy, and she resolved to stay in Vesuvia to help the populace as best she could.

This, of course, led to an argument with Asra, who knew that her disability left her even more susceptible to illness and infection than a normal person and was desperate to get her out of the city before something terrible happened. Suri's trademark stubbornness separated the pair, as Suri refused to be moved.

Instead, she turned to acquaintance Dr. Julian Devorak, working with him at his clinic and attempting to ease the suffering of those afflicted with the plague. She hid her own illness from him, worried that he, too, would suddenly demand that she leave the city. She brought in recipes for concoctions that she'd been using for years at home for her own pain and fatigue, unfortunately her homemade medicines only alleviated the symptoms, and even then only partially. They eased suffering, but were not a cure.

It was a cure that was needed, so she was left to give pallative care to the suffering in the clinic while Dr. Julian looked for a cure properly. Unfortunately, Asra's fears proved completely founded, as working in such close proximity with the diseased members of the populace inevitably exposed Suri to infection herself. She died alone, and in her final moments blamed herself for her pride and stubbornness--in refusing to listen to Asra and leave the city, in refusing to tell Julian about her lifelong illness and the added risk of infection it gave her, in refusing to reach out to anyone for help at any of the many opportunities she'd had to do so previously.

Of course, Suri didn't stay dead. She woke up alive, but not well. Not even death could banish her lifelong illness from her. As Asra had to teach her everything from scratch, it came to be mentioned that it is not normal for people to be fatigued and in pain all the time. Memories or no memories, Suri's pride immediately welled up within her and she begged Asra to swear to her that he would tell no one of her illness. She hides her symptoms, even at a detriment to herself. Some things, it seems, not even death can change.

Personality

Suri's primary personality trait is pride and her secondary trait is stubbornness. The two are linked. These two traits are both her personal strengths and her personal weaknesses, like a double edged sword.

Surviving without parental guidance for Suri meant finding confidence within herself, meant feeling proud of herself rather than seeking parental approval or encouragement, it meant that having the sheer stubbornness to refuse to give up or give in, even in the face of a body that often felt like it's crumbling around her.

While her childhood was not as harsh or as bleak as Asra's--she did have a warm bed to come home to--it was a lonely one. Suri was isolated from others due to her disability, and it shaped her into being a highly independent person. Of course, 'independent' when one is disabled still means needing help with certain things, and that is the biggest point of conflict Suri has within herself.

She hates having to rely on others, especially because her biggest life lesson growing up was that she could never rely on other people. It's why she and Asra became friends--their relationship was mutualistic, rather than one-sided dependency. That friendship and cooperation allowed her to maintain her sense of dignity and pride.

Pride has been a good thing for Suri--her pride in her skills has allowed her to become a formidable magician, even after losing all of her memories and having only three years to relearn everything from scratch. Her stubbornness has allowed her to survive and thrive despite having a body that often seems less like her own body and more like a stubborn mule.

Pride has been a terrible thing for Suri--her pride has caused her to reject help time and time again, even when that causes her physical harm. Her stubbornness has put her in danger, especially when she refuses to back down from what is very obviously a bad situation.

The other mainstay of her personality is her sense of humour. Like everything, this too is both a strength and a weakness. The ability to find the light in every situation is intensely useful. Telling jokes also makes her quite charming, when she wants to be.

Making everything into a joke can definitely cross the line into 'maladaptive coping mechanism' very quickly. And since Suri is so well-practiced at hiding her symptoms and plastering on a smile, very often it means that people are unaware that she's in trouble or having difficulties until the situation has gotten much, much worse than it needed to.

A Note On Magic

Suri's style of magic is subtlety, which seems almost in contrast to her proud, bold nature. She favours magical applications that could almost be mere sleight of hand, or deceptively simple brews and tinctures--she's definitely curious about Mazelinka's soup, for example.

To paraphrase the late great Sir Terry Pratchett, "the hard part wasn't turning someone into a frog, it was not turning someone into a frog once you realised how easy it was". Suri uses magic exactly as much as she needs to, and not an ounce more. After all, if the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail.

#about #aboutsuri

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spoonsforminutes · 2 years ago

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UPDATE: i got dropped from IOP.

Honestly? I was fully expecting this outcome, and although I am frustrated that I won’t get an opportunity to ensure that my therapist personally changes her transphobic ideology, this is so much better for my physical and mental health. Misgendering hurts, and especially as someone with chronic pain, that hurt is both emotional and physical. I will often say that my trauma feels like I have an open shotgun wound in my chest, and each additional instance of misgendering feels like a stab to the gut. I’m somewhat mad at myself for not being able to defend myself in the moment, but that is not my fault nor my responsibility. I work in the research; I am WELL aware that many mental health facilities do not have LGBTQ-specific training, but I did get an opportunity to speak directly to the director of the outpatient program. I expressed both my personal concerns as well as future concerns for future patients, and thankfully he was very understanding, and ofc bc it’s me, he agreed with my points because I backed them up with research (which i found with a 5 min goggle search so there really is no excuse for mental health professionals to not be aware). He reassured me that not only did he share my concerns with his superiors, but training will be implemented to hopefully cover the basic aspects of keeping trans and queer individuals safe when receiving mental health treatment.

So although this sort of leaves me in a difficult spot, I actually feel more capable than I did when I first started treatment which I find kind of funny that it’s the people who hurt me that end up teaching me the most valuable lessons about my own worth. It might’ve been harsh to invoke the discrimination lawsuit, but it helped because my abuse specifically centered on the idea that my personal ideas, opinions, and interests were foolish and deserved to be mocked, even more so when my family members thought I was being too “gay” or “trans” or even “mentally ill.” So even though I can very much win an argument with sources and come to logical conclusions, my self-confidence is so low that I still doubt myself. That’s why I’m glad it was an issue with my gender identity because honestly? My therapist was also pretty ableist. She refused to validate the fact that I found empowerment with my chronic pain, instead calling me sad, and as with the entire medical system, DBT can be pretty ableist. I think regardless of disability, all people should approach medical professionals with the knowledge that they could be wrong and won’t admit it. Blindly trusting anyone, even someone who is supposed to take care of you and ensure your safety, can backfire. We need to trust people, so please continue putting your trust in others, but the moment they don’t show any concern for you, protect yourself and leave. It is never worth it to stay and suffer through a situation.

Ultimately, in this political climate, marginalized people don’t have the luxury of being nice and waiting around for people to show us basic respect. Every time I am in a situation where pronouns are shared but I’m the only queer person in the room, I always tell people that I understand if you make mistakes and accidently misgender me. However, I can blatantly tell when someone is transphobic because it will either come from someone who is loud about their hate or from someone who believes they can get away with hate because “you aren’t like those other filthy queers.” I’m not apologizing if I find that I’m not in the mood to play rainbow capitalism BGF.

So it’s gotten to that point. i’ve been receiving IOP from a mental health clinic, and my group trauma therapist is transphobic. Even more so, she’s been taking advantage of that fact that we unpack serious things in group settings, and I have a habit of dissociating to perpetuate her transphobic ideas in which it is my fault if i feel bad when someone misgender means. I have severe trauma from emotional abuse and neglect which only ended 6 months ago, at least in terms of my family having enough power and ignorance to believe that they were justified in the way they treated me, but i am still very much healing. I’m trying so hard to survive and get away from my abusive environment, but i’m realistic. i plan to move next year in jan, and in the midst of trying to pay all my bills and not go insane from the lack of financial freedom i have beyond necessities and bills, i’m trying to save as much as i can while also being nice to myself.

but today someone in my group was expressing distress over using a feminine term to refer to me when i’ve explained that i identify as transmasculine, and i was too busy doing something else, so my therapist took it upon herself to explain that it was my fault for feeling bad when people misgender me and that it is my responsible to correct people. which like, she’s a white cisgender woman who has trauma and is likely autistic so i’ve been giving her the benefit of the doubt, but no, she’s completely wrong. as a mental health professional currently in charge of my safety, she is directly endangering my health. i sent her an email after i processed what the fuck happened, and basically said this is your one warning to stop being transphobic and read up on all the ways your behavior threatens my physical and mental well-being, and if so necessary, i will seek legal action for discrimination. i have been gaslight a fuck ton so i have no confidence in myself, but my gut has been seeing all the news that more and more confirms the worst, and my c-PTSD symptoms are getting worse. history repeats itself, and i feel like i’m the one who recognizes the pattern except, you know, i’m part of the group that people currently want to see dead. and people praise me and treat me nicely bc they see an intelligent woman (which trauma-reinforced but also i fucking had top surgery last year????) but i think they view me as an “acceptable” queer person. which nooo, i did not spend so many years facing abuse literally just because i felt intense fucking pain that no one thought they could understand only for people in power to continue treating me like shit and then getting angry when i don’t roll over and die. i identify as a threat and a thing you do not want to cross. my years of sickness and illness mean that i don’t respect anything unless it has blood, sweat, tears, and defiance written all over it. you HAVE to feel pain to feel human, and all fucking pain is valid. i am so sick of watching a whole community of people being looked over and forgotten about, for even the “acceptable” ones of us having to beg for crumbs of decency. it’s inexcusable, and i legit do not give a shit for why we have to wait around for a bunch of people to decide that others get to live. i’m living NOW. DEAL WITH IT

#wedding speaks #tw vent #tw transphobia #tw ableism #tw medical trauma #also thank you to the replies!!!#i read them all and appreciate you sooo muchh

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nationwidesolarprosinstall-blog · 5 years ago

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Everything You Need to Know About Solar in Arizona

Arizona is known as the solar industry’s pioneer state and with good reason. Considering that the sun shines 85% of the year, Arizona and solar are like two peas in a pod. It’s no wonder, then, that the state is one of the top in the country in solar energy generation.

Solar use in Arizona goes back a long way. The history is colorful and surrounded by influential people and technology that made solar power the clean, efficient energy generator that it is today.

Now, innovations in solar technology have allowed regular homeowners in Arizona and around the globe access to this money-saving, carbon footprint reducing way to produce power in their homes. This economic change has catapulted solar energy to the highest levels it has ever been worldwide.

For residents of Arizona, it has major implications, too.

A Quick Timeline of Solar Power

Solar power has been harnessed for millennia when people used the strategic placement of openings in their homes to keep them warm, light up the interior, and even cook or start fires. We’ve come a long way since then, but the idea is the same – we want to use solar energy to completely power our homes.

In the 1800s, solar technology began being developed. In 1839 the idea that voltage can be created when a material is exposed to light, or the photovoltaic effect, was discovered. This laid the foundation for the first solar cell, at 1% efficiency, to be created. Fast forward to the 1950s and that little, inefficient solar cell was the catalyst for the birth of photovoltaics by David Chapin, Calvin Fuller and Gerald Pearson of Bell Labs. They were able to create a machine that was 4% efficient and later increased the efficiency to 11%.

Because of the inefficiency in these solar cells and the expense that was required to create them, the idea of solar power was intriguing, but the process of rolling it out for public use was not feasible. However, wealthy businesses and homeowners were purchasing solar systems for use, allowing developers and researchers to continue to study this clean energy resource and tweak it for continued improvements.

By 2015, Australia, who had much earlier let the world know that they were going to be a world leader in solar power, had improved the technology to the point that it was now cheaper to use solar energy than fossil fuels. Solar technology was now commonly found in airplanes, luxury vehicles, homes, and businesses, and the effect began to spread across the globe.

Solar Power’s Influence Rushes into Arizona

The government of Arizona quickly took notice. If Australia could harness the power of solar energy on such magnitude, why couldn’t they? The mountains of Arizona are a naturally absorbent material of the sun, and there is a constant supply of this renewable resource, so why not figure out how to make the best of it?

This journey became more economically viable back in 2006 when the Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff was enacted. This piece of legislation regulated utility companies and required them to utilize renewable sources to generate a minimum of 15% of their power by 2025. They also had to generate at least 30% of their power from renewable distributed sources such as solar panels. The race was on to find ways to make this happen, and it quickly became apparent that without the help of the millions of Arizona residents, it wouldn’t be possible.

For this reason, utility companies began coming up with rebates and other incentives to offer homeowners and businesses as a carrot to switch to solar power. Between these financial offerings and the impressive state and federal tax credits, solar energy use in Arizona skyrocketed, sending it to its current spot now as the top third state in the nation for solar power generation.

In fact, Arizona currently has over 3,300 megawatts of solar capability in use. This may not sound like much, but it’s enough to power over 500,000 homes just by using the sun’s rays that come every day without any side effects or labor to make it happen. And Arizona is ready to increase that solar capability annually.

With the price of solar almost 55% cheaper than it was five years ago, the state is going to need that extra capacity to account for all of the new installations on the agenda and the rest to come as more people learn about the incredible benefits of turning to solar energy for their homes and businesses.

The solar industry has boomed, creating over 7,000 jobs just in Arizona alone – the 7th highest in the nation, and still climbing. A recent clean energy overhaul proposal by Arizona Corporation Commission member Andrew Tobin, if passed, would lead the state to surpass all others in renewable energy and grid modernization. This proposal takes the old 25% target and increases it to 80% by 2050.

With some of the top sunniest cities in the country right in Arizona, like Yuma, Phoenix, and Tucson, this figure is not even intimidating. Arizona could easily generate enough energy to power millions of homes, more than double its current usage.

The Effects are More Than Financial

Solar power absolutely puts money in your pocket, and with all of the incentives, rebates, tax credits, and other financial perks that come with installing a solar system, it becomes the smartest investment you can make in terms of renovating your home. But there are benefits far beyond your wallet that lead many people to choose to make the switch to solar.

Solar energy is renewable and abundant. Instead of drilling for fossil fuels like coal and natural gas, the use of solar energy requires no work once the initial equipment is installed. Because of the ease of using it, solar power is much less expensive. There are no harmful impacts on the environment, and there’s no danger of it running out.

In fact, there’s so much solar energy available that one hour of all of the sun’s rays would be enough to provide everyone in the world with enough power to last them over a year. And unlike other clean energy fuels like wind, solar power is consistent and predictable.

Solar energy reduces the dependence on fossil fuels for power. Electricity generated by fossil fuels creates a massive abundance of greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide. These gases are produced during the burning process of turning fossil fuels into energy. Concerns of increasing temperatures across the globe and climate change have been attributed to the build-up of these gases.

Every home that goes solar reduces the demand for fossil fuels – a non-renewable resource that is disappearing quickly – and, at the same time, diminishes greenhouse gas emissions. You can shrink your carbon footprint while you save money. In fact, statistics show that the average American home can save approximately 150 trees each year simply by moving to solar (not to mention the significant reduction on your energy bill)!

Using solar energy can improve your health. No, we are not just talking about the decreased stress level you’ll feel knowing you don’t have to pay those hefty utility bills every month. Your physical health can improve, too.

Solar energy emits a miniscule amount of pollutants into the air. By adopting solar power on a widespread level, like the one that is already in effect in Las Vegas, Nevada, the reduction in dangerous gases and pollutants could significantly reduce the amount of chronic health problems Americans currently suffer from.

These pollutants are known to cause respiratory and cardiovascular health conditions such as chronic bronchitis. The implications of these illnesses go beyond the physical, too. Costs for treating these conditions can run into millions of dollars each year and the individuals suffering from them can lose thousands of dollars annually in missed work or lose their jobs completely if they become permanently disabled from their condition.

By turning to solar power, you are reducing your carbon footprint, saving money, and helping to improve the overall health of the world for generations to come.

Unlike many other benefits to the environment, solar power does not come at a great financial expense. With this type of clean energy, you get all of the benefits of helping the environment at the same time as you reap all of the financial perks that come with having a solar system installed in Arizona.

Keep Up with the Changing Times

While modern society has always been dependent on fossil-fueled power, the times they are a-changing. Fossil fuel is becoming an increasingly expensive and inefficient use of resources. With the buildup of greenhouse gases destroying our environment and the abundance of clean energy sources, it simply makes no sense any longer to keep using this outdated form of electricity in our homes.

Residents of Arizona are blessed with living in a state where solar energy is abundant. It’s only logical, then, to utilize this resource to its optimal extent. You can join in with the millions of others who know that harnessing the power of solar energy is the way of the future by calling the experts at Nationwide Solar Pros.

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pennsylvaniaprelawland-blog · 5 years ago

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The Media, The Insanity Plea, And Other Related Defenses

By Emily Condon, University of Pennsylvania Class of 2021

September 30, 2019

Repetition directs perception. The more we’ve heard of an idea or an occurrence, the more common it sounds. Based on psychological principles, this phenomenon is created by the availability heuristic. An availability heuristic is a kind of mental shortcut, one in which the ease with which someone can recall an event breeds a feeling and attitude toward that event’s commonality. This is certainly the case when in comes pleading insanity. In fact, when estimating the percentage of cases involving the use of an insanity plea, most people’s estimations far exceed the reality, and this gap between perception and reality widens when we consider the amount of criminal cases in which the insanity plea is successful.

According to a related article published by PBS, less than one percent of felony cases involve a plea of insanity from the defense, 90% of which involve a defendant with diagnosed mental disabilities, and in that pool of cases, only about 25% of these pleas prove successful— that is, only 1 in 4 cases actually deem the defendant criminally insane. (PBS, 2014)

Alternative and related pleas exist surrounding the insanity plea, including incompetency to stand and guilty but mentally ill (GBMI). Below, we’ll explore and compare the intricacies of these pleas, their criteria, and famous criminal cases involving these pleas.

The legal standards for insanity hinge on the mental capacity of the person who committed the crime during the act of the crime, without regard to current mental state. Tests exist to back up the insanity plea. In America, states dictate rules for determining insanity, so there is no hard and fast rule that comprehensively applies to all proceedings in America. The first of the aforementioned tests is the right/wrong test, also known as the M’Naughten test. This test, used by 26 states, states that the insanity plea may exempt someone from the responsibility of a crime if,’“at the time of committing the act, he was laboring under such a defect of reason from disease of the mind as not to know the nature and quality of the act he was doing, or if he did know it, that he did not know what he was doing was wrong.”’ (PBS, 2014)

Courts also employ the irresistible impulse test, which relates to the defendant’s ability to control the urge to commit the crime. Under this test, “a jury may find a defendant not guilty by reason of insanity where the defendant was laboring under a mental disease or defect that compelled him to commit the object offense. This test is well-suited for persons suffering from manias and paraphilias.” (Cornell Legal Information Institute, 2019)

One of the most prominent cases involving the successful employment of the insanity plea is United States v. Hinckley, or rather, the case of John W. Hinckley being prosecuted for shooting President Ronald Regan. Because the defense proved his innocence, Hinckley spent 34 years in a psychiatric facility instead of in prison. This 1982 case lead the United States to tighten their threshold for qualifying someone as criminally insane, and took the limelight again as in 2016, a federal judge announced that “Hinckley would be releasedto live with his elderly mother in Williamsburg, Va.” (Jacewicz, 2016)

The defense argued that this attack wasn’t planned, and was instead the result of uncontrollable impulsivity. “Hinckley's attorneys argued that Hinckley had not acted of his own volition, but that his life was controlled by his pathological obsession with the movie, Taxi Driver, starring Jodie Foster. In that movie, the title character stalks the president and fights in a shootout. Hinckley's attorneys said he saw the movie 15 times, and identified with the hero and was seeking to reenact the events of the movie in his own life. Hinckley's attorneys argued that Hinckley was schizophrenic. They argued that the movie was the actual planning force behind the defendant's assassination attempt against the President.” (Cornell Legal Information Institute, 2019)

Cases involving insanity pleas exist in bifurcated trials, with the first part of the trial considering the culpability of the defense, irrespective of their mental state. Then, if the person is deemed guilty of the crime, the second part of the trial is pushed, to determine if the person is responsible for their actions given their mental illness or mental capacity at the time. (PBS, 2014)

Usually, the defense and prosecution agree when a person is criminally insane, and a person whose defense successfully pleas insane will not be sent on their way without ramifications. While the person may have been cleared of criminal responsibility for their acts, they are almost always confined to a mental health facility instead of to prison, and often, a person who pleads insanity will spend more time in a mandated facility than someone prosecuted for the same crime without regard to their mental status.

The main difference between incompetency to stand and insanity lies in the timing of the person’s alleged mental instability, or for chronically unstable people, the height of their instability. A person may plea incompetency to stand trial if, during the time of the trial, they prove unable to understand court proceedings and the most basic level, or may not even recognize the fact that they are in court and facing charges. This is because people have an inadmissible right to understand court proceedings against them and to help their defense. The American Judicial System has a very low bar for competency. The defendant must merely be able to “adequately communicate with defense counsel, understand and process information, make decisions regarding the case, [and] understand the elements of the charges, the gravity of the charges, and the possible penalties.” (NOLO, 2019)

If a person proves incompetent to stand trial based on these qualifications, the person is usually institutionalized until they can prove competency, and the proceedings take place whenever this is possible. (NOLO, 2019)

One highly publicized case involving this defense was that of Jared Lee Loughner, who took shots at 20 people, unsuccessfully attempting to kill democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, and killing six others. “Legal experts [said] Loughner's strongest argument, an insanity defense, [would] be a tough sell at the federal level and even tougher in a state court.

Things got a lot more difficult for defendants who wanted to plead insanity after John Hinckley shot President Ronald Reagan almost30 years ago. The outcry was so great that Congress changed federal law.” The difficulty in claiming this case stemmed from the fact that evidence existed that the crime was planned, including a note left in the defendant’s home written by the defendant that stated, “I planned ahead.” (Johnson, 2019) This precludes the use of the insanity defense. At the time of trial, Loughner was proven incompetent to stand trial after two mental health professionals deemed him incompetent for trial, and after he had an outburst at his stand trial in which he yelled a statement understood to be, “‘Thank you for the freak show. She died in front of me.’” (Carlson, 2011) He was sent to a mental facility in an effort to regain the competence necessary to continue the trial in May 2011, and in August 2012, he was deemed competent to stand trial and plead guilty to 19 charges in exchange for avoiding the death penalty, and was later sentenced to 140 years in prison without parole. (CNN, 2018)

Finally, a third related plea is the GBMI plea mentioned previously, guilty but mentally ill. This scenario presents most often when a criminal case involves mental illness as a major contributing factor to the commitment of the crime, but not in a capacity large enough to remove the responsibility from the

defense completely. In a GBMI situation, the defendant gets charged just as a healthy guilty person would, but instead of being immediately sent to prison, that person is sent to a mental facility to receive treatment, and when that person is no longer deemed dangerous, they must serve the rest of their sentence in prison. (PBS, 2014)

As evidenced, mental health can play a major role in the level of culpability of criminal defendants. The insanity plea and related defenses have evolved over the years, and will likely continue to adapt to our changing legal climate, potentially as a result of legal media.

________________________________________________________________

“Ariz. Shooting Spree Suspect Incompetent for Trial.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 25 May 2011, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43165830/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/ariz-shooting-spree-suspect-incompetent-trial/#.XY-qUy2ZPUo.

“Arizona Safeway Shootings Fast Facts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 31 Dec. 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/10/us/arizona-safeway-shootings-fast-facts/index.html.

“Hinckley.” Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/background/insane/hinckley.html.

“Insanity Defense - Insanity Defense Statistics, Problems with NGRI, Guilty but Mentally Ill.” Insanity Defense Statistics, Problems with NGRI, Guilty but Mentally Ill - What Is Punishment, Defendants, and Defendant - JRank Articles, https://psychology.jrank.org/pages/336/Insanity-Defense.html.

Jacewicz, Natalie. “After Hinckley, States Tightened Use Of The Insanity Plea.” NPR, NPR, 28 July 2016, https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/07/28/486607183/after-hinckley-states-tightened-use-of-the-insanity-plea.

Johnson, Carrie. “Insanity Defense Could Be A Tough Sell For Loughner.” NPR, NPR, 20 Jan. 2011, https://www.npr.org/2011/01/20/133057658/insanity-defense-could-be-a-tough-sell-for-loughner.

Morris. “The Insanity Defense Goes Back on Trial.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 July 2006, https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/opinion/30hoffman.html?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=7F445B1051223EBF3E1220CC6CB838D9&gwt=pay&assetType=REGIWALL.

New York Daily News. “Arizona Shooter Pleads Guilty to Avoid Death Penalty.” Nydailynews.com, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2019, https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/arizona-shooter-pleads-guilty-avoid-death-penalty-article-1.1130882.

Nolo. “Criminal Procedure FAQ.” Www.nolo.com, Nolo, 10 Oct. 2011, https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/criminal-procedure-faq.html.

Nolo. “Pleading Insanity in a Criminal Case.” Www.criminaldefenselawyer.com, Nolo, 23 Mar. 2017, https://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/criminal-defense/criminal-defense-case/pleading-insanity-a-criminal-defense-case.

PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/crime/trial/faqs.html.

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theorangedead · 5 years ago

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OKAY: Looking for silver linings and hope in the lessening of pollution. Trying to learn lessons in the COVID-19 to helps us for forward and face future challenges, especially the climate crisis, better and with more preparation. Hoping that people learn to make better lives from facing this crisis is okay.

NOT OKAY: Celebrating people’s fear and deaths. Implying that people deserved to die of COVID because pollution and climate change exists, even though the people dying of COVID are overwhelmingly poor, disabled people who are much less responsible for these things. In fact, many of the people suffering underlying respiratory issues that make them vulnerable to COVID are victims of air pollution that increases rates of chronic illness. Acting like all people are equally responsible for environmental destruction and all deserve to die because of it is screwed up.

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johndonohueus · 6 years ago

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This battle to protect Americans with pre-existing conditions is personal

EDITOR’S NOTE: On February 6, 2019, Peter Morley testified before a U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee oversight hearing titled “Impact of the Administration’s Policies Affecting the Affordable Care Act.” Peter’s testimony – about the “critical importance of the Affordable Care Act and the Trump Administration’s ongoing efforts to undermine it” – is one of more than 275 meetings he’s held with legislators in Washington, DC, as a passionate advocate for healthcare that is accessible and affordable to people with Lupus and other chronic illnesses.

We’ve asked Peter to share an abbreviated, edited version of his testimony with our readers.

My introduction to pre-existing conditions

In 1997, I sustained an injury during a period of time when my insurance coverage had lapsed. I ended up paying the costs of my physical therapy, epidural steroid injections, and medications out of my own pocket. Worse, when I needed surgery a couple of years later, my injury was considered a pre-existing condition and all my claims were denied for the procedure – despite the fact that I’d secured health insurance through my new employer.

The bills from that surgery were an incredible financial burden for years, totaling tens of thousands of dollars. It was my first introduction to the broken United States healthcare system and my real first harrowing encounter with the obstacle called pre-existing conditions. But it was just the beginning.

10+ pre-existing conditions …

In 2007, I was permanently disabled – and rendered unable to work – after I fell from a ladder. (I was fortunate to be spared the entire cost of my medical bills because at that time, I had continuous insurance coverage. Since then, I have had 10 surgeries in 11 years, including four spinal surgeries. Three were failed spinal fusions; the last one caused irreversible nerve damage.)

Four years later, I was diagnosed with kidney cancer and lost part of my right kidney, but fought my way into remission in 2016. Since then, I have had two neurosurgeries for benign pituitary tumors, two carpal tunnel surgeries and one surgery to remove a malignant melanoma.

In addition, I have had diagnoses over the last 11 years that would put me in a veritable Pre-existing Conditions Hall of Fame, with conditions including, but not limited, to:

spinal fusion failure

chronic neuropathic pain

degenerative disc disease in both my cervical and lumbar spine

renal cell carcinoma

benign prostatic hyperplasia

osteoporosis

angiomyolipoma on my left kidney

fibromyalgia

Sjogren’s Syndrome

Raynaud’s Phenomenon

small-fiber neuropathy

nodular regenerative hyperplasia (non-cirrhotic liver disease) with portal hypertension and obliterative portal venopathy; and

adhesive arachnoiditis. (This condition has no cure or successful treatment, and I am progressively losing the function of my right leg as it becomes paralyzed.)

… and counting

As though that weren’t enough, in 2013, I was diagnosed with what has become my primary health concern to-date: Lupus. This autoimmune disease creates autoantibodies that not only attack an invading infection, but also turn and continue to destroy healthy cells and organs, thus causing inflammation known as a Lupus flare. Having this disease means I must be checked frequently by my rheumatologist.

I live w/10+ #PreExistingConditions

I fight fatigue of #Lupus every day to get out of bed.

I survived cancer 2x.

I've walked the halls of Congress since 2017 meeting with your Reps to #ProtectOurCare

I'm fighting for my life & YOURS. Fight with me.

pic.twitter.com/v6DccSHVrs

— Peter Morley (@morethanmySLE) March 27, 2019

Lupus has a multitude of side effects, but for me, the most challenging is the chronic fatigue that I fight every day. It is a struggle and challenge to get out of bed every single day. I take 25 different medications daily, 38 yearly, and receive 12 life-saving infusions yearly for my Lupus.

Without access to insurance, I could not afford to pay for these medications and would lose access to my team of doctors. As a result, my disease would progress, and I could die.

Despite all my health challenges, I have flourished by the continuity of care provided to me by the 17 doctors I see on a monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual basis. Depending on the week, I spend about 60 to 70 percent of my waking moments in doctors’ offices. And as someone who has faced my own mortality on more than one occasion, I am grateful to be here. I know first-hand how essential it is to protect our care. I also realize that due to my advancing diagnoses I am thankful and appreciative for every day.

From private citizen to public advocate

I want you to know that I was a very private person prior to the 2016 election, but once President Trump was elected, I realized I could no longer keep quiet. I had to – in good conscience – do something to promote healthcare advocacy and empowerment. I recognized that meant I had to share the very personal details of my own story on social media. There are people in my life that were not aware I had kidney cancer or Lupus and have found out through Twitter. That’s how guarded I had been.

But listening to President Trump’s campaign rhetoric for 18 months caused me incredible stress and motivated me to speak my truth.

Before the Affordable Care Act guaranteed health insurance coverage to those with pre-existing conditions, many people like myself with Lupus and my multitude of diagnoses could be denied health insurance policies by many providers.

The ACA defined what benefits insurers would be required to include in order to enroll consumers in health insurance products (including Medicare and Medicaid). Before the ACA was passed, each insurance company had different restrictions as to what services its policies would cover, at what premium cost, and from what providers. Someone at each company would review each claim and decide what to pay.

Standardization of options was intended to reduce non-medical administrative costs and make insurance more affordable.

I think we can all agree that the ACA is not perfect and could greatly benefit from being enhanced. We need to return to the intent to cover 10 essential health benefits. And most importantly improve accessibility and affordability for everyone by lowering premiums, deductibles and drug costs.

In the last two years, I have traveled to DC 16 times to advocate not only for myself, but for thousands of people who have reached out to me through Twitter and my website, morethanmySLE.com.

My first trip to DC

I was inspired to make my first trip to Washington, D.C., on July 27, 2017 – the day of the Vote-a-Rama in the U.S. Senate for the “Skinny Repeal” of the ACA. I had made the trip by Amtrak to DC because I felt helpless sitting at home waiting for the outcome – which seemed likely to be that the ACA was doomed.

That day, I walked in and out of every Senate office I could and spoke with anyone who would listen – Democrat and Republican alike. The very last office I visited was Senator McCain’s office at around 5:15 p.m. Though he wasn’t at his office, I spoke with his Legislative Assistant and shared the story of my healthcare fight. When I told her I had Lupus, she burst into tears.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “My best friend worked here in D.C. and she suffers from Lupus as well and had to move to a climate more conducive to her Lupus. And you sharing your story just reminds me of her and her struggle.”

I had seen some emotional responses that day, but not one like this. I offered the aide information about a hotline that could help her friend get access to care and therapy wherever she was. And, before I left, I begged her to ask Senator McCain to reconsider and vote ‘no,’ explaining to her that were so many people who would suffer.

At the end of the day, I headed home, buoyed by my mission, and feeling I had done all I could. I woke up in the morning and somehow managed to get out of bed with my body ravaged by the energy I expended and the chronic fatigue from my Lupus had been triggered. I fully expected to turn on the TV and learn that the ACA had been repealed. Instead, I saw an image of John McCain giving the vote a thumb’s down and I couldn’t believe what I was looking at.

People began sharing their stories with me and asking me to represent them in D.C. I have made 15 trips to DC since July 2017. I’ve met with Representatives and Senators’ staffs from both parties to share these healthcare journeys because healthcare is a bipartisan issue.

Why I fight

People have told me because of all these healthcare repeal and sabotage efforts, that they feel alone, scared, and afraid, when they should be focusing their energy on their own well-being. The truth is, we all know someone who has been helped by the ACA.

I know firsthand that your health can change in an instant. That is why I fight for my life for those who will be left vulnerable if they lose their healthcare. I will continue to use my voice and encourage people to call their state and federal policy makers, because being proactive is empowering. No one should ever have to worry about having their healthcare taken away from them, simply because they became ill!

I lay awake at night worried about the more than 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions who would lose their protections if the ACA is declared unconstitutional. Losing access to healthcare means different things to everyone. For me, it would mean not affording prescriptions, and infusions that are keeping me alive.

Due to the chronic fatigue that Lupus causes and my other diagnoses, I realize that I put my own health at great risk to travel and share these stories with members of Congress. I frequently schedule mass meetings because I never know if my visit will be the last time that I’m healthy enough to travel to DC.

But having the opportunity to speak to legislators where there might be one who will listen to me and could change their mind, is the reason I keep coming back. It energizes me and has given me a new sense of purpose in my life.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8246807 https://www.healthinsurance.org/blog/2019/03/28/this-battle-to-protect-americans-with-pre-existing-conditions-is-personal/

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ready-jet-go · 6 years ago

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Slashdot: Are Online Activists Silencing Researchers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Are Online Activists Silencing Researchers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Published on March 17, 2019 at 02:34AM Zorro (Slashdot reader #15,759), shares Reuters' report about Michael Sharpe, a medical researcher studying chronic fatigue syndrome, "a little-understood condition that can bring crushing tiredness and pain." Eight years after he published results of a clinical trial that found some patients with chronic fatigue syndrome can get a little better with the right talking and exercise therapies, the Oxford University professor is subjected to almost daily, often anonymous, intimidation... They object to his work, they said, because they think it suggests their illness is psychological. Sharpe, a professor of psychological medicine, says that isn't the case. He believes that chronic fatigue syndrome is a biological condition that can be perpetuated by social and psychological factors... Sharpe is one of around a dozen researchers in this field worldwide who are on the receiving end of a campaign to discredit their work. For many scientists, it's a new normal: From climate change to vaccines, activism and science are fighting it out online. Social media platforms are supercharging the battle. Reuters contacted a dozen professors, doctors and researchers with experience of analysing or testing potential treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome. All said they had been the target of online harassment because activists objected to their findings. Only two had definite plans to continue researching treatments. With as many as 17 million people worldwide suffering this disabling illness, scientific research into possible therapies should be growing, these experts said, not dwindling. What concerns them most, they said, is that patients could lose out if treatment research stalls. Sharpe says he's no longer researching treatments, because "It's just too toxic." And he tells Reuters that other researchers appear to be reaching the same conclusion. "Of more than 20 leading research groups who were publishing treatment studies in high-quality journals 10 years ago, Sharpe said, only one or two continue to do so."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

#IFTTT #Slashdot

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kristablogs · 4 years ago

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Nursing homes aren’t equipped to provide life-saving A/C in the event of a power outage

Older folks are at a higher risk of heat-related health issues (Elien Dumon/Unsplash/)

Soon after Hurricane Irma barreled up the length of Florida’s coast in 2017, temperatures began rising at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills, a nursing home located about 20 miles north of Miami. The storm had knocked out the air conditioning, and the facility’s backup generator didn’t have the capacity to restore cooling. Nursing home staff used spot coolers in an attempt to quell the sweltering Florida heat, but did not call 911 until patients were “suffering respiratory distress, and in some cases dying,” reported the New York Times. In the end, after three days without power, 12 residents died of heatstroke, which occurs when the body temperature rises above 104°F.

This wasn’t the first time nursing home residents died from sweltering heat in the aftermath of a hurricane. After a generator at the Lafon Nursing Facility of the Holy Family stopped working from Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters, 22 residents perished in the deadly heat. Even if the generator was working, it wasn’t connected to the air conditioning, according to a court record. “[Both nursing homes] are places where there was really no morbidity and mortality from the storm itself,” says David Dosa, a geriatrician and associate professor at Brown University. “It was all subsequent to the storm and subsequent to the loss of power that all of a sudden you had people starting to die.”

Despite these tragedies, there is no federal requirement for nursing homes to have backup generators capable of restoring power to the air conditioning. While the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires that nursing homes have “alternate sources of energy to maintain temperatures to protect resident health and safety and for the safe and sanitary storage of provisions,” the regulations stop short of more specifics. It’s up to each facility to determine whether this power source needs to be capable of restoring power to the whole building, including the air conditioning, according to clarifying guidelines on this rule.

And the lack of specificity can be challenging for both nursing homes and CMS surveyors, responsible for inspecting facilities. “I do think it’s a big issue because the more specific a regulation is, the more likely people are to follow it,” says Lindsay Peterson, a research assistant professor in the School of Aging Studies at the University of South Florida. “When [a regulation] is very general, it’s like, ‘well, what do you mean?’ It can be hard to tell whether the facility complied or not.”

A slow trickle of states and cities have begun addressing this. Prompted by the tragedy at the Rehabilitation Center of Hollywood Hills, Florida passed a law in 2018 requiring nursing homes and assisted living facilities to install a backup generator capable of powering HVAC units for 96 hours. Similarly, in 2019, New Orleans passed an ordinance that requires generators capable of powering an air conditioning unit for four days. And earlier this year, California introduced similar legislation as a way for nursing homes to more safely shelter-in-place amidst looming power-shutoffs, wildfires, and the coronavirus pandemic.

But implementing these policies is a whole other issue. Florida’s facilities struggled to comply with this requirement, including ahead of Hurricane Dorian last year. This year is looking better: as of July 27nd, 3,678 out of 3,804 facilities have an emergency power plan fully approved and implemented, according to the state’s daily updated tracker.

Nursing homes, like healthcare facilities, are uniquely dependent on power, not only for cooling and heating but also for essential medical equipment and electronic health records. Many facilities are especially vulnerable to losing access to cooling during a power outage because “air conditioning systems are often not connected to backup power,” according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 2019 guidance on power outages and healthcare facilities. To back up the air conditioning requires investing in a much more powerful generator, capable of even double the power load.

If nursing homes don’t have a generator that is capable of backing up the entire facility, then the increased risks need to be planned for, says Maria Greene, a national consultant on older adults, people with disabilities and emergency preparedness and response. “Do you have plans for cooling, dehydration, moving them to another facility? You know, what’s the plan B?” says Greene. “If there were one big point to make, it would be that [nursing homes] need to have a very thorough emergency preparedness plan and they need to have a backup plan.”

There’s always a risk that a part of a plan will go wrong: for instance, even a more powerful backup generator can fail, so it can’t be relied on as the single solution to extreme heat.

As the climate crisis worsens, so too will the risk of extreme heat, especially for the elderly. There are a number of physiological factors that make the elderly more at risk, including that older adults tend to sweat less. “We regulate our ability to manage heat based on our ability to sweat, and that system works less in older adults,” says Dosa. Older adults are also generally more sedentary and are more likely to have other ongoing health issues, which can worsen the consequences of heat. There is also the issue of medications, like diuretics, psychiatric medications, and Parkinson’s medications, which Dosa says can impact the body’s ability to thermoregulate.

Cognitive impairments can also make it harder for the elderly to communicate when struggling with the heat, which can be challenging to identify. “What ends up happening is when people are uncomfortable, they yell and scream,” says Dosa. Yet this presentation changes when it turns from uncomfortable to medically serious. “When they start to develop heatstroke and the effects of heat, they quiet down. Somebody might look and think ‘Oh, Ms. Smith is finally settling down,” says Dosa.

Hydration is another critical issue among nursing home residents, especially those with cognitive impairments. As part of her research, Peterson has spoken to a lot of administrators of nursing homes that lost power and struggled to make sure people with dementia were staying hydrated. This can be an overlooked risk: “When someone becomes dehydrated, it can set in motion a chain of events that can lead to heart failure,” says Peterson.

Many of the same reasons that make elderly residents susceptible to extreme heat also make them more vulnerable to evacuating. “Without power, facilities may require evacuation, and evacuation carries significant dangers for specific populations such as those with access and functional needs,” states FEMA’s 2019 guidance. This year, the coronavirus adds another layer of risk to evacuating. All of these dangers may lead nursing homes to decide that sheltering-in-place during a hurricane is safer, which makes having a back-up cooling source all the more essential.

Outside of nursing homes, extreme heat is also a growing public health threat, which can worsen during power outages and hurricanes. As the leading cause of death related to the weather, according to the National Weather Service, it is hard to overstate the health risks it poses. Along with the elderly, low-income people of color, people who are chronically ill, and people who can’t afford the cost of electricity are also especially at risk of extreme heat. In New York City, 80 percent of people who die of heatstroke do so due to lack of air conditioning.

States and cities also need to plan for this risk and how to communicate it. Sonal Jessel, the policy and advocacy coordinator for WE ACT for Environmental Justice, notes that many people they’ve spoken with weren’t aware of, or didn’t know how to access New York City’s emergency preparedness resources for extreme heat. “So, that points to a breakdown in communication,” says Jessel. “The way that the city has been advertising this information is not reaching the most vulnerable populations that they should.”

Jessel also notes the need for more community-based outreach, like knocking on doors, to directly let people know about the location of cooling centers and other resources. “A lot of folks, especially older adults, are not computer savvy or might not have regular access to the internet,” says Jessel. “So expecting them to go online on a map to find where the cooling centers are is really a lot to ask.”

While it’s clear that nursing homes, states, and cities all have to start thinking more seriously about extreme heat, there’s one silver lining: we already know a lot of ways to keep people safe. Relatively simple measures, like knocking on doors or installing a more powerful backup generator, can prevent deaths. And that’s all the more important in an increasingly hot world where growing older has a whole new slew of risks.

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terrablaze514 · 5 years ago

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DST has ended and I still can't sleep right... Anywho, this post deserves more attention for valid reasons outlined above.

There are countless people with disabilities who need straws to drink, because they suffer from pinch nerve (Multiple Sclerosis, Trigeminal Neuralgia, etc.) or hypersensitivity in parts of their mouths. Some have had root canals and extractions that weren't performed well by dentists, so they still can't heal. I've volunteered/worked with children and youth with Autism who need assistance eating... While some of them can manage their fine motor skills (holding a cup to their mouths, drinking), some of them can't due to additional developmental/neurological setbacks. Therefore, the use of straws can help them. Banning straws is counterproductive.

Half of my family is asthmatic. If I live long enough and am fully stable to have kids later on, at least one of them will have the gene manifested after suffering from eczema for sometime (first physical sign of an asthma attack underway - one of my cousins never experienced eczema, but she had her first asthma attack a few hours after she was born). Without access to rescue puffers and oxygen sources, people with asthma untreated can suffer lung damage, shutdown to their internal organs, brain injury and even die. The human body, under no circumstances should go without oxygen for more than six seconds. Shaming people who also struggle with pneumonia, apnea, LAM (a rare lung degenerative disease, which can be fatal if left untreated - a friend of a friend died from that in my social circle this year), and cystic fibrosis (to name a few) shouldn't be forced to limit nor reject the treatments and medications they require. Puffers, oxygen tanks/masks, CPAP, etc. and routine checkups are a must.

For people with anaphylaxis or high-risk level allergies, should Epi-pens be banned? Absolutely not! Without the use of an Epi-pen in the wake of an emergency, they will die and caretakers/families will be held accountable for negligence.

Influenza kills every year. Zero access to medications will only accomplish that.

Even though I'm all for natural remedies and nature's pharmacy, pharmacists and doctors (even naturopathic physicians) are still in the business of ensuring that people at least stay alive and live well with any existing conditions they may have. And if pharmaceutical companies should shutdown, natural remedies offered at health food stores will also be forced to shutdown (they sell medicines that help heal/repair organs and tissues, too). I clearly don't understand what Climate Change enthusiasts are doing, but forcing people to protest those who regulate and produce medical supplies and treatments in the market will do more harm than good.

Crohn's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Sickle-cell disease (one of my cousins lives with this), fibromyalgia, anemia, polycystic ovarian disorder, heart failure, stroke, diabetes (skipping out on insulin for Type 1 sufferers is in fact, fatal), mental illnesses and multiple types of cancer... All of these and more requires treatment, including medications.

Climate Change supporters should advocate for safer, greener environments; not by banning/protesting medications. Otherwise, expect more dead bodies and an increase of maggots... I mean, seriously. Focus on the science and create sensible solutions. Stop turning climate change into a religion (that's what some people are doing and it's disgusting). This is one of the main reasons I've been ignoring Greta Thunberg and her followers, because this- all of this- is making the movement a doctrine instead of something to educate each other on. Shame on everyone who thinks that risking the health and safety of people with disabilities and/or Chronic illnesses is okay, in the name of climate change!

... In recent years, the climate change movement seems to be shifting towards blaming individuals, rather than holding corporations accountable for the environmental destruction they cause. The BBC article completely fails to mention that pharmaceutical companies are currently developing new metered-dose inhalers that do not contain greenhouse gases. These products are described as “several years from being introduced.” In other words, the problem is already being addressed, just perhaps not quickly enough. That being the case, why doesn’t the BBC article calling for the pharma companies that make billions in profits to step up their pace, rather than suggesting that people with asthma be responsible for changing inhalers?

Media outlets need to acknowledge the real harm they cause when they publish articles that could make people with disabilities and chronic illnesses feel bad about the treatments and equipment we need to live. We care about the environment too, so if we’re told something we require is harmful, we may try to go without it and hurt ourselves in the process. When a person has an asthma attack, they need the most effective medication and they need it fast, or they could be hospitalized or even die. If they hesitate to use their rescue inhaler because they feel guilty about supposedly contributing to global warming, or if they’ve switched to a more environmentally friendly inhaler that doesn’t work as well for them, the health consequences could be severe.

Articles that criticize medications and medical products as harmful to the environment can also make people with health conditions targets for bullying and harassment. Social media has made it easier to hurl abuse at a random chronically ill person tweeting, “Hey, I need this to live” than to hold corporations and governments responsible for trashing the planet. Before you demand that someone change their asthma medication, ask yourself, who is harming the environment more, the coal plants and the millions of cars spewing out toxic greenhouse gases or the people who can’t breathe because of them?

It may seem far-fetched to think a person with asthma could be harassed for using an inhaler in public, or be forced to use a less-effective inhaler, but it’s already happening with another device that’s essential for many people with disabilities — straws. The movement to ban straws was relatively obscure until a video of a sea turtle with a straw stuck up his nose went viral. This video rightly enraged the public, but the public then wrongly pushed for straws to be banned, drowning out the voices of people with disabilities who require straws to drink.

[more in link]

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Fuck the BBC and fuck eugenics. We will not go quietly as your sacrifice just because you found a new reason to hate us. We're not the enemy just because we're a convenient target.

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scootoaster · 4 years ago

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Nursing homes aren’t equipped to provide life-saving A/C in the event of a power outage

Older folks are at a higher risk of heat-related health issues (Elien Dumon/Unsplash/)

There’s always a risk that a part of a plan will go wrong: for instance, even a more powerful backup generator can fail, so it can’t be relied on as the single solution to extreme heat.

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biofunmy · 5 years ago

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Climate Change Poses Threats to Children’s Health Worldwide

The health effects of climate change will be unevenly distributed and children will be among those especially harmed, according to a new report from the medical journal The Lancet.

The report compared human health consequences under two scenarios: one in which the world meets the commitments laid out in the Paris Agreement and reins in emissions so that increases in global temperatures remain “well below 2 degrees Celsius” by the end of the century, and one in which it does not.

The report, published Wednesday, found that failing to limit emissions would lead to health problems caused by infectious diseases, worsening air pollution, rising temperatures and malnutrition.

“With every degree of warming, a child born today faces a future where their health and well-being will be increasingly impacted by the realities and dangers of a warmer world,” said Dr. Renee N. Salas, a clinical instructor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the United States policy brief that accompanied the report.

“Climate change, and the air pollution from fossil fuels that are driving it, threatens the child’s health starting in the mother’s womb and only accumulates from there,” she said.

Children are especially vulnerable partly because of their physiology.

“Their hearts beat faster than adults’ and their breathing rates are higher than adults’,” said Dr. Mona Sarfaty, the director of the program on climate and health at the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University, who was not involved in the report.

As a result, children absorb more air pollution given their body size than an adult would in the same situation.

But unless nations halt emissions, air pollution, which, according to the report, killed seven million people worldwide in 2016 alone, will quite likely increase. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal and gas also releases a type of fine air pollution called PM 2.5 that can damage the heart and lungs when inhaled. Exposure to PM 2.5 air pollution is correlated with health problems such as low birth weight and chronic respiratory diseases like asthma.

Research published in The New England Journal of Medicine after the passage of policies designed to improve air quality “shows that the children who grew up when the air was better quality literally had more functioning lung tissue,” Dr. Sarfaty said.

In addition to the emissions associated with burning fossil fuels, the report said future generations would be exposed to a growing source of fine-particulate pollution: wildfires.

As temperatures rise, wildfires are becoming more frequent in part because hotter temperatures dry out vegetation, making it easier to ignite. The smoke, like the smoke that comes from burning fossil fuels, has negative health effects.

According to the report, since the middle of this decade there has been a 77 percent increase in the number of people exposed to wildfire smoke worldwide. Much of that growth has been in India and China. The 2018 California wildfire season, though, when the Camp Fire became the state’s deadliest and most destructive blaze in terms of acres burned, and this year’s wildfire season make it clear that increasing wildfires are also happening in the United States.

Across the Western United States, the rise of giant wildfires has worsened air pollution enough to erode some of the air-quality gains from the Clean Air Act.

“You have young kids escaping fires that are going to be, in effect, challenged for life,” said Gina McCarthy, a former administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. “There are mental health issues happening as a result of these climate events and fires and floods that children have never had to face, certainly not to the frequency and intensity that they have to face now.”

The report said that there were many links between climate change and mental health, including the loss of property and the loss of livelihoods but stopped short of quantifying the impact.

Part of the exposure risk that children face is simply that they spend more time outside than adults. Coupled with their differing physiology, it makes them more susceptible to fine particulate pollution. These same factors also mean they are more likely to suffer from the effects of extreme heat associated with climate change; eight of the 10 hottest years on record have happened this decade.

The European heat waves in 2003 lead to the deaths of 70,000 people. “We know that climate change had its fingerprints there and that’s concerning,” said Dr. Nick Watts, the report’s executive editor, adding that subsequent heat waves have “resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.”

While many of those people were elderly, young people suffered, too.

As heat waves become more severe, parents and coaches “may not realize that the children are more exposed and therefore more vulnerable,” Dr. Sarfaty said.

A 2017 report that she helped prepare found that, in the United States, heat related illnesses were the leading cause of death and disability in young athletes.

This is the third time The Lancet has weighed in on the health impacts of climate change, but the first with a focus on children. “It was our contention, both negatively, that the health costs were huge and underestimated. But also, more positively, that by putting health first in our response to climate, there were dividends for both the public and for the economy in terms of cleaner and safer cities and healthier diets,” Dr. Richard Horton, editor in chief of The Lancet, said.

To that end, the report does contain glimmers of hope. Carbon intensity, or how much energy can be produced for each unit of greenhouse gas released, has increased. And more cities are filing climate assessments detailing solutions that can be put into place. But these actions are happening against a backdrop of greenhouse gas emissions that continue to rise.

A child born today will live until 2090 on average, Dr. Watts said, noting that without changes to greenhouse gas emissions the planet could warm by 4 degrees by then. “We roughly know what that looks like from a climate perspective,” he said. “We have no idea what that looks like from a public health perspective. But we know it is catastrophic.”

The report, and its focus on children, comes at a time when youth climate demonstrations including school strike protests spearheaded by Greta Thunberg, the Sunrise movement and Extinction Rebellion have attracted attention.

“This may be the first time in the history of the United States that there are children wondering whether they are going to have a future, whether they should have children as a result of the potential for climate change to get worse and worse,” Ms. McCarthy said.

This year, Jamie Margolin, the 17-year-old founder of the climate activist group Zero Hour testified before Congress. “Everyone who will walk up to me after this testimony saying I have such a bright future ahead of me, will be lying to my face,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how talented we are, how much work we put in, how many dreams we have, the reality is, my generation has been committed to a planet that is collapsing.”

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ntrending · 5 years ago

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Medications could affect how you react to a heatwave

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/medications-could-affect-how-you-react-to-a-heatwave/

Medications could affect how you react to a heatwave

If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. (DepositPhotos/)

A dangerous heat wave will broil two-thirds of the U.S. in the coming days, shooting temperatures above 100 degrees in cities from Dallas to St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, D.C., New York, and Boston. The National Weather Service expects between 20 and 30 new record highs will be set today and Saturday, from the Rockies to the East Coast.

Accordingly, heat advisories are in effect across the country, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (which also just announced that last month was the planet’s hottest June on record).

Before you’re tempted to say, “it’s summer, what do you expect?”, consider the forecast highs each day. The dark orange and reds here show where high temperatures will be well above normal. This heat, combined that with high humidity, mean heat index values well above 100 °F! pic.twitter.com/x4pzzdqyTA

— National Weather Service (@NWS) July 18, 2019

During heatwaves, public health officials often warn that the elderly and people with chronic conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular and respiratory disease are at an increased risk of heat-related illness. Less publicized is the elevated risk for people with mental illnesses, especially those taking medications that can interfere with the body’s attempt to cool itself down. Both the number of deaths and emergency department visits for mental health emergencies spike with hot periods, according to a 2018 review by Swedish health officials.

It’s a challenge for anybody’s body to maintain a stable temperature of 98.6 degrees in extreme heat. Your cardiovascular system adjusts your heart rate and blood pressure to compensate for dehydration, and begins sending more blood away from your core and to your skin, where sweat glands allow for evaporative cooling (sweating). Your renal system carefully regulates your water and electrolyte levels to avoid further dehydration. And your brain continues its executive job, sending you cues (like thirst, tiredness, and warmth) to drink fluids and retreat to cool areas or remove layers of clothing.

When those changes are not enough, your body’s core temperature will keep increasing, which can lead to fatigue, weakness, dizziness, cramps, swelling, nausea, or even fainting.

If your internal temperature hits 104 degrees Fahrenheit, heat stroke sets in, which can lead to dysfunction in your organs and central nervous system; the mortality rate of heat stroke is around 50 percent. In 2018, 108 people died from extreme heat, according to weather-related fatality statistics from NOAA.

Scientific studies spanning decades suggest the risk of heat-related health issues goes up for patients with mental illness or those taking psychotropic drugs. Some of that risk could be attributed to the side-effects of certain medications, but that doesn’t mean anyone should stop taking their prescriptions in order to avoid suffering from a heat stroke, says psychiatrist Elizabeth Haase, who teaches at the University of Nevada.

“You can’t just say outright that it’s a problem, but it increases a risk,” Haase says “Psychiatric medicines probably contribute to getting there faster.”

According to results published in 2018, researchers in Bordeaux, France, found that the use of certain psychiatric medications were associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for heat-related medical issues during a particularly lethal 2003 heat wave. Another study from 2009 examining the same European heat wave also linked psychotropic drug use and increased risk of death in older people. Other studies—for example, of a 1980 heat wave in St. Louis and Kansas City and a 1995 event in Chicago—have also noted the association between psychiatric medication and risk of heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

But researchers still don’t fully understand the dynamics of psychiatric medications during periods of extreme heat—or why some patients seem more at risk than others.

For some patients, such as those with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, psychosis, schizophrenia, and developmental disabilities, the awareness and ability to take steps like increasing fluid intake, minimizing exercise, and wearing the right clothing during heat waves could be compromised. But the risk also seems higher for those whose mental illness should have no effect on these decisions.

Medications from amphetamines to antipsychotics, antidepressants, and anticholinergics used to treat Parkinson’s can incite a whole host of side effects, some of which—like impaired sweating, altered sense of thirst, dampened cardiovascular sensitivity, or even increased core temperature—can become dangerous when extreme heat is also a factor.

Research suggests serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline are involved in the body’s thermoregulatory processes, which could help explain why certain medicines that regulate those neurotransmitters could pose a risk.

“This is a very complicated system,” Haase says. “There’s a significantly increased risk, but we don’t know the cellular mechanisms of it.”

Luckily, researchers do have science-backed strategies for dealing with heatwaves.

To keep cool in times of extreme heat, science suggests wearing loose clothing, seeking cool, air-conditioned environments when possible, and forgoing strenuous exercise. Since core body temperature has been shown to rise substantially for every 1 percent of body weight lost to dehydration, it’s extremely important to stay hydrated. Strategically placing ice or cold rags on your body’s pulse points, particularly the neck and forehead, can also help you cool down.

Once temperatures rise above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s especially important for pet owners to take precautions for canine friends whose fur complicates bodily cooling (especially elderly dogs, puppies, and “smush-faced dogs” like pugs or Pekinese who are not as good at panting).

More heatwaves are to come as human-induced climate change goes unchecked. Last summer was also a blistering one for Europe, North America, and Asia, where people died from the heat, wildfires blazed, and infrastructure like roads, train tracks, and power systems buckled or failed. Subsequent research found humans were to blame for the size and number of simultaneous heat waves in 2018.

That means we could face an increasing number of potentially deadly heat waves like the one expected for this weekend. “I don’t think people realize how serious heat strokes are,” Haase says. “People need to realize this isn’t a joke.”

Written By Marion Renault

#DIY

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nash31349536 · 6 years ago

Text

You are Drinking Mold in Your Coffee

According to recent studies, Americans are drinking more coffee than ever before. In 2015, it was predicted that excessive coffee consumption would decrease, thanks to the invention of the coffee pod. This prediction, however, was a flop. Now, in 2019, over 80% of Americans drink coffee daily—that’s about 400 million cups a day—and many confess to drinking two or more! It’s no secret that coffee is America’s most popular drug, but what if there is something more troubling about coffee than the harmful effects of caffeine? What if there is mold in coffee and you’ve been enjoying every sip of it—down to the last drop?

Is There Mold in Coffee?

The question shouldn’t be, “Is there mold in my coffee?” because study after study after study confirms that over 45% of coffees and coffee brands contain significant amounts of mold toxins. To date, there are over 60 sources producing 9.5 million tons of coffee beans per year for the world’s caffeine addiction. If the studies are true, that means that nearly 50%—almost half—of all the coffee in the world is infested with the disease-causing effects of mold. Furthermore, since researchers have yet to test more brands and sources, this means that the percentage could be even higher than 45%.

If consumers only had to worry about coffee mold spores or perhaps even just mold in coffee grounds, that would be one thing. Unfortunately, it’s the secondary metabolite (think: toxic “flatulence”) of fully matured mold that is present in coffee. This toxic mold flatulence, so to speak—otherwise known as a mycotoxin—is produced in varying levels of toxicity, depending on the type of mold.

While studies have revealed several types of mycotoxins and aflatoxins present in 45% of coffees, the most alarming finds, thus far, have been the following mycotoxins and coffee mold symptoms:

Aflatoxin B1. This is a well-known genotoxic hepatocarcinogen, which means it causes liver cancer.

Aflatoxin B1 will bind itself to a segment of DNA, forming a DNA adduct. These DNA adducts, especially in the case of Aflatoxin B1, make cancerous changes to liver cells. To put it plainly, when Aflatoxin B1 is permitted into the body, it switches liver cells into “cancer-prone” mode or full-blown cancer itself, especially if the consumer practices other erroneous health decisions (i.e. poor diet, lack of exercise, etc.).

Fumonisin B1 (FB1). This causes neuronal degeneration in the cerebral cortex, as well as an interruption of lipid synthesis in the brain.

Simply put, it damages the cells of the parts of the brain that are responsible for memory, attention, perception, awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. This is no small thing. Many victims of toxic mold complain of “moldy brain” or “mold brain fog,” but there are countless others who suffer more debilitating changes in cognition, yet they’re often misdiagnosed with mental illness.

In addition, the interruption of lipid synthesis means that the body’s ability to metabolize fat will become disordered. Once disordered, the body becomes imbalanced with less “good” fats (complex sphingolipids) and more “bad” fats (sphingoid bases and sphingoid base metabolites) on the cellular level. The “bad” fats can cause cancer, particularly of the liver and kidney.

Macrocyclic Trichothecenes. Like Fumonism B1 (FB1), this also causes neuronal death (i.e. kills very important brain cells). It also causes inflammation of the olfactory system. This means that, not only is the victim eventually suffering from disabled cognitive function, they’re also subjected to chronic rhinosinusitis, which denies them a proper sense of smell and comfortable breathing through the nose.

Ochratochin A (OTA). This is responsible for serious dopamine depletion and cell death within the brain.

Dopamine is one of the feel-good neurotransmitters that motivates a person’s mood, sleeping patterns, capacity for learning, motor control, working memory, and their ability to focus and concentrate.

Anyone living the stereotypical “American Dream” lifestyle most-certainly is experiencing significantly-low dopamine levels, marked by chronic fatigue or even bouts of depression. It comes as no surprise then that most “American Dream” enthusiasts are hooked on coffee. Coffee—or caffeine, rather—temporarily increases dopamine levels. In other words, it’s a drug that’s legal, infested with mold, and abused on a daily basis by millions of people.

T-2 Toxin. Like all of the above mycotoxins found in coffee, the T-2 toxin causes neuronal death. Not only does it destroy brain cells, it also causes alimentary toxic aleukia, which is a mycotoxin-induced condition characterized by diarrhea, hemorrhaging, leukopenia (susceptibility to devastating infection), nausea, skin inflammation, vomiting, and sometimes even death. In the 1940s, for example, thousands of USSR citizens within the Orenburg District (10% of the total population of that region) ingested T-2 infested grains and died after developing alimentary toxic aleukia. Since research has uncovered the T-2 toxin in coffee, this begs the question: “Are the addictive benefits of coffee worth the risk?”

Why Would There Be Mold in Coffee?

There are several reasons why mold is guaranteed to be in most coffees on the market, but probably the most obvious reason is that coffee crops are raised in tropical climates. Mold species vary by climate and the type of food source available. The warmer and wetter the climate, the greater the variety of mold type and mold growth. Because coffee crops are tropical, they are exceedingly susceptible to mold growth and, subsequently, the disease-causing secondary metabolites known as mycotoxins and aflatoxins.

Secondly, mold spores teem in the millions—if not billions—in any given environment, which makes it next to impossible to ensure coffee beans—undergoing the typical processes in the typical processing environments—will be mold-free. This is especially an issue when coffee beans are spread out to dry in large open areas where coffee mold spores are sure to land and take root among the beans.

Thirdly, those “typical processes” and those “typical processing environments” make for a rather unavoidable cesspool of mold proliferation.

Sadly, not many consumers are aware of the process by which coffee can—and usually does—harbor and proliferate the growth of mold. For instance, the main catalysts to mold growth and mycotoxin development in coffee bean production is the fermentation process, length of storage, and storage materials.

Fermentation

Once harvested, the ripe and even overripe coffee cherries are pulped (crushed open) to reveal the inner coffee bean. Even after removing the skin and pulp, the coffee beans are still tightly encased in their mucilage. The mucilage—a slimy sheath that surrounds the coffee bean—is comprised of carbohydrates, simple sugars, and protein—all of which significantly whet mold’s appetite.

The mucilage-removing fermentation process that the slippery beans undergo involves cement tanks, water, and 16 to 36 hours of fermentation. While fermenting the coffee beans may remove this unwanted slimy sheath that would otherwise inspire mold growth, the water, warmth, and fermenting time only encourages mold growth and mold maturation even more.

This is a common problem that coffee producers worldwide readily admit, but because the fermentation process greatly impacts the taste of the coffee, it is the main processing choice of nearly 100% of all specialty coffee producers.

Storage

Coffee is a crop like any other. Similar to grain and corn, coffee beans are harvested, processed, and stored for long periods of time in hot, damp conditions. In the United States alone, storage-induced toxic mold growth is a serious and chronic concern among agriculturists. Nuts, corn, grains, and coffee are all subjected to storing conditions that comfortably host and foster the development of mature molds. Even the shipment of coffee beans, whether by land, sky, or sea, poses a possible threat of mold growth since many shipping containers and trucks cannot combat heat and moisture adequately.

Storage Materials

When coffee beans are shipped from the producer to departments of the brand company, they most commonly arrive in large burlap sacks. The brand company then redistributes the coffee beans in their signature container—usually plastic or laminated barrier film—and they are stored in trucks or shipping containers as they make their way to stores across the country.

The problem with burlap sacks is that they are prone to developing mold themselves. Burlap is made from the skin of the jute plant. Like cardboard, jute fabric fibers are made of cellulose, which provide the most toxic molds all the nutrients they need to take root and grow.

If there are already coffee mold spores present, then the brand company’s plastic or laminated barrier film container only makes matters worse. The mold is kept out of direct light, shielded from severe temperature changes, and any and all moisture is locked in with the moldy coffee. It’s the perfect environment for growing even more mold.

So, Does Your Coffee Have Mold?

There are several indications that you might have mold in coffee. Was there ever a time that you accidentally forgot to toss out the filter from your last brew and a few days passed? If you noticed the smell or visual hint of any mold in coffee grounds within the last filter, it’s guaranteed that the batch of coffee you purchased was already moldy before you brought it home.

Another indication would be a moldy smell coming from your coffee maker, regardless of regular filter changes. Statistically, over half of all coffee brewers are a breeding ground for mold.

Some may be able to detect this mold in their coffee, but many do not smell or taste the mold or mycotoxins in their coffee beans.

And, lastly, you may have become aware of coffee mold symptoms that affect your health. Did you know that ingesting coffee mold spores can trigger allergies? That’s right—just one cup of moldy coffee can cause congestion, coughing, headaches, sneezing, and watery eyes. Even the sudden onset of flu-like symptoms and upper respiratory infections can stem from the consumption of moldy coffee. Gastrointestinal issues, such as bloat, diarrhea, loose stool, cramping, can all be signs of mold in coffee, as well.

So, what are the solutions?

“Mold-Free Coffee” Options

Coffee raised and processed organically at high altitudes is more likely to be as close to mold free coffee as you’re going to get. This is because high altitudes produce drier climates. Mold has very little chance of taking root and growing in those conditions, even if the coffee bean is wet-processed (fermented). It’s not the ideal, but it’s an option.

Best Mold Free Coffee Brands (in no particular order):

Peak Performance Coffee

Café de Loja

Tiny Footprint Coffee

Sight Glass Coffee

Bulletproof Coffee

Why Do You Drink Coffee?

If you love someone, you tend to want to know everything you can about them. If that’s the case, then why is it that you don’t know everything about your most beloved beverage—coffee? If you’re a serious coffee connoisseur or you’re one of the many who feels that they can’t function in the morning without a hot, steaming cup of coffee, then you need to be better informed about what it’s doing to your body.

Even back in the 1860s, it was common knowledge that coffee—caffeine more specifically—was a harmful indulgence that injuriously excited the nerves, causing an aftereffect of exhaustion and the paralysis of mental and physical abilities. There were countless temperance movements that warned men and women of all ages to reduce their coffee consumption or avoid coffee altogether. As early as 1863, health enthusiasts were concerned about the toxins in coffee, especially mold.

Today, people are catching on to the fact that coffee is not necessarily the helpful friend it’s generally perceived to be. There is new evidence that suggests women shouldn’t drink coffee at all. There are even celebrities who avoid coffee and warn others of the negative impact it has on the mind and body.

Check out news staffer James de Villiers’ 14-day “I Gave Up Coffee” experience. It might surprise you to discover that you can relate to his concluding remark: “Coffee became a crutch to make up for other things in my life which were out of balance.”

Consider Healthy Alternatives to Coffee

Mold in coffee is most assuredly dangerous, but the caffeine in coffee and other beverages is also damaging long-term. Thankfully, there are healthy alternatives that not only keep you safe from coffee mold symptoms, they are also just as equally tasty and comforting as that hot cup’a joe.

Best “Hot Coffee” Alternatives

Dandy Blend

Rasa (See the reviews!)

Teechino French Roast

Roma

Points to Remember about Mold and Coffee

Nearly 50% of all coffees tested contained mycotoxins!

Five (5) of the deadliest mycotoxins and aflatoxins on earth are found in mold-infested coffee beans!

Nearly every part of the coffee production is subject to mold!

Coffee mold symptoms can range from mild allergies to flu-like symptoms to even uncomfortable bowel movements. Pay attention!

There is no such thing as mold free coffee, but you can reduce your risk by purchasing coffee beans raised organically in high altitudes!

Learn what coffee—not just moldy coffee—is doing to your body before you take another sip!

There are healthy, caffeine-free alternatives to coffee that will not only wake you up and energize you, they’re quite tasty too!

What has been your experience with mold in coffee or even coffee in general? Do you have any coffee alternative suggestions that other readers might be interested in trying? Or, better yet, how do you flavor your coffee alternatives? Please share your responses in the comments below!

For more information regarding mold, mold prevention, and mold solutions, please check out the rest of MoldBlogger.com.

Article by Amanda Demsky from the MoldBlogger team.

from Blogger http://bit.ly/2LcQfzw http://bit.ly/2GSzBRm April 29, 2019 at 05:17PM

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mclamb10011636 · 6 years ago

Text

You are Drinking Mold in Your Coffee

Is There Mold in Coffee?

While studies have revealed several types of mycotoxins and aflatoxins present in 45% of coffees, the most alarming finds, thus far, have been the following mycotoxins and coffee mold symptoms:

Aflatoxin B1. This is a well-known genotoxic hepatocarcinogen, which means it causes liver cancer.

Fumonisin B1 (FB1). This causes neuronal degeneration in the cerebral cortex, as well as an interruption of lipid synthesis in the brain.

Ochratochin A (OTA). This is responsible for serious dopamine depletion and cell death within the brain.

Why Would There Be Mold in Coffee?

Thirdly, those “typical processes” and those “typical processing environments” make for a rather unavoidable cesspool of mold proliferation.

Fermentation

Storage

Storage Materials

So, Does Your Coffee Have Mold?

Another indication would be a moldy smell coming from your coffee maker, regardless of regular filter changes. Statistically, over half of all coffee brewers are a breeding ground for mold.

Some may be able to detect this mold in their coffee, but many do not smell or taste the mold or mycotoxins in their coffee beans.

So, what are the solutions?

“Mold-Free Coffee” Options

Best Mold Free Coffee Brands (in no particular order):

Peak Performance Coffee

Café de Loja

Tiny Footprint Coffee

Sight Glass Coffee

Bulletproof Coffee

Why Do You Drink Coffee?

Consider Healthy Alternatives to Coffee

Best “Hot Coffee” Alternatives

Dandy Blend

Rasa (See the reviews!)

Teechino French Roast

Roma

Points to Remember about Mold and Coffee

Nearly 50% of all coffees tested contained mycotoxins!

Five (5) of the deadliest mycotoxins and aflatoxins on earth are found in mold-infested coffee beans!

Nearly every part of the coffee production is subject to mold!

Coffee mold symptoms can range from mild allergies to flu-like symptoms to even uncomfortable bowel movements. Pay attention!

There is no such thing as mold free coffee, but you can reduce your risk by purchasing coffee beans raised organically in high altitudes!

Learn what coffee—not just moldy coffee—is doing to your body before you take another sip!

There are healthy, caffeine-free alternatives to coffee that will not only wake you up and energize you, they’re quite tasty too!

For more information regarding mold, mold prevention, and mold solutions, please check out the rest of MoldBlogger.com.

Article by Amanda Demsky from the MoldBlogger team.

#RSSMix.com Mix ID 8291996

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