This turned out quite long, so if you are after the conclusion, go straight there

Preface

Years ago I went to have an evaluation by an orthodontist, because my tooth had started to shift. He prodded, looked, measured and concluded that to fix my issues will take about two years and a few thousands of dollars, thank you. For various reasons I never went ahead with the proposed plan.

My tooth continued to shift. The poor fella has had a rough go. I fell on it while it was growing and it broke in half; thankfully it grew to the proper size. Then it had bone issues, which basically caused the shifting. Fine. I dealt with that for the last 1.5 years.

Now with the impending possibility of the trip, all sorts of dormant issues are coming to a head and requesting to be dealt with. My wonky tooth being one of them. I had postponed sorting it out, just because it was in the too hard, too expensive bucket , and that one always gets looked at only when absolutely necessary.

It was time to get my bony appendage back to its proper place, because as much as I am not after perfection, its just not looking right and it is bugging me. I looked around at other people’s stories, experiences and pictures. It seemed that it should be possible to swing the tooth back in place in a few months and then I can be given a retainer or even a permanent brace to a tooth nearby and I can go on our trip bucktoothless and not have to worry about it shifting further.

The Search

Finding out an orthodontist was about as easy as…finding an orthodontist. Usually before you hire someone, you go see them, talk to them, have a quick handshake, something. With these guys an initial appointment costs about $150. I cannot afford to check a few out, their interviews are just way too expensive, so I was looking for forum discussions, stories, recommendations online and hoping to pick the right one from the first go. Nothing.

One day I just had enough and picked up the phone and called a few offices. Most had months of waiting before you can even go talk to the orthodontic gods, so they can charge you a hefty sum for the pleasure. My available choices rapidly narrowed into a claustrophobic tunnel and I just decided that the first one I can get in to see, will have to be it, as I had no time to waste.

This is where Dr.Siva Vasudavan enters my life. The woman on the other end of the line tells me that he can see me in a few days and my tunnel lead me to his office. I searched for information about him and it was not much. On his website there is a bit of hype about his work with the Starlight Foundation and volunteering for a program “Give a Smile” which helps people that cannot afford orthodontic work and that made me optimistic that I will be meeting an a person that is comparatively understanding and with a warm heart.

Arriving

The place is big and new with flashy exterior and it quickly gives me the wrong vibe. I reassure myself that this does not necessarily mean that its all business and no human touch. Remember…the book…its cover. Relax. The lady behind the desk is kind and lovely. There is nobody else there, but me and the two women that work there. Its obvious they have opened recently.

I go through the FOUR long pages of questions. I wondered why do they care about my hobbies, occupation or a complete list of names, dates and such for my children and various other things that are not even remotely connected with my teeth. Later on I am told by a friend that they use it to market to you, while the occupations give them a good gauge of your income level and thus they know how much they can get out of you. True or not, I felt happy I didnt spill my guts in the form. It felt way too prodding and invasive and thankfully, I listened to my gut.

Introduction

My form is taken to his office and he shows up after awhile – a young man with a wide smile. Quickly he asks if I was referred to him and when I say I was advised by my perio to get treatment he tells the nurse, I suppose, to do the x-rays that I dont have. There were no discussions, I had not even sit down yet, no explanations, nothing. I was pawned to the girl, lovely and kind, for the x-ray. I knew I needed new one anyway, so I went with the flow, but I definitely didnt feel in good hands. It was all too clinical and somewhat weird. The place is huge with a lot of empty dental chairs, waiting to be filled. Its quiet and ghostly with exception of the fancy plasma TV in the waiting room that breaks the uncomfortable silence. Its just me, the two women and Vasudavan. He behaves as though there are numerous patients and work waiting for him and gives me just as much attention.

I am led to the office and finally sit down across the doctor.

…to be continued.

The ‘consultation’

He grins widely, maybe too much. Then he asks me what is it that I am after, or some words to this effect. I am eager to be truthful and straightforward, because I had the memory of my last orthodontic appointment and I know I cannot take on such a commitment at this time.

- Basically, my main concern is this one tooth. That is what is important for me to fix and since I am going on a long trip in about 6 months, I am interested in whether its possible to move it back to its place in that time and then I can be given retainers, or whatever you deem best, to keep it there while I am traveling. The other area that I would like to fix is the small space between those two teeth here – and I pointed to the x-ray – but this is not that important and only if it can be done in this time frame.

I wanted to make it clear from the beginning what are my constraints and what I am after, because I didnt want him to go on and draw some elaborate plan only for me to spawn it on him that I dont have the time to go through with it. I felt it was only fair to save him the time and effort.

He indicates that what I am after is possible and goes through my x-ray in detail – what teeth have erupted, the one that is missing, the one that is impacted and will never show up and so forth. I am not sure why we are going through it so elaborately, but go along thinking that he knows what he is doing.

Then he asks that I sit on the exam chair and I get up and walk over there. While I am doing this he finishes his sentence with something like:

-…to check your symmetry and [something facial something].

I sit down and a bit confused ask him what is the purpose of that. He seems perplexed by my question and mumbles something about how the examination will evaluate my facial symmetry and bite.

- O..K..and you can do something about my facial symmetry in 6 months? – I am still unsure why this is even necessary and how can putting my tooth back do anything about my facial features.

Uncomfortable pause again.

- Well…hm…no – he looks down on me.

- So why is this evaluation necessary, since I cant do anything about it?

- Well.. – he steps back and still looks perplexed – you may not be able to do anything about it now.. but you may return from your trip and decide that you want to fix any other issues we may find.

I gave up trying to figure out the reasoning behind this push and just assumed he had to do something to justify this quite expensive conversation and just let him do it. Just how ridiculous the whole thing was became quite apparent to me when he was measuring with a tiny ruler the imperfections of my teeth and calling numbers to his assistant, who was keying them in my online file.

My midline is 1mm off and my top teeth are off 2mm from the bottom. This may sound all scientific and important to some, but the fact of the matter is that I couldnt care any less about this. Seriously, I can safely say that I have not ever looked in the mirror in horror with my slightly misaligned teeth and I will not spend a second worrying about it now that I have the professional stamp of diagnosis of imperfect teeth.

But he insisted this was a good idea and I hoped it is somehow related to what it is that I wanted from him, clearly expressed by me the moment we started this exercise.

We sit back on our ends of the desk and he starts to explain what his plan is. We put this there, this there, close this gap, move this here – the pen is flying across the picture of my teeth on the screen like a conductor. I listen and try to take it all in, but somehow it doesnt fit in.

- And you can do all that in 6 months? – I ask surprised with owe.

- …Nnno, not in six months – he rests in his chair – probably about 9 or 12 months.

- Right, but I dont have that much time. – I say and wonder if I am seriously wondering if I am speaking the same language as him at this time.

We keep on going to and fro and I feel like I am swimming against the current. I repeat a few times that its not important to me to fix everything at this time, I just want to get my tooth back in its place and any extra that can be done in 6 months is just a bonus, but definitely not something I am after at this moment. He keeps on, offering elaborate solutions, which quickly fade into the realm of magic world as soon as I ask if they can be done in SIX MONTHS.

Finally, he realizes that maybe I mean what I say and blurts:

- Well, before we can do anything you need to have surgery!

My head spins even further in this monologue dressed as consultation and my jaw drops.

- Surgery?!

- Yes. You need to have this impacted tooth out – and points to the x-ray. There is no more wide smile on his face.

- Why? – I am still trying to acclimatise to the news.

- Because when we start to move the teeth, the roots of the teeth above it may break/crack [something] on it.

I am looking at the x-ray and trying to figure out what he is saying. The tooth in question is in the quadrant of my mouth that I am not in need of any work. I try to talk to him about it and why is in necessary and he is insistent about it

- This tooth can give you lots of issues, cysts and problems. It needs to come out!

- I understand and if it starts to act up, I will definitely have a look at it, but it has never given me any issues…

I try to think, but his proposal just doesnt make sense and why didnt he say that when we looked at the x-rays in detail at the beginning…you would think it would have been something worthy of mentioning: Hey, you need to have this tooth dug out of your bone before anything else can happen.

- Ok, then I dont want any work on my lower jaw. At least fix my tooth, its what is important to me anyway.

- So, you dont want to work on the lower teeth? – he is clearly unhappy with me.

- No. Not if it will mean I have to have a serious surgery to get it.

He is annoyed and reaches in his top drawer and flings me a business card.

-  This person can do the job you are after.

I am dumbfounded and my heart rate raises at this point.

- You refuse to treat me?

- I dont think that what you are after is optimal – he says as though I am some sort of an idiot.

- So what I want and is important to me is not optimal for you? – I cant even believe I am having this conversation.

- …well…I just…I dont feel its optimal.- his smug face utters, as though I should care more about what he thinks of my wishes for my teeth.

I am now fuming inside, if I was a screaming kind of a person I would be doing it at this moment.

- Its not optimal for you, because what I want is not enough money for you – I said, or something to this effect I cant remember, because it all felt like a bad movie that had an even worst ending at this point.

And left the office. There is only so much optimism that I can have in a situation that stinks, no, wreaks.

Left Waiting

I went to the front desk and asked for my bill. My heart was racing, my mind was having trouble digesting the situation, it was so ridiculous, hidden camera quality ridiculous.

Then, as though his disrespectful treatment so far was not enough, Vasudavan left me waiting at the desk for quite awhile, as he was pounding loudly on the keyboard from his office. The woman across was feeling a bit uncomfortable, as she could see I couldnt wait to pay and get out of there, but she apparently could not set up my invoice until His Rude Majesty finished his wild maniacal typing. She went to his office once, then asked the other woman if she can finilize my account before he is done – negative – and then we had a bit of small talk about the weather. I just wanted to leave the ghostly space, but it was not her fault, so silencing my pounding heart, I commented on the rain and temperature.

Click-clik-click was flying from the open door at the end of the hall, undoubtedly writing something flattering about my attempt at having an opinion about my teeth that disagreed with his, and worst, not changing my life’s plans to fit into his ‘optimal’ idea of what they should be. I was just wondering how much more insensitive can this person be and used the time to ask the smiling lady to send me my x-rays and the findings/results from my consult. She confirmed that it will be no problem to do that.

Finally, my file and I were released and I could pay, essentially for receiving nothing for what I came for, and leave this place in my past. Hopefully shortly in my long forgotten one.

Wrap up

I was as clear as possible about what I want and the time constraints I have from the first moment we spoke. Dr. Siva Vasudavan then spent the entire manipulation consultation trying to offer me everything that I was NOT interested in  and did NOT fit in my available time frame.

“Each individual ‘s orthodontic needs are different and deserve personalized attention” said the welcoming letter from the practice. I got absolutely no personalized attention. My voice was not heard, my needs were not respected, not only that, they were completely ignored and devalued. In fact, I wonder if Dr. Vasudavan even listened to me at all, or he did,  but decided that he will quickly manage to change my mind.

“There will be an opportunity for you to ask questions or express your concerns, and we will endeavor to address them to the best of our ability” – my questions were not welcomed and my concerns were pretty much laughed at.

If the issue was that what I am after is too small of a job, he could have simply said that to me. Something like:  “This is a pretty straight forward, easy job, and having in mind that we just opened and have a lot of ground to cover, I cannot afford to take your case, but I have a colleague I work with, who can do this for you without a problem. Would you like me to call him for you and organize an appointment?” would have more than made me happy and I can certainly understand such a position. Instead, my wishes were branded as ‘not optimal’, my aesthetic goals were not approved and I was tossed a business card and not accepted as a worthy client; and then asked to pay heftily for the honor.

Dr. Siva Vasudavan may be a wonderful orthodontist and he may very well be able to turn a wild forest into a perfectly lined wooden floor. I dont know. I know that I asked him to fix a tooth that is bothering me, he deemed my wish as not good enough and instead… left me with a crooked tooth. Presumably a more optimal result than what I was after in his eyes.

“We pride ourselves on excellent communication with our patients” continued the letter.
“as long as they do as they are told and refrain from thinking they know what they want” will be my addition to it for any future client of Dr.Siva, as he casually signs his correspondence.

©Snaps & Blabs, 2010. | Permalink | Still a monologue | Add to del.icio.us
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I think its important to be seen by any parent who is considering this completely barbaric procedure. If you dont agree with the adjective, think its a bit over the top, do watch this. I dare you to watch it with the sound on. I couldnt. I tried, but I couldnt, it made me want to cry.

After the jump…

‘Welcome’ to the world, little one (medical procedure warning):

Needless to say, my son was born perfect and was not subjected to any body mutilation modifications. He will be free to do whatever he wishes with his penis when he grows up. It is his after all.

©Snaps & Blabs, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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Now, one would (quite reasonably, I would say) assume that cows somewhere get pumped, a big truck takes the milk to the factory, where its heated as required and then packaged into whatevers and delivered to a shop near you, where you buy it and drink its “wholesome goodness”. Its not just a blind assumption, mind you. Recently we visited the local processing factory and we were given a similar explanation. There was even a cutesy video of a happy cow and the milk getting to them and then they pasteurize it and send it off to us, the customers.

It turns out, this is all bullshit, excuse the language, but its fitting.

Milk gets to the factory and basically gets processed into cream and the rest. Most of the cream goes to further work- butter, cream and so on. The “rest” gets rebuilt to resemble milk, but only enough to pass the government regulations. The government says how much fat it needs to have to be considered ‘full cream’ and skim and the rest. So the factory puts just enough fat back in to satisfy those guidelines. Milk from our cows is about 4% fat (jersey cows are much higher). The minimum it needs to be to be full cream is 3.2%,  they add back to about 3.4% and the rest is kept. It makes sense, really, the cream is the expensive wonderful part, why give us more than they have to.

So now they have enough fat in the “rest”, they try to extend it even further. They grab a left over watery sugary by product from cheese making – permeate – and they mix that in as well. That surely extends the product even more. Why throw the stuff to the pigs, as used to be the norm, just give it to the consumers, they at least pay for it. Apparently some milks have around 10% of the stuff.

Now they have built up the mixture to something that can be called milk officially. Now it needs to be heated up to kill potential bugs. Since they also homogenize it – or break up the fat molecules into smaller ones to make the cream not rise to the top and look nice and save us the shaking part – a process that can cause issues with the enzymes naturally in the milk, the heating up is done very soon after, to kill the buggers. Enzymes are actually wonderful little things, but oh, well.

Natural? Milk?

If you want minimally processed milk, find an organic unhomogenized one from a small local producer (raw is probably best, but good luck with that one).

______________

Further reading:

The Choice Article  

Article about farmers' objection to use of permeate

Homogenization explained 

©Snaps & Blabs, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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I am writing to voice my objection to the proposed changes and their un/intended consequences instituting a medical model monopoly over the birthing options of Australian women.

Background

You may not be aware, but at the moment women can choose to give birth in a hospital, in a birth centre or at home. The latter being a less known option and thus used by very few women, as it is never given as one by medical practitioners. It is available never the less for those that actively search it out. In most states the woman has the option to hire, at her own expense, a fully qualified independent midwife to attend her birth and provide the support she may need.

From a woman’s perspective the current situation is not perfect as it essentially reserves the option of an independent midwife for a certain class of women who can afford the $4000-$5000 cost of this personalized service. And it is just that, high quality, one on one care – appointments at the expectant mother’s house throughout the pregnancy, monitoring progress and health not only with scales and machines, but through extended conversations and discussions, which reveal more than any quick check up can. The woman is then supported throughout her labour in the comfort of her own home by the same person she has built a trusting relationship with in the past several months. The support is continuous and there is no change of shift that can disturb this comfort and familiarity. After the birth, the midwife can assess both the mother’s and the newborn condition in her position of a qualified medical professional and ensure their health and well being is not in any danger and if needed can make the call with the woman for any needed transfer to a hospital. The care doesn’t stop here, as she continues with the home visits past the birth of the child to ensure the safe transition for both mother and child. This is a service that cannot be given by any other form of medical care. That is why when the Maternity Services Review asked for suggestions from us as to how things can be improved in the area, many responded and more than half of the submissions (53%) asking for more support and recognition of homebirth.

We were not heard.

Proposed Changes

Not only were we not heard, the resulting changes to the law will have the effect of making independent midwives and their services illegal.

Clauses from the draft legislation Health Practitioner Regulation Law 2009:

The government steps in and ensures indemnity insurance for all other medical professionals, but it will not extend the same curtesy to independent midwives, which will leave them unable to fulfil the requirements for registration and thus become unable to practice, despite being fully qualified and trained to do the job.

After the initial shock, women from all over Australia followed up and made close to 2000 submissions to the senate enquiry.

We were not heard.

This issue is not about whether homebirth is safe. There are enough studies to show that whether slightly safer or slightly riskier, the choice to birth at home is not a reckless one. Certainly no more than getting in our cars every day.

The issue is freedom for women to choose how and with whom to give birth. Who can have access to our bodies in this quite vulnerable process. We already accept that no woman should be made to birth if she doesn’t want to and support the elective surgery of cesarean section as a viable option of delivery. The government funds it, even though it carries more risks to the mother and baby and despite being a lot more expensive than normal birth.

And yet, if these changes are passed, if a woman doesn’t want to give birth in a institutionalised medical environment, but still wants to be supported by a qualified professional in the face of an independent midwife, she will be denied her choice.

I am quite gutted by this prospect, even more so that this draconian, anti-women law is being pushed by a government I have voted for; a government that prides itself on defending the rights of the vulnerable, the rights of the minorities in our community. But then Minister Roxon light-heartedly dismisses our concerns as we are such a “tiny group” and its too hard to figure out how to fit us and our choice in with the proposed changes.

I am off to Canberra with women from across Australia and will be outside Parliament house fighting for our rights. I hope someone inside will actually finally hear us.

And since you, Minister, are my representative in there, I am letting you know and hope you will do that – represent me and give voice to my very real concerns and opposition to the proposed changes.

Regards,

S.B.
Hoping to never give birth in a hospital again

______________________________

©Snaps & Blabs, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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Being sick sucks. It feels horrid and it is definitely no fun, there is no arguing about it. And it should feel like that. Our whole body is at war, all the defenses and army is up and fighting with the invader, using all the possible ammunition. The desire to escape the situation is quite understandable. Early physicians knew that and used it for their benefit. They kept on experimenting with new ‘discoveries’ in order to make an impression on the patients and to keep on justifying their profession – ‘harmful drugs made the presence of the physician a dubious advantage in much medical care. Wellington state in 1870 that “over medication has been the besetting sin of the  medical profession”‘ [1. American Physicians in the Nineteenth Century ]. This is 1870, long before the bloom of pharmacology and Big Pharma.

One of the enemies back then and now is fever. They were determined to bring it down “at all hazzards” and used variety of ways to do so – blood letting and aconite amongst them. Today antipyretics (fever reducers)  are some of the most used drugs out there – who hasnt popped a Panadol/Paracetamol/Motrin/Tylenol/Aspirin etc. etc. recently? Its almost a given to do so at the first sign of the raise in temperature. Is the fear of fevers actually justified or is it an irrational one?

Fevers are not specific to us humans. Just about every vertebrates and invertebrates respond with it when faced with toxins or dangers to the creature. This ability has been kept and developed throughout evolution, despite the expense it costs us in regards to energy use. Its not easy to raise our temperature and its not cheap. We use ten percent more energy for every 1 degree raise we achieve. This would not have continued to be so if there was no benefit to be gained. The creatures that did this for no good reason would have simply not survived and after a few thousand or millions of years, the feature would have been lost. [2. Is Fever Beneficial?]

And yet here we are each of us running a fever when needed without a fail. So what is the benefit?  It enhances the immune response.  It helps the mobility and activity of white cells. In patients with sepsis, fever has been shown to reduce mortality [3. Fever control in septic shock : Beneficial or harmful?]. Higher temperature is thought to make the person less hospitable for the growth of bacteria [4. Myth vs. Reality - Should you treat fever? ] and a few more complicated beneficial effects.

“Although treatment of fever may improve patient comfort and reduce metabolic demand, fever is a normal adaptive response to infection and its suppression is potentially harmful.” [5. Fever in the critically ill medical patient ]

And we come back to the comfort. Yeah, fever may be helpful, but if we can save ourselves the unpleasant feelings, why not do it? No particular reason other than saving our livers and system from unnecessary drugs. There are none of them that dont come along with a price. Paracetamol (Tylenol, Panadol, Efferalgan) for example, is derived from coal  and toxicity from it is the biggest cause of liver failure and drug overdoses in the Western World [6. Paracetamol - Wikipedia ] . Popping a pill to supress the work of our bodies may seem like an easy way out, but in effect it makes more work for the already taxed system, now it needs to clean up the chemicals on top of dealing with the infection. The Australian Prescriber in short advises that:

“there is little evidence to support the use of paracetamol to treat fever in patients without heart or lung disease, or to prevent febrile convulsions. Paracetamol may prolong infection and reduce the antibody response in mild disease, and increase morbidity and mortality in severe infection.”

The fever is not the enemy. The issue still needs to be dealt with and the issue is not the fever, contrary to the numerous ads that make it seem so. The fever is not an ugly monster that is attacking our child and by drugging it we are not heros.

Here are some more fever myths and facts from the Motts Children’s Hospital . Really, the evidence against antipyretic use is quite plentiful, but in the end I think this quote from the Bulletin of the World Health Organization summarises well the reality:

“Fever represents a universal, ancient, and usually beneficial response to infection, and its suppression under most circumstances has few, if any, demonstrable benefits. On the other hand, some harmful effects have been shown to occur as a result of suppressing fever: in most individuals, these are slight, but when translated to millions of people, they may result in an increase in morbidity and perhaps the occurrence of occasional mortality. It is clear, therefore, that widespread use of antipyretics should not be encouraged either in developing countries or in industrial societies. Unfortunately though, just as fever represents an ancient biological response, an emotional effect is embedded deeply. Through the ages, parents have seen that when fever begins to diminish and disappears, the child feels better and recovers from the illness — whatever it was. Thus, the fever has become synonymous with the illness. This flaw in logic has persisted in parents’ and physicians’ minds, and they are seduced by the thought that if they “make the fever go away, the patient will be well.” No amount of scientific discourse will change this attitude, and antipyresis will continue to be used in children with low-grade fevers, or even no fevers, in the home as well as the hospital.”

…no amount of evidence will change attitudes. How true, not just in this particular case.

Its not just a pill. And now you know.

.

©Snaps & Blabs, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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I was at the mall today, as I had to buy some things. Dont get all scared on me, I will not take it out on you. This has nothing to do with my love for the mall.
So, I am there in the queue waiting for my turn to fork out the money and I engage in trolley watch. Its a fun game and makes the time pass much quicker. Plus, who doesnt like to peak into other people’s stuff? Where else can you find out what tampons that woman is using? Or that the hunky dude has a toddler AND a baby at home? Fungal issues? Touch of the dandruff? There are no secrets at the queue with your life all hanging on the criss crossed metal of the trolley ahead of you.
People are idiots [1. In modern English usage, the term  describes an extreme folly or stupidity].

A few minutes earlier I was getting a bottle of water from one of those fast foodie places and a woman arrives pushing a trolley. She had what looked like a big doona on her leg. It looked all soft and fluffy. So she walked all funny. She also had a catheter on her arm all taped up and there were tubes coming out of it. One of those was attached to some kind of equipment box that was hanging from her neck. The tapes that were holding the line were pulling her old wrinkly skin, her face was tired, but devout of emotion, as though she is just so used to it all. She stood next to me and paid for her coke (but diet!) and a sausage roll to “nourish” her poor body. Then slowly pushed her trolley, limping on that big soft foot.

Back to my queue.

When I see one of those trolleys filled with chips, chips, cereals, cordials, juices, chips, frozen meals, processed hopefully used to be meats, chips and a juice for a good measure I judge. I will not pretend I am oh, so mighty free of prejudices person. I am not. At the sight of that trolley, which is in most cases pushed by a fat owner, I judge. Out of all the food and choice in those mall groceries, you chose THAT? That is what you came up with?

People are shmucks [2. A clumsy or stupid person] .

All that crap goes in the body. That is what it is expected to use in order to sustain a system so complex we still havent figured out?
Ok, my dear body, here is some juice (water, color and fake flavor), some chips (used to be potato, salt, old cheap oil, fake flavor and some color maybe), some processed thing that is supposed to be meat (who the hell knows whats in that).. now go ahead and feed my brain, renew all the cells in my body, fight the constant assault of bacteria and viruses, make sure all those organs work properly and are fed the way they need to, k! Deal! Now fuck off.
People are fools [3. One who is deficient in judgment, sense, or understanding].

When we are sick, nothing else matters. If that pesky body of ours is not right, all else falls to the side and we realize how essential our health is. No amount of money, holidays, fancy houses, designer clothes could even come close to the importance of our health for our happiness. We would give it all up in a second for a working body.

90% of all ills can be avoided with regular exercise, healthy diet and regular exposure to sunlight. Thats it. Our bodies have gone through thousands of years of evolution. They are made to work. And they do amazingly well under the lack of nutrition and care they are given in our ‘developed’ societies. Imagine if one actually bothers with them and provides them with what they actually need.

This may seem like a vent, but its a motivational internal speech I have been lecturing myself for the last few months. I have slacked and feel not up to par with my self. Feel guilt in my own body, which seems in need of some one on one time.  My hair is a bit funny. My skin slightly drier. Energy is not that good. Not much, you will say, but its enough of a sign for me. I dont want to wait for the big stuff.

This is my own kick in the butt. I need it.

Do you?

©Snaps & Blabs, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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©Snaps & Blabs, 2009. | Permalink | Still a monologue | Add to del.icio.us
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And then I saw it, it grabbed my attention and I plopped it on top of the pile of books we had designated to cart back home – usually quite a sizable load.

What an eye opening read this was. I was already quite suspicious of the drugs being flung here and there for just about any ailment (real or not) under the sun. I didnt need any convincing to keep them away from my and my loved ones’ bodies. But this cemented my view with quite a lot of substance.

This book goes into quite a lot of detail about the pharmaceutical business – its set up, premise, wheelings and dealings, influence and tentacles probed deep into just about every crevice of the government and medical establishment. Its about the abuse of tax payer money, that are funding the vast majority of research into discovering drugs, which are later sold back to them at exuberant prices. About the lack of innovation on the part of the drug companies themselves. Its about the diseases they sell us and a whole heap of disturbing facts surrounding the industry. The author, Marcia Angell, M.D., is the former editor in chief of The New England Journal of Medicine and as one would expect, her claims are well backed up and palatable for the mind. This aint some crazed drug rep, scorned by an untimely dismissal a girl that didnt want to put out on the second date.

I will not even attempt to give you a short version of “The Truth About the Drug Companies”, you just need to read the whole lot, as its all connected and part of the big picture.

But here are a few quotes:

“The ALLHAT study was eight years long and involved over 42,000 people at more than six hundred clinics, the largest clinical trial of the treatment of high blood pressure ever done. It compared four types of drugs: ..Norvasc, the fifth best selling drug in the world in 2002; …Cardura, and also sold generically as doxazosin; an angiotensin-converting-enzime (ACE) inhibitor – sold by AstraZeneca as Zestril and by Merck as Prinivil..; and a generic diuretic (*water pill”) of type that has been on the market for over fifty years.

The results, reported in 2002 in The Journal of the American Medical Association, were startling. To nearly everyone’s surprise, the old time diuretic turned out to be just as good for lowering blood pressure, and actually better for preventing some of the devastating complications of hight blood pressure – mainly heart disease and strokes…

Yet over the years the newer drugs had largely supplanted diuretics as treatment for high blood pressure. “

And:

“…Prozac lost its patent protection in August 2001 and is now sold as generic fluoxetine at about 80 percent less than it used to cost..

But that doesn’t mean Eli Lilly just gave up. It tried to stay in the SSRI business by patenting a weekly dosage form of Prozac. And in a move even more audacious than the switches from Prilosec to Nexium or from Claritin to Clarinex, it renamed Prozac Sarafem, colored it pink and lavender, and got FDA approval to market it for “premenstrual dysphoric disorder,” its term for severe premenstrual symptoms. Same drug, same dose, but priced three and a half times higher than generic Prozac at my local pharmacy.”

Most people will find it hard to look at this information with clarity. It is hard to shake off billions of dollars spent on making us believe we need all these drugs, bribing and ‘educating’ our doctors and supporting the most powerful lobby groups in Washington.

I know you wont run out and read this book, but will you at least pay attention to this – the author’s advise on how to protect your interests. When your doctor is suggesting a certain drug for you, how about asking a few simple questions, before putting it into your body:

” What is the evidence that this drug is better than an alternative drug or some other approach to treatment?

Has the evidence been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal? Or are you relieing on information from drug company representatives?

Is this drug better only because it is given at a higher dose? Would a cheaper drug be as effective if it were given at an equivalent dose?

Are the benefits worth the side effects, the expense, and the risk of interactions with other drugs I take?

Is this a free sample? If so, is there a generic drug or an equivalent drug I can use that is cheaper when the free samples run out?

Do you have any financial ties with the company that makes this drug? For example, do you consult for the company? ..Are you being paid to put me on this drug and enroll me in a drug company study? Do you make time for visits from drug company representatives?”

Feel funny about it? Dont. Its your body and health at stake, dont allow it to be used and abused for the sake of profits. It doesnt help drug companies and doctors when you are healthy, think about it. They dont have interest in your health. You do.

And to finish a serious post, here is the same message, but with a smile:

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Our feet are on the way out, dangling over the edge of the door, being cooled down by the gentle breeze of the freedom beyond the train. But I want more. We want more. We are dreaming of building our own house by ourselves. Not your average mainstream house…our own. Earth and human friendly, non toxic, random and imperfect, but touched with love and attention only the way one can do themselves. Wild and free, beautiful and friendly…a place where all the things inside are meaningful and treasured, no cheap disposable plastic and stuff that exists only because someone somewhere wants to pay their mortgage and own a yacht.

Oh, the dreams.

But back to the topic – stuff.

Recently I stumbled upon a little fun presentation called “The Story of Stuff”. A wonderful succinct way of describing why the consumerism culture is not as good as we have been led to believe.

Watch it:
Its own website
OR
Youtube

Can you see through the emptiness of the things that surround you? Or do they really bring you the happiness and joy that was promised when they were sold to you? I am curious to hear your views, not just fishing for some comments

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I have been getting a few questions about this, so here is the scoop.

Cloth nappies are not your grandma’s nappies anymore. The choices are wide and varied – small, big, easy, organic, in pieces and not, with folding and not, quick drying and not so, with cover or without… something for everyone.

In short though, a nappy needs two things: absorbency and waterproofing and here are the main types according to the way those two points are taken care of:

Flat or prefolds – (ok, these are kind of like your grandma’s nappies, but not quite. I dont think many people use muslin squares anymore and if they do…stop!)
These are just rectangular pieces of cloth. Prefolds are sewn in three sections and the middle has more layers – 4x6x4 means that it is 4 layers, then 6 in the middle, and 4 layers again.
Those are great because they dry quickly and are the cheapest option, but they do need some folding.
They are the absorption, so you need a cover. (pics bellow)

Fitted – these are like padded absorbent pants with snaps or velcro (fitted to the body, so no need for folding). The variety here is mind boggling. Very convenient for use, but usually take longer to dry and are considerably more expensive to buy. One of those can be up to US$35, while a dozen organic prefolds are usually less than that.
Again, they need a cover too. (pics bellow)

All in Ones – these are the cloth equivalent to a disposable nappy, without the tossing. No folding, no cover, its just one piece of nappy that has the waterproof top layer already sewn in the fitted absorbent nappy. They take the longest to dry and are usually quite expensive.

Pockets – here we are talking about the waterproof pants, but with a pocket to put in the absorbent part. The idea is that you just change the pad unless the pants are soiled with poop. I would think they are the quick drying alternative of the all in one, as the inner section can be any piece of absorbent fabric, which could be folded. Lots of people use prefolds in pocket nappies.

Now, what do I use, you ask in eager excitement (you do!).

With my first I used plain ole towel squares. Huge, bulky and horrible absorbency. Then I found out that the times have changed and read all about whats going on. I liked the idea of prefolds, as the fitteds I tried didnt impress me, maybe because they were some store bought brand.

So I moved on to unbleached prefolds and loved them.

The fold I use, makes this neat little pocket/safety catch for poo escapes

You can also see they are starting to fall apart a bit…I do love them, no joke.

Recently I stumbled on a stack of second hand bamboo fitteds and, my prefolds took a back stage. The bamboo is more absorbent and at home I dont use a cover at all. While the prefold would seep, the new ones get just damp, unless a huge pee or double whammy hits.

Plus, they are just plush and squishy and fit my plush squishy man

This is bamboo velour.

For covers I use Bummis Super Whisper Wraps and wool. Love wool! It took me awhile to get past the feeling of heat and scratchy surface, but once I did and bought a few I was sold. They breathe and are stretchy and just plain fantastic. The not so great part is that they need more attetion when washing – done by hand and need regular lanolising to keep them water resistent.

An excellent place for further research and to delve into the vast world of cloth diapering is Diaper Pin , a US site offering great reviews of a pile of nappies, covers and accessories, as well as of the shops that sell them. Heaps of information about what how and why to do anything on this issue. In Australia there is Nappycino , OzClothNappies and a few more. All good places to start.

Thats all folks. I love, enjoy, support and recommend cloth for all little bums. Keep the plastic for the…tupperware.

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