Category Archives: Health Care

Ottawa environmental doctor disciplined for treating suicidal teen with vitamins

Bad news!

I wonder how many people commit suicide due to pharmaceutical drugs that are prescribed?

How many of the doctors whose patients commit suicide due to the pharmaceuticals they prescribed are disciplined?

Dr. Armstrong has helped a lot of people over the years, people that other doctors were unable to help, or worse, subjected to harm.

Finding doctors that don’t harm people with environmental and chemical “sensitivities” (from ignorance, disbelief, or even inadvertently, while others take their oath to do no harm as an excuse to do nothing) is nearly impossible. Too many of us are forced to go without health care as a result.

Although it seems that her approach was lacking in this case (we don’t have all the details), and my condolences go out to the family who lost a loved one, in addition to the hypocrisy of not disciplining other types of doctors after patient suicides, the closing statement in the article is propaganda that will inflict harm on people whose needs are not being served by the current system:

“Critics, including many doctors, say sometimes there’s no evidence that something is dangerous because it actually isn’t dangerous, and trying to find environmental sources for particular afflictions can mean ignoring real problems.”

The critics are usually from the petroleum/pharmaceutical industry and have a lot to lose if MCS/ES is officially understood.

All too often now, ignoring the man-made environmental sources of adverse health effects means ignoring the real problems, and countless people, including children, are suffering as a result.

(continued in the comments, I don’t have the reblogging format down yet)

Teaching Doctors About the Health Effects of Wireless Technology

Health Effects of Wireless Technology Dr

The updated contents of this post may now be found here:

Learning About the Health Effects of Wireless Technology

https://seriouslysensitivetopollution.wordpress.com/2015/01/11/learning-about-the-health-effects-of-wireless-technology/

Support the Ontario Centre of Excellence in Environmental Health (OCEEH)

The Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association of Ontario (MEAO), along with others, has been working on a plan to get proper health care and supports established for the hundreds of thousands of people in Ontario who are affected by the “often overlapping, commonly disabling and sometimes life-threatening conditions of ES/MCS (Environmental Sensitivities/Multiple Chemical Sensitivity), ME/CFS (Myalgic Encepahlomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and FM (Fibromyalgia).”

A quick, easy summary document of the features and benefits of the OCEEH  business case proposal for a comprehensive network of care and support has been sent to every MPP in Ontario. Here it is for you too (copied from the PDF 2014 OCEEH IN A NUTSHELL), so you can encourage your local elected representatives to support it in Ontario, and to support similar plans everywhere else in the world:

ONTARIO CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH (OCEEH)
‘IN A NUTSHELL’

“Five percent of Ontario’s population is affected by the often overlapping, commonly disabling and sometimes life-threatening conditions of ES/MCS (Environmental Sensitivities/Multiple Chemical Sensitivity), ME/CFS (Myalgic Encepahlomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and FM (Fibromyalgia).

As of 2010, over 568,000 Ontarians had been diagnosed with one or more of these conditions. This number grew from 439,000 in 2005, as reported in Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey. It demonstrates prevalence comparable to diabetes, heart disease, cancer and effects of a stroke. These are very widespread conditions, and the 2010 figures are likely underestimates.

Recognition, diagnosis and treatment of these serious conditions are absent from Ontario’s health care system at present. Even though a commission of enquiry recommended services be put into place for ES/MCS as long ago as 1985, exclusion, discrimination and stigmatization of those living with these conditions have been the rule; and Ontario has lost physicians seeking to help these groups.

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Home Dental Extraction SUCCESS (#1)!

This is just a brief post to rejoice about the successful home extraction of a rear molar that was causing me unbearable problems.

The dentist who did this takes seriously his oath to “do no harm” and did not use it as an excuse to do nothing, like most dentists and doctors are prone to doing when they don’t want to change the way they do things to accommodate someone with disabilities.

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Here’s An Interview You Don’t Want To Miss!

An Interview With Bruce Lourie

Connie from the Breast Cancer Fund recently interviewed Bruce Lourie, who has (among many other things) co-authored two books with Rick Smith. Many of you will be familiar with their first book “Slow Death By Rubber Duck”. They recently released a new book “TOXIN TOXOUT”, which was written after repeatedly being asked what could be done about the chemical body burden they discovered and discussed in their first book. In this interview Bruce very candidly discusses some of the issues we all face regarding everyday chemical exposures, and touches on what we can all do about them.

toxINtoxOUT

I’m pretty sure you will want to buy the book after you check out the interview. I don’t have Kobo (just kindle for PC) and can’t read paper and ink books, so I am unable to read the book myself, but if I won a lottery, and wanted to gift everyone I know a book, based on what Bruce discusses in the interview, I think this would be the book.

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Big News for Ontario

From the News Release:

“The province is providing nearly $560,000 to support two new annual fellowships over three years for a total of six new fellowships. They will allow family medicine graduates to complete an extra year of focused training in environmental health, and will help primary care providers like family doctors offer the right care to assess, diagnose and treat environmentally-linked health issues.”

 

“Environmental health is an emerging public health field that examines the relationship between the environment and human health. This includes the role of the environment in contributing to serious health conditions that can be disabling and even life threatening, such as environmental sensitivities, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and other chronic, complex disorders. ”

 

“There is a growing recognition that our environment and our health are connected. Through these new fellowships, we can develop greater understanding of the links between health and the environment in order to provide better care to those suffering from complex chronic illnesses.”

~
~ Deb Matthews
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

 

“The study of the environment’s effects on human health is an important emerging field of research. Support for investigating environmental impacts on health is emblematic of our government’s commitment to strengthen healthy communities.”

~
~ Jim Bradley
Minister of Environment

Full News Release:

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Report: RECOGNITION, INCLUSION AND EQUITY – THE TIME IS NOW

Many of us have been waiting for action for decades, let’s hope that this is the project that finally makes it happen. It has been a long time coming…

‘RECOGNITION, INCLUSION AND EQUITY – THE TIME IS NOW: PERSPECTIVES OF ONTARIANS LIVING WITH ES/MCS, ME/CFS AND FM’

Recognition Inclusion and Equity the Time is Now

From Varda Burstyn:

At long last, I am writing to let you know about four new groundbreaking reports – products of a 5-year initiative that I and colleagues began in 2008 – that present exciting new research on the three environmentally linked conditions of ES/MCS, ME/CFS and FM, and that develop a wonderful new model of care and support for those living with the conditions in Ontario.

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Ontario Centre of Excellence in Environmental Health Project

Ontario Centre of Excellence in Environmental Health

Business Case Proposal Project

I’ve received the following email and attachments (copied below) which we are being asked to share:

Dear Friends of the ES/MCS Community:

 We have some very important and exciting news to share with you regarding the creation of a number of key health and social supports within the health care system for people who suffer from environmental sensitivities and multiple chemical sensitivities (ES/MCS).

 We are attaching the following:

1.     Letter which is self-explanatory with the latest news

2.     Questions and Answers Background Briefing document which describes Steering Committee of the Ontario Centre of Excellence in Environmental Health Business Case Proposal project.

Please read this very important information.

Best wishes,

Denise Magi, V-P MEAO
http://www.meao.ca

AU 2011

What follows is copied from the PDFs for those who do not have easy access to downloading
(The PDF is also available for those who prefer to download files)

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MCS/ES Page

I have finally added a Page to the top of the blog that deals with MCS/ES under the following headings:

MCS – Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, etc
Environmental Sensitivities
Categorical guidelines for levels of disability
Getting diagnosed
ICD Codes
Treatment Options
Mind and Brain
Support
Human Rights and Accommodations

https://seriouslysensitivetopollution.wordpress.com/mcses/

seriously sensitive to pollution

Harvard Medical School Associate Professor Speaks about MCS: Video

Dr. L. Christine Oliver is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Co-Director of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

This is an excellent half hour presentation.

Dr Oliver packs so much about the issues faced by people with MCS into the first 16 minutes of this video. If you can’t watch the whole video, at least watch this much.  Alison Johnson finishes off by reading from her important book Amputated Lives.

Alison Johnson is the author/producer/director of books and documentaries on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Visit http://www.alisonjohnsonmcs.com to download a transcript or to purchase her books or DVDs.

amputated-lives-chemical-sensitivity