Fired therapist: Stressed Marines got bad care
Camp Lejeune patients had to use trailers near live-fire training exercises
Jim R. Bounds / AP
Dr. Kernan Manion was fired after he complained about conditions for his patients at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.
View related photos
Video: Military news
Report: Vet aid program riddled with fraud
Nov. 21: The $4 billion program is meant to steer government contracts to disabled soldiers, but according to a federal investigation, is actually keeping some from competing. NBC’s Lisa Myers reports.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When will Obama announce Afghan ‘end game’?
Gates expands review of Fort Hood shootings
Military to block Palin media at Fort Bragg
Michelle Obama pays emotional tribute to military women
Democrats have 60 votes to advance health bill
Flight attendant jets from gray to gorgeous
Man gets life in prison for woman's fatal scare
Life sentences sought in Amanda Knox case
'Very fast' pace excites Big Bang machine team
Subway carries 3-year-old boy’s dad away
Slain N.C. girl’s aunt says mom was neglectful
Man charged with raping, killing N.C. girl, 5
New charges against dad, sons in child sex case
Britain sees record rain, 'biblical' flooding
Fired therapist: Stressed Marines got bad care
Pope tells artists beauty can be a path to God
Predatory fish are nearing Great Lakes
Most viewed on msnbc.com
updated 1:22 p.m. ET, Sat., Nov . 21, 2009
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Marines treated at Camp Lejeune for post-traumatic stress had to undergo therapy for months in temporary trailers where they could hear bomb blasts, machine-gun fire and war cries through the thin walls, according to servicemen and their former psychiatrist.
The eight trailers were used for nearly two years, until a permanent clinic was completed in September in another location on the base, said a Camp Lejeune medical spokesman, Navy Lt. Mark Jean-Pierre.
The noise from training exercises "shook me up real bad. I couldn't take it. I almost ran out of there a couple of times," said a Marine patient who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media. "My mind couldn't focus on the treatment. I couldn't tell the difference between the combat zone and the non-combat zone."
The allegations became public after the dismissal of Dr. Kernan Manion, a civilian psychiatrist who says he was fired for writing memos to his military superiors complaining of shoddy care of Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a condition that can make patients jumpy, fearful of loud noises and prone to flashbacks.
"These guys are saying, 'I'm fried and I can't get out,'" Manion said in an interview. Referring to the Fort Hood shooting rampage in which an Army psychiatrist who counseled PTSD victims allegedly killed 13 people earlier this month, he said: "Is there potential for another blowup? Yes, indeed."
In e-mails shown to The Associated Press, Manion complained, among other things, that the military was not dealing with PTSD properly and that the trailers were infested with bugs and noisy.
"Given that PTSD is the most frequent diagnostic group we see, one would question the sense of locating a clinic in such close proximity to the booming of bombs that shake the trailer, the ratta-tat-tat of machine gun fire and the almost daily occurrence of grunts yelling war cries," Manion wrote.
In an interview with AP, Manion said the military should have rented a building off base.
Manion was fired in September after working for eight months for a company that has a contract with the military to provide mental health care on the North Carolina base. He said that when he asked the contractor why he was being fired, he was told it was ordered by the Navy.
Tom Greene, a regional manager with the contractor, Spectrum Healthcare Resources, said in an e-mail statement to the doctor that Manion "did not meet the government's requirements in accordance with the contract." Greene offered no specifics and did not respond to e-mails seeking further comment.
Review said to be in works
The inspector general for the Navy's Bureau of Medicine is reviewing the allegations of inadequate care, a military official said Friday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about it.
Jean-Pierre said artillery fire can be heard nearly everywhere on the 240-square-mile (620-square-kilometer) base, which has 80 live-fire ranges.
In an e-mail, the spokesman said: "We are confident that our medical services are of the highest quality." He would not comment directly on why Manion was fired, but said that civilian doctors have to adapt to the "rapid evaluation and short-term treatment" that the military offers.
Three of Manion's patients told the AP that being so close to the sounds of gunfire made it hard to concentrate and made them jumpy and nervous. The patients, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to media, said they were making progress and were shocked when Manion was fired. All three patients said they trusted Manion after months of treatment and now found it hard to get help from other doctors.
Manion, 59, has 25 years of experience as a psychiatrist with a specialty in traumatic brain injury, or TBI.
He told the AP his Marine patients told him they were ostracized and sometimes punished by superiors for seeking treatment. He said one unit at the base made all of its soldiers suffering from PTSD sit in a room and read infantry manuals.
"How do we help a guy make sense of all that and heal from that when the Marine Corps is saying to get treatment means you're weak?" Manion said.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Wired to Connect
Wired to Connect
posted by Wendy Strgar Nov 20, 2009 1:06 pm
filed under: Love & Relationships, Making Love Sustainable, Relationships & Sexuality, Spirituality, communication, connection, love
Wired+to+Connect
Hello,
I saw this on Care2 and thought you'd like it as well.
Care2 is the largest and most trusted information and action site for people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world.
Care2.com send We hate spam. We do not sell or share the email addresses you provide.
5 comments
Sustainable love skills, the kind that we use as a compass to keep us connected to vital, healthy and happy relationships, are now being recognized as skills that might just save our species.
We finally have the scientific equipment to verify what we have always known: our drive to be social, to be connected to each other, is actually hardwired. Our need for connection and drive towards empathy is not a result of environmental influences but rather a function built into the brain itself. Daniel Goleman, PhD, a science writer for The New York Times and bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence, has taken his research to a whole new level with his book, Social Intelligence.
Advances in neuroscience now allow us to observe brain activity while we are in the act of feeling. We can now witness that we are continuously forming brain to brain bridges–a two-way brain traffic system. In the same way that we can “catch” a cold from someone, we can “catch” their bad mood–or good mood. The significance of the relationship indicates how deeply we are affected and will stimulate actual physical consequences: hormonal response that magnifies stress (cortisol) or induces happiness (oxytocin).
Positive interactions and being surrounded by loving people actually works like a vitamin for your entire being. Negative relationships and interactions don’t just make us angry; they make us ill. As in other brain functions, this one also reflects our amazing neuro-plasticity. This is to say that our brains are continually building new connections–and no matter how young or old, anyone’s personality can be affected by other people. We literally heal each other through our social connections.
This news couldn’t come at a better time, as we continue to replace real interaction with techno-driven reality. Is it really dating when it is virtual? Are we connected to others when we only share words on a screen? More than any new technology, what we truly need is to develop a lifestyle which encourages deeper human connection. Overwhelmed with digital connectivity, it is easy to become oblivious to the people surrounding us. How often have you witnessed someone at a check out stand absorbed in some deep conversation on a cell phone and entirely oblivious to the person in front of them.
Real intimate connections don’t happen on the phone, in a text message or on IM: they require a real-life presence where we pay full attention to the people we live with. Empathy grows in our brain through eye contact, voice recognition, and touch-all of the time-intensive ways of knowing another person well enough that we can’t objectify them. Empathetic connections are the prime inhibitors of human cruelty. Scientists agree that the survival of our species depend on our ability to grow and develop this innate ability and a culture which encourages deep and true human connections.
So next time you’re feeling blue about the state of the world, turn off your electronic gadgetry and go for a walk, preferably holding hands with someone who loves you. Sustaining your love is not only good for you, but you may also be saving an endangered species!
Wendy Strgar is a loveologist who writes and lectures on Making Love Sustainable, a green philosophy of relationships which teaches the importance of valuing the renewable resources of love and family. Wendy helps couples tackle the questions and concerns of intimacy and relationships, providing honest answers and innovative advice. As her online presence continues to grow, Wendy has become a trusted and respected source of information on lasting and healthy relationships. “I feel like I am inventing a language to give intimacy back to the people, take the fear away and open a space for physical love to serve as the glue that holds relationships together." Wendy lives in Eugene, Oregon with her husband, a psychiatrist, and their four children ages 11-20.
More on Love & Relationships (67 articles available)
More from Wendy Strgar (71 articles available)
Hello,
I saw this on Care2 and thought you'd like it as well.
Care2 is the largest and most trusted information and action site for people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world.
Care2.com send
Don’t Be Wired in the Bedroom
(7 comments)
Free Solar-Powered WiFi Coming to a Town Near You
(3 comments)
Sylvia Wulf says
Nov 21, 2009 5:48 AM
Surprise!?? I haven't had a cell phone in years, never owned one of those texting/internet/ multi-app gizmos and don't want one. I use the phone as seldom as possible, and only use email because it keeps me in daily contact with friends and family too far away to see daily. Autism, birth defects and all sorts of ill health issues have been connected to lack of vitamin D and inactivity, and too much cell phone might well be causing brain cancer. I'll pass - a walk or bike ride in the sun trumps a stupid video game any day!
Lyn Z. says
Nov 21, 2009 5:46 AM
I know that when I'm stressed & want to just "hide-out", the best thing that I do for myself is connect with my friends & family, and, of course take my walk on the beach = always brings my mind & body back to center & calms me.
Kristianna Loken says
Nov 21, 2009 2:39 AM
We all know these thinks but we don't admire that.This is really very true post.We must follow it...Thank you so much for such a great post here...
christmas shopping
Justin B. says
Nov 20, 2009 10:21 PM
haha. ya this society is getting more and more disconnected from real people. I wish more people walked and rode bikes, it allows for more opportunities to converse than if you were in a car.
posted by Wendy Strgar Nov 20, 2009 1:06 pm
filed under: Love & Relationships, Making Love Sustainable, Relationships & Sexuality, Spirituality, communication, connection, love
Wired+to+Connect
Hello,
I saw this on Care2 and thought you'd like it as well.
Care2 is the largest and most trusted information and action site for people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world.
Care2.com send We hate spam. We do not sell or share the email addresses you provide.
5 comments
Sustainable love skills, the kind that we use as a compass to keep us connected to vital, healthy and happy relationships, are now being recognized as skills that might just save our species.
We finally have the scientific equipment to verify what we have always known: our drive to be social, to be connected to each other, is actually hardwired. Our need for connection and drive towards empathy is not a result of environmental influences but rather a function built into the brain itself. Daniel Goleman, PhD, a science writer for The New York Times and bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence, has taken his research to a whole new level with his book, Social Intelligence.
Advances in neuroscience now allow us to observe brain activity while we are in the act of feeling. We can now witness that we are continuously forming brain to brain bridges–a two-way brain traffic system. In the same way that we can “catch” a cold from someone, we can “catch” their bad mood–or good mood. The significance of the relationship indicates how deeply we are affected and will stimulate actual physical consequences: hormonal response that magnifies stress (cortisol) or induces happiness (oxytocin).
Positive interactions and being surrounded by loving people actually works like a vitamin for your entire being. Negative relationships and interactions don’t just make us angry; they make us ill. As in other brain functions, this one also reflects our amazing neuro-plasticity. This is to say that our brains are continually building new connections–and no matter how young or old, anyone’s personality can be affected by other people. We literally heal each other through our social connections.
This news couldn’t come at a better time, as we continue to replace real interaction with techno-driven reality. Is it really dating when it is virtual? Are we connected to others when we only share words on a screen? More than any new technology, what we truly need is to develop a lifestyle which encourages deeper human connection. Overwhelmed with digital connectivity, it is easy to become oblivious to the people surrounding us. How often have you witnessed someone at a check out stand absorbed in some deep conversation on a cell phone and entirely oblivious to the person in front of them.
Real intimate connections don’t happen on the phone, in a text message or on IM: they require a real-life presence where we pay full attention to the people we live with. Empathy grows in our brain through eye contact, voice recognition, and touch-all of the time-intensive ways of knowing another person well enough that we can’t objectify them. Empathetic connections are the prime inhibitors of human cruelty. Scientists agree that the survival of our species depend on our ability to grow and develop this innate ability and a culture which encourages deep and true human connections.
So next time you’re feeling blue about the state of the world, turn off your electronic gadgetry and go for a walk, preferably holding hands with someone who loves you. Sustaining your love is not only good for you, but you may also be saving an endangered species!
Wendy Strgar is a loveologist who writes and lectures on Making Love Sustainable, a green philosophy of relationships which teaches the importance of valuing the renewable resources of love and family. Wendy helps couples tackle the questions and concerns of intimacy and relationships, providing honest answers and innovative advice. As her online presence continues to grow, Wendy has become a trusted and respected source of information on lasting and healthy relationships. “I feel like I am inventing a language to give intimacy back to the people, take the fear away and open a space for physical love to serve as the glue that holds relationships together." Wendy lives in Eugene, Oregon with her husband, a psychiatrist, and their four children ages 11-20.
More on Love & Relationships (67 articles available)
More from Wendy Strgar (71 articles available)
Hello,
I saw this on Care2 and thought you'd like it as well.
Care2 is the largest and most trusted information and action site for people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world.
Care2.com send
Don’t Be Wired in the Bedroom
(7 comments)
Free Solar-Powered WiFi Coming to a Town Near You
(3 comments)
Sylvia Wulf says
Nov 21, 2009 5:48 AM
Surprise!?? I haven't had a cell phone in years, never owned one of those texting/internet/ multi-app gizmos and don't want one. I use the phone as seldom as possible, and only use email because it keeps me in daily contact with friends and family too far away to see daily. Autism, birth defects and all sorts of ill health issues have been connected to lack of vitamin D and inactivity, and too much cell phone might well be causing brain cancer. I'll pass - a walk or bike ride in the sun trumps a stupid video game any day!
Lyn Z. says
Nov 21, 2009 5:46 AM
I know that when I'm stressed & want to just "hide-out", the best thing that I do for myself is connect with my friends & family, and, of course take my walk on the beach = always brings my mind & body back to center & calms me.
Kristianna Loken says
Nov 21, 2009 2:39 AM
We all know these thinks but we don't admire that.This is really very true post.We must follow it...Thank you so much for such a great post here...
christmas shopping
Justin B. says
Nov 20, 2009 10:21 PM
haha. ya this society is getting more and more disconnected from real people. I wish more people walked and rode bikes, it allows for more opportunities to converse than if you were in a car.
FDA says Prilosec can block benefits of Plavix
Federal health officials say a popular heartburn medication can block the blood thinning effect of Plavix, which is taken by millions of Americans to reduce risks of heart attack and stroke.
By: Associated Press, Grand Forks Herald
WASHINGTON — Federal health officials say a popular heartburn medication can block the blood thinning effect of Plavix, which is taken by millions of Americans to reduce risks of heart attack and stroke.
The Food and Drug Administration say the stomach-soothing drug Prilosec lowers the effectiveness of Plavix by half.
Because Plavix can upset the stomach, it is often prescribed with acid-blocking drugs.
The FDA says patients who need to reduce their stomach acid should take alternative drugs like Johnson & Johnson’s Mylanta or Boehringer Ingelheim’s Zantac.
By: Associated Press, Grand Forks Herald
WASHINGTON — Federal health officials say a popular heartburn medication can block the blood thinning effect of Plavix, which is taken by millions of Americans to reduce risks of heart attack and stroke.
The Food and Drug Administration say the stomach-soothing drug Prilosec lowers the effectiveness of Plavix by half.
Because Plavix can upset the stomach, it is often prescribed with acid-blocking drugs.
The FDA says patients who need to reduce their stomach acid should take alternative drugs like Johnson & Johnson’s Mylanta or Boehringer Ingelheim’s Zantac.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Health Topics:Pain Management:Rheumatoid Arthritis
Content provided by:
Can Glucosamine and Chondroitin Help Your Arthritis?
New research is changing minds.Find more
7 Steps to Easing Your Arthritis at Home
Safe Strategies for Using Over-the-Counter Arthritis Drugs
Tackling Everyday Life With Arthritis: Patient Struggles and Strategies
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are natural substances found in and around the cells of cartilage that may help alleviate arthritis symptoms. A popular combination supplement taken for joint pain in Europe, the glucosamine-chondroitin combo had been viewed skeptically by U.S. physicians until research began to show that it may be effective.
The role of this supplement in joint maintenance sounds logical. Glucosamine is an amino sugar that the body produces and distributes in cartilage and other connective tissue, and chondroitin sulfate is a complex carbohydrate that helps cartilage retain water and gives it elasticity.
Some promising new research
Logic is nice but doctors prefer proof, and results have been contradictory. Some of the smoke began to clear after a large, authoritative study was conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The study looked at knee pain caused by arthritis, and compared the glucosamine-chondroitin combo against a proved prescription painkiller or a placebo. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February 2006, the $12.5 million study showed that the supplement provided measurable relief for people suffering moderate to severe pain but did not help those in mild pain. The researchers concluded that these results were statistically significant, but that more research is needed.
Still, many doctors recommend the glucosamine-chondroitin combo for arthritis patients. "I think a lot of practitioners feel that they're very unlikely to do harm and some people may benefit, and so they're easy to recommend. They're very low-toxicity medications," says Sharon Kolasinksi, MD, interim director of the division of rheumatology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Personal experience matters—and differs
Some patients are persuaded by their own experiences. Debra Fisher, 52, who has arthritis in her hands, took the supplement and says, "It seemed to help, but not for long."
Charles, 66, of Grantham, N.H., who had one hip replaced, believes glucosamine and chondroitin slowed down the progression of degeneration on his other hip, allowing him to delay a replacement operation for several years.
James McKoy, MD, a Honolulu-based rheumatologist and the chief of the pain service division at Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii, also saw the supplement's potential role to slow disease progression after he tried it himself.
"I started taking it to try to slow down my arthritis when I noticed really significant changes on my X-ray," says Dr. McKoy. "I've not seen that much of a change since then." His mobility, meanwhile, stabilized.
If you use glucosamine and chondroitin, stick with it
Dr. McKoy thinks that patients sometimes give up on glucosamine and chondroitin too quickly. "Many times patients take it for a week or so and if it's not working then they say that it is not helping." He recommends a month, at least, because the supplement is one of the safest treatments available to arthritis patients.
That said, Dr. McKoy cautions against expecting relief if there has been serious degeneration.
"Glucosamine is not going to replace the cartilage. Glucosamine is not going to be that panacea for pain relief," says Dr. McKoy. "But I think that if you have somebody with early to moderate degeneration changes, I think it's very helpful and very safe."
Dr. Kolasinski is less certain: "I feel that there is very little downside to taking glucosamine and chondroitin," she says. "But it is certainly not every patient who benefits from taking them."
Still, the supplement is gaining greater acceptance. When Charles's orthopedist suggested he take it, he was surprised.
"I smiled and looked at him and said I can remember when you guys didn't want any part of this!"
Can Glucosamine and Chondroitin Help Your Arthritis?
New research is changing minds.Find more
7 Steps to Easing Your Arthritis at Home
Safe Strategies for Using Over-the-Counter Arthritis Drugs
Tackling Everyday Life With Arthritis: Patient Struggles and Strategies
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are natural substances found in and around the cells of cartilage that may help alleviate arthritis symptoms. A popular combination supplement taken for joint pain in Europe, the glucosamine-chondroitin combo had been viewed skeptically by U.S. physicians until research began to show that it may be effective.
The role of this supplement in joint maintenance sounds logical. Glucosamine is an amino sugar that the body produces and distributes in cartilage and other connective tissue, and chondroitin sulfate is a complex carbohydrate that helps cartilage retain water and gives it elasticity.
Some promising new research
Logic is nice but doctors prefer proof, and results have been contradictory. Some of the smoke began to clear after a large, authoritative study was conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The study looked at knee pain caused by arthritis, and compared the glucosamine-chondroitin combo against a proved prescription painkiller or a placebo. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February 2006, the $12.5 million study showed that the supplement provided measurable relief for people suffering moderate to severe pain but did not help those in mild pain. The researchers concluded that these results were statistically significant, but that more research is needed.
Still, many doctors recommend the glucosamine-chondroitin combo for arthritis patients. "I think a lot of practitioners feel that they're very unlikely to do harm and some people may benefit, and so they're easy to recommend. They're very low-toxicity medications," says Sharon Kolasinksi, MD, interim director of the division of rheumatology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Personal experience matters—and differs
Some patients are persuaded by their own experiences. Debra Fisher, 52, who has arthritis in her hands, took the supplement and says, "It seemed to help, but not for long."
Charles, 66, of Grantham, N.H., who had one hip replaced, believes glucosamine and chondroitin slowed down the progression of degeneration on his other hip, allowing him to delay a replacement operation for several years.
James McKoy, MD, a Honolulu-based rheumatologist and the chief of the pain service division at Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii, also saw the supplement's potential role to slow disease progression after he tried it himself.
"I started taking it to try to slow down my arthritis when I noticed really significant changes on my X-ray," says Dr. McKoy. "I've not seen that much of a change since then." His mobility, meanwhile, stabilized.
If you use glucosamine and chondroitin, stick with it
Dr. McKoy thinks that patients sometimes give up on glucosamine and chondroitin too quickly. "Many times patients take it for a week or so and if it's not working then they say that it is not helping." He recommends a month, at least, because the supplement is one of the safest treatments available to arthritis patients.
That said, Dr. McKoy cautions against expecting relief if there has been serious degeneration.
"Glucosamine is not going to replace the cartilage. Glucosamine is not going to be that panacea for pain relief," says Dr. McKoy. "But I think that if you have somebody with early to moderate degeneration changes, I think it's very helpful and very safe."
Dr. Kolasinski is less certain: "I feel that there is very little downside to taking glucosamine and chondroitin," she says. "But it is certainly not every patient who benefits from taking them."
Still, the supplement is gaining greater acceptance. When Charles's orthopedist suggested he take it, he was surprised.
"I smiled and looked at him and said I can remember when you guys didn't want any part of this!"
Top Ten Things That Don’t Cause Arthritis
1 in 6 adults in the U.S. has some form of the condition, but it is widely misunderstood.
By Rob Shmerling, Harvard Health Publications
Are your joints acting up because of the weather? Or is your body seeking revenge for the times when you cracked your knuckles as a kid? As comfortable as you might find these explanations for arthritis, clinical experience and research studies have yet to prove that these two myths, and a host of others, are true.
Arthritis is common: One in six adults in the United States has some form of arthritis, and with the aging of our population, that fraction is going up. But the condition is also widely misunderstood. Unfortunately, just about every aspect of arthritis is clouded by uncertainty, misinformation and myth, including how to define it, what causes it, how to treat it and how to predict its course. And misunderstanding about the potential causes of arthritis can lead to bad decisions about treatment.
Read on to learn more about things that do not clearly cause arthritis, since this Top 10 List is not likely to appear on Letterman.
What Is Arthritis?
Strictly speaking, arthritis means inflammation of a joint, which often leads to some combination of pain, swelling, redness and limited motion. There are more than 100 types of arthritis. In some cases, the type of arthritis needs to be specifically defined, because successful treatment depends upon the correct diagnosis. Gout and rheumatoid arthritis are two such examples. Other types of arthritis can be grouped into categories because the prognoses and treatments are similar.
What Causes Arthritis?
While several types of arthritis have a known cause, the majority does not. Examples of common types of arthritis with no known cause include most cases of osteoarthritis and all cases of rheumatoid arthritis. Even when the cause is known (for example, uric-acid crystals cause gout when they deposit in the joint), it is generally not known why some people develop gout and others with the same risk factors do not. A joint infection may clearly be caused by a particular bacterium (as proven by detection of that bacterium in the joint fluid), but that doesn’t tell you why the bacterial infection developed in the first place. An injury such as a broken bone or torn cartilage may lead to arthritis years later, but not everyone with a similar injury will get arthritis. For most cases, then, arthritis develops for no known reason.
What Does Not Cause Arthritis?
When the cause of an arthritic condition has not yet been discovered, it may be difficult or even impossible to disprove a theory, even one that is improbable. Here are some of the most common, but as yet unproven, theories about the cause of arthritis:
1. Overuse
With usual use, joints hold up well most of the time. Some people who are on their feet all day assume that knee or hip arthritis must be related; yet it clearly doesn’t explain the same type of arthritis occurring in the hands. Conversely, if arthritis is caused by overuse, right-handed persons should have more arthritis in the right hand; yet, that is not the case. Another compelling example is that marathoners and other runners appear to have no increased risk of arthritis. There are exceptions, of course: Jack-hammer operators and athletes, for instance, may develop degenerative arthritis because of repeated joint injury.
2. The weather or a damp, cold breeze
This notion probably follows from the rather common experience of arthritis sufferers that the weather seems to affect their joint symptoms. Although my patients often describe the ability to predict weather (“better than a weatherman”), how reliably it occurs or why it happens is not certain. For example, even if a person’s joints ache more every time it is cold and damp, that does not mean the weather caused the arthritis in the first place. At the current time, there is no evidence that identifies any type of weather as a cause of any type of arthritis. Similarly, despite the testimonials of individual people, it is unlikely that sitting near an open window can cause arthritis, even if there is a cold draft.
3. Most medications
Although there are occasional exceptions, prescription, over-the-counter and complementary and alternative medications are not a recognized cause of arthritis. Again, there are rare exceptions: Corticosteroids, including ones available in pill form (such as prednisone) may cause interruption of the blood supply to the bones around the hip, causing death of the bone there (called avascular, or aseptic, necrosis). If the “ball” of the ball-and-socket joint loses its round shape due to avascular necrosis, arthritis may develop. Other drugs (such as alendronate or phenobarbital) may cause bone or joint pain but not arthritis. Similarly, diuretic drugs (“water pills”) may increase the risk of gout, but it isn’t the cause of the disease. Finally, a rare condition called “drug-induced lupus” can follow treatment with the certain medications including procainamide and hydralazine; arthritis may be a part of the reaction.
4. Infections and vaccinations
Most infections, whether due to a virus, bacterium or other organism, will not cause arthritis, and most cases of arthritis are not caused by infection (at least as far as we know). There are infectious causes of arthritis, but they represent a small fraction of all arthritis. Important examples include bacteria (such as Gonorrhea and Staphylococcus), Lyme disease, some viruses (including occasional cases of hepatitis B, hepatitis C or parvovirus). Similarly, vaccinations, including those for Lyme disease and rubella, have been linked in rare cases to the development of arthritis, but the connection to a vaccination has been unclear. Some rubella vaccines contained strains of the virus that seemed to cause arthritis more often; these vaccines were removed from the market and reports of vaccine-associated arthritis are less frequent now. The Lyme vaccine also has been withdrawn from the market, though due to poor sales, not because of side effects. Fortunately, the vast majority of people receiving the most common vaccinations never develop arthritis.
5. The wrong diet
Theories about which diet is best to prevent or treat arthritis have been around for centuries, but with rare exception and some common sense, diet does not seem to play a crucial role in arthritis. First, the exceptions: Some people find that particular foods (or alcoholic beverages) trigger attacks of gout. Secondly, there is an association between obesity and osteoarthritis, so a diet that promotes weight loss may be helpful. And in some cases, inadequate calcium or vitamin D may contribute to osteoporosis; if a fracture occurs as a result, arthritis may eventually follow. However, our current understanding of most types of arthritis comes with no strong recommendation about which foods to choose and which to avoid. It is worth emphasizing that vegetarian diets or those that avoid “nightshade” vegetables (including potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers and eggplant) are not only unproven as arthritis treatment, but there is also no compelling evidence supporting a particular food or food group as a cause of arthritis. Undoubtedly, future research will provide useful information regarding the importance of diet as a cause or treatment of arthritis.
6. Cracking knuckles
Although you can injure a joint by overenthusiastic knuckle cracking, there is rather convincing evidence that regular knuckle cracking has little effect on joint health.
7. Getting older
Although degenerative joint disease (also called osteoarthritis) becomes more common with age, arthritis is not inevitable. Therefore, age alone cannot be blamed as “the cause” of arthritis.
8. Mental or emotional stress
Although there are stories of people having severe emotional trauma and soon after developing an arthritic illness, there is no convincing evidence that psychological stress causes any recognized type of arthritis. On the other hand, stress can make any pain seem worse, and there is controversy regarding the relative importance of psychological stress on the development or perpetuation of joint pain without arthritis (as in fibromyalgia).
9. Poor posture
“Slouching” does not cause arthritis, although certain types of arthritis or bone diseases can affect posture. The idea that poor posture causes arthritis probably follows a misunderstanding of cause and effect: Osteoporosis may cause a stooped posture because vertebrae collapse (called compression fractures). Arthritis in the spine may follow, but the stooped posture is not the cause of the arthritis. Another example of arthritis affecting posture (rather than the other way around) is ankylosing spondylitis, a condition in which inflammation of joints in the lower spine leads to a rigid spine (ankylosis means fusion). However, “poor posture” itself does not lead to arthritis.
10. Inadequate calcium intake
Recommendations to take extra calcium follow the observation that without enough calcium, bones may become thin and so weak that fracture becomes more likely. That’s what osteoporosis is but osteoporosis is not arthritis, and calcium intake has rather little to do with the development of arthritis (unless, as described above, osteoporosis leads to fracture and fracture leads to arthritis).
The Bottom Line
With so many types of arthritis and so little understanding about their causes, it is understandable why many myths about arthritis circulate. In fact, it may be tempting to latch on to even a far-fetched theory about cause rather than accept the explanation that “nobody knows.” But if faulty assumptions about the cause of your arthritis lead you to adopt a difficult or unhealthy diet, or to move to a different climate, or to pursue another costly or risky treatment, you may be sorely disappointed and even less healthy than when you started.
Additional research may force me to remove one or more of the items on my Top 10 list. For now, however, the most direct and honest answer most health-care providers can offer is that we simply don’t know why most cases of arthritis develop. Until better answers are available, my advice for some of the most common types of arthritis is to dwell less on why it happens and to focus more on how to get better.
Find More on MSN Health & Fitness:
What's the Connection Between Food & Chronic Pain?
Can Glucosamine and Chondroitin Help Your Arthritis?
Yes, You Can Have an Active Sex Life with Arthritis
Bing Search: Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment
Comment
I broke my left ankle a couple years ago, and my doctor told me then that I had a much better chance of developing arthritis afterward. He was right, as I now have significant arthritis in my left foot. An x-ray confirmed the arthritis and it is significantly more affected than my right foot. It is not painful yet but both of my big toes have started growing weirdly toward the toe next to them. The doctor said something about the mechanical aspects of arthritis changing the growth patterns, etc. but all I know is its really weird. Also my instep on the left foot is considerably higher than on the right.
By Rob Shmerling, Harvard Health Publications
Are your joints acting up because of the weather? Or is your body seeking revenge for the times when you cracked your knuckles as a kid? As comfortable as you might find these explanations for arthritis, clinical experience and research studies have yet to prove that these two myths, and a host of others, are true.
Arthritis is common: One in six adults in the United States has some form of arthritis, and with the aging of our population, that fraction is going up. But the condition is also widely misunderstood. Unfortunately, just about every aspect of arthritis is clouded by uncertainty, misinformation and myth, including how to define it, what causes it, how to treat it and how to predict its course. And misunderstanding about the potential causes of arthritis can lead to bad decisions about treatment.
Read on to learn more about things that do not clearly cause arthritis, since this Top 10 List is not likely to appear on Letterman.
What Is Arthritis?
Strictly speaking, arthritis means inflammation of a joint, which often leads to some combination of pain, swelling, redness and limited motion. There are more than 100 types of arthritis. In some cases, the type of arthritis needs to be specifically defined, because successful treatment depends upon the correct diagnosis. Gout and rheumatoid arthritis are two such examples. Other types of arthritis can be grouped into categories because the prognoses and treatments are similar.
What Causes Arthritis?
While several types of arthritis have a known cause, the majority does not. Examples of common types of arthritis with no known cause include most cases of osteoarthritis and all cases of rheumatoid arthritis. Even when the cause is known (for example, uric-acid crystals cause gout when they deposit in the joint), it is generally not known why some people develop gout and others with the same risk factors do not. A joint infection may clearly be caused by a particular bacterium (as proven by detection of that bacterium in the joint fluid), but that doesn’t tell you why the bacterial infection developed in the first place. An injury such as a broken bone or torn cartilage may lead to arthritis years later, but not everyone with a similar injury will get arthritis. For most cases, then, arthritis develops for no known reason.
What Does Not Cause Arthritis?
When the cause of an arthritic condition has not yet been discovered, it may be difficult or even impossible to disprove a theory, even one that is improbable. Here are some of the most common, but as yet unproven, theories about the cause of arthritis:
1. Overuse
With usual use, joints hold up well most of the time. Some people who are on their feet all day assume that knee or hip arthritis must be related; yet it clearly doesn’t explain the same type of arthritis occurring in the hands. Conversely, if arthritis is caused by overuse, right-handed persons should have more arthritis in the right hand; yet, that is not the case. Another compelling example is that marathoners and other runners appear to have no increased risk of arthritis. There are exceptions, of course: Jack-hammer operators and athletes, for instance, may develop degenerative arthritis because of repeated joint injury.
2. The weather or a damp, cold breeze
This notion probably follows from the rather common experience of arthritis sufferers that the weather seems to affect their joint symptoms. Although my patients often describe the ability to predict weather (“better than a weatherman”), how reliably it occurs or why it happens is not certain. For example, even if a person’s joints ache more every time it is cold and damp, that does not mean the weather caused the arthritis in the first place. At the current time, there is no evidence that identifies any type of weather as a cause of any type of arthritis. Similarly, despite the testimonials of individual people, it is unlikely that sitting near an open window can cause arthritis, even if there is a cold draft.
3. Most medications
Although there are occasional exceptions, prescription, over-the-counter and complementary and alternative medications are not a recognized cause of arthritis. Again, there are rare exceptions: Corticosteroids, including ones available in pill form (such as prednisone) may cause interruption of the blood supply to the bones around the hip, causing death of the bone there (called avascular, or aseptic, necrosis). If the “ball” of the ball-and-socket joint loses its round shape due to avascular necrosis, arthritis may develop. Other drugs (such as alendronate or phenobarbital) may cause bone or joint pain but not arthritis. Similarly, diuretic drugs (“water pills”) may increase the risk of gout, but it isn’t the cause of the disease. Finally, a rare condition called “drug-induced lupus” can follow treatment with the certain medications including procainamide and hydralazine; arthritis may be a part of the reaction.
4. Infections and vaccinations
Most infections, whether due to a virus, bacterium or other organism, will not cause arthritis, and most cases of arthritis are not caused by infection (at least as far as we know). There are infectious causes of arthritis, but they represent a small fraction of all arthritis. Important examples include bacteria (such as Gonorrhea and Staphylococcus), Lyme disease, some viruses (including occasional cases of hepatitis B, hepatitis C or parvovirus). Similarly, vaccinations, including those for Lyme disease and rubella, have been linked in rare cases to the development of arthritis, but the connection to a vaccination has been unclear. Some rubella vaccines contained strains of the virus that seemed to cause arthritis more often; these vaccines were removed from the market and reports of vaccine-associated arthritis are less frequent now. The Lyme vaccine also has been withdrawn from the market, though due to poor sales, not because of side effects. Fortunately, the vast majority of people receiving the most common vaccinations never develop arthritis.
5. The wrong diet
Theories about which diet is best to prevent or treat arthritis have been around for centuries, but with rare exception and some common sense, diet does not seem to play a crucial role in arthritis. First, the exceptions: Some people find that particular foods (or alcoholic beverages) trigger attacks of gout. Secondly, there is an association between obesity and osteoarthritis, so a diet that promotes weight loss may be helpful. And in some cases, inadequate calcium or vitamin D may contribute to osteoporosis; if a fracture occurs as a result, arthritis may eventually follow. However, our current understanding of most types of arthritis comes with no strong recommendation about which foods to choose and which to avoid. It is worth emphasizing that vegetarian diets or those that avoid “nightshade” vegetables (including potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers and eggplant) are not only unproven as arthritis treatment, but there is also no compelling evidence supporting a particular food or food group as a cause of arthritis. Undoubtedly, future research will provide useful information regarding the importance of diet as a cause or treatment of arthritis.
6. Cracking knuckles
Although you can injure a joint by overenthusiastic knuckle cracking, there is rather convincing evidence that regular knuckle cracking has little effect on joint health.
7. Getting older
Although degenerative joint disease (also called osteoarthritis) becomes more common with age, arthritis is not inevitable. Therefore, age alone cannot be blamed as “the cause” of arthritis.
8. Mental or emotional stress
Although there are stories of people having severe emotional trauma and soon after developing an arthritic illness, there is no convincing evidence that psychological stress causes any recognized type of arthritis. On the other hand, stress can make any pain seem worse, and there is controversy regarding the relative importance of psychological stress on the development or perpetuation of joint pain without arthritis (as in fibromyalgia).
9. Poor posture
“Slouching” does not cause arthritis, although certain types of arthritis or bone diseases can affect posture. The idea that poor posture causes arthritis probably follows a misunderstanding of cause and effect: Osteoporosis may cause a stooped posture because vertebrae collapse (called compression fractures). Arthritis in the spine may follow, but the stooped posture is not the cause of the arthritis. Another example of arthritis affecting posture (rather than the other way around) is ankylosing spondylitis, a condition in which inflammation of joints in the lower spine leads to a rigid spine (ankylosis means fusion). However, “poor posture” itself does not lead to arthritis.
10. Inadequate calcium intake
Recommendations to take extra calcium follow the observation that without enough calcium, bones may become thin and so weak that fracture becomes more likely. That’s what osteoporosis is but osteoporosis is not arthritis, and calcium intake has rather little to do with the development of arthritis (unless, as described above, osteoporosis leads to fracture and fracture leads to arthritis).
The Bottom Line
With so many types of arthritis and so little understanding about their causes, it is understandable why many myths about arthritis circulate. In fact, it may be tempting to latch on to even a far-fetched theory about cause rather than accept the explanation that “nobody knows.” But if faulty assumptions about the cause of your arthritis lead you to adopt a difficult or unhealthy diet, or to move to a different climate, or to pursue another costly or risky treatment, you may be sorely disappointed and even less healthy than when you started.
Additional research may force me to remove one or more of the items on my Top 10 list. For now, however, the most direct and honest answer most health-care providers can offer is that we simply don’t know why most cases of arthritis develop. Until better answers are available, my advice for some of the most common types of arthritis is to dwell less on why it happens and to focus more on how to get better.
Find More on MSN Health & Fitness:
What's the Connection Between Food & Chronic Pain?
Can Glucosamine and Chondroitin Help Your Arthritis?
Yes, You Can Have an Active Sex Life with Arthritis
Bing Search: Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment
Comment
I broke my left ankle a couple years ago, and my doctor told me then that I had a much better chance of developing arthritis afterward. He was right, as I now have significant arthritis in my left foot. An x-ray confirmed the arthritis and it is significantly more affected than my right foot. It is not painful yet but both of my big toes have started growing weirdly toward the toe next to them. The doctor said something about the mechanical aspects of arthritis changing the growth patterns, etc. but all I know is its really weird. Also my instep on the left foot is considerably higher than on the right.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Can Pot Save Denver's Papers?
Can Pot Save Denver's Papers?
Read More: Denver Post, Drugs, Legalize Marijuana, Marijuana, Medical Marijuana, Rocky Mountain News, War On Drugs, Westword, Westword-Marijuana-Critic, Denver News
Denver is a city in love with its newspapers. Even in 2009, many residents still cling to the scent and grime of fresh newspaper print. But as the recent loss of the city's beloved Rocky Mountain News still lingers, the focus now turns to saving the publications remaining. In an ironic twist of fate worthy of its own front page feature, essential revenue could come from the most unlikely of sources. Marijuana.
Denver's top alternative weekly, Westword, gets it. On both sides of its most recent edition's back cover, 32 medical marijuana dispensaries advertised their services. In addition, in the publication's "alternative healing" section, nearly nine additional pages were packed with similar plugs.
Patricia Calhoun, Westword's editor and public face, has no qualms about accepting dispensaries as advertising clients. "It's first come, first served. No moratorium here," she said, referencing current efforts by many Colorado cities, including Denver, to enact moratoriums on new dispensaries. Westword has become so popular for marijuana-related advertising that Calhoun says she has plans to release an inaugural guide focusing exclusively on medical marijuana as early as next month.
But Westword hasn't just stopped there. It has shrewdly utilized the broader issue of medical marijuana to make a notable splash nationally. As the New York Times recently detailed, "Westword, an alternative weekly newspaper in Denver, has the standard lineup of film, food and music critics. But in what may be a first for American journalism, the paper is shopping around for a medical marijuana critic." According to Calhoun, more than 250 people submitted formal applications for the post.
While medical marijuana may be the source of laughter to some, including late night comedian Conan O'Brien, who joked, "My one suggestion for the editors: Give the guy a deadline," Calhoun and her colleagues are smart, picking up on what can only be described as marijuana's gold rush.
But what does this mean for more mainstream publications, who appear conflicted about whether to accept such controversial advertising?
While the Denver Post has run a series of front page stories over the last month chronicling the brewing debate over how or whether to increase regulations on dispensaries, it has been slower getting into the advertising game, running quarter page ads from a handful of dispensaries, with plans to expand advertising access through a special section devoted to dispensaries and other alternative health outlets.
Marijuana-related advertisements remain completely absent from Denver's high-end lifestyle magazines, including 5280. Perhaps they haven't heard of the high end dispensaries popping up in tony Cherry Creek North or affluent Greenwood Village.
These are crazy times indeed. But publications shouldn't fear offending their more conventional subscribers. While marijuana prohibition was once a taboo issue generally relegated to conversations in dark garages outside the privy of bossy wives and nosy neighbors, this is no longer the case. In 2000, a strong majority of Colorado voters supported enshrining legalized access to medical marijuana into the state constitution. Just nine years later, national polls show that nearly 45 percent of adults support outright marijuana legalization.
If newspapers need extra incentive to get into the game, they should look to the example of savvy business leaders in other conventional industries.
Just ask Bernie Taillon, a Greenwood Village financial advisor who occupies a penthouse office with mountain views, and in his spare time, brews beer. Originally from the Midwest, he is happily married to his college sweetheart, with whom he just celebrated his 10th wedding anniversary. Prior to this year, his high-profile client list included news anchors, real estate developers, and wealthy attorneys. And then along came medical marijuana.
While 2009 has been catastrophic for many in his industry, Taillon is seeing his business boom. "Over the past two years, I have seen a dramatic decline in income for our small business owners, with exception of one industry -- the Medical Marijuana industry," he said. "Sales tax from this industry is being paid to the state of Colorado as well as the local municipalities, which is helping to keep money in the municipalities coffers at a time when it is much needed."
For those who question his involvement with the industry, Taillon had this to say. "I am very happy to see this industry evolve into a legitimate and productive member of society. They should be commended for their contribution to our state. Many of our [dispensary] clients have two to five employees who otherwise would be collecting unemployment from the state. These businesses have been paying rent, advertising, construction costs, employees, utilities, and many other types of expenses."
Joining Taillon as an unlikely spokesperson for the cause is Courtney Tanning. A New York University graduate, the striking young blonde shows up to work in nice suits after recently being hired as the executive director of the Colorado Wellness Association, a trade organization representing dispensaries (and for full disclosure, an organization with which my husband, Robert Corry, an attorney, is actively involved).
"Many conventional businesses are cutting expenses, laying off employees, and even shutting their doors for good, but the booming medical marijuana community is in a unique position where they can afford to actively promote their businesses and need to do so in order to stay above their blossoming competition," she said. "This competition supports the struggling print-news business by bringing in a surge of new customers that had not previously been a position to provide them business."
Opponents of medical marijuana rely heavily on two basic arguments. First, they say medical marijuana is just a deceitful way to push for legalization. Second, they hold fast to faulty arguments concerning marijuana's physical impacts.
Even if we assume that the first argument is even partially true, so what? As our prisons burst at the seams, it's simply irresponsible to waste billions of dollars to continue arresting 850,000 Americans annually for marijuana-related offenses. After seven decades of pot being illegal, one in three adult Americans will still admit to pollsters to having consumed marijuana. As we've now proven twice in this country, prohibition simply doesn't work.
The second argument, meanwhile, goes nowhere. Time and again, peer-reviewed scientific studies have proven that marijuana is safer than alcohol or pharmaceutical narcotics. Over-consumption of marijuana has never been tied to a single fatal overdose, unlike prescription drugs, which have now overtaken car accidents as leading source of accidental deaths in Colorado. And unlike alcohol, marijuana has the additional benefit of not leading to increased rates of violence.
Colorado's struggling newspapers and magazines should follow in the footsteps of Westword. While the funky alternative paper prides itself on being unconventional, its decision to embrace medical marijuana is, well, downright prudent.
In America, after all, capitalizing on a business opportunity that is business savvy, morally correct, and socially acceptable is downright patriotic. Let's just hope pot can keep those printing presses running.
Jessica Peck Corry (www.JessicaCorry.com) is a Denver attorney and a public policy analyst with the Independence Institute.
Read More: Denver Post, Drugs, Legalize Marijuana, Marijuana, Medical Marijuana, Rocky Mountain News, War On Drugs, Westword, Westword-Marijuana-Critic, Denver News
Denver is a city in love with its newspapers. Even in 2009, many residents still cling to the scent and grime of fresh newspaper print. But as the recent loss of the city's beloved Rocky Mountain News still lingers, the focus now turns to saving the publications remaining. In an ironic twist of fate worthy of its own front page feature, essential revenue could come from the most unlikely of sources. Marijuana.
Denver's top alternative weekly, Westword, gets it. On both sides of its most recent edition's back cover, 32 medical marijuana dispensaries advertised their services. In addition, in the publication's "alternative healing" section, nearly nine additional pages were packed with similar plugs.
Patricia Calhoun, Westword's editor and public face, has no qualms about accepting dispensaries as advertising clients. "It's first come, first served. No moratorium here," she said, referencing current efforts by many Colorado cities, including Denver, to enact moratoriums on new dispensaries. Westword has become so popular for marijuana-related advertising that Calhoun says she has plans to release an inaugural guide focusing exclusively on medical marijuana as early as next month.
But Westword hasn't just stopped there. It has shrewdly utilized the broader issue of medical marijuana to make a notable splash nationally. As the New York Times recently detailed, "Westword, an alternative weekly newspaper in Denver, has the standard lineup of film, food and music critics. But in what may be a first for American journalism, the paper is shopping around for a medical marijuana critic." According to Calhoun, more than 250 people submitted formal applications for the post.
While medical marijuana may be the source of laughter to some, including late night comedian Conan O'Brien, who joked, "My one suggestion for the editors: Give the guy a deadline," Calhoun and her colleagues are smart, picking up on what can only be described as marijuana's gold rush.
But what does this mean for more mainstream publications, who appear conflicted about whether to accept such controversial advertising?
While the Denver Post has run a series of front page stories over the last month chronicling the brewing debate over how or whether to increase regulations on dispensaries, it has been slower getting into the advertising game, running quarter page ads from a handful of dispensaries, with plans to expand advertising access through a special section devoted to dispensaries and other alternative health outlets.
Marijuana-related advertisements remain completely absent from Denver's high-end lifestyle magazines, including 5280. Perhaps they haven't heard of the high end dispensaries popping up in tony Cherry Creek North or affluent Greenwood Village.
These are crazy times indeed. But publications shouldn't fear offending their more conventional subscribers. While marijuana prohibition was once a taboo issue generally relegated to conversations in dark garages outside the privy of bossy wives and nosy neighbors, this is no longer the case. In 2000, a strong majority of Colorado voters supported enshrining legalized access to medical marijuana into the state constitution. Just nine years later, national polls show that nearly 45 percent of adults support outright marijuana legalization.
If newspapers need extra incentive to get into the game, they should look to the example of savvy business leaders in other conventional industries.
Just ask Bernie Taillon, a Greenwood Village financial advisor who occupies a penthouse office with mountain views, and in his spare time, brews beer. Originally from the Midwest, he is happily married to his college sweetheart, with whom he just celebrated his 10th wedding anniversary. Prior to this year, his high-profile client list included news anchors, real estate developers, and wealthy attorneys. And then along came medical marijuana.
While 2009 has been catastrophic for many in his industry, Taillon is seeing his business boom. "Over the past two years, I have seen a dramatic decline in income for our small business owners, with exception of one industry -- the Medical Marijuana industry," he said. "Sales tax from this industry is being paid to the state of Colorado as well as the local municipalities, which is helping to keep money in the municipalities coffers at a time when it is much needed."
For those who question his involvement with the industry, Taillon had this to say. "I am very happy to see this industry evolve into a legitimate and productive member of society. They should be commended for their contribution to our state. Many of our [dispensary] clients have two to five employees who otherwise would be collecting unemployment from the state. These businesses have been paying rent, advertising, construction costs, employees, utilities, and many other types of expenses."
Joining Taillon as an unlikely spokesperson for the cause is Courtney Tanning. A New York University graduate, the striking young blonde shows up to work in nice suits after recently being hired as the executive director of the Colorado Wellness Association, a trade organization representing dispensaries (and for full disclosure, an organization with which my husband, Robert Corry, an attorney, is actively involved).
"Many conventional businesses are cutting expenses, laying off employees, and even shutting their doors for good, but the booming medical marijuana community is in a unique position where they can afford to actively promote their businesses and need to do so in order to stay above their blossoming competition," she said. "This competition supports the struggling print-news business by bringing in a surge of new customers that had not previously been a position to provide them business."
Opponents of medical marijuana rely heavily on two basic arguments. First, they say medical marijuana is just a deceitful way to push for legalization. Second, they hold fast to faulty arguments concerning marijuana's physical impacts.
Even if we assume that the first argument is even partially true, so what? As our prisons burst at the seams, it's simply irresponsible to waste billions of dollars to continue arresting 850,000 Americans annually for marijuana-related offenses. After seven decades of pot being illegal, one in three adult Americans will still admit to pollsters to having consumed marijuana. As we've now proven twice in this country, prohibition simply doesn't work.
The second argument, meanwhile, goes nowhere. Time and again, peer-reviewed scientific studies have proven that marijuana is safer than alcohol or pharmaceutical narcotics. Over-consumption of marijuana has never been tied to a single fatal overdose, unlike prescription drugs, which have now overtaken car accidents as leading source of accidental deaths in Colorado. And unlike alcohol, marijuana has the additional benefit of not leading to increased rates of violence.
Colorado's struggling newspapers and magazines should follow in the footsteps of Westword. While the funky alternative paper prides itself on being unconventional, its decision to embrace medical marijuana is, well, downright prudent.
In America, after all, capitalizing on a business opportunity that is business savvy, morally correct, and socially acceptable is downright patriotic. Let's just hope pot can keep those printing presses running.
Jessica Peck Corry (www.JessicaCorry.com) is a Denver attorney and a public policy analyst with the Independence Institute.
Obama orders task force to fight financial crime
Executive order comes after Madoff scandal, rise in mortgage scams
Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, flanked by Attorney General Eric Holder, left, and Housing Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, speaks during a news conference on financial fraud efforts, Tuesday, at the Justice Department in Washington.
Federal Fraud Task Force Launches
Nov. 17: Attorney General Eric Holder announces the formation of a new federal task force to fight financial fraud.
Dad accused of killing son over sex abuse claim
Pitt passes on millions to trick-or-treat
The clothes are clean ... but what's that smell?
AOL to lay off a third of staff
Cop suspended after Tasering 10-year-old girl
Most viewed on msnbc.com
Health reform's human stories
The clothes are clean ... but what's that smell?
Fabled Foreign Legion finds a new war to fight
Bankers' whining about pay hits a nerve
Slain N.C. girl’s aunt says mom was neglectful
Feed your libido! Get the better sex diet
Aerosmith members worry Tyler back on drugs
Most viewed on msnbc.com
updated 12:38 p.m. ET, Tues., Nov . 17, 2009
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration created a new task force on Tuesday vowing to crack down on financial fraud following a rise in mortgage scams and high-profile Wall Street trading scandals.
President Barack Obama signed an executive order directing the task force to investigate and prosecute financial crimes connected to the past year's financial crisis and to try to deter future fraud.
The stakes are high for the administration, particularly with a weak economy, anger about huge Wall Street bonuses and outrage that securities regulators missed one of the biggest frauds in U.S. history involving Bernard Madoff, who bilked investors of as much as $65 billion in a decades-long scheme.
"We will be relentless in our investigation of corporate and financial wrongdoing and we will not hesitate to bring charges, where appropriate, for criminal misconduct on the part of businesses and business executives," Attorney General Eric Holder told a news conference.
The administration has long pledged to be more aggressive in fighting financial crime, but has faced a few setbacks like Madoff and losing a high-profile case against two hedge fund managers accused of fraud in the early days of the crisis.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said that in addition to prosecuting fraud, the financial system must also be overhauled to address the problems that created the crisis. Congress is now weighing a package of reforms.
Click for related content
Madoff's yacht on the auction block
Madoff's Mets baseball jacket sells for $14,500
Ex-Madoff computer programmers arrested
"We can't wait for problems to peak before we respond," Geithner said in a statement. "We're seeking a comprehensive financial reform to create a more stable, safe financial system and stepping up our enforcement strategy."
The task force will be chaired by Holder and will include the Justice, Treasury and Housing and Urban Development departments and the Securities and Exchange Commission, among other government agencies.
No big enforcement cases were unveiled as part of the task force announcement.
The task force comes a week after the Justice Department lost a pivotal criminal fraud case in New York against two managers from Bear Stearns whose hedge funds collapsed at the early stages of the financial crisis. Securities regulators still plan to pursue their own charges against the two men.
Comment
Long overdue. Lets see what they actually DO.
Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, flanked by Attorney General Eric Holder, left, and Housing Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, speaks during a news conference on financial fraud efforts, Tuesday, at the Justice Department in Washington.
Federal Fraud Task Force Launches
Nov. 17: Attorney General Eric Holder announces the formation of a new federal task force to fight financial fraud.
Dad accused of killing son over sex abuse claim
Pitt passes on millions to trick-or-treat
The clothes are clean ... but what's that smell?
AOL to lay off a third of staff
Cop suspended after Tasering 10-year-old girl
Most viewed on msnbc.com
Health reform's human stories
The clothes are clean ... but what's that smell?
Fabled Foreign Legion finds a new war to fight
Bankers' whining about pay hits a nerve
Slain N.C. girl’s aunt says mom was neglectful
Feed your libido! Get the better sex diet
Aerosmith members worry Tyler back on drugs
Most viewed on msnbc.com
updated 12:38 p.m. ET, Tues., Nov . 17, 2009
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration created a new task force on Tuesday vowing to crack down on financial fraud following a rise in mortgage scams and high-profile Wall Street trading scandals.
President Barack Obama signed an executive order directing the task force to investigate and prosecute financial crimes connected to the past year's financial crisis and to try to deter future fraud.
The stakes are high for the administration, particularly with a weak economy, anger about huge Wall Street bonuses and outrage that securities regulators missed one of the biggest frauds in U.S. history involving Bernard Madoff, who bilked investors of as much as $65 billion in a decades-long scheme.
"We will be relentless in our investigation of corporate and financial wrongdoing and we will not hesitate to bring charges, where appropriate, for criminal misconduct on the part of businesses and business executives," Attorney General Eric Holder told a news conference.
The administration has long pledged to be more aggressive in fighting financial crime, but has faced a few setbacks like Madoff and losing a high-profile case against two hedge fund managers accused of fraud in the early days of the crisis.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said that in addition to prosecuting fraud, the financial system must also be overhauled to address the problems that created the crisis. Congress is now weighing a package of reforms.
Click for related content
Madoff's yacht on the auction block
Madoff's Mets baseball jacket sells for $14,500
Ex-Madoff computer programmers arrested
"We can't wait for problems to peak before we respond," Geithner said in a statement. "We're seeking a comprehensive financial reform to create a more stable, safe financial system and stepping up our enforcement strategy."
The task force will be chaired by Holder and will include the Justice, Treasury and Housing and Urban Development departments and the Securities and Exchange Commission, among other government agencies.
No big enforcement cases were unveiled as part of the task force announcement.
The task force comes a week after the Justice Department lost a pivotal criminal fraud case in New York against two managers from Bear Stearns whose hedge funds collapsed at the early stages of the financial crisis. Securities regulators still plan to pursue their own charges against the two men.
Comment
Long overdue. Lets see what they actually DO.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)