Can Brauer medicines be taken with other medications? Will the drugs destroy the effects of homoeopathic remedies and will the Brauer medicines interfere with the drugs?

Because of the tiny amounts of active material in Homoeopathic products, Brauer medicines will not affect the activity of any other medication, and nor will other medications affect the activity of the Brauer product.

In other words, there is nothing in our product to affect anything!

Because Brauer medicines work by harnessing a persons own healing energy, the more energy they have, the quicker the medicines will work....

...Homoeopathy works by stimulating the body’s healing energy when you have a disease or health problem and focuses the body's own healing energy on the problem to promote recovery."

Link

Errrr... WTF?

This company advocates treating children with fever or flu via a liquid that contains equal parts of: Aconitum nap. 6X, Belladonna 6X, Cimicifuga 6X, Euphorbium 6X, Ferrum phos. 6X, Gelsemium 6X, Merc. sol. 12X, Pulsatilla 6X.

6X = 1 part per 1,000,000. 12X = 1 part per 1,000,000,000,000

HOW IS THIS BULLSHIT NOT ENTIRELY ILLEGAL?

"young people today are 4.5 times more likely to have Celiac disease compared to young people in the 1950s... [the] most likely explanation probably has something to do with changes in the way wheat and bread are processed. Another possibility is the "hygiene hypothesis" which argues that increase in a variety of allergies and immune system disorders are the result of growing up in environments that are too clean"Link.


Endosperm = sugar, bran = fibre, germ = protein.

I've mentioned before that modern flour is the devil right? Have you ever wondered why modern flour can last for years on the shelf without going off? It's because it is refined and bleached to a point where it's almost no longer food. More like preserved sugar. Gone is the fibre, gone is the germ. Gone are the components that make it digestable.

Traditionally whole wheat was milled and baked on the same day because the healthy oils released when processed go rancid within 24hrs. Modern agricultural practices have triumphed over these temporal constraints by stripping wheat of the bits that go rancid, i.e. the healthy, nutrient filled parts.

Did you know that most 'wholewheat' bread is white bread with separate fibre added?

We are not more sensitive to wheat, we are sensitive to shit that ain't food.

Summary: Put the disinfectant away and stop eating white, refined, western, processed flour.

Hippy vindication. :)

My surgeon went away on holiday last week and I ran out of prescriptions at the same minute that I had to increase motion from 50-90 degrees (I'm now at 90 degrees, which is excellent progress).

After crying, wailing and nashing my teeth, I created my own selection of ibuprofen+ with panadeine to manage the pain. This was pretty awesome really and cheered me right up. It was on this cocktail of over-the-counter meds that I felt quite cheery over the weekend and was able to do a bit of ballet (too much they say).

But, I saw my surgeon last night and he said that ibuprofen increases the risk of the cartilage not adhering. *sigh* So, by taking it, I could have botched the whole deal! ACK!

In the end I'm probably okay, but now I'm back to sorta crappy digesic and not enjoying myself much at all. I'll be calling the office tomorrow and demanding at least tramal if not more endone to deal. It's just too hard otherwise.

Feeling angry. I'd like my $20 back Brauer for selling me what I thought was cream with actual medicinal substance (Arnica), yet turns out to be "Each gram contains Arnica montana 1X 100mg". A quick wikipedia search reveals that "1X" is secret homeopathy bullshit code for "piss weak". So I have a tube containing 100mg of piss weak herbal derivative? Awesome. Thank you fuckers. No wonder it smells suspiciously like plain sorbolene cream. I have to say that I'm skeptical whether it would do any good even if it wasn't diluted.

Anyone out there able to shed light on this? Am I wrong to be angry? I'm happy to be corrected. I'd be glad to know if this is money well spent.

The best spin I can put on it is that "1X" is the least offensive dilution of homeopathic remedies available. grrr

Almost four weeks since surgery and things are progressing. I clicked myself to 90 degrees tonight.

To move without crutches I do this strange shuffle on my right foot where I shift my pivet point from my heel to my toe in order to move over short distances. Being able to put 25% weight on the left leg means I can help with dishes and make a cup of tea--although I can't carry anything that doesn't fit into my satchel. I'm doing a lot more with my muscles. I'm also in less pain and managing the pain I have better.

My knee has been unusually hot and swollen recently and needs copious ice which is interesting. I might be over-exercising or I could have an infection or I might have damaged the implant or I might have scar tissue inside. I see my surgeon tomorrow for a review. I'm hoping to get permission to swim (this is contingent of the wound being healed). So, plenty of anxiety still, but, okay.

However, I am feeling the love big time. Morgs sacrificed a year's worth of silver coins to surprise me with a long-dreamt-of graphics tablet *and* he sourced me a hammock & hung it on the verandah using the sailing knots I suggested. Now I live on a tropical paradise love ship!



The peg leg, hammock and silver coins suggests more than it represents. ;)

For anyone who's had a hard day: Paw bouquets

I can feel some sort of ceremony coming on....

I'm wondering if most people have any idea how painful rehabilitation is. E.g. today I'm on the stationery bike trying to increase my range of motion in the knee joint. Each swing trying to get the pedal around feels like pushing beyond breaking point, like I had forgotten to tap out during a jujitsu joint lock and I'm going to rip something open or snap something apart. F**king painful and makes me cry through the trauma.

But, there's no choice. I must push forward, push back, push forward, push back until movement returns, which means hundreds of jolts of pain.

It's moments like this that make me want to eye gauge people who complain about feeling unfit and don't get off their fat arse to go for a walk, do some pushups or any other of the myriad of physical activities that are piss easy and prevent injury and ill-health.

Yes, sometimes I'm not nice.

Oh how painful to try to lift my leg off the ground. I can't beat gravity yet. But, it is only the beginning.

Thanks to paracelsus for the head's up:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
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I really have married my teenager-obession haven't I? 90% approval indeed! ;)

Grading approx. 130K words in 24hrs. That's okay though because it's my course, my students and I'm enjoying reading their work. Part of me is feeling depressed because I'm not going to various conferences and I feel sorta out of it professionally, but the other part is remembering that I just got the most-amazing-job and that the future looks very bright indeed.

This afternoon I should get permission from my surgeon to use my quads, i.e. be allowed to move my leg using my leg muscles instead of hauling it around with my arms. Combing this with the ability to put 25% of my weight on the leg and rotating to 60 degrees means a whole new world of movement. Hallelujah!

I've finished the antibiotics and only have a couple of injections left. I'm also not in nearly as much pain when I spasm which is awesome and sciatica is pretty low grade. I've now slept for two nights with only minor interruptions. I'm at a turning point I think.

Thanks for the love through the internuits. You guys have been ace.

It's awesome having my dad and Morgan around. They're both so much fun and keeping me well fed and watered. Yay for leftie-marxist-feminist-fathers. BTW, Morgan makes a mean caramel slice. I recommend eating caramel slice with blueberries. NOM!

All praise to a good night's sleep! After an utterly shitty few days I've woken up feeling cheery. I can see now why having babies must slow down cognition purely by the sleep deprivation. Holy smokes.

What a fucking shitty, painful, exhausting morning. I'm done with sleep dep, done with back pain, done with open wounds, done with porcine fucking mucosa injections, done with aches, done with spasms, done with immobility, done with aching shoulders, done with digestive rebellion, done with lack of freedom, done with dependence. Just done.

I saw my surgeon today. Here are some outcomes:-

- The most marvelous news is that I've been advised to drink G&Ts (well... alright, just the 'T'), as apparently quinine is an antispasmodic. My hyperactive body is desperate to move and I'm strictly forbidden to use my left quads. To punish me, my muscles spasm and send a ferocious lightning bolt of pain through my knee cap. Ouch! The alternative is valium.

- My wound isn't healing quickly because of the bloody lovenox thinning my blood to prevent DBT. Because my wound is fresh I have to take a five day course of antibiotics. Grrrr. Of course, better this than to get infected, but I frickin' hate antibiotics and my digestion is already up-the-creek with a) lack of exercise and b) opiate sedation. I've got another week on the lovenox. pout

- I haven't used ice often enough on the knee, so at some point the swelling blistered and ruptured my stiches. Yick. I didn't know exactly how long I needed the ice, but now I know it's for at least three weeks post-op.

- I've contacted QUT and will now start work 20-Jul, rather than 6-Jul. This gives me two additional weeks to rehabilitate and means I can attend an awesome conference of The International Society for History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology (ISHPSSB) with my dad and a slew of philosophy cronies. Mwwaah. That being said, I'm really excited to start work.

- I'm now bending to 40 degrees. Little baby steps.

- I'm allowed to touch the ground with my foot, but like a feather. No weight bearing or quad flexing for another week to give the glue its best chance to heal.

Here's my schedule for recovery.

24-jun 45 degrees <25% weight
1-jul 60 degrees 25% weight
8-jul 90 degrees 25-50% weight
15-jul 90 degrees 50% weight
22-jul 105 degrees 50-75% weight
29-jul 105 degrees 75% weight
5-aug 120 degrees 75-90% weight
12-aug 120 degrees 90% weight
19-aug 130 degrees 90% weight
26-aug full rotate, full weight

*sigh* facebook presents page upon page of trivial mundanities. Livejournal has been eroded from lush rainforest, to intermittant vegetation. Twitter is good for the couch-bound, but not in an intimate way.

Nice post on how CNN is successfully switching to the new media model:

CNN constantly reminds viewers that accounts from Twitter and Youtube are not confirmed by CNN, which allows CNN to report it raw, without losing their credibility if it turns out to be untrue.

...CNN has what appears to be half a dozen people at its “Iran desk”, translating Farsi, working to confirm, contacting people in Iran - i.e., doing what reporters are supposed to do. Added to this is the normal line up of top tier A-list experts and analysts, except now they are free to comment on what we have all been seeing online, because CNN is reporting it, too. Imagine what CNN has going on behind the scenes if they put this much of their process on the air. Link

Exactly what they should be doing IMHO.

New brace! So comfy.


Phwoar!!

The Impossible Changing Brain Foundation website is now off and running.

Morgan sneaks a photo from the doorway


Close up of the sleepy three. My left leg is between the cats and my right is tucked up behind.


Moccasin asks, "what are you doing back there?"

May you be with loved ones, sharing warmth, laughter, health and hope. Miss you.

( From samhain to midwinter )

Reading Muckrack makes me laugh. Their 'about us' page states:

"What if you could get tomorrow's newspaper today? Now you sorta can, by tracking the short messages on Twitter written by the journalists who do the muckraking for major media outlets. Muck Rack makes it easy to follow one line, real time reporting. If you are a journalist on Twitter or know of anyone not yet included in Muck Rack, please let us know. Link

Muckrack is one the most painful twitter-reading experiences I've had. It makes professional journalists look a) boring b) useless c) clueless. There is nothing on the first 50 tweets worth reading and a lot that 'inform' me with such gems as "The school bell rings too early. Zzzz. Time for us to wake up and change it." Wow, that's great Mr. Newspaper Man from the Miami Herald.

This does nothing to convince me I should pay attention to what journalists say. In fact it actively turns me off mainstream media even further.