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Father Who Suffered 14 Heart Attacks Found ‘Fit For Work’
“I’d liken this to what the Nazis did, working the disabled and the sick until they dropped dead and were no longer a burden.”
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Cognitive Dysfunction Finding in Fibromyalgia
"Based on this evidence, the researchers hypothesize that fibro fog could be caused by problems with psychomotor or mental processing speed and they urge more research in that area."
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"Monarchy, we are often told, is merely a symbol, nothing more! Tell that to the fairies, it sits at the pinnacle of class prejudice and privilege. When MP’s, diplomats, the military, police and judges pledge allegiance to the Queen; they are really pledging allegiance to Britain's ruling elites and it is their duty to enforce the class prejudices that are beneficial to their own way of life."
Thursday, 31 May 2012
Links of the day 05/31/2012
Monday, 28 May 2012
Links of the day 05/28/2012
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"Love him or hate him there is no doubt shadow chancellor Ed Balls has the measure of David Cameron. "
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"As I suspected, the Hate and the Sun are fairly close in their bid to rid the world of disabled people and benefits’ claimants."
Sunday, 27 May 2012
Links of the day 05/27/2012
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Work-for-free programme to be expanded by government
"DWP plans to extend its scheme which forces the long-term unemployed to take unpaid work or lose benefits"
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The ESA Saga: #WCA #ESA Government Duplicity and their real intensions
"The way the Government has implemented and managed the ESA/WCA process is not just a sign of poor judgement or incompetence, it reflects a dogma based on contempt for the sick and disabled, a belief that they are an avoidable drain on society and the sooner they stop it the better. If they will not pull themselves together and sort themselves out, we (the Government) will have to do it for them. "
Saturday, 26 May 2012
Links of the day 05/26/2012
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Our hidden poor: The desperate families begging for food handouts to keep alive
"Welcome to the second city of the seventh richest nation on earth, and the sight of desperate people begging for charity at a food bank"
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Opiophobia, Restrictive Laws, and the Torture of Chronic Pain Patients
"The terrors of living with chronic non-cancer pain in this climate of opiophobia and prescription drug crackdowns are horrible and constant."
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Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
"This supplement is known to offer several health benefits and - surprise, surprise - it actually has been studied specifically for these conditions and research has been promising."
Friday, 25 May 2012
Links of the day 05/25/2012
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Elderly People In Britain Lonelier Than In Other European Countries, Study Finds
"One reason for the sense of solitude felt by Britain's elderly may be long-term underinvestment by local authorities in services that reduce isolation and loneliness, it was argued."
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Risk of Falling With Fibromyalgia
"While this study likely doesn't surprise most of us with fibromyalgia, it's good to see the medical community start to recognize the severity of our balance problems and how limiting this symptom can be for us."
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Links of the day 05/23/2012
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GPs Unanimously Vote To Condemn Atos Work Capability Assessments
"How this will impact upon the process of Work Capability Assessments remains unclear but this validates the calls made by many campaigners and campaign groups who rightfully claim that the Atos conducted WCA is “not fit for purpose”."
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fleet street fox: Social (adj.): Friendly relations with others.
"Gideon Osborne to be forced to live on benefits in Toxteth for a year. That's 'all in it together'."
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Theresa May Introduces 'Dumbos' For Stupid Crimes
"The Home Office's desire to end every new civil order scheme with the letter 'o' has resulted in the issuing of 'Dumbos' for particularly stupid crimes."
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Nine things you can do to halt Lansley’s destruction of our NHS
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"The UK has been voted the worst place to live in Europe for quality of life, according to uSwitch. The high cost of living, later retirement age and lack of holidays have pushed the UK into bottom place, behind Poland, Germany, Ireland and Sweden."
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Jobseekers who reject help for alcohol and drug addiction face benefits cut
"In a sign of the government's new benefits regime, which lies at the heart of Duncan Smith's cost-cutting welfare changes, staff in Jobcentre Plus offices will be encouraged to cut the jobseeker's allowance of claimants who reject treatment for addiction."
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"One of them, a registered blind man who has been told he is fit to work and will no longer be receiving disability benefits, explained his reasons for wanting to volunteer to work as an unpaid surgeon in the hospital:"
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Immensely rich and famous pop star ‘had quite a lot of sex’
"Journalists uncover shocking evidence that globally famous, unfathomably wealthy musician did an above average amount of shagging."
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Links of the day 05/22/2012
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"PRIME Minister David Cameron has announced business-friendly changes to UK employment laws including the reintroduction of slavery."
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Poll: Is the Media Portrayal of Benefit Claimants and Disabled People Fuelling Hate Crime?
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DLA reform: coalition is exaggerating benefit fraud for its own benefit
""There has been a rise in verbal abuse of disabled people, which is inflamed by comments like these which suggest that people are on the fiddle, when actually they have a higher cost of living. The language used, and the assumption that there is a large level of fraud and abuse will inflame hostility towards disabled people.""
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Chris Grayling overruled stats chief to spin immigrants as fraudsters
"With emphasis on “failed asylum seekers” and those arriving “in the back of lorries”, research looking at the original nationality of benefits claimants was spun into scaremongering headlines implying criminality amongst what were now British citizens claiming benefits perfectly legally."
Monday, 21 May 2012
Links of the day 05/21/2012
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Dad’s Fight for Justice after Son Died Six Weeks after Benefits Cut by #Atos and #DWP
"Mark Scott, 46, who suffered from anxiety, epilepsy and chronic alcoholism, was left penniless when jobcentre doctors [Atos Healthcare] said he was fit to work."
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"At this time of flag-waving, when the government hopes the upcoming Jubilee and Olympics will create a ‘feel-good-factor’ to hide the devastating impact of their unfair and unnecessary cuts programme, we must question and debate what this country is really about and what we, as a society, with progressive, democratic values, want it to be. "
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DWP Reveals Billions In Benefits Unclaimed Each Year
"The figures are surprising and reveal that many individuals including pensioner and the unemployed are missing out on benefits worth thousands of pounds to many potential claimants."
Friday, 18 May 2012
Links of the day 05/18/2012
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Diary of a Benefit Scrounger: Hoist by His own Petard?
"If the assessments for sickness and disability benefits are not fair, then did you not ought to be booking a one way tickets to Strasbourg, to attend a trial over the breach of human rights of over 5.2 million disabled people?"
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Fibromyalgia: Immune Involvement vs. Autoimmunity
To understand why immune-system involvement isn't the same as autoimmunity, you have to understand what each term means as well as what is (and isn't) known to be part of fibromyalgia.
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Hatred of those on Benefits is Dangerously out of Control
"What does it say about modern Britain when the pre-meditated massacre of six children is described as “an accident waiting to happen” on national television?"
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UK civil servants routinely snoop on citizens' private financial and health information
"Disclosures made by the UK Department of Work and Pensions in response Freedom of Information requests show that over 1,000 civil servants illegally snooped on private citizens' data over a 13-month period. "
Thursday, 17 May 2012
Links of the day 05/17/2012
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Globalisation and self-sufficiency
"(Originally published in 1933. Edited by OpenDemocracy in 2012) Globalisation and the pursuit of economic efficiency fail to achieve the purposes they claim, whilst impoverishing people and societies in other, more profound ways. Recognising that globalisation is a policy rather than a natural force, the author hopes for a gradual, civilised transition to a more self-sufficient, locally or nationally based economic order."
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Disability and the Return of Blame Culture
"Disabled people are enduring vilification and the arbitrary withdrawal of life-defining welfare. They’re now being told to be grateful for it."
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"Experts at Irwin Mitchell have welcomed a landmark judgement handed down at the Court of Appeal today which they say sets out clear guidance to ensure that disabled people are not discriminated against by the Government’s benefit system."
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Now the Tories come for the blind people’s benefits
"Not content with taking money off cancer patients and disabled children – and making disabled people’s lives a misery generally – it emerged today the Tory-led coalition have plans to attack the benefits of blind people as well."
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Fragrance Therapy: What Can a Scented Candle Do for You?
"Grapefruit makes you smell younger. Really!"
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Links of the day 05/16/2012
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Fibromyalgia & Elimination Diet Success Story
"If you haven't experimented with your diet, it could be something to try. "
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Life is tweet, says John Prescott, as Twitter reaches 10m milestone
"Where once press barons were courted by politicians and PRs, the people have now established their own media. It costs nothing, is faster than mainstream media and galvanises people into action."
Monday, 14 May 2012
Links of the day 05/14/2012
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DLA Reform: Coalition is Exaggerating Benefit Fraud for its Own Benefit
"Few people would argue with the government’s desire to tackle benefit fraud. But more problematic is the persistent exaggeration of the scale of abuse within the system that accompanies any statement of reform."
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The Jubilee is a national sedative- this is a national wake up call
"As opposed to the sedative effect of Jubilee parties, UK Uncut’s street parties are intended to wake up new ideas, new connections and new collective power. They are not about celebrating Britain as it is or as it was in 1948. They are about defiance and the definition of a future that we want to see, where we live – that is determined by us all – not for us, by a bunch of men who think they own power, money, business, government, us and our future."
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Less Connectivity & Pain Dysregulation in Fibromyalgia
"Pain inhibition is a process by which repeated painful stimuli, in a health person, hurts progressively less. Previous studies have shown that this network doesn't work properly in fibromyalgia, meaning that repeated stimuli hurts progressively more in people with the illness."
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"When she was asked a question she thought it wise to avoid, she used the British public inquiry equivalent of taking the 5th. “ I cannot remember.” Brooks turns out to be so forgetful one wonders why Murdoch would have employed her in the first place. How could someone with such a god awful memory rise to the top of News International let alone edit a national newspaper?"
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Links of the day 05/13/2012
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Life as we know it: Medical forum making fun of ME/CFS patients
"This below link appears to be a forum of nurses and medical people who are focusing on making fun of ME/CFS in the most cruel way, including laughing at the most ill in our community. I suggest folks from our community reply, but do so with information instead of with anger and simply attacking back, otherwise we risk confirming their misguided beliefs about us. "
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50 Ways to Help a Chronically Ill Friend « Living with Fibromyalgia
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BMA to Ballot on Work Capability Assessments
"Our doctors, nurses and allied professions are not made up of cruel barbarians such as our unconscionable, amoral (and yes Рfascist) ConDem r̩gime that puts the banking and corporate interest above and before that of compassion, caring and social solidarity and justice! They cannot compel our medical professionals to be complicit it what amounts to the systematic denial of the fundamental human rights of sick and/or disabled people!"
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Links of the day 05/12/2012
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The 20 Years Ago Today Series: ME/CFS Video’s Come of Age | Phoenix Rising
"To celebrate 20 years since CFS International Awareness Day was created, here are the top 15 or so most watched CFS English speaking video’. Some of the best are the latest, check out, for instance, GettingWellFromME’s recent series, with its fine production values. At the end we have a video made for the anniversary today."
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Cutting red tape and taxes will not revive Britain
"The main reason is, simply put, that Britain's economic model – based on an inflated housing market, ever rising consumer debts and freewheeling financial services – is broken. It is unable to re-generate growth even four years after the financial crash, and is unlikely to do so for at least another couple of years."
Saturday, May 12 marks the 20th anniversary of Awareness Day, and this is how it started …
In 1992, Tom Hennessy, founder of an organization called RESCIND, Inc. (Repeal Existing Stereotypes about Chronic Immunological and Neurological Diseases), spearheaded the designation of May 12 as Awareness Day for fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and other illnesses.
And now May 12 is observed around the world - embracing those with ME/CFS/FM as well as multiple chemical sensitivities, Gulf War syndrome, Lyme disease, and more.
Tom Hennessy chose May 12 as Awareness Day because it is the birthday of Florence Nightingale – the “mother of modern nursing.”
Florence was a brilliant thinker, philanthropist and doer who revolutionized medical care in 1854, when she traveled with a team of 37 nurses trained in hygienic practices to save the lives of countless British soldiers in Turkey during the Crimean War.
It was during that punishing campaign that the most famous nurse in history first fell ill with a disease resembling ME/CFS/FM that was later dubbed Nightingale Syndrome.
Known as the “Lady with the Lamp” because she worked night and day to tend the wounded and ill, Florence Nightingale is indeed a brilliant hero for us to honor on May 12, and every day.
Reblogged from heathersday
Fibromyalgia Awareness Day
Sponsored by the National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association (NFMCPA), Fibromyalgia Awareness Day (Saturday, May 12th) is an annual event dedicated to raising awareness of this complex chronic pain disorder. Fibromyalgia (FM) affects an estimated 10 million people in the US, 75-90 percent of whom are women—but it can also occur in men and children.
The 2012 theme for Fibromyalgia Awareness Day is “Make Fibromyalgia Visible.” There are several ways you can help do this:
Read more >>> Fibromyalgia Awareness Day Is This Saturday
Friday, 11 May 2012
Links of the day 05/11/2012
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Lord Freud – The Benefit Fraud » DPAC
"Brutality and incompetence is the hallmark of the English ruling class and there has rarely been a better example than Lord Fraud and his chinless cabinet cronies."
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Links of the day 05/10/2012
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Why Can’t Medical Science Figure Out Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
"This mislabeling has several adverse consequences. First, it makes it all the more difficult to separate out the discrete illnesses that are suffered by people with “real” CFS. Second, once this group of people who have a non-CFS illness are labeled as also having CFS, they are added to the pool of those who might become subjects in CFS studies, and this can seriously muddy a study’s findings."
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THE FULL FACTS - Which illness should and should not attend ATOS medical
"This list is from my claim form guide (which you should have read throughly by now!)
In the subscribed members only section you can access indepth information on each specific illness/condition and how the DWP view diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and how serious the illness is considered to be
This list is not to be thought as written in stone: For example Bronchiectasis is listed in group 4 "invite for medical". Yet if the form of the disease is serious enough a doctor can state that the patient is too ill to attend a medical. The DWP can then decide on a home visit or may place the patient in the support group." -
Doctors back denial of treatment for smokers and the obese
"Smokers and obese people are already being denied operations such as IVF, breast reconstructions and a new hip or knee in some parts of England. "
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Top ten toxic chemicals suspected to cause autism and learning disabilities
"An editorial published April 25 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives calls for increased research to identify possible environmental causes of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in America's children and presents a list of ten target chemicals including which are considered highly likely to contribute to these conditions."
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The Jobbing Doctor: Preposterous
"As I sit in my surgery and listen to stories of people being denied some of the basic needs of a civilised country, I yearn for a time when we can get rid of the monarchy, the class system and all the fake-deference that is demanded, but not earned."
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NHS 'can't cope' with multi-disease patients
"The health system in the UK cannot cope with the rising number of under-65s with long-term medical conditions and needs "radical change", says a study in The Lancet."
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Links of the day 05/09/2012
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How To Find Your Pinterest Board or User RSS Feed
"You probably now where to find the RSS feed for most of your social sites… but did you know that your Pinterest account has RSS feeds too?"
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"The increase in wealth of this richest 1,000 has been £315bn over the last 15 years. If they were charged capital gains tax on this at the current 28% rate, it would yield £88bn, enough to pay off 70% of the entire deficit. "
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May 12: Awareness Day for Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
"Awareness is a powerful thing. It's done wonders for some illnesses, such as muscular dystrophy, breast cancer and Parkinson's disease. Awareness means public acceptance and money for research - both of which are desperately needed by those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome."
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Links of the day 05/08/2012
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Take a Warm Shower Before Bed to Get to Sleep Faster
"When you come out of a warm shower into a cooler bedroom, your body temperature will drop. That drop in temperature signals your body that it's time to rest, slowing down essential metabolic functions including heart rate, breathing, and digestion."
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The Kindle Best Sellers that are currently Free
"Meet Zero Dollar Books, a Pinterest style page that offers a visual listing of best-sellers that you can download on your Kindle, Windows PC, Mac or any mobile phone for free. "
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" M.E. is a complex, chronic, multi-system illness that affect the body in similar ways to Multiple Scelerosis. In addition, inflammation of the neurological system can lead to heart disease, extreme muscle pain and other debilitating and life-threatening conditions."
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First-Ever Systematic Review Shows The Effectiveness of Different Types of Vitamin D
"Vitamin D3 is is available through diet, supplements and exposure of the skin to sunlight, or ultraviolet B (UVB). It is the most effective form of vitamin D at increasing blood levels of the sunshine vitamin than the D2 form, says the first-ever systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the effectiveness of the vitamin D forms."
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WCA: unconditional support cases increase
"The figures show that from June to August last year, about 27 per cent of new claimants were placed in the support group, for those with limited capability for work-related activity, with another 19 per cent placed in the work-related activity group, for those with lower support needs who are expected to move gradually towards work. Both groups receive ESA."
Monday, 7 May 2012
Links of the day 05/07/2012
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‘Cameron will be a half-term premier’
"Unlikely, and Kelvin MacKenzie is hardly known for his observations, but still fun to think about."
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Hollande’s message for Labour: focus on jobs, growth and an end to austerity
"... it clearly marks a turning point in European politics, though a lot still depends on how forcefully and skilfully this wedge against the dominant Right is used."
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A Teenager's Perspective on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
"She's exactly right: it is essential for us to find something we love that we're still able to do! "
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No Dave, the message was ‘piss off’, electorate tells Prime Minister
"After Prime Minister David Cameron insisted that he ‘got the message’ following the Conservatives’ mauling at last week’s local elections, voters have highlighted that the fact he hasn’t resigned yet suggests otherwise."
Sunday, 6 May 2012
Links of the day 05/06/2012
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Welsh Minister calls for Iain Duncan Smith to be Sacked
"Welsh Government Education Minister Leighton Andrews has called for the Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith to be sacked after comments he made to the Sunday Express about his reasons for closing Remploy factories, which employ disabled staff."
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Iain Duncan Smith – we all suffer for his chronic failure to succeed…
"Sadly for the sick and disabled citizens of this benighted land, this meant that he has decided to emulate Joseph Goebbels by creating a massive and staggeringly effective propaganda machine, which I dubbed the DWP Lie Factory, the output of which was, and still is, repeated verbatim, and totally unchallenged, by the right wing press and the BBC."
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Disability does not mean inability
"‘Disability does not mean inability’ this was the mantra from disability rights campaigner and trustee of Cardiff People First, Peter Lewis. Peter died after being stabbed in Roath, Cardiff on the 28th April. "
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Stonebird: Care for Someone with Severe ME, now released in print.
"Stonebird is delighted to announce that finally the paperback version of Care for Someone with Severe ME is ready and available to purchase"
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Personal Trainer Cat Encourages More Push Ups
"Who needs to pay hundreds of dollars on a trainer at the gym when you could have your cat be your personal trainer instead! "
Saturday, 5 May 2012
Links of the day 05/05/2012
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New PIP Consultation Adds Fuel to Concerns
"Disability Rights UK (DR UK) spoke out after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) quietly published the latest consultation document on its plans to replace working-age DLA with a new personal independence payment (PIP)."
Friday, 4 May 2012
Links of the day 05/04/2012
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Life as we know it: Why Chronically Ill People Hate 'Get Well' Cards
"Someone needs to get through to the greeting card companies and make them understand that there are 3 types of "Get Well Cards" needed:
(1) get well soon
(2) hang in a few more weeks, you're going to die of cancer soon
(3) you're in for a 50-year long haul with this incurable thing" -
Londoners elect Boris Johnson as President of France
"... he’s already pencilled in as a guest presenter on the popular comedy panel show ‘Est-ce que j’ai des nouvelles pour vous’.’"
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Links of the day 05/03/2012
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Low Activity in Brain Region Linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
"The major neurotransmitter to operate in the basal ganglia is dopamine, which research suggests can be dysregulated in people with this illness. The researchers speculate that the reduced activity may also be related to inflammation. They say both of these issues could be important areas for future research."
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Links of the day 05/02/2012
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Dopamine: Natural Ways to Increase Dopamine Levels
"Foods that increase Dopamine
Food sources of dopamine increasing tyrosine include almonds, avocados, bananas, dairy products, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds.
Dopamine is easily oxidized. Foods that are rich in antioxidants such as fruits and vegetables may help protect dopamine-using neurons from free radical damage. Many healthcare professionals recommend supplementing with vitamins C, vitamin E, and other antioxidants.
Foods such as sugar, saturated fats, cholesterol, and refined foods interfere with proper brain function and can cause low dopamine. Consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol should also be reduced because they can clog the arteries to the brain, heart, and other organs.
Caffeine must also be avoided by persons with depression. Caffeine is a stimulant which initially speeds up neurotransmission, raises the amount of serotonin, and temporarily elevates mood." -
Poet’s ‘Suicide Note’ held up as Warning over Impact of Welfare Reforms
"A poet who left his notice of benefit withdrawal as a “suicide note” after taking his own life has been held up as a warning of the potential impact of controversial UK welfare reforms."
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The Sick Cost of Cuts to Benefits
"Charities say 300,000 people will lose help they desperately need to survive and could be at risk of losing their homes as a crucial benefit is stopped after one year – even for those still deemed too ill to work."
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ME/CFS Buzz: ‘Unrewarding’ Illness!, Brain ‘Zapper’, Treatment Primer on the Way and more…
"The study suggested that not only was ME/CFS a miserable disorder to have but that the portion of the brain that guides movement was tweaked…The news story focused on the ‘reward’ aspects of the basal ganglia but basal ganglia problems also play a role in other severely fatiguing disorders such as Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis."
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Rise in cannabis farms linked to new BBC show ‘Hash in the Attic’
"... aimed at students and the unemployed, the programme hopes to raise money for the households they visit by using their lofts to cultivate vast crops of illegal drugs and then sell them at auctions on the street corner."
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Links of the day 05/01/2012
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New survey show huge disability stigma
"A survey for the MS Society by ComRes has shown shocking attitudes across Britain towards people with disability. The report, out today, shows that a quarter of Britons think disabled people exaggerate their disability."
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Arthritis patients often suffer from depression, anxiety
"The relationship between anxiety, depression and chronic pain is complex while each acts both independently and synergistically as a risk factor for the others, the authors noted. "
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Don't blame Spain for the end of your expat dream
"Another pensioner was quoted as saying the cost of living has soared, which I partly agreed with until I read "corned beef prices in our local Iceland have gone through the roof!" "
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90% of cannabis farmers can’t be bothered to steal electricity
"CANNABIS farms are big news. Sadly, the stuff remains illegal even to ill people it could help. TV home makeover shows looking to stay relevant in a recession will not feature the Marijuana Mezzanine."
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How can it be right to profit from disability?
"With 3.2 million captive customers, not to mention a monopoly on all new claimants, it's not hard to see the appeal of the contract for profit-hungry companies untroubled by the ethics of slashing 20% from the money provided to disabled people to help them meet some of the basic expenses that living with a disability inevitably incurs."
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A new drug to manage resistant chronic pain
"Neuropathic pain, caused by nerve or tissue damage, is the culprit behind many cases of chronic pain. It can be the result of an accident or caused by a variety of medical conditions and diseases such as tumors, lupus, and diabetes. Typically resistant to common types of pain management including ibuprofen and even morphine, neuropathic pain can lead to lifelong disability for many sufferers."
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