Meat Causes Cancer

I just watched the documentary Forks Over Knives that discusses in detail the evidence that the myth that we need to over-protein-ate (and, of course, processed sugar and bleached flour, and processed food in general) is killing us with cancer and explores clinical evidence that an entirely plant-based diet can actually reverse certain types of cancer. Trailer below:



My practical take-away was not that I'll go vegan and be healthy forever, but that I have WAY too much meat in my diet. Give it a look - it changed the way I think about food, even if just a little.

Mutant Skeeters or Crazy Allergies?

So I was out in Cali 2 weeks ago, checking out the view of the Valley from Mulholland Drive near dusk, and while the sight was spectacular, I was spending some of my precious attention batting a few pesky (and rather large) mosquitoes. The next day, a half dozen requisite bites appeared and were just slightly itchy. My brother got some too.

Yesterday morning I awoke to find the mosquito bites I had all but forgot about were now flared, red, perfectly round, and about the size of a quarter each. This is the bugger between the pinky and ring knuckles of my left hand:



The curious spread I figure is from the the fact that I use my hands typing all day, so whatever my body doesn't like is getting to spread out a bit there. My brother does not have the same symptoms.

SO WTF? I understand that a toxin in the mosquito saliva causes the original bump, redness, and itching and affects different people different ways. But I got these bites 14 days ago. And they reacted like always: itch for a couple days, then go away. They hadn't bothered me in a week. What would make them all go nuclear 12 days after being bit?

Don't worry, I'm not being a typical stupid man about it either. I've already been to see the doctor if for no other reason than Cortizone10 was doing dick for the itch and I was either going to scratch them all until bloody or go absolutely mad thinking about scratching them all until bloody.

The doc said things like "weird," "I've never seen anything like it," and "Thanks for being my freak of the day" (we have a pretty casual relationship). And so it's antibiotics because of the timeline and off-chance of infection, topical steroid for immediate relief (knocks that itch down about 60%), and an oral steroid for overall inflammation control.

But it's all generalized guesswork, so I turn to you, my dear readers: Have you ever heard anything like this? Bites following a natural fade then BAM! 12 days later they get as big as quarters and itch 3 times as badly?

Dr. Oz on Reiki

Dr. Oz likes Reiki. I like Reiki. Cool.

Will Ferrell, Others, Stand Up for Insurance Companies

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

One More Not-Gout Update

After I blasted out that last post, I got a lot of advice, but no real answers as to what the hell might be wrong with my foot.

For those of you just joining us: Labs and longevity (as of today 4 1/2 weeks) says "not gout," x-ray guy says "not broken."

At this point, I still limp some because my left big toe still hurts, but only when I flex it or bump it, and it's more uncomfortable than seriously painful at this point. Wednesday I was able to deal with regular shoes, but driving with a clutch still aches.

No answers yet? As the pain at the top and side of the joint is subsiding, I'm discovering a new pain in the ball of the foot. Again, we're not talking the stabbing 9/10 pain I was originally experiencing - we're down to 0.5 - 1.0 - but a distinctive ache under the joint.

So, for the record, I'll go an suggest Sesamoiditis (goodness does the Wikipedia entry suck ass on the human version - I'm really not a horse).

And that's where it lies. Or lays. Or lied. I'm a huge grammar guy but that whole track never layed right with me.

So I have fading pain, and that's great. I've implemented some changes in my life that will be wonderful for my body and health - tomorrow on the bike perhaps?

But I'm still left with the mystery of why this happened in the first place. And why did it manifest the way it did?

Thank you for listening to the ramble of real life.

Oh, and I've got an infected eyelash duct! Boo!

A Practical Video on Why We Need Not-for-Profit Health Care

Shamelessly stolen from Liberality who shamelessly stole it from Walled-In Pond. I suggest Republicans take a careful look at a logical explanation and reevaluate their ignorance gap.

On Race and Republicans and YouTube: Jenkins and Steele

Over at Cleveland.com I found this little gem:

TOPEKA, Kan. — A freshman Republican congresswoman apologized today for telling a gathering in her district that the GOP was still searching for a "great white hope" to stop President Barack Obama's political agenda.

Rep. Lynn Jenkins used the phrase during an Aug. 19 forum as she discussed the Republican Party's future and tried to reassure members that the GOP has promising young leaders.

Oh, shit man. Olbermann can toss some commentary on this mess better than I:



And if you don't yet believe this freshman representative is an ignorant automaton towing the party line, check out this bit where she berates a single mother and her child because she (like so many other Republicans) cannot engage in dialogue when faced with how the reality of their rhetoric is harming real people and retreats into a "You're not making sense" posture.



And this brings us to Michael Steele, who also berated an audience member concerning health care. This young man talked of his mother who died of cancer because she couldn't afford her chemo meds. Steele flapped his arms and said that makes great teevee. Watch it:



And that cycles back around to race. Also reported in the above article:

On the Huffington Post, Dave Zirin also notes that Steele’s “effort to connect with young black students got off to a rather cringe-worthy start when right before the billed ’student dialogue’ two dozen white members of area young Republicans arrived to sit in the reserved first two rows of the packed room.”

Between ignoring the issue of the uninsured - even when they're standing right in front of them - and failing miserably, as they always have, at connecting with minorities - even with a minority leading your party - is there any reason to believe Republicans will be much of a threat in 2010? There are many things I'm not thrilled about with the Democratic Party right now, but I still wouldn't trust the Republicans with a potato gun, let alone Congress.

Gout Follow-up: Blood Labs and X-Ray

For those of you following the gout story, I spent the weekend icing and living in the boot like it was a break and I'm down from a 9/10 to 1/10 on a pain indicator, though driving a manual (it's my clutch foot) sucks, even in the gimp boot.

It's not gout as gout doesn't just linger for 2 weeks, especially with my low uric acid numbers. So Monday I went in for an x-ray. And nothing's broken. I got back with the doc and they said "If it still hurts on Thursday, give us a call and we'll try to figure it out." WTF?

So quick review and if anyone has insight, I would really appreciate it:

2 weeks ago, during the course of the day on Tuesday, the joint of my big toe - where it meets the foot - went from sore to stiff to throbbing and stabby. It was red and swollen and tender to the touch. Changing foot elevation would send shooting pain through the joint for about 5 seconds. Every step was painful and the throbbing kept me up most of the night. Wednesday and Thursday the pain was at a 9 and I didn't do much moving about. Friday was better, and Saturday was down to about a 2, so I started moving again. Sunday through Tuesday returned me to a 9 on the pain meter. Research on gout was looking iffy as it usually flares and then declines and I'd been way over on water consumption.

I went to the doctor who said gout didn't really last that long and my inflammation wasn't as bad as expected. When I got home, I fished out the gimp boot (immobilization shoe from a previous foot break) and iced the joint and wore the boot whenever I moved. In 24 hours I was down to a 3 in pain and for the past 5 days it has evened out at a 1 or 2.

I still don't have full range of motion and there is still pain when I walk. Stuffing my foot into a regular shoe causes the pain to worsen. Gimp boot makes it better, but not go away. I limp, which is always attractive.

This is probably more than you - or anyone - would want to know, but since we're getting all personal here and it might give further insight, here's my labs:

What - Mine - (normal/good)

Uric - 8.3 - (2 - 8.2)
Cholesterol - 235 - (under 200)
   LDL - 122 - (under 100)
   HDL - 41 - (over 39)
   Ratio - 3 - (0 - 3.6)
Triglycerides - 360 - (under 150)
Liver
   SGOT - 91 - (0 - 40)
   SGPT - 168 - (0 - 55)
   Hep test negative
Kidney function normal
Thyroid TSH - 5.82 - (.45 - 4.5)
Sugar - 81 - (under 100)


I've got to lose a couple pounds, eat oatmeal and fish oil, and exercise. And knock down on the drinkin'. The pain in my foot prevents the exercise. Almost certain it's not gout and x-ray is clean.

Any thoughts?

Maybe it's Not Gout?

This is getting retarded.

So last week I was utterly convinced I had gout - despite being only 32 - because of my research on the internets. And the pain dropped off from excruciating last Wed/Thurs to manageable Sat/Sun. Monday was static, no change. Tuesday it got worse. Today I can barely walk. Despite my change in diet and hydration, the pain is back with a vengeance.

Yesterday I finally went to the doctor. She said that it's possible it is gout, but the swelling wasn't really that bad as would be expected. And that something that painful can be a minor fracture or even caused by bad shoe support. So today I had blood taken (that clutch is going to kill me) even though doc said you're not going to see the uric acid levels unless it's within 48 hours of the flare-up.

So now I'm searching my memory of last weekend, why it would hurt less then, then act back up. And that would be lack of activity - no extended walking, no driving, etc. And that sounds like a break. And right now my foot is screaming at me in peals of pain and I'm wondering where the fuck I can get a quick x-ray on the cheap. And then quickly realizing that when you break any part of your fucking foot, they just charge you a bundle for the exam and say "hey, keep off it woudja?" Might get a gimp shoe if you're lucky.

If it's gout, it should've been gone by now, especially with the care I've been taking of myself. If it's a break - how the hell did I break my foot? Or toe or whatever? If it's neither then WTF is it?

So I eagerly await the blood results tomorrow. I'm thinking about venturing the basement stairs to get that gimp shoe we have down there. And after a week of being off the sauce I think Miller Time's going to show up today. A little early to make up for lost time. And it will bring wings.

And yes, you'll still get your late van murals today :)

Ricky's Gout Update

Some of you may have read my post from Wednesday about getting the Gout. I know it's just called gout, but I feel I need to distance myself from the word with an additional article.

So over the last 48 hours I have done hours of research and acted on that research and am happy to say that I'm at about 25% of the pain, swelling, and stiffness level I was when I posted. I have not been to a doctor because:

Symptoms:

• Severe pain in the toe joint
• Swollen and shiny in appearance
• Tender to the touch
• Unbendable

These are tried and true indications of gout and nothing more.

What were my major risk factors?

• Sedentary lifestyle (web programmer)
• Lack of exercise
• Mediocre monitoring of diet
• Slightly overweight
• High alcohol consumption (2+ drinks 4+ nights a week)
• Low-moderate hydration

So what's helping right now?

• Lots of water
• Concentrated, organic cherry juice
• ...occasionally with a couple t of apple cider vinegar
• Lots of celery
• Increase of Vitamin C
• Baking soda in water to turn the acid knob down from 11

And what must I continue after it is gone to avoid another flair-up?

• Lots of water
• Cherry juice daily
• Vitamin C
• Exercise daily (and therefore lose weight)
• Pretty much remove beer and keep alcohol down to 1-2 times a week

And that's the long and short of it: get healthy and keep it away. Not so complicated. Any questions?

Barney Frank Steps Up

Can we get a woop woop? Can we get Obama to speak so plainly?

Awww Shit. I Got the Gout. Seriously.

About a month ago, the middle toe of my right foot hurt where that second joint of the foot meets the metatarsal. It hurt badly. Having been out the night before at an Irish festival, I figured I must've slipped in a muddy hole or off a curb at some point and sprained or even broken my foot. Yes, it hurt that badly.

A day later, the pain faded and I thought "Gee, that was weird." A week later the pain returned briefly and quickly faded. A week after that, a dull ache appeared for a day in the same secondary knuckle of my left big toe. I said to Mrs. Shambles "is there any weird thing that attacks your toe knuckles?" almost jokingly.

Well, today I can barely walk. The pain in my left big toe is probably twice as bad as as the break I had at once suffered, mostly because there is a constant, inflamed throbbing paired with the pain caused by the crystals of uric acid that are forming in the joint. (note: not hyperbole; site after site describes gout as "one of the most painful of the rheumatic conditions" fuck.)

Oh, yeah, forgot to mention that. Gout is when your body holds on to too much uric acid. That uric acid - for reasons unknown - crystallizes in the big toe joints of men to start (in general - other joints are affected and it also affects women). It's been a chronicled condition for some 2000 years, but no one's exactly sure why it happens.

But they do know what contributes to it: purines. What has lots of purines? Shellfish, other seafood, rich meats, alcohol (especially beer), yeast, mushrooms, asparagus, and cauliflower, amongst other things. This list reads like my core diet.

And the rest of the common knowledge is jibberish. For example, dairy is shown to provide relief in some, but increased lipids in the blood are a risk factor. Oh, and a lack of exercise and being 25 lbs over my ideal weight isn't helping

There are prescription options, but they have more side effects than results. So that leaves natural remedies. Based on my extensive research efforts, dark berries (specifically cherries[?]) and apple cider vinegar are the way to go, as well as anything with antioxidants - like more dark berries - and avoiding anything on the purine list. Boo.

So I've already had a liter of black cherry juice (no, really, I'm not in the mood for -- okay, it's fucking hilarious) with some ACV (yech), and I'm planning for a full-on bomb this evening: another liter of organic cherry concentrate, some more ACV, concentrated Acai juice, and a pint of blueberries. Your prayers and thoughts are appreciated.

The bitch of the bunch is that everything I read talks about 80's and 60's and 50's and late 40's. I'm 32. My (online) name is Ricky. And I have gout. And it hurts like a motherfucker.

[Side note: I have not been officially diagnosed by a doctor, but the symptoms of gout are so specific that I have no doubt as to what I have. If I cannot remedy it on my own, I will have to push the med option.]

So, anyone know anyone with this? Remedies that worked? I'd love to hear from you.

Disability: Not as Easy as You'd Think

This is a personal blurb. Feel free to skip, though I'll go light on the glurge.

My mother-in-law is 58. 32 years ago, she began showing symptoms and was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. That's where your body sees the cartilage between the joints as an enemy to be attacked. 26 is absurdly early for symptoms and diagnosis.

She's had shoulders, knees, and elbows replaced and rebuilt, some twice. Once your cartilage goes completely, your bones will actually fuse together. Her wrists are fused, ankles and parts of her spine in process. Her fingers are curled tightly and almost immobile. She can barely get up from a sitting position, let alone do anything more complicated than that. She's been studied by doctors all over the world. She is 58.

This weekend we were in Cleveland to keep an eye on her in the hospital because she'd come down with pneumonia. It appears to be clearing, but the big issue that came through the family discussions was disability. Despite her limitations, she is still a licensed nurse and was working as of 3 weeks ago (interesting note: she is certified in CPR to do compressions with her elbows because she can not do them with her hands).

So stubborn as she is, she has finally agreed to go on disability. But you can't just go on disability. Short term disability is not quite the obstacle course, but since she is not yet 62, she can't just stop working and collect Social Security. So that's where disability comes in. And it turns out that even with some 30 years of records of limitations and surgeries and remedies and descriptions of her condition, there is about a 95% chance she will be turned down in the first round of long-term disability application.

And the reviewers work in groups. And when the group reviews the case and the Denied stamp goes on the application and is resubmitted, another member of the group is assigned to it for round 2. And since group dynamics in a working environment generally don't put you in a position where you are comfortable pointing to your colleague and saying "you're wrong," round 2 denial comes at a chance of about 99.9%. I guess that's a combination of job security and the governmental sieve to weed out some of the cheats by effort level.

Now, once denial 2 comes around it goes to court and as soon as they see her wheeled in, it's an immediate win. Unfortunately, that stage can take several months, enough time to leave a gap between short term and long term.

And then we spin out into a multitude of issues like rent, day-to-day care, inability of kids to support her, inability of her mother (with whom she lives) to take care of her, and - always - where is this money going to come from?

But I shall not bore you or trouble you with that. I haven't written since Van Mural Wednesday and thought I'd give you a taste of my world for the past couple days. But I guess if it were a real taste, you'd get a back-of-the-tongue lapping of that antiseptic, hospital, hand-cleanser-and-rubber-gloves that chokes you a bit and makes taking down food a little more difficult. And I wouldn't want that for anyone.

Not Exactly "Just" In...

Caught this on the teevee a few minutes ago and because MSNBC doesn't have a live online feed, took a picture.



The first problem is with the verb agreement: "Centers for Disease Control Holds" does not fly with me. Centers hold; centers do no holds. "for Disease Control" is a prepositional phrase. CDC holds. "Things fall apart; the center cannot hold.."

The Gestalt of the language is also problematic. "This Just In" connotes news that has just popped up. "Centers for Disease Control Holds Press Conference on Swine Flu Outbreak" did not just pop up. A press conference is an ongoing event; just in means a punctuation. If you had news that they were "going to" hold a press conference, that would be just in. But by the time the CDC guy at the podium starts speaking, you must alter your "Just In" subtext to the contents of the news he is delivering as the press conference is already going on.

Just a thought.

What They're Saying About High-Fructose Corn Syrup

If you've seen the ads put out by the Corn Refiners group where some actor-playing-douchebag says "Well, you know what they say about high-fructose corn syrup" (apparently aware of all foods that contain it but not what the concern is) but cannot come up with one thing that "they say" and the other person intelligently and succinctly states some crap about it being natural, you might have had two thoughts concomitantly: 1) What is it who's saying about HFCS? and 2) Ooh, it must be natural and ignorant whackos are causing a fuss.

And that's what the Corn Refiners group would like you to think.

But here's just one of the things "they're saying" about why HFCS is some funky shit:

A new study in mice sheds light on at least part of the reason for the insulin resistance that can come from diets high in high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener found in most sodas and many other processed foods.

Fructose is much more readily metabolized to fat in the liver than glucose, and in the process can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. NAFLD in turn leads to hepatic insulin resistance and type II diabetes.

Researchers showed that mice fed a high-fructose diet could be protected from insulin resistance if a gene known as transcriptional coactivator PPARg coactivator-1b (PGC-1b) was "knocked down" in the animals' liver and fat tissue. PGC-1b controls the activity of several other genes, including one responsible for building fat in the liver. This suggests an important role for PGC-1b in the pathogenesis of fructose-induced insulin resistance.

But, hey, what's so bad about insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease?

Anyone else find it weird that people who are supposed to sell corn are selling medical advice that benefits their bottom line?

Allergies, "Medicine," and Bullshit

Reminds me of how my sister describes clearing a dog's anal sacks.

When I was seven or eight years old, I recall my aunt and uncle got a cat. Romeo. It was a cutie, orange, and relatively personable. It was at that time (was I really never exposed to cats before that?) when I realized I was pretty allergic to cats. Sure, the visit would start out great and I'd have good times playing with my cousins, but then, an hour and a half into it, an intense itching would begin between my chin and my Adam's apple, an itch I still get and equate with "Awww shit. Here it comes." By hour three or four, we were about ready to go, the sneezing was uncontrollable, and my eyes were itching and puffy. I took the red Sudafed, a pill I still occasionally take, and spent the 40 minute ride home zoned out, head back, sinuses draining down my throat.

Fast forward to high school where my parents finally fold and we get a dog. Bailey, an adorable beagle/collie mix. I recall the trip home from the animal shelter I spent with my head back, sinuses draining down my throat. Soon after, we got two cats, Nala and Kala. I guess it was a little rough at first, but as anyone with allergies to animals who has animals can tell you, your body gets relatively used to your own.

College afforded me my first two kitties, Dorian and Godot (English nerd!), that I still have. I guess I was allergic to them too, but I spent a lot of time in college drunk, and when you stifle your immune system, you stifle your body's response to allergens.


Godot is the puffball.

With Mrs. Shambles, we have acquired Gracie, a brindle lab/boxer/pit that is part lap dog, part goat, and part gazelle.

A short time after I met Mrs. Shambles, she convinced me to set up an appointment with an allergist. Like the eye doctor saying "Okay, now read that line without squinting," Mrs. Shambles explained to me that I constantly sniffle. And it was true. So I set off to the allergist and came home with a test result that seemed to have a lot of answers: 39 out of 41 positive results, severely allergic to dogs, very allergic to cats.

So we started with the meds, which really just displaced an almost unconscious and chronic usage of Sudafed or Benadryl. At first it was Flonase and Allegra. Allegra didn't do shit for me, so we went to Zyrtec, then discovered Alavert. Floated on that for a couple years until I started waking up in the middle of the night unable to breathe. Nocturnal asthma or some crap like that is what they called it, so about a year and a half ago I had gotten to Flonase at lunch, Loratadine (gen. Alavert) at dinner, Singulair late evening, and a Proventil inhaler when necessary.

Yesterday, my allergist said she didn't like that my breathing was not optimal in winter. So you see all that shit I just listed? We're adding Symbacort twice daily on top of all that to see how it works if in 2 weeks we knock off Singulair.

In the last 24 hours I've taken 5 different medications related to breathing and allergies. And I think it's bullshit. Part of the bullshit is that NOT ONE of those medications - as is the case with the basis of the pharmaceutical industry - is fixing the problem. They are all there to manage different aspects of a lovely cocktail of symptoms. And I've been given two other options: Allergy shots which, after several thousand dollars, may do little more than douse my symptoms a bit, or living in a bubble-like environment and getting rid of my pets and vacuuming daily and pulling my fucking hair out when The Weather Channel puts the pollen count to yellow. I know those people. I'm not those people.

We can map the human genome, program goats to make spider silk, and reinvent Britney Spears' career, but we can't address the underlying mechanism of allergies? We're still in the "schools of thought" phase with this? The most ferocious part of my being is my immune system? WTF?!?

So until the science community decides to poop sock it and level up their understanding of how this basic mechanism works, I have decided to dig into the mind-body end of things. I am a big proponent of the power of the human mind and the control, if refined and practiced, that it has over the body. I can get rid of heartburn by placing a finger on my neck where my clavicles meet; I can clear a stuffy nose in 3 minutes of concentration. Why not allergies?

I'm also attacking the psychological end. Perhaps these issues are - at least partially - psychologically based. Mental blockages, lack of flow, eddies of stagnancy that need a good cleaning. I've found a great book to help me on my way. I'll let you know how it is and how I do on my journey. Because "medicine" is not curing me, 4-5 maintenance meds is no way to live, and while remaining inebriated may have its good points, it's not really productive for my business, marriage, or liver.

Maybe marijuana would work for allergies. There are some reports about its effectiveness on skin allergies. Time may come for an unofficial study...

Fear of Death? Good News!

(image found at ELITALICE)

I like to think I have a pretty solid grasp on reality. Unfortunately, part of that, from a spiritual perspective, means having some level of acceptance - or at least understanding - of mortality, that we all, one day, will be dead.

What happens after is, for everyone, a level of subjective conjecture. Nobody "knows" and the best chance at peace comes with faith that your flavor of afterlife is the right one.

But I don't have a real firm hold of my own mortality, although it edges closer at times like my grandfather's recent death. And while I have what I would consider a level of a conviction of the afterlife, I don't think there is anything that I'm 100% about; I always have questions, doubts. My current condition stems from a mix of leaving the Catholic Church at 16, mind-expanding drugs, and that vampire fascination I had so many years ago (um, Anne Rice, not that Twilight tripe), along with not believing all things fiction are necessarily fiction (remember, not 100%).

So, basically, it's fear of the unknown, that over-encompassing catch-all that causes so many problems in the world. I kid myself that I may not have to worry about it, that by the time I get old enough to worry, technology will have created a cure for just about everything. And then this story comes out, basically saying that:

Researchers believe boosting the amount of a naturally forming enzyme in the body could prevent cells dying and so lead to extended, healthier, lifespans.

The protein telomerase helps maintain the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes which act like the ends of shoelaces and stop them unravelling.

As we age, and our cells divide, these caps become frayed and shorter and eventually are so damaged that the cell dies. Scientists believe boosting our natural levels of telomerase could rejuvenate them.

A team at the Spanish National Cancer Centre in Madrid tested the theory on mice and found that those genetically engineered to produce 10 times the normal levels of telomerase lived 50 per cent longer than normal.

And my middle finger cranks towards that big guy in the black cloak because if we can kick that average up to 120, by the time we get there, we'll have mastered 160, etc.

Don't get me wrong; my vision of what happens after we die is much more fun and liberating than everyday life. But what if it all just goes away? "Death is part of life" or "Renew! Renew!" Sometimes they sound the same to me. That's why Logan ran.

(Yes, this entire post was a buildup to a mid-70's sci-fi movie reference. Snap!)

Fungus Causes Cancer

I'm one of those whackjobs that won't swallow the drug companies' spiel hook, line, and sinker. Along those lines, have a look-see at this video. Very interesting.

Scientists Find Wonder Drug to Cure Shyness

It's called booze.

PSY 220, folks (or maybe Sociology?): Walk into a room of extroverts, feed them coke or meth, give them something to do, and they no longer talk to each other. That's why Ritalin and Adderall work. Walk into a room of shy introverts, have 'em put away a few Tequizas or goofballs, and they're fucking Chatty Cathy dolls.

The real article, if you're interested in showing to a job interview without Jameson on the breath.

But, seriously, what's wrong with shy? "Cure" insinuates an affliction or disease.

Cure also insinuates Robert Smith.

...which insinuates introverts.

What the fuck?

I'm done.

No, not forever, just today.

OMG - Peepul Stickin Needles In Emselves

Sometimes the most educated of us sound like the least (and I only say that because "retarded" is not PC).

AFP Reports that piercings can cause complications, especially if you try to do it by yourself or another non-professional:

The researchers surveyed 10,000 people aged over 16. A total of 1,049 people had a piercing, with 1,943 piercings in total across the group.

More than a quarter of those questioned (28 percent) suffered complications like swelling, infection and bleeding, while a minority also admitted to piercings of the tongue, lips and genitals without proper assistance. The research was published in the online version of the British Medical Journal.

This type of story and even the basic idea is not new: Something is potentially dangerous but cool. Idiots flock to dangerous. Sometimes idiots do not have money and/or intelligence to do the proper research and take "potentially" to "problematically." A researcher takes notice, takes a poll, and - gasp! - idiots are in danger.

Unfortunately, the idiots are given the spotlight and nuance is passed as medically viable. Some swelling and some bleeding is not abnormal when you stick a needle through your skin. Proper care and instruction is mandatory but not accounted for.

Honestly, this article makes me think some prude doctor saw a movie and said "OMG - Peepul Stickin Needles In Emselves" after seeing a kid with a lebret in the film.

Anyone can take something that is potentially dangerous and either turn it into 99% safe or 99% deadly.

I jump out of planes.

Idiots should not.