VOTE TODAY!
Posted by Michelle Moquin on November 4th, 2008
Click here to Volunteer for Obama!
And, if you can take the day off be one of the many volunteers and make a difference. Click above and get involved. Doug and I are volunteering today to swing the battleground states. It is an historical moment – why not be a part of it? And If you can’t, then at least go out and vote and get your friends and family to vote too!
Don’t be one of these!
Make sure that you know your vote counted! I believe that I have posted everything that you need in order to make your vote count. If you are questioning anything go to yesterday’s post “Wednesday is ‘not’ a voting day” or “Early Voting? Make sure that you have Election Protection” for tips at the polls. Really…there is not much more to say but: Good luck everyone and think…
“President Obama!”
PS: And if you live in California, Please vote Yes on prop 2! for the animals and, No on Prop 8! for equal rights. Thank you!
********
Hey Cuba: I agree! I haven’t been this excited ever over an election. I have enjoyed being in the mix of it and I am so looking forward to today and celebrating tonight.
Hi Konduz: Isn’t that what it is all about? The freedom to say what is on our mind…to be able to debate with others and have intelligent conversation. How we can sometimes take it for granted because we can not imagine what it would be like to not have that freedom. It is women like you who remind us how lucky we women are to be born in the US. I hope for freedom for all.
Interesting stat Guam – thanks for the tip!
Hi Gleia: Wow. Hmmm…I’m curious…they shot through a wormhole and in order to get back out through the web, they need another one to exit…surely their presence must be known by you-know-who – Yes? So..what else can we expect from their presence besides more earthquakes and such? Has competition over earthly enjoyments entered the picture? Please share.
Hello Yanni: I realize that this blog has been very focused on the election, but you gotta admit it has been pretty damn exciting. However, politics will not be the focus from now on but it will have a presence no doubt.
As far as my legs – where have ya been? – I’v already shown them. :) In regards to the t-shirts – so sorry. I would love to be able to assist – maybe when the powers that be make a change over I’ll be able to sell something. Until then….
Maddie: I wish you an easy and effortless day in accomplishing your orders.
Hey ZL: It has been awhile…how are you?
Doug: Are ya ready? Let’s go!
Readers: Comments? Stories to share about your experience at the polls? You know what to do – blog me.
Have a beautiful day everyone!
12:47 PM: Just checking in. Hey everyone, I’ve been reading your comments so far…Let’s help Madaline -If you are experiencing major issues at the polls and people are having problems voting or feel that their ballot is being tossed, blog it here and make sure you list where you are located – Thanks!
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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November 4th, 2008 at 10:40 am
U.S. NEWS GOT IT WRONG ON INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
It’s a national success story: Integrated medicine has truly arrived. A recent major news magazine cover says: “Top hospitals are now embracing such unconventional techniques as acupuncture, homeopathy and energy healing.” Sadly, one journalist wants you to be very afraid of this very important movement that has the potential to significantly reduce medical costs and improve the health and wellness of our nation.
In the cover story for its January 21, 2008, issue, U.S. News & World Report health and medical writer Avery Comarow reports on the nationwide trend toward including complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in hospital care and mainstream medicine. It has an upbeat title — “Embracing Alternative Care: Top Hospitals Put Unorthodox Therapies Into Practice” — but really the article is a thinly veiled CAM-slam. Heavy-handed and bordering on journalistic sensationalism, Comarow’s piece is replete with erroneous research conclusions about CAM and sweeping omissions on its documented benefits and efficacy.
While the article seems to debate the scientific evidence behind CAM therapies, Comarow reports, “All 18 hospitals on U.S. News’s most recent ‘America’s Best Hospitals’ super-selective Honor Roll provide CAM of some type. Fifteen of the 18 also belong to the three-year-old Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine, and 36 US teaching hospitals are pushing to blend CAM with traditional care.” Can all of these elite centers, the emblems of Western medicine, be wrong? To find out, I went to an expert who is highly knowledgeable about CAM treatment modalities, naturopathic physician Mark A. Stengler, ND. His take: The trend speaks for itself — if mainstream medicine is embracing CAM, it’s for good reason.
WHAT COMAROW SAYS ABOUT CAM
Throughout the article, Comarow swims against the strong currents of CAM acceptance among America’s premier hospitals and academic medical centers. He employs the old journalistic tactic of using words and phrases intended to shock or disturb his readers. Right from the get-go, the article’s title contains the word “unorthodox” to mean “unconventional” therapies. Most telling about the U.S. News article’s intentions is the usage of loaded language about CAM and the “thicket of therapies deemed to fall within CAM’s broad reach”… citing “at one extreme” yoga and massage as having “some benefit, if only to lower stress and anxiety” and at the other end, therapies that “even many who applaud CAM’s newfound academic popularity call ‘woo-woo medicine’ because of the sheer implausibility of their rationale,” such as homeopathy. In what he calls “the broad middle,” Comarow puts acupuncture, herbal medicine and “other CAM approaches that seem to benefit some people with certain conditions.” In a dismissive review of CAM’s history, he likens CAM’s presence in academic centers before the mid-1990s to “a pack of scruffy mutts, noisy and unworthy of notice.”
Dr. Stengler was shocked at Comarow’s blatantly biased treatment of CAM throughout the article, with his selective focus on negativity and avoidance of well-documented CAM therapies. For instance, Comarow is especially critical of homeopathy, and ignores other well-accepted CAM therapies such as chiropractic care.
ERRONEOUS RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS
Public demand for CAM: Comarow disputes the “public’s clamor” for CAM services by questioning statistics that support the trend. For instance, he deems as “highly misleading” surveys that show widespread CAM use, such as a 2004 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that showed 62% of adult Americans had used some form of CAM in the previous year. According to Comarow, “the big numbers” reflect activities such as prayer, meditation and diet-based therapies. A “more selective reading,” he proposes, would include yoga (5%), acupuncture (1.1%) and energy therapy (0.5%). Dr. Stengler counters that this view depends on how CAM is defined. When CAM therapies such as natural products (defined as non-vitamin and non-mineral, such as herbs and other products from plants) (18.9%)… deep breathing (11.6%)… chiropractic care (7.5%)… and massage (5%), in the CDC report are factored in, the numbers reflect a strong trend in various other areas of CAM as well. Furthermore, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed an increase from 36% to 46% in total visits to alternative medicine practitioners, from 427 million in 1990 to 629 million in 1997 — a number that reportedly exceeded total visits to all US primary care physicians in the same year. A study in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine compared surveys on CAM use between 1997 and 2002 and found that over one in three respondents had used CAM in the previous year, representing about 72 million US adults. These numbers have increased since 1997 and 2002 and are now even higher, notes Dr. Stengler.
“Modest” results: Comarow concedes that a few CAM treatments have yielded “at least modest results,” such as massage therapy for relieving post-operative pain and acupuncture for relieving discomfort and nausea from chemotherapy, surgery and dental procedures. In Dr. Stengler’s view, the premise that a moderate benefit isn’t good enough is faulty… especially in view of conventional medical treatments that in some instances yield modest results but have become accepted mainstream therapy, such as drug therapies to treat irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pain, psoriasis, addiction and fatigue. Another example: Cholesterol-fighting drugs such as statins, which continue to be prescribed for post-menopausal women though they don’t appear to reduce mortality in this group. Or, more dangerous yet, the mainstream therapies that suppress one symptom only to deliver side effects that require additional treatments.
Nationality of study author bias: In another attempt at undermining CAM, Comarow comments “disconcertingly, some of acupuncture’s claimed successes seem related to nationality of study authors,” citing a 1998 analysis of 252 published trials in which 51 of the 52 studies conducted by researchers from Asian countries, where acupuncture is uncontroversial, had a 98% success rate. In comparison, “only 53% of the trials run by US investigators showed success.” Dr. Stengler attributes some of this difference in success rates to the fact that Asian scientists have more thorough training in acupuncture compared with their US counterparts. Also, in 1997 the National Institutes of Health Consensus Statement stated acupuncture showed efficacy in treating post-operative dental pain and post-operative and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and that it may also be useful for headache and low back pain.
DENYING THE EVIDENCE
Comarow states, “The effectiveness of most herbal remedies and supplements is largely an open question, and there are issues of toxicity, side effects and interaction with other medications.” Amazed at this comment, Dr. Stengler retorts that Comarow overlooked tens of thousands of well-designed studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of vitamin, mineral and herbal therapies.
Moreover, the toxicity comment is just plain bogus, says Dr. Stengler. He finds that most CAM therapies are safely used by seasoned practitioners. In terms of side effects and risks, even conventional treatments come with those. Pharmaceutical drugs have their own problems, despite rigorous government approval, so let’s allow their record to speak for itself. JAMA published an eye-opening report in 1998 that 106,000 hospital patients die each year from adverse reactions caused by prescription drugs. Over-the-counter or non-prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen) are responsible for about 16,000 deaths each year. In 2005, the FDA received more than 300,000 serious adverse event reports about drugs. In the same year, it received only 500 such reports about dietary supplements.
OTHER BLUNDERS
Placebo effect: Comarow reports that a compelling argument posed by CAM critics is that “the risks of some therapies are real and the benefits illusory — a placebo effect.” Yet Comarow also reported on how the placebo effect can be effective in providing relief from symptoms such as pain. Comarow is trying to infer that much of CAM’s success is due to placebo, which is a ridiculous conclusion, says Dr. Stengler. It is always a possibility that a therapy is having a placebo effect, but this is not unique to CAM. The same holds true for conventional therapies such as surgery, psychotherapy and pharmaceuticals. Comarow fell into the trap of thinking that because you can’t explain a result, it must not exist. The fact is, we do know a lot about mechanisms behind therapies such as chiropractic, vitamin therapy, massage and others, says Dr. Stengler. He believes Comarow did not do his homework in this area, evident by his lack of interviewing experts in CAM for the article, who would have provided documented mechanisms for many of these therapies along with studies demonstrating efficacy.
CAM “mimics” the natural course of illness: Comarow suggests that CAM gets undeserved credit due to the natural course of chronic problems, which tend to ebb and flow over time. For instance, chronic pain from an arthritic knee or frequent headaches have cycles of remission, and sufferers may attribute the disappearance of pain to CAM therapy rather than the natural progression of the condition. Again, Dr. Stengler counters, the same can be said of conventional medicine, for example, where pain medication is prescribed for arthritic conditions or antibiotics are given for viral illnesses on which they may have no effect. Yet doctors continue to burden patients with the cost and risk of using these drugs.
Wrong definition for naturopath: To those in the field, Comarow’s definition of “naturopath” reveals an utter lack of research — not to mention being a display of naiveté on his part, says Dr. Stengler. Comarow defines these highly trained practitioners as “generally a non-MD who advocates nonmedical aids such as proper nutrition, colonic irrigation… and special water baths to stay healthy without drugs or surgery.” Hogwash, retorts Dr. Stengler. Here’s the truth about naturopathic doctors or naturopathic physicians (the proper terminology): Like MDs they complete a four-year Bachelors degree in science and then four years of medical school that also includes internship, plus two years of clinical residency. However the naturopathic physician’s coursework includes not only the same scientific study of modern diagnostic tests, pharmacology, injection and intravenous therapy and so on as for medical doctors, but also additional training in natural medicine areas that include nutrition, homeopathy, botanical medicine, acupuncture and a variety of mind-body approaches. Also, he should have at least noted that with the greatest number of clinical training hours in these areas, NDs are the most well-trained doctors in the world in CAM, studying both conventional and natural medicine.
Read on for more from Dr. Stengler and the truth about integrative medicine…
Source(s): ??See below for information on Dr. Stengler.
November 4th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Well it looks like Anonz knew what he was talking about. Polls are attempting to suppress voting in North Carolina, Pennsylvania (my state), Virginia. That is what is being alluded to on CNN. I voted in Philadelphia. It was a mess.
Now, I sit at home listening to CNN for some sign that Madaline will be able to stop what Anonz says will happen.
Carl
November 4th, 2008 at 11:02 am
My Sweet
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Thank you for the most beautiful thousand words on record. Your picture says a lot about defining beauty. It has also launched a thousand instances in which I have thought of you ever since I received it.
I dream of holding that beautiful face in my hands while I gently kiss ever gorgeous inch of it. Stopping only twice; once to lose my soul in those mesmerizingly sexy eyes, and once to savor the sweetness of those incredible lips. They form the most sumptuous mouth I have ever seen on a woman.
Yes, your superb mouth! Only the gods can explain how you use those delicious lips to produce a dazzlingly opulent smile every time you flash those pearly whites.
I must confess that that smile has owned my heart from the minute you flashed it flirtatiously at me.
Ahhh, if only you would do it again!
For now, every time I look at this beautiful picture, I can imagine that it was meant just for me.
November 4th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I had to wait two hours because we ran out of ballots. This is a travesty. People are getting very angry.
Connie
November 4th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
And the winner is……
Well, the definitive Presidential election results are in…from the island of Guam!
Obama 20,120
McCain 11,940
Barr 212 (the only 3rd party candidate listed there)
Yes, it’s true, as a US possession Guam has no electoral votes. But, they hold a straw
vote when thay cast ballots for the territorial legislature and the congressional delegate.
But -DON’T LAUGH- they have been holding this “meaningless” vote since 1984, and it has
so far always predicted the eventual winner, according to the Pacific Daily News, which is
the paper of record there.
-Walter Ziobro
November 4th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I’m in Ohio and a lot of people like me have been forced to use provincial ballots. They can be read before they are counted. If they are for Obama, they probably won’t be counted. Even if they are counted, it won’t be for five to ten days after the election.
Mary
November 4th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Hi Mischa, thanks for taking my call this aft, had more to say than I’d want to post here : )
Sweet pea, is that you as ?????? speaking to me in comment #3?
Walter in Guam, thanks for the straw poll #’s, that was the kind of numbers (percentages) I based my few bets on, so I’ll go collecting (along with a minor amount of gloating, hee hee) in the am.
It’s not over yet but when it is I will be dancing in my living room ; ) oh yes, this is a good night in the US!
I received a call from a repug who said ‘congrats on your win’ through gritted teeth, ah it’s ok, I said through an elated smile ‘…and I am so sorry for your loss’ though I still think he might want to pursue copping a date with Sarah wink wink Palin, tee hee…
And to GWB I have one last song, nahnahnah nahnahnah hey hey good bye…(so when does he move out?)
Ciao for now, the totally Zen Lady Lilly : )
November 4th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Madaline
I love you. Thanks for showing the world that you and Michelle control the world. But importantly, you are in it for the good of the world.
I am not american, but I love you. If you need another soldier, I have served in Israel’s military.
Dori
November 4th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
My Sweet Lilly:
No, I did not write that one. But if you publish a picture with a full body look, I promise to compose a poem that may not do true justice to your victory, but it will reflect my need to hold that tender loveliness in my arms and in our bed.
Anonz
November 4th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
So the first bitch will be a nigger. How will America hold her head up?
Joe
November 4th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Congratulations America. We love you.
November 4th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Madaline:
Congratulations. You have proved to me that aliens do exist in a way that is formidable. I know first hand about your ability to affect us physically. Now I see that you have the ability to control the mental process of a country.
Michelle, the government will not look kindly on this power that you have exhibited. They will fear you. In America we destroy or lock up those that we fear.
i can not say how thankful that you were able to thwart those in the RNC that tried to steal this election. The fact that you were able to not only thwart it, but give Obama a LANDSIDE with significant COAT TAILS in the process.
Congratulations Michelle, you have my attention.
Anonz
November 4th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Wow. What I intended to say was edited by who knows who. let me repeat what I said. If it repeats, I will let it be for now.
Now I see that you have the ability to control the mental process of a country, too.
I can not say how thankful I am that you were able to thwart those in the RNC that tried to steal this election. The fact that you were able to not only thwart it, but give Obama a LANDSIDE victory with significant COAT TAILS in the process, speaks volumes for your ability to accomplish what you say you can do.
If I may add now that i am rewriting this Michelle if you intend to effect changes in this country via your GirlZs, you should do it privately sans your blog. Tell the GirlZs in private. Lest you risk the government acting against you.
Anonz
November 5th, 2008 at 12:18 am
Anonz, I cannot believe you doubted the landslide or what you’ve been given…
I guess you believe now though and better late than never…never underestimate the power of a girlZ.
I have posted a full body shot on my site, you must’ve missed it : ) I think it was in Aug/Sept sometime…
Maybe you should do the same, sweet pea, and I’ll compose a poem for you.
- Zen Lilly
November 5th, 2008 at 1:04 am
Michelle,
I am so very proud of all of the work that you have taken up, ran with it into the unknown, without knowing if or why, or what any consequence. Those thoughts came and transpired their guidance through the process. You are a beacon of hope to the world as for the future and possibilities as to our place in this cosmos. I love you!!
Thank you, Madaline!!!! Your work will never be amassed as to the scope of what it all entailed. I am so grateful for all of you and the GIRLZ efforts…I hope to extend this gratitude in person one day…
Anonz,
It will never be known as to the extent of the part to which you assisted in this process and to the situations that you may have created or put yourself into. Your struggle has NOT gone for nought!! I now know that you have a feeling besides your wallet.
Thank you for all of your efforts. For those that held the vision, it is and will be appreciated for the rest of your lives by millions, if not, billions of people throughout the world!!
Tomorrow is another day!
We have found a point in which we can now rest and take a breath…to understand that the people have spoken a voice that was NOT silenced and is quite loud!!!
Thank you!
November 5th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Hi, I’m out early today but cheers to the sentiments you expressed above, Doug, and Mischa, yeah baby and thanks to you and Madaline and Anonz for playing whatever role you did in all of this. I would also like to thank all the Repub wives who slid in that booth and did the right thing regardless of hubby’s wishes.
Anonz, Mischa, you probably should watch your backs now…Maddie, you’ll still cover Mischa and the sweet pea’s back in case of Repub/gov’t fall out, yes? That is this girlZ request to you.
Catch you all a little later…Zen Lill