Monday 30 December 2019

Anybody Interested in Podcast Interview Questions for True MS Journey of Twin Brothers by Sister Mary?



Anybody Interested in Podcast Interview Questions for True MS Journey of Twin Brothers by Sister Mary?


For a while I wondered about sharing this long, sad and true MS story of twin brothers as a painful family reality; but the more I wondered, the more I realized their story needs the democracy of being shared, not hidden in a dark pit of despair. This disease will continue to ravage my brothers; but perhaps, I hope their story can help someone else because today there is a new road map outside the neurologist’s tollbooth with many more options for treatment and care. However, whatever the inevitable ending of this journey will be for my brothers, it will not be in vain if their suffering can possibly ease the fears,tribulations and offer more  hopes to MS victims / patients. 

I also want to share their story as an audio book based on a Kindle reader. As I formatted the manuscript for Kindle Direct Publishing, so many more relevant questions became evident that could be best answered with a podcast interview.

Here are a dozen questions this story can answer from experience for an audience interested in disabilities, health care and new medical changes.

  1. What are the different theories about why the Central Nervous System breaks down?
  2. How was MS disease diagnosed in scientific laboratories … what kind of animal experiments?
  3. What is the immune system in a few words so we can be on the same page?
  4. What are a few main facts and the biggest discrimination about the CCSVI experience?
  5. What lessons were learned from CCSVI that must not be repeated with medical cannabis?
  6. Why does the medical hierarchy hold a blatant paradox in their hands and reason to seek alternatives? Why fear the growing multi-trillion-dollar medical industrial multi-nationals? 
  7. What is the main lesson that the FDA Profiteers Conspiracy and clinical trials cannot play a part in medical cannabis research?
  8. What are the roles and regulations of a new player to present unbiased medical cannabis research?
  9. What are some new protocols to treat MS when a one-time strategy with chemical drugs doesn’t work?
  10. How can Mother Nature’s pharmacy with phytonutrients be related to a marijuana plant?
  11. What are 3 actions that health consumers can consider on a future road map including the power of social media?
  12. How does a cat’s spirit bind the story with and the powerful image of a cage at the end?

At the end this story shares a new road map. Of course, the medical system will prevail with doctors, FDA, clinical trials, and profusion of drugs that treat symptoms with side effects. But today’s medical vista also includes new protocols based on individual biology, to integrate medical specialists, to move beyond ego, greed and embrace the role of ethics to do no harm.  Included are new directions for scientific advancement with independent research by cannabis producers according to careful regulations.

The simple reality is it is not possible to do peer-reviewed, random drug-based clinical trials with the synergy of Nature’s whole plant. The picture of scientists trying to dissect Mother Nature for profits on a laboratory table says it all. 

Reform cannot be denied  and freedom of choice will prevail. Perhaps the Liberation of Hope can wave its banner once again.



Your questions, comments and referrals are welcome. I look forward to sharing ideas and possibilities.

Sincerely,
Annemarie
amarie10@gmail.com
1 833 471 4661 (leave message and the best time to talk)


Excerpt It is inevitable that the FDA's drug culture will be seriously questioned; even as public trust is tarnished by the opioid crisis. This bastion will not disassemble readily and will resist with every legality they can formulate to maintain its superiority and profitability. The FDA  laboratories, filled with unpronounceable man-made chemicals, are standing at a crossroads ... how to clinically experiment with a natural product filled with phytochemicals in order to standardize a prescription that fits all needs.

In fact, the horizon clearly shows the many reasons why FDA may have too many conflicts to do this research properly. The climax of this journey is to call out that independent research is mandatory. There is no need to go through clinical trials and wait for approval to market a natural product through a highly detailed, specialized, and ultimate bureaucratic process that costs millions of dollars and takes years to complete. Who thinks drinking celery juice is risky?

The good news: there is a new, willing and able challenger to the FDA called the cannabis production company. This is where the governments, like Health Canada, can inspect, regulate and certify consistent and efficient production with leading edge technologies like automation, customization, scalability, with Good Manufacturing Practices to ensure purity and potency.



Introducing New Kindle E-book: The True MS Journey of Twin Brothers by Sister Mary


Introducing New Kindle E-book: The True MS Journey of Twin Brothers  by Sister Mary

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. Mother Teresa

A strange thing happens in writing this book about a true MS journey by twin brothers. You climb to the top of this Sick Mountain; and look out at an all-encompassing landscape with more insight than before. Time for everyone to look and see a complex medical system established over decades that has spawned relationships and functions of many different participants. But today, it is time to see changes happening in the future with a primary care system that embraces all disciplines.

One part of the story explains how, in 2010, the MS community felt a paradigm shift called CCSVI which shook the medical system to its foundation.  A Liberation War for Blood Flow followed with scientific evidence that structural venous malformations affecting blood flow, or reflux, may cause MS inflammation, not an attack by the body's own protective immune cells.  As expected, the medical establishment and the MS Society, did not accept any new theory that questioned their mantra and drug money flow.

The story looks for many answers: how MS was first diagnosed in animal laboratories, what are the connectors in a Profiteers Conspiracy holding a blatant paradox, what are new protocols to study and treat MS, and how cannabis can play an ethical treatment option when chemical drugs show limited results over decades. 

Does our health care system need to be protected from multi-billion-dollar medical industrial complexes? 

The chapters run the course with MS diagnosis for my twin brothers ... tall, handsome strong men; to unsuccessful expensive drug treatments, to CCSVI rebels in Mexico when Canada blocked only MS patients from opening constricted veins, to Lyme's disease antibiotic treatments, to other possible options, to residential care, to divorce and cognitive disabilities. Strangely, a cat's spirit binds us all together. 

Interestingly, this MS journey about truth didn't plan to end with independent medical cannabis research; it just evolved to where there were no better directions and no better hopeful vista with Nature’s wonder plant and its special affinity to the inbuilt human systems. Thankfully, with the right steps, there is a new player to help validate this research without FDA fortress interference.

Three calls to action are stated at the end:
  1. integrate all medical specialists
  2. play the role of informed consumers
  3. not allow validation of  Mother Nature’s pharmacy on a laboratory dissection table.  
The story challenges the Status Quo to welcome Progressive Change

The challenge is to read this story and still put MS victims into yesterday's cage of old animal experiments, chemical drugs and broken dreams when there is a new road map with several options for today and tomorrow.

Check out the Kindle edition:


Questions and comments are always appreciated. I look forward to hearing your stories, too. I am always interested in doing podcast interviews ... the reality of true experience can answer many questions and give hope.

Sincerely, 
Annemarie
amarie10@gmail.com
1 833 471 4661 (leave a message and the best time to call)
https://helpfulmindstreamforchanges.com


Excerpt: All in all, Multiple Sclerosis is a complex Monster, heterogeneous in some ways, and related to other diseases that share common characteristics; but, still with an unknown trigger. Is it infectious, genetic, toxic or about vascular issues? Perhaps this explains why there can be a response to such a variety of treatments and therapies, if effective at all.  Unfortunately, there is still much to be learned. 

Having said this, it is mandatory that all roads remain open to unbiased possibilities of learning more about a wonder plant that has shown to have a special affinity to the inbuilt human system. In a just and honorable society, who would dare to deny such hope to human suffering, not as a consumer or economic commodity, but as a patient with beloved families?    



Tuesday 17 December 2019

How to be seen and heard in a BIG WAY in 2020 with podcasts the RIGHT WAY!


How to be Seen and Heard in a BIG WAY in 2020 with Podcasts the RIGHT WAY!

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”  Anaïs Nin, writer



It is my good fortune to be mentored by one of the top business consultants and marketing strategists, Kathleen Gage. She specializes in working with entrepreneurs to fully identify their expertise and their market, and how to gain massive visibility by packaging their knowledge into various information products and services.

She walks the talk about the exciting world of podcasting the right way… all the essential factors: the trifecta power, foundation, research, expert one sheet, updated directory, setting up a book’s virtual tour, and how to re-purpose the content to make you a requested superstar podcast guest. 

I am pleased to recommend her latest program called the NEW Deep Dive 100 Club … a total six months of exclusive mentoring designed to get you lots of visibility for podcast shows. If your product. service, book or message deserves more than a tweet, then check out the right way to share in a 30 minute interview.

Do you want to be seen and heard Get Seen and Heard in a BIG Way in 2020!

Do you want to learn how to brand your expertise and market so opportunities come out of the woodwork?

It's now the RIGHT TIME to get to know more about Kathleen and her offer of an exclusive Six-Month one-on-one mentoring program for Bona-Fide EXPERTS who are ready to skyrocket their visibility, book  sales, speaking opportunities and revenue through the power of virtual tours by way of being a featured expert on podcast shows and highly visibility blogs.

Are these benefits important to you? 

  • Month-by-month strategies to assure your success at booking lots of interviews on the right shows to be seen by your ideal clients and customers
  • 12 personalized 1-on-1 virtual mentoring sessions with step-by-step monthly strategy plans with specific action steps to make you a Rock Star Guest (with replay)
  • How to design Expert Media Pitch Sheet ready to send to hosts
  • Review of your website so you can make it “visitor ready”
  • Best types of shows to target, topics to make you an in-demand guest
  • Strategic planning on other revenue generating programs and services with conversion funnels
  • Private access area with boatloads of spot-on training material
  • Up to 100 show opportunities by year's end when you follow the exact formula in the Deep Dive program

And so much more... 


If you're an expert who's ready to make your mark … let's talk. I designed this program for high-performers who are tired of trying to figure this out for themselves. The kind of men and women who have an important message and mission and are ready to be seen and heard like never before. Kathleen Gage

Check out a brief questionnaire, request an interview. Are you ready to become unstoppable in 2020? 

Sincerely,
Annemarie
amarie10@gmail.com
https://helpfulmindstreamforchanges.com




Overview of Podcast Shows about Ecology's Cyclical Truths with this One-of-a-Kind Special Water Character


Overview of Podcast Shows about Ecology's Cyclical Truths with this One-and-Only Special Water Character


If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”– Albert Einstein

Who doesn’t want to hold our beautiful blue planet in protective hands, symbolically? Who doesn’t like a walk in sunshine, breathe fresh air, feel a splatter of rain or eat a fresh salad, baked potato with chives-up sour cream and a cool glass of clean fresh water? That’s a nice package with a bow of gratitude, but how many parts are inside this package that need assembly to make sure that nature works as programmed? 

Bottom line, if we can’t negotiate with nature, then we better relate to the interdependent parts and functions; so we can pass Earth's priceless gifts to future generations. 

To that effect, a Facebook ad or video, does not do justice below the surface. I am looking for podcast shows interested in discussing important questions about ecosystems, natural cycles and how to resolve disruptive problems.

On one side, I believe that the audience may be amazed at the many functions of  a water cycle or ecosystems in general. I know I certainly am, learning so much through research; especially feeling, that an elementary knowledge of basic facts is not good enough to visualize the depth, co-dependence and intricacy of natural systems.

On the other side, why me as a podcast guest? You might think I lack expertise because I’m not a trained scientist with years of study. But I am a serious, respectful Earthling human being concerned enough to educate and protect our future within Earth's finite resources. Also, I am a retired teacher with an inborn DNA to value education and share more learning in an organized, open-ended way. 

To that motivation,  I wrote a one-of-a-kind e-book about a water sprite with roots based on scientific realities. Below, note the previous blogs that address ten possible podcast questions and answers.

Here are two more questions with references to the e-book and possible podcast shows.

Why does the water sprite hero have roots ... doesn’t this make him immobile?

Can scientific facts be understood better through an imaginative creative license as a first person experience?

First, it’s no wonder that dominant water forces have also played important roles in the realm of imagination, folklore and mythology. The theme of water becomes the flowchart by which people can explore, understand and integrate their cultural values based on living together whether philosophical, social or even ecological, constantly responding to change.
  • It’s very interesting to note the number of deities, named by the thousands in Greek and Roman mythology, who were ascribed powers to control the elements of all water. Their names were associated with seas, storms, waves, currents, sea-creatures, lakes, springs, rivers, fountains, marshes and ground waters. The most common was Poseidon as the king of the seas and lord of the sea-gods living in a golden palace on the seabed with his queen and son Triton who looked like a merman with the upper body of man and tail of a fish, calming the waves by blowing his conch shell horn.
  • Folklore from Western Native American tribes talked about water babies as mysterious and dangerous water spirits living in ponds and streams whose cries could signal distress or fore-warnings.
  • Modern aquatic superheroes display supernatural powers to champion a return to justice with extravagant cinematic powers that may momentarily dazzle without facts. 
But there has never been a character quite like this water sprite with roots. He is small, kind, sensitive, vulnerable as he is curious, speaks the language of Earth’s biological citizens. He personifies the total water cycle: he is the cloud, the dewdrop, the snowflake, the currents in a pond, the sap, the saliva, the solvent for synthetic pollutants. He is given the chance to pick his own name: Corddo-mont the Sixteen-Hundred-Billionth, the Variable, the Life-Giver, the Earth Sustainer or Cordd for short.

Why does the water sprite hero have roots ... doesn’t this make him immobile?

This water sprite is a highly specialized organism whose body composition is 96% pure water surrounded by two elastic cell layers, an inner one composed of cellulose and an outer one of protein fibers. Three characteristics:

  • his brain is found in his stomach where it can better regulate his complicated respiration; sometimes inhaling oxygen or carbon dioxide, depending on the role of plant or animal he  happens to be in. 
  • his heart is found in his head, directly connected to his eye spots so he can both see things and have feelings without others' observations and opinions. 
  • for protection, he has a typical encyst button like a belly button in his chest, which can shrink him into a state of dormancy until a more favorable time for re-emergence.
One unusual characteristic is that he can be classified as both animal and plant for two reasons:

  • first, he can also anchor himself into the ground by special root-retractors between his toes. Like any other root, he can absorb minerals from the soil and digest them as necessary vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates.
  • second, his outer cell layer contains chloroplasts cells which are visible like green freckles. Because these cells contain chlorophyll, he can directly convert the sunlight's energy into food energy, namely sugar, just like a plant can.
Most importantly, he can communicate with any other organic life form because they share carbon as well as hydrogen molecules.Therefore, he can express their stories, their dangers, imbalances, fears, and hopes from their realities about cyclical truths essential to ecology.    
Hopefully, people will feel a special bonding with this water character; thereby, making an emotional connection through his trials, tribulations and inclusions of all lives in a balanced natural environment. As the water sprite falls in love, so will the readers in kinship and motivational affinity to protect Nature at its best.

Can scientific facts be understood better through an imaginative creative license as a first person experience?


There is a unique power in figurative language known as personification when you can give human characteristics to non-living things or ideas. Associations help to better relate to the object or idea and have a sense of empathy that it matters. 

What more precious bonding can there be than to consider water as a valuable friend, as a person and necessity for survival? You wouldn't hurt or bully a good friend, right? 
  
Here are a  few situations where I feel personification helps to focus on water as a real entity in its own right for sustainability and protection:

  • how else can you describe evaporation from the ocean as frolicking with friendly air molecules, rising higher into snowstorms and freezing into a glacier?
  • how else can you describe the joy of a plant bathed in sunlight and drinking nutrients though it roots, feeling its body structure becoming stronger cell by cell?
  • what better way to show the family and community life of microorganisms, like rotifers, and their special bonding to fresh water except by developing mutual feelings of respect for each other?
  • who can better describe the microscopic food chain than a microorganism called Stentor as part of the Great Ecological Cycle?  He teaches his class, “This is one of the great Cyclical Truths … if one part lives, then the other part lives; if one part is destroyed then the other part will be destroyed in time? Isn't co-operation wonderful, a true democracy through diversity?"
  • how else can the horror of pollution be experienced except at a personal level and loss of a personal community with a forewarning of larger systems?
  • what better way to personify people as a block called humankinds which contains their inquiry, progress and power; however, the onus is left to the individual person to be responsible to make a difference outside the block?
In the end, science and imagination synchronize and weave a fascinating story that only a water sprite with roots can tell; that in order to survive, we need to balance our Earth’s ‘Cyclical Truths’  and protect its ecological ecosystems. Most importantly, the hope is for children of all ages can accompany him and respect our natural environment even more around every chapter. At the end, we should all  care deeply for his manners, fears and hopes. 

What an amazing friend especially for children to get to know!

Your questions, comments and referrals are always welcome.
What are some questions you wonder about the Earth's biology?
What are some solutions you think might help to fix imbalances?

Sincerely,
Annnemarie
amarie10@gmail.com
833 471 4661
https://helpfulmindstreamforchanges.com

This list outlines answers to previous questions:



BLOG:  Why is environmental sustainability based on biological diversity?
             What are some amazing Cyclical Truths discovered in a water cycle journey that                   may be less known?

BLOG:  What are the relationships between Earth’s biosphere, ecology, ecosystem and                     environment and us?
             What is the interesting relationship between a water molecule and a hydrocarbon?

BLOG:  How climate change disrupts the water cycle via the Hydro-logical Express - Cause               and Effect?   

BLOG:  How is pollution related to the water cycle...the worst pollutant of all

BLOG:  How does water teach us morality?  Does ecology have an ethical base?

  

              Cordd...the water sprite                             Roti...his best friend

Sunday 15 December 2019

Questions about Ecology, Diversity, Sustainability Make for an Excellent Podcast Interview



Questions about Ecology, Diversity, Sustainability Make for an Excellent Podcast Interview

How is it possible that the most intellectual creature to ever walk the planet Earth is destroying its only home? – Jane Goodall

How would you define the effect of these important words on you and your family? Do they warrant more discussion about common environmental problems, denial of ecosystems, loss of species, too much waste pollution, material over-consumption, not to mention global warming.  

MISSION STATEMENT:  As a society, we must have an affinity for our finite planet and  must never diminish the Big Picture of survival in our limited biosphere without having a personal relationship to the diversity and symbiosis of all living and non-living things on Earth.

Ongoing research has opened new personal windows of understanding and appreciation. Nature ripples in her streams, languishes in her lakes, whispers in her wind, wavers fathoms deep into oceans, holds the baby bird, watches the green caterpillar on a cabbage leave, entertains families on a beach … and embraces the only life we have on Earth. But who will speak on behalf of Nature as a living, breathing entity unto herself for future generations? 

I look forward to podcast shows which may be interested in discussing ecology from Nature’s perspective. A previous blog outlined 10 questions with two given answers:

 Why is it important to know the similarity between biosphere. ecology, ecosystem and environment?

What is the interesting relationship between water molecule and a hydrocarbon?

Here are two more questions to answer on a podcast interview:

  1. Why is environmental sustainability based on biological diversity?
  2. What are some amazing Cyclical Truths discovered in a water cycle journey that may be less known?
1. Why is environmental sustainability based on biological diversity?

Every ecosystem has four parts or levels ... if one is missing, then the other parts will be unbalanced ... first rule of all ecosystems:
 1. Non living elements the sun, air, water  2. primary food producers 3. secondary consumers 4. decomposers to return the nutrients as well as release gases for breathing.
 
What is biodiversity: defined as all variety of living species of plants, animals, bacteria and fungi, and human beings. Their survival is based on their diversity, interactions and co-dependence in any given ecosystem to maintain balance and support life with food, clean water, medicine and shelter.

However, some reports (Global Assessment -2019 and WWF - 2018) have noted an average 60% decline in global population of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians where many species may even face extinction. 
The reasons are population growth requiring one third of land mass and 75% fresh water for crops or livestock production.
Other human infractions are over fishing the ocean, clear cutting forests, depleting natural resources,  polluting our water and worsening a climate crisis. 

What is environmental sustainability? defined as maintaining and protecting biodiversity  that allows humans to satisfy their needs without exceeding the capacity of its supporting ecosystems to regenerate the services necessary to meet the long-term needs of future generations. 

We must realize as both individuals and corporate citizens, no matter how small or large, that we must help to maintain our environment with every positive action as part of a larger cycle. We can check out "green teams," improve eco-friendly supply chains, and reduce harmful or excessive waste. Our planet, society, and economy must sustain our future generations.
For example, if you cut down trees, make a plan to reforest. 
If you have a manufacturing factory, make sure your emissions are up to code.
If you run an industrialized agricultural operation, improve crop rotation, use less fertilizers or pesticides.


2. What are some of the less known but amazing Cyclical Truths discovered in a water cycle?

Each ecosystem has its own energy cycle which contains all of the living species and all non-living elements in any particular environment, whether as a single tree, a forest or even a puddle. This energy flows from the sun through plants, primary food producers, secondary consumers like animals and humans, and microorganisms which ends with decomposition in order to recycle the process again. 

In fact, numerous interdependent cycles are required for ecology to balance and sustain these many lifeforms and systems in an inclusive, cooperative biosphere. 
  • food chain starts with sun’s energy for producer organisms  (such as grass or trees) to make their own food, for consumers (such as animals and humans), to decomposing species. Energy and nutrients pass from one link to another.  For example, if you eat a hamburger for lunch, you are part of a food chain that started with grass to cow to human.
  • pesticide cycle are chemicals like insecticides, fungicides, or herbicides. They can be absorbed by insects, fish and other organisms, blow away to non-sprayed areas, flow with rain water into streams or seep through the soil into ground water and remain in the environment for years. Pesticides damage ecosystems by disrupting food chains as part of food webs, or decrease biodiversity through loss of populations, even cause extinction of species. Also note that the higher up in a food chain, the more concentration of chemicals at the top.  For example, from a grasshopper to a shrew to an owl who gets sick is called  bioamplification.
  • nitrogen cycle is the circulation of nitrogen in various forms through nature. Nitrogen is essential to life because it makes proteins and nucleic acids.  Most of the atmosphere is nitrogen gas, but this gas can only be used by plants and animals if first transformed by microbes called nitrogen fixation or nitrification.
  • carbon cycle is probably the most important cycle as explained in a previous blog about the relationship between a water molecule and a hydrocarbon. Bottom line ... if too much carbon dioxide is returned to the atmosphere, an imbalance of greenhouse gases will influence global warming.Just think, a tree will use 48 pounds of carbon dioxide in year and supply enough oxygen for up to 4 people daily.

And so, this special story about an incredible journey to discover Cyclical Truths was written to combine imagination, fantasy with scientific reality. The water sprite with roots is personified as a friend who experiences many encounters, imbalances, fears and hopes in his natural ecological journey. Because he shares an affinity with any organic life form derived from carbon and hydrogen, he can communicate with other beings and express their stories from their realities. Most importantly, he talks the walk through his mission of discovering cyclical truths from the sun to water to nutrients to plants to animals to decomposing bacteria to respecting the biodiversity essential for all life. 

Who do you know in the podcast sphere of influencers who may be interested in talking about our one and only blue planet, it's biodiversity and cry out for environmental  sustainability? Once again you can check out the other 10 questions for podcast interview on previous blog link above.

What questions do you have about our earth's biology and how to maintain and respect it?
What actions or changes do you see that may help or harm our future generations?

Sincerely,
Annemarie
amarie10@gmail.com
833 471 4661 (leave message and the best time to talk)
https://helpfulmindstreamforchanges.com
      Stentor stretches his long neck as long as he can.
"This is termed the food chain and it is part of the great ecological cycle.  This is one of the great Cyclical Truths … if one part lives, then the other part lives; if one part is destroyed then the other part will be destroyed in time.

Who gave Mother Nature such divine plans, how to look after even the smallest, to even the largest. Isn't ecology wonderful how it makes plants, animals and humankinds can stay living in co-operation? Isn't co-operation wonderful, a true democracy through diversity?"

Co-operation … co-operation … so many heads are now reciting the same word and thought.. 



Wednesday 11 December 2019

Beware the Nurdles Everywhere as the Worst Pollutants...Personal Challenge 7 Facts 6 Questions 7 Suggestions



Beware the Nurdles Everywhere as the Worst Pollutants ... Personal Challenge 7- 6 -7

I always saw pollution as theft, and I always thought, 'Why should somebody be able to pollute the air, which belongs to all of us, or destroy a river or a waterway, which is supposed to belong to the whole community?' Robert Kennedy, Jr.

Is this bottom line on your agenda, too? 

The looming threat of plastic pollution is undoubtedly one of mankind’s greatest challenges. Plastic is now found in our soil, lakes, rivers and oceans, as well as in the bodies of humans and wildlife.


What do you know about NURDLES? These are the worst pollutants of them all. Nurdles are tiny pellets from plastic products of all kinds and the second-largest direct source of micro-plastic pollution to the ocean by weight. Their size varies from microscopic grains to millimeter-sized pellets

7 FACTS you may not want to know but cannot dismiss: 

  1. 381 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide each year. 
  2. Plastic is now found in our soil, lakes, rivers and oceans, as well as in the bodies of humans and wildlife.
  3. Nurdles cannot degrade but accumulate in the environment for generations. They can act like sponges for toxic chemicals and often look like floating fish eggs that birds, fish, whales and filter-feeding marine life eat
  4. Two-thirds of all plastic ever produced remains in the environment. Micro-plastics are found in tap water, bottled water, sea salt and a variety of seafood.
  5. Plastics  can take up to 1,000 years to break down. Example, a single plastic coffee pod may take up to 500 years.
  6. More than 99% of plastic comes from fossil fuels in the process of extraction, air and water pollution, increased traffic and pipeline construction.
  7. Refining plastic resins and additives can release cancer-causing compounds and other toxins, often colorless and odorless.

6 QUESTIONS we all need more serious answers

Do your  due diligence: watch the video and read the articleNurdles Are a Growing Pollution Problem 

  1. How do pellets become raw material and get into the environment ... production, transport, spills, hurricanes, waste water management?
  2. What are ocean gyres…ocean trash congregation of nurdles  primarily in the Pacific ocean called the great Pacific garbage patch?
  3. How is the food chain affected from starvation to consumption of smaller by larger predators?
  4. How can we end the cycle of plastic pollution?  As suggested, the best solution would be to reduce plastic use, recycle and replace plastics with paper and glass. However, many countries are going in the opposite direction:  the U.S. plans to open more than 300 new plastic factories; China, middle east and Europe continue to invest in plastic production for decades.
  5. How much plastic do you eat and inhale every day? Primary ingestion is from water and seafood, including some brands of bottled water vs tap water. Also indoor air may include synthetic fibers such as polyester, polyethylene and nylon, or non-synthetic particles composed of protein and cellulose.
  6. What are the effects of plastic that do not break down in the human body? Chemicals in plastics have been linked to organ damage, obesity, heart disease, cancer as well as disrupting embryonic development and more.
These questions cannot be denied; facts cannot be ignored or buried in a land fill or flushed into a public waterway without consequences. A bigger personal challenge might be how to avoid and reduce our daily use of plastics. 


7 SUGGESTIONS ... common sense decisions every day   

  1. Opt for products sold in glass containers rather than plastic whenever possible. 
  2. Look for plastic-free alternatives to common items such as toys and toothbrushes.
  3. Drink tap water rather than bottled water...filtered if possible. 
  4. Avoid reheating food in plastic containers...use a glass container if using a microwave.
  5. Store foods in glass rather than plastic...may contain  phthalates and styrene.
  6. Ditch processed foods and takeout for fresh food...wrappers and containers.
  7. Vacuum regularly...micro-plastic chemicals are found in most household dust, which can end up being either digested or inhaled. 

How will you draw the bottom line as a citizen of our one shared world and co-inhabitant of the Earth's biosphere and ecosystems? Will you bother to watch the video or check out science as more data is recorded? Will you try and control the Nurdles all around you?

Personally, I have never been more proud than to write an e-book for all ages who care about ecology and Nature's Cyclical Truths. In a culture where powerful superheroes and Mickey Mouse abound, it is time to meet a real superhero whose continued success is essential to all life on Earth. Throughout the Incredible Journey of a Water Sprite with Roots, we can walk the talk and share his many experiences with lifeforms essential to ecology and his amazement at several natural cycles. It is only when he encounters humankind that he feels a loss of self; and learns consciously, and sometimes painfully, the truth for the need for preservation of balance in nature.


Podcast interviews are welcome to discuss these important questions and other concerns. I can't help but wonder what the water sprite's reaction might be if he also met a crowd of Nurdles as part of our future.  

Questions and comments are always important ... Mother Nature is our best friend and deserves our awe, respect, protection and conservation. 

Sincerely,
Annemarie Berukoff
amarie10@gmail.com
833 471 4661
https://helpfulmindstreamforchanges.com 



Excerpt: I wonder but I really don't know. I wonder if anybody knows, even humankinds who are probably too busy with no time to dig deeper into what the right connections can mean to us all. But I care. Is caring a cycle? If you care enough about something, is that caring returned to you? If responsibility is given or taken, is that responsibility respected and used well? Generally speaking, do humankinds believe in being responsible at least, if not appreciative, of how past, present and future actions are all connected? The Incredible Journey of a Water Sprite with Roots 




Monday 9 December 2019

Stunning New Facts about Mental Health Conditions among Teenagers from WHO - World Health Organization Oct.23. 2019


Stunning New Facts about Mental Health Conditions among Teenagers from WHO - World Health Organization  Oct.23. 2019


In an age of selfies – with filters to adjust our reality to make us look better – and an over fascination with image, fame and being ‘seen’, how do we ensure that we nurture the growth of character in our children? Maggie Dent


I don't know about you, but these facts stunned me as a teacher,  researcher and author of a teen girl's e-book about struggles and regrets on Social Media. It is the newest research about mental health problems with adolescents done by the World HealthOrganization in Oct. 23, 2019.  


Here are the 6 key findings:
  1. One in six people are aged 10–19 years.
  2. Mental health conditions account for 16% of the global burden of disease and injury in people aged 10–19 years.
  3. Half of all mental health conditions start by 14 years of age but most cases are undetected and untreated.
  4. Globally, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.
  5. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15-19-year-olds.
  6. The consequences of not addressing adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as adults.

Nearly 90% of the world’s adolescents live in low or middle-income countries. I can’t say how teenagers in North America (Canada and US) may relate to others around the world but there are more similarities than differences, in my opinion, because teenagers share a common transition or threshold. If any of these words ring true, then the bell tolls for our country, too, and  for teenagers you may know.  

All adolescents share a unique and formative time. Their physical and psychological well-being must be protected against adverse experiences and risk factors that may impact their potential to thrive with essential physical and mental health into adulthood.   

Here is a summary of main points or may read the entire article.
   
Mental health determinants
  • develop and maintain social and emotional habits important for mental well-being: healthy sleep, regular exercise, problem solving, interpersonal skills, managing emotions, respecting supportive environments.
  • minimize risk factors: greater autonomy, peer pressure, sexual identity, socioeconomic problems and quality of home life. 
  • increased access to technology and media influence with hands-on disparity between lived reality and perceptions for the future. 
  • more vulnerable to social exclusion, discrimination, readiness to seek help, educational difficulties, risk-taking behaviors, physical ill-health and human rights violations.   

Emotional disorders

  • common disorders are depression, anxiety, irritability, frustration or anger, unexpected mood changes or outbursts; schoolwork affected; possible physical symptoms such as stomach ache, headache or nausea. 
  • social withdrawal linked to isolation and loneliness, even suicide.


Childhood behavioral disorders

  • include attention deficit hyperactivity, difficulty paying attention, excessive or destructive activity and acting without regards to consequences; can affect education or result in criminal behavior.


Eating disorders

  • affect females more commonly than males: restricting calories, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, often co-exist with depression, anxiety and/or substance misuse.

Suicide and self-harm

  • third leading cause of death in older adolescents (15–19 years). Risk factors include harmful use of alcohol, abuse in childhood, stigma against help-seeking, limited access to care.
  • need more communication 

Risk-taking behaviors

  • substance abuse, episodic drinking. use of tobacco and cannabis, sexual risks, interpersonal violence impacts on adolescent’s mental and physical well-being.

Promotion and prevention

  • interventions and programs to help regulate emotions, provide alternatives to risk- taking behaviors, build self -esteem and confidence, promote supportive social environments and networks
  • requires digital media education, health or social care settings, schools or the community

Early detection and treatment

  • crucial to address the needs of adolescents with defined mental health conditions
  • avoid institutionalization and over-medicalization, prioritize non-pharmacological approaches, respect the rights of children and adolescents

I am nervous when I see the words "teen suicide" but it happens like a 14 year old girl hanging herself from her family's apple tree because of a boyfriend's snub. Suicide is the leading killer in young Australians, as one in four adolescents suffer from depressive symptoms and many others battle anxiety. Maggie Flett

I will always wonder to what degree the digital media contributes to teenagers' problems, their self-identity, social compass and personal morality. What are the long-term consequences of hours spend watching cellphones?

I’m not a trained psychologist, not even a  parent, but I’d be scratching the wall if I had to watch my child grow up before his or her time with virtual strangers.

So why is this so upsetting for this teacher?

Because the educational process has also been overthrown.  Learning process involves going from point A ( know little) to Point B (know a lot). However, teenage girls have been thrown into the middle of a social media circus with little training or understanding of media literacy or psychology. Their adolescent brain development for all the reasons mentioned by WHO are trying to find a WHY and HOW place to belong in a hyper saturated medium.

Young girls will not shout from the rooftops, "I’m mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore" because they don’t know their teenage innocence and self-discovery have been sabotaged and manipulated. They react to stimuli and response...its the only circus in town.
   
They need a strong popular advocate to say enough is enough. The Kardashians won’t do it because their brand is to hyperventilate appearances and how to post butt-selfies (belfies). . Oprah Winfrey may help if she feels there is a solution with the #metoo movement.

So, am I wrong to feel so strongly about teenagers, especially teen girls, and social media impositions and influencers?

How do you feel about our teenage digital culture...what are your teen experiences or concerns...how do you deal with mental problems as such? What changes would you like to see? 

Questions and comments are always important ... let's talk about solutions.

Sincerely,
Annemarie
amarie10@gmail.com
https://helpfulmindstreamforchanges.com
1 833 471 4661 (leave a message and the best time to call)


NOTE:  WHO works on strategies, programs and tools to assist governments in responding to the health needs of adolescents. Check out some of their key resources.

PS: Check out e-book called Teen Girl Faces Time in the Sand
As well, I am always looking for  podcast interviews about struggles, regrets and survival on Social Media for teen girls. See questions for discussion   



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