Toasted Skin Syndrome.. Watch where you keep that laptop...

 

NEW YORK (CBS 2/AP) – Have you ever worked on your laptop computer with it sitting on your lap, heating up your legs? If so, you might want to rethink that habit.
Doing it a lot can lead to “toasted skin syndrome,” an unusual-looking mottled skin condition caused by long-term heat exposure, according to medical reports.
In one recent case, a 12-year-old boy developed a sponge-patterned skin discoloration on his left thigh after playing computer games a few hours every day for several months.
“He recognized that the laptop got hot on the left side; however, regardless of that, he did not change its position,” Swiss researchers reported in an article published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Another case involved a Virginia law student who sought treatment for the mottled discoloration on her leg.
Dr. Kimberley Salkey, who treated the young woman, was stumped until she learned the student spent about six hours a day working with her computer propped on her lap. The temperature underneath registered 125 degrees.
That case, from 2007, is one of 10 laptop-related cases reported in medical journals in the past six years.

In this undated photo provided by the journal Pediatrics, a 12 year-old boy is pictured with evidence of "toasted skin syndrome" on his left leg caused by exsposure to high temperatures while spending a great deal of time playing video games with a laptop resting on his legs. According to recent medical reports, exposing skin to the high temperatures created by laptops can lead to tss, an unusual-looking mottled skin condition caused by long-term heat exposure. (AP Photo/HO via Pediatrics)

The condition also can be caused by overuse of heating pads and other heat sources that usually aren’t hot enough to cause burns. It’s generally harmless but can cause permanent skin darkening. In very rare cases, it can cause damage leading to skin cancers, said the Swiss researchers, Drs. Andreas Arnold and Peter Itin from University Hospital Basel. They do not cite any skin cancer cases linked to laptop use, but suggest, to be safe, placing a carrying case or other heat shield under the laptop if you have to hold it in your lap.
Salkey, an assistant dermatology professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School, said that under the microscope, the affected skin resembles skin damaged by long-term sun exposure.
Major manufacturers including Apple, Hewlett Packard and Dell warn in user manuals against placing laptops on laps or exposed skin for extended periods of time because of the risk for burns.
A medical report several years ago found that men who used laptops on their laps had elevated scrotum temperatures. If prolonged, that kind of heat can decrease sperm production, which can potentially lead to infertility. Whether laptop use itself can cause that kind of harm hasn’t been confirmed.
In the past, “toasted skin syndrome” has occurred in workers whose jobs require being close to a heat source, including bakers and glass blowers, and, before central heating, in people who huddled near potbellied stoves to stay warm.
Dr. Anthony J. Mancini, dermatology chief at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said he’d treated a boy who developed the condition from using a heating pad “hours at a time” to soothe a thigh injured in soccer. Mancini said he’d also seen a case caused by a hot water bottle.
He noted that chronic, prolonged skin inflammation can potentially increase chances for squamous cell skin cancer, which is more aggressive than the most common skin cancer. But Mancini said it’s unlikely computer use would lead to cancer since it’s so easy to avoid prolonged close skin contact with laptops.

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The Problem With The Marijuana Legalization Movement

Here I am responding to a YouTube video where this guy is going nuts over some nice hash. As a grower myself, I like what I see. It's good stuff. But, something stuck out to me and this interaction came about.

Ya know, I love to go on YouTube to see folks smoking buds, talk about growing, etc etc etc. You know when someone is in it for the recreation, medicinal value, and/or just the love. I have to admit that for some time I did kind of feel that medical marijuana was only a stepping stone to legalization. Then, I saw folks like Michelle Rainey. I knew people who needed marijuana for true medical reasons existed but I didn't really see them.

That changed my view of medical marijuana. Granted, I am indeed a recreational smoker. I have no medical need unless you count the slight bouts with insomnia. Marijuana has always helped me get to sleep and regulate my internal clock. But, I don't need marijuana to do that. So, yeah, I am totally recreational with it. I grow for my own personal use. I have no problem admitting that.

However, that doesn't mean I can't have and show some respect to the people who actually do use it medicinally. So, it bothered me to see this guy on The Weed Report acting like a pure fuckin idiot in regards to medical marijuana. That's why I posed the question to him.

Simply put, how are other people supposed to think about marijuana after seeing this stupid 'sumbitch' on YouTube completely disrespect medical marijuana by claiming VIP patients. I just wanted the guy's point of view. And, he dodged the damn question. Like I alluded, he lost a lot of points for that.

First of all, how does it look to people who don't know much about marijuana or who are brainwashed by the government? Let's keep in mind that in many states, those people are in the majority. We need their support. Second, if medical marijuana is a stepping stone, then why destroy the step before we get to the next step of legalization?

You want to run a medical marijuana business, at least act like medical is somewhere in there and has some importance. Have some respect for the cause. There are a lot of sick people out there that really need marijuana and many who don't need it taken away from them by stupid, arrogant stereotypes.

I truly hope that when it comes down to it, there are enough of me - professional, self-employed, successful potheads who give a damn- out there to keep clowns like that in the shadow long enough to make his influence insignificant. What's sad is that at the end of it all, the clown thinks he's being brave. Go figure.

I am just trying to imagine any pharmacist raving about the potency of the medication they're giving people.

"Oooooo Anthony, this Albuterol Inhaler hits like a dream man! You'll be breathing like a champ in no time. Check me out while I take a few pulls.... AAAAAAHHHHHHHH GOOOOOD *cough cough* SHIT MAAAAN.. HIT THAT, HIT THAT! Albuterol is wild stuff."

Would you take your pharmacist serious if they had that attitude about the medication you're buying?

Quick Update 5/28/10
As predicted the coward deleted the last three comments and blocked me from commenting on his video. I only went back because someone else commented to what I said. Make up your own conclusions.

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Marijuana Does NOT Cause Psychosis

So, I've been pretty much inundated with nonsensical articles about marijuana causing psychosis. While many people have set the record straight on this issue in the past, it keeps coming back as some new article. Simply put, someone put together a half-assed study and somehow came to the conclusion that marijuana caused psychosis - schizophrenia, etc.

Well, let's set the record straight again...

No, marijuana does not cause psychosis. This is more prohibitionist, drug war lies to keep marijuana criminalized. They purposely confuse causation and correlation. In other words, does marijuana use cause psychosis or is it the case that people who are predisposed to psychosis seek drugs most likely as a way to cope with their psychosis?

Instead, the authors of articles, most likely inspired by prohibitionists, purposely leave out many facts. For instance, what other factors in their lives may have affected the subjects mentally?

For example, you may see a 65yo man with mental problems claim he's been using marijuana for 20 years. And, that's pretty much all the study took into consideration - marijuana use. Well, what if that 65yo man was a Vietnam War veteran? Wouldn't the hardships of war contribute to a psychosis? What about potential exposure to chemicals used by the military during the Vietnam War such as Agent Orange? How do you factor the possibility that 65yo man's other habits may have included alcohol and cocaine abuse?

These factors are NOT considered in these studies. That is why, many times, these studies are debunked and ignored (yet again).

Yet, prohibitionists pick them up and sensationalize them to make our friends and families seem like they are crazy animals instead of decent human beings. The prohibitionists are losing the war on marijuana and they know it. So, they trot out these old, tired arguments that have been debunked time and time again because for many people, this is new information. As I know, this is not new information nor is it a "new" study.

Even before these studies came about, during prohibition's early days, marijuana was painted as causing psychosis. Documentaries developed in the 30s portrayed marijuana users as everything from out of control young girls to crazed murderers. Law enforcement tried to blame many crimes of that time on marijuana use as is the case with Victor Licata. So, there is a long history dating back to the initial days of prohibition in which law enforcement tries to connect psychosis to marijuana.

The more you educate yourself and educate one another against the misinformation campaign by prohibitionists, we find more and more that marijuana is not the dangerous killer drug that it's made out to be.

Education is legalization.

Enforcement of marijuana prohibition costs American taxpayers approximately $12,000,000,000 (billion) per year (which goes directly into the pockets of prohibitionists). With politicians interested in cutting spending, wouldn't it be nice to cut $12,000,000,000 from the budget by legalizing marijuana? Imagine the tax revenues that can be received if marijuana were legalized in the form of new businesses and jobs that can increase tax revenues across the board.

Law enforcement could also do more to solve real crime instead of wasting their time and tax payer funds on petty marijuana arrests.

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Thoughts on Medical Marijuana in NY

Yeah. You read the title. On Feb. 23rd, the NY State Senate Health Committee passed medical marijuana legislation. I'll admit, I don't fully understand all of these political procedures that NY State government must go through before a bill becomes a law. It seems a bit more complicated than the cartoon of the bill on the steps of Capitol Hill (ha, I'm a rapper now) in DC.

Wait.. it was Capitol Hill right?

Anyway, on the surface, I am happy that NY is finally coming to its sense on medical marijuana. Honestly, it should have happened at least at the same time as California who passed their medical marijuana legislation in 1996.

However, as I read the bill, I am quite upset with the language.

Read for yourself: S4041B: Provides for medical use of marihuana

Low Limits

It would seem NY politicians want to be super strict and allow for tiny amounts of marijuana for seriously ill patients. While they get the gist of medical marijuana, they need to fully understand that they are NOT patients or doctors. Even most doctors don't understand how to prescribe marijuana. The amounts allowed under this bill - 2.5oz - don't factor in the need of the patient or the tolerance of the individual.

Some patients are known to use up to an ounce of marijuana a day. I am not talking about the typical recreational user. As a recreational user myself, I don't think I could do more than a gram a day which amounts to an ounce per month. But, I am talking about seriously ill patients for which this bill is intended. On top of that, the "caregiver" is not allowed to care for more than 5 patients. (Sections 3362 and 3363)

It's like saying you're only allowed 10 regular strength Tylenol pills per month for serious migraines. Of course, you can buy a box of Tylenol, thousands of pills, and no one will think twice about it. Unfortunately, you can't have enough marijuana for terminal illness.

I don't need ID for Tylenol

The other thing that bugs me is the registration for ID cards. Basically, you're getting a driver's license for medical marijuana - name, address, picture, etc etc etc. It says that the Dept of Health will keep the information confidential, that is, until they have a reason to snitch on you which could be as simple as a DEA or FBI or even some local cop requests it.

If marijuana is to be considered medical, why do you need to alert a government agency that you're using it? It's medicine, right? I am sure we all, at some point in time, visited a pharmacy to fill a prescription for various medications from asthma pumps to antidepressants to oxycontin and percocet. Did any of us have to register with the government to use these medications? Did you have to stand in line at the DMV to get your picture taken?

I can understand the caregiver, much like a pharmacist, needing registration as a business. But, I don't see why patients need to be registered with the government to take medicine. It's an unnecessary invasion of privacy.

No Plant Limits?

The other problem that I have with it so far is that I don't see any specific information as it pertains to cultivation. For example, how many plants would someone - patient or caregiver - be allowed to grow?

Section 3364 defines "registered organization" as a pharmacy, a licensed facility, a non profit corporation, the department, a local health department, or a registered producer. However, the registered producer, which seems to be the grower/cultivator/manufacturer, can not provide directly to the patients. Such a designation completely separates the grower from the potential role as a caregiver.

Edit
After re-reading this section, it looks like I want plant limits. As far as I am concerned, the more the better. No plant limits is great. However, I am afraid that it will be addressed and severely limited by politicians. If they think that 2.5oz is good for a seriously ill person, I can't imagine what they would believe is acceptable in a grow operation.

At any rate, there is a lot missing from this bill and far too many limits. I have to question politicians that wrote this bill. I wonder if they had any input from the patients that use marijuana. Did they even bother to look into the other 14 medical marijuana states and their provisions. This bill is so very incomplete. If it passed, as is, it would cause more trouble than it's worth.

If Senator Tom Duane ever reads this or any senator that has to vote on this bill, I'd beg him and them to please talk to patients from other states. Do not ask police or the DEA for their input as they are not doctors nor are they patients. They aren't even growers/botanists. Speak with the people who need the medicine, not the people who benefit from its control. It would not be unreasonable to allow for more marijuana per patient and to allow patients to grow their own. It would be sensible to allow caregivers to also be "registered producers."

As a marijuana grower and user, myself, politicians have a lot to learn about the use of marijuana. If they are willing to admit to its medical utility, at some point, they will have to be willing to learn and comprehend why different strains exist outside of the cute names.

I think I need to make some phone calls.

Just as a reminder.. marijuana should be legalized, regulated and taxed. Medical marijuana is nice but it still leaves the door open to the black market and violence against citizens from gangs and police.

Legalize it.
(It's been 70+ years. It's obvious you can't stop it.)

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Why wait until you're suffering to care?

I just read a story over at 420 Magazine via Wacotrib News and it pissed me off so much that I had to say something. Enough with the formalities, let's go.

Waco Man Teams With NORML in Push for Medical Marijuana

Alan Caruthers, of Waco, says he was 18 years old the first and last time he tried marijuana. It didn't do much for him. Until this year, he saw no reason to try it again, and he dismissed arguments for decriminalizing it as pothead talk.

It took a four-year struggle with myelofibrosis to change his mind. His leukemialike bone marrow disease gives him constant bone pain. The chemotherapy gives him nausea that makes him vomit daily. The Vicodin, Ativan and other drugs he's taking to relieve those symptoms are losing their effectiveness, and he's afraid of getting addicted to them.

So now, at age 44, this Christian family man and lifelong Republican is considering medicating himself with marijuana. And he has become an unlikely advocate for the right to do so legally.
(click title for the rest of the article)

Here's my response to the article:

This pisses me off.

"It took a four-year struggle with myelofibrosis to change his mind."

Why in the hell do you wait until it's YOUR problem before you actually give a damn about people suffering?? That, to me, is the most selfish reason for advocating for medical marijuana. You don't need to be in the "crap" to give a damn about those already living in it. What's next? His healthcare costs are going to bankrupt him so he'll be advocating for the public option or even universal?

Or, worse. What's going to happen when his issue is resolved? Will he go back to not giving a damn because he's out of troubled waters, so to speak?

The most that medical marijuana advocates and legalization advocates would ask of people is that they listen and get all of the facts. But, he was not that kind of man. Many people in this nation aren't willing to listen. I have absolutely NO respect for people like that.

I hope he gets his marijuana. I just want to see how he acts after he gets the treatment he requires.

That's all I am going to say at this point. I am just severely disgusted.

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Marijuana Gives Cancer the Munchies

I just came across this article in my RSS from Spain via Cannabis Culture magazine: New Study Shows Marijuana Helps In Battle Against Cancer. I thought it was pretty significant. Yet, another study showing how marijuana can be used medically. When I hear anything like this, I want to know how it works. How does marijuana help battle cancer? I thought the answer was so funny:

The authors from the Complutense University in Madrid, working with scientists from other universities, found that the active component of marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), causes cancer cells to undergo a process called autophagy -- the breakdown that occurs when the cell essentially self-digests.

I thought about it. I just repeated that term: "Self-digests!? So, it literally eats itself to death. Then I came to the conclusion that marijuana causes the cancer cells to get really hungry and since it can't go to the corner store, it has to eat itself.

But, then I got all philosophical about it..

well if it gives cancer the munchies, am I a cancer. don't we all get the munchies. WE'RE ALL CANCER

..so now I stop.

Take another puff

But, seriously. This nation spends billions on cancer research and billions on prohibition. Isn't it this nation's own stupidity and fear that keeps us realizing this potential cure is right under our noses? My mother had her breasts removed because of cancer. Why did we have to suffer? I'm done.

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Pres. Anthony Severly Stuffy Nose Advice

The Situation

Oooooooooooohhh, I'm so sick right now. I can't think. I don't know what to write. So, I figure I write about my severely stuffed nose and give some advice on how to handle it. I officially got sick on Monday, Jan. 5th. However, I've been able to keep the cold at bay until about Wednesday night or Thursday morning. That's when it really started coming on strong. Normally, I use Dristan to clear my stuffy nose. But, there are times when a nasal decongestant won't work. This is one of those times.

My nose isn't just stuffed, it's BLOCKED - full mouth-breathing mode. Nothing is getting through. I can blow out, barely, but I am not able to pull in any air. This completely defeats the purpose of any nasal sprays since you have to actually breathe it in through your nose which I can not do. It sucks because the sinus builds up incredibly, causing headaches. All of this mouth-breathing is causing my mouth and lips to dry out much faster. That means I am waking up with a sore throat and some crusty lips. Also, dry mouth promotes bacteria growth. We'll get to that later.

A few years ago, I used to go crazy with the Dristan. I'd tilt my head back and squeeze the Dristan in my nose, creating a sort of pool that would somehow seep into my nasal cavities. While this could work, Dristan is not exactly a forgiving medication when overused. In other words, too much nasal spray for too long will actually make your stuffed nose worse. On top of that, it burns your nose which is not a placed accustomed to burning so it hurts a lot more. And, I've stopped doing that.

The Remedy

I've used a lot of home remedies which you can find on any website. Saline solution remedy works well but it's a very short time frame as you're only washing out the mucous for more to replace it. And, you have spit it out or let it drain out the other side of the nose. Anyway, you'll never find the remedy I use outside of the United States of Anthony. If you do find this remedy without due credit attached, you'll know it was stolen from me and it works because it's worth repeating.

Idea theft is a double-edged sword.

Take a piece of tissue. You will want the harder tissue as opposed to the soft Kleenex kind of tissue paper. I prefer to go with cheap napkins or paper towel. You'll want to create a sort cylinder about an inch long, pen thick. Don't wrap it so thick. You want it loose but not too loose. So, start tearing off pieces of the tissue and roll it into that shape. If you've got frayed edges, that's good. Don't try to clean it up with scissors or anything. The more frayed the better. You'll need to make about four pieces, two for each nostril.

Bend this cylinder of tissue in half and plug it up your nose hole, frayed edges first (if you got em). The tissue is doing two things now. Because you bent it, it's trying to unbend itself spreading your nostrils open a bit to help breathing. Secondly, the frayed edges of the tissue is helping to collect the mucous a bit, drying out your nose and draining the sinuses a bit. Leave this in your nose for about ten minutes. You may start to feel a little bit of relief after five minutes. Pull them out, blow your nose, (or just blow everything out) and you'll have a few seconds to use some Dristan or other nasal spray (Vick's Nasonex is good). After doing so, quickly shove those fresh pieces of tissue up your nose holes to help keep it open and catch all that mucous that may come out. After some time with this annoying tissue up your nose, you'll begin to breathe easier.

If you're not using spray (prefer pills), just leave the tissue up there.

Remember, I am not just talking about a stuffy nose. I am talking about that full blockage which requires a little more than just a spray. Just leave the tissue up there. You'll get a few hours of sleep this way.

Oh Yeah, I forgot!

Now, about that dry mouth, lips, and so on. Make sure you have Chapstick or Chap-et. Personally, I use Blistex. Wash your mouth out with Listerine to destroy some of that bacteria before you try to sleep. Not only will you wake up with funky breath but that bacteria eats away at your gumb line. So, keep a glass of water by the bed. Make sure to have some Tylenol or whatever you use for headaches.

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Should Ted Kennedy smoke marijuana?

I am sure my readers, all two of you, know that I am not a typical marijuana smoker. I know a lot more about this plant than most people will ever know. In fact, I've taught more than most people know. A day with me can seriously be an eye-opening experience, that is, if one is willing to allow their eyes to be opened.

Anyway, in recent news, we've found that out that Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with brain cancer, specifically a glioma. Doctors say that he may have three to six months to live. best case scenario is that he may have up to three years to live.

At the same time, we all have at least heard of the ability of marijuana to halt and reduce the growth of certain types of cancer. I recently read an article at Chron.com that speaks to this issue. This author states:

"Scientists from the US back in the 1970's determined that cannabis killed glioma cells. This report was put on the back shelf and then lost. Currently scientists in Israel and Spain have reproduced these findings."

So, of course I try to do a little bit of research to that effect. I come across my favorite website, NORML.org:

Cannabinoids & Glioma

Of all cancers, few are as aggressive and deadly as glioma. Glioma tumors quickly invade healthy brain tissue and are typically unresponsive to surgery and standard medical treatments. One agent they do respond to is cannabis.Writing in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of Neurooncology, investigators at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute reported that the administration of THC on human glioblastoma multiforme cell lines decreased the proliferation of malignant cells and induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) more rapidly than did the administration of the synthetic cannabis receptor agonist, WIN-55,212-2.

Researchers also noted that THC selectively targeted malignant cells while ignoring healthy ones in a more profound manner than the synthetic alternative. Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme typically die within three months without therapy.

Previous research conducted in Italy has also demonstrated the capacity of CBD to inhibit the growth of glioma cells both in vitro (e.g., a petri dish) and in animals in a dose dependent manner. As a result, a Spanish research team is currently investigating whether the intracranial administration of cannabinoids can prolong the lives of patients diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer.Most recently, a scientific analysis in the October issue of the journal Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry noted that, in addition to THC and CBD's brain cancer-fighting ability, studies have also shown cannabinoids to halt the progression of lung carcinoma, leukemia, skin carcinoma, colectoral cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer.

(References: Cannabinoids selectively inhibit proliferation and induce cell death of cultured human glioblastoma multiforme cells. Journal of Neurooncology. 2005 | Cannabinoids and cancer. Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry. 2005 | Anti-tumor effects of cannabidiol, a non-psychotropic cannabinoid, on human glioma cell lines. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 2003)

Of course it would only make sense to do some deeper research as in actually getting the scientific report itself. Well there are some reference links attached above. I'll just click them all and see what I find.
Well there are three links there.

The first goes to National Center for Biotechnology Information which falls under the National Institutes of Health which falls under US Department of Health and Human Services. So, if you prefer to trust your government and/or you prefer to trust scientists over what some would consider a scientifically uneducated person, there you go! As far as I am concerned, I am one of those scientifically uneducated people because I don't understand a damn thing that it's saying. So, I will have to rely on the layman's interpretation above.The second link takes you to Bentham Science Publishers, a non-commercial organization, but it's only a blurb. The third link takes you to American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics which sounds good, right? I think it must be good because I don't understand a damn thing that says either. It's all "scienced out" and I can't decipher that shit.

Anyway, What would you do if it were you, a family, or a family member?

If it were me - if I were Ted Kennedy - I'd definitely go for some bud on this one. What does he have to lose here? His life? I thought he was going to lose that too soon anyway.

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