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Topics - paulm

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1
General Discussion / holidays
« on: December 24, 2019, 06:27:23 pm »
Hello Every one. I hope that you all have a happy and safe holiday season. Take Care. paul m

2
General Discussion / Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings
« on: December 23, 2017, 11:10:10 pm »
Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings to everyone. I hope that you all can find some way to enjoy at least part of this holiday season. It's been a pleasure corresponding with you all in 2017 and I look forward to doing it again in 2018. Take Care. paul m

3
General Discussion / Life
« on: June 27, 2017, 11:48:34 pm »
Hello Everyone. In general it's been a lousy June for me this yr. It's been wet and rainy and I can't get out as much as I need to and I can't do my canoeing that I love. High winds and lightening storms and canoeing just don't mix.  My internet is lousy, the place I've lived in for over 30 yrs has been sold and we have to move( I don't do change well).  There seems to have been a pile of minor things that seem to come all on the same day and not spread out where I can deal with them.

 Today for example I found out that I have to move within 60 days, that my internet may be limited for up to 4 wks and that my mail box doesn't meet standards and that they want me to raise it up 3 inches. The last one isn't a problem I just hate dealing with bureaucratic B.S.  .I mean who has time to measure a mail box to see if it's 3 inches to short much less take the time to send out a notice about it. (I've only had the same mailbox for 30 yrs and now suddenly it's too short) Anyways, I didn't need all of that in one day. It tends to short circuit my brain.

 Worse of all my younger brother, who was a pretty good guy, never drank or smoked, worked hard all of life, passed away last week after a very short battle with cancer.   

 However in another way it's been a good June because 15 yrs ago I would have just crawled into a hole and  withered away for 6 mths or so or if in a manic state I would have said words to the post office that would have seen my mail being cut off completely.  I can't say that I'm in the most cheerful mood I've ever been in, but I also haven't sank into a deep depressive hole either or blown things out of proportion.

 So while it sucks that all of these things are happening, it's great to able to deal with them.  Thx for listening. Take Care. paul m

4
General Discussion / Internet problems
« on: June 27, 2017, 11:07:22 pm »
Hello Everyone. You may have noticed that I have been missing in action lately. I'm still looking at the forums, but sometimes I have been unable to reply when I wanted to or to post something that I have found interesting.

 Up here in the wilderness, life is usually pretty good, but getting fast internet can be a problem and right now my internet provider is having a problem with it's tower and that means that sometimes I have slow internet and sometime no internet. They assure me that in the next 2-4 wks it will be fixed(blah). So while I can usually read your messages , by the time I type the response the internet has gone out on me again and trying to research anything is tough sledding indeed. So I'm stuck trying to use friends or the libraries internet to do anything serious. 

 So please bear with me until one of the larger internet providers in Cda gets off of it butt and provides a fix.  Thx and Take Care. paul m

5
General Discussion / New Posters
« on: March 21, 2017, 12:12:34 am »
Hello Everyone. A couple of new posters have posted in the depression and bipolar section. I know that it is often easy to miss these posts, but if you get a chance say hello. Also Dan has posted in that section an on line resource for families. Take Care. paul m

6
General Discussion / Are natural remedies vs big pharma
« on: January 22, 2017, 09:00:43 pm »
Hello Everyone. Many people often want to take a more natural way to good mental health and I'm all for that. What I can't seem to get people to believe is that we have to be very careful when buying items like St John's Wort(a naturally occurring anti depressant). A number of yrs ago, a very large company got caught selling St John's wort without any St John's Wort in it to both small health food stores and to large box stores. I cannot name that company as I cannot find the article(s) that I read about. They paid a fine and went on their way. It seems that rather than curbing the problem, the fine was just a license to do business.

Please read the following exerts :

 If you’re picking up your ginseng or St. John’s Wort at Walmart, you may not be getting what you pay for. A recent investigation by the New York attorney general’s office found that many of the store-brand herbal supplements sold at Walmart, Target, Walgreen’s, and GNC didn’t contain any DNA from the plants listed on the label. Walmart was the worst offender of the bunch, with only 4% of products testing positive for the labeled ingredients. Its ginkgo biloba supplements were actually powdered radish, houseplants, and wheat, the New York Times reported. source http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/0...etailers/?_r=2   Cease and desist orders have been issued to the above companies.

Worse still some of the fillers were known to cause alergies. (wheat, legumes)

According to the Washington Post : In the past five years, tainted supplements have been associated with kidney failure, hepatitis and other problems.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-fake-herbals/ That article also contains a link to a Canadian study done in 2013 that showed :

"Of 44 herbal supplements tested, one-third showed outright substitution, meaning there was no trace of the plant advertised on the bottle — only another plant in its place."

From what I have read over the yrs it is the lack if regulation and of course greed that has lead to problems like this in this industry. Are small health food stores any better? I don't know. I know that when I ran a small retail store(not a health food store) The same salesman called on me that called on Wal Mart as there are only so many suppliers of certain items. These salesman would often even offer to have a well known box store product packaged and sold under the name of my store if I agreed to buy a certain minimum.

Just so you know I do take some supplements and vitamins. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it, but I'm going to be asking some pointed questions the next time I pick those items up. Take Care. paul m



7
Over the years I've noticed that a lot of people read our forum, many join, but few people post. I never understood why. Often articles that we post gather 50-100 or more views so I know that somebody is reading us. But why don't more people post?

 If you are afraid of someone criticizing your post, don't be. I or others may disagree with something that has been said , but we try very hard not to be critical.

 Nor will you be bullied. Unlike some forums, we have a zero tolerance policy for bullies. A person who tries to bully someone will find their post removed and themselves banned very quickly.

 Some people may feel that their writing and or language skills are lacking. Don't worry about that. We are more interested in hearing what you have to say then proper spelling etc.

  If you need help figuring something out, you can send Dan or I a message and we will give you a hand.

 Your post can be very long or very short. Often I takes many words to make a point, other times I just say " I agree" or I'm sorry to hear about your problems"

 Finally over the yrs (there was a prior and more active forum) I've met many people who have helped me out. So please feel free to post away. Maybe you can be helped or maybe you can help someone else, either way it's a plus. Take Care. paul m

8
General Discussion / Carrie Fisher
« on: January 09, 2017, 12:09:04 am »
Hello Everyone. Like a lot of people I was saddened by Carrie Fisher's passing. She was a person who struggled a lot and admitted it. She also knew that her illness affected not only her but also a lot of people around her. (something that even I forget at times). While she wrote books and plays about her illness and probably made a lot of money off of them, she also did many free interviews and not enough celebs do that.

 Apparently she was buried in a prozac shaped and coloured urn. Having read many of her books and interviews I figure the family got that one right. It certainly would have appealed to her sense of humor . Take Care. paul m  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/01/07/it-was-where-she-would-want-to-be-carrie-fishers-urn-is-a-giant-prozac-pill/?utm_term=.3901dc5c94c6

9
General Discussion / Happy New Year
« on: January 01, 2017, 04:25:02 am »
Happy New Year Everyone. I don't make New Year's resolutions, but I do try and make a few hopes and wishes. In 2017 I hope that more ways can be found to bring people better health and if not better health the ability to feel happier. I hope that I can do what ever small part in that process that I can.

 I hope that I can force myself to do my best everyday. Please note that doing my best everyday is just that. Doing my best on any given day. That best may not be as good as yesterdays best or even a yr agos best and it certainly isn't measured against anyone else's best. 

 I wish that everyone can find the peace and happiness that I have. Not that my life has been any harder or easier than anyone else's and now that my mind is under semi control, my body is starting to show that it's well past it's best before date LOL.  However I have been lucky that I'm no longer in continuous mental pain and for that I'm thankful.

 I wish everyone a Happy New Year and all of the best for 2017. Take Care. paul m

10
General Discussion / Have a safe and happy holiday season
« on: December 24, 2016, 03:52:31 pm »
Hello Everyone. I hope that everyone of any faith has a happy and safe holiday season. For those of my faith, Merry Christmas, to those of a different faith or no faith, I wish you peace and happiness.

 If someone of another faith wishes to add there own seasonal greeting to this please be my guest.

 I'll be going to church tonight and I'll say a silent prayer for people who are unhappy or suffering. Not that I need to go to church to pray , but when I do go to church it reminds me to do things that I should do more often.

Please keep the following thought in mind no matter what your circumstances. Most of us are good people with a bad illness, not bad people with good excuses and there is a difference. Thanks for all of the help that you have provided over the years. Take Care. paul m

11
General Discussion / OCD group
« on: October 21, 2016, 11:32:14 pm »
Hello Everyone. The MDAO is having a group for people with OCD. Registration is required and it is held down town Toronto. I know the lady who is hosting it and she is very knowledgeable. For more info https://mooddisorders.ca/node/1187  or view the poster @  https://www.mooddisorders.ca/sites/mooddisorders.ca/files/factsheets/ocd_psychoed_peer_group_for_individuals_fall_2016.pdf   

 I know that travelling to down town T.O. is a problem for many, but it is the Central LHIN that funds many(not all) of the MDAO's programs and that is where many have to be held. 

 Each LHIN (Local Health Integrated Network and there are 14 in Ontario) decides what it will fund in an area. Unfortunately that can lead to problems with travel. For example in my area the local LHIN does fund the hospital to deal with serious lung problems so residents must travel up to 150 km to get it done. All the local hospital does is stabilize you and then send you off to Newmarket , over an hr away. Once you are on the way to recovery, they send you back to the local hospital, if follow up is needed they again send you to Newmarket via ambulance and then return you back via ambulance to the original hospital.  When my father was in the hospital because he developed a rare lung infection he was transported 6 times between hospitals.

   Some how this is supposed to create better and cheaper health care, but it must be a Gov't accounting method that I don't understand. But alas I'm on my soap box again LOL.  Take Care. paul m

12
General Discussion / a joke
« on: June 16, 2016, 05:33:06 am »
Hello Everyone. I hope that this joke can give some a few laughs. I especially liked #4 and I've been guilty of #9 more than a few times LOL. Take Care. paul m

 THE 10 COMMANDMENTS OF BIPOLAR DISORDER

1.Thou shalt not blame everything on chemical imbalance.
2.Thou shalt avoid high places and sharp objects when on either extreme of the
mood spectrum.
3.Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s shiny trinkets.
4.Thou shalt not trust any shrink who writes thee up a prescription after the first 15 minutes.
5.Thou shalt not beat up anyone while on a manic fit, no matter how much ye really want to,
or how much they deserve it.
6.Thou shalt indulge in immaturity whenever the urge strikes thee.
7.Thou shalt not break stuff that does not belong to thee.
8.Thou shalt go to bed only when ye feel tired.
9.Thou shalt allow others to occasionally get a word in edgewise.
10.Thou shalt not send people crazy e-mails at odd hours of the night

13
General Discussion / Interesting film clip
« on: June 11, 2016, 01:22:38 am »
Hello Everyone. Whenever someone asks me "what is living with bipolar like?" I'm usually at a loss for words. I can tell a person about the pain and suffering and a lot of other parts about it, but I find it hard to pin down.

 I had this sent to me and it's out of the Huffington Post. It's about a film maker who describes his own journey with bipolar. He doesn't do too bad of a job. Not exactly like my life, but still a credible effort.   Take Care. paul m

 https://www.facebook.com/HuffingtonPost/videos/vb.18468761129/10153733432736130/?type=2&theater

14
General Discussion / Hello
« on: December 05, 2015, 12:37:52 am »
Hello Everybody. It's been a really quiet couple of weeks. I know that there are a lot of reasons for that. For myself it seems that I have a lack of energy some days and I just don't post. For me that is silly, as I know that posting helps me to deal with with my own problems. But  then I never said that I was entirely rational LOL.

 I hope that everybody is well. Take Care. paul m

15
General Discussion / joke
« on: November 13, 2015, 12:55:24 am »
Hello Everyone. For anyone who is having memory problems, the following may help. Although it is aimed at older people, although for  those of you who have a mental illness and have spent countless hours trying to figure things out or learning about your illness it may also apply to you.  I hope that you enjoy. Take Care. paul m

The explanation of memory
 
Brains of older people are slow because they know so much.  People do not
decline mentally with age, it just takes them longer to recall facts because
they have more information in their brains, scientists believe.  Much
like a computer struggles as the hard drive gets full, so, too, do humans take
longer to access information when their brains are full.
 
Researchers say this slowing down process is not the same as cognitive
decline.  The human brain works slower in old age, said Dr. Michael Ramscar,
but only because we have stored more information over time.  The brains of
older people do not get weak.  On the contrary, they simply know more.
 
Also, older people often go to another room to get something and when they
get there, they stand there wondering what they came for.  It is NOT a memory
problem, it is nature's way of making older people do more exercise.

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