The Peoples Blueprint -- Real Voices for Real Change

http://peoplesblueprint.ca/

Real Voices for Real Change

"The Peoples Blueprint is a unique and empowered group of men and women with lived experience of poverty and all it brings with it.  Isolation, depression, constant anxiety and pressure, they have know it all.  As a group they learned leadership and peer research skills and conducted over 100 video recorded research interviews that demonstrate the hopes, challenges, and abilities of people living on social assistance in an intensely personal way.  Problems with the social assistance system as identified by people experiencing it, as well as areas in which reform should take place are presented in these videos.  The goal of this project is to change social assistance in Ontario for the better."

thestar.com – March 6, 2010An investment that would pay off by Mark Sussman

thestar.ca – January 29, 2010Welfare reviewed by those who know by Sima Dini

Caledon Institute of Social Policy – January 2011People’s Review Panel:Getting the Ontario Social Assistance Review issues straight… from people with lived experience of poverty

Fibromyalgia - a nifty online resource

I've met quite a few people in the past year who suffer from Fibromyalgia and associated complications of this condition -- including poverty, related to the victim's inability to engage in regular employment.  I thought I would share a well-organized website that, if like me, you don't fully understand this complex disorder, and would like more information-- OR, if you have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and could benefit from support from this online community.

I liked this website because they didn't seem to be pushing a certain pharmacological treatment, and discusses alternative holistic approaches to wellness.

http://www.fibrotalk.com/

Fibromyalgia (fye-bro-my-AL-jah) is a syndrome characterized by long-lasting widespread pain and tenderness at specific points on the body. The term “fibromyalgia” means pain in the muscles, ligaments and tendons. Although not defining characteristics, sleep disturbances and fatigue are also integral symptoms of fibromyalgia.

This condition is referred to as a syndrome because it’s a set of signs and symptoms that occur together with no known cause or identifiable reason. Fibromyalgia is an especially confusing and often misunderstood condition. Because its symptoms are quite common and laboratory tests results generally are normal, people with fibromyalgia were once told that their condition was “all in their head.” However, medical studies have proven that fibromyalgia does indeed exist, and it is estimated to affect about two to four percent of the U.S. population today.

Although fibromyalgia has no cure, it isn’t a progressive disease, meaning that although your symptoms may worsen, it will not spread to, or damage your organs and it’s never fatal. With a treatment plan that integrates several modalities that include exercise, rest, stress relief, coping skills and medications, people with fibromyalgia can live happy, productive lives.

The Alarming Facts about Opioid Misuse

Avoiding Abuse, Achieving a Balance: Tackling the Opioid Public Health Crisis
A 46 page report from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario

The report includes THIRTY-ONE recommendations
Here's a brief snippet:

The popular prescription drug OxyContin (oxycodone) is the most easily procured opioid for non-medical use in Toronto’s street drug scene.7 There has been a steep and unprecedented increase in the number of individuals seeking treatment for oxycodone addiction since controlled-release (long-acting) oxycodone products became available in 1995. The number of admissions at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) MedicalWithdrawal Management Service seeking treatment for opioid detoxification related to controlled release oxycodone went from 3.8% of opioid admissions in 2000 to 55.4% in 2004. There has been a steep and unprecedented increase in the number of individuals seeking treatment for oxycodone addiction since controlled-release (long-acting) oxycodone products became available in 1995.

CAMH found that among Ontario high school students, one fifth reported using opioids or at least one prescription drug without a doctor’s prescription in 2009, compared to only 12% of students surveyed who reported smoking cigarettes.

Deaths due to oxycodone have risen from 35 in 2002 to 119 in 2006, a rise of 240%. The steep increase in the diversion of these drugs to the illicit drug market is also troubling.

This public health crisis will continue to escalate if the contributing problems are not addressed.(emphasis added)

Here's a older article speaking directly about London's Oxy issues.

Solutions to oxycodone addiction

Provided by: Sun Media
Written by: RANDY RICHMOND
Oct. 31, 2007

While the price of ending the abuse of oxycodone-based painkiller drugs in London could be in the millions of dollars, the payoff, too, could be huge.