Our Finds of Interest (Week of Oct. 8-14,2006)

[pegleg]

Hi all! How is it going? I hesitated to post this separately because my good buddy, Steve, has started posting his weekly updattes (which could include our weekly "finds" - but until you tell me, I'll post separately. It's a little different anyway.

My find this week is not so new, but I struggle with the possibility that it may be truly a coverup for political reasons. And that has to do with dental amalgams.

My mouth was and still is full of mercury fillings. Because of proven mercury toxicity, the dental folks stopped using mercury years ago. An update at the FDA sponsored site is dated 2002 and says they are OK, if not disturbed (kind of like walls with encapsulated asbestos. If you don't tear them apart, they appear to be safe). However, I know how my PD acts up when I have dental work and can't help but think the mercury has something to do with my disease.

What do you think about this?

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/amalgams.html

Peggy

[pegleg]

Doesn't anybody have something new they found this week? Well, guess not. OK, so I will give you just another tidbit of information.

I am active in an advocacy group in Washington, DC called PAN (Parkinson's Action Network). www.parkinsonsaction.org

PAN is not promoting any political party, but acts as the unified voice of the PD community to help us get funding for research, etc. Below is some information they would like for everyone to have available:

Parkinson's Advocacy at Home Take Action!

Attend town halls or meetings with your legislator in October

Parkinson’s Advocacy at Home

During the month of October, your senators and representatives are home in the districts campaigning and while PAN does not endorse candidates or participate in election activities, this is still a valuable time to get to know your Members of Congress and Congressional candidates’ stance on PAN issues and educate them about issues important to you and the Parkinson’s community.

PAN’s current requests for members are to cosponsor the Udall Act Amendments and to support the Parkinson’s Disease Research Education and Clinical Centers (PADRECCs) through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

What can you do?

Many members will be using October to hold town hall meetings. Town hall meetings are a venue where the senator or representative holds a public meeting with a question and answer period. To find out if your senator or representative has any town hall meetings scheduled, check his/her website or the local events section of your local newspaper for the announcement. Be sure to ask a question at the meeting and leave your contact information.

Secondly, personal visits are the most effective contact you can have with a member of Congress or staff. Face time is a great way of educating public officials your personal concerns and issues. Following are some easy tips to help you plan a meeting with your elected officials.

1) Identify your Members of Congress. To identify your Members of Congress and find their contact information, go to http://capwiz.com/pan/dbq/officials/. You can find telephone and fax numbers for district offices at these sites.

2) Identify yourself as a constituent. When calling, don’t forget to mention you live in the Member’s district/state and that you are aware the Member will be working in the district during October. Some offices may ask for your street address or zip code.

3) Do your homework. Once you have the Member’s commitment to help, you must make it as easy as possible for him/her to take action. This means you should know the important issues and bill numbers. You can find this info on the PAN website on the legislative impact page. Before your meeting find out how your Member of Congress has voted on stem cell legislation and if he or she supported Department of Defense Parkinson’s research funding (NETRP). Also, visit the PAN website to print out leave behind materials on our issues so that staff can follow-up on your meeting and take action on your behalf.

4) Ask a friend or family member to attend the meeting with you. A caregiver, co-worker, or loved one can offer a unique perspective on how Parkinson’s affects everyone, not just patients.

When you meet with your Member of Congress, PAN recommends the following discussion points:

What is Parkinson’s disease and what is your connection to it?
Tell your personal story. Remember, there is nothing more compelling than telling your legislator how Parkinson’s affects your daily life.

This is a great time to connect with your elected officials and make sure he or she is aware of the issues that face the Parkinson’s community.

Remember: You can always encourage your Member of Congress to contact PAN directly for additional information at 800-850-4726.