Debbie Wilson's Family Brain Injury Blog

Loss

2013-05-23T01:40:00.002-05:00

Hello, please allow me to introduce myself, my name is…Loss. I travel throughout the universe with a very specific job description. I have several friends that either travel with me or on their own. Their names are Pain, Suffering, Grief, Disappointment, Unfairness and Depression. I wanted all of you to understand the role that we play.

We are all a part of what is known as…the cycle of life. We do not select our visited because they, are more deserving of heart-ache than others. Our job is not to punish, it is just to carry out what is to be.

You have not been singled out to be hurt or punished, even though I know you may have thought so at times. Instead loss is a matter of placement, timing, chance and influence.

You see we all start visiting you when you are first born. The first time you experience me is when you are taken from the womb of your mother. I am the one that visited you when you lost…your first front tooth. I was also there when you lost…your first race. I was the one that visited you each time you…had your heart broken. You see I have been a part of your life…since the minute you were born.

Sometimes my damage was easier to recover from than other times. I noticed when it was difficult for you…but I could not intervene. I knew that I not only had a job to do, but you were in the middle of the molding process. You are the person that you are today because I visited you. Some of you have handled me easier than others, but all of you have grown and changed as a result of my visits.

There are so many people out there who have been touched by your experiences and your loss. Your influence was far more reaching than just to yourself or your immediate family. There have been lives changed that you will never even know about, as a result of my visits to you. It was not just you that needed molding but others as well. I just wanted to take the time to thank-you for helping me to mold the universe, through your loss.
Sincerely,
Loss

A Song About PTSD

2013-05-23T01:38:00.003-05:00

A song about PTSD,
the beast that always walks with me.
A tune sung in a different key
that is, to most, a mystery.
A haunting, hurtful melody,
of ever-present memory
that will not ever set me free.

A song no one wants to access,
because it sounds like such a mess.
It's melody bespeaks distress;
It's like a chant of loneliness.
I've found its theme is meaningless;
It's cadence never does progress.
And its refrain's meant to oppress.

A song of terror in the night
and listening to my parents fight;
with days lived in a state of fright.
Of knowing no hope was in sight
'cause even love can't make it right.
I know...I loved with all my might
and still he treated me with spite.

A song that must be sung solo
because only myself can know
the words, the music and the flow
which changed, as needed, as I'd grow.
The parts sung fast, the parts sung slow,
The parts so dark, the parts that glow,
the parts I wish I could let go.

A sung about PTSD
The beast that always walks with me.

©2011 Patti Pott

My Diary

2013-05-23T01:24:00.000-05:00


There was a simple accident, 
and I fell and hurt my head.
Now I can’t seem to stop crying,
the tears flow for no reason at all. 
I remember little of my past and little

of what I used to know and  have read.
I can’t remember why,
I started to walk into the next room.
I probably won’t remember,
to turn the stove off any time I use it.
I used to be able to spell, very well,
now the letters get lost and scrambled.
I stay confused about what day it is,
I am not sure what has occurred to time.
There are such spaces, blanks and voids,
I am sure time must have continued on.
I just seem to have missed it somehow.
I talk to my sisters, and I feel like a stranger.
They remember someone that I no longer am.
Seven years ago I was hit by a pick-up truck.
For seven years I have struggled to regain,
all the many cognitive abilities that I had lost.
Just this year I was able to say I felt acceptance,
and comfort with the stranger that had become me.
Funny, now I miss that other stranger, I knew her.
Now there is a new stranger, and her abilities are 
not known yet. Her full range of deficits have yet
to be defined. It feels like finally making it to the
finish line, just to be told I would have to start
the race again, no matter how tired I might be. I

know it will be tough, but I will run the race again!

by: Debbie Wilson

Self-healing brain study offers Alzheimer’s hope

2013-05-23T00:45:00.004-05:00

22 May 2013, 8.55am EST

The new study has implications for Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and other neurological disorders.http://www.flickr.com/photos/arselectronica

Brains are smart enough to rewire themselves, a new international study of rats has found.

The study turns on its head the common misconception brain damage is irreversible, showing the precise neural pathways that can compensate after damage to memory structures in the brain.

The work has implications for Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and other neurological disorders.

The new study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), showed specific regions of the prefrontal cortex, which plans cognitive and social behaviour, were able to act as a substitute following damage to the brain’s learning centre — the hippocampus.

The study, which involved researchers from University of Southern California, Los Angeles and the Garvan Institute, showed that rats could learn new things, even after injury to the hippocampus.

Co-author of the study, Bryce Vissel from the Garvan Institute’s Neuroscience research program, said the findings could help scientists better understand Alzheimer’s disease.

“It’s really the first anatomical, cellular activity based analysis of the regions of the brain involved in compensation that occurs after the memory centre of the brain is damaged,” he said.

Rewiring and recovery

Winthrop Professor of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology at the University of Western Australia, Alan Harvey, said the study was interesting. He felt it was consistent with existing studies that showed the brain can maintain or add new information as it aged.

Dr Paul Bertrand, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Medical Sciences at RMIT University, said it was “a technically difficult study which showed very elegantly that a particular type of learning can be recovered following brain damage.”

“Importantly, this identification can lead further studies to target these areas in an effort to enhance the process of rewiring and recovery,” said Dr Bertrand, who was not involved in the research. He added that the findings offered hope for sufferers of Alzheimer’s.

“What this means is that there may be ways of helping people recover which might seem counter-intuitive at first.”

http://theconversation.com/self-healing-brain-study-offers-alzheimers-hope-14526

THE WAR ON OUR VETERANS

2013-05-22T23:34:00.004-05:00

MAY 22, 2013 BY MICHAEL CONNELLY 5 COMMENTS

With Memorial Day approaching Americans should be preparing to honor our veterans and military heroes currently fighting for us as well as remembering those we have lost. This honor should be especially due from our own government that has sent these brave men and women off to war. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. It is clear that the Federal government has declared war on our veterans and is intent on denying them the very Constitutional rights they fought to protect.

First there is the ever widening scandal involving the systematic denial of veterans Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms and their rights to due process under the provisions of the Fifth Amendment. This is being orchestrated by the VA which sends out letters to veterans telling them that because of physical or mental disabilities the VA is going to declare them incompetent to handle their own financial affairs and appoint a fiduciary to represent them.

Then in the same letter the veterans are told that “A determination of incompetency will prohibit you from purchasing, possessing, receiving, or transporting a firearm or ammunition. If you knowingly violate any of these prohibitions, you may be fined, imprisoned, or both pursuant to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, Pub.L.No. 103-159, as implemented at 18, United States Code 924(a)(2).”

An estimated 150,000 veterans are now on the NICS background check list and cannot legally purchase firearms. I believe that the vast majority of them do not belong on the list and many of the veterans don’t know why they are there or even that they have been placed on the list. The only legitimate reasons for veterans to lose Second Amendment Rights is if they have been convicted of a felony, are known drug addicts, or been found to be mentally ill to a point where they are a danger to themselves or others.

The veterans that are being represented by the United States Justice Foundation (USJF) are reporting to us that they are being declared incompetent for having minor depression, PTSD, or simply because they let their spouses pay the family bills. Some veterans are reporting that if they try to fight the VA determination of incompetence the VA either threatens to withhold their payments or actually has done so. This is extortion since many veterans rely on their VA payments to feed themselves and their families.

The VA has refused to respond to several requests made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for information about the criteria being used to declare veterans incompetent and deny them their Second Amendment rights. The USJF has filed a suit to force the VA to turn over this information and will soon be filing a class action suit on behalf of veterans to stop the whole process.

This suit is the last chance these veterans may have since the bill introduced by Senator Richard Burr (R.NC) to protect the gun rights of veterans was recently defeated by the Democrats in the Senate.

There are at least three other attacks taking place on our veterans. The first has been the subject of a series of reports by the Fox News and ABC affiliates in Dallas, Texas which last fall reported that veterans going to the VA hospital were either having to wait for months to get treatment for serious illnesses or in some cases being denied effective treatment entirely. Two veterans were found to have committed suicide, one on the hospital grounds, because they were not being properly treated for their severe problems.

The second problem for our wounded warriors has been exposed in a series of reports by the Colorado Springs Gazette. According to the paper an extraordinary number of veterans who have received traumatic wounds, been treated and latter returned to their units, have ultimately received less than honorable discharges from the military for alleged misconduct. Once that happens, the soldiers can no longer receive treatment from the VA for their wounds or illnesses and they can’t receive any other benefits.

Reporter Dave Philipps stated in his article that: “It doesn’t take serious misconduct to be discharged and lose a lifetime of benefits. The Gazette found troops cut loose for small offenses that the Army acknowledges can be symptoms of TBI and PTSD. Some soldiers missed formation a handful of times or smoked marijuana once. Some were discharged for showing up late or missing appointments. Some tested positive once for drugs, then were deployed to combat zones because the Army needed the troops, only to be discharged for the drug offense when they returned.”

In other words, wounded soldiers who have problems because of their injuries are rewarded for their combat service by getting kicked out of the military so the government will not have to fulfill its obligation to treat them.

Last, but certainly not least is the horrendous treatment the 32 members of the army who were wounded in the terrorist attack at Fort Hood, Texas on November 5, 2009. Since the Pentagon was ordered to be politically correct and label the attack by jihadist Nidal Milak Hasan as workplace violence instead of the obvious terrorist attack it was the soldiers who survived have been denied the Purple Heart medal for the wounds they received and denied the financial benefits that come with it.

According to a report on the NBC affiliate in Dallas some soldiers can barely afford to feed their families, yet Hasan has received his regular military pay since he was arrested and awaiting trial. The total pay so far is $268,000. His family has access to this money so our government is taking good care of the family of an Islamic terrorist and ignoring the families of our wounded soldiers. By the way, I join with the families of the 13 soldiers who died in the attack in asking why this man has not yet been tried for his crimes.

I am outraged by these actions of our government that dishonor our veterans and the debt we owe to them. This is developing into an additional scandal for the Obama administration yet many people are unaware that this is even happening. Please help me spread the word.

To my fellow veterans on this Memorial Day I can only say thank you for your service and I believe the American people will not let you be forgotten.

Michael Connelly

mrobertc@hotmail.com

Michael Connelly blog

www.usjf.net

Photo credit: terrellaftermath

http://www.westernjournalism.com/the-war-on-our-veterans/

Upper Providence man jailed for Royersford road rage incident

2013-05-22T23:22:00.001-05:00

Upper Providence man jailed for Royersford road rage incident

Epilepsy Drugs Market ‘Shifting Towards Newer Medicines’

2013-05-22T23:20:00.004-05:00

Posted May 22 2013 in anti-epileptic drugs, including risks during pregnancy

Innovative antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are increasingly taking market share from older medications, a report has revealed.

GlobalData has published its latest report on the UK’s epilepsy drugs market, which makes predictions for the period up to 2022.

The publication, entitled ‘PharmaPoint: Epilepsy – UK Drug Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022′, confirms that levetiracetam (brand name Keppra) and lamotrigine (Lamictal) still dominate the market.

Levetiracetam is used to treat partial onset seizures, while lamotrigine is used to treat focal seizures, primary and secondary tonic-clonic seizures, and seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Both of these drugs remain the “mainstay” of epilepsy treatment, while older-generation drugs such as phenytoin (Dilantin), valproate semisodium (Depakote), carbamazepine (Tegretol) and oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) are also still in common use.

However, the report suggests that between now and the year 2022, dominance within the AED market will shift towards newer generation drugs.

Examples of medications that are expected to increasingly become part of the mainstream treatment of epilepsy include first-in-class drugs retigabine/ezogabine (Trobalt/Potiga) and perampanel (Fycompa).

Posted by Steve Long

https://www.epilepsyresearch.org.uk/epilepsy-drugs-market-shifting-towards-newer-medicines/

More veterans need help following military sexual trauma

2013-05-22T23:19:00.001-05:00

Zoom

Photos

Purchase this photo

Jack Haley/Messenger Post Media

Doctor Debra Hoffman, Ph.D. is the military sexual trauma coordinator for the Canandaigua VA and Rochester Outpatient Clinic.

Yellow Pages

Find whatever you're looking for
with Totally Local Yellow Pages

Events Calendar

By Julie Sherwood, staff writer

Messenger Post

Posted May 22, 2013 @ 12:45 PM

Business News

From the Web

Is it ADHD? One Expert Shares His Diagnostic… Lifescript.com
What Patients Say Works for ADHD The 23andMe Blog
5 Non-Prescription Ways to Treat ADHD SymptomsHealthCentral.com

Epilepsy in old age is stroke risk - NewsFix.ca

2013-05-22T23:16:00.001-05:00

Epilepsy in old age is stroke risk - NewsFix.ca

Trade Union Reps Get New Guidance On Epilepsy

2013-05-22T23:12:00.002-05:00

Posted May 22 2013 in living with epilepsy

New guidance has been launched to improve understanding of epilepsy among trade union representatives in Scotland.

Developed by the Scottish Trades Union Congress’ (STUC) Disabled Workers Committee and Epilepsy Scotland, the guidance is designed to ensure reps are fully equipped to support members with epilepsy in the workplace.

Ian Tasker, assistant secretary of the STUC, described epilepsy as a “complex” condition with poor understanding in the workplace and wider society.

“It is also sadly the case that many employers would not employ someone disclosing they had epilepsy when applying for work, irrespective of the fact they may have been the best candidate for the job,” he revealed.

Mr Tasker’s claim is supported by research showing that as many as three in five employers might not hire someone with epilepsy, even though most employees with the condition have it under control.

He suggested that trade union representatives are “ideally placed” to help break down barriers to employment for people with epilepsy by dispelling some of the myths associated with the condition in the workplace.

The STUC spokesman added that the new occupational health guidance “not only aims to provide trade union reps with a limited knowledge of the condition but also, and perhaps more importantly, [details of] where they can access support and advice to help them effectively represent and support members with epilepsy”.

Lesslie Young, chief executive of Epilepsy Scotland, welcomed the new guidance, observing that “following best practice in epilepsy and employment law is a win-win situation for the employer, trade union representative and employee”.

The guide was launched to coincide with National Epilepsy Week (May 19th to 25th) and advises reps to ensure members with epilepsy are aware of their rights under the Equality Act 2010.

In addition, workers should be encouraged to discuss their condition with their employer, ensuring they are aware of their legal responsibilities, and find out about their company’s sickness absence policy relating to disability leave.

Published by Steve Long

http://www.epilepsyresearch.org.uk/trade-union-reps-get-new-guidance-on-epilepsy/

Nik’s Shout for Epilepsy makes a big noise - Charities and Fundraising - Fenland Citizen

2013-05-22T23:10:00.001-05:00

Nik’s Shout for Epilepsy makes a big noise - Charities and Fundraising - Fenland Citizen

Epilepsy experts hail Coronation Street’s new storyline

2013-05-22T23:09:00.003-05:00

Comments

22 May 2013 15:02

Nearly eight million viewers watched as character David Platt had his first seizure for two years

Epilepsy experts have hailed Coronation Street for their latest storyline.

Nearly eight million viewers watched as character David Platt had his first seizure for two years.

Bosses at the Epilepsy Society said it did wonders to tackle the common misconceptions surrounding the condition.

Amanda Cleaver, communications and campaigns manager for the charity, said: “What was really interesting was how some of the other characters reacted to his seizure.

“They questioned his ability to look after the two young children in his care and David himself voiced concerns about whether his unborn child would inherit the condition.

“The issues raised in the story highlight the public lack of knowledge about a condition which affects around 1 in 100 people in the UK.”

Writers took advice from Epilepsy Action to construct the tense episode, which saw David, played by Jack P. Shepherd, collapse in a park in Manchester.

He had been walking his stepson, Max Turner, and another child when he fell to the ground.

Max tried to speak to him, but ended up calling Nick, David’s brother, for help.

David was diagnosed with the condition in 2010, and only escaped a murder charge after his doctor argued in court that he had blacked out behind the wheel before mowing down a love rival.

This week, to mark National Epilepsy Week, the Epilepsy Society has teamed up with clothing store River Island to highlight how common the condition is.

The shop will be handing out wristbands, and they have an online competition to win £100-worth of vouchers, in a bid to raise awareness.

Amanda Cleaver said: “Epilepsy Society is a world leader in research into the condition and we hope that within the next 10 years our doctors will be able to piece together a true picture of epilepsy which will put an end to the misunderstandings.”

For more information about this week’s awareness events, go to epilepsysociety.org.uk.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/epilepsy-experts-hail-coronation-streets-4001486

PTSD sufferers 'linked to higher diabetes risk'

2013-05-22T23:07:00.002-05:00

22 May 2013 17:04 in Scientific Developments/Breakthroughs

A new study conducted in Germany has established a link between the presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen and the University Hospital Giessen and Marburg have suggested that a sustained activation of the hormonal stress axis due to chronic stress symptoms is responsible for this association.

As a result of the permanent stress that PTSD patients suffer, hormonal response patterns change over time, leading to metabolisms and the glucose utilisation processes being negatively impacted.

Follow-up studies can now focus in greater detail on how these temporal and causal relationships function.

Professor Karl-Heinz Ladwig, research group leader at the centre's Institute of Epidemiology II, said: "Patients with PTSD and other mental disorders should be given therapy that includes treatment of metabolic risk factors."

According to NHS data, PTSD affects up to 30 percent of people who experience a traumatic event, which could include military combat, road accidents, terrorist attacks, natural disasters or witnessing violent deaths.
http://www.zenopa.com/news/801589304/ptsd-sufferers-linked-to-higher-diabetes-risk

Malaria Medicine Could Be Toxic

2013-05-22T23:05:00.000-05:00

CREDIT: U.S. Army | Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley

View full size image

SAN FRANCISCO — A malaria drug once widely prescribed to U.S. soldiers could cause symptoms similar to traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), one researcher says.

The drug mefloquine may damage the brain stem and increase the firing of neurons, said Dr. Remington Nevin, a former Army physician and researcher at the Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. Nevin discussed his research Monday (May 20) here at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.

For decades, soldiers deployed to regions where malaria is common, such as Iraq or Afghanistan, have been given drugs aimed at preventing the mosquito-borne disease, one of which is mefloquine. But the Army stopped recommending the routine use of mefloquine as the preferred anti-malaria drug in 2009, according to the Army Times.
http://www.livescience.com/34588-anti-malarial-causes-ptsd-symptoms.html

Mefloquine may lead to anxiety, paranoia and hallucinations that can be misdiagnosed as other ailments, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury, Nevin said.

"The symptoms can overlap," Nevin told LiveScience. "It's very easy in military veterans to confuse the two conditions, or to mistakenly diagnose traumatic injury."

A long history of side effects

Nevin became curious when he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 and heard stories about the drug's side effects.

Animal studies have linked mefloquine to lesions in the brain stem, a brain region which plays a role in PTSD. Other studies tied the drug to damage in the part of the brain that helps people with their sense of balance, which could explain why the drug causes dizziness. And still other research indicated that the drug could damage the amygdala and the hippocampus, which control stress response.

Further research revealed that mefloquine seemed to cause some of the same symptoms, such as nightmares and hallucinations, as related drugs that the military tested in the years after World War II, but scrapped for being too dangerous.

And although the military indicated that severe side effects were rare, the literature seemed to suggest they occurred much more frequently, Nevin said.

In 2012, a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that symptoms caused by the drug such as dizziness, anxiety, paranoia, nightmares, cognitive difficulties and trouble focusing could be mistaken for, or worsen, PTSD and traumatic brain injury.

Though it's not clear how mefloquine causes these effects, one explanation is that it causes overfiring of brain cells in the brain stem.

Misdiagnosis?

There may now be thousands of people who received diagnoses of brain injury or PTSD whose symptoms may be caused in part by medicine they took while deployed, Nevin said. As a result, the treatments they receive may not necessarily help them.

To determine how big this problem is, the research community needs to do brain scans, animal studies and other experiments to isolate mefloquine's effects. Scientists should also do more systematic studies in affected populations, such as veterans and Peace Corps volunteers.

Better understanding how mefloquine affects the brain could point the way to potential treatments, Nevin said.

"If we spend only a fraction of what was spent on the development of this drug to investigate its toxic effects, we could make great advances," Nevin said.

Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter and Google+. Follow LiveScience @livescience, Facebook &Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com/34588-anti-malarial-causes-ptsd-symptoms.html.

New PTSD drug may allow vets to reprogram traumatic memories

2013-05-22T23:03:00.000-05:00

By David Ferguson
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 11:05 EDT

Topics: exposure therapy

Researchers claim to have found a promising new therapy in the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the syndrome affecting thousands of U.S. military veterans. According to Wired magazine, the Pentagon has authorized $11 million in funding for trials of the drug D-Cycloserine (DCS), which appears to help wipe away the fear associated with traumatic memories.

The new funding is going to three of the top PTSD research centers in the country: Emory University, the University of Southern California and New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Doctors at the three research hubs will combine exposure therapy, an established treatment for PTSD, with doses of DCS, which is administered just prior to the exposure session, and seems to mitigate the fear and upset attached to violent, traumatic memories.

Dr. Barbara Rothbaum, the leader of the Emory team, told Wired, “We already know that exposure therapy is an effective [therapy] for PTSD, and we want to figure out how to optimize it. I really think that this study will move beyond the theoretical. We can rescue people.”

Exposure therapy works by repeatedly guiding the patient through their traumatic memories in a safe setting. Each time the trama is revisited, the brain “rewrites” the memory. DCS, which was originally used to treat tuberculosis in the 1960s, seems to aid the brain by targeting the areas associated with fear responses. In some patients, the process of damping down the fear associated with traumatic memories happens faster if DCS is taken before therapy.

Unlike antidepressants like Zoloft and Paxil or anti-anxiety medications like Xanax and Klonopin, DCS is not taken every day, but only prior to sessions.

“Most drugs, you dose every day,” said Rothbaum to Wired. “But DCS is only useful during exposure therapy, so you’re taking the drug right before the session. And when your series of sessions end, the medication ends too.”

Other scientists are not as hopeful about DCS. Wired pointed to an article in the Internal Medicine News that said early trials for the drug have not been entirely successful.

New York University department of psychiatry director Dr. Charles Marmar told Internal Medicine News, “The early results are not as positive as we [had] hoped.”

Another researcher, Dr. Roger Pitman of Massachusetts General Hospital said, “We didn’t see much evidence today that d-cycloserine boosts the therapeutic benefit of cognitive-behavioral therapy [CBT] in PTSD.”

The current method of treating PTSD in military veterans consists mainly of a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and anti-depressant medications and is producing little in the way of results. A New York Times article this week said that the level of suicides among armed forces personnel and veterans has spiked sharply in recent years, surging ahead of the rates of death in combat and accidents.

“Over the course of nearly 12 years and two wars, suicide among active-duty troops has risen steadily, hitting a record of 350 in 2012,”said the Times. “That total was twice as many as a decade before and surpassed not only the number of American troops killed in Afghanistan but also the number who died in transportation accidents last year.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/22/new-ptsd-drug-may-allow-vets-to-reprogram-traumatic-memories/

Upper Merion man draws probation for road rage incident

2013-05-22T20:32:00.001-05:00

Upper Merion man draws probation for road rage incident

What Happens After Disaster Strikes?

2013-05-22T11:23:00.002-05:00

GUIDE

Family members want RCMP to do more for officers with PTSD | CTV News

2013-05-22T11:21:00.001-05:00

Family members want RCMP to do more for officers with PTSD | CTV News

Plymouth babykiller father is jailed for seven years

2013-05-22T11:19:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Western Morning News

By Toby Meyjes

A man who shook his month-old baby so violently she suffered fatal brain injuries has been jailed for seven years.

Benjamin Roach, 24, from Plymouth, had denied the manslaughter of his daughter, Roxie-Jo Hopkins-Roach in September 2010, but was convicted unanimously at Plymouth Crown Court yesterday.

Benjamin Roach

A medical expert at the two-week trial had said the injuries sustained by the little girl were similar to those seen in road traffic accidents, causing her to die the following day.

Judge Graham Cottle told Roach, as he sentenced him, that his response had been "utterly unforgivable". He added he had told "untruths" consistently throughout the trial.

He said: "You simply lost your temper and your self control, and committed a serious unlawful act on a helpless and vulnerable baby who in consequence lost her life.

"You've only been concerned with preserving your own skin."

A jury of seven men and five women took less than two hours to find Roach guilty.

They had heard how his former partner Kelly Hopkins had left their daughter, born on August 27, 2010, in Roach's care as she went to the supermarket on September 23.

But she returned after a matter of minutes to find paramedics at her door and Roxie fighting for her life.

The girl died at Derriford Hospital the following day.

Speaking after the verdict she said she hoped her former partner would rot in jail.

She said: "I hope he rots. He said in court that she was the best thing that ever happened to him. He thinks the best thing that ever happened to him was himself.

"I don't think he realised how completely he destroyed my life. It is never going to go back to how it was.

"It will be difficult for me to trust anyone again. I have not been able to move on with other relationships. He has never apologised to me. He came out of the dock after giving evidence and told my mum: 'I am sorry, Wendy'."

Brain Injury and Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Boogaard Family

2013-05-22T03:42:00.001-05:00

Brain Injury and Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Boogaard Family

Driver uses shotgun to blast out car window in road rage incident

2013-05-22T03:41:00.004-05:00

10:56 PM, May 21, 2013 | 0 comments

- A A A +

Charles Billi

FILED UNDER
Local News
Top Stories

COMMUNITIES
Venice-North Port

or click here: facebook.com/10news

SARASOTA CO., Florida -- A window with a hole blasted through it, blood on the seat, and a floor full of bird shot is what police found after a nasty and terrifying road rage incident.

Cops say it all started as two vehicles were traveling southbound on US 41. As the cars passed the La Casa Mobile Home Park, the suspect aimed a shotgun at the other vehicle and fired, blowing a hole in the window.

Glass and birdshot peppered the two passengers inside. The victims followed the suspect, but gave up the chase after a few miles.

"The victims called 911 and flagged down a North Port police officer, and the suspect vehicle drives away," said Lt. John Walsh from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

Police marked evidence with tents, interviewing witnesses and taking statements from the victims.

"Injuries appear to be non life-threatening and they were transported to a local hospital where they are being treated right now," said Walsh.

The suspect was driving a green Geo with a black top, with no license plate.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/317770/250/Driver-uses-shotgun-to-blast-out-car-window-in-road-rage-incident

Study Substantiates Benefits of Cannabinoids For PTSD

2013-05-22T03:35:00.001-05:00

Study Substantiates Benefits Of Cannabinoids For PTSD

Posted by Johnny Green at 8:13 PM on May 21, 2013 Marijuana Science, Medical Marijuana Policy Add comments

By Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director

Brain imaging research published this month in the journal Molecular Psychiatry provides physiological evidence as to why cannabis may mitigate certain symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Post-traumatic stress syndrome is an anxiety disorder that is estimated to impact some eight million Americans annually. Yet, to date, there are no pharmaceutical treatments specifically designed or approved to target symptoms of PTSD.

Investigators at the New York University School of Medicine and the New York University Langone Medical Center, Steven and Alexandra Cohen Veterans Center for the Study of Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury reported that subjects diagnosed with PTSD typically possess elevated quantities of endogenous cannabinoid receptors in regions of the brain associated with fear and anxiety. Investigators also determined that many of these subjects experience a decrease in their natural production of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter, resulting in an imbalanced endocannibinoid regulatory system.

Researchers speculated that an increase in the body’s production of cannabinoids would likely restore subjects’ natural brain chemistry and psychological balance. They affirmed, “[Our] findings substantiate, at least in part, emerging evidence that … plant-derived cannabinoids such as marijuana may possess some benefits in individuals with PTSD by helping relieve haunting nightmares and other symptoms of PTSD.”

They concluded: “The data reported herein are the first of which we are aware of to demonstrate the critical role of CB1 (cannabinoid) receptors and endocannabinoids in the etiology of PTSD in humans. As such, they provide a foundation upon which to develop and validate informative biomarkers of PTSD vulnerability, as well as to guide the rational development of the next generation of evidence-based treatments for PTSD.”

Anecdotal evidence and case study reports have increasingly indicated that cannabis may mitigate traumatic memories and anxiety. However, clinical trial data remains unavailable, in large part because US federal officials have blocked investigators’ efforts to study cannabis in PTSD subjects. In 2011 federal administrators halted efforts by investigators at the University of Arizona to complete an FDA-approved, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the use of cannabis in 50 veterans with treatment-resistant PTSD.

PTSD is also seldom identified as a qualifying condition in states that allow for the physician authorized use of cannabis therapy. (To date, only New Mexico explicitly cites PTSD as a qualifying condition for cannabis treatment, although a handful of other states, like California, allow doctors the discretion to legally recommend marijuana for post-trauma subjects.) In Oregon, lawmakers in the House are considering Senate-approved legislation, SB 281, that would allow PTSD patients to legally consume cannabis under the state’s nearly 15-year-old medical marijuana program.

http://www.theweedblog.com/study-substantiates-benefits-of-cannabinoids-for-ptsd/

The Road Less Traveled

2013-05-22T03:21:00.004-05:00

My mind drifts backwards, slowly, wistfully and

questionably,to the forks in the road. Some would

call it the road less traveled, the path not taken.

The forks in the road indicate a moment in time

that we wish we could have changed our course,

therefore changing our life and our future. A time

we could have taken a different path, a time that

represents a vivid, painful line in our minds of

before and after our injury. But if my mind drifts

back a little further I still see there was pain

and disappointment. I still see dreams that were

not fulfilled. I still see heart-ache, loss and grief.

Maybe none of us ever really knew  where our lives

were heading, maybe it was just an illusion. Maybe

that sense of control we thought we had over our

lives was just an illusion. I believe if I consider

what I know to be real. If I consider all that life

has taught me through all the different and difficult

forks in the road, could I possibly see things

with the correct perception? I perceive an incredible

amount of wasted time, where beauty and joy were not

within my grasp, because I was not looking. This is

no illusion. I perceive wasted time and energy trying

to change things that were not within my ability to

change. This is no illusion. I perceive a lost spark

that at one time shined from within this is no illusion.

But as my mind drifts forward in time to this moment,

to this fork in the road. I see that if I open my heart,

I can again appreciate beauty and feel joy. If I look

really close, I see a glimmer of a spark from within

trying to shine brighter and brighter. This is no illusion.

The forks in the road taught me so very much about a plan

bigger than any I could have ever dreamed.

Debbie M. Wilson

Brain Injury and Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Boogaard Family

2013-05-22T01:46:00.001-05:00

Brain Injury and Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Boogaard Family

The Familiar Went Away

2013-05-22T00:11:00.001-05:00

We all had a day,
when the familiar went away.
Most of us have wished
the familiar could have stayed.
We were all chosen,
to live life a unique and inspiring way.
We did not volunteer,
we were all chosen and our purpose was to stay alive.
Many of us have gifts to share,
look around, what we have learned is needed everywhere.
We are all stronger than most,
we have all surprised ourselves at how far we've been able to go.
We have learned and relearned,
our daily struggles would amaze the world if they had a clue what we do.
We have all suffered immensely,
the price we have paid has been high but we are now reaching for the sky.
We all had a day,
when the familiar went away.
If was not our choice,
so regret and anger is a place I just prefer not to stay.
It was not our choice,
but we do have a chance at making new dreams and goals come true.
It was not our choice,
but we can choose if it is a "blessing or a curse" the decision is left up to us.

Debbie M. Wilson

Debbie Wilson's Family Brain Injury Blog

Loss

A Song About PTSD

My Diary

Self-healing brain study offers Alzheimer’s hope

Rewiring and recovery

THE WAR ON OUR VETERANS

Upper Providence man jailed for Royersford road rage incident

Epilepsy Drugs Market ‘Shifting Towards Newer Medicines’

More veterans need help following military sexual trauma

Photos

Doctor Debra Hoffman, Ph.D. is the military sexual trauma coordinator for the Canandaigua VA and Rochester Outpatient Clinic.

Yellow Pages

Events Calendar

Business News

Suggested Stories

From the Web

Epilepsy in old age is stroke risk - NewsFix.ca

Trade Union Reps Get New Guidance On Epilepsy

Nik’s Shout for Epilepsy makes a big noise - Charities and Fundraising - Fenland Citizen

Epilepsy experts hail Coronation Street’s new storyline

PTSD sufferers 'linked to higher diabetes risk'

Malaria Medicine Could Be Toxic

New PTSD drug may allow vets to reprogram traumatic memories

Upper Merion man draws probation for road rage incident

What Happens After Disaster Strikes?

GUIDE

Family members want RCMP to do more for officers with PTSD | CTV News

Plymouth babykiller father is jailed for seven years

Brain Injury and Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Boogaard Family

Driver uses shotgun to blast out car window in road rage incident

10:56 PM, May 21, 2013 | 0 comments

Study Substantiates Benefits of Cannabinoids For PTSD

The Road Less Traveled

Brain Injury and Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Boogaard Family

The Familiar Went Away