Stevie Nicks Confesses Her Biggest Mistake - Klonopin Addiction

"Klonopin is a horrible, dangerous drug." ----Stevie Nicks

"I was really sick," she says. Even though her years of cocaine abuse left a hole in her head the size of a Sacajawea gold dollar, she claims that the Klonopin did far more damage. "It was not my drug of choice," she says. "I'm not a downer person. I was looking for things that made me want to clean the house and shop, write songs and stay up for four days. I was sad and I was sick. I didn't really understand right up until the end that it was the Klonopin that was making me crazy. I really didn't realize it was that drug because I was taking it from a doctor and it was prescribed. It just hit me really hard that that was the foundation for why I was completely falling apart."

The last time Stevie Nicks used cocaine onstage was in 1986, and then checked into the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment. But the drug prescribed to her by a psychiatrist was far worse, and Stevie became addicted to the tranquilizer, Klonopin.

Generally prescribed for seizures and panic attacks, experts say it should not be taken for more than nine weeks. Stevie says she took it for eight years, learning way too late that Klonopin is highly addictive and can have side effects like depression and weight gain.

"My woman's vanity could not deal with that at all. After being a rock 'n' roll sex symbol for all that time, and then all of a sudden to be 'little fat girl' was just so unacceptable to me. I could see the disappointment in people's faces when they'd see me walk in." It took 47 days for the singer to detox from the prescription drug, "...and it was horrible," she says. "My hair turned gray. My skin molted. I couldn't sleep, I was in so much pain. Legs aching, muscle cramps... The rock star in me wanted to get in a limousine and go to Cedar's Sinai and say, 'Give me some Demerol because I am in pain.' And the other side of me said, 'You will fight out this 47 days.'"

"Klonopin is a horrible, dangerous drug," says Nicks, an addict for eight years. "Doctors are dying to put you on drugs: 'Feeling a little nervous? Here, let's mask everything so you don't have a personality anymore.'

"The overwhelming feeling of wellness and calm equals blah, nothing. My creativity went away. The fabulous Stevie everyone knew just disappeared. I became what I call the 'whatever' person. I didn't care about anything anymore. I got very heavy. One day I looked in the mirror and said, 'I don't know you.' And I went straight to the hospital for 47 days."

Stevie is back to her music, with a new chart-topping album, "In Your Dreams", and performed her new single "Secret Love" live on Dancing with the Stars last night. A fall 2011 solo tour and a possible 2012 Fleetwood Mac tour are in the works.

OC

Source:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/nicks.htm

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20063904-10391698.html

What You Need to Know About Bisphenol-A (BPA)

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a hormone-disrupting chemical that lurks in food can linings, plastic food and beverage containers, and a slate of other consumer products. It has been linked with serious effects on human health such as:

• recurrent miscarriages in women

• neurological changes in children

• erectile dysfunction and hormonal changes in men.

Chemical industry lobbying has kept regulators from banning the use of BPA, but there is good news. A 2010 study found that BPA levels in five families dropped dramatically (by 60% on average) after just three days of not eating canned goods and food in plastic packaging.

Here are several more steps you can take to reduce your exposure to BPA:

• Avoid drinking out of plastic bottles. Use unlined stainless steel ones instead.

• Avoid canned foods and those that are sold in plastic containers.

• Buy products in glass or cardboard “brick-packaging” for a BPA-free alternative.

• Choose dried beans instead of canned ones, and stick with fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. If you can’t avoid canned fruits, vegetables, or beans, rinse the contents well before serving.

• Store leftovers in glass containers instead of plastic ones.

• Never microwave* food in plastic containers or while covered in plastic wrap. Use glass or ceramic containers instead.

• Don’t take receipts or wash your hands after touching one. The thermal paper used by many retailers for receipts contains high concentrations of BPA.

• Check recycling numbers on plastics. Types 3 and 7 are likely to contain BPA, so avoid these.

For Parents with Young Children: Unfortunately, many BPA alternatives are still being tested for safety and it is difficult to determine what products are truly better. For developing brains and bodies, cut to the chase and avoid plastics altogether.

• If you feed your infant formula, choose the powdered version instead of the liquid kind.

• Use glass or stainless steel containers for bottles and sippy cups.

• Avoid plastic toys, especially items that will be put into mouths.

Find out more about the harmful effects of BPA here.

OC

* LNH does not suggest the use of microwaves in any case.

Acid Reflux Drugs Tied to Bone Fractures

REPOST

By RONI CARYN RABIN/New York Times

Published: May 13, 2011

The analysis did not find a similar increase in fracture risk among patients taking older acid reflux medications, called histamine-2 receptor antagonists.A new analysis adds to growing evidence that people using proton pump inhibitors to control symptoms of acid reflux are more likely tofracture bones than those who do not.

Last year, the Food and Drug Administration revised the label on proton pump inhibitors, or P.P.I.’s, to warn that they may raise the risk of fractures. In March, it removed the warnings from nonprescription P.P.I.’s, saying those were meant only for short courses of treatment while the fracture risk had been observed in long-term users.

The new analysis, published in the May-June issue of Annals of Family Medicine, examined 11 studies and found that patients taking P.P.I.’s were 29 percent more likely to get fractures.

The researchers also found that long-term users were 30 percent more likely to get fractures, and those taking high doses were 53 percent more likely to get hip fractures in particular.

Dr. Seung-Kwon Myung, a staff physician and senior scientist at the National Cancer Center in Seoul, South Korea, and one of the paper’s authors, said P.P.I. treatment may affect the intestine’s ability to absorb calcium. “Long-term or frequent use of P.P.I.’s should be avoided,” he said
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Floridians Insist that FDA Act Now on Amalgam

For the second time in 60 days, a “town meeting” conducted by FDA’s Center for Devices has turned into a major media event highlighting the agency’s failed amalgam policy. Texans confronted Center for Devices Director Jeff Shuren in March; Floridians turned out en masse in Orlando on March 5, outraged over FDA’s failure to protect even children from dental mercury. The event was not only front-page news in Florida – it reached press outlets clear across the country: the Los Angeles Times proclaimed that “Mercury in dental fillings comes under fire at FDA meeting in Orlando.”

Among the witnesses was the venerable Sam Queen, the long-time guiding hand of the mercury-free dentistry movement via his work with the Wallace Research Foundation, his treatise on mercury (co-authored with his wife Betty), and his Institute for Health Realities. Orlando dentist Jim Hardy, whose book Mercury Free has educated so many delegates at the mercury treaty negotiating sessions, testified. So did Bernie Windham, president of Dental Amalgam Mercury Solutions (DAMS), who presented his prodigious research on amalgam. They were joined by dentists, other health professionals, and consumers from all over Florida. Freya Koss of Philadelphia served as organizer, liaison with FDA, and press spokeswoman. (Dr. Shuren told Freya: “I see you more than I see some members of my family.”)

Just like in Texas, with cameras in his face, Dr. Shuren was compelled to answer for FDA’s inaction on amalgam – something FDA officials are able to duck when they sit behind their desks. And Dr. Shuren told the Orlando Sentinel that "If I had my druthers, I would like to say something this year,” noting that the agency would have to reconsider the scientific and legal issues surrounding the amalgam issue. It is hardly a timetable, but it’s more than FDA has been willing to say in Washington.

Please join our Florida team and our Texas team in speaking out about amalgam! I encourage you to drop Dr. Shuren a note at jeff.shuren@fda.hhs.gov

Remember that Dr. Shuren is very concerned that Europeans are being subjected to unsafe medical devices; he recently accused European device regulators of treating consumers as“guinea pigs.” It’s time to ask Dr. Shuren why FDA is using American children as guinea pigs for amalgam – a medical device for which even FDA admits "[v]ery limited to no clinical information is available regarding long-term health outcomes in pregnant women and their developing fetuses, and children under the age of six, including infants who are breastfed." Ask Dr. Shuren whether he seriously intends to stop using American children as guinea pigs for the amalgam industry this year.

Thank you!

-- Charlie

11 May 2011

Charles G. Brown

President, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry

National Counsel, Consumers for Dental Choice

AB88 Passed! GE Salmon MUST be Labeled in California -- But There's More...

On May 3rd, 2011, the California Assembly Health Committee passed AB 88, which requires all genetically engineered salmon sold in California to be clearly labeled. This is a first victory, and we thank all of you who took action to make it happen!

The bill now moves to the Appropriations Committee where those members will decide if AB 88 (in terms of costs associated with its implementation) should go to the full Assembly for the final vote.

We need to persuade Appropriations Committee members to vote in favor of AB 88!

The Committee - see the list below - will make a decision on May 18th. It is most critical to persuade at least 8 of these members to vote "yes" to get the bill to full assembly.

What can you do? In brief:
1) check if any of the representatives below is from your district
2) if so, call them as soon as possible to tell them to support AB88 which protects your consumer rights (and let Stacey@responsibletechnology.org know you called)
3) email them or fax them a short letter that says you strongly support AB 88 and you count on them to also vote in favor. Please mention clearly in your call, phone message or written message that you live in the district (indicate city and leave a phone number if you are leaving a phone message).

This is a landmark bill and a serious test of our ability to influence legislators in regard to GMOs.

Thanks for taking action!

The Staff at the Institute For Responsible Technology

Appropriations Committee Members	District	Phone	District	Fax	E-mail
Felipe Fuentes - Chair	Dem-39	(916) 319-2039	818-504-3911	(916) 319-2139	Assemblymember.Fuentes@assembly.ca.gov
Diane Harkey – Vice Chair	Rep-73	(916) 319-2073	760-757-8084	(916) 319-2173	Assemblymember.Harkey@assembly.ca.gov
Bob Blumenfield	Dem-40	(916) 319-2040	818-904-3840	(916) 319-2140	Assemblymember.Blumenfield@assembly.ca.gov
Steven Bradford	Dem-51	(916) 319-2051	310-412-6400	(916) 319-2151	Assemblymember.Bradford@assembly.ca.gov
Charles M. Calderon	Dem-58	(916) 319-2058	562-692-5858	(916) 319-2158	Assemblymember.Calderon@assembly.ca.gov
Nora Campos	Dem-23	(916) 319-2023	408-277-1220	(916) 319-2123	Assemblymember.Campos@assembly.ca.gov
Mike Davis	Dem-48	(916) 319-2048	213-744-2111	(916) 319-2148	Assemblymember.Davis@assembly.ca.gov
Tim Donnelly	Rep -59	(916) 319-2059	760-244-5277	(916) 319-2159	Assemblymember.Donnelly@assembly.ca.gov
Mike Gatto	Dem-43	(916) 319-2043	818-240-6330	(916) 319-2143	Assemblymember.Gatto@assembly.ca.gov
Isadore Hall III	Dem-52	(916) 319-2052	310-223-1201	(916) 319-2152	Assemblymember.Hall@assembly.ca.gov
Jerry Hill	Dem-19	(916) 319-2019	650-349-1900	(916) 319-2119	Assemblymember.Hill@assembly.ca.gov
Ricardo Lara	Dem-50	(916) 319-2050	562-927-1200	(916) 319-2150	Assemblymember.Lara@assembly.ca.gov
Holly J. Mitchell	Dem-47	(916) 319-2047	310-342-1070	(916) 319-2147	Assemblymember.Mitchell@assembly.ca.gov
Jim Nielsen	Rep- 2	(916) 319-2002	530-223-6300	(916) 319-2102	Assemblymember.Nielsen@assembly.ca.gov
Chris Norby	Rep- 72	(916) 319-2072	714-526-7272	(916) 319-2172	Assemblymember.Norby@assembly.ca.gov
Jose Solorio	Dem-69	(916) 319-2069	714-939-8469	(916) 319-2169	Assemblymember.Solorio@assembly.ca.gov
Donald P. Wagner	Rep-70	(916) 319-2070	949-863-7070	(916) 319-2170	Assemblymember.Wagner@assembly.ca.gov

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