This is my most recent Scrap page. I tend to work in spread format - can't help feeling that is the way to go with my art background LOL. This photos were taken 7 years ago proving it is never to late to capture those memories. Again I have attempted to use all that fun patterned paper and even cut kits from scrap parts of the paper. I extended my paper use by cutting that splicing the paper (as on the right - the pattern paper does not extend behind each other) The kites are dimensional as it the journaling. I use extra adhesive on the letters which are form DoodleBug - I find they do not hold if you don't. I used glitter tape and cut parts form it to use as accents. Probably my favorite product right now! :)

Found a great site with some of the info I have posted plus more. Enough to make someone ask questions and perhaps enough not to offend the vaccine promoter who needs to be educated. :) http://www.14studies.org/index.html

Patterns or no?

For all the gorgeous pattern paper out there - a thing I am quite addicted to and in love with - I find myself drawn to the simplistic when it comes to design. Maybe that is the graphic designer in me but I find that award winning pages tend to include one thing and lack in another - they are usually on plain paper and have very little to NO patterned paper!! Disheartening when I look at all my beautiful paper :( I will have to be on the hunt for some good pattern inspiration - in the meantime I think I may stray from trying to use all the pretty patterns and retreat into my roots of design and make the photos be the stars. Afterall, isn't that what scrapbook was all about to begin with?

Sorry but I have to post: ALUMINUM

Read this article and if this doesn't tell you how frickin' toxic vaccine are you need a lesson in being about to read English: (Obtained from the website Medscape)

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/165315-overview

Keep in mind:

The US licensed vaccines for children that contain aluminum adjuvants are3:

• DTP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine)
• DTaP (diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis vaccine)
• Some but not all Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) conjugate vaccines
• Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
• Hepatitis B vaccines
• All combination DTaP, Tdap, Hib, or Hepatitis B vaccines
• Hepatitis A vaccines
• Human Papillomavirus vaccine
• Anthrax vaccine
• Rabies vaccine

The most important part of this article is the retention of aluminum in infants which is 75%. And in case the link dies:

Updated: Aug 4, 2010

• Background
• Pathophysiology
• Epidemiology
• Show All

References

Background

Aluminum is a trivalent cation found in its ionic form in most kinds of animal and plant tissues and in natural waters everywhere.^[1] It is the third most prevalent element and the most abundant metal in the earth's crust, representing approximately 8% of total mineral components.^[2] Due to its reactivity, aluminum in nature is found only in combination with other elements.

Dietary aluminum is ubiquitous but in such small quantities that it is not a significant source of concern in persons with normal elimination capacity. Urban water supplies may contain a greater concentration because water is usually treated with aluminum before becoming part of the supply. Subsequent purification processes that remove organic compounds take away many of the same compounds that bind the element in its free state, further increasing aluminum concentration.

All metals can cause disease through excess. In addition, essential metals can affect the human body in the case of deficiency or imbalance.^[3]Malabsorption through diarrheal states can result in essential metal and trace element deficiencies. Toxic effects are dependent upon the amount of metal ingested, entry rate, tissue distribution, concentration achieved, and excretion rate. Mechanisms of toxicity include inhibition of enzyme activity and protein synthesis, alterations in nucleic acid function, and changes in cell membrane permeability.

No known physiologic need exists for aluminum; however, because of its atomic size and electric charge (0.051 nm and 3⁺, respectively), it is sometimes a competitive inhibitor of several essential elements of similar characteristics, such as magnesium (0.066 nm, 2⁺), calcium (0.099 nm, 2⁺), and iron (0.064 nm, 3⁺). At physiological pH, aluminum forms a barely soluble Al(OH)₃ that can be easily dissolved by minor changes in the acidity of the media.^[2]

Approximately 95% of an aluminum load becomes bound to transferrin and albumin intravascularly and is then eliminated renally. In healthy subjects, only 0.3% of orally administered aluminum is absorbed via the GI tract and the kidneys effectively eliminate aluminum from the human body. It is only when the GI barrier is bypassed, such as intravenous infusion or in the presence of advanced renal dysfunction, that aluminum has the potential to accumulate. As an example, with intravenously infused aluminum, 40% is retained in adults and up to 75% is retained in neonates.^[4]

Mayor et al suggested that parathyroid hormone may increase intestinal absorption of aluminum.^[5]

Up to this time, no biological function has been attributed to this metal, and, more importantly, aluminum accumulation in tissues and organs results in their dysfunction and toxicity.^[2] Aluminum is absorbed from the GI tract in the form of oral phosphate-binding agents (aluminum hydroxide), parenterally via immunizations, via dialysate on patients on dialysis or total parenteral nutrition (TPN) contamination, via the urinary mucosa through bladder irrigation, and transdermally in antiperspirants. Lactate, citrate, and ascorbate all facilitate GI absorption. If a significant load exceeds the body's excretory capacity, the excess is deposited in various tissues, including bone, brain, liver, heart, spleen, and muscle. This accumulation causes morbidity and mortality through various mechanisms.

Pathophysiology

Aluminum toxicity is usually found in patients with impaired renal function. Acute intoxication is extremely rare; however, in persons in whom aluminum clearance is impaired, it can be a significant source of pathology. Aluminum toxicity was originally described in the mid-to-late 1970s in a series of patients in Newcastle, England, through an associated osteomalacic dialysis osteodystrophy that appeared to reverse itself upon changing of the dialysate water to deionized water (ie, aluminum-depleted water).

Previously, the only known dialysis-associated bone disease was osteitis fibrosa cystica, which was the result of abnormalities in vitamin D production that resulted in a secondary hyperparathyroidism, increased bone turnover, and subsequent peritrabecular fibrosis. In aluminum-related bone disease, the predominant features are defective mineralization andosteomalacia that result from excessive deposits at the site of osteoid mineralization, where calcium would normally be placed.

Since the role of aluminum in disease has been identified, more attention has been paid to the element, leading to its recognition in several other processes. For example, among patients with osteomalacia, there has been a closely associated dialysis encephalopathy, which is thought to be caused by aluminum deposition in the brain. Aluminum brain concentrations should be lower than 2 μg/g.^[6] A 10-fold increase in aluminum concentrations was reported in patients with aluminum intoxication through the use of hemodialysis solutions with high levels of aluminum.^[7]

Aluminum causes an oxidative stress within brain tissue.^[8] Since the elimination half-life of aluminum from the human brain is 7 years, this can result in cumulative damage via the element's interference with neurofilament axonal transport and neurofilament assembly. Some experts believe it plays a role in leading to the formation of Alzheimer-like neurofibrillary tangles. Blaylock et al suggest that the heterogeneous symptoms of autism spectrum disorders have a connection with dysregulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the brain along with enhancement of excitatory receptor function by proinflammatory immune cytokines as the underlying pathophysiological process.^[9]

In this regard, dietary excitotoxins including aluminum can exacerbate the clinical presentation by worsening of excitotoxicity and by microglial priming. This opens the discussion to the use of nutritional factors that reduce excitotoxicity and brain inflammation as a maneuver to alleviate neurotoxic effects of aluminum.^{[10, 11]} The central nervous system appears to be extremely sensitive to metal-induced oxidative stress. High aluminum concentrations have been found in postmortem brain specimens of patients with Parkinson's disease and on animals models where administration of aluminum caused a strong decrease in dopamine content of the striatum.^[12]

Aluminum also has a direct effect on hematopoiesis. Excess aluminum has been shown to induce microcytic anemia. Daily injections of aluminum into rabbits produced severe anemia within 2-3 weeks. The findings were very similar to those found in patients suffering from lead poisoning.

Aluminum may cause anemia through decreased heme synthesis, decreased globulin synthesis, and increased hemolysis. Aluminum may also have a direct effect on iron metabolism: it influences absorption of iron via the intestine, it hinders iron's transport in the serum, and it displaces iron's binding to transferrin. Patients with anemia from aluminum toxicity often have increased reticulocyte counts, decreased mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin.

Other organic manifestations of aluminum intoxication have been proposed, such as a slightly poorer immunologic response to infection, but the mechanism by which it exerts its effect is complex and multifactorial. It has also been linked to vaccine-associated macrophagic myofasciitis and chronic fatigue syndrome, thus highlighting the potential dangers associated with aluminum-containing adjuvants as described recently.^[13]

Frequency

United States

The actual incidence of aluminum toxicity is unknown. The greatest incidence is observed in patients with any degree of renal insufficiency. A higher incidence is observed in populations who have aluminum-contaminated dialysate or who are taking daily oral phosphate-binding agents. Patients who require long-term TPN are at increased risk as well.

Brown et al determined the potential for aluminum toxicity caused by parenteral nutrition in patients (n=36; age 50.4±20.4 y, weight 90.2±32.8 kg) who have risk factors of both acute kidney injury and parenteral nutrition support.^[4] Aluminum exposure was determined for each patient by multiplying the volume of each parenteral nutrition component by its concentration of aluminum. The initial serum urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels were 47±23 and 3.3 ± 1.4 mg/dL, respectively. Twelve patients received supportive dialysis. The mean aluminum exposure was 3.8±2 μg/kg/day in the 36 patients; the majority of patients, 29 out of 36, had safe calculated aluminum exposure (< 5 μg/kg/d), and 7 had high calculated aluminum exposure (>5 μg/kg/d). Patients with high aluminum exposure received more aluminum from calcium gluconate compared with those who had safe aluminum exposure (357±182 vs 250±56 μg/d).

Brown et al concluded that, using their calculations, most patients with acute kidney injury who require parenteral nutrition do not receive excessive exposure to aluminum from the parenteral nutrition formulation. The limitation of the study was its retrospective design, which resulted in calculated versus direct measurement of aluminum.

Animal studies in rats and case reports have implicated the use of oral aluminum-containing antacids during pregnancy as a possible cause for abnormal fetal neurologic development.^{[14, 15]}

Potential additional sources of increased chances for contamination are as follows: (1) a role for fatty acids common in food as factors that lead to an increase of the paracellular absorption of aluminum^[16] ; (2) advances in nanotechnology have led to the exposure of humans to engineered aluminum nanomaterials (NMs) that could potentially induce genomic changes. (By using a rat model, Balasubramanyam et al^[17] found that Al(2)O(3) NMs were able to induce size- and dose-dependent genotoxicity in vivo.^[17] ); (3) intravesical irrigation with aluminum for hemorrhagic cystitis, a life-threatening complication that might occur in bone marrow transplantation, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, as described in a pediatric patient.^[18]

International

Some evidence suggests that, in developing countries where contaminated dialysis water is still used, aluminum-related disease is more prevalent. Also, as people still use over-the-counter aluminum-containing phosphate binders, aluminum deposition within the bone will continue and serve as a reservoir for continued exposure because of its long elimination half-life.

Mortality/Morbidity

The mortality rate may be as high as 100% in patients in whom the condition goes unrecognized. Today, however, recognition by nephrologists is the norm, and increased awareness by all practitioners has led to earlier detection and overall avoidance of the syndrome. Morbidity and mortality have been diminished significantly. Prior to this, bone pain, multiple fractures, proximal myopathy, and the sequelae of dementia have been the main sources of morbidity.

Race

Aluminum toxicity has no predilection for any race.

Sex

Aluminum toxicity has no predilection for either sex.

Age

Aluminum toxicity is observed in all age groups, but its end-organ effects are more prevalent in elderly persons, who may have diminished renal function.

Building up supplies

So I am debating - should I get the Tim Holtz vagabond or not? I have a cricut which IMO is awesome however it doesn't emboss. But should I buy something that does all just to emboss? The cutting plates are ridiculously expensive IMO. And to only be able to emboss small paper? Well I am not into cardmaking. Embossing embellishments os great though and to do it on thick stuff is incredible. But maybe I should just get an embellishment embosser then. I don't know - I just bought some pearl ex powder which I never had before so that will be another fun tool :)

2012 and a new direction!

Originally I planned on starting a blog that involved ART and being creative and throwing in some political and health/parenting conversation as well. The internet is crowded with plenty of creative bloggers. A fact which saddens me - I USED to be creative. I used to be "thee" creative one people knew and now, I am lucky if I can think my way through a cardboard box. What happened? Life. Too much to do and not enough time. I am sure that statement is not unfamiliar to anyone. So how do I fix that? Making time for it again. It is important for me personally to keep that. Although I lead a fairly charmed and blessed life it doesn't mean that it is OK for me give up all I am. 


Who am I at the heart of it? A marine biologist who never realized a dream because of illness. A person who hates Michigan and anywhere that drops below 40 degrees. I love palm trees, sand, water, blue sky, hard rain, spanish moss and warmth! I love animals and rainforests and travel.  I love being on the water and the vastness of it - and being IN the water and the vastness of that. Staring down into the depths and thinking what is below me - waiting to see that creature rise up fairly oblivious to my existence. I love mermaids and seashells, the sound of seagulls, the crash of waves. Pine trees on a shoreline (like in South Carolina!) Houses that are more screendoors than walls. I hate my life in a lot of respects because all those things I love, I gave up for the PEOPLE I love. But honestly I don't love many people in general. Most of them piss me off LOL. So did I make the right decision? Likely no but I wouldn't give up the ones I love for the world. It is a conflict. A daily one. Every day I spend in the frozen gray hell I feel is one day of my precious life wasted. Completely. I wish I could fix that and I only live in hope that I will. Actually, I know I will and one day and the cost won't matter anymore. But for now I am trying to find my creativity again and spark that life in me I used to have when dreams were still in the future instead of the past.


I know this sounds depressing and maybe ungrateful and if that is what you want to think of me, so be it. But I can't deny that this is my life, not how I planned and I am SURE that there are a lot of us out there who maybe just aren't brave enough to say that they didn't get "it all" and maybe let go of who we were to reach for part of goal and then fell down the rabbit hole, stumbling through an interesting and unexpected version of life that we love but ultimately, would go back home if we ever found the way.


So a new year, new blog direction and the thought that creativity will be my therapy. Scrapbooking to keep the focus of my life clear - my family. Finding the future by living in the past I suppose. So let's see that this brings. I will still share my views along the way but I am going to try to inspire myself, and any scant readers I have, along the way.

A whole lot of awesome

Someone I respect called my ideas out in "left field" recently which upset me VERY must but I realized the video from Dr. Hilleman I had posted on m FB page hit a nerve likely with her as her daughter and my BFF had died of leukemia. But it hit a nerve. Am I out in left field? Am I totally crazy and not finding the logic of the all powerful vaccinations? I am fairly sure the answer is no - anyhow I found this incredibly solid article and need to share and store it here - it is awesome and puts the anti-vaccination thinking I have in perfect perspective. It shows what I believe and I am sure you will agree - anything but left field!

http://www.garynull.com/home/dr-gary-null-phd-and-nancy-ashley-ms-vmd-the-myth-that-vacci.html

BTW - here is the Hilleman video which proves my AIDS theory:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yJLm4fxwSo&feature=share