Fibromyalgia and M/E activist shares how much medication she takes in order to function

Sep 15 2022

Ruth Debono, a fibromyalgia and M/E activist, took to Facebook to share the amount of medication she has to take in order to function and live as close to a normal life as possible. In the post, she urges the government to help out people with this condition more and not treat it like an invisible disability anymore.

In the post, Debono shared a picture of around 15 medications she takes in order to help her live. The picture also did not include certain sleep medications, heat balms and various other medications needed. She revealed that the price for all this medication is €150, as only three intense medications are given by the government; Amitriptyline, Pragiola and Tramadol. These medications can’t be taken by just anyone as they have very dangerous side-effects.

This issue has been long ongoing as countless Fibromyalgia sufferers have been calling on the government to help them out more financially and recognise their condition as a disability with medications that can be very expensive for certain people.

Debono, who is also the CEO of the ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia Alliance, spoke about what is needed from the government – saying “What we need is financial aid: disability benefits, therapy long term, home help, vouchers for food allergies, vouchers for treatments like acupuncture, pool therapy, physiotherapy etc.”

Earlier this week and following Pride Week, PN MP Alex Borg also called on the government to take action on this issue as he questioned the government’s health budget priorities, as he saw that the main priority was that of sex reassignment surgery for trans people being made free of charge. He stated that he agrees with the government’s priority of free sex reassignment surgery but stressed that helping out people suffering from these invisible disabilities such as fibromyalgia should take priority.

Borg’s statements were met with some criticism by LGBTIQ+ activists and Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg, who pointed out that free gender reassignment therapy would not come at the expense of making such medication also free.

#MaltaDaily

Burning Stereotypes: Study finds cannabis users are not lazier than non-users

Sep 15 2022

The lazy stoner stereotype is something we’ve grown accustomed to – whether it be media depictions (think Pineapple Express) or cultural notions of cannabis users drawn from more ‘traditional’ societies.

However a new study suggests that this representation of weed lovers might be what is actually lazy.

A study led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, University College London, and King’s College London and published last month examined whether people who use cannabis show higher levels of apathy or decreased loss of interest or pleasure.

They were also studied to see whether they were less willing to exert physical effort tor receive a reward. The study involved 274 adolescents and adults who used cannabis at least once weekly and with an average of four days a week over the past three months.

Another who did not use was also involved in the study, with all participants undergoing various experiments to see whether they report anhedonia (loss of pleasure) or apathy.

The cannabis users did not report greater apathy or anhedonia. In fact, people who used cannabis scored slightly lower on anhedonia than those who did not. This means the users were slightly more able to enjoy activities than non-users.

However, the difference was massively tiny, meaning caution is required for interpretation. “Our evidence indicates that cannabis use does not appear to have an effect on motivation for recreational users” said one of the authors.

“Unfair assumptions can be stigmatising and could get in the way of messages around harm reduction,” said another co-author. “We need to be honest and frank about what are and are not the harmful consequences of drug use.”

#MaltaDaily

89-year old woman grievously injured after being hit by motorcycle

Sep 15 2022

Police were informed last Tuesday afternoon at 1515hrs that their assistance was needed in Triq Dun Karm, Birkirkara because of a traffic incident.

When police arrived on site they found that an incident had occured between an 89-year old woman from Birkirkara and a 33-year old motorcyclist from Rabat, Gozo. It was reported by officials that the man, driving a Kentoya Viking, hit the woman whilst driving the bike.

A medical team and ambulance convened on site, with the ambulance taking the woman to Mater Dei hospital. She was later certified as having suffered grievous injuries.

Investigations are still ongoing.

#MaltaDaily

Fashion giant Patagonia boss donates company to fight climate change

Sep 15 2022

Founder of fashion giant Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, revealed he has given away his company to a charitable trust in a bid to fight climate change.

Chouinard said that under a new ownership structure, any profit not reinvested in running the business will go to fight the persistent threat of changing climate. This translates to around $100 million a year.

Patagonia sells hiking and other outdoor clothing in over 10 countries all around the world.

The company’s revenue, after being founded in 1973, is estimated to be around $1.5bn this year alone, with Mr Chouinard’s net worth ranking at around $1.2bn. The entrepreneur said that despite its immensity, the earth’s resources are not infinite.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Patagonia (@patagonia)

‘It’s clear we’ve exceeded its limits’ he said. ‘Instead of extracting value from nature and transforming it into wealth, we are using the wealth Patagonia creates to protect the source.’

The Californian firm was already donating 1% of annual profits to grassroots activists and committed to sustainable practices. However, he told his customers he wanted to do more.

Instead of selling the company and donating the money to charity or taking the company public, Chouinard’s family transferred all ownership to two new entities. The Patagonia Purpose Trust remains the controlling shareholder but will only own 2% of total stock. The Holdfast Collective, a US charity, now owns all of the non-voting stock – around 98% of the company.

#MaltaDaily