Newsletter for our branch.
Top
Message from the Ambulance Service.
We all carry our mobile phones with
names & numbers stored in its memory. If we were to be involved in an accident or
were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't
know who to call. Yes, there could be hundreds of numbers stored in the phone, but
which one is the correct contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this 'ICE'
(In Case of Emergency) Campaign.
The concept of 'ICE' is catching on
quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As mobile phones
are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number
of the best contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under
the name 'ICE' (In Case Of Emergency). The idea was thought up by a paramedic who
found that when he went to the scenes of accidents there were always mobile phones
with patients but they didn't know which correct number to call.
He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognised
name for this purpose and came up with this suggestion.
In an emergency situation, Emergency
Service personnel and hospital staff would be able to quickly contact the right
person by simply dialling the number you have stored using the name 'ICE'.
If you pass this message on then it should be adopted quite quickly.
For more than one contact name simply
enter the name as ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. Obviously using them in the preferred
order for contacting people.
Top
June Reid passed away.
Sadly yesterday June Reid from Toll
Crescent Forfar passed away around about tea-time.
Top
MS Week
2009.
27th April - 3rd
May.
This year's MS Week will explore key
misconceptions about MS to seek awareness and understanding of what it can be like
to live with MS.
The MS society Scotland is seeking to
highlight in both the media and politicians, the experiences of people living with
MS.
If anyone is willing to speak to a journalist
about their own experiences of living with MS then please contact Ryan Norton on
0131 335 4058 or you can email him at
ryan.norton@mssocietyscotland.org.uk
More information on MS week can be found
on our parent MS Scottish website. (there is a link at the top in the banner
section).
Top
Dave Fowler has resigned.
Sadly due to health reasons Dave has
decided to stand down from his post as chairman for our branch. Irene who
was co-opted on to help Dave to carry out his duties has also stepped down from
this post.
The A.G.M. is coming up shortly so hopefully
it won't be to long before we have someone to take his place.
Top
Tayside Police New Phone Number.
9th March 2009.
Tayside Police has a new (non-emergency number).
It is 0300 111 2222.
The 0300 111 2222 number is easier to remember than the previous non-emergency number.
The previous contact number - 0845 600 5705 - was introduced last year as part of
a national project. This project also introduced new call-handling systems that
direct callers to the most appropriate location in the Force with the minimum delay.
Those systems will now support the 0300 111 2222 number.
OFCOM have released a set of numbers with the 0300 prefix for use by public sector
organisations to resolve an issue where some telecoms providers charged more for
customers to dial 08-prefixed numbers than they did for a number beginning with
01 or 02. Mobile phone users in particular were affected by this issue.
The 0300 111 2222 costs no more than a standard-rate call to a number beginning
with 01 or 02 and Tayside Police would encourage people to save it to their mobile
phones.
Remember, if you want to contact Tayside Police to give information or receive advice
and assistance in a non-emergency situation contact 0300 111 2222.
In an emergency call 999 and the operator will put you through to the appropriate
emergency.
Top
Threeway Fundraisers says a big Thank-you.
15th April 2009.
The organisers of the charity shop which
was in Castle Street, Forfar for the past 5 weeks say a huge thank you to everyone
who supported this venture.
They raised a total of £4,202.60p up
to March 29th for the Angus Threeway Fundraisers, which supports Angus
Cancer Care, MS Society Angus Branch, and Childlink.
The amount raised will go towards the
amount which was also raised at Wilma Whyte's 50th Birthday Party which
was back on the 24th January this year.
The proceeds of Wilma Whyte's birthday
party made a further £1,605.00p which brings the total raised to date for this year
now to £5,807.60p. (more
on the Wilma's birthday party).
This information is courtesy of the
Forfar Dispatch & Herald. Thanks go to all who helped in donating items and
buying the goods. The Threeway fundraiser has been divided up for a number
of years now between Angus Cancer Care, MS Society Angus branch and Childlink.
Top
Low Dose Naltrexone
(LDN).
Brian our chairman and I were sent this
in an email, Brian also suggested we put this on our website.
I am writing to you as I am sure that
you are aware that many people including the MS Society are calling for more research
into Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN).
On 22 March 2005, The House of Commons Health Committee published a comprehensive
document entitled ''The Influence of The Pharmaceutical Industry ''
The Committee recognized that the Pharmaceutical industry was unlikely to undertake
research in areas that were unlikely to produce a financial return, and accordingly
recommended that there were instances where the Government needs to step in and
fund the appropriate research.
We at LDN now believe that LDN is such a case and are confident that the Government
/ taxpayer will get a major return on its investment in LDN.
A petition has been submitted to No. 10 Downing St. and we are now asking you to
support this petition. Please note that by signing this petition, you are not endorsing
LDN in any way, nor are you becoming an advocate for LDN, and you are not in any
way influencing or convincing any person diagnosed with MS to try LDN.
This petition will also help those in the medical profession to provide another
option to patients regarding treatments already being offered.
It is simply a petition to the Government to fund trials into LDN, no more, and
no less than that.
To
sign the petition you can go there via http://www.ldnnow.co.uk
or you can
go direct to the petition at
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/LowDNaltrexone/
We would be grateful if you could ask your fellow members, your colleagues, your
friends and family to also support this petition.
Tom
"LDN Now. Save our Sick. Save our Economy"
Additional Information
LDN now:
We are a small team of people working to focus and co-ordinate activities of those
wishing to make LDN available to all.
All of us are fortunate to have found LDN. When we heard of it first, we were sceptical;
we knew what the term "snake oil" meant; we knew that we cannot believe everything
we see on the internet; and we knew that when people are desperate, they are tempted
to try almost anything. In our various ways we had done a lot of research already.
Once we made our decision, we had to find a doctor who was prepared to prescribe
LDN; we had to find a pharmacy to dispense it; and we had to find people who were
knowledgeable about it's use, to help us with any issues that might arise.
The only reason we are working on this now is to try to make that process easier
for other people. We all have LDN and use it, so it is for others now that we are
working.
Our aim is two fold:
Firstly we want to ensure that all the research and trials that are necessary for
LDN are undertaken promptly. We recognize that this may take a considerable time.
We also want LDN to become a drug that is offered for those who want to try it on
the basis
-
(1) of the clinical evidence that
is available and
-
(2) that Naltrexone has been trialled
and shown to be safe at high doses. We know of no drug that has passed safe at
a high dose and then found to be unsafe at a low dose.
Secondly, for those people who are prepared
to take the plunge with LDN, we want to ensure that all the existing information
is readily available.
Evidence:
We do not have a definitive figure on the number of people taking LDN Worldwide
but we know that it is well over 50,000. We do know is that there is one USA Pharmacy
that, on its own, is currently dispensing LDN to 23,000 people, and they are all
on prescription.
We know that a UK pharmacy is dispensing prescriptions written by over 200 UK doctors.
We can therefore say that the evidence relating to LDN, comes from the clinical
experience of hundreds of Medical Professionals, and from the 25 years of testimonies
of tens of thousands of LDN users.
In recent years there have been a number of clinical trials on LDN, and no safety
issues have arisen.
LDN is a cheap generic drug, costing approximately the cost of your daily newspaper.
No one is going to make a fortune from it.
More and more people are now prepared to research LDN for themselves, and make their
own independent decision. However for many, many more, that is a step too far. That
is why you need to sign this petition now.
The Petition:
When you have signed the petition, please ask everyone you know to do like wise
– friends, family and maybe even some people you don't know !
If your role includes participating in producing Newsletters or other means of communication,
could we ask you to help in spreading the word through your particular medium?
Until such time that LDN can be fully accepted as a mainstream treatment, please
do what you can to make sufficient information
available to allow people to make informed decisions for themselves.
Please click on http://www.ldnnow.co.uk/
to sign the petition, and if you are interested you can find more links associated
with LDN for your information.
Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this matter.
Tom
"LDN Now. Save our Sick. Save our Economy"
If you wish to contact me please email me at tom@ldnnow.co.uk
Please note that I do not hand out advice - well at least no more than I have already
given here.
But I may be able to point you in a direction where you can do your own research.
RE Petition to No. 10 Downing St
Further to my email of 15th May, I wish to thank all of you who have supported the
Petition to No. 10 Downing Street, asking the Government to fund trials into LDN
(Low Dose Naltrexone)
It was also heartening to receive many messages of encouragement.
To those of you who have very long fingers (!) but the best of intentions, could
I please ask you to click
here or go to http://www.ldnnow.co.uk now and from there go to sign the Petition.
Please also remember to ask your friends and colleagues to do likewise.
Dr
Chris Steele.
6th September 2009.
Following on from the above information
regarding (Low Dose Naltrexone). I have received yet another email tonight
requesting you have a look at this YouTube video online.
Here is the copy of the email
below.
"Hi
This is a “must see” video.
I would appreciate it, if you have a Web Site or Newsletter that you publish this
link.
Dr Chris Steele
Just click
here.
Thanks
Tom
Top
If you had
one chance to help reduce MS in Scotland, what would you do?
This is the question which Ryan McLaughlin,
aged 14, from Glasgow, has an answer to.
Watch the video to find out more, and please share this video on your Bebo,
Facebook, MySpace pages. Help us protect future generations of Scots from Multiple
Sclerosis by signing our e-petition and joining our walk to the Scottish Parliament
on Tuesday 16th June 2009 to hand the petition to our MSPs.
Ryan is aware of the effects of Multiple
Sclerosis (MS), as it impacts on the lives of 10,500 people in Scotland and one
of of those affected is his Mum. His experience of MS made him determined to find
a way to help the thousands of people who are fighting this chronic progressive
disease, an illness which has no cure, and to lessen the impact of MS on future
generations. So what is his answer?
Campaign Goals
* Providing Vitamin D to all of Scotland’s children and pregnant mums
* Clarification on the recommended daily allowance
* To run a public awareness campaign inform the public about the benefits of Vitamin
D in relation to MS
Scientists have now proven a link between MS and a lack of Vitamin D. People in
Scotland are exposed to less sunshine, and it is the energy from the sun which triggers
a chemical reaction in the body which leads to Vitamin D being produced. MS is rare
in countries close to the equator which have a high amount of sunshine and becomes
more common at distant latitudes. For example, in the US rates are lowest in Florida
and rise towards Canada. At an MS conference in November 2008 scientists told the
Scottish Government of the link and now it needs to act on this evidence.
That is why Ryan has started the Shine on Scotland campaign, as he believes that
the government providing Vitamin D to children and pregnant mums is our chance to
stop future generations from suffering the way his Mum does everyday. He’s doing
it for your children and your grandchildren. Will you join him in his fight?
Ryan needs your support. Please
sign his e-petition now. He is also looking for 500 kids and their parents to
join him in walking the Royal Mile to the Parliament to hand over the petition.
This is our chance. Together we can change Scotland’s future through providing Vitamin
D for all.
Top
Cancer pill 'offers MS benefits?'
29th April 2009.
Courses of a common cancer drug can
dramatically reduce the risk of a patient with multiple sclerosis having a relapse
or deterioration, work shows.
Taking cladribine a few times a year more than halved the chances of a relapse,
with few side-effects, the UK study of 1,300 patients found.
UK expert Professor Gavin Giovannoni said the drug could revolutionise the treatment
of MS.
Its manufacturer Merck Serono hopes to seek licensing for its use this year.
The drug is already licensed for treating leukaemia.
Prof Giovannoni gave his assessment of its potential value to MS patients at a meeting
of the American Academy of Neurology in Seattle.
The UK's drugs watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence,
is considering including cladribine in its next round of assessments.
Cladribine works by suppressing the immune system, reducing the risk of further
damage to a patient's nervous system.
Patients who took the drug were 30% less likely to suffer worsening in their disability
due to MS.
Easy to take
The study involved over 1,300 MS patients who were followed up for nearly two years
and monitored using MRI scans.
Patients were given either two or four treatment courses of cladribine tablets per
year, or a placebo.
Each course consists of a single tablet per day for four or five days, adding up
to just eight to 20 days of treatment each year.
If it becomes available to patients, cladribine will be the first licensed treatment
for MS which does not involve regular injections.
Professor Giovannoni, of Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry,
part of Queen Mary, University of London, said: "These results are really exciting.
MS can be a very debilitating illness and at the moment treatment options remain
limited.
"Having an effective oral therapy will have a major impact for people with MS.
"Our study shows that cladribine tablets prevent relapses and slow down the progression
of the disease, making patients feel better.
"Importantly, it does so without the need for constant injections that are associated
with unpleasant side-effects.
"We will continue to follow the patients in the trial to see how they fare in the
long-term."
Dr Lee Dunster, head of research at the MS Society, said: "These are remarkable
results and being able to take a tablet instead of having injections will be a huge
step forward for people with MS.
"The evidence is there, but we now need to see cladribine move smoothly through
the regulatory process and the price the manufacturer sets will play a crucial part
in that."
It is estimated that 85,000 people in the UK currently have MS, with 2,500 new cases
diagnosed each year.
source.
Top
Scottish Schoolboy calls for MS campaign.
Tuesday, 16 June 2009.
A teenager whose mum has multiple sclerosis
has led a march to the Scottish Parliament. Ryan McLaughlin, 14, is campaigning
for vitamin D to be made available to all schoolchildren and pregnant women. Morag
Kinniburgh reports.
Source (watch the video online).
Top
MS woman wins right-to-die fight.
30th July 2009.
A woman with multiple sclerosis has
made legal history by winning her battle to have the law on assisted suicide clarified.
Debbie Purdy wanted to know if her husband would be prosecuted if he helped her
end her life in Switzerland.
Five Law Lords ruled the Director of Public Prosecutions must specify when a person
might face prosecution.
Ms Purdy, 46, from Bradford, said she was "ecstatic" at the ruling and she had been
given her life back.
The Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said he would publish an interim
policy on when prosecutions could occur by September before putting the issue out
to public consultation. Permanent policy will be published next spring.
Ms Purdy said the Law Lords' decision was "a huge step towards a more compassionate
law".
"I'm ecstatic - I feel like I've been given a reprieve.
"I want to live my life to the full but I don't want to suffer unnecessarily at
the end of my life.
"The decision means that I can make an informed choice, with Omar, about whether
he travels abroad with me to end my life because we will know exactly where we stand."
No one has been prosecuted for assisting someone's death, although the law says
they could potentially face 14 years in prison.
The House of Lords, the highest court in the land, said the law was not as clear
and precise as it should be.
Five Law Lords unanimously backed Ms Purdy's call for a policy statement from the
Director of Public Prosecutions on when someone might face prosecution for helping
a loved one end their life abroad.
Ms Purdy said she would like to see the policy distinguish between "what is acceptable
and what isn't" so people in situations like hers could make decisions about what
to do.
A spokesman from the Ministry of Justice said any change in the law was up to parliament.
"In a free vote on the issue on 7 July, the House of Lords rejected an attempt to
decriminalise assisted suicide in circumstances where terminally ill people are
helped to travel to countries where assisting dying is lawful," he said.
Human rights
The Law Lords also said she had the right to choose how she died, under Article
8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
In a summary of their decision, the Law Lords said: "Everyone has the right to respect
for their private life and the way that Ms Purdy determines to spend the closing
moments of her life is part of the act of living.
"Ms Purdy wishes to avoid an undignified and distressing end to her life. She is
entitled to ask that this too must be respected."
She had previously lost challenges in the High Court and Court of Appeal. The Lords
ruling was her last chance of success in the UK legal system.
Ms Purdy, married to Cuban violinist Omar Puente, was diagnosed with primary progressive
MS in March 1995. She can no longer walk and is gradually losing strength in her
upper body.
She has suggested that at some point she may travel to Switzerland to take a lethal
dose of barbiturates prescribed by doctors at the controversial Dignitas organisation.
More than 100 UK citizens have so far ended their lives at Dignitas, and no-one
who has accompanied them has ever been prosecuted on their return to the UK.
However, the reasons why legal action has not been taken have never been made clear.
'Significant victory'
Ms Purdy had previously said if the law was not clarified she would have had to
end her life earlier than she wanted to.
Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: "This historic judgement
ensures the law keeps up with changes in society and crucially, provides a more
rational deterrent to abuse than a blanket ban which is never enforced.
"That must be better than the current legal muddle.
"The ruling is significant because it distinguishes between maliciously encouraging
someone to commit suicide and compassionately supporting someone's decision to die."
Former Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, said it was a "very significant victory".
Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the MS Society, said: "There are 100,000 people
with MS across the UK and most will live about as long as any of us.
"The key to living well with MS is getting the right care and support from the point
of diagnosis, including palliative care when it's needed."
Attacking the decision, Phyllis Bowman, executive officer of Right To Life, said
the group would be consulting its lawyers about what action it could take.
"Much as we sympathise with Ms Purdy, we are extremely concerned about the manner
in which this will leave the vulnerable - that is the disabled, the sick, and the
aged.
"Without exception, every disability rights group in the country, are completely
opposed to any changing of the laws on assisted suicide and euthanasia."
Update on this.
source. (Live Video on this external link). Update on this subject.
MS Society's Policy
Top
Medical
notes.
Click on these next two words
Medical Notes (External Link) and you will find links to the BBC News Online
medical notes library. Then click on any of the words to find out more about your
chosen topic.
Top
MS SPACE
2010.
The date for the MS Space 2010 is the
12th June which is getting held again in the Perth Concert Hall.
Top
Living A Healthy
Life' Self Management Programme.
The 'Living A Health Life' Self Management
Programme helps you to manage your long term condition more effectively. Courses
are open to anyone with any long term condition, male or female, 18 years and over.
There is no cost for any of the sessions.
On a self management course, you will learn:
* How to communicate more effectively with your doctor, other health care professionals,
your family and friends
* Techniques to help you deal with problems such as frustration, anger, depression
and other emotional changes brought about by your illness
* How to take care of your health - such as taking your medicine, exercising, changing
your diet
* How to carry out your normal daily activities, household chores, work, social
life
Local Self Management Courses
Book now for self management courses taking place in Autumn 2009.
Our self management courses are free to everyone, 18 years and over, with ANY long
term health condition and are lay-led by trained volunteers who themselves have
a long term health condition. Each course takes place over six weeks with a two
and a half hour session each week.
Our Autumn 2009 is currently underway with courses proposed listed below. This page
will be updated as details of dates and venues become available.
If the areas or dates are unsuitable, you can have your name added to our waiting
list for a place on a self management course by phoning or emailing Ailsa Blair
on 0131 335 4050 or enquiries@mssocietyscotland.org.uk
Brechin - Damacre Centre
4 Nov - 9 Dec
Wednesday afternoons
* Techniques to help you manage fatigue and pain
* How to manage other symptoms, whatever they are
* Ways to help you relax and eat healthily
* Appropriate exercise for maintaining and improving strength, flexibility and endurance
* How to plan for the future and get the most out of life
Courses are held locally and run for six weeks with weekly sessions of 2.5 hours.
Volunteer Course Leaders are lay people who themselves have a long term health condition
and who have been specially trained.
Top
Presentation
to the Therapy Centre at Peddie Street Dundee.
15th October 2009.
Following a request, for financial assistance
from the physiotherapist at the MS Therapy Centre Peddie Street Dundee, Sunita D`souza
to enable her to attend a training course in Pilates, (a form of exercise that has
been found to be beneficial to people with MS).
The committee of the Angus Branch agreed,
that, in giving her this help it would benefit all of our members who went to Peddie
Street for treatment, and any other MS sufferer who attends.
We were not the only source to be asked
for support, all Tayside branches and the MS Society Scotland were contacted.
A
presentation took place at the Therapy Centre on Thursday 15th.
October to hand over a cheque for £1000.00, those present Sunita D`souza physiotherapist,
Judy Murray chairperson of the Therapy Centre and a member of Perth & Kinross branch,
Ann Robson
member of Angus branch, and Brian Robson chairman Angus branch.
We would like to wish Sunita every success when she attends this course.
Top
SGM
2009. 14th Nov
2009.
You have probably heard by receiving
a letter through the post that there is to be a Special General Meeting held in
the Perth Concert Hall from 12pm - 3.30pm on the 14th November, this is so members
can vote to stay as part of the UK MS Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,
or otherwise, read more about it in the links following.
(Tip you will need to have a
pdf
reader installed on your PC to read these the best way is try to read them first
to see if you have them installed).
If you don't have one already installed
on your PC then you can download the latest free version
here.
The link to the advice sheet with the
resolutions can be found by clicking on
this link here.
The programme guide can be viewed by
clicking here.
Members are welcome to submit any questions
to events@mssocietyscotland.org.uk
unfortunately the cut off time is now lapsed due to it having to be done for Monday
2nd November but I never received this information in time to do it any earlier
it could be down to the post strike though?
If you wish to vote online you can click
on this link
here and follow the prompts.
Top
Our Branch makes it
into the Scottish Team-Spirit Newsletter.
Our branch has actually made it into
Issue 7, 2009 (Autumn Issue).
Pay particular attention to pages 4
headed (Angus Health Fair) also on page 6 (A Tasty Treat) as these are the pages
that makes references to our Angus Branch.
If you wish to read this online you
will need a pdf
reader
installed on your pc as it is in pdf
format.
To read the Newsletter
click here.
If you are unable to read then you probably
don't have pdf
reader
installed on your computer.
You can download the latest free pdf
reader
version from
here.
If you wish to read more of these Team-spirits
you can find them all by
clicking here.
Top
Ruby does a little
bit for the ACWW 13th
Nov 2009.
Ruby, my wife a committee member who
most of you all know did a little fundraising to help the Associated Country Woman
of the World (ACWW).
She
went along with her 2 friends Linda Paton and Moira Hammond who had arranged a couple
of boot sales.
The three of them are all members of
their local Woman's Rural at Inverarity.
On the day they went to Errol boot sale
it was chucking it down with rain but between that day and the other boot sale they
made a total of £367.
I learnt something 'New' about our village
I live in, by what was said in the picture seen here and that is the name Inverarity
has damp connections, as it translates from the old Scots as the 'creek of Arity.'
Top
2010 Outings
Update.
First of all can I explain why there
has not been a lot of activity on our website for a little time lately and hence
the reason for this years updates going in 2009 Newsletter.
The website is currently getting a
makeover for 2010 and it is also getting done with a newer different software
package. The reason for this is we will be upgrading to a new format and
due to this process it is a whole new learning process for myself to learn for
me to carry this out. So I urge you all to be patient and hopefully it wont
be to long in coming forward.
| 2010 OUTINGS |
|
Date
|
Place of Event
|
Place & Time
|
| Saturday 20th
February |
Park Hotel,
Montrose. |
Afternoon
Tea 2:30pm |
| Friday 12th
March |
British
Legion, Green Street Arbroath.
|
Quiz Night
7:30pm |
| Saturday 24th
April |
Letham Hotel,
Letham. |
AGM Afternoon
Tea 2:00pm |
| Saturday 22nd
May |
Panmure
Hotel, Edzell. |
Afternoon
Tea 2:30pm |
| June? |
Falkirk
Wheel. |
|
| Sunday 18th
July |
Carmyllie
Hall, Carmyllie. |
BBQ
1:30pm |
| Saturday 21st August |
Letham Hotel,
Letham. |
Lunch 12:30pm
for 1:00pm |
| September |
|
|
| Friday 5th October |
British
Legion, Helen Street Arbroath.
|
Quiz Night
7:30pm |
| Saturday 6th
November |
Abbey Church
Hall Arbroath. |
Coffee Morning
10:00am |
| Friday 19th November |
Colliston Inn, COLLISTON |
Birthday
Party 7:30pm |
| Saturday 4th December |
Park Hotel
MONTROSE. |
Christmas
Lunch 12:30 for 1:00pm |
Top
This page was last updated on
22/01/2010 19:54:11
MS Society Scotland
(JK) - Letter to all members in Scotland.