Arnica Not Just for Weekend Warriors
Tom Vannah’s article on arnica illustrates the pitfalls of writing on any subject where one doesn’t understand the concepts or theory. There is a vast difference between homeopathic arnica and herbal arnica—as between any homeopathic remedy and its source—yet Vannah constantly confuses the two.
Using homeopathic arnica, as in gels produced by Boiron, Hyland, Weleda, or any other homeopathic manufacturer, is unlikely to irritate the skin because it uses a potentized form of arnica, not the herbal form. Yes, applying arnica over broken or abraded skin will irritate. But it’s not an appropriate treatment for that, either homeopathically or herbally.
Gels are fine, but they’re not necessarily the most effective way of taking arnica, nor is homeopathic arnica necessarily the best remedy for muscles sore from overuse. Homeopathic remedies are prescribed based on an individual’s particular symptoms, so although arnica is the premier remedy for bruising, there are many others that would be a better fit for aching muscles, strains, or sprains.
If it weren’t so painfully symptomatic of all the junk that passes for objective research, I’d be tempted to laugh at “scientific studies” that purport to show arnica is no help with post-op bruising or conditions like carpal tunnel. These are designed—and poorly—by researchers who have no knowledge or understanding of homeopathy and may well have a hidden agenda, as drug company-funded research does. If you “test” a homeopathic remedy for a condition for which it’s not homeopathically indicated, such as carpal tunnel, of course it’s going to fail! So would aspirin if some idiot did a “scientific study” of its efficacy in treating heartburn.
If Vannah wants to take a more informed look at homeopathic research, he’d be well advised to look to websites of organizations that actually know something about homeopathy, such as Homeopathic Educational Services (www.homeopathic.com) or the National Center for Homeopathy (http://www.homeopathic.org/articles-research).
If only more people knew about the wide range of arnica’s curative capabilities, every EMT would carry it in his or her emergency kit. It’s an amazing remedy, properly used in high potency, for someone going into shock after an accident. Or as a remedy of first resort in head trauma. Or even for broken bones—not to heal the fracture but to reduce swelling and make casting easier. Arnica’s potential goes way beyond toddler boo-boos or weekend warrior aches.
Dale C. Moss
Classical Homeopath
Shelburne Falls
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Faith-Based Endorsement of Cannabis
It’s commendable that state rep. Ellen Story (“Western Mass. Legislators File Marijuana Reform Bill,” Feb. 3, 2011) believes Massachusetts should lead the nation to finally ending reefer madness. It’s starting to look like a healthy race between Washington, Colorado, California, Oregon. Massachusetts and others to see which state legalizes the superplant first. Another reason to stop caging, punishing and persecuting responsible adults for using cannabis (marijuana) that doesn’t get mentioned is because it is Biblically correct since God, The Ecologician indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (see Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30).
Stan White
Dillon, Colorado
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YankeeLeaks
What follows is a list of some of the more significant things that have gone wrong at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in Vernon, Vt., over the past six years or so. There have been many accidents, breakdowns, operational and oversight lapses, and other problems at Vermont Yankee, the Entergy Corporation’s 39-year-old nuclear reactor. Most appear to be the result of the reactor’s advanced age, a 20 percent power increase beyond its original design capacity, and cost-cutting measures resulting in deferred maintenance. A partial list since September of 2004, compiled from newspaper accounts, includes the following:
– Radioactive fuel rods “lost” for 3 months (September ’04).
– Transformer fire (June ’05).
– Cracks discovered in the steam dryer (November ’05).
– “Hot” shipment that left VY four times more radioactive than allowable federal limits (August ’06).
– Cooling tower collapse and automatic shutdown of reactor due to stuck valve (August ’07).
– Malfunctioning crane drops cask of high-level spent fuel four inches onto concrete floor of spent fuel area (May ’08).
– Discovery of inadequate “fix” of previous year’s cooling tower collapse (July ’08).
– More cooling tower leaks discovered (September ’08).
– Excess radiation exposure forces temporary evacuation of 12 workers (August ’08).
– Excess radiation exposure forces temporary evacuation of 25 workers (October ’08).
– Discovery of inadequate cooling tower support brackets (October ’08).
– New cracks found in reactor’s steam dryer (November ’08).
– Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) finding of inadequate testing of critical spray nozzles for metal fatigue (November ’08).
– Temporary breakdown of emergency phone system (December ’08).
– Temporary breakdown of emergency radio alert system (December ’08).
– Two back-to-back leaks within two days of radioactive water inside the plant, with the latter occurring in a “safety-sensitive” area (January ’09).
– Another leak (not radioactive), this time in switchyard, resulting in 30 percent power reduction (January ’09).
– Federal report says Entergy finds radioactive contamination of soil surrounding reactor, requiring removal of 135,000 cubic feet at a cost of $9.1 million once reactor shuts down (February ’09).
– January ’09 radioactive “steam” leak continues after two unsuccessful repair attempts (February ’09).
– Entergy reports another radioactive leak, the third of 2009, and says one of the earlier leaks (after three months of spilling thousands of gallons of radioactive water) was finally fixed a week before this latest leak (April ’09).
– The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reports that technicians at Vermont Yankee mishandled a safety issue in the plant’s coolant injection system (June ’09).
– Entergy acknowledges that “due to an oversight” it has failed to monitor radiation coming from casks of high-level radioactive waste stored on the banks of the Connecticut River starting in June of 2008, even though such monitoring is a condition of Entergy’s cask-storage permit issued by Vermont’s Public Service Board (August ’09).
– Maintenance supervisor suspended after testing positive for alcohol during random fitness-for-duty check—third known incident in past two years of Vermont Yankee employee testing positive for banned substances (August ’09).
– Vermont Department of Health radiation chief says recent changes at Vermont Yankee are likely to increase radioactivity levels at Vernon Elementary School, across road from reactor (September ’09).
– Recently released April ’09 evaluation, commissioned by the Vermont Legislature, of the geologic suitability of the site on the banks of the Connecticut River where Entergy has begun long-term “dry cask” storage of highly radioactive spent fuel rods concludes that the storage decision was based on “insufficient data” (October ’09).
– Vermont Legislature’s nuclear expert, Arnold Gunderson, reports that Entergy failed to disclose to the state that some of the reactor’s underground pipes leaked radioactive cobalt 60 into the Connecticut River. Yankee spokesman Rob Williams says it’s an issue of “miscommunication” (October ’09). NRC confirms that cobalt-60 and zinc-65, much more dangerous radioactive isotopes than tritium, have also showed up in dangerous levels in an underground trench where tritium registered up to 2 million picocuries earlier in the week (January ’10).
– In wake of massive radioactive leaks from Vermont Yankee, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas says he has lost trust in Entergy’s current Vermont Yankee management team and withdraws his support for action on reactor’s relicensing until issues at the nuclear plant are cleared up and new management is in place (January ’10).
– Entergy Nuclear vice-president Jay Thayer is relieved of his duties following revelations of misleading statements to Vermont officials in which he denied the existence of underground pipes later found to be the source of radioactive leaks (February ’10).
” Levels of radioactive tritium mushroom in new monitoring well at reactor, indicating leak coming from water that runs through the reactor itself, according to Vermont Department of Health.
– Vermont Yankee officials reveal that while cleaning up after leak of radioactive tritium, they found another, more potent radioactive isotope in soil near where the leak occurred: strontium-90, a byproduct of nuclear fission linked to cancer and leukemia.
– Vermont Dept. of Health says a Connecticut River fish caught four miles upstream from VY February 9, 2010, tested positive for low levels of strontium 90, a highly dangerous radioactive isotope recently confirmed in soil outside the plant.
– Entergy announces tritium has been found in a 360-foot well on the Yankee compound which, until last February, was used by Vermont Yankee employees for drinking water (October ’10).
– Vermont Yankee reports radioactive leak from weld in pipes that drain high pressure coolant from reactor’s emergency core cooling system. Plant spokesman Larry Smith says the leak would not prevent system from operating in an emergency (October ’10).
– “Licensee event report” to NRC notes leakage in Vermont Yankee relief valves that protect reactor coolant system. Radioactive Waste Management Associates of Bellows Falls says leakage, discovered eight months earlier and since repaired, “seriously reduced the safety margins” at the reactor and should have been reported to Vermont officials at the time (December ’10).
– New discovery of radioactive tritium in test well at Vermont Yankee, 125 feet from underground plume of tritium found last year, raises concern that leak may be coming from a new source. (January, ’11).
– Another well on Vermont Yankee grounds found to be contaminated with radioactive tritium, in same area as previous week’s discovery of a tritium-contaminated well. Entergy officials say they were unable to test for tritium for almost two weeks early this year because equipment was broken (January ’11).
A copy of this list is being distributed, as we speak, to every member of the Vermont Legislature.
But we can’t underestimate Entergy’s “pockets” (financial, that is), nor their determination to mislead Vermonters and their elected representatives. That’s exactly what they’re doing via expensive media ads, public forums, mailings and intensive lobbying of legislators. They’ve launched a full court press to get the Vermont Legislature to reverse last year’s vote opposing VY’s continued operation. Now may be our last chance to make sure Entergy doesn’t succeed. So if you can take a little time to help us make phone calls, write letters to Vermont legislators, and/or send a letter to a Vermont newspaper, please let us know.
Randy Kehler
Safe and Green Campaign
