As you are aware Joan Burton Minister for social protection announced a 66% cut to the materials and training budgets of all Community Employment Schemes.  Following pressure from community groups, labour back benchers and constituents she was forced to back down and call for a review of Community Employment, and pending the outcome of this review no cut backs would take place and no scheme would be threatened by closure.  However today I recieved a letter from FAS informing us that they have decided to go a head and implement the cuts prior to the review.

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This is another blatant sign that this Government is as arrogant as the last one and does not have the leadership or the capacity to lead us out of this crisis.  I accept that there needs to be a review of community employment.  I accept that I may have to pay more taxes.  I accept that I will have to work even longer hours to achieve better client outcomes for every euro that this state provides.  But what I don’t accept is the unfairness of this budget and the arrogance of this Government to make the the most vulnerable in society pay for the crimes of the previous administration.  We want a fairer society.  This government is widening the divide between the haves and the have nots.  Our service Sankalpa is a special CE scheme working with recovering drug users from Finglas and Cabra.  CE schemes form part of the national drug strategy in trying to bring about rehabilitation for people on methadone who want an opportunity to give something back to society, who want to learn to read and write, form better relationships with their community and family, who want to create hope for the future of their communities in places like Finglas and Cabra, where the new leaders are gang members, where suicide is too common and where we are being abandoned by so called Government Socialist TD’s in John Lyons, Roisin Shortall and Joe Costello.

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I was disappointed last night when listening to President Higgins Christmas message that he too put economic recovery ahead of creating a better society.  We will never have a fair society if we prioritize economics over community.  If we build communities we will be a  stronger nation and we will recovery more quickly and sustain that recovery into future generations.  If we sacrifice our vulnerable in an attempt to balance the books, we also sacrifice the republic our founding fathers died to create.

Regards

–
Dr. Tom O Brien
Manager

Sankalpa

Micheál Martin

Question 168: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the way she will help a project (details supplied) fund their ongoing operations following the cuts in material grants announced in budget 2012; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40391/11]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

Question 180: To ask the Minister for Social Protection following her budgetary decision to cut a community employment scheme (details supplied) in Dublin from €24,000 to €12,600 the measures she will put in place to protect the schemes current service provision of the delivery of 400 meals a week to the elderly noting that a similar scheme in Finglas is now to close as a result of the CE budget cuts resulting in the loss of 600 meals per week to elderly in the community. [40477/11]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)

Question 186: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps she will take to protect individual community employment schemes in view of cuts announced in budget 2012; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40572/11]

Joan Burton (Minister, Department of Social Protection; Dublin West, Labour)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 168, 180 and 186 together.

Due to the current economic circumstances and the need for the Department of Social Protection to find savings of €475 million in Budget 2012, it was necessary to examine all aspects of the Department’s expenditure. We are planning savings of €27.5m which represents a reduction of 7.5% in the total 2011 Community Employment Budget of €360m.

The Government is fully committed to the protection and development of community and social employment initiatives.

Community Employment schemes provide a very important and valued contribution to social employment, training and progression for unemployed people. Furthermore, many Community Employment schemes provide vital community services right across the country.

As part of the integration of the employment services division of FAS into the Department of Social Protection on the 1st of January 2012, I have directed that a review of CE schemes will commence immediately.

No Community Employment scheme will close pending the outcome of this review.

The purpose of the review will be to establish the on-going viability of each scheme in the context of the overall objectives of the CE programme and recognising in particular the community and social value of each CE scheme.

Dear Roisin Shortal TD, John Lyons TD and Paschal Donohoe TD,

As a service constituent of yours, I am writing to ask you to vote against the measures contained in Budget 2012 relating to the savage cuts to FAS CE programmes.

FAS Special CE Drug Rehab Projects, which underpin the national drugs rehab strategy, are being savagely attacked by a 66% cut in operational and training funding. It is proposed to cut the materials and training budget from €1500 to just €500 per participant per annum. This is the money that provides heat, light, telephone, stationery, education materials, etc, etc.  Crucially, it also pays for progression training for people engaged in a rehabilitation process.

In addition to these cuts, lone parents attempting to address their drug addiction will have their entitlement to part payment of another DSP discontinued – as will those who are in receipt of an illness payment.   These measures take no account of the cost of childcare or disability and are unfair, unequal and simply cruel. It is a known fact that incentives to engage in rehabilitation increase take-up levels and subsequently everyone wins – the client, the community, their family and wider society.

The drug problem has not gone away. We see the evidence of the devastation that drugs cause to individual, families and the wider community every day. On the same day as the cuts in the Budget were announced, the latest figures from the Health Research Board (HRB) National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI)  were released showing the number of heroin-related deaths had increased by 20% in 2009 and a further report from the Mercy University Hospital Cork stated that 47% of psychiatric patients admitted had a substance misuse problem. According to micro research study figures released at a conference this morning in Ballybough, Dublin, the use of crack-cocaine, crystal meth, mephedrone, alcohol and skunk are rising at an alarming rate.

Since 2008 drug projects have experienced cut after cut after cut and there is simply nothing left to give.

Please use your common sense and do not vote in favor of this proposal.

Regards

Dr. Tom O Brien

Manager

Sankalpa

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Ode to the Junk Yard

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A turn key, a gizmo, some powder to mix

A spoon and a filter, then cook your own fix

Then tighten the turn key, a vein will appear

Now stick in the spike and lets ride out of here.

_

This new world you’ve entered, there’s

nothing that’s real

But your mind it is numb, and no pain

can you feel

Then you walk round all day with

one thing on your mind

‘Where will I get money for that fix

the next time?

_

Then your body starts sweating, but

you’re feeling the cold,

You’re addicted to drugs and your habit

grows old,

What you thought you could handle

is out of control,

And now to the Devil you would

sell your own soul.

_

A ten bag, a twenty, a napp for your high,

By the needle you live, and by it you’ll die,

You won’t be remembered and what will

they say?

That was only a junkie who OD’d today.

_

Written by;

_

D.O.F (2011)

_

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Faith Hope and Captivity

_

I do not wish to see my faith go by.

So there’s no Rush

to meet my faith…..

even if it means beyond the gate

I try not to fight

against the tide…..

So with each moment I Ride

Each day is a moment of Fact

So there’s no rush to go beyond the Gate.

Each day make me free…

because of my philosophy

Is it such a bad faith.

Written by:

_

DOF (2011)

Celery juice or pain killers?  If asked this question today, Al Godsey would say, “I’ll take the celery juice any day!”  For a man who was once crippled with severe and painful arthritis, his story is one we can all learn from. The year was 1959 aboard the USS Ticonderoga, Al was a Navy Structural Mechanic who could hardly walk after 13 months on the ship, due to pain and deformities in his feet.  He was moved to the Oakland Navel Hospital in California for medical care where he was diagnosed with a debilitating case of arthritis.  In just over a year of service,  his athletic running feet had developed heel spurs, an extreme high instep and “hammer toes”.  The bone spurs felt like knives cutting into the flesh of his heels causing bad enough pain that he was confined to bed rest for three weeks.

One day, while gazing out the hospital window, he felt a strong impression that changing his diet would heal him.  When he asked his doctor about nutrition, the young lieutenant, fresh out of medical school, quickly rejected the idea that a diet change could help.  Surgery was advised, but other patients who opted for surgeries said their condition never improved and their doctors “just kept cutting” with no results.  Opting out of surgery, he took a prescription for pain of 5 aspirin, 4 times daily.  With pain numbed, he moved to a wheel chair, then crutches, and finally used only a cane, but his condition never got better, just manageable with pain killers.  After a couple of months in the hospital, his time of service was up, so he went home, still walking with a cane.

At home, Al took a 180 degree turn with his diet and his healing process finally began.  He ditched the aspirin and turned to whole foods.  He switched to whole grains and cut out white sugar, white flour, and other processed foods.  He ate at least three pounds of green and yellow fruits and vegetables daily.  For protein he enjoyed nuts and seeds and if he ate meat, it was very sparing.  No pork was consumed and meat choices were very lean, fish being a favorite.  For probiotics, he consumed fresh, homemade yoghurt or bought it with live cultures at the health food store. He read books by alternative doctors to find ways to improve his health.  Many wrote about juicing live foods for health.  So, he got a juicer and began juicing daily.  His favorite juice combinations included: Carrot, celery & apple, apple & parsley, apple & beet, and other mixtures including lots of alfalfa sprouts, watercress, wheat grass, spinach, etc.  Al first experienced a dramatic change in his health after a juice fast consisting of a quart or more of juice a day for 6 weeks.  Celery juice offered the most pain relief, so most of his recipes consisted of 1/3 to 1/2 celery.

Within a couple more months, he stopped using a cane, and his bone spurs were gone.  He was once again running the full track of 2.7 miles around Green Lake near his home in Seattle, pain free! Al is my father, and now at the age of 73… he is still juicing!  He bottle fed me fresh juices and taught our large family to juice daily.  My dad is most grateful for celery juice, because after 52 years, the pain in his feet has never come back!

Tatia Nelson is a certified Iridologist and a Master Herbalist – graduate of The School of Natural Healing. Tatia currently consults in Utah, teaches in the community, and writes for local health food stores.

Visit www.herballegacy.com for more information

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone who suffered from mental ill health and recoveredwas described as a survivor instead of ‘in remission’? Mental health problems or illnesses have many causes and contributory factors; biology, psychology, chemistry, genetics, environment, society….in as many combinations as you can think of.

Imagine if we saw mental ill health as a challenge instead of a problem. Then it mightbe something to overcome rather than something that you were stuck with forever.We might even be able to talk about it……

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2011/0419/1224294972488.html

A placebo (Latin: I shall please) is a sham or simulated medical intervention that can produce a (perceived or actual) improvement, called a placebo effect.  A positive response to a placebo, similar to that of an active substance, brought about by a person’s expectations of the placebo.  The real or imagined effect of a placebo, which may actually be the same effect ordinarily associated with the administration of a therapeutically active agent e.g. Prozac or St. John’s Wort.  When people are unwell, they will often begin to recover just as soon as they receive medical attention, but before the treatment could have any direct effect and even when the treatment is a sham.  Mere belief that recovery is coming can by itself bring the recovery about.

Wähling C, Wegener T, Tschaikin M. Triple herbal combination: An effective alternative to benzodiazepines.Zeitschrift fur Phytotherapie. 2009;30:69-72.

Benzodiazepines are prescribed as a sedative or tranquilizer. Chronic use leads to dependency and tolerance. When benzodiazepines are discontinued, the dose should be tapered down to avoid rebound (or withdrawal) phenomena (return of symptoms that are more severe than the original symptoms).

Herbs that help with sleep are popular to take during the benzodiazepine withdrawal phase. Kytta-Sedativum_®Dragees (Merck Selbstmedikation GmbH; Darmstadt, Germany) is a triple herbal combination composed of standardized extracts from valerian (Valeriana officinalis, Valerianaceae; 3-6:1, extractant: ethanol 70% v/v) root, hops (Humulus lupulus, Cannabaceae; 4-8:1, extractant: ethanol 40% v/v) strobiles, and passionflower (Passiflora incarnata, Passifloraceae; 4-7:1, extractant: ethanol 50% v/v) whole herb. The purpose of this study was to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of Kytta-Sedativum Dragees (sugar coated tablet) during and after benzodiazepine withdrawal.

Patients (59 women, 48 men; ages 19-80 years) with moderate sleep disorders on average (not associated with mental or neurologic disorders) who needed to discontinue benzodiazepine use participated in this prospective, multicenter, observational study. The study was planned and conducted according to the regulations of the German Drug law for such studies and followed recommendations of recognized societies, e.g., the German Society of Phytotherapy.

A 2-week withdrawal phase was followed by a 4-week phase of treatment with Kytta-Sedativum tablets. During the 2-week withdrawal period the benzodiazepine dose was tapered-down. Kytta-Sedativum was prescribed to 86% of the patients starting at the beginning of the withdrawal period; 97% of the patients were taking Kytta-Sedativum during the second week, and 100% of the patients took it from the third week. In the majority of cases, 1 coated tablet per day was prescribed in the first week, and 2 coated tablets from the second week until week 6. Physicians and patients rated their symptoms.

The mean duration of benzodiazepine treatment had been 6.8 months. Benzodiazepine therapy was switched for 1 or more reasons: in 89% of cases on the physician’s recommendation, in 51% upon the patient’s request, and in 70% due to poor tolerability. After 2 and 6 weeks, all clinical symptoms improved from the screening visit. At 6 weeks, general unrest had improved in 71% of patients, concentration disorders had improved in 51% of patients, “depressive symptoms” had improved in 51% of patients, and impaired general state of health had improved in 71% of patients. Most of the patients (96%) rated tolerability as “very good” or “good,” compared to 99% as rated by physicians. The number of patients suffering from difficulty in falling asleep increased during the withdrawal phase from 66% to 79%, but decreased again to 49% after single-agent treatment with Kytta-Sedativum. Compared with the screening visit, 68% of the patients thought that their sleep quality improved by the end of the 6-week treatment with Kytta-Sedativum. At the end of the observation period, 74% of patients indicated having more motivation and drive than at the beginning. Day-time tiredness also improved; 83% of patients were affected by this at the screening visit, 56% were affected after withdrawal, and only 27% were affected after 6-weeks of treatment. Eighty percent of the physicians judged Kytta-Sedativum to be “good” or “very good,” and 74% of the patients judged it to be “good” or “very good.” At the end of the study, 64% of the patients said that they would continue therapy with Kytta-Sedativum, while 34% improved sufficiently to discontinue therapy.

The authors state that the “study once more confirmed the positive benefit-risk-ratio” of the herbal combination. Furthermore, they considered it a success that one-third of the patients terminated Kytta-Sedativum therapy at the time of the final visit due to improvement of their symptoms, while the vast majority of the rest continued with it.

The authors’ overall conclusion was: “Regarding the problems of dependency and tolerability of benzodiazepines, the presented observations indicate that Kytta-Sedativum Dragees is an effective alternative.”

The limitations of an open study should be taken into consideration when making definitive conclusions. As the study was observational and not blinded or placebo-controlled, it cannot be considered as a proof of efficacy in such a clinical situation according to the standards of evidence-based medicine. However, the benefits of this trial can be viewed as a reflection of the daily reality in prescribing practice. Such daily practice is difficult to replicate in a controlled clinical trial. Further, it may be constructive to compare results of this trial with those of others, although one of the study’s authors has indicted that, to his knowledge, such studies are not yet available. Although this trial shows patient improvement, there is no way to know to what extent the benefit was an herbal effect, a placebo effect, and/or a further natural reduction of withdrawal symptoms. Due to the overall good tolerability and lack of adverse events, more rigorous studies should be performed to provide greater evidence of Kytta-Sedativum’s ability to replace or reduce daily dosages of benzodiazepines.

—Heather S. Oliff, PhD

HerbalGram. 2010;85:26-27 American Botanical Council

1. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

2. Try not to have negative thoughts about things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment

3. Don’t over do; know what your limits are

4. Don’t take yourself so seriously; no one else does!

5. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip

6. Dream more while you are awake

7. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

8. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present

9. No one is in charge of your happiness except you

10.You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

And our favourites here at Sankalpa:

What other people think of you is none of your business

No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up!

Source: Arun Ghosh