dreamingspires posterous

suppose I am alive and
suppose it's all an accident and there's no purpose
my mind skits around it
and revels in it while ignoring the question

it's free, no responsibility just a choice whether to enjoy and live, to exist, to subsist,
if I'm lucky enough to have been given that choice

which I am

so what to do with this new found freedom

i don't have to have something written on my tomb stone
or answer a questionnaire on what I have accomplished in my life before I peg it

the answer is nothing, something, it doesn't matter, life is still worthwhile, in the sense I exist and then I won't. and that's ok. 

it's all an accident, or something, and here I am and here I won't be.
so I take no more responsibility that I am alive.  it wasn't my choice.  but I am alive and I will live.

Author Sam Martin shares photos of a hobby that's trending with the XY set: the "manspace." Come on girls -- what about the XX space.

"...the fact is my computer skill-set has all the breadth, scope, and authority of Kanye West's Little book of Manners.  I can email, I can write, I can surf.  I'm on Facebook, If I'm patient I can download photographs from my camera and even, hold onto your hats, resize the images.  And.... that's it.  I skitter on the heaving surface of the interweb like a flea on a large, cantering dog.

Which was all well and good until I realised I needed a website.  Hello, world of pain.  There may be something more challenging and hideous than getting a website together, but it would have to involve a) multiple births/large heads/no anaesthetic; b) organising a royal wedding; or c) being stuck, in a room with Kyle Sandilands while he explains why he shouldn't lose his job at Austereo.

I'm not even trying to build the website.  Hell no.  There are not enough hours left in the days between now and my eventual demise (from too much sex and absinthe) for me to learn how to do that.  I have people for that, and by 'people' I mean long-suffering computer literate friends who are talking me through the options and ramifications of my choices, using soothing tones and as many words of one syllable as they can muster.  I'm trying to choose between HTML and Flash as a platform and, I swear, it's like asking a stoat if they prefer Gucci or Prada....

If it weren't for the necessity of clawing my way into the 21st century (given that newspapers and 'old media' are the Tasmanian Tiger of 2009), and promoting a book, a comedy show and my availability of deejaying weddings and batmitzvahs, the whole project would be in the Too Hard Basket. Next to 'Writing the next Harry Potter', 'Beating the world crayfish-eating record of 321 crays in 12 minutes' and Winning Miss Universe."

I recently was involved in discussions about end of life scenarios and enabling people to experience dignity as they face dying.  One particular form of help uses a dignity therapy questionnaire.  I find these questions difficult and quite confronting, especially the fourth:

• Tell me a little about your life history; particularly the parts that you either remember most, or think are the most important? When did you feel most alive?
• Are there specific things that you would want your family to know about you, and are there particular things you would want them to remember?
• What are the most important roles you have played in life (family roles, vocational roles, community service roles, etc)? Why were they so important to you and what do you think you accomplished in those roles?
• What are your most important accomplishments, and what do you feel most proud of?
• Are there particular things that you feel still need to be said to your loved ones, or things that you would want to take the time to say once again?
• What are your hopes and dreams for your loved ones?
• What have you learned about life that you would want to pass along to others? What advice or words of guidance would you wish to pass along to your [son, daughter,husband, wife, parents, other(s)]?
• Are there words or perhaps even instructions you would like to offer your family, to help prepare them for the future? In creating this permanent record, are there other things that you would like included?

Having used the cleansers and skin repair products over the last 2 months I'm happy with allmedic and they will be products I will return to especially in the coming summer months. However, even going for a run in the Australian sun does affect my skin and I'm realising there is no quick solution. 

I asked allmedic about the science behind their products, and they provided some articles which I've added as further reading.  According to allmedic healthy skin has an acid mantle which provides an epidermal barrier, protecting the skin and preventing loss of natural oils. A lot of cosmetic soaps contain sodium laureth sulphate which strips the skin, allmedic skin repair aims to return skin to its normal state so that you wont need so much moisturiser.  My experience is, however, that I do still need to use moisturiser daily, the Australian sun is unforgiving here, even in winter.

One of my concerns is sun spots, so I asked allmedic whether their products (pre PDT) are good at reducing these.  One of the directors, A/Prof Pete Smith is an allergist who told me:

Most of the lightening creams put the sunspots into shock -- something like David Craig's 5% salicylic acid works okay. The melanocytes switch off and the area pales up

We are working on something better (at least 6 months formulation away) which will block tyrosine kinase which is important in melanin production Even better news is that it
may decrease hair growth in the area (often there is darker hair in these spots) and this product also contains massive amounts of protective anti-oxidants. It will work in darker skin types.

The dark sun spots rather would be better treated with a cream as described whereas the PDT regime is for more severe skin trauma like fleshy sun spots (actinic keratoses)

I would like to see allmedic providing more research and evidence-base for their products, they are making some big statements about skin repair, treatments and preventing premature aging and I would like a a clear how-to-use, why, and how it works.

All in all, I like the allmedic products, nice to haves would be better absorption and fragrance and I am looking at their creams more as a treatment than a pampering experience.  Now the Australian sun is threatening to come out in earnest I am glad to have them on hand to call upon.

Included are pics of me before and after - I'm not sure there is much difference compared with previously but my skin feels better.

Further reading:

Elias PM, Hatano Y, and Williams ML (2008) Basis for the barrier abnormality in atopic dermatitis: Outside-inside-outside pathogenic mechanisms. Journal of allergy and clinical immunology 121,6 1337-43.

Cork, MJ et al (2006) New perspectives on epidermal barrier dysfunction in atopic dermatitis: Gene-environment interactions. Journal of allergy and clinical immunology 118,1 3-21

And if you want a summary of A/Prof Pete Smith's role at Allmedic:

• With his background in molecular immunology, Associate Professor Smith was approached in early 2007 to participate in a project to create evidence based skin care. The aim of this like-minded group of doctors to create simple, cost effective skin care treatment with evidence based ingredients which are used at demonstrated efficacy, and created in a pharmaceutical environment, and with a minimal of ingredients which are likely to complicate things and cause reactions.
• We have also been focused on using photodynamic therapy where a compound called ALA is taken up into metabolically active (generally abnormal cells) in the skin and in the presence of light frequencies, abnormal cells are destroyed.
• This is being used in the US for field changes with several types of skin anomalies including superficial forms of skin cancer (not melanoma) although it is also used for skin rejuvenation. Through Allmedic, Associate Professor Smith is working on reducing pain associated with skin inflammation with PDT and he is going to be working towards skin pain with dermatitis in the next couple of year.

   

Click here to download:

Thinking_of_Using_Alledic_PDT.zip (5342 KB)