TSC Talks TSC and Covid

TSC Talks talks TSC and Covid.  Guest host Daniel Price joined Jill Woodworth for a roundtable discussion with guests Rob Grandia, Emilie Peters, Heather Still,  Meghan Bittner, Joshua Stroup and Cathy Evanochko.  Check out the time stamps below to find the information you feel will be most helpful and check out the links at the end of this document.

Link to A.I. Transcription of the entire episode: https://otter.ai/s/QagpwwA0SPSIP-kaJs9Sng

Meghan shares that her doctor believes she had Covid very early on before we knew it was in the US.  (6:53)
Heather discusses what happened when her young son was admitted to the hospital for monitoring of seizures and how Covid complicated that.  (8:46)
Kathy discusses what it was like for her in Canada when Covid first hit.  (10:24)
Rob discusses what it was like to be on Capitol Hill in D.C. advocating for TSC support from politicians who obviously knew the seriousness of the virus (11:17)
Josh and Emily discuss how difficult it is to find a job right now as new college graduates (13:24)
Daniel discusses being furloughed from his job and how covid has impacted him.  (15:20)
Jill notes that her life has not changed that much due to Covid (17:02)
Meghan discusses facing a serious health challenge during the shutdown.  (18:28)
Rob discusses telehealth and its benefits and limitations.  (21:27)
Josh speaks about his fear of going to hospitals for routine care at this time.  (23:34)
Emily does not like telehealth visits and prefers seeing her doctors face to face in person. (24:32)
Heather and her children became sick with Covid.  (25:48)
Kathy speaks about the disruption of care due to Covid (26:33)
Meghan shares about being in Minnesota and having life and medical care disrupted due to the racial justice riots and protests.  (32:13)
Further discussion about telehealth, its benefits and its shortcomings (33:58)
The challenges of remote learning (37:23)
Discussion of stress, anxiety and mental health concerns during Covid. (47:01)
Stress and seizures (51:23)
TSC, stress and covid, we are used to adjusting (53:23)
Rob discusses the additional layer of stress caused by wildfires on the west coast (58:51)
Meghan discusses the riots and protests in Minneapolis (1:00:46)
Emily discusses the difficulty of being a new college graduate seeking a job (1:02:17)
Daniel, also on the west coast, talks about the widfires and the additional level of physical and mental stress they cause (1:05:34)
Kathy finds the blessings during Covid (1:06:25)
Rob misses the normalcy of going on dates with his wife (1:07:58)
Megan and Emilie talk gratitude (1:09:56)
Finishing up with one word that sums it up for everyone (1:14:07)

Rob Grandia Links:
https://www.tsalliance.org/individuals-families/adults/adult-regional-coordinators/ https://www.tsalliance.org/about-us/our-leadership/                   https://www.pe.com/2016/05/19/health-walk-helps-fight-disease-that-attacks-internal-organs/ https://www.facebook.com/rob.grandia.3

Daniel Price Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daniel.price.1694
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pricendaniel/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-n-price-7270156a/              https://www.tsalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/06-June-Adults-with-TSC-Newsletter.pdf     https://www.rareiscommunity.com/2019/11/27/navigating-a-forever-home-with-a-rare-disease-daniels-story/

Cathy Evanochko Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cathy.evanochko                            https://www.tscanada.ca/about-us/board-of-directors/                                   https://www.raredisorders.ca/about-cord/                                                         https://www.tscanada.ca/about-us/

Emilie Peters Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilie.n.peters                                                Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilie_peters_/                                          LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilie-peters-95ba421a3/                        https://prezi.com/p/pflgttwujtiq/what-is-tsc/

Heather Still Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hstillwaters/                                                  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-still-478a9991/

Joshua Shoup Links:
https://www.timesonline.com/7b8a15ce-62c5-11e7-8fcb-ffa59dd8ad56.html        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.shoup.3                                                LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-shoup-88777a1aa/

Meghan Bittner Links:

Thanks for tuning in! We hope to produce another “TSC and COVID Convo” in early January. If you are interested in participating, contact TSC Talks on any of our social media channels or click here.

TSC Talks Presents: Green Nurses Compilation- What is a Green Nurse?

TSC Talks Presents: Green Nurses Compilation- What is a Green Nurse?

Green Nurses are the bridge between alternative and traditional medicine and have helped transform and provide legitimacy and respect for cannabis as medicine and other alternative options as well! We are grateful for collaboration and support on this content arc from Sherri Tutkus of GreenNurse Group. For our first episode in this series, we’ve compiled a retrospective from past Green Nurse podcast guests giving a brief narrative on why they became a green nurse. This episode includes Marissa Fratoni of Holistic Nurse MamaJanna Champagne of Integrated Holistic CareSherri Tutkus of Green Nurse Group, and Dedee Culley of 2 Leaf Nurses.

 

Marissa FratoniNurse, blogger, freelance writer at Holistic Nurse Mama, and Registered Yoga Teacher at Central Mass Yoga And Wellness. She is a wealth of information and insight on cannabinoid therapeutics holistic medicine and integrative health.

Marissa Fratoni’s Background Story: 7:38

Visiting Nursing: 8:34

How She Got Into Cannabis: 9:16

Another Perception of the Plant, Seeing Miraculous Changes: 9:58

Cannabis helps Detox from Addiction: 10:50

Full Podcast Episode with Marissa Fratoni: https://tsctalks.com/tsc-talks-guest-marissa-fratoni/

https://holisticnursemama.blog/

 

Janna Champagne– Founder at Integrated Holistic CareJanna’s introduction to the cannabis industry began as a cannabis patient when she suffered a health collapse in 2012. She credits cannabis for helping to reduce her reliance on harmful pharmaceuticals, and for supporting her ability to regain optimal health status. Janna is also known for her daughter’s cannabis/Autism success story, which published on the cover story in a nationwide industry magazine in 2017.

Cannabis Helped Her Daughter: 14:06

Cumulative Long-Term Impact of Pharmaceuticals: 14:53

The Mental Health Industry- Wild West: 16:53

Pharmaceuticals Side Effects: 18:29

Risk VS. Benefit: 19:45

Reversals of Dementia, Improved Behavior in Autism, Improved Function, and Quality of life: 20:06

Gut and Brain Connection: 20:42

Pharmaceutical Driven: 21:21

Full Podcast Episode with Janna Champagne: https://tsctalks.com/tsc-talks-guest-jenna-champagne/

https://jannachampagne.com

 

Sherri Tuktus– Sherri Tutkus is the founder and CEO of GreenNurse Group, Nursing Director at Irie Bliss Wellness and host of GreenNurse on the Go Radio Show. Sherri is a cannabis nurse, patient and advocate. She earned her Bachelor’s in Science and Nursing from Boston College. She is highly skilled Registered Nurse with 30 years’ practical experience in various departments within the hospital and home setting. She is utilizing her expert nursing skills as a medical center specialist, clinical nurse liaison and educator to bridge the gap between patients and the cannabis community. Sherri has been educating and implementing holistic integrative healing modalities within her practice for over 20 years. She educates on the endocannabinoid system and the safe utilization of cannabis at dispensaries, hospitals, clinics, patients’ homes and she regularly does pop up events, seminars and expos. Sherri is an international speaker and she has contributed to the writing of the first cannabis nursing textbook with her cannabis nurse colleagues that will be available in nursing schools across the country. Sherri is a member of the American Cannabis Nurses Association and founding member of The Cannabis Nurses Network and was nominated as one of two nurses for “Health Professional of the Year” for the 2020 New England Cannabis Convention. Sherri brings passion and purpose to her work teaching bio-psycho-social-spiritual healing using cannabis as a tool.

Background History- Pseudomembranous Colitis: 21:55

From Being a Nurse to Being a Patient: 24:00

Polypharmacy Journey: 25:34

Medical and Pharmaceutical Trauma: 27:04

Drain of Despair: 29:02

Cannabinoid Therapeutics Comes to the Rescue: 29:49

Full Podcast Episode with Sherri Tuktus: https://tsctalks.com/sherri-tutkus-2/

https://greennursegroup.com/,  https://iriebliss.com/

 

Dedee Culley: Has over 20 years of nursing experience and is the co-owner of 2 Leaf Nurses, which provides alternative & holistic health services from Springfield, Missouri. Culley loves home health for its opportunity to connect with patients and their environment. She is incredibly blessed and she was able to gather up courage and strength to pursue her passion in nursing while stepping out of the ordinary medicinal ways of these modern days and encourage others to be safe and successful at taking care of their bodies from the inside out with natural approaches. She has a loving attitude and an open mind to seek and research various holistic methods to reach a significantly positive result. She has also dealt with personal health issues within her family and has seen significant changes when she chooses to ask questions and be in the loop of the available options and their side effects.

Background History: 30:22

First Time Questioning Medicine: 30:53

Don’t Apologize for Questioning: 34:27

Got Into Nursing: 35:06

Home Heath: 37:00

Full Podcast with Dedee Culley: https://tsctalks.com/podcast/show-notes/tsc-talks-guest-dedee-culley/

https://www.2leafnurses.com/

TSC Talks Guest Patrick Spencer

Patrick Spencer is a 21-year-old from South London, and a new podcaster. After chatting a bit through Instagram, Jill thought it would be fun to bring in a younger generation and have an open conversation about his views and struggles. Patrick is Creator, Producer and Host of Open Podcast 2020.

TSC Talks guest Patrick Spencer is a 21-year-old from South London, and a new podcaster. After chatting a bit through Instagram, Jill thought it would be fun to bring in a younger generation and have an open conversation about his views and struggles.

Patrick gives us a little bit of his background, gets up close and personal about his struggles, his personal life, and introduces us to his podcast channel called The Open Podcast. The Open Podcast features various types of guests, with various backgrounds, and various life experiences to share with the world about the good that they are doing and about mutual interests to Patrick himself and his public.

Topics Discussed

Intro [0:30]

Make the world a better place! [1:16]

Profession [4:47}

COVID Lockdown in London [6:16]

The Open Podcast Guests [9:47]

The Transition from Engineer/songwriter/soccer player to Podcaster [11:21]

From Relationships to Overcoming a Rough Patch [15:13]

More on The Open Podcast [24:11] 

Learning from Guests [25:46]

Channeling Emotions into Something Positive [26:30]

Different Points of View are Valid! [28:01]

Closings [30:05]

Links to Patrick Spencer- The Open Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/openpodcast2020/

You can find Patrick’s podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6dALX3qCzXiY_2MeeInFMA

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6dALX3qCzXiY_2MeeInFMA

TSC Talks guest Liz Minda and Mike Robinson Pt 2

TSC Talks guest Liz Minda and Mike Robinson Part 1

In this episode of TSC Talks, I spoke to Liz Minda, RN and Mike Robinson, former TSC Talks guest, drops in for the second half of our conversation. Liz has three children, one of whom has significant special needs and issues related to epileptic seizures. Liz strongly believes her daughter’s issues are pharma injuries and we discuss that and the treatment protocol. Liz had her children later in life; her son was born when she was 48 and her twin daughters were born when she was 50. She had normal uneventful pregnancies and her children were all born healthy. All was well until, at 18 months old, one of her daughters developed a fever after her MMR/DPT vaccine. That was when she had her first seizure.

Liz’s daughter had no further seizures until she was 4. When the seizures came back, they were severe grand mal status epilepticus seizures. Liz hesitated to medicate her daughter because as an RN, she was aware of the difficulty of finding an effective medicine as well as the myriad of side effects anti-seizure meds can cause. When the seizures continued, they eventually started meds which began a cycle of seizures increasing in both frequency and duration. In addition to meds, they put the child on the ketogenic diet. The grueling regimen did not help her seizure activity. Liz was desperate after even the rescue med Diastat began to fail to control the seizures.

Liz got her daughter into the Epidiolex study at Mass General and her daughter’s seizures diminished for a few months, but they returned. When the seizures started again, doctors increased her pharmaceuticals which restarted the med, seizure pattern. Liz grew frustrated with the medical establishment who seemed determined to throw prescription after prescription at them at great financial, physical and emotional cost. She found a neuro-epileptologist who helped her begin weaning her daughter from some of the prescription meds and helped her transition to Charlotte’s Web.

Liz connected with Mike Robinson online and Mike and others in the Compassionate Cannabis world assisted Liz in finding a balanced cannabinoid medicine that worked for her daughter. Mike and Liz discuss Epidiolex and the pharmaceutical interactions which do not seem to be compensated for when using that med. Liver issues can be serious when Epidiolex or any type of CBD is combined with certain medications. Mike shares, “Even though we were using the Charlotte’s Web, Charlotte’s Web wasn’t enough to help us get off. We needed something stronger. We needed the Rick Simpson oil or full extract cannabis oil to get her off. Because we only had you know, once you get down to the minuscule doses of the pharmaceuticals, now you’re really up against you know, fighting seizures, because you go with a really slow business and that’s pretty much where we’ve stepped in, you know, it’s right with the actual compassion provision.”

Both Mike and Liz believe vaccine injury is real. We ask you to keep an open mind while listening. Before you form an opinion, walk a mile with Liz and Mike, hear their stories and then decide. Liz comments, “and then people say, vaccines don’t cause autism? Yes, they do, and here’s why. When the brain heats up and you get a fever, you’ve got brain on fire” and she believes that “brain on fire” condition causes both seizures and autism.

TSC Talks is presenting this narrative and these views do not necessarily represent the views of TSC Talks. We are encouraging you as listeners, to “walk a mile” in Liz’s shoes and understand the vast variability in the human genome which calls for a far more personalized approach to medicine than is currently the status quo.

Liz’s Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_on_Fire
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-minda-98b9b1126/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011148612874
https://www.mikesmedicines.com/medical-marijuana/liz-minda-and-her-fight-for-jadyn-cannabis-for-epilepsy/
https://herb.co/news/health/rhode-island-cbd-school-minda/
https://digboston.com/medical-cannabis-special-treating-yourself/
https://www.wpri.com/news/special-reports/family-fights-to-change-law-says-medical-cannabis-should-be-administered-in-school/

Mike’s Links:
https://mikesmedicines.com
https://globalcannabinoidrc.com/
https://carouselchallenge.com
https://genevievesdream.com
https://nanobles.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-robinson-~-cannabis-heals-256b3192/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikesEpilepsy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cannabismymedicine/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeRob47354384, https://twitter.com/MikeRob23307223
https://hightimes.com/culture/genevieves-journey-how-cannabis-helped-save-life-create-family/
https://www.imedpub.com/proceedings/cbn-the-cancer-fighting-cannabinoid-5528.html

Thank you Liz and Mike for this valuable discussion.  You can find all of our podcasts at https://tsctalks.com/podcast/

 

TSC Talks~The State of Birth

TSC Talks about the State of Birth.

I had the honor of speaking to three accomplished women about the current state of birth both locally and nationally. We discussed the increasing interest in home births, the advantages and disadvantages of home versus hospital births and how those expecting, or expecting to be expecting, can best prepare especially with the extra consideration of Covid19.

Corrine Pelland is an Empath, Psychic Medium and Reiki Master. She is also a mom of two and tells us about her experience of both a hospital birth and an at-home birth. Corrine discusses the lack of control over the birthing experience that she experienced with her first child. She discusses being considered high risk because of her age and weight and how the entire birth experience was centered around preconceived notions based on the masses and not her individually. She was induced, unnecessarily in her view, was sick from the drug used to induce and delivered by cesarean section. She shares, “It was traumatic, and my healing my first two months of being a mother was physically painful and my anxiety post, I had postpartum anxiety to a very severe degree.” When Corrine became pregnant again, she knew she wanted a different birthing experience. She found Birth Matters and decided to try a natural, vaginal delivery at home.

Jodi Churchill Chapin has been a Registered Nurse for 32 years, most of which she has spent in Labor and Delivery. Jodi discusses bridging the traditional birth and hospital procedures with less traditional therapies such as Reiki. Jodi states, “And we incorporated, you know, you’re there, you’re exchanging energy. It’s how the patient uses her energy and is able to focus on the birth process. And I think what’s important is that being able to balance, you know, following policy and procedure, but also carrying out the patient (and) the family’s wishes of how they envisioned birth. I mean birth is, you know, one of those things, it’s like, even planning a wedding, you look forward to this one day you plan you plan you plan, you think it’s going to go one way and then plans change on a dime. And how it’s handled can make it or break it.”

Jessica Petrone is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), RN and BSN who has been in practice for 13 years. Her practice saw a record number of home births last year and Jessica believes that number will continue to grow. She relates, “But I think specifically in the last couple of years, there seems to be a shift in people just taking charge of their health care even in the medical setting. There’s more conscious awareness, practices and practitioners breaking away from the traditional systems and framework but yeah, we love home birth. We do a lot of water birth we work with a lot of different practitioners to enhance really healthy pregnancies. We absolutely consult with medical providers when it’s necessary.” Corrine shared about her experience with Jessica and Birth Matters, “So, I will say one of the biggest differences that I noticed on my very first appointment with a Birth Matters in the home birth midwives is they asked my consent, which nobody asked my consent. I mean, sure I signed forms but before touching me, nobody offered before examining me, nobody asked permission to touch my body.”

The conversation continues to the state of birth currently with the threat of COVID19. Jodi discusses the difficulty of taking the necessary precautions in the time of a pandemic while trying to connect with an expectant mom during the labor and delivery process. “This Covid19 has put a huge damper on healthy women wanting to come in to have their normal birth. Especially right now, today. Anybody and everybody walking into the hospital or around the hospital has to wear a mask. You cannot take that mask off anytime you are on hospital property that includes in the labor room, that includes the patient that includes the patient’s one person that’s helping them with birth, there are no visitors allowed, no children, family, nobody else. The only person allowed in the room is the one that will be wearing that second baby bracelet that’s given out when a baby’s born. I mean, labor, you’re breathing with women, you’re teaching. I mean, it’s all about the closeness. How do you socially distance yourself from somebody who needs your support, your encouragement, your empowerment?”

Jessica discusses the fact that more women are considering home births currently. “The influx of inquiries is so unexpected, I can’t keep up. I’m getting probably 10 emails a day, which it is impossible for us to entertain the idea of taking all these women on. And that’s true of a lot of midwives across the state, really. Not everybody is a good candidate. I mean most people probably inquiring last minute. We had yesterday, a woman inquire and she’s due March 30. That’s like, less than a week from now. If people are making choices out of fear and panic it is not what’s happening, and whenever we get an inquiry that somebody is so afraid of the hospital and so afraid of other providers and afraid of needles, I mean, we all encounter that in patient care, but they may not be a great candidate. But that’s not what’s happening right now. These are women that are realizing that their birth plan, what they thought they were going to experience in the hospital, is drastically different and there is obviously a great concern about becoming sick and being exposed but a lot of the women are making the choice based on the fact that their support person might not be able to be present with them.” Jessica recommends that women do their research before opting for a home birth.
I am grateful to these remarkable women for sharing their wisdom.

Corrine Pellard is an Empath and a Psychic Medium. Even as a small child, Corrine has had a special insight into other people’s emotions. Beginning in her early teenage years, her intuition would alert her when something important was about to occur, either for herself or a loved one. At age 14, Corrine began using the wisdom of Tarot Cards to enhance her psychic connection. As years went on, Corrine became more aware of her ability as her readings became more accurate and her predictions began to materialize. At the age of 30, she began having premonition dreams. After seeking the guidance of her Shaman, she came to accept that she is an Empath & an Intuitive. Corrine is a natural healer, using her Empathy, Intuition, and Reiki to heal others emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Corrine is also able to mediate communication between people who are no longer living to those who still are. She offers private readings and hearings and in-home parties. She is a wedding officiant offering custom designed ceremonies. Her true passion is teaching others to honor their own abilities and helping others heal themselves.
Beyond the Gate
508-690-0444
gobeyondthegate@gmail.com
https://www.gobeyondthegate.com/
https://www.buzzsprout.com/865777/2868628-sobriety-as-an-empath-corrine-s-story

Jodi Churchill Chapin has been a Registered Nurse for 32 years. She has an extensive background in women’s health as a labor and delivery nurse and has also worked in oncology. She resides in Framingham with her husband of 25 years. Together, they have 3 children ranging from middle school age to college, 2 dogs, 2 cats and a bunny named Kiwi. Jodi firmly believes that vulnerability is to be met with compassion, respect, and active listening to ensure that her patients have the very best outcomes. She credits her extensive nursing career and healer background with these virtues and skills. Jodi is also a Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki Level II Practitioner. Through this healing art, Jodi may be able to help people who are struggling with a wide range of health conditions such as headaches, insomnia, back pain, cancer, heart disease, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and may even be used to help in the recovery from injuries and surgery. As an active member of the American Cannabis Nurses Association and a GNG team member, she helps advocate for people who choose to use cannabis as a complementary or alternative treatment, providing education, insight, guidance, and support in the process.
https://www.greennursegroup.com/our-team
https://www.emedevents.com/speaker-profile/jodi-churchill-chapin
https://green-nurse-sandbox.iriebliss.com/green_nurse_staff/jodi-chapin/

Jessica Petrone, CPM, RN, BSN
Jessica’s experience in birth includes her work as a Doula, her completion of a 3 year midwifery apprenticeship in a very busy home birth practice and being a mother of four, with the last being an unassisted home birth attended only by her husband and herself. Her own births led her to become a doula which led her to become an apprentice and, in turn, a midwife. But that’s the abbreviated version! Jessica has been attending home births since 2006. She is co-president of the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance, a member of ALACE (Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators), and a member of the Birth Year Network (a Southeastern Mass, Cape and Islands Birth Resource Network). She holds certifications in CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation. She completed her formal education remotely through the National College of Midwifery in Taos, New Mexico, where she earned a degree in the Science of Midwifery. Most recently, Jessica has completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, which included a 6-month preceptorship in a high volume/high risk maternity unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.
https://homebirthmatters.com/about/jessica-petrone/
https://www.modernmamamidwifery.com/the-midwives
http://bostonvoyager.com/interview/meet-jessica-petrone-sarafina-kennedy-birthmatters-llc-boson/
Supplemental Article:
https://nypost.com/2020/03/23/pregnant-women-share-what-its-like-to-be-expecting-during-coronavirus-pandemic/

All of our podcasts can be found at https://tsctalks.com

tsc talks the state of birth