#there’s also the issue of whether or not you’ll die in childbirth

[talesofasufferingwitch]

Weed and Ana Masterpost

Weed: The benefits, the downsides, and some general information that should be more universally known.            Because of the legalization of weed in Canada, and the imminent legalization of recreational cannabis in the United States (sorry UK, I am not familiar with your marijuana laws but I am assuming that you are similar with the states. Correct me if I am wrong).             There are a million and one different benefits of cannabis, but with every good thing we see in the world, there is an equal amount of bad. For thousands and thousands of years, women used cannabis to aid with menstrual pain and childbirth, as well as headaches, nausea, lethargy, and more. The plant fibre itself was used for clothing, building material, food, and even fuel. Within the last 100 years, weed has been criminalized and decriminalized, thrown through clouds of hatred and lies, and was used as a tool to harm an entire class of citizens.            But as we have seen recently, a lot of the propaganda from the “war on drugs” is being disproved. And now that we have easier access, we can get more information from this infamous herb. Pros and Cons:            CBD, (Cannabidiol), is a compound within Marijuana. It is the compound that most people associate with overall anxiety relief, pain reduction, and mental function enhancer. CBD also reacts chemically with Collagen, increasing the healing process of bones and joints. Because of the CBD within the weed itself, smoking, vaping, and/or consuming canabis is highly beneficial for mental health issues as well as physical ailments. CBD reacts to our natural Cannabinoid receptors in our brain; we all naturally create THC (the compound that gives us the “high” sensation), and allows our brain to secrete more serotonin.           Depression is one of the most widespread, yet least talked about medical conditions in America, and research is showing that cannabis can help relieve people. Compounds like CBD and weeds different terpenes restore normal endocannabinoid function, and potentially helps stabilize moods and ease depression. IN CORRECT DOSES cannabis can alleviate anxiety disorders. In large amounts, cannabis can cause anxiety. “Start low, go slow” is a fun little saying that we like to use in the cannabis industry when talking to new users.               For patients with ADHD or ADD, cannabis provides a more effective and safer treatment to aid focus than Ritalin and Adderall when using the correct strain. A strain that promotes focus and concentration (like Sour Diesel) is extremely useful in small amounts. Lets remember, the best remedies require the least amount.

           Not only can cannabis aid in remedying mental and physical ailments, it can help treat extreme addictions! Individuals addicted to serious drugs like heroin, opiates, and cocaine are showing promise in ridding themselves of their addictions through cannabis therapy. Weed is providing a safer and much more controlled means of getting “high” and aiding the rehabilitation process in alcoholics as well as people, such as my husband, who are at a high risk of getting liver disease. There is a small chance of becoming dependant to cannabis, but I will talk about that later.

           You’ll never guess whats coming next; weed improves LUNG HEALTH. Lung cancer and emphysema have been shown to regress when cannabis is thrown into the mix. The smoke is damaging to the lungs, so to avoid that damage, ingesting cannabis via edible, tincture, or vapor is the safer alternative.

           Cognitive degeneration is pretty much unavoidable, but the good news is that studies are showing cannabis can stop the progression of Alzheimer’s.

           Cannabis reduces pain, spasms, nausea, PTSD, headaches, and asthma. The herb works as a bronchodilator, so when vaped or eaten, those suffering with asthma have better control of their coughing fits. However, it can lower blood pressure, but beware because it can lower blood glucose levels as well and spike hypoglycemia (again I will talk about later). 

The Economic benefits of cannabis: It can be used as a food source as a source of protein! It is used to create protein powders, and seeds can be purchased for consumption. It is creating new industries, cultivation, processing, sales outlets, and there will be more to come as legalization continues across the world. Traffic deaths have gone down, people are succumbing to the substitution effect; people are choosing pot over alcohol. 

Cannabis can help your pets, offering relief from pain and anxiety. It helps bad dreams, as it impacts the REM sleep part of the cycle, the part of the cycle where you dream. Those with chronic fatigue syndrome are effectively treated with certain cannabis compounds, terpenes, and strains, and on the flip side with other strains it can help you sleep.

Precautions: Weed is not for everybody. Mental health professionals warn against people with Bipolar Disorder and Psychosis from consuming. This is again, all individual. It is up to the patients discretion.            Those with family histories of schizophrenia, psychosis, multiple personality, and other personality-based disorders may pose the risk of bringing them on in themselves. 1 in 4 cannabis users with such a family history have said that their symptoms only appeared after smoking weed. We do not know, as this is anecdotal evidence. Hopefully more will arise as we are able to do more studies. A curious finding among people with schizophrenia and other pshychoses is that a history or marijuana use is linked with improved performance on tests assessing learning and memory.

           Despite what everyone tells you, weed is addicting, but not in the way you think. People become dependant on cannabis, not addicted. The reason why is not so dissimilar to someone to takes Advil everyday or prescription medication, it makes life … better. People become “dependant” on it because of the many benefits it brings to an individuals life, including my own. People get “bitchy” and “moody” without it because weed is a mood stabilizer and we would be “bitchy” if it wasn’t for cannabis in the first place.

Ending the stigma: People go around saying that cannabis decreases productivity and motivation levels. This is simply false. For lots of people, the medical benefits gained from cannabis (like pain management and mood management) make them more productive! Stoners burn approximately 1.3x the amount of calories on average that a non-user does, and even though stoners are shown to consume higher amounts of calories, the food choices are often better. We see a lot of the “junk food munchies” posts making fun of it, but in reality, stoners are more likely to make more consistent healthier food choices. 

Weed and ED; choosing what is right for you:            Cannabis users have been shown to be slimmer on average than non-users. This is because cannabis helps the body regulate insulin production, and manage caloric intake more efficiency. A common use for medical cannabis is to help regulate eating patterns. Whether you eat too much or too little.           Precautions: those of us struggling with an eating disorder where we are not taking in the correct amount of calories can be subjected to one of the absolute worst feelings in the world; hypoglycemia. Blood sugar (due to marijuana’s insulin response) and blood pressure drop considerably. You get nauseous, dizzy, confused, and HOT. Clammy, feeling like blacking out hot. This is dangerous. Always make sure that you have something around you, be it a Gatorade or a protein bar. You could die.

So now, how do you choose the right strain for you?           Terpenes: Terpenes are the flavour or smell of the weed you have. These are what differentiate the strains from one another, other than of course the basic indica vs. sativa argument. The terpenes are what cause the main benefit differences too, some promote relaxation and stress-relief, while other promote focus and acuity. The main terpenes are: Limonene, Pinene, Caryophyllene, Myrcene, and Linalool. Now, if you don’t know the difference between sativa and indica, here you go;            Sativa effects are more invigorating, uplifting, cerebral, and pair well with physical activity, social gatherings, and creative projects. Indica provides a more relaxed, physically sedating “couch-lock” feeling and is best before a movie or bedtime. Indica also is the strain that is said to promote “munchies”.            The ONLY reason these two differ, as every strain is a hybrid of the two, is the terpenes and cannabinoids.             If you go to smell something you like, does it smell citrusy? (Limonene) Or floral? (Linalool) Or is it spicy? (Caryophyllene) Does it have a musk? (Myrcene). Everything has a scent profile, and that consists of these terpenes. Me specifically, I love my citrusy and earthy strains, because that is what flavour profile sits with me best. They give me energy and don’t give me the munchies, unlike an indica strain which would commonly have Linalool, which is most commonly found in lavender, and is more relaxing.

            So, to pick the right strain for you. Start low, with a low dose (smaller bowl) and lower THC content if you can see the content. If you want to buy legally, you have the option of discussing your concerns/questions with one of the retail members there. There is exstensive training for Canadian employees so depending on who you talk to, you can get a lot of information! Decide whether you want an energizing or sedating effect (but I will warn you, Indica is KNOWN for the munchies. Sativa’s I find do not give you that appetite stimulation as much, only specific strains). And, if you can, keep a journal of the strains you’ve tried and liked. That will help you choose in the future. 

So, dealing with the munchies.            If you did pick a strain that is an appetite booster (Leafly.com is an amazing reference to see the terpenes, and overall benefits of the strain you are choosing), or if you just so happen to get the munchies (me, beig a seasoned stoner do not get that appetite boost as often anymore), here are some tips to deal with it:            -Always have a way to distract yourself. Be it tumblr, video games, sleeping, anything. Food tastes amazing while high, but music sounds just as good as the food tastes. Let your other senses wander freely            -Have a safe snack food, one low in calories. I have the tendency to crave salt, so I have those Special K brand crisps that are 80 calories for 27 of them. One whole bag is less than 500 calories, so I know I have a safe food.            - Smell something minty or sweet, it will trick your brain into sending the satiety signals. My favourite is a peppermint and grapefruit mix.            - Brush your teeth and floss. I love the feeling of a clean mouth, and honestly, we all don't do that enough.            -And most of all, know yourself. Know the strain and how it makes you feel. If you know it gives you munchies, try having tea and coffee a couple times during your high, or make preparations to avoid eating. It sounds odd, but it is actually comforting to pay attention to your own triggers and what you need.

          If you are new to using, here’s a few tips. Always try it with a trusted group of friends, you never know how you will react. Small bowls if it is a bong, stick to one puff/bowl until you know how you are reacting, takes a couple minutes to fully set in, but a couple seconds to feel it. Holding it in longer does not make you more high, that is a lie. The THC passes the blood barrier within seconds of entering the lungs. The reason why you may feel more high is because 1) your brain is not getting any more oxygen, and so of course you will feel light headed. That happens any time you hold your breath. 2) holding it in will probably make you cough, because it is an irritant to the lungs because it is smoke, and coughing opens up the lower chambers of the lungs and allows the smoke to touch more surface area, therefore absorbing faster. Don’t listen to anyones lies, exhale that bigass cloud be a baller, astound the with these FACTS.           If you are trying edibles/oils, only take one dose, and wait at least an hour. Trust me when I say that you will melt into the couch and it will not feel as comfortable as you think. Being stuck inside your head for 8+ hours is not how I like spending my time, thank you very much. I assume you think the same.           Never be afraid to ask questions about origin or reach out to someone with your concerns. One day being that aware and cognizant of what you are experiencing could save your (or someone elses) life.

           All in all, weed is an amazing gift that the world has given us to use. But with everything we are given, we also have a responsibility to use it wisely and within our means. And as with every gift, there is also a price to pay. It is not in itself inherently evil or good, it is how we use it. 

With much love,

Your friendly neighbourhood witch.

#weed #cannabis #cannabis safety #ana and weed #weed masterpost #marijauana #paganism

[mariantoina]

thoughts on t*sp

look. at first i told myself that i wasn’t gonna watch this show, and then the very next day it got leaked so i was like “you know what? im gonna watch it anyway!” and thats the worst decision that ive ever made in my life because this show was... bad. could it have been worse? definitely, given the fact that it was an emma frost show based on a philippa gregory book. but this was still terrible enough for me to type this post up, so here we go!

i can guarantee you that you’ll have a more fun time reading this post than you will watching TSP. this is under a read more because.. whew.. theres a lot.

THE CASTING

first and foremost: the actress playing KOA cannot act. she’s really pretty, granted, but her acting was genuinely terrible. like.. i cringed almost every time there was a scene terrible. not only was her spanish accent bad but she felt so.. stiff, i guess would be a good word, whenever she said something. and that didn’t do anything to help the fact that she has a bad case of ScarJo Fever™ (if you don’t know what that is: it’s when an actor/actress only makes the same three facial expressions) people need to stop hiring actresses and actors just because they’re attractive and actually make sure that they can act. at this point, i am Begging!

the actor playing harry was actually good though, at least in my opinion. he did his best with what he was given and i really admire that! you can tell that he was putting a lot of effort into it, even though the way that they wrote him was really out of character for that period of his life (see: this post)

h7′s actor was good in the scenes that he was in, but the way that they treated h7 was so.. weird? they didn’t make him as creepy as i thought that they were going to when i first found out they were making an adaptation of TCP, but there was still this lowkey creepy vibe that he had going on.. i honestly dont know how to explain it, but it was there. also he slapped the shit out of harry in a scene??? that was messy as HELL

the actress for margaret beaufort was good, but there were some scenes that just had me like.. oh? on god? (most notably the death scene, but i’ll get into that hot mess later) you could tell that she was trying hard, even if they made MB’s character arc terrible.

the actors that played lina and her love interest were amazing, though. they worked with what they had and i really liked what they did with them even though the writing was shit. the scene with their wedding was adorable and really well acted!

angus imrie (arthur) was good, too! but the wig that they gave him? atrocious. i’m going to see it in my nightmares. georgie henley was really good in the scenes that we saw her in as meg tudor, but most of the scenes she was in weren’t that good and that’s wack :’)

i don’t know the name of the actress that played juana of castile in the episode she was in, but i liked her acting, too.. even though the writing for her was kind of cringy.

before i end this section i should let it be known that i was more attached to juana, meg and arthur in the few episodes they were in than i was to KOA during the entire show. it’s so tragic like. how are you going to cast a lead actress that cant act?? Hello???

before i get into the issues with the writing and creative direction i have with the show, i just wanna say: the pacing of the show was terrible and really, really difficult to follow. the entirety of the second episode, which followed from their KOA/arthur marriage to arthur’s death, probably had the worst pacing. it felt like only a few weeks had passed in the show’s time, when it was supposed to be what? six months? and there was so indication of a timeskip between episode 6 and episode 7, even though juana was still in england at the end of episode 6 and h7 died about 10 minutes into episode 7? it’s so tragic.

okay, moving on!

THE CREATIVE DIRECTION

look. i get that it’s a show and of course there’s going to be historical license but... GOD this show went above and beyond.

there’s so much i want to say here, but the most important one that i have an issue with is the shit that they did with lina’s character. erasing the fact that she was a slave owned by ferdinand and isabella and then later given to KOA was absolutely terrible. and then not only did they do that AND make her KOA’s most loyal lady-in-waiting, but they erased the fact that she was forced to convert to christianity, forced to stop using her birth name and instead having to use the name of her new owner in the name of #StrongFemaleFriendships. disgusting!

EF: lina is KOA’s most faithful servant and they have a strong female friendship!! hashtag woke!! hashtag feminism!! my black ass:

honestly it gets even worse because KOA and lina’s “central female friendship” was barely even there. lina had more scenes with rosa, one of KOA’s other ladies-in-waiting, than she did with KOA. not to mention that KOA was manipulative to lina and kept saying stuff like “you owe me service” or stuff along those lines? it was so shitty. lina sweetie im so sorry that this ugly ass bitch would even try you

the next big thing that i had a problem with was the fact that they aged up harry, when in reality he was about 11 years old when KOA first came to england. like, i can’t really go that much into it because even thinking about the fact that they aged him up to make him Arthur’s Hotter, All-Around-Better Brother™ when he was fucking 11 makes me kinda sick but. ughh it was terrible.

not to mention the fact that they villainized margaret beaufort because of course they did. apparently you cant be a middle aged woman without being villainized?? especially not in an emma frost show. but the way that they villainized her was so ugly. and the fact that they attributed shit like edmund dudley’s execution to her when it happened an entire year after she died? Hello????

the way that she just took over and declared herself regent when h7 was in mourning for elizabeth of york and kicked KOA out of the palace + the way she tried to threaten margaret pole & lina into revealing that KOA wasn’t a virgin.. shgkhhgsfhgkshjbjsjb that shit was so fucking messy its like they tried to make her a fusion of mother gothel from tangled and ursula from the little mermaid

the way that they made EoY dislike KOA was so weird? and the way that both her and margaret beaufort assaulted her by kissing and groping her respectively was weird and definitely uncalled for.

this is a minor one in the gist of some of the other things but why did they make EoY’s last daughter a stillborn child? someone correct me if i’m wrong, but didn’t she live for about a week before she died? but then again, i remember that she named their daughter after KOA, so they probably did that to avoid the fact because they made EoY hate her. messy

arthur’s wig counts as a creative decision right? well whoever gave him that wig needs to be fired. PERIOD

arthur’s wig:

me:

whoever did meg tudor’s costumes also needs to be fired tbfh they were so bad. what did she ever do to yall

THE WRITING

i guess that writing can go into the creative direction category as well, but there were so many problems with the writing that it deserves its own category

KOA was so terrible in this. between her manipulating harry and lina, and the fact that she kept defending the fact that isabella abused juana because “our mother was a queen, a warrior” was ugly! “tO bE qUeEn oF eNgLaNd iS mY dEsTiNy” girl if you don’t shut ya mouth catching these hands is gonna be your destiny

they also made KOA put all of her faith in the fact that she was related to queens? like, every time juana said she couldn’t do something because her husband + ferdinand are assholes, or every time isabella was brought up she kept being like “but you’re/she’s a queen!” it was irritating

all of the predictions about the great matter/KOA not being able to give harry a son were weird. i would have been fine if it had only been like.. one time, because sometimes foreshadowing can be good, but it was brought up every 5 seconds and at the most random times. like when EoY was literally dying in childbirth?? Hello????? god are you there??

AND THE FACT THAT EOY STRAIGHT UP WENT TO HELL AND SAW HER BROTHER GETTING EXECUTED THEN CAME BACK. HELLO??

then when margaret beaufort was about to die and she saw ghosts? and jasper tudor showed up to take her to hell i guess? honestly i didnt know what the fuck was going on but that shit was so fucking messy and wild. i have to laugh

also: i mentioned this earlier but all of those scenes where harry was ranting and raging.. EF really saw the name “henry viii” and floored it with that huh

they also dumbed harry down imho.. Wack!

juana seducing harry was a hot ass mess in its own right, but honestly? juana and harry had more chemistry in that one minute scene than KOA and harry had in the entire show

we were not even 10 minutes into the pilot and they were already trying to portray isabella as a #WokeFeministQueen. how, you might ask? why, by showing her leading a group of men to kill black muslims for their faith, of course! didn’t you know that being racist and islamophobic is hip and feminist when you’re a queen?

like i get that its from KOA’s point of view but in the opening monologue of the pilot they mentioned that isabella overthrew the moors like it was a #Feminist thing to do and not a part of her orchestrating massacres and contributing to genocide? @ EF: on GOD??

tbh? shocked that KKKristopher KKKolonizer wasn’t mentioned in a positive light based on how much they tried to glorify isabella. like what catholic monarchs stan was allowed to work on this show with EF and P. Gregory?? hello????

i’m totally fine with the whole plot point about katherine lying about her virginity, since we’ll probably never know the truth about whether or not she and arthur consummated their marriage, but it was poorly executed in both the writing and in CH’s acting. i could tell that she was lying and so did.. almost everyone, really.

the scene where they were about to.. i guess lynch lina’s love interest for “stealing” made me really uncomfortable. i dont even know how to explain it

h7′s death scene.... this is all i have to say about it

margaret beaufort ordering the execution of edmund dudley was shitty for a lot of reasons but honestly him screaming “fuck you all to hell” was hilarious

the ending scene of episode 7 where they were in the chapel and henry asked KOA if she was still a virgin was bad writing and CH’s acting made it even worse. cant even lie convincingly smh

margaret pole’s plotline was so confusing.. i barely knew wtf was going on with her the entire show? it all felt so rushed and forced. it was weird

EoY and h7 had some cute scenes together though. and that was like.. one of the shows only real redeeming qualities

that’s about it for this post about TSP! my overall rating for it is a 0.5/10. it was super shitty, but i liked arthur, juana and meg tudor so it gets a 0.5 instead of a plain 0. and apparently theres one episode left too.. DREADING it. anyways: emma frost absolutely failed in her goal to be like “its not all about anne boleyn!” because if anything this show made me think about how claire foy and natalie dormer were both robbed of awards so.. if reading this post gave you hives? go watch wolf hall or the tudors for their great performances!

thanks for reading! :)

#tcm tudor alliance show spoilers #ch does the scarjo face for 7 hours straight spoilers #tv: the spanish princess #is it worth the hatewatch? honestly yeah but at what cost

[engageourgreatlocalattorney-blog]

How to Choose a Medical Malpractice Attorney

If you or a family members sustained injuries and other types of damage due to the negligence or fault of a healthcare provider, you are not alone. In the United States alone, medical malpractice is one the leading causes of death among the citizens. Across the world, hundreds of thousands of people everyday die from medical malpractice. This does not include those people who sustain serious and debilitating injuries and damages. As someone who

You can see here some of the most important things that you need to remember if you are looking for the best medical malpractice attorney.

First, make sure that the attorney specializes in medical malpractice. This is because medical malpractice cases require specialized knowledge of both the law and medical issues. Not only do they require a procedural expertise, they also entail industry knowledge about existing healthcare providers and practices. If you have been injured because of the negligence or fault of a healthcare professional or provider, make sure to choose someone who is used to representing plaintiffs instead of healthcare professionals and companies.

Some medical malpractice lawyers also have specific specializations within the field. For instance, you’ll be able to find NY birth injury attorneys who specialize in cases involving injuries sustained during childbirth.

Second, research the background, credentials, and experience of your top candidates. Check out their websites such and see if they indicate the numbers years that they have been practicing under the field of medical malpractice. The lawyers should also be a member of professional organizations to ensure that they are up-to-date with the latest developments in this area of law. The lawyer you choose should be a member in good standing. That is, he should be up-to-date with the latest developments in medical malpractice law.

Finally, always go for an initial consultation. Some lawyers will agree to meet you for the initial consultation for free. Consider this as an interview to determine whether or not you would be a great fit for each other. Spend some time discussing you case, but also ask them questions about their background and experience. Ask, for instance, what percentage of the firm’s caseload is devoted to medical malpractice. Make sure that you understand how the lawyer is going to get paid.

Most medical malpractice attorneys will work on a contingency fee basis. This means that they will only get paid once you are able to win your case or receive the compensation you are entitled to.

You can click here to learn more: https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/medical-law.

[lovemychinchilla]

Are There Health Conditions That Only Affect Female Chinchillas?

If your female chinchilla is sick, there are a host of health issues that can be to blame. But are there any health issues that solely affect females? What are they?

Are there health conditions that only affect female chinchillas? There are, and they relate to the female's reproductive system, the way females give birth, or the way females raise their offspring. Bacterial mastitis is where the female's nipples become infected during breastfeeding, while agalactia is the inability to produce milk. Miscarriage and dystocia are problems with giving birth, while a retained fetus is where offspring remains inside the uterus after birth fails. Metritis and pyometra are infections of the uterus (womb). If your female chinchilla is unwell for any reason, whether due to its reproductive system or otherwise, take it to the vet.

On top of all these issues, your female chinchilla can also get sick with conditions that affect any chinchilla, including respiratory infection and malocclusion. Issues can also occur alongside each other. The guide below explains what these issues are in depth, detailing what causes each of them, the symptoms you can expect to see, and how each is cured.

Note: this guide is not intended to replace the healthcare advice of a vet. If you suspect your chinchilla has any health issue, whether one described in the list below or not, you should take it to the vet as soon as possible. The point of the article below is to learn more about these conditions when your chinchilla's health isn't at risk.

Are There Health Conditions That Only Affect Female Chinchillas?

There are a couple of health issues that occur in females, but not in males. There aren't as many as there are in people (and vice versa, there aren't as many that affect males that don't affect females). But there are some.

The two most common are bacterial mastitis and agalactia. As you may have guessed, these are related to the female raising her kits. Bacterial mastitis is where the female's nipples/breast tissue become infected, usually in the context of feeding her young (although not necessary). Agalactia is where the female is unable to produce milk at all.

Chinchillas can also experience miscarriage, retained fetuses, dystocia, metritis and pyometra. These are all issues related directly to giving birth which is, of course, only something that females experience.

Let's explore what each of these issues is in more depth.

What Is Bacterial Mastitis?

Bacterial mastitis is a condition where the breast tissue gets infected. It typically occurs when the female has young to feed, but it can occur outside of this context, too. This condition is characterized by the mammary glands becoming swollen, firm, discolored and painful. Bacterial mastitis has several known-on effects: it makes the affected female lethargic, gives her a temperature, makes her uninterested in eating, and makes her uninterested in her pups.

What Causes Bacterial Mastitis in Chinchillas?

Bacterial mastitis is caused by bacteria infecting the female's breast tissue. This most commonly occurs in the context of breastfeeding: bacteria from her offspring's mouth enters her body through cracking in the skin of the nipple. The infection becomes progressively worse until the symptoms described above are apparent.

How Do You Cure Bacterial Mastitis in Chinchillas?

As is the case with all health conditions, you should take your chinchilla to see a vet. The vet can identify what the problem is: bacterial mastitis or something else. They can then recommend whatever cure is relevant.

The cure for any kind of infection, be it bacterial mastitis, bumblefoot or sepsis, is for your chinchilla to take antibiotics. You administer these either by injection or through squirting the antibiotics into your chinchilla's mouth. The vet will administer the first of these, but you will be expected to give your chinchilla the rest. Follow your vet's guidance on how to do this.

In the meantime, you may have to hand-feed the chinchilla kits yourself. This isn't a problem as chinchillas can be raised perfectly fine being hand-fed milk. Take a small dropper or syringe, the same kind as you find in children's medicine (the plastic ones without a needle). Drip the milk slowly onto the kit's lips rather than squirting it directly into its mouth, allowing it to eat/drink at its own pace. Use either goat's milk or kitten milk solution.

What Is Agalactia?

[caption id="attachment_1092" align="alignright" width="300"] Agalactia is where the mother can't produce milk for one reason or another. Unless you can help her produce milk again, you'll have to hand-rear the kits instead, or foster them out to other chinchilla mothers.[/caption]

Agalactia is the failure of the female to produce milk. This could be due to an issue with her teats, her breast tissue, or because of a problem with her young.

What Causes Agalactia in Chinchillas?

Agalactia is a general term that may have many different underlying causes.

The chinchilla was bred at too young an age. Chinchillas begin showing interest in breeding before they have fully weaned. If the female is bred at too young an age, not only can birth be difficult, but she may not produce enough milk.

The female is in general poor condition. Whether because she has an underlying disease, had a difficult pregnancy, or isn't eating the right food, her health stops her from producing enough or any milk.

The female's teats are damaged. This could be because of bacterial mastitis as described above, physical trauma, or something else.

The female had too many kits. Chinchillas are used to small litter sizes of one or two. If she has too many kits, the female won't be able to produce milk for them all.

The cause of agalactia may or may not be clear. It may be because of one of these reasons, some of them, or all of them.

How Do You Cure Agalactia in Chinchillas?

Again, the first step in curing any health condition is to take your chinchilla to the vet. They can identify what the issue is and recommend the relevant fix.

The first thing the vet will do is manually check that the female is producing milk. It will be immediately obvious if doing so is difficult or painful for her. If the female isn't comfortable producing milk within 72 hours of having offspring, the vet will administer oxytocin. This is a hormone related to pregnancy and childbirth that stimulates milk production, so if anything will work, it's this. If suckling her young remains painful and difficult for her, you must either give the young to a compatible female or hand rear them.

What Is Miscarriage?

Miscarriage/abortion can occur in chinchillas. This is where the young is lost before it's fully developed. It can either be caused directly by owner action, or by ill health in the female chinchilla. Since male chinchillas can't become pregnant, this isn't an issue that affects them.

What Causes Miscarriage/Abortion in Chinchillas?

Miscarriage can occur spontaneously at any point of pregnancy. It can be caused by:

Improper handling. If you pick up your female by its belly, or press down on its belly, it will miscarry.

Nutritional deficiencies. If the female doesn't get enough nutrients in its diet, the fetuses won't either, which can cause miscarriage too.

Lack of blood flow to the fetus. The fetus is connected to the mother through the umbilical cord. Through the umbilical cord the mother provides the offspring with oxygen and nutrients. If this gets cut off, the fetus can quickly die (in the same way that 'grown up' animals pass away if they don't get oxygen).

Genetic problems in the offspring. A genetic issue can mean that the offspring isn't viable; if that's the case, it may be naturally miscarried. This is made worse since chinchillas come from limited original breeding stock.

Health issues. Health issues can affect the offspring as well as the mother.

No obvious reason. Sometimes chinchillas develop health issues for no reason, and it's possible for them to miscarry for what seems like no reason, too. In truth, the cause will be one of the issues above, it just wasn't obvious.

The cause may also be a number of these issues all presenting at once. So, for example, nutritional deficiencies make it more likely that a chinchilla gets sick. If the mother has both nutritional deficiencies and some kind of illness like a respiratory infection, it may not be strong enough to carry the offspring to term, and so miscarries. Or, it may be capable of dealing with being sick, but improper handling may make miscarriage more likely.

How Can You Avoid Miscarriage in Chinchillas?

You must ensure that your female chinchilla is kept in fully suitable conditions, and that the care you directly provide is exemplary.

Not only should you take steps to prevent miscarriage in your chinchillas, but you should provide medical care for the female, too. Complications can occur after miscarriage, including infection, retained fetuses, and more. The vet can gently flush the female's reproductive tract to prevent both of these issues. Ensure also that she is eating correctly and behaving normally, as miscarriage can be caused by underlying health issues.

What Is Dystocia?

Dystocia is the medical term for difficulty giving birth. This is exceptionally rare in chinchillas.

It's caused either by the chinchilla being too young to easily birth a kit, or by the kit being misplaced in the uterus (like a breech birth). As is the case for most of these conditions, dystocia can also be caused by general poor condition i.e. nutritional deficiencies, low weight, and so on. This can make uterine contractions end too early, meaning the offspring gets stuck.

Symptoms of Dystocia in Chinchillas

When dystocia occurs, the female will continue trying to give birth for an extended period of time. She will appear in distress and pain. These symptoms will not go away until the issue is resolved.

How to Fix Dystocia in Chinchillas

If your chinchilla has been trying to birth its kits for longer than four hours, it needs veterinary assistance. Vets can administer a special medicine that makes uterine contractions stronger, or restarts them if they've stopped. They may also need to flush the uterus out to get rid of the placenta if it doesn't come out.

What Are Retained Fetuses?

A retained fetus is a fetus that isn't born when it should be. This is distinct to the idea of the kit being born late; rather, in this case, the fetus has passed away but hasn't yet/won't miscarry.

When a fetus passes away shortly before birth, it is typically delivered alongside any still-living young. And if the fetus passes away early during pregnancy, it is normally reabsorbed into the female's body.

But on occasion, the fetus will not be reabsorbed and will not be delivered. If the fluids in the uterus are drained away and reabsorbed, the retained fetus will go through a mummification process. This can make the mother sick and stressed, prevent future pregnancies, and make her neglect any young she did successfully birth.

What Causes Retained Fetuses in Chinchillas?

Anything that might make an unborn kit pass away can cause a retained fetus. Causative factors include:

General poor health or nutritional deficiencies

The mother is too young to give birth and raise young

The kit had a genetic issue that prevented it from developing

Seizures, trauma, fever or other major health issues during pregnancy

Interruption of the blood supply to the fetus during development

Fetuses can be retained for an indefinite amount of time. As such, your chinchilla does not need to have been recently pregnant for this to be an issue. If the fetus is not recovered, it will undergo a mummification process and could make the mother sick.

How to Help a Chinchilla With Retained Fetuses

If your chinchilla has any problems during pregnancy or birth, it requires the assistance of a vet.

The vet will first identify what the problem is. If this problem occurred during birth, then the vet will help the mother continue birthing her kits. An injection of oxytocin can make the mother begin contractions, so this may be administered. If this is unsuccessful, surgery (a Caesarian section/C-section) may be necessary.

If the problem is a retained fetus from a long time ago, the vet may perform an X-ray to check whether the diagnosis is correct. If it is, they will gently flush the female's reproductive tract.

What Is Metritis?

Metritis is where a placenta or fetus is not delivered correctly, and then subsequently causes bacterial infections and inflammation of the uterus.

Signs of Metritis in Chinchillas

Metritis causes many symptoms. Chinchillas that develop metritis will have difficulty walking; they will also:

Stop producing milk (agalactia)

Develop a fever

Develop swollen and discolored genitals

Display vaginal discharge, a mixture of mucus and pus which has a foul odor

This health problem therefore has an effect on the kits that survived, as well as the fetus that wasn't delivered properly. Kits can become nutritionally deficient because of a lack of milk, or develop infections from the discharge the mother's uterus produces. Like other birth-related issues, metritis more commonly affects chinchillas that are unready to give birth for some reason: whether because they're too young to breed successfully, they're sick or nutritionally deficient, or have a genetic issue.

How to Help a Chinchilla with Metritis

This condition must be treated as a matter of urgency. That's because the bacterial infection in the chinchilla's uterus can very quickly spread to other organs, which can in turn quickly become fatal.

The vet will administer a kind of medicine that induces uterine contractions. The idea is to flush out the remaining fetus and/or placenta that is causing the issue. They can then fully clean the uterus with disinfectant fluid to get rid of any bacterial infection. They are also likely to administer general antibiotics to ensure that the initial infection doesn't develop into sepsis.

What Is Pyometra?

Pyometra is a condition where a large amount of pus accumulates in the uterus (the womb). This can occur after one of the other conditions described above, such as metritis or a retained placenta; but it has been observed even in previously healthy chinchillas. As male chinchillas don't have wombs, this is a condition that only affects females.

Signs of Pyometra in Chinchillas

This condition isn't necessarily easy to spot. The uterus is, of course, on the inside so the key symptom (production of pus) isn't immediately obvious. You may see a small amount of vaginal discharge and staining around the genital area. But aside from that, symptoms are generic (general poor condition, lethargy, etc.)

If you don't keep chinchillas for the purpose of breeding, this condition is highly unlikely to occur. So, if your chinchilla is displaying general symptoms of ill health and it hasn't been breeding, the problem is probably something else.

If you do keep chinchillas for breeding purposes, then you will notice that this female which presumably was fertile before is now no longer capable of successful breeding.

How to Treat Pyometra in Chinchillas

Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy treatment for pyometra. Vets typically reommend an ovariohysterectomy, which is a complete removal of the ovaries and uterus. This removes the problem but, of course, makes the female infertile. As such, if you are only interested in breeding, this would mean that the female is then of no use in your colony.

Whether the problem is pyometra, dystocia or something else, your first port of call should always be a vet. They can identify what the precise problem is, and help you fix it. You shouldn't try to treat these problems without a vet's help, as all of them are serious, and can threaten the life either of the female or of her surviving kits.

Below, you can find our chinchilla quiz, new posts for further reading, and a signup for our Chinchilla Newsletter!

[ays_quiz id='9']

#chinchillas #chinchillahealth

[wewithus]

The Five Minutes for Freedom series is a collection of small, step-by-step walkthroughs designed to help you take concrete political action in support of the principles of We With Us. The articles in the series are designed to be read and their steps followed in order, as later posts frequently build on earlier ones. A chronological index of all posts in the series can be found here. While this information is targeted primarily at US readers, we welcome readers from all countries and encourage you to adapt these strategies as necessary for your jurisdiction.

5M4F 12: Update Your Rolodex (Round 2) and Protest by Phone (Round 3) [Trump, Carson, Puzder, Perry, and the abortion ban] Dependencies: 5M4F10.

Much like last week, most of your 5M4F tasks this week will be to script, and then make, calls to your representatives to ask them to rigorously vet and ultimately reject the confirmation of Trump’s most dangerous cabinet and White House appointments, to protest those appointments after the fact, and/or to object to top-level legislative priorities of the incoming administration. But first, add this line to the other contact information for your representatives in your 5M4F document:

President: Donald Trump [R] | [phone] | https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact | 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500 | (Contact name) | (Contact dates)

Donald Trump is now your president. That means that he is now answerable to you. You can very quickly start making him answerable to you by signing this WeThePeople petition to divest of his business interests or put them in a blind trust; and this WeThePeople petition to release his tax returns and any other information necessary to confirm that he is not in violation of the emoluments of the Constitution.

Once that’s done...

All three of the appointments you’ll be protesting this week are cabinet appointments and require Senate approval: Ben Carson, Andy Puzder, and Rick Perry (nominated for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of Labor, and Secretary of Energy, respectively). Your voice is also urgently needed to halt the enactment of a draconian abortion ban that threatens the rights and lives of womb-possessing people throughout the country.

Like last week: write yourself a script that you can use to walk you through your calls to your representatives (there is an in-depth breakdown of this process in 5M4F5, which is also excerpted behind the cut), then give your local field offices a series of calls to protest these appointments. To be most effective, you want to only call your representatives about one issue at a time, so you will need to make multiple calls throughout the week to best keep your calls focused and to the point.

I also strongly urge you to share this information with your friends and family offline and encourage them to join you in making calls with you. Our goal should be to keep the phones ringing at every field office in the country, all week long, demanding that our elected representatives do their jobs, i.e., represent us.

If you want to do this all in one go: unfortunately, these can’t be completely finished all in one go, because of the issue of keeping individual calls focused on a single issue. But what you can do is script all your calls together (that you can do today, and it’s basically a copy-paste job, so it shouldn’t be too onerous), then make your three calls about Carson in one block on Monday, your three calls about Puzder in one block on Tuesday, et cetera.

If you want to do this five minutes at a time: easier! Your three scripts for a single appointee will probably only take you about five minutes to assemble, and one call will probably take about five minutes to make. You can sprinkle your scripting throughout the day today, and sprinkle your calls throughout your field offices’ business hours during the week; or script your calls about Carson today, then call about Carson and script for Puzder Tuesday; whatever.

There is some starter info on each of the four nominees/appointees/issues, with reasons to call about them, behind the cut; as well as a template for your scripts, and some info about what to do if you can’t make calls. Shortcut links:

Ben Carson.

Andy Puzder.

Rick Perry.

Abortion rights.

A note on how to protest amid breaking news.

How to write your scripts.

What to do if you can’t make calls.

Once you've made your calls, check in on this week's poll to let your fellow humans know you've got their backs!

Ben Carson (nominated for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development): The most fundamental reason to oppose Ben Carson as Secretary of HUD is that he opposes efforts to end housing segregation. Housing segregation remains rampant in the US in large part due to racist governmental actions that themselves have ended, but the lasting effects of formal governmental racism in the past today mean that people of color are more likely than whites to live in areas without easy access to fresh, healthy food, are often more vulnerable to housing market instability and were on the whole hit harder by the crash, are more likely than whites to be zoned into de facto (previously de jure) segregated and underperforming schools, are set up for more frequent and more-likely-to-be-violent encounters with the police, and are harmed and held back on countless more metrics:

"[On] every measure of well-being and opportunity, the foundation is where you live," Nikole Hannah-Jones, the ProPublica reporter on whose reporting much of the episode was based, told TAL's Nancy Updike. "Cancer rates, asthma rates, infant mortality, unemployment, education, access to fresh food, access to parks, whether or not the city repairs the roads in your neighborhood."

[source]

Housing discrimination and the end of urban segregation needs to be at the top of HUD’s priority list. Ben Carson thinks that’s a bad idea.

Andy Puzder (nominated for Secretary of Labor): Puzder is an anti-regulation fast food executive whose employees face wage theft and a bananas 2 in 3 rate of sexual harassment, if they’re women; who opposes the new overtime rule and thinks robust worker protections constitute a “nanny state.” He is, just in case you’re curious, anti-abortion and anti-bathroom protections for trans people, but he does find it in his heart to support scantily clad women sexily eating burgers on TV. He is being nominated to run the department in charge of penalizing companies for breaking minimum wage laws and defending worker rights and safety. He thinks all of that is a bad idea.

Rick Perry (nominated for Secretary of Energy): There’s a misconception out there that the Department of Energy is responsible for handling things like the power grid; for the most part, it isn’t (it does do some stuff related to the grid, including securing it against cyberattacks, but a lot of the power-related stuff falls under the purview of the Department of the Interior). However, the Department of Energy is responsible for managing the US’s nuclear weapons and the security thereof, which I, personally, think is pretty fucking important. Rick Perry doesn’t know what the Department of Energy is called, but he is on record pledging to abolish it.

Oops.

Abortion Rights: A bill has been introduced in the house to make abortion illegal as soon as a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can happen as early as 6 weeks, when many women do not yet know they are pregnant. I want to be really clear about this: what I am about to say here in this post is an argument for abortion rights that specifically approaches this issue from a human rights perspective; it’s very, very far from the only reason why abortion should remain legal. However, this is the reason why if you want to defend the rights of your fellow humans, you must protest anti-choice legislation, no matter how you feel about abortion on a personal level: if abortion is made illegal, rich people facing an unwanted pregnancy will go to Canada or the UK or Japan or any other country where they can still get safe, legal abortions, and they will live. Poor people facing an unwanted pregnancy will have dangerous, illegal, unsupervised abortions, and they will die. Want proof? OKAY:

In 1930, abortion was listed as the official cause of death for almost 2,700 women—nearly one-fifth (18%) of maternal deaths recorded in that year . . . . By 1965, the number of deaths due to illegal abortion had fallen to just under 200, but illegal abortion still accounted for 17% of all deaths attributed to pregnancy and childbirth that year. And these are just the number that were officially reported; the actual number was likely much higher . . . . Poor women and their families were disproportionately impacted . . . . Of the low-income women in that study who said they had had an abortion, eight in 10 (77%) said that they had attempted a self-induced procedure, with only 2% saying that a physician had been involved in any way . . . . A clear racial disparity is evident in the data of mortality because of illegal abortion: In New York City in the early 1960s, one in four childbirth-related deaths among white women was due to abortion; in comparison, abortion accounted for one in two childbirth-related deaths among nonwhite and Puerto Rican women . . . . In the late 1960s, an alternative to obtaining committee approval emerged for women seeking a legal abortion, but once again, only for those with considerable financial resources. In 1967, England liberalized its abortion law to permit any woman to have an abortion with the written consent of two physicians. More than 600 American women made the trip to the United Kingdom during the last three months of 1969 alone; by 1970, package deals (including round-trip airfare, passports, vaccination, transportation to and from the airport and lodging and meals for four days, in addition to the procedure itself) were advertised in the popular media.

[source]

You cannot force someone to carry a fetus to term inside their bodies. I’m not saying you shouldn’t; I’m saying you can’t:

Estimates of the number of illegal abortions in the 1950s and 1960s ranged from 200,000 to 1.2 million per year. One analysis, extrapolating from data from North Carolina, concluded that an estimated 829,000 illegal or self-induced abortions occurred in 1967.

[source, same as above]

I’m telling you, it was really an awful situation. It touched me because I’d see young, [otherwise] healthy women in their 20s die from the consequences of an infected nonsterile abortion. Women would do anything to get rid of unwanted pregnancies. They’d risk their lives. It was a different world, I’ll tell you.

[source]

Women came to me mostly from Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, but also from all parts of the country. It very quickly became apparent that there were too many women — I could not possibly see all of them. My primary care practice disappeared, and I ended up providing abortions full-time. And there was no way there were enough hours in the day.

[source]

The decades before Roe v. Wade were the bad ol’ days. It was horrible carnage — and every one of those deaths was preventable. These women weren’t dying of exotic diseases. They were dying of simple things like hemorrhage and infection, and any third-year medical student with adequate equipment could’ve easily handled it. But the reason those women were dying is because the country had not yet made the decision that these women’s lives are worth saving.

[source, same as above]

Abortion access is a human rights issue. Make sure your legislators know that.

A note on protesting amid breaking news: Because I’m drafting most of this several days before it’ll go live, and because I can’t know when, precisely, you’ll actually make your individual calls, the exact nature of how you protest these appointments and laws may need to change a little bit based on how far the confirmation/legislative process has got by the time you’re calling.

So. If the nominee you’re calling about is still undergoing confirmation hearings, then encourage your senators to rigorously question the nominee on issues critical to protecting the rights of your fellow humans. If the confirmation hearings for that nominee are finished, focus instead on encouraging your senators to vote against the nominee’s confirmation. If the confirmation has already gone through, either thank or criticize your senator’s vote, depending on which way they voted; and in any case make it clear to them that you continue to watch their voting behavior to see whether or not they will have your vote in 2018 (or 2020, or 2022--again, it’s worth also taking a second to check when your particular senators will next come up for re-election. Senators up for re-election in 2018 are listed here. Senators up for re-election in 2020 are listed here. Senators up for re-election in 2022 are listed here.).

Similarly, when you’re calling about legislative priorities, depending on what has happened around that legislative issue since this post went live, you will either be urging your representatives to vote a particular way; or be thanking or criticizing their vote, depending on which way they voted, and making it clear to them that you continue to watch their voting behavior to see whether or not they will have your vote in 2018 (or 2020, or 2022).

Also, when you call your congressperson in the House about Cabinet appointments, since the House doesn’t vote on Cabinet appointments, just encourage your House representative to go on-record as opposing the nomination. The goal here is to make a lot of noise, and also to try and muster the political left to come together and resist the incoming administration with full-throated determination and conviction.

Anyway, to handle how fast this is moving, I recommend that you plan on searching a reputable news source, like The Guardian, shortly before you make your calls, for any breaking-news updates on the confirmation process that may require you to tweak your scripts.

How to Write Your Scripts (excerpted from 5M4F-5):

The basic phone script for calling your representatives goes something like so:

Hi, {can I ask who I’m speaking to? <, if they don’t say when they pick up>} [Jot their name down.] Hi, <their name>. My name is <your name> and I’m one of <your representative’s name>’s constituents in <where you live>. I wanted to let <your representative’s name> know that I strongly <support | oppose> <the thing you’re calling about>, because <succinct explanation of reason why you’re calling>. Is <your representative’s name> planning to <do the thing you want>?

Then you have to plan for a few different responses:

They’re with you: Thank you. Could you please let <appropriate pronoun> know that <expression of gratitude> and <indication that you will continue to watch your representative’s behavior and hold them accountable>?

They’re neutral: This subject is very important to me because <longer, more in-depth and emotive reason why you’re calling>. I would very much appreciate it if you could let <your representative’s name> know that I feel very strongly about this and would really encourage <appropriate pronoun> to <do the thing you want>. Is there any way I could follow up with you or <appropriate pronoun> later?

They oppose you: This subject is very important to me because <longer, more in-depth and emotive reason why you’re calling>. Can I ask why <your representative’s name> is <not doing the thing you want>? [Let them give you a reason, and write it down.] Okay, thank you. I understand <appropriate pronoun> concerns, but as one of <your representative’s name>’s voting constituents, I would really appreciate it if <appropriate pronoun> revisited <appropriate pronoun> decision because <alternate succinct explanation of reason why you’re calling>. Is there any way I could follow up with you or <appropriate pronoun> later?

<expression of gratitude>! <polite send-off>!

I want to point out that you probably don’t actually really need to plan for all of these responses. You can probably make a pretty good guess where your representative stands based on their party affiliation. However, especially if your representatives are moderates and often vote across the aisle, it’s not a bad idea to spend a little time planning for all three cases, because then your behind is covered, and you can recycle this language over and over on later calls, to different representatives. And yes: we will be calling other representatives.

This is the sample script that I wrote back in November, on a different issue and to Barbara Boxer, who has been replaced by Kamala Harris, but it gives you an idea how the Mad-Libs-filling process works:

Hi, {can I ask who I’m speaking to? <, if they don’t say when they pick up>} [Jot their name down.] Hi, <their name>. My name is <Ginny Washington>, and I’m one of <Senator Boxer>’s constituents in <West Hollywood>. I wanted to let <Senator Boxer> know that I strongly <support> <her resolution to amend the Constitution to eliminate the Electoral College>, because <I think every American’s vote should count equally>. {I just wanted to thank her for all her hard work on behalf of the principles of equal representation and equal protection under the law.}

<Thank you so much for your time>! <Have a nice day>!

If you can’t make calls: I recommended before that if you can’t make calls, you copy down snail mail addresses so you can send snail mail letters, and that you grab an email address or online contact link no matter what. Calls are the most effective, if you can make them, but please, do send snail mail letters if you can’t, or an email if you also can’t swing a stamp or get to a post office. You can use the script above as a template for your letter, but you’re probably going to want to default to assuming that your representative opposes you, and you’ll have to of course make it sound like a letter and not a phone convo.

If you care about correct forms of address: weirdly, because these things are super arcane, technically the correct way to address your senator or representative is still “The Honorable <whoever>”, as in, “The Honorable Barbara Boxer.” That goes on the envelope. You can then write “Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. <whoever>” as your salutation.

#we with us #5m4f #five minutes for freedom #oppose ben carson #oppose andy puzder #oppose rick perry #save abortion rights