INTRODUCTION

It may seem like you just received the August issue of The Akumalian, and you are correct.  As you know, The Akumalian has no defined schedule.  It happens when something important happens, or a lot of "NEWS" becomes available.  The reason driving this issue so early in the month is Mexican Independence Day - Viva Mexico!!
 

CONSEJO DE DESARROLLO DE AKUMAL A.C

            The Consejo de Desarrollo de Akumal - a.k.a. Akumal Council - continues to grow and flourish, and the next General Assembly Meeting is scheduled for Friday, October 8, 2004 at 11:00am, at Lol Ha.  Admittedly, it's a tad early to notify members about this meeting, but it allows enough time to make airline reservation, so you can attend.
                       

SPEAKING OF HIGHWAY SIGNS

            Remember the confusion with the redundant highway signs in the last issue?  Here's another one that most, if not all, of you have failed to even notice, and for the driver who follows signs, this could be dangerous. 

            The sign basically is saying, "Beware, the left lane merges to the right, while the right hand lane continues straight."

            However, it is the left lane that continues straight on, while the right hand lane merges over to the left!!!!!!

This photo was taken right here in Akumal, just out side the Akumal Beach Resort Hotel, and there is another one to the north of Akumal.
  

THE EXTRACTOR

The Extractor Pump for removal of poisons from snake bites, bee and wasp stings, mosquito bites & more, including tabanos.

This REALLY works.  This is a good thing to have around the house, in the car, and in the golf bag, for when trying to track down those errant slices deep into the (Puerto Aventuras) jungle.

 The Extractor Vacuum Pump was designed specifically to provide the most powerful suction available for the safe extraction of venoms and poisons.  Because the Extractor's double chamber pump action is so powerful, you will not need to use the dangerous scalpel blades or knives associated with less effective bite kits.  This means Sawyer's First Aid Kit is the safest available, with the least risk of infection. 

It's easy to use with one hand, because it's a pump and not a syringe.  Just select which of the four plastic cups best covers the bitten area, attach it to the pump, then a simple push of the plunger with your thumb and the Extractor Pump will quickly and effectively remove venoms and poisons from below your skin.  By simply cleaning the cups after each use you may safely reuse the pump over and over again.

AEDs CAN NOW BE SOLD OVER THE COUNTER

            An automated external defibrillator (AED) for the home can now be sold over the counter, federal officials said Thursday, September 16, 2004.  The ruling by the Food and Drug Administration completes the AED's transformation from a heart-starting device used only by trained rescuers to an accessible safety tool that one day might be as common in American homes as fire extinguishers.

Most cases of sudden cardiac arrest occur at home, but most AEDs, which have been available only by prescription, are found in public places, such as airports and malls.  Tens of thousands of lives have been saved across the nation, many by flight attendants, security guards and passers-by who used an AED before rescuers arrived.  Some lives have been lost when no one knew where the AED was or when untrained people fumbled with it in a crisis.

But the FDA found that the model it approved, Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator, has been designed and labeled in such a way that anyone can follow the directions.

About 60,000 people a year suffer an electrical short circuit in the heart that can be reversed only with a shock from a defibrillator.  6% to 10% of these patients survive nationwide, USA TODAY found in an investigation published last year.  The survival rate in homes is far worse than in public places.  When shocked within six minutes, the person usually lives, but few emergency personnel can reach someone in that time.

Sales must reach 20,000 a year before the AED's $2,000 price tag will fall.  The firm plans to have the AED on shelves by Christmas.

The Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator is:

o       Uses clear, natural voice instructions that talk you through each step

o       Senses and adapts to your actions

o       Coaches you through CPR

o       Based on industry-leading technology

o       Uses a highly accurate algorithm to determine whether the patient’s heart requires a shock

o       Designed to only deliver a shock if one is needed

o       Performs comprehensive daily self tests

o       Ready to use when you need it

o       Check its status at a glance

DID YOU KNOW? 

Lisa Gunderson of Caribbean Fantasy reports that her father, Jack Kirkpatrick, who is one of the business pioneers in Akumal, as well as a property owner, frequent visitor, and man in love with the area and the Mayans, has been critically ill with a rare neurological disease called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.  Any well wishes can be sent to Lisa at gundersons@comcast.net   or send U.S. Mail to Jack (& Vera) Kirkpatirck, 1208 West Broadmoor Drive, Loveland, CO 80537.

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is still sometimes referred to as Steele Richardson Olszewski Syndrome, so named after the three Canadian Neurologists who first described PSP as a separate disorder in 1963.  More recently, it is known as the disease from which the British born actor, musician and comedian Dudley Moore suffered from the late 1990s until his untimely death in March 2002. 

PSP stands for:

 PSP is a degenerative brain disease involving the death of selected neurons (nerve cells)  just above the nuclei in the mid-brain, (hence 'supranuclear') which are important for controlling vision, movement and balance. In pathological examination, - examination of tissue after death - some shrinkage of the brain and 'tau' protein clumps called neurofibrillary tangles can be seen.  These are characteristic signs of PSP, however, similar such neurofibrillary tangles are also found in Alzheimer's Disease, though in different parts of the brain, and hence with different outcomes for the patient. 

The cause of PSP is as yet unknown, though there may be a genetic, as well as an  environmental, component.  From a broad survey of various countries in the Western World, the probability of the disease being passed from one generation to the next within a family is extremely low.  It may be that a combination of complex genetic susceptibility to PSP, together with an environmental trigger such as a blow on the head or exposure to toxins may cause the onset, but more research is required to confirm this theory.

The symptoms and progress of PSP are affected by the location of the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain and their rate of death.  This varies from case to case.  PSP is therefore a very individual disease, affecting different people in different ways at different rates of progression.  Early symptoms in 'classical' PSP cases involve a tendency to fall unexpectedly, usually backwards.  Other common symptoms include rigidity and backward arching of the neck, and - a key diagnostic feature - the "Supranuclear Palsy".  This is a difficulty in 'willed' upgaze and downgaze, i.e. the ability of the patient to voluntarily move their eyes up and down while keeping the head still.  The gait of a PSP patient is mildly unsteady and broadbased. 

Although tremor of limbs is rare, PSP can be easily misdiagnosed as Parkinson's Disease in its early stages.  Tiny, cramped handwriting and some changes in personality are often other indicators of the disease.  As PSP progresses, a patient's speech tends to become slurred (with a guttural tone rather than the 'whisper' characteristic of Parkinson's Disease) and there may be difficulties with swallowing.  Despite these physical problems, the intellect of a PSP patient is usually largely preserved, even in the later stages of the disease.

Average life expectancy of a PSP patient from onset of the disease is some seven years, though many patients, with good care, live well beyond this.  In the later stages of the disease the patient is usually confined to a wheelchair and will need full time care.

For more information go to www.psp.org

DID YOU KNOW?

The Farmer's Almanac reports that this month's full moon occurs on Tuesday, September 28, and it is called the Full Harvest Moon.  At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon.
 

COMINGS AND GOINGS

            If you are left out, please use Letter To The Editor. 

• Butch came back for a short visit on September 23 -28.
• Gary & Oveta Vardell returned for another brief stay.
• Macon & Susan (the lady in black) were also back.

• Home Mart is gone, and Home Depot is here in Cancun.  A delivery, of any size, to Akumal costs $1,550 pesos!!!!

Return to the Top