Here's the link to the article and video. I tried to embed the video, but the HTML was screwed up and I didn't know how to fix it.
Here's the short letter I whipped up in response. I'm getting a little punch-drunk at the moment and that may shine through when I go off on my handicapped rampage (see below). I should probably stop staring at this computer screen now (speaking of lighting triggers). Read on, my friends:
I've suffered from severe chronic migraines for over half my life, and one of my biggest triggers is fluorescent lighting (compact bulbs or the old-fashioned tubes). Despite Sylvania's argument that "there's no scientific evidence" that fluorescents are a trigger for thousands, if not millions, of migraineurs, the truth cannot be ignored: people are getting ill to the point of becoming disabled after having been under such lighting. I, like Burchfield, am very "green" and want to do all I can to save the earth. A daughter of an environmental scientist, it's second nature for me to do what I can to see that the earth stays (or tries to get) healthy. I'm not creating a myth here. I have not spent what has amounted to months of my life in classrooms and office areas wearing a hat AND sunglasses, trying my best to shield myself from the light that is bound to get into my eyes no matter what. For many, migraine is a disability and should be treated as such. Imagine that handicapped ramps and elevators somehow damaged the environment. Installing "green" stairwells in place of ramps and elevators would never be a reality in a country that has learned to graciously accommodate to the needs of those who cannot walk. On the same token, we must acknowledge that migraine disease, while "invisible," is severely debilitating and serious. We must do all we can to ensure the health of our planet without sacrificing the health of the humans that inhabit it.
For more information on the link between fluorescents and migraine, try a quick internet search using those words and/or check out this site, which has information and more links to visit: http://irlen.com/index.php?s=news
Thanks for your time.
Sincerely, The Migraine Girl
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7 comments:
good cause. i'll try to spread this interview as well.
couldn't figure the code for video either; bummer.
Thanks for spreading the word! Now if we could only tell stores, companies, office buildings, and schools across America how very sick they make me. Perhaps then I wouldn't walk around surrounded by migriane triggers!
I wear shades even inside the buildings. It helps a little.
Did an article on my own yesterday and added the wjla's page and yours to "Stumble".
Some bigger site has to pick it up. Would NYTimes' Migraine blog be interested, I wonder? I couldn't find any contact links for them.
This is a great letter. I'm glad you sent it.
I'm glad you sent this letter! I love it when big companies deny the peculiar link between their product and the suffering of thousands...sure, there must be some OTHER factor...can't be our drug/light bulb/fragrance/etc.
Personally, flourescents don't trigger migraines for me, but if I have one, they make it a bazillion times worse. I find I can actually _see_ the electric currents moving through the tubes, a kinda squiqley line of current that flickers over the whole area. Ick!
Doesn't seem to be attracting too much attention so far. Have you thought about using http://www.petitiononline.com/
to re-publish it? If we have a link to that petition on several sites, it could help to gather a bit more momentum.
Rain Gem & co., you inspired me to take more action. I emailed the main contact person at Irlen.com (the site currently hosting a petition) and asked them how we could help get the petition out there and if we could republish it on petitiononline.com.
I'll let you all know what I hear!
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