CDC Updates Morgellons Disease Information Page - Photo: Oval UFO w/ Lights Reported

[Guest guest]

Phantoms and Monsters CDC Updates Morgellons Disease Information Page Expedition Team To Search Lake Cameron, BC For Evidence of Monster Photo: Oval UFO w/ Lights Reported - Ohio - 9/10/09 Rare Pink Grasshopper Found in Devon, UK CDC Updates Morgellons Disease Information Page Posted: 11 Sep 2009 09:24 AM PDTCDC continues to receive reports of an unexplained skin condition which some refer to as “Morgellons”. Persons who suffer from this condition report a range of cutaneous or skin symptoms including crawling, biting and stinging sensations; granules, threads, fibers, or black speck-like materials on or beneath the skin; and/or skin rashes or sores. In addition to skin symptoms, some sufferers also report fatigue, mental confusion, short term memory loss, joint pain, and changes in vision.At this time, scientists and doctors do not know what causes this condition. They do not know if people who report the condition have common risk factors or if there is a common cause for the symptoms. To assist in learning more about this condition, CDC is conducting an epidemiologic investigation. To learn more about the investigation, please refer to the following link: www.cdc.gov/unexplaineddermopathy/investigation.htmlDoes CDC have evidence that this is a new condition?We do not know the cause of this condition or whether this condition is new. CDC has received an increased number of reports from persons who describe similar symptoms; therefore, we are conducting an investigation to learn more about this unexplained dermopathy.I (or my family member) am/is suffering from this skin condition, what should I do?Persons who believe they may suffer from this condition should contact a healthcare provider for evaluation and medical care. CDC is not a medical facility and does not provide medical care or consultation to patients.Is this condition contagious?The factors associated with acquiring this condition are unknown. At this time, doctors and scientists do not know what causes this condition and there is not enough information to determine whether or not this condition is contagious.How do I find a doctor?CDC is a public health institution that is a part of the federal government. CDC does not provide healthcare or maintain a referral list of providers. CDC suggests that you contact your primary care provider. If you do not have a healthcare provider, you may be able to identify an appropriate doctor in your area by contacting your insurance company or by using online physician locators that have been established by professional medical societies such as the American Medical Association http://webapps.ama-assn.org/doctorfinder/home.jsp or the American Academy of Dermatology http://www.aad.org/public/searchderm.htm.Is CDC aware that some web sites claim they have products that will treat/cure this condition?Yes. We are aware of some web sites that make these claims, including some that imply CDC support of their products. CDC cannot validate the information or claims of those web sites. At this time, CDC does not endorse or recommend any specific treatment or medications for this condition. Consumers should seek input from their healthcare provider before purchasing or using any product (e.g., skin creams, pills, and other medications) or equipment that is marketed as a treatment for this condition.I have more questions, whom can I contact?CDC recommends that you contact a licensed healthcare provider to discuss your symptoms.CDC maintains a telephone number with a pre-recorded voicemail and an email account to which you can send inquiries. At this time, we are not able to provide individual responses to each inquiry.______________________Morgellons Disease: Alien Introduced or Natural Human Syndrome?Morgellons Disease is a mysterious skin disorder that was first described more than 300 years ago. The disease is characterized by multi-colored fiber-like (filamentous) strands extruding from the skin in conjunction with various dermatologic and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Some of these multi-colored fibers (filamentous) are of microscopic size, while others have the appearance of fibers and granules coming out of the skin that can be seen growing with the naked eye. The multi-colored fibers range in color: white, blue, black, red and are often regarded by the medical community as common house hold lint.Some self-identified Morgellons sufferers and various conspiracy theorists provide their own origin hypotheses: "Perhaps it is caused by chemical spills or bio-terror or even alien abductions. On a radio program Coast to Coast a New Mexico doctor reports that a former CIA agent told him the disease was caused by the French. A botched government experiment, he says, contaminated the water.Morgellons patients are skeptical that aliens are the cause of their disease, but have not ruled out the possibility completely. Many websites host "proof" that the fibers and granules found in the lesions and rashes are actually a successful attempt at alien invasion. Subscribers to this theory theorize that the fibers are a means of communication or an attempt at global positioning for aliens.Evidence is beginning to mount linking Morgellons to Lyme Disease which can be caught from tick bites. Ginger Savely, a medical practitioner in Austin Texas, says she's seeing more and more patients in her clinic with the symptoms. Quoted in a local newspaper she said "Talking about it just sounds crazy, but there are just a lot of things that come out of their skin." Savely specializes in Lyme Disease and believes there may be a link. She says that about 10 percent of her patients with chronic Lyme disease have symptoms of Morgellons. He theory is that people with the tick-borne Lyme Disease have weaker immune systems, and may be more vulnerable to the Morgellons infection. The Morgellons Research Foundation says that forty-four people with Morgellons have tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the bacteria which causes Lyme Disease. They believe that an infection with Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) may alter the individual's immune system and allow this unknown organism to become an opportunistic coinfection.So it seems there is in fact a real bug, or even a 'willing coalition' of bugs at large in the United States attacking innocent citizens, despite official denials. It also seems that it is the US medical establishment that is 'delusional', not their unfortunate patients.References:squidoo.comwikipedia.orgbibliotecapleyades.netExpedition Team To Search Lake Cameron, BC For Evidence of Monster Posted: 11 Sep 2009 08:27 AM PDTcanada.com - People have reported seeing what they can best describe as a creature in Cameron Lake, just 30 kilometres west of Parksville, and John Kirk wants to find out what it is.Kirk co-founded a B.C. group dedicated to hunting unidentified animals, or cryptid, and said he and his fellow members of the Scientific Cryptozoology Club have been fielding calls from people who say it's time to take a closer look. The author of In the Domain of Lake Monsters plans an expedition to Cameron Lake to look for scientific evidence on Sept. 19.This initial inspection will determine whether or not people are mistaking natural phenomenon for a cryptid, Kirk explained.Once he and his team rule out things like submerged rocks or logs, they will return for a more in-depth analysis. So far, people have described the creature as long and serpent-like.One woman captured a photograph of a similar silver shape, an indication that it could be a fish, which would be just as interesting for Kirk because there are no known species of fish in the lake that can get that big, he explained.The 70-member club has experienced field researchers from all around the world but its small size and small budget often limit the expeditions they can go on. Oceanside Tourism, which represents both Parksville and Qualicum Beach, contacted the group and offered to sponsor the trip."We've gotten some feedback from people who are concerned that if we find something it will stop people from swimming but it doesn't stop people in Okanagan," Kirk said. "There are no reports of anyone getting attacked at one of these lakes. In fact, it's a great tourist attraction. People make an absolute fortune on this type of thing."Lakes in the province are notorious for creature sightings, according to Kirk, who said there are 39 lakes with some sort of sighting reports. With very few of these sightings confirmed, Kirk does not expect to find anything in Cameron Lake his first time out._____________________Posted 9/12/07Cryptozoologist Follows the Clues - Cameron Lake MonsterScientific cryptozoologist John Kirk intrigued by sightings at Cameron Lake“There is definitely something in the water and it is moving.”That’s the opinion of John Kirk, the president and head field researcher for the B.C. Scientific Cryptozoology Club, about a photograph of a strange wake in Cameron Lake.He says what he saw was convincing, and now he’s considering an expedition to Cameron Lake to look at the situation first-hand.The picture, taken by Brigette Horvath, reputedly shows evidence of something unusually large swimming in the lake. A TV segment featuring Horvath’s story and photo caught Kirk’s attention and a subsequent Internet search by his team pulled up the story in The News.It wasn’t the first time they’d heard about this creature. In fact, he said his group first heard about the cryptid — the name given to unidentified species — in 2004.“We have been aware of the Cameron Lake cryptid for a long time,” Kirk said.Kirk and his team studied Horvath’s image. They have since been in contact with her and he said he’s contemplating an expedition to the shores of Cameron Lake. If he does come, Kirk will bring with him a wealth of experience spanning 20 years that has seen his search for strange creatures take him from the shores of Vancouver Island lakes to the jungles of the Congo.He leads a group of about 70 members — among them, he notes, two members of the prestigious Royal Society. He plans to bring some of them with him, and he has invited Horvath.The sighting, he said, fits in with a surprisingly large and widespread body of local lake creature lore. In fact, he said, British Columbia is number one in the world for lake monster sightings, beating out Norway and Sweden.“There are 39 lakes in this province where some type of creature has been seen,” he said. “These phenomena happen all over the province.”Other Island sightings, he said, include giant salamanders in Nitnat Lake, and an Ogopogo-like creature in Cowichan Lake.“There’s a story of a guy fishing there in the 1950s or ‘60s being towed around the lake for an hour when his fishing line snagged on something very large.”Tales of lake cryptids on Vancouver Island, he said, go beyond the 20-odd year history of the Cameron Lake creature, noting another lake may provide a clue about the history of lake creatures.“Sproat Lake is also a body of water with an unknown animal inhabiting it,” he said. “In April, 1987 my family and a friend saw two large black humps swimming parallel with the shore at the northern end of the lake. We watched it for about minute. At Sproat Lake there are famous pictographs depicting an unknown creature known in the rest of the province as a Naitaka. This is the same name given to Ogopogo.”An author and law enforcement support worker, Kirk has travelled to Scotland, Ireland and parts of the United States in his cryptozoological investigations. However, he said for him, his adventure in Africa stands out.“We were looking for a semi-aquatic creature in Congo and Cameroon, called Mokele-mbembe, which is described as a long-necked animal with a body similar to a hippo and elephant-like legs,” he said. “It sounded like a sauropod. We heard reports of Pygmies seeing the creature.”One father and son, he said, reported watching a Mokele-mbembe for three hours when its bulk blocked their passage on the river, and they were able to describe it in detail. Some of the locals, he said, were able to pick out a picture of the creature from a book — a picture which turned out to be of a plesiosaur. Interestingly, he added, the Pygmies described dermal quills on the neck of the beast — a feature of plesiosaurs largely unknown until very recently, and which weren’t in the pictures.While Kirk said Mokele-mbembe could be some sort of holdover from another time, the Cameron Lake cryptid appears to be something different.“Someone said it was silver coloured and looked like a fish,” he said. “I don’t think this is a pleisiosaur or something left over from he age of dinosaurs. I think it could be an undiscovered species.”Photo: Oval UFO w/ Lights Reported - Ohio - 9/10/09 Posted: 11 Sep 2009 08:57 AM PDTWitness MUFON report: September 10, 2009 - Undisclosed location in Ohio - I was sitting on the couch and saw something out of the corner of my eye through the front screen door. It was odd so I got up and said to my husband, "what is that?". We both went to the front porch and watched for a minute when I told him to get the camera. It was directly in front of us about 1,000 feet up (husband's estimate). He snapped a couple of pics and I watched it until it was out of my sight.It was a very still night, no wind. There was no sound coming from the object. It moved from north to south at a steady clip, never changing altitude.It didn't scare us, it was intriguing.NOTE: the photo suggest that this object was oval/saucer shaped with lights on the bottom. The description by the witness left a lot to be desired...as well, a specific location was not given. Since it was stated that the object did not change altitude, the assumption is that this was not a balloon. I do hope other reports and images on this object are forthcoming...LonUPDATE: several readers on the P & M wiki and Facebook have suggested that this is a burning leaf from a bonfire or other natural anomaly. I'm not discounting any of those assessments and would welcome more opinions. MUFON reports always have to be taken with skepticism just by the nature of how sightings are reported and that many people enjoy spinning hoaxes...LonRare Pink Grasshopper Found in Devon, UK Posted: 11 Sep 2009 07:05 AM PDTthesun.co.uk - A schoolboy has stumbled on a rare pink grasshopper.Eagle-eyed Daniel Tate, 11, was taking part in the first Minibeasts in the Marshes event at Seaton Marshes, Devon, when he came across the little hopper.Experts say it is a common green grasshopper which just happens to be pink.Daniel said: "I was looking for grasshoppers when I saw something pink."I thought it was a flower but I saw it moving, so I tried to catch it. It jumped so then I knew it was a grasshopper."I was really excited to hear that no one else had found a pink grasshopper at that place before."James Chubb, education ranger for East Devon council, said: "There are billions of meadow grasshoppers across England but this is the first pink one I have ever seen."It is caused by a genetic mutation in its reproductive cycle."It's almost a full adult, so it has survived this long being bright pink there is a chance it will live to reproduce and pass on its pink gene." ********************Are you interested in the paranormal, cryptozoology, UFOs and conspiracies? Go to Phantoms and Monsters Wiki and become a member of this unique network. Start a page on a subject or add your input to an existing page or thread. Phantoms and Monsters updates are posted daily at Twitter. Signup today! Find me on Facebook********************Have you had a close encounter or witnessed something unusual?Send us an email********************Anomalist Books - works on maverick science, unexplained mysteries, unorthodox theories, strange talents, and unexpected discoveries. Please check out their excellent and diverse catalog