Jeff Jones wrote:
>
> At 08:47 AM 6/28/97 -0400, you wrote:
> >Sue Maltais wrote:
> >>
> >> Did anyone see 20/20 last night?  They did a report on an herb
> called
> >> St. John's Wort that is having great success in helping people with
> mild
> >> to moderate depression. I can't remember the Drs. name but he's
> written a
> >> book on it, and Dr. Tim Johnson was quite enthused about it.
> >>
> >> Sue, in Mass.
> >Sue,
>
> I've been watching this thread develop for a short time and have
> decided to
> throw my 02 cents and opinions into the ring.
>
> To begin, I freely admit that I have so many opinions that some are
> bound
> to be wrong.  My intent with this message is to hold them up for
> consideration.  Throughout this message I am addressing ideas, not
> people.
> This is, by no means a flame directed at anyone.
>
> As far as I know, I am healthy, other than an incident that occurred
> three
> weeks ago when the front tire on my bicycle blew and I lost control
> and
> took a spill.  The result was an abrupt acceptance of ill health as a
> number of ribs were fractured.
>
> I have been taking St. John's Wort for months as a result of reading
> information disseminated from my health food store.  I didn't rush out
> immediately, but, rather, looked for more information.  I found Earl
> Mindell's Herb Bible and other sources that described St. John's Wort.
> There is a rather large body on knowledge in the naturopath community
> that
> is, in my view, generally ignored by most mainstream doctors.  Having
> corroborated the flyer from the health food store, I decided to try
> ST.
> John's Wort.  I found, almost immediately, a lessening of the negative
> feelings I seem to embrace every Sunday afternoon when I have time on
> my
> hands.  I'm not aware of any side affects and firmly believe that the
> St.
> John's Wort had no bearing on the breaking of my ribs.  :-})   At the
> same
> time, I also admit that I don't know if there are and side affects.
>
> As I look at this designer disease called Parkinsons, it strikes me
> that
> everyone has their very own unique set of bodily attributes and
> therefore
> everyone reacts differently to the different inputs introduced.  It
> also
> seems to me that at different times, a person's body reacts to the
> same
> input in different ways.  It becomes each person's, in my view, very
> own
> responsibility to monitor what's happening.  The important thing, in
> my
> view, it to never give up and to try anything, within reason that
> comes
> along.  I guess using leeches to let blood is something I'd not want
> to do,
> for example, but dependind on the problem.....
>
> I firmly believe (this the controversial portion of this message.
> :-})
> ), that, virtually all doctors truly wish the best for their patients,
> however, it's my very own personal view that few doctors receive a lot
> of
> training in the area of preventative medicine, or health.  I don't
> think
> that health is much studied.  I believe that dis-ease is the focus of
> the
> majority of a doctor's training so it's no wonder that the first line
> of
> defense is to prescribe medications that mask symptoms rather than
> address
> the root cause of the disease in question.  It's certainly true that
> there
> are many natural chemicals that are harmful, witness the nightshade
> family,
> but I also firmly believe that, there are many natural chemicals that
> contribute to health rather than masking symptoms.  I find it
> difficult to
> believe that an artificial chemical can be used by my finely tuned
> body to
> built health.  What it needs is the amino acids, minerals, vitamins
> etc.
> that occur in the correct proportions, one to another, to build
> health.
>
> Don't get me wrong, there absolutely are viable uses for the
> artificial
> drugs that mask symptoms and I use them when needed.  My ribs can
> attest to
> this.  What I am saying is that it is each person's responsibility to
> choose to work toward building health and how to do it.
>
> I am *extremely* distrustful of the news media because I've read
> quotes
> which state that they can change the opinions of the nation by the way
> the
> "news" is reported.  I believe that, long ago, many of the media
> organizations departed from objectively reporting facts to selectively
> reporting "news" that generates money for their investors.  I think
> that
> it's entirely correct to view information tendered by these
> organizations
> with a jaundiced eye, but at the same time, I think it's our
> responsibility
> to research the information conveyed to determine for ourselves what
> we
> should do with it.
>
> Bottom line, one ought not to close one's mind to something because
> it's
> new to them or there's a lot of media hype, or well-meaning folks who
> have
> a narrowly focused education poo-poo it.  Take the time to reasearch
> and
> consider the "something" before rejecting it.
>
> Thus endth my 02 cents.
>
> Jeff Jones, part time CG for Becky
> [log in to unmask]


Jeff-

I don't disagree with you for the most part.   I don't think that the
issue is health vs. disease though.  If St. John's Wort is indeed
effective I presume that it is working like a drug.  Good controlled
studies are needed.  If it is effective with minimal side effects I
support its use.

My posting was one of caution.  I support research into the usefulness
of the substance.

Charlie
--
**********************************************************
CHARLES T. MEYER, M.D.
MADISON, WISCONSIN
**********************************************************