Jeff J....
In no particular order and sometimes off-topic ('cause that's the way my
mind's running today):
Let's see.... first: YIKES! Busticated ribs? Sorry to hear THAT, Jeff!
Next: Sunday "Blahs": Believe it or not, there's a not uncommon
psychological problem recognized in the world of western medicine today as
"Sunday Blues Syndrome." (I kid you not) Apparently a lotta folks get mighty
depressed by late Sunday as the work-week approaches - enough so that it's
become a recognizable malaise, if not an actual disease. <------- for what
it's worth) <and prolly useless information>
Next: St.John's Wort: There's been a tremendous interest in this medicant
amongst the members of the forum I manage on The Microsoft Network (the
"Chronic Disease & Disorders Forum"). Ultimately, I've drawn the conclusion
that this is a valuable drug - but it CAN be abused in which case there ARE
unpleasant side effects. ALSO.... it seems to not only act differently in
each individual, but within each different disease-group. So if, for
instance, it was beneficial for those with, say, arthritis, and lupus, it
might have negative or no effects on the person having Fibromyalgia or Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome.
St. John's Wort is, despite it's odd name, a DRUG (albeit a natual one long in
use to benefit humankind down thru the ages). Read up on it first, ask your
pharmacist, and use with caution!
Next: I liked that comment that you're "addressing ideas, not people." Well
put!
Next: Doctors not being trained in HEALTH, but rather in handling dis-ease:
Interesting and provocative topic, Jeff. Certainly it applies to Western
medicine.
I am a member of Kaiser Permanente (to those non-US citizens, Kaiser is the
oldest, and one of the most respected HMOs in the USA - now what's an HMO?
Health Maintenance Organization) <I think>. They offer TONS of classes and
seminars for their patients on HEALTH... but they seem rooted in preventing or
managing certain common maladies such as heart disease, diabetes, etc. and
other long-time scourges of mankind, rather than on maintaining general good
health.
Maybe it's just expected that no one wants to deal with good health is they
HAVE it? It's only after it's gone that THAT condition becomes so very
desirable? <rueful smile>
Next: The "News Biz": PHOOEY ON THEM! And sadness that our species is so
gullible and easily manipulated by the medium and Madison Ave-types. We seem
to turn on the TV and lose a lot of our common sense simultaneously. I think
this might because of both an inherent innocence, trustfulness, and mental
laziness.
Next: Jeff's mind: I like it.. <smile>
Thanks for permitting me to ramble on today. It's been quite a while since
I've had even a hint of enough leisure to enjoy a good "list-ramble!" <smile>
Been so overwhelmed with work that I haven't had one moment to myself and my
own interests. I DO read all list-messages tho (but has missed my usual
list-posting)
Barb Mallut
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Barb Mallut
-----Original Message-----
From: Parkinson's Information Exchange On Behalf Of Jeff Jones
Sent: Saturday, June 28, 1997 8:22 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN
Subject: Re: St. John's Wort / 20/20,depression
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
rganizations 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
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