Who's the Fool?

My father always used to say "The doctor wants you to see him as quickly as possible.  Otherwise, you might get better all by yourself."  Of course, he died at 69 but the point was fairly reasonable.  Anyone who's seen George C. Scott in The Hospital knows that you've got a fair chance of doing better with home remedies than in a medical institution.

On the other hand, let us consider the sad case of John Roebling, designer of the Brooklyn Bridge.  After having his foot crushed by an oncoming ferry boat at the Fulton Landing, he dismissed his doctors, refused all advice, and attempted to cure himself through hydropathy.  He developed Tetanus and died three weeks later in the most horrible agonies of lockjaw.  I can think of no better argument in favor of listening to your doctor.  They spend decades in school for a reason.

Ultimately, it boils down to this:  Use your own judgment.  Admit when you don't know as much as the doctor might.  But acknowledge that sometimes you do.  There his a very famous prayer that ends with the phrase, "and the wisdom to know the difference."  This applies to medicine and treating the sick as much as anything else.

Obviously, all things in their due season.  There are miles of pathways beyond home remedies leading all the way to sub-quantum entaglement and the surprisingly strong electromagnetic field generated by the heart's nervous system.  And doctors are good at fixing injuries, if not illnesses.  I've been bitten by a zebra and gotten my tetanus shot, and I've been medicated with "herbal" marching tablets in Northern Vietnam:  Any port in a storm, and "never challenge worse!"

I agree that we have all of the natural resources needed to cure our ailments. This too is a science. Understanding the complexities of natural medicine takes a great deal of knowledge. Until our medical society embraces this method of treatment thus providing health insurance coverage for alternative medicines, we will remain tied to the pharmacutical companies, as a nation, in the future.

Herbal medicines can have unwanted side effects as well. They are dependent on climate and soil changes that may effect their potency or chemical reactions. Natural medicines effectiveness also varies by person. Without national recognition and attention to homeopathic medicines we are on our own to learn as we go.

To; DreadPirateRoberts, 

Happy Birthday to you!

For me, a nice mixture of the natural and medical would be best. Many herbal medicines say to "check with your doctor before using" and the doctor always says, "no". I try to stick to the topical natural cures and injest the chemical ones.

The other thing about homeopathic cures is that they carry a certain air of romance about them - so even if you're taking it to relieve back pain - which is decidedly un-romantic - you still get the feeling that you're doing something more culturally aware than popping a few Advils. Just think: would you find an entry about Mr Peterman in India, drinking herbal teas and ayurvedic remedies? Or a fantastic adventure with Mr Peterman to the local doctor, that prescribes amoxicillin and a doctor more specialised in the field of X?

And what I've noticed about doctors is that when you go to see something, and they treat you for something, they make money. Everyone wants to make money - especially people who've gone to school for an extra eight years to make that money. So oftentimes, doctors will prescribe things to you that aren't entirely necessary. I've found that dentists do this a lot.

Post script: Happy birthday DreadPirateRoberts! Hope you're still sleeping in. You'll find it does wonders.

I JUST WANTED TO SAY "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" TO DPR.  THE BEST HOME REMEDY IS TO ENJOY EACH AND EVERY DAY ESPECIALLY YOUR BIRTHDAY. 

DRR,

Don't forget to blow out your candles and make a wish.  Hippy "B" Day too ya.

 Happy Birthday DreadPirateRoberts!

It's a tad amusing that this topic comes right after I get home from taking my dog to the vet.
But, to quote an obscene internet cartoon squirrel, "Some of the side effects to the medication I take are either nightmares, and sometimes diseases, and sometimes diarrhea, constipation, bleeding from the eyes. My ears ache. Sometimes, I get headaches, migraines, death. But I got pills to cure the death, so I take those and it... and it off-sets the death effects."

So often, on a blog, chat room, or message board, we can forget that there are actually people behind the pseudonymous pixellated comments on the screen.  But the humanity that shines through on this site is stunning, humbling, and tremendously endearing.  Thank you all for your good wishes.  I will let you know how the barbecue adventure goes.  In the meantime, now that I'm 34, I have been pondering the great performances that have been given by people who were also 34:

Marlon Brando in The Young Lions

Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

George Sanders in The House of the Seven Gables

Bette Davis in Now, Voyager

Charles Laughton in The Private Life of Henry VIII

Greta Garbo in Ninotchka

That's all that comes to mind at the moment.

My poor older brother, Jack, an absolute prisoner as a boy, to earaches and ear infections, was made to wear a half inch thick slice of raw onion held to his ear by a clean, warmed cotton cloth- probably a diaper. Just imagine!
The persons in my tribe descended from Germans and Danes which in no way explains where they came up with that bit of primitivism to: "Draw out the infection."
The rest of us would have gone happily to our graves before admitting to ear pain.
He turned out fine in spite of it.

The One At The Desk said,"And what I've noticed about doctors is that when you go to see
something, and they treat you for something, they make money. Everyone
wants to make money - especially people who've gone to school for an
extra eight years to make that money. So oftentimes, doctors will
prescribe things to you that aren't entirely necessary."

So homeopaths, chiropractors, naturopaths and their ilk don't charge any money for their sometimes dubious services?  They just do everything for free and never overcharge?  

Home remedies are undoutedly a great thing, but there isn't the scientific method for nothing. In North Africa for many aliments traditionally a knife is heated to red hot and applied to various parts of the body associated with the ailment. I'm sure more examples can be found. I'm sure no one here does this, but as good as old folk medicine is today I think it has a hype that can be taken a little overboard.

Great Post.

This is what we get from "Western Medicine". The combination of big drug companies pushing doctors to sell, what else could we expect.

They big boys are not going to make any money selling dried mullet...

However I'm going to look into that one!

Jeremiah: All these ilk of which you speak - I know they overprice their stuff. I would further your 'sometimes dubious' to 'always dubious'. When a doctor prescribes amoxicillin, to which I referenced earlier, you know there's bacteria that are gonna die. Doctors are pretty much foolproof. But they carry with them a degree and an air of intelligence that makes you much more hesitant to deny them. It's easy as pie to deny a gypsy insisting that a paste will make you feel better inside.

Homeopathy is about choice. You don't have to do it. But when a doctor tells you to, you feel a certain obligation.

And like I said - "Everyone wants to make money."

For all this talk about "dubiousness," another side of the story...

My mother has been in a specialized cancer clinic in Mexico for the past 6 weeks, getting treated for a massive stage 2 tumor on her cervix.  We just learned a couple of days ago that the tumor has dissolved completely!

I wonder what would have become of her, had she taken the conventional route of chemotherapy and radiation (including, in her case, internal)... She did not feel at all good about following this treatment path, and followed her natural inclinations - with her family's encouragement.

I believe that to heal, people have to follow the treatment that FEELS right to them.  We all too often discount our own better instincts to follow "experts," and aint that a shame? 

Greetings:  Very busy few days here, BUT....Arguhh, matey, Happy Birthday to you, my Pirate friend.  34yrs old? Spring Chicken!

Lovey:  I saw Counting Crows and Maroon 5 last night.  It was awesome.

Capt Neptune: Ah, getting drawn into the pop aspect of the younger generations? I'm glad you got out to a concert, even if I do have lukewarm feelings about those bands.
[I can't listen to "pop" songs unless they have a prefix or suffix (emo-pop or pop-punk) or unless the singer has goregous hair. Counting Crows' singer's dreadlocks aren't doin' it for me.]

My personal favorite in the "possible side effects" category was from a food (sic), not a medicine. A few years ago, a famous potato chip maker produced a chip that was supposed to be non-fattening. The associated warning was, "may cause flatulence with oily discharge." They named it (wait for it...) "Wow!" Talk about an understatement!

 DPR:  This is a birthday song... and it doesn't last too long...
 

I am old.  I don't know where to start here.  There are so many stories I could tell. One of the things that I KNOW drives the alternative medicine industry is the broken down health insurance system under which we live in this country.  So many simply can't afford the medicines perscribed.  For instance, I have osteophoresis.  I am on a drug that hasn't really improved things for ten years.  My Dr. wanted me to take a drug that meant a shot every day for two years.  Okay, but it cost $800/month!  And my insurance company wouldn't touch it.  Am I supposed to go ahead and pay that, and not feed the family?  Am I supposed to simply do nothing and say, "Oh well?"  No.  I do my own research and try to find an alternative to that drug.  I found Strontium.  It is an element like calcium, potassium, etc.  And now I learn that, even though there is NO difference in the absorbancy of one salt of strontium over another, there is a drug house that is developing one varient that is man-made so that they can get a patent on it.  Then they will market it as a wonderful breakthrough that they can get the doctors to prescribe and get the big bucks for it.  That is because the naturally occuring salts are available without any restrictions and can be obtained much cheaper.  Cynical?  You bet, just like we talked about the other day.  But that comes with age and experiencing life and all its foibles for a lot of years.  I am awaiting anxiously this fall when I get my anual bone density done to see if strontium has made a difference.  Stay tuned.

Some of them do work.  I managed to relieve pain from an ulcer by drinking a cup of peppermint tea every day. 

I forgot to add my mother's cure-all which also seems to work most of the time:

1 tbsp honey

1 shot of whiskey

Mix the two in a cup and fill with hot water.  Sip slowly and repeat as needed.

My Czech ancestors swore by potato water for every ill.

Whereas my Hispanic side thinks hot peppers will keep you from getting sick in the first place. 

Essential oils do it for me... peppermint for stomach or headaches, lavendar and citrus for emotional states, etc.

Let's not forget that most of today's modern pharmacopeia was derived from natural sources.  More important, natural does not always equal safe.  I remember when I was doing my rotation through the ED, and we saw patients come in having poisoned themselves on "natural" remedies. 

Some of the over-prescribing we see is the fault of the patient.  Americans demand a quick-fix to their ailments, and want a pill.  The result is the antibiotic tolerance we're facing.  Taking a holistic approach with natural elements is alright, as long as you know when to listen to the doctor.  I had a patient once who decided she was going to cure her breast cancer with wheatgrass, as the herbalist and her own research had suggested.  Needless to say, she's no longer among the living.

My generalized fix-all is Reflexology.  I swear by the technique.  I AM CONVINCED certain ailments (ulcer, back pain, headaches) I have personally had to deal with have been healed using this form of treatment.  Try it... it is great! 

There's still somehting to be said about Tried & True home & herbal remedies. Some may not work for everyone but than again you may just learn from trying any of it befor eyou turn your nose up at the whole idea.

I'm not real big on on the belief that eating abunch of herbs & chanting can cure you of cancer cells, but I am willing to give a chance to treating it using what most people today call a mix of eastern & western medicines.  

My mother is an RN has been for over 30 years ~ when we were sick as kids even she did the home remedies before we went in to see the Dr.  I can remember gurgling or drinking tea with Honey & lemon to "cure" sore throats, taking a shot of Extra Sharp Ginger Brandy to cure a nighttime cough. To be honest there's always abottle of Extra Sharp Ginger Brandy on hand in case needed.

There' a lot of things people swear by that are along the lines of CRAZY but there's also A lot to be said for maybe looking into more "healthy" remedies than the drug makers & medical professionals offer us.

One thing that came to mind while reading Mr. Peterman's post today was all the commercials for yogurts that help with an upset stomach.  Most yogurt has live cultures in it that helps your health already. But yet people are paying more just because it's marketed as being Healthy & New.  How many people go to their doctors & pay mega bucks for a "new" pill that really is something that's been around all along? 

Happy Birthday Dread Pirate Roberts ~ or should we be saying: 

 "as you wish?" 

Have a great day :)  

To: DreadPirateRoberts,

Happy Birthday!

My father was a doctor, specialized on tropical diseases, set up clinics in third world countries for WHO especially as the old empires faded away.  He would be the first to agree with Onc Doc.

My concern has always been with the side-effects of medicine.......is it worth curing my irregular heart beat only to die of a rare form of brain cancer? (I'm joking here but the side effects are sometimes unintentionally scary).

If I take a certain male virility drug I might have  to go to the emergency room four hours later.  I'm not sure, at my age, whether that would be a medical emergency or a cause for celebration!!!  Perhaps OncDoc can advise me how I would present myself at the emergency room without the triage nurse falling down in laughter. Exactly what cure is there for that "four hour" problem (miracle) I couldn't figure out for myself.......... 

Having read much since near the inception of this page I thank you all for your opinions.  They have added to my day and gotten me thinking.  Thank you Mr. Peterman for a wonderful forum and topics.  That said, Happy Birthday Dread Pirate Roberts, you youngster.

I find garlic the cure for much, love my saline solution and have a whole batch of herbs out the back door.  I realized recently I dont have Lemon Balm growing yet, the cure for most stomach ailments. (My wife was complaining of a stomach ache.)   I am watching my parents get older and fail in various ways, some medications helping and others causing more problems.  A century ago my father may not have survived his heart attack without the medication he had nearly 20 years ago, but some of Mother's dementia may have been caused by another medication.

We have lost a connection somewhere here.  Many homeopathic cures have old roots.  The major pharmacueticals have no interest in the testing which the FDA requires.  Chicken soup, a clove of garlic, fresh basil and a good walk go a long way.  Add an apple for good measure.  There is a happy medium perhaps, but what will happen when strains become resistant to antibiotics as they are?  Will sulfa drugs again be the answer or will we have to become stronger and at what price?  Think I'll have another garlic olive, slice a beet for my hypertension and do some reading on this mullet.  Seems safer than taking one pill to take it down and another to take it up.

Maybe a happy medium.  I have been resisting buying that Datura plant at the farmer's market, but I have to look for a lemon balm.

What works for me...

unhinged,

I forgot all about sulfa tablets for sore throats.  Just reading the word brought back the memory of the taste and after taste.

My step-grandfather was a rare combo in his time, both an MD and a Chiroprator; so we kids received a mixed bag of treatments.  His most frequently used cure all was cod liver oil tablets.  We used to have giant jars of them in the pantry.  The threat of having to endure that smell when the jar was opened was usually incentive enough to stay healthy.

To: PeterLake,

My grandmother had a big bottle of cod liver oil and a very large spoon to dispense it.  You know you're right....I don't think I ever got sick as a kid, the thought of that oil was enough to keep the illness away and of course that apple a day certainly kept the doctor away, too. Ah, the good old days.

Who needs insurance, you just need cod liver oil and an apple.

To: ExPat,

I do believe that cod liver oil may be the orign of the phrase "gag me with a spoon".  We had the rubbery capsules that disolved before you could swallow.  I think I would have hopped a train and "r u n n o f t"  if we had it in liquid form.

This is a very interesting topic; a great time to drop in again after weeks off the grid.  It speaks to the way we view our bodies and our health.  We can take responsibility for what goes wrong, completely abdicate all responsibility in favour of an outside "authority" or chose the middle way in which we take care of the small stuff and ask for help when our expertise is outclassed by our ailment.  If we can learn to separate the panic from the pathology, it all becomes much easier. 

I abandoned mainstream medicine in the 70s; it just seemed that it was heading toward treatment of individual symptoms instead of the person presenting them.  A little scary to say the least.  Our family doctor is a homeopath and an MD so he has a foot in each camp..it's been a great solution.  I cringe at pharma ads that often cite the very symptom they're supposed to cure in the list of side effects.  hmmm.

During a dance with cancer a couple of years ago, I chose mainstream medicine for the surgery and the radiation but skipped the chemo.  Homeopathic remedies, not pain meds after surgery.  When I got the MRSA during a 9 hour hospital visit, I took antibiotics...they didn't work, but the radiation took care of it.  All in all, dancing with the enemy, (I mean Western medicine, not cancer: cancer was a teacher.) was not a bad thing.

To DPR, I hope your birthday was a wonderful one and you did something adventurous and fun.