That's my opinion, and it's very true.
That's my opinion, and it's very true.
Number Eighteen ©January, 2001 ••••••• Don Harthcock, Editor OpinionSoup may contain language and topics unsuitable for children.
"The life which is unexamined is not worth living." ~Plato
IN THIS ISSUE:
AMA (American Medical Association) - Personal from Donny
BAY LAUREL - Great for beef stew or dandruff!
CLUB MOSS - New Hope for those who suffer with Alzheimer's
DANCE MOVEMENT THERAPY - exorcising with Elvis
ENOKI - another Asian-American
GUGGUL - treats obesity and high cholesterol
IRISH MOSS - food for leprechauns
KOHLRABI - German Turnip-Cabbage
LEMONGRASS - why there are no mosquitoes at Thai restaurants
MARJORAM - Mama mia! Now THAT's Italian!
OPOSSUM - Eat More Possum!
PRAYER - for healing of the sick
The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated any of the statements made in this publication, nor is that likely ever to happen. This publication is not meant to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Since this publication is not intended to be diagnostic or prescriptive, the authors assume no responsibility for any adverse reactions resulting from the use of any information contained in it.
AMA (American Medical Association)
Personal from Donny
Click on the pic to go to AMA and hear their side of the story.
"Once-upon-a-time," fairytales often begin. Well, ONCE-UPON-A-TIME, the American Medical Association was a professional association of medical practitioners and medical students, with a reputation for being dedicated to the task of weeding out bad doctors.
Today, however, the AMA are professional lobbyists, concerned EXCLUSIVELY with saving reputations and maintaining high incomes for all their members; good, bad, or indifferent. If you prefer not to believe this, we're on the same page. I would prefer not to believe it, also. My problem is, I know it's true.
It's because they're losing ground to similar, "specialist" organizations. National Public Radio reports that less than 40% of American doctors belong to the AMA these days (that includes students, who pay greatly-reduced fees), and the association is desperate for membership dollars.
You should keep in mind that the AMA no longer sets the standard for health care in our country. The only item on their agenda, these days, is money. It has even been said that they sometimes don't tell the whole truth in the formerly-prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which has been accused of specious arguments and poorly authenticated articles. See Ginseng.
Just as in the cases of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) and Affirmative Action, somebody had a good idea when they "thought up" the AMA (likewide, the FDA). Concerning what's wrong with these and other misguided, empire-building, bloated, dead-but-not-yet-in-their-graves organizations, there are specific differences. Generally, however, my complaint speaks to the major fault which they all have in common: like so many of our current crop of professional, career politicians, THEY DO NOT SERVE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC (that's you and me), who ultimately foot their bills and pay their salaries.
Serving the public, allegedly, is their raison d'etre, but you and I both know that Self is the master whom they serve, and Cover-Your-Ass is the protocol. The main desire of most of these people is to protract their own employment and to insure for themselves a permanent slot at the public trough. It is true that, unlike the EEOC or the FDA, the AMA is not a public organization, but they most certainly do pretend to be, and pose as such.
To expose the above pretense, here's just one of many stories that could be told about the AMA (see "Lena's Story" by Edward Grossman, in the July, 1999, issue of Reader's Digest):
Having heard testimony on medical malpractice and the scandalously common malfeasance of some state licensing boards, Congress passed the Health Care Quality Improvement Act (HCQIA) more than ten years ago, from which sprang the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). The NPDB has records of all medical license revocations and suspensions, as well as the details of all malpractice suits which have been "settled" by doctors' insurance companies. But you and I can't find out about any of that!
The American Medical Association was ADAMANTLY OPPOSED to having this information available to the American Public (that's you and me), on the grounds that many spurious malpractice claims are filed against excellent doctors who "settle" just to avoid prolonged and expensive litigation. All doctors who had settled out of court, guilty or innocent, would be painted with the same brush, they said. AMA lobbyists further postulated that, not having enough intelligence to know the difference, The Public was better-off not knowing anything at all. The unbridled arrogance of these people! Of course, it is their members who are better-off having this information kept secret.
Kissing the AMA's ass for future votes to keep themselves in office, Congress caved. The Public would not have access to this information; no way, no-how, said the Grand and Glorious Wizards. THEN WHY HAVE IT? Donny would like to know. The HCQIA was signed into law November 14, 1986, by Ronald Reagan, a charming and beloved man who is now in an advanced stage of Alzheimer's Disease, which had already begun while he was the President of the United States of America. We were better-off not knowing that, also.
Donny thanks Edward Grossman, author of "Lena's Story" (see above), for the following information:
1. Around 100,000 doctors have been reported to the NPDB, but thanks to the AMA, a dishonorable Congress and a sleeping President, it is ILLEGAL to divulge their names.
2. State Boards of Medicine and Offices of Professional Medical Conduct will tell you that a doctor has "a clean record," NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES he or she has been sued and reported to the NPDB.
3. A computerized legal service called Lexis can find out for you if a doctor has been sued, if you provide the name. This service is not free.
4. Massachusetts maintains a data base at its Board of Registration in Medicine from which anyone can obtain a free profile on any of its 27,000+ doctors.
5. Florida has put on the Internet the details and amounts of all medical malpractice payments within its borders. Similar laws have been passed in California and are pending in Maryland.
Mississippi's politicians, still deep in the backwoods of good-old-boyism and protecting their "pillars of the community," have no such movements afoot. Also, this basically Fundamentalist-Christian state has strong taboos against sueing their doctors, whom they worship. How are things in your state?
Donny urges you to read "Lena's Story," a deeply personal, well-researched and well-written story by Edward Grossman, of the devastating and totally unnecessary loss of his beloved wife and preemie son...at the hands of their arrogant and ignorant doctors. Visit http://www.readersdigest.com and click on Reprints, or call 800.289.6457.
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- the Mediterranean Noble Laurel
photo courtesy University of Washington
This evergreen tree or shrub native to the Mediterranean, Laurus nobilis, was sacred to those who believed that Apollo was the god of prophecy, healing, and poetry. Apollo's human oracles ate Bay Leaves before speaking, and temples to Apollo were roofed in Bay Leaves. The artistic use of architectural moldings of Bay Leaf garlands arose from this practice, and from the belief that Bay protected buildings from lightning.
The Latin name for this tree means "renowned laurel," and both Greeks and Romans gave Bay or Laurel wreaths to poets, heroes, and winners of Olympic Games. Today we have Poet Laureates and Baccalaureate sermons for young graduates.
A great seasoning for sauces, soups and stews, Bay Leaf is especially useful in curries, marinades, pâté, potato soup, stock and stuffings (remove before serving). If you store your rice and beans in glass jars as I do, put a Bay Leaf or two in there for pre-flavoring. Unless you keep your flour in the refrigerator, as I do, add a Bay Leaf to discourage weevils.
Bay Leaf Tea will relieve gas, indigestion, headaches, stomach-aches and rheumatic pain. If your container of Bay Leaves has sat in your spice rack for months, throw it out and get a new one. Fresh is better.
Also, Bay treats dandruff, and here's how: steep two tablespoons of crushed (or crumpled, if fresh) Bay Leaves in a quart of hot water for about half an hour. Use the cooled Bay Tea as a rinse, after you shampoo your disgusting, dandruff-flaked hair. Leave it in for about an hour, then rinse with water. You will now be acceptable to society; you will probably get rich, marry and have four children, all with dandruff.
Bay trees are easily grown, in wind-protected areas with full sun. You may grow Bay trees in large containers, but you will want to bring them inside in harsh winters.
WARNING: ALL LAURELS EXCEPT SWEET BAY LAUREL ARE POISONOUS AND CAN CAUSE COMA OR DEATH.
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- Why aren't we making HupA by the ton and giving it away? What's the matter with this country?
Huperzia serrata, Chinese Club Moss, yields an extract called Huperzine A (HupA). Without knowing the exact science of Huperzine, Chinese herbalists and doctors have used Club Moss for centuries to help reduce fever and inflammation, and to aid older patients whose memories were failing.
Modern researchers at the Zhejiang Academy of Medicine isolated Huperzine A from Club Moss and identified the mechanism that helps maintain the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain. HupA is currently being used in China to treat dementia in general and Alzheimer's Disease specifically.
The March 1999 issue of JAMA reported on HupA, expressing in typical AMA fashion the opinion that HupA-derived PHARMACEUTICALS "may become a preferred treatment for Alzheimer's."
At Walter Reed Army Institute in Washington, researchers discovered that HupA decreases neural cell death from glutamate toxicity, which is a common occurrence in senile dementia.
SmartBasics has developed a proprietary formula in a product called VincaZine®, which combines Huperzine A and Vinpocetine.
These two and other ingredients are contained in a product called Vital Mind, available from VitalLiving.com (no link, because their URL has a very annoying redirect). I give this product to my wife Jonnie every day, and in three months I have noticed no improvement or any decrease in the rate of her mental decline.
To find other so-called Smart Drugs, go to OpinionSoup's Mail-Order & Internet Suppliers page.
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- From Hound Dog and Blue Suede Shoes to whatever they're playing now...it's all good. Well, not ALL. As Bruce Willis said in one of his great movies, "You want to see me in real pain? Put on some rap music."
Dr. Maria Bartlett, an old friend and former hippy chick who used to be part of our musical commune in Coconut Grove, is now a Dance Movement Therapist with a Ph.D. I want all of her clients to know that Dr. Maria is outasight! She is so cool that she won't be more than just a little bit very embarrassed when she reads this.
The idea here is that movement and dance help you to exorcise your personal demons. Inner feelings are expressed, and conflicts are resolved, therapists believe, by dancing. Dance Therapy is used especially for psychological and emotional problems.
Does anybody believe there's something NEW about this theory? I have known about Dance Therapy since I was fourteen, when my cousin Revalyn taught me how to do The Bop to Elvis Presley. We often expressed our inner feelings and exorcised personal demons, after school and on Friday nights at the City Hall Teen Dance in Tchula, Mississippi.
If you are an old Elvis fan, as I used to be many years ago, you probably recall that The King was a lot healthier when he did more dancing. As he got older and fatter his dancing decreased, and he subsequently developed many personal demons that eventually took him down. Let that be a lesson to us all, as your mother might say.
In recent years I have become fond of Big-Band Jazz and Swing, music that pre-dates my energetic youth. Since my Jonnie has quite a collection of it, we listen to it and dance to it every single day...really, we do. It's excellent therapy for the both of us; I recommend it.
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ENOKI (Enokidake, Golden Needles)
- Look, down on your plate...it's a bean sprout; it's
spaghetti; it's ENOKIDAKE!
image courtesy MushroomCouncil.com
Flammulina velutipes, a mushroom widely cultivated both in North America and in eastern Asia, looks a little bit like a bean sprout. Others say it resembles spaghetti, white and stringy. At any rate, it shares the medicinal qualities of other Asian mushrooms mentioned in this work, namely boosting the immune system and fighting tumors and viruses.
Enoki contains the polysaccharide Flammulin; also Fiber, Iron and Vitamin C. Enoki is eaten raw and in soups and stir-fry.
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- Not a search engine; it is related to Myrhh.
Guggul is a gum resin extracted from Commiphora mukul, a tree that grows in northern India. It has been used most often for control of obesity, and here is some extremely good news for your Heart: Guggul lowers human cholesterol and triglyceride levels equally as well as the expensive pharmaceuticals often prescribed for that task, yet it has no dangerous side effects!
Basis of standardization for Guggul is Guggulsterone; the usual dosage is 25mg three times a day until your cholesterol drops to an acceptable level, then one 25mg capsule daily.
Make your doctor aware of Guggul, which is available in most Health Food Stores as the extract Guggul Lipid.
CAUTION: DO NOT TAKE GUGGUL IF YOU ARE PREGNANT; IT CAN CAUSE UTERINE CONTRACTIONS. GUGGUL POTENTIATES THYROID MEDS SUCH AS SYNTHROID AND LEVOXYL.
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- nutritious, but not magically delicious
click on pic for image source + more info
An edible North-Atlantic Seaweed or Red Alga, Chondrus crispus yields carrageenan, a mucilaginous substance used medicinally, as a gel in industry (including the pharmaceutical industry), as a thickener in soups and dairy products, and in preparing jellies. Irish Moss is antiemetic, demulcent, expectorant, nutritive, and is an emulsifier.
Irish Moss is found on rocky shores, growing to about ten inches. The blades are flattened and range in color from a dark purplish red to brown, green, yellow or white, depending on the amount of exposure to sunlight. This seaweed is sometimes used in the preparation of blancmange, a flavored and sweetened milk pudding.
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- not to be confused with Kohl, Helmut
Brassica oleracea gongylodes of the Mustard Family, better-known in Germany than the U.S., is also called Turnip Cabbage. Low in calories, fat and sodium, Kohlrabi contains very good amounts of fiber, potassium and Vitamin C.
Kohlrabi treats edema and blood sugar imbalances; it is used for diabetes and hypoglycemia.
Purchase the smallest globes (crisper and sweeter), as the large ones tend to be woody or pithy. Kohlrabi will keep in your refrigerator for about two weeks, but cut off the leaves and use them right away in salads. Don't peel Kohlrabi globes...chunk or slice them, cover with water and boil for about 25 minutes. Drain and cool them, then remove the skin. You can eat them as they are, or mix them with carrots, onions, parsnips and/or potatoes. Good spices for Kohlrabi are caraway, dill, and fennel seed.
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- Why does this herb make me think of Harry Belafonte?
Lemongrass is a perennial, tropical grass native to India and Sri Lanka, growing to about six feet in height. Its lemon-scented leaves yield an aromatic oil used as flavoring, in perfumery, in insect repellents, and in medicine. Now grown in Mexico and the Caribbean, it is also called Citronella.
An herb popular in Thai cuisine, Lemongrass (Cymbopogon nardus, C. citratus) has long, thin leaves and a bulb similar to a scallion, but with a sour-lemon flavor. Tender stalks can be chopped into salads. Infuse the leaves for a refreshing tisane.
Lemongrass is analgesic, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and sudorific.
In herbal shampoos, Lemongrass is recommended for oily hair. Lemongrass is available mostly in Asian and Caribbean markets.
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- for your bad cold, your headache, and your ratatouille
This aromatic, annual Mediterranean herb, a member of the Mint Family, is used both for culinary and for medicinal purposes. Probably used by the ancient Egyptians, Marjoram (Origanum majorana hortensis, O. vulgare) was definitely used medicinally by Hippocrates. It was the symbol of happiness in ancient Greece and was used in medicine of the Middle Ages; also in potpourris. In medieval herbal lore Marjoram was used in food as a love charm and was said to break enchantments.
Commercially, the leaves are the most important part of Marjoram; it is also a beautiful flowering herb, with sweet, purple spikes.
Sweet Marjoram is an annual; Wild Marjoram is a perennial. Several varieties of Marjoram are popularly called Oregano; Oregano is frequently called Wild Marjoram.
Marjoram is antispasmodic and a mild sedative. Marjoram tea is good for colds, headaches, snoring, and gas. Avoid Marjoram if you are pregnant or menstruating, as it tends to irritate the uterus.
Marjoram in cooking may be used in almost any dish except sweets; it tastes a little like oregano and a little like thyme. Marjoram is most often used in preparing beef, chicken, dressings, fish, lamb, pork, salads, sauces, soups, stews, veal, venison and other game. It is widely used in Italian cooking; in all tomato dishes, in salads, ratatouille and with most vegetables.
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- This is not about George Jones.
I know you're thinking, "Whaaat?" And you're absolutely right. Today, though, I noticed a Redneck Pickup with a bumper sticker that said "EAT MORE POSSUM."
I thought to myself, "Who the hell would want to eat even ONE?" 'Possums eat dead cows, ferchrissake, I was thinking.
But, you know, humans eat dead cows, too. The difference is, Opossums eat cows that are really, Really, REALLY dead, and that's DISGUSTING. I'd sooner eat RUTABAGAS than a 'Possum. But, you know, Southerners eat some weird stuff, including crawdads...which to me are fish bait.
Here are some 'Possum facts. These are pretty harmless animals; they are the one and only Native American marsupial. They won't dig up your yard, and they don't stink. They are nocturnal, and they like to eat bugs, slugs and carrion. Actually, they will eat anything. They have a special love for any cat or dog food you may leave lying around, and they might get into your garbage. Opossums are not popular, like squirrels and raccoons, because they sneak around at night and they're not cute.
Don't kill them; it's not their fault that they have been driven into close proximity with humans. They don't carry diseases, but they can get fleas and ticks, which they would eat if they could reach them. Opossums are not social animals, although you can sometimes observe very small groups of juvenile females. The young do not play, like kittens and puppies, and they leave their mothers as soon as they are off the teat. Few of them live more than a year, au naturel.
If they feel threatened, Opossums will put up a seemingly aggressive but totally phony defense. In fact, they can hardly defend themselves at all. 'Possums have a mouth full of sharp teeth, but they rarely bite. When seriously threatened, they go into an involuntary catatonic trance, which humans call "playing 'Possum," or pretending to be dead (some predators will not eat dead animals). This is an interesting and very rare defense mechanism that has also been used by humans, who are not nearly as good at it (because with humans it would be a conscious decision). Entranced Opossums cannot be made to "wake up," even if you tickle their feet.
Opossums have thumbs on their feet.
NOTE: NEVER TRY TO KEEP ANY WILD ANIMAL AS A PET.
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- Who can explain it?
Everyone knows that Prayer is talking to God, or to A god, or to any object of worship. What I want to mention here, is Prayer for healing of the sick. Its modality cannot be explained, yet there is much research data to back up the claims that Prayer activates Healing. There is evidence that Prayer for others, even long-distance Prayer, even when the person being Prayed for doesn't know anything about it, seems to help.
For those of you who like to talk about "energy," let me pass this along: the "energy" of several people concentrating on the same thing (talking about Group Prayer here), seems actually to have some influence on events.
I agree with you, it's hard to believe; it's difficult to accept. Clearly, the power of the human mind is neither fully understood, nor fully appreciated. And who knows the power of God, or even what it is?
OpinionSoup is published by Don Harthcock. OS#18 ©January, 2001, Don Harthcock & Brian McLeod. Reproduction of any part of this copyrighted publication for commercial purposes is prohibited. Taping to refrigerators, posting on bulletin boards & emailing to friends is cool.
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