It Could Be Anything!

Number Seventeen ©January, 2001 ••••••• Don Harthcock, Editor

OpinionSoup may contain language and topics unsuitable for children.

"If we are to leave legacies of wisdom and love and generosity, we must carry a deep commitment to our life dreams." ~Angeles Arrien

IN THIS ISSUE:
MEDICAL SCHOOLS - Hippocratic what?
AGRIMONY - In the South, it's plain old "cuckleburr."
GUARANA - You could just buy No-Doz®, I guess.
NUTRITION SCIENCE - What, exactly, is your family eating?
ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES - Better than condoms or abstinence? Guess again.
PEANUTS - Peas, or Nuts?
RED CLOVER - cancer-fighting highway weed
RED ROVER - This is not about anything.
VEGETABLE SALAD - Try it without the fatty dressing.
WESTERN CIVILIZATION - Love it or leave it.

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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.

MEDICAL SCHOOLS

Personal from Donny

Some students march off to Medical School believing they will soon ascend Mt. Olympus and commune with the gods. Some students feel that, like Moses, they will receive the Word of God in Medical School, and later they will deliver this wisdom to an undeserving mob who will adore them. Much of the information they will memorize in Medical School will have been, in fact, carved in stone, but not by the finger of God. Some of our bright kids are motivated by the knowledge that doctors make a great deal of money, and some others of them really do want to be Healers. Most young medical students have a little bit of all of the above in them, and some of them have good hearts and minds.

The simple fact is, Medical Schools produce doctors, stamped out like gaskets in a factory; that is, they're just alike. Some Medical Schools and many doctors are wonderful, but remember that Voice Teachers produce graduates who all sound exactly like Robert Goulet.

Where I live, many people revere the University of Mississippi Medical School just as they revere the Baptist Church; Donny loves both of those equally well, also, if you catch my drift.

On more than one occasion I have mentioned an herbal remedy or an alternative therapy to some friend or relative, who then mentioned it to his doctor. Quite a few times I was told, later, "My doctor never heard of what you were telling me, Donny."

That statement having been delivered smugly, with a little smile, it was easy to see that my friends believe that if their doctor has "never heard of it," the remedy is either quackery or I have been deceived. These are people who worship their doctors, a fact of which doctors are extremely well-aware, especially here in the South. Over the years, you can actually observe a measurable growth in the head size of most small-town, southern GP's.

Allow me a short digression. I have collected an astonishing number of "never heard of it" and "who told you that?" stories over the years. When I was 16, an older friend laughed at me when I mentioned that I might like to attend Emory University. "Never heard of it," the Ole Miss fan snorted.

A few years ago I told my aunt that the reason all the bream and bass had gone belly-up in her pond was, pesticide and herbicide run-off from nearby agricultural fields. "Who told you that, Donny?" she wanted to know. "I never heard of such a thing. They wouldn't let people use it if that was true."

In this same country community, the occurrence of leukemia has increased about 1000% in the last thirty years, and they just can't understand it. They've never had their water supply analyzed.

Just the other day I recommended Kava and St. John's Wort to my niece, who is both depressed and a nervous wreck. "I'm just not going to do it, Donny," she responded. "My doctor didn't mention it, and I've never heard of it."

"What is your doctor giving you?"

"Tylenol® and Valium®."

Now that I'm nearly sixty and have heard "never heard of it" quite enough, I want to shout "GALILEO WAS IMPRISONED AND EXCOMMUNICATED BECAUSE THE POPE HAD NEVER HEARD OF GRAVITY!"

Back to the point. Here's what my friends and relatives don't know, and what you might not know: drug companies are overt and generous subsidizers of medical schools. Check it out for yourself, if you think I might not know what I'm talking about. They provide computers and other expensive equipment and supplies, free of charge. Of course, these are not gifts; they are investments. Drug companies conduct seminars and parcel out stacks of grant money to professors.

Those professors are then influenced to teach their students that medical problems are solved with drugs and surgery, and that's all. Courses in natural, or plant medicines, as well as courses in nutrition and holistic disease prevention, are rare or non-existent in most Medical Schools.

Most medical students believe that Nutrition is something studied by "girls" who are seeking jobs as dieticians. These students, who will be your doctors, are taught that people's nutritional needs are met by "a balanced diet." They then graduate from their Medical Schools as Disease Police, with limited or no knowledge of Nutrition or disease PREVENTION. They will have a great respect for Disease, the worthy adversary, and they will be prepared for battle. Mention herbs or any kind of alternative health-care to them, and you will receive a condescending smile.

Meanwhile, the drug companies will have continued their feverish manufacturing of new products; how will I ever keep up? the students wonder. Not to worry, their professors tell them. Representatives of the pharmaceutical companies will drop by every month with information, instructions and stacks of free samples; don't worry about it. Drug salesmen will tell them everything they need to know, they are assured.

Drug companies "own" medical instruction of young doctors, if not the Medical Schools themselves. Youngsters with some interest in plant medicines are quickly convinced that in America we don't have time to wait around for the questionable healing properties of dilute herbal medicines. We need drugs that are powerful and fast, the doctors are taught. The hidden and insidious fact of the matter is, pharmaceutical companies want doctors to prescribe the medicines on which they have patents! In time, some of these doctors themselves will have vested interests in the drug companies, as do many physicians within the FDA.

Can you say "Conflict of Interest," boys and girls?

Throughout these pages, Donny has told you and will tell you again, Orthodox Medicine in America is morally bankrupt. The triumvirate criminality of rich doctors, drug companies and the FDA begins in Medical School and is sustained in Washington by an army of lobbyists, who have bought the souls of some of your Senators.

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AGRIMONY (Cockeburr, Cocklebur, Sticklewort)

- "You mean to tell me Cuckleburr leaves are medicine? And kudzu, too? Man! We can make a fortune around here!" ~my nephew

A ten-minute decoction of the astringent leaves of Agrimonia eupatoria will yield a tea that is excellent (as a wash) for relief of burning, itchy eyes (an eight-hour nap is even better).

For centuries, Agrimony tea has been used successfully for coughs, diarrhea, jaundice and other Liver disorders, pimples and other skin conditions, and for purifying the blood. In France, a tisane of Agrimony still today is a popular, flavorful Spring Tonic. Native Americans used Agrimony for fevers.

Medieval herbalists hailed Agrimony as a vulnerary, but modern medicine does not regard this herb as a wound healer. Its most common use is for diarrhea in children, and as a gargle for sore throats. For woodsmen and animals, its burrs are an extreme nuisance.

Agrimony is one of the Bach Flower Remedies for the "sad clown" personality, for the Pagliacci syndrome of laughing on the outside and crying on the inside. Donny hasn't a clue concerning the mechanism of these cures, especially in phychological disorders.

NOTE: DO NOT CONFUSE AGRIMONY WITH ACRIMONY OR ALIMONY. "Agrimony" can be a literal burr under the saddle, while the latter two would be only virtual. "Acrimony" is what you have been hearing from Bush and Gore, one of whom is now the Commander-In-Chief, God help us all. "Alimony"...well, don't get me started. It is immoral, an invention of crooked lawyers.

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GUARANA

- the "fatigue-fighting" herb

Popularly known as "the fatigue-fighting herb," Guarana is a dried paste made of crushed Paullinia cupana seeds. This herb (a climbing shrub from Brazil and Uruguay) has for years been touted as energizing with the same action as Ginkgo biloba...that is, by dilating blood vessels, thereby increasing oxygen to the brain. Donny believes this claim to be at least misleading, and at worst, completely untrue.

If you are a Mormon you may be interested to know that the principal ingredient in Guarana is caffeine, and there's your energizing, fatigue-fighting true answer to the question How Does This Stuff Work?

Guarana contains more caffeine than coffee, tea or cola, and it is commonly used in South American soft drinks. It increases concentration and prevents dozing. This herb is easily available at your GNC or other local herb center or through various mail-order houses, but they don't have it at the Wal-Mart SuperCenter.

Is Wal-Mart a Mormon company? No, wait, that wouldn't make any difference...Mormons can SELL caffeine to the rest of us; they just can't drink any, themselves. That's sort-of like all the Sonic hamburger joints all over Mississippi which are owned by vegetarian Hindu families. It's sort-of like serving food that you wouldn't eat yourself, to a lower being. Like feeding the dogs, or slopping the hogs. At any rate, if you have no problem with caffeine, Guarana really works!

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NUTRITION SCIENCE

- the science of nutrition

Most non-textbook publications on Nutrition and Health, this one included, do not delve DEEPLY into the precise, scientific workings of nutrients or herbal constituents. Regarding this book, that is an intentional editorial and sales aim, certainly not a case of negligence or ignorance. I am saying that it is not the purpose of this book to be a scientific text, which I would be unqualified to write (also not my style and not to my liking).

Take another look at the entry "Nutmeg." In it, I tell you that Nutmeg is "good for the digestion," and that it is antiemetic, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic. That's sufficient information for consumers who comprise the demographic toward which this work is aimed.

However, if you want to know much more, specifically: WHY is Nutmeg good for the digestion; WHAT'S IN Nutmeg that stops you from vomiting; how does it work; WHAT SUBSTANCE in Nutmeg soothes inflamed tissues and exactly what is the interaction between this substance and the inflamed tissue; and WHAT CHEMICAL in Nutmeg stops involuntary muscle spasms and convulsions and how does it do that; then you are interested in the SCIENCE of Nutrition.

If you are passionate to know these things, Donny says GO FOR IT! Get an earned degree (a receipt for courses taken and time/money spent, and certification that you have memorized and regurgitated various data). If you are not interested in a degree, then audit the appropriate courses for your own interest, or just read the appropriate books and consult with trusted experts. Life is an incredibly short adventure, and I urge you to indulge your desire for Learning.

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ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES

- They prevent pregnancy, but at what risk?

Ladies, don't use The Pill. I know that men hate to use condoms, which interrupt the fever of sexual lust, but you must remember that men are assholes. They don't get pregnant, and many of them don't care if you do.

Oral Contraceptives ("Birth-Control Pills") are extremely dangerous to your good health, and, furthermore, they do not protect you from sexually-transmitted diseases. Young women, like young men, do not fear disease and death, and this entry will not be believed.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard women say, "Thank God for The Pill!" There's a great deal of ignorance in a statement like that, sad to say. Yes, The Pill can prevent pregnancy, just as condoms and abstinence can. The major difference is, condoms and abstinence will not kill you.

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PEANUTS

- "Just a-pickin' Goober Peas."

Native to Brazil and West Africa, Peanuts, Arachis hypogaea, contain Resveratrol, which fights blood clots and cancer cells. Peanuts are high in Protein, B-Vitamins, Vitamin E and Iron, but they are also high in Fat. Peanut Fat, however, aids in Lycopene absorption, as well as the absorption of several important supplements, including Co-Enzyme Q-10.

And Peanuts just taste so darn good, don't they? My dog Bear is crazy about Peanut Butter, and I can't explain it. Bear's wife, Miss Precious Princess Goldie Chicken, will knock you out for a Peanut Butter cookie. They will both eat anything, of course...even Lettuce; if you hand it to them personally. Once.

My family are all FREAKS for unhulled, fresh Peanuts that have been boiled for hours in salt-water. What they don't know, is that this snack is good for your Kidneys.

Have you ever heard Peanuts referred to a Goober Peas? Well, that's what they are. They are not nuts; they are Peas (legumes). Further, "Goober" is Southern dialectical, from Kongo or Kimbundu Nguba, meaning "Peanut."

Some other African words that have settled comfortably into Southern English are Gumbo, from Bantu Ngumbo, meaning "Okra," and Cooter, from the Mandingo Kuta and the Tshiluba Nkudu, both of which mean "Turtle."

Grown throughout Central and West Africa as well as in China and India, in North and South America from Brazil to Georgia, then west to Texas and New Mexico, Peanuts and Peanut Butter are the best bargains in the entire Nutrition World.

Who could ever forget the story of George Washington Carver's finding over three hundred ways to use Peanuts? I won't list all of them, here; don't worry.

Peanut Oil, so popular here in the South for deep-frying Catfish and Turkeys (and so expensive, at about $17 a gallon), is thought by many folks to be superior to other oils because it lowers serum cholesterol and it can be re-used; it doesn't burn up. You are warned, however, that Peanut Oil has been found in laboratory experiments to cause severely clogged and damaged arteries; it is definitely NOT heart-friendly. So BAKE that Turkey, like yo' Mama did (with cornbread dressing). See Recipes.

Both Peanuts and Peanut Butter are subject to contamination by Aflatoxin, a carcinogenic mold that causes Liver cancer. Although our Federal Government regulates the amount of Aflatoxin that is allowed in these foods, one wonders why any at all is allowed. Our Federal machinery is much too lenient on how much filth, poison and contamination is allowed in our food, and inspections are often very lax (American packing houses are the dirtiest IN THE WORLD). Food processors say that "too much" cleanliness costs them too much money, and the Government says, "Well, we can't have that, can we?"

You may think I'm lying, but listen to this: the Government actually has guidelines on HOW MUCH rodent hair, rodent feces, dirt, grit, insect carcasses, rocks and other filth IS ALLOWED in our food (I am not making this up).

On another negative note (B flat), it was discovered a few years ago that some people may have a life-threatening allergy to Peanuts, which discovery led to the great Ban Peanuts and Peanut Butter From Public Schools movement of the nineties.

OK then, Donny demands equal time. I have an allergy to career politicians and television evangelists; can we do something about those?

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RED CLOVER (Trefoil)

- "Crimson Clover, over and over..." ~Tommy James

photo courtesy weed science society

Red Clover, Trifolium pratense, has been used in Canada in combination with Dandelion, Echinacea, Sassafras and Yellow Dock, to treat cancer. In the USA, this treatment is controversial; some researchers believe that Red Clover aggravates cancer. Jethro Kloss recommended this herb as his best cancer treatment, and it is, in fact, widely known as being an anti-tumor herb.

Red Clover Flowers are anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, diuretic and expectorant. Red Clover Tea is used (without any controversy) to treat sore throats, coughs, bronchitis and asthma. It tastes good, too, something like Hibiscus tea. It is a known blood thinner, which makes it good for your heart.

AND (I'll bet you've already guessed), it's a food plant. The blossoms have long been used to flavor cheese and bread. The whole plant, except the roots, may be cooked as a vegetable.

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RED ROVER

- "Red Rover, Red Rover, send Donny right over."

Red Rover, a child's game, will be featured in another book which I hope to publish next year.

Speaking of children: a woman took her three kids to the pediatrician and introduced them. "This is Eenie, this is Meenie, and this is Miney," she said.

"What happened to Mo?" the doctor asked.

"Didn't want no mo'," she replied.

Vera, who worked with me at the Rainbow Casino in Vicksburg MS, said that this was the funniest joke I ever told. Actually, she said it was the only funny joke I ever told.

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VEGETABLE SALAD

- a great meal, or a great beginning

Vegetable salads are tasty, nutritious, and very easy to prepare. Depending upon your appetite and whim, they can be either a great meal or a great beginning. Many Italians serve salad after the entree, not before; this could be a sneaky way to cut back on sweet desserts after the main course.

Your standard ingredients are lettuce, tomato, cucumbers and onions, but consider these additions and alternatives: avocado, bean sprouts, bell peppers (green, orange or red), broccoli and cauliflower florets, red cabbage, celery, Swiss chard, chicory, dandelion greens, escarole, Bibb lettuce, Boston lettuce, red-leaf lettuce, Romaine lettuce, purple onions, radishes, spinach, squash, root vegetables and their young tops. What about arugula, kale, parsley, purslane, radicchio or watercress?

Chopping or slicing is fine for most of the vegetables, but lettuce you should tear by hand (iceberg lettuce will discolor if cut with a knife). As soon as all ingredients are in the bowl, toss them with a little oil (unrefined is healthier; Olive Oil is supreme, but stronger tasting). The oil coating will prevent leaching of nutrients.

Now add grated cheese or crumbled blue cheese and a little ring of tomato slices. If vine-ripened tomatoes are not available, try Romas (nobody likes ordinary grocery-store tomatoes that taste like air). And what about some mushroom caps or artichoke hearts marinated in cider vinegar?

Avoid commercial fatty dressings if your family will stand for it (they may require gentle weaning and re-education), and try any of these additions just before serving: favorite herbs*, kelp, lemon juice, lime juice, pepper, pumpkin seeds, sea salt, sunflower seeds, cider vinegar.

Use green leaf underliners, and remember to garnish beautifully. Red cabbage and shredded carrots are perfect garnishes. Never chill your salad (a cold salad will not be as flavorful, and your family will add more dressing).

*Try these herbs for salads: anise, basil, black pepper, chives, dill, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley (not just a garnish, parsley is good food), savory, sorrel, tarragon. Don't try them all in the same salad.

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WESTERN CIVILIZATION

- "Everything's Great in America!" ~Leonard Bernstein, West Side Story

Of course Western Civ is not to be taken lightly, but it should be taken with a grain of salt. Enigmatic and dangerous, Western Civilization can be wonderful, uplifting, and technologically beyond an ordinary person's comprehension. It can also be feral and viperous.

 

FIRST PERSON SELF-PORTRAIT

I am Western Man.

Lucid and Bright,

I am Random Thought.

Sunday School Teacher,

I am New York Junkie.

Left-Wing Radical,

I am Life In The Suburbs.

Sin and Corruption,

I am Singer/Poet.

Wheel of Fortune,

I am Heartbreak Hotel.

I am Western Man.

 

OpinionSoup is published by Don Harthcock. OS#17 ©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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