It Could Be Anything!

Number Ten ©October, 2000 ••••••• Don Harthcock, Editor

OpinionSoup may contain language and topics unsuitable for children.

"Truth rings like a bell. Lies sound like bullshit hitting the ground." ~Stephen Gaskin

IN THIS ISSUE:
KNOWLEDGE - Ding, or Flop?
INTELLIGENCE - What is it?
IODINE - for Thyroid Function
JEWELWEED - Touch Me Not!
KIDNEYS - You need at least one.
LIVER - Set 'em up, Joe.
MILK THISTLE - when Joe has set up too many
NUX VOMICA - not as gentle as the Pied Piper
OATS - why the Scots are such a horny bunch
POULTRY - All the world cries Fowl!

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None of the statements made in this publication have been evaluated by the FDA, 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.

KNOWLEDGE

Personal From Donny

How can you know the difference between knowledge and bullshit?

Here is what Stephen Gaskin (photo) taught me and many others: the first thing you must do is to KNOW YOURSELF - a task that is more than a day's work, and certainly easier said than done.

Now add William Shakespeare's admonition, "To thine own self be true." Knowing yourself (becoming self-realized) and being true to yourself, you will know that something is true because its truth is SELF-EVIDENT to you. TRUTH sounds like the clear ringing of a bell...DING! Bullshit sounds like a big pile of bull flop as it hits the ground...FLOP!

CAVEAT: Sometimes, reading something with which you agree may ring your bells. You must accuse yourself of bullshitting yourself. Listen to me: you cannot pour fresh tea into a cup that is already full. You've got to empty that cup and rinse it. You cannot add Knowledge to a head that is already full of pre-conceived notions. Wipe that slate clean, and keep your common sense running in the background.

Conversely, sometimes bull flop sounds merely suspicious. How will you ever know the truth of a thing? Step One: get a library card and use it. Step Two: take long walks in natural surroundings. Step Three: choose the path with Heart, which is sometimes less-traveled. Step Four: sit down, stop your inner dialogue and listen to the plants, as you breathe in and breathe out.

I have a deep love for History and for Linguistics, having spent much private time studying these subjects, all of my life. Often, such investigation becomes very difficult, one's role evolving from "scholar" to "detective."

Aside from the specific information which may be gleaned from such study, more astute students learn quickly that some historians and linguists who have written books, have allowed private agendas and personal prejudices either to scrape away or to glaze the original alleged facts, which may have been lies to begin with. This is why we have graduate schools and programs of study leading to doctorates. Even these hallowed halls are full of bullshitters and boot-licking bureaucrats. In our institutions of higher learning, Original Thinkers are often as rare as Truth.

Many students themselves have private agendas and personal prejudices. Add to this the fact that history books are written by conquerors and winners of conflicts; losers seldom have their say. Need I mention the shameful amount of misinformation contained in many of your children's textbooks, errors unknown to and unnoticed by their ignorant teachers? This yoke of ignorance must be shed by students, who often carry it right on into graduate school.

SEMI-UNRELATED SIDE-TRIP: In an unofficial and unscientific poll taken by Donny last July, more than 76% of local residents who were polled did not know the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Emancipation Proclamation, or even what they were.

Most frequent ID on Declaration of Independence: "When the slaves were freed."

Most frequent ID on Emancipation Proclamation: "Giving women the vote."

BACK ON TRACK: In many cases, historians and linguists "personalize" documents which have already been scoured or glazed. This was true in days past and is true today, and it leads to one of the many problems you face when studying ancient and/or sacred documents. The Bible, for instance, was not the collaborative effort of some writers' collective at making a book, especially not a history book. Its many parts were gathered, selected, scoured and glazed by the ancient Hebrews and the early Christian Church, whose criteria for inclusion are not completely known to us. Many "scriptural" writings were rejected - perhaps they were too far-out; maybe they were deemed "inappropriate." Through these many years the Bible has been edited, rewritten, over-written, translated and mistranslated nearly to death; yet hundreds of thousands of people refer to it as "the unchanging Word of God."

Still, there's some powerful stuff in there. I always keep my mother Daisy's advice close to my heart: "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater."

When you conduct your own private research, especially when that research involves reading "historical documents," you can't be sure you are reading WHAT REALLY HAPPENED. True reporting was not necessarily at work. The two most powerful forces shaping the recording of history are politics and religion, strongly interwoven like fine Shetland wool. Carefully examine the eggs in your Knowledge basket. Some may have been rotten already when you gathered them; others may have been placed there by manipulative, power-brokering cuckoos.

Regarding Knowledge, Donny says, "Beware of bullshit."

I urge you always to be aware of the difference between KNOWING something, and just memorizing somebody else's currently popular rhetoric. Listen, now: you certainly can KNOW something you have learned from someone else; it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel as you travel your warrior's path toward becoming a person of knowledge.

Historians are pretty sure that Francis Bacon said, "Knowledge is Power."

Historians and linguists assert that Socrates said, "There is only one good, Knowledge; there is only one evil, Ignorance."

Donny believes that Socrates may have been misquoted or mistranslated, because this statement (as it stands) is naive and wrong; Knowledge and Ignorance are neither good nor evil. Knowledge and Ignorance are tools, both of which can be USED either for Good or for Evil. Bacon's definition was much more accurate, but without Heart.

I refer you to the brilliant visionary T. S. Eliot (photo, right). In The Rock (1934, currently out-of-print), he penned the following powerful and ageless message:

"Where is the Life we have lost in living?

"Where is the Wisdom we have lost in knowledge?

"Where is the Knowledge we have lost in information?"

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INTELLIGENCE

- the most relative of all my relatives

Computer terminals or peripherals are said to be "intelligent" when they possess certain data storage and processing capabilities. It's almost the same with human beings, except that PEOPLE are also sometimes said to be bright, brilliant, clever, discerning, knowing, quick-witted and/or intellectual.

A very large percentage of people do not fit into the above categories. You do, and I do. This book and most of its individual entries will hold no interest for the truly dull.

The point of this entry is: you are smarter than many other people, and you need to realize it and deal with it in an objective, wise fashion. You are MUCH smarter than some people, some of whom own computers. No need to feel guilty...no sense in self-deprecation; facts are facts. You know as well as I do that some days, being smart does not feel like being "gifted."

It is important for you to know that you are smarter than some others; what you do with this realization could be the beginning of wisdom, a minor epiphany, satori.

CAUTION: "VERY INTELLIGENT" AND "WELL-ADJUSTED" ARE NOT NECESSARILY COMPATIBLE, BUT CAN BE. SEE "EFFORT."

NOTE: IN ORDINARY HUMAN PERCEPTION, THE TRULY BRILLIANT INDIVIDUAL SEEMS ECCENTRIC; NOT A TEAM PLAYER. Why do people make that kind of negating assessment? I don't know! I have an inkling, and here it is: we are herd animals.

From reading Aldous Huxley and T. S. Eliot I learned that the person who walks his own path may appear to be deserting the herd; unless, of course, the herd follows.

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IODINE

- What's the real deal with Iodized Salt?

(1) Iodine is a corrosive, poisonous, halogen element. For regulating the Thyroid gland, just the tiniest amount of Iodine is necessary. Deficiency in Iodine can lead to goiter, hypothyroidism (usually manifested as fatigue but often difficult to diagnose), and it can even lead to cancer. Iodine is also involved in the conversion of Beta Carotene to Vitamin A.

The greatest natural sources of Iodine are fish, seaweed (kelp, etc.) and shellfish. Generally speaking, vegetables are low in Iodine. The amount of Iodine in dairy products, eggs and meat depends upon the diet of the animals involved. Doctors will tell you that most people receive adequate amounts of Iodine from Iodized Salt, but if you are decreasing your salt intake you should look to the sea for this and many other valuable nutrients.

(2) In your medicine cabinet, "Iodine" is a liquid CONTAINING Iodine, dissolved in Ethyl Alcohol. It is used as an antiseptic for wounds. Do not ingest this poisonous, topical antiseptic.

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JEWELWEED (Impatiens)

- not your garden variety Impatiens

Impatiens pallida (with yellow flowers) and I. capensis (with orange flowers), are also called Touch-Me-Not and Wild Celandine. This common wildflower has "explosive" flower hips, or fruits, which delight young children and spread more Jewelweed all over your everywhere.

Jewelweed juice (from the stems) is used for poison ivy and insect bites/stings. If you smear the juice on before you go into the woods, poison ivy and mosquitoes might not harm you in the first place.

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KIDNEYS

- "One of these days I'm gonna OWN this construction company. Gimme another drink of water." ~Brother Dave Gardner

Working continuously throughout our lives, our organs are certainly subject to wear. That's just common sense. You can't live without them, so their care should be uppermost on your health-care agenda. I'm talking about your Brain, your Heart, your Liver and your Kidneys (you need at least one).

Working incessantly, your Kidneys filter about a thousand gallons of fluid each day. Yet, I hear people say "I never drink water," all the time.

It is idiotic not to drink large amounts of water. I have no intention of being gentle with you about this. If you don't drink water, you're just an idiot who should go jump off a bridge today, so that the rest of us won't have to pay for your health care, eventually. Donny doesn't back up! How about one more step with this: if you smoke cigarettes AND don't drink lots of water, then you are a FLAMING idiot. That's it, and that's all.

For the good health of your Kidneys, do this:

1. Drink cranberry juice;

2. Don't eat so much meat protein;

3. Eat more black beans (with garlic), kidney beans and fava beans (with a nice Chianti), to be sure that you're getting plenty of Magnesium and Vitamin B6.

4. Drink eight glasses of water every day. Chinese herbalists recommend dulse, fenugreek, saw palmetto and seaweed for your Kidney health.

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LIVER

- 1976 was a bad year for (Donny's) liver.

Let's talk about YOUR Liver, not liver as food (no fava bean and Chianti jokes, please).

Cut back on meat protein consumption, and give your Liver and Kidneys a break. Be sure that you're drinking plenty of water, and I don't mean "liquids." WATER is what you should be giving yourself and your children, not soda pop and who-knows-what-else.

Get plenty of exercise if you are able, but one way or another you should regularly work up a sweat, ridding your body of toxins and assisting your Liver. Let me say that again, because it is so important: SWEATING IS IMPORTANT FOR THE HEALTH OF YOUR LIVER. Antioxidant Vitamins C and E (also Fiber) will also help rid you of toxins.

Tomatoes are good for your Liver, and "Anyone who is a heavy user of alcohol should take Milk Thistle regularly, as should patients using pharmaceutical drugs that are hard on the Liver, including cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy." - Spontaneous Healing, by Andrew Weil, M.D. (Alfred A. Knopf, 1995; Fawcett, 1996). See Milk Thistle (below). Click here to get Spontaneous Healing: 0449910644:Product Link on Barnes & Noble.com. ($11.65, paperback)

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MILK THISTLE

- why Eeyore never had a liver problem*

Silybum marianum, a European plant once widely cultivated as food, now can be found growing wild throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and the southeastern United States. It is a source of a complex of antioxidant compounds known collectively as Silymarin.

Milk Thistle helps treat or prevent liver disorders, including cirrhosis and hepatitis, by cleansing your body of toxins. 

SILYMARIN HELPS LIVER CELLS REGENERATE!

Donny is living proof that Milk Thistle is a miraculous herb. I take 350 mg (standardized) daily, countervailing liver damage sustained in the 70's.

Silybin in Milk Thistle is an intravenous antidote to the deadly-poisonous deathcap mushroom.

Milk Thistle has been known as a medicinal herb for over two millennia. It has been used medicinally in the United States since the 1800's, and it was listed in the first United States Pharmacopoeia.

This edible herb is also a calmative, and for centuries it has been prescribed for digestive ailments, gallbladder, liver and spleen problems. It is now used in several commercial extracts since the discovery that Silymarin in the seeds can protect the liver from many poisons, including alcohol and other drugs.

Extracting Silymarin from the seeds is not something you can do at home. Self-diagnosis and self-treatment of liver dysfunction are also not recommended. Basis of standardization is Silymarin Complex.

Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the FDA, Milk Thistle is approved as an over-the-counter drug in France and Germany.

*For those deprived individuals who don't know, Eeyore is the thistle-eating donkey friend of Winnie the Pooh.

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NUX VOMICA (Koochla Tree)

- The name alone could kill rats.

Strychnos nux-vomica, a tree native to southeast Asia, has poisonous seeds that produce the extremely poisonous alkaloids Strychnine (used for rat poison and medicinally as a topical CNS stimulant ) and Brucine (used to denature alcohol).

Miniscule, homeopathic dosages of Nux-Vomica have been used to stimulate the appetite, as nervines and stomachics, but any number of other, non-poisonous bitters are preferable.

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OATS

- It was good enough for William Wallace (Braveheart), and it's good enough for me.

"Oats" is a fancy name for the common Avena sativa, a cereal grass with edible grain, also used as fodder. Horses love it.

Oat Quote of the Day: "Hey, leave my fodder alone!" ~ Clip, son of Trigger

photo courtesy weed science society
Oats as a facial mask will exfoliate dead cells (throw in a little parsley and chamomile for hydration and softening).

As either singular or plural verbs may be used with "Oats," it is that rarest of cereals, the bi-verbal grain. Oats is/are not as confusing as Grits, because you can in fact say, correctly, "What, exactly, IS an Oat?"

Oat Bran, the outer layer of Oats, is a soluble high-fiber food. It decreases the availability of fat and cholesterol to your system by scooting the food along your little digestive tract, lickety-split.

Oatmeal is meal made from Oats, what else? It is the name for rolled/ground Oats. Oatmeal helps reduce the risk of heart disease (as part of an overall low-fat diet) by lowering cholesterol. Eat your Oatmeal with fat-free milk.

Oat Groats, like millet and barley, is/are grown extensively in the Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota. Oats was once a staple food in Scotland, but now it's mostly horse food. Humans consume Oats almost exclusively as Rolled Oats, or Oatmeal. Whole Oats can be used in soups, or as porridge.

Oat Straw is the name herbalists normally use for the whole plant. Harvested only when the seeds are ripe, Oat Straw is considered to be a nervous system restorative.

Reputed to be an aid to sexual potency, Avena sativa is certainly rich in Calcium Mucin and Silicic Acid, which are said to tone the nervous system, lift spirits, and soothe inflamed internal tissues. Avena sativa can greatly benefit the prostate, when taken as supplements. Oats is good food for restoring energy and clearing a cobwebby mind, another good reason to have Oatmeal for breakfast.

Avena sativa should not be confused with Cannabis sativa, which (besides being illegal) is an aid to inordinate snacking and can cause you to miss the point, whatever it was.

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POULTRY

- They're so innocent we have to call them by another name when we cook them and eat them.

And now, to answer the immortal question "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"...Donny has it on the HIGHEST AUTHORITY that it was the Chicken. Please don't ask this question again.

Israelis claim that God gave them Palestine. Well, here in the South we like to say that although God did not give us the Confederacy, He did give us Chickens.

Chickens. Almost as stupid as domestic turkeys but not quite, Chickens are good food. Baked is better for you than fried, and you should remove the skin first. Prepare your own Chicken; fast-food restaurants of all kinds should be off-limits to everyone in your family.

Tasty capons are castrated roosters, and pullets make the best fryers. At my boyhood country home, hens who didn't lay eggs any more wound up boiled in a pot of dumplings or as the centerpiece of Chicken & Cornbread Dressing. This sounds so cruel and unfair now, but then, it was just Tasty.

Speaking for Elderly Chickens of America (ELCHICKAM), let me just say this: You ungrateful bastards! You took the best years of my life and most of my eggs, and now you can just EAT ME!

Thank you very much.

South American Chickens lay pink or blue eggs and have feathers on their feet. My son Brian and I used to go see them every year at the Youth Fair in Miami. We called it "The Weird Chicken Show."

When I was a boy I used to catch Chickens and amaze my friends with this trick: push the Chicken down into a squatting position with one hand, and with your other hand draw a circle in the dirt all around the Chicken. Stepping back slowly, so as not to startle it, you will be astonished to see the Chicken sit perfectly still for about two minutes, until it finally realizes that the circle in the dirt is not an enclosure.

I would always whisper some mumbo-jumbo as I performed, telling my playmates that I was hypnotizing the Chicken. I finally had to give up this trick when I ran out of friends who didn't know about it.

OpinionSoup is published by Don Harthcock. OS#10 ©October, 2000, 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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