Monday, June 8, 2009

Call BR-549

At left, Junior Samples, Hee Haw star and possibly the greatest redneck of all time! (Meant as high compliment, of course.)



Unfortunately, I've had a sick shoulder and a sick car, which together have given me precious little time and inclination to blog.

Well Being Journal, which some regard as the Bible of my profession, features (another) ableist article in this month's issue. I usually don't call these things out, since I'd be doing it 24/7, but this just rubbed me the wrong way today.

Food is the Key to Multiple Sclerosis Recovery is the title of the piece by Ann D. Sawyer and Judith E. Bachrach.

First of all, there is no known "recovery" from MS, and second, this article implies if you just go far enough and eat exactly right, you CAN recover. I find these types of articles cruel for instilling false hopes, as well as for the implied judgment: These people (supposedly) were cured, and if you are suitably pure in intentions and acts, you can be too:

Once MS sufferers begin to attend to these changes, they may see subtle patterns emerge. It is possible then to discover the cause and effect relationship, relating back to what was eaten and the resulting symptom states. There is no one-size-fits-all diet; each person must discover and fine-tune the specifics of their own recovery diet. It can take varying amounts of time, patience, discipline and dedication to reap the rewards of a complete restoration of health. Given the alternative of yielding to MS's fury, and the dearth of any other effective, safe treatment, the diet is well worth doing. By necessity and even more by choice, most people who have recovered from MS remain careful and conscious eaters. The contrast of once having had MS provides many gifts, including a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the value of good health.
The big question: Why haven't Sawyer and Bachrach been nominated for the Nobel Prize by now, if they know how to cure MS?

And speaking of alternative medicine, I have recently jumped full-force into orthorexia, to no avail...I need to see a real live M.D. (Medical Deity) this week for the pain in my right shoulder.

It's very much like the old HEE HAW joke: Doc, it hurts when I do this (moves arm).

Hee Haw doctor: "Well, then, don't do that!"

I had the same thing in 2004, far worse, in my left shoulder. (It is usually
called "frozen shoulder.")

Hee Haw doctor: "You know what you had before? Well, you got it again!"

Damn, sometimes, I miss HEE HAW! I even read a book about it, she admitted, embarrassed.

~*~

Closing with a song that always makes me feel better when I hurt. I dunno why. It's also properly accompanied by pretty pictures!

Are those real violins or synthesizers? (Is there some foolproof way of knowing the answer to this always-vexing question, without cheating on Wikipedia?)

Moody Blues - You and Me



All we are trying to say...
is we are all we've got...