humans can do amazing things
i have severe doubts in western medicine and much more faith in our natural immune system when properly maintained with nutrition, exercise, and social support. you may think, how does social support come into play with one's immune system? but i've been surprised to find out these past years of studying how much our bodies are affected by psychological variables. it all makes sense to me though in terms of the social nature of our species. humans aren't meant to live isolated lives, we're meant to bond with each other, rely on each other, support each other, and to some extent exploit each other. so i think getting sick is one way of fostering these bonds by getting others to sympathize and show their support when you need it. of course i know there's germs and diseases that cause illnesses but i think our susceptibility to being sick fluctuates as a function of our psyches. at the same time, regardless of the cause of an illness, i think humans, like many other living beings, have the power to self-heal and i think the only way, well maybe not only but most common way, of harnassing this self-healing power is through a strong belief. for most people this belief is external, something else is healing them like a pill, a syrup, a special soup, a doctor, a dance, a surgery, a trance, god, herbs, whatever... but most of the time, people don't realize its themselves all along.
so for example my dad forwarded me this email today about some great uncle of mine who apparently had a heart attack a few years ago and was just now getting surgery for it. you have to understand that my extended family is from the middle of nowhere pennsylvania and as bad as you think healthcare is in nj, trust me its way worse out there. if you think about it though, someone intelligent enough to get their MD probably wants to live somewhere a little more stimulation than backwoods middle america, so the ones that like that simple life are few and are probably not the best doctors to begin with. anyway so here's the email:
Earl went in for his stent and the doctor found out that the blood clot was so hard that he couldn't get through it. He figured that four years ago when Earl had his heart attack this was the reason. In the meantime he found the blocked vessel started growing new ones around it, and they are working so he did nothing. This is called Collateral circulation. The heart took care of itself. They sent him home without doing anything. He must rest and recuperate but won't need the stent. God is good!!
so whatever you believe, i think its awesome either way that his body somehow managed to deal with a blockage that should have otherwise killed him. but i found it interesting (not that it was unexpected though) that my great aunt attributed it to God. i mean, it could be God, it could be some unexplainable force we explain as God and others explain according to whatever they believe. either way i think its pretty amazing and i think life is pretty cool.
so for example my dad forwarded me this email today about some great uncle of mine who apparently had a heart attack a few years ago and was just now getting surgery for it. you have to understand that my extended family is from the middle of nowhere pennsylvania and as bad as you think healthcare is in nj, trust me its way worse out there. if you think about it though, someone intelligent enough to get their MD probably wants to live somewhere a little more stimulation than backwoods middle america, so the ones that like that simple life are few and are probably not the best doctors to begin with. anyway so here's the email:
Earl went in for his stent and the doctor found out that the blood clot was so hard that he couldn't get through it. He figured that four years ago when Earl had his heart attack this was the reason. In the meantime he found the blocked vessel started growing new ones around it, and they are working so he did nothing. This is called Collateral circulation. The heart took care of itself. They sent him home without doing anything. He must rest and recuperate but won't need the stent. God is good!!
so whatever you believe, i think its awesome either way that his body somehow managed to deal with a blockage that should have otherwise killed him. but i found it interesting (not that it was unexpected though) that my great aunt attributed it to God. i mean, it could be God, it could be some unexplainable force we explain as God and others explain according to whatever they believe. either way i think its pretty amazing and i think life is pretty cool.