Comments on: Flotsam–Now With More Oxygen!

By: Stir Fry Kitty

Stir Fry Kitty — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 02:32:11 +0000

About 4 years ago I had a terrible bout with back to back urinary tract infections. I literally had one after another for about 7 months. It was horrible. I went to a urologist who eventually killed the UTIs with very aggressive antibiotics (and now I have a bladder disease…but that’s another story), but I was left with recurring, cyclical vaginal infections as a result. I got prescription after prescription intended to kill these various ailments, and just as one would go away, another would flare up. It wasn’t until I moved cities and finally got in to see an ObGyn who, while not a naturopathic doctor, suggested some natural remedies to me, that I was finally cured of what ailed me. I still think things like crystals and such are a bunch of hogwash, but I believe absolutely now that sometimes the stuff growing on this green earth is better at helping heal the body than anything any pharmeceutical company can come up with.

By: T

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 20:34:14 +0000

Laugh with you darling – we laugh *with* you. Sorry about the fall, ouch – but the olympics are coming up soon, maybe a bit of practice? Um, anyway.

Everything Wessel said with the following:

1. I completely believe that my acupuncturist aided in my “success” (sure did take a while though).

2. I’m actually much more skeptical of western medicine than eastern or Quackery. So tell me more. I’m also a big fan of Reiki – better than a massage!

By: Stefanie

Stefanie — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 20:17:13 +0000

Are you sure you didn’t “accidentally” become a Scientologist? That would suck. You are very funny and I’m going to link to you too!

By: Manuela

Manuela — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 19:07:53 +0000

I’m sorry… I would comment on all of the above… but I’m supposedly ‘working’ at the mo’… and it’s taking every ounce of energy to contain the laughter that would instantly give me away…

By: Jess

Jess — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:44:07 +0000

Oh, your poor bones and joints! I’m going to make a protective padded suit for you to wear at all times.

Also, I can’t wait to read about the horrible things worn by persons in your close proximity. Heeee!

You know, I could go on and on about natural health and my best friend’s crystals and pendants and mysterious purple liquid I dubbed “angel juice,” but I put all that stuff in my novel. Plus, I’ve made fun of her enough for awhile.

By: wessel

wessel — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 14:41:13 +0000

I’m a total believer. Western medicine has brainwashed everyone into believing that all alternative practitioners are quacks. I have never EVER had a TCM or a NAD (and I’ve seen many) make false promises to me about cures of any kind. The point is to GET HEALTHY, and both TCMs and NADs know how to make that happen for you. It only stands to reason that a healthier body is more fertile — that is all. They can give you herbs or supplements that boost your endocrine system and therefore help fertility, but nothing is magic or mysterious. There are some things I personally consider more “woo-woo” like homeopathy and energy healing, but there are also people who claim that it has helped them. Ask yourself, how much has western medicine helped you? How many drugs have killed people? How many people have been butchered by unnecessary surgeries? There are FAR more health crimes committed by MDs than NADs or TCMs, yet the prejudices persist (particularly in the northeast where things are a bit stuffier — most of us in the west are already crunchy granola or are at least friendly to the philosophy).

I am planning to blog about my new TCM soon, and will say more then. But I have seen incredible, incredible differences in my health when I have been under the care of a skilled and smart TCM or NAD. Thanks to a NAD, I do not have to take medication to control my arthritis. Thanks to a NAD, I do not have to take antihistamines to breath. Thanks to a TCM, I do not have to be on hormonal replacement but am capable of having a normal menstrual cycle. Like with everything, there are good practitioners and not so good practitioners so I’m not claiming that all are miracle workers (we accept that not all MDs are good, yet we let a single bad TCM prejudice us against all Chinese medicine — why?)

TCM has been particularly useful in treating infertility. If you want to find out more about that, visit Dr. Randine Lewis (who is an MD and a TCM) at http://www.easternharmonyclinic.com or http://www.theinfertilitycure.com and also do a google search on Angela Wu in San Francisco. Amazing stuff.

Without a doubt, I believe that all my western medicine infertility treatments have worsened my health, and that all my NAD and TCM treatments have helped it. The problem is, alternative healing requires patience — lots of it. And few of us have that kind of patience. We run to the doctors for the quick fix, only to learn (some of us) that there aren’t any quick fixes or not even any fix at all.

By: Molly

Molly — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 14:24:49 +0000

You were hooked to a computer and “meridians?” Girl, if you hadn’t told me that you were at a naturopath, I would worry that you were converting to Scientology.

*shudder*

But hey, a 98% success rate ain’t to shabby. I’d hike my ass to the suburbs for that.

By the way, I totally thought of you this morning while listening to Morning Edition on NPR, because I needed someone to make fun of a bout of horribly bad writing with me. While referring to houses in some neighborhoods of New Orleans, Renee Montagne said (and I kid you not), “. . . thrown on the road like so many Monopoly pieces . . . ”

AAUUUGGHHHH!

By: Ornery

Ornery — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 04:16:59 +0000

Oh man, all this sounds way too familiar. I was brought up by extremely traditional Asian parents who believed that Western medicine was a bunch of horseshit designed solely to suck up as much of their hard-earned money as possible. I rarely saw a Western physician, so most of my childhood ailments were diagnosed by an herbalist who knew everything that was wrong with me just by looking at my tongue. Consequently, my childhood is filled with stinky herbal beverages as well as lots of acupressure, acupuncture, moxybustion, magnets that redirected my Qi, you name it. I hated all that stuff when I was a kid, but now I have a greater appreciation for homeopathic medicine (though some naturopathics tend to go one step further and some of that still weirds me out…like energy vibrations from flowers. What the hell is that?).

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 02:30:58 +0000

Ouch – sorry to hear of your fall. Having had a similar spill on a sidewalk grate at the entrance to the subway (at rush hour of course to maximize the witnesses), I can feel your pain. Though my bruise bore a stricking resemblence to the grate pattern. But anyhoo…
The NAD sounds promising. I appreciate the more natural approach and believe that it can be helpful in many instances. So no mocking from me. I’ll be hoping it works for you.

By: DD

DD — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 00:46:05 +0000

Oh goodness, Alexa! You landed on the cat-crap? I can barely carry the bag outside, I’m so offended by the odor…

I would go to a witch-doctor if I thought he/she could cure all my ills.