When doctors breach the public trust

LETTE RS TO THE EDITO R When doctors breach the public trust Editor, If you teach a rat to nego­tiate a maze to get its food you don’t get a new and improved ethical or moral rat, you just get an educated rat. Recent doings at the Luzerne County Court­house indicate that if that same rat also successfully negotiates the maze of law school and bar exams, the result is still the same, so I can understand the concern Dr. Greco has about the rat ethos negatively affecting the state of medicine. But since the American Rat Association is an equal opportunity weed; it chal­lenges the wheat of medi­cine as severely as it does law and most other human endeavors. In his Oct. 2004 newsletter under the headline “Public Enemy No. 1,” Dr. Julian Whitaker in part has this to say about conventional med­icine: “Conventional medi­cine is the most dangerous industry in the world.” In an excellent analysis of the dangers of conventional medicine intervention, Gary Null Ph.D. and col­leagues show that adverse drug reactions, medical errorsandotherdoctor­induced events are the lead­ing cause of death in this country, responsible for 783,936 fatalities every year. Why don’t we recognize this? This astounding figure, meticulously researched and documented, outpaces heart disease (pegged as our number one killer) by almost 100,000 deaths per year and cancer by 200,000. It means that every single day, more than 2,000 deaths are caused by the profession to which we entrust our health. Every decade, more Americans are killed by conventional medical prac­tices than have died in all the wars our country has ever fought. Dr. Greco, it seems, has sufficient weed­ing in his own garden to do before he gains enough credibility to be in a posi­tion to advise alternate medicine on the disposition oftheirs. While the weeds of medi­cine pay lip service to the tenets of science, in prac­tice what they consider to be “unscientific” is any­thing that actually or poten­tially negatively impacts them financially. Prescrib­ing statin drugs and moni­toring those who take them is a multi-billion dollar cash cow for both doctors and drug companies who are of the “cholesterol is bad” reli­gion. Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling was not exactly a scientific lightweight. A successor of his has written a book titled “Stop Ameri­ca’s No. 1 Killer!,” the prem­ise of which is that athero­sclerosis is actually scurvy of the arteries that can suc­cessfully be reversed with high doses of vitamin C. Though there are 50 pages of scientific references in this 320 page book in sup­port of his thesis, I don’t think Barnes & Noble has to worry about being over run by doctors abandoning the very lucrative “cholesterol is bad” religion in favor of exponentially cheaper orthomolecular vitamin C therapy as outlined in Dr. Levy’s book. Statin drugs have a list of insidious side­effects, like actually weak­ening the heart because of CoQ10 depletion, memory loss and muscle weakness, but not satisfied with the billions they get from work­ing this scam on adults, drug companies want to expand their horizons and start chemically abusing children as young as 8 years old. While the abuses of the legal profession in the pur­suit of individualmalprac­tice awards are real, their sins of omission in not pur­suing thesystemicmalprac­tice drug companies, allo­pathic doctors and amalgam placing dentists engage in is a greater breach of social trust. Martin Husovich, WhiteHaven

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The F…..it’s

This morning I a woke and had this thought in my head about how I handle
things that I don’t like to do, like choirs, uncomfortable situations,
and plain work. Here is what I came up with , it’s probably not unique .
But it makes sense to me. Write and let me know what you think.
George, Dad, PapaG

The f..it’s

When I go to start a Project I’m not in favor of doing I
always go though certain reactions .I will call them my f……..it’s

1. I fuss over it trying not to do it.
2. When I start doing it I fight with it and everyone
   around me about it.
3. I fear it, that it will fail or it will not be perfect.
4. I fart around it sometimes procrastinating or wasting
   time.
5. Finally I get to where I see that all that trouble I
   put myself though is getting me nowhere and I start to
   finish it.

Moral:
Don’t take so long at all the reactions. Feel them and
acknowledge them and forge on.
George Hasker©

Protecting your computers

I’m going to add some sites starting with Yahoo’s site to learn how to protect computers of our members. The site is : http://antispam.yahoo.com/virustips .

VIRUS TIPS

Antivirus software does 99%. Here’s how to handle the
other 1%.

You can minimize your exposure to viruses by following these
simple guidelines*:

Never send, click, open, save, or
run email attachments that you weren’t expecting. (Be particularly
cautious of executable files, which end with the extensions .exe, .com, .vbs,
.lnk, .pif, .scr, .bat.)

Back up important files on your
computer, just in case originals become corrupted.

If you receive an email attachment
from someone you don’t trust, delete the message immediately without opening the
attachment. If you know and trust the sender, email the person to verify
that they meant to send the attachment.

Make sure any attachments you send
are virus-free. Fortunately, Yahoo! Mail automatically scans your
outgoing attachments for viruses. Including a description of any attachment you
send in the body of your message will let the recipients know the email and the
attachments are from you.

* Remember, not all viruses can be detected and cleaned.
There’s a risk involved whenever you download email attachments to your computer
or send email attachments to others. As stated in our Terms of Service, neither
Yahoo! nor its licensors are responsible for any damages caused by your decision
to download email

CLEANING

Hey, keep it clean! — double protection with free virus
cleaning.

With Yahoo! Mail you’re doubly safe. We not only automatically scan your incoming and outgoing email attachments
(using Norton AntiVirus software), we also clean infected attachments whenever
possible.*

If we find a known virus, we’ll remove it from the
attachment and give you clear instructions on what to do next.

* Remember, not all viruses can be detected and cleaned.
There’s a risk involved whenever you download email attachments to your computer
or send email attachments to others. As stated in our Terms of Service, neither
Yahoo! nor its licensors are responsible for any damages caused by your decision
to download email attachments.

SCANNING

Virus? Worms? Trojans? Them’s fightin’ words.

A malicious virus can bring your computer to a standstill
(or worse). Much worse. That’s why Yahoo! is constantly on the lookout for new
viruses and ways to stop them.*

Yahoo! Mail automatically scans all incoming and outgoing
email attachments for known viruses. We use industry-leading Norton AntiVirus
software, so you don’t have to do a thing. Download the attachment and wait for
that reassuring message “No Virus Threat Detected.” If a virus is detected, it
will be cleaned if possible, and you’ll be given further
instructions.

* Remember, not all viruses can be detected and cleaned.
There’s a risk involved whenever you download email attachments to your computer
or send email attachments to others. As stated in our Terms of Service, neither
Yahoo! nor its licensors are responsible for any damages caused by your decision
to download email attachments.

I know we are little lax about add things to our blog, but it’s because we are all so busy. For now stay safe and happy.
George.

Febuary 2008

I just thought I would start putting some new posts on the site , simply because noone else wants too. I’ll try to find new things on the web for us to look at in our share time.
new site:

http://www.firebrand.com/watch/VLKSWGN-GENE-60/225

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Today’s thought from Hazelden

Everything is funny as long as it is happening to someone else.
– Will Rogers

We laugh when others do something silly. We’re amused when something funny happens to them. But if the same happens to us and people laugh, we might give them the evil eye.

Yet, when others laugh, it can free us. It frees us to see the world through new eyes. Likewise, when we laugh at ourselves, we’re free to see ourselves with new eyes. Instead of trying to be perfect, we accept we’re human. To laugh at ourselves is to accept ourselves. There’s no room for shame when we laugh. We enjoy ourselves just as we are. Can I accept the fact I’m human and I have limits?

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, when I refuse to accept that I’m only human, be gentle with me. I know that, when I least expect it, you will remind me that I’m only human.

Action for the Day

I will share with a friend one or two stories about funny mistakes I’ve made.

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Further you wisdom

An Introduction to Platonic Philosophy*

©Pierre Grimes Ph.D.

Man is a curious creature. There appears to be nothng he will not try if it offers the slightest chance of overcoming his sense of alienation. He will go to war, use drugs, get married, and even play golf. Even if it has only the slimmest chance of ending his sense of futility, he will gamble on it. The sense of being incomplete has driven many into psychotherapy, it can lead one to search the heavens for some clue to one’s destiny, it can awaken a need to meditate in Zen, it can draw one into the priesthood or to coaching little league, and for some it can motivate them to exchange their talent and life’s energies to enrich a corporation in return for a vague promise of financial gain and, possibly, retirement. But, while nearly anything will be tried, there is one thing that nearly everyone rules out, something that they are sure will never work and that is relying upon one’s own reason to lead to resolvement of their conflicts and their dissatisfaction with life. For, life is lived through the mind, conflicts are only resolved through the mind, and through that solution the unity of life and the mind is recognized. The realization of the profound unity of our existence is the foundation for a deeper understanding of the mystery of our existence. The way to that realization and understanding is the ancient path of philosophy.

However, the idea of philosophy most people are acquainted with is derived from a European tradition that is hostile, or indifferent, to spiritual goals and metaphysics. Philosophy in the European tradition is an attempt to discover a place for knowledge in history, language, science, and even common sense but not in the quest to know thyself. Those that have turned to the most profound of Eastern philosophies have discovered in their very quest for the Self that reason and intellect do not play a primary role there either. In our own educational institutions the idea of pursuing a philosophy that is centered around the quest for wisdom would be regarded by most as not only unscientific but irrelevant if not heretical to the direction of contemporary thought and philosophy. It has been argued by some that in our society that there is a pervasive skepticism and distrust of reason; clearly, it is not that reason has failed, for the truth is that we have ignored our past, not rejected it; our culture has not kept alive the profound traditions of our past. Thus, the claim that philosophy can reach meaning and can explain the dynamics of mind is something most people would find hard to understand.

The ancient Greeks, in contrast with European tradition, had cultivated a philosophy and traditions that centered around the quest for wisdom that had granted them profound spiritual goals. An adaptation of this philosophy has disclosed that we are in the grip of a strange kind of problem, one that we hadn’t suspected we have. It has been demonstrated that any false belief about oneself and the nature of reality has sufficient force to block one from the attainment of one’s highest aspirations and most meaningful goals. A further difficulty: They are virtually invisible to the believer. Since they are not identified by the believer as something they themselves believe, they cannot recall it nor reflect upon it. Curiously, then, these false beliefs are accepted as intuitively certain yet are not recognized as being believed by the believer. Clearly, this is the worst of ignorance, to believe one is intelligent and good enough without realizing the depth of our ignorance and just how far we have slipped from realizing our ideals; while the need for understanding oneself and reality is desperate, we remain indifferent to our plight.

It might be asked, if we are ignorant, how can philosophy offer an approach to the problem of ignorance? The practice of philosophy starts with ignorance, or not knowing, and charts a journey through the intellectual domain to right opinion to understanding and to knowledge or wisdom; it moves as if by a flight of stairs, until one reaches that perfect learning called wisdom. Being ignorant is the state of mind when one’s false beliefs about oneself and reality block one’s own development. It has been demonstrated that since these false beliefs are irreconcilable with one’s highest goals and aspirations that they are the inevitable cause of our failures and dissillusionment with our lives. When you learn the right opinion you have the right answer without understanding the reasons why it is a right opinion. The way to discover these reasons is, of course, the excercise of reason. Again, someone may ask what kind of reasoning and practice is this that can eliminate those beliefs that you never knew you believed?

Well, reason is what it is, whenever the conditions allow it to be, then it naturally emerges. The way reason functions in philosophy is no different than the way it functions in the sciences. Consider, do we not say that reason allows us to discover the causes of the patterns we observe? The patterns can be in our behavior, in our dreams, or into the sub-atomic world of quarks and superstrings. When we search into the causes of the patterns discovered in the heavens, it is called cosmology; when it is into the causes of our believing false beliefs, into the processes of reaching understanding, and into the nature of mind, it is called philosophy. If what is found to lie at the root of man’s irrational behavior are false beliefs, then the discipline that identifies and resolves these false beliefs through the exercise of understanding is what should be cultivated. The struggle to reach understanding develops the understanding; the struggle to get out of problems is the cultivation of understanding.

Surely, now, if this is true there should be a way to lead another to an exploration of their particular problem. There should be a way to find the false beliefs that underlie each problem. Each problem has its own unique roots but since the general form of all problems is much the same, then, a set of questions should be designed to serve this need. Indeed, a set of questions has been developed to meet this very need. These questions have introduced people into self reflection and many people to the art of delivering oneself of false beliefs. They were designed to be part of a program to teach this art. It was called “A Guide For Your Reflections: A Journey into Philosophical Midiwifery” and we have adapted them for your reflections. These questions will bring to the surface the nature of a person’s problem, either your own problem or someone you might care to share them with. It does take some skill to fully understand the material brought up by the questions, but when they are reflected upon again and again, the mind is brought to see distinctions and connections in the material and that network of connections found in the material becomes the basis of a new understanding of oneself and reality. It is like the polishing of a gem – it can gain luster by repeated polishing. Let us start, then, with the signs of a problem in PART II in the next issue of New Persepctives.

The art that assists men in bringing to birth their ideas was called by Socrates, Philosophical Midiwifery. Pierre Grimes has adapted this Socratic art and applied it to a new member in the class of belief that we call the pathologos. And, you, by practicing this method are becoming philosophical yourself. Philosophy does go beyond this level of belief and passes into the realm of understanding and knowledge, but to discuss that aspect of this ancient art of Philosophical Midiwifery will require another article. Those who can pass through these stages can be called philosophical midwifes and they become members of a new profession whose goal is to demonstrate that reason and understanding can free men from their own oppressive ignorance. Those who can participate in this activity become a part of a profound tradition that was interrupted when Emperor Justinian prohibited the teaching of philosophy and closed Plato’s Academy in 529 A.D.

*Reprinted with permission from New Perspectives, July 1994 and Nov/Dec 1994.

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Elvis

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Elvis video

I love this video , I know you will too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC2K_fgy8Nc

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Welcome all to the Drop in Center

Eureka

By James Saltsman

March 12, 2007

 

 

            A Beautiful Mind is the inspiring and poignant true story about John Nash, a mathematical genius in search of a truly original idea. More importantly, it’s how he eventually recognized he had schizophrenia and applied his own coping skills to block out his delusions while ignoring his doctor’s orders (NOT recommended). Without the support and love of his life, his wife, Alicia, he may have become a ‘statistic’.

            Nash’s decades long fight against his ‘demons’ was at a time when psychotropic medication and therapy/ counseling were very primitive. His astonishing journey paid off in 1994 when he received the Nobel Prize for his Game Theory (the mysterious science dealing with the mathematics of competition) which influences economics and various fields to this day.

            For those unaware of mental illnesses, this is the film to see. Viewing this picture once may not be enough due to the fact that the plot may seem illogical. This movie is not only logical but is ingeniously structured from the opening credits to the epilogue.

            The story, like the symptoms of schizophrenia, may seem confusing and misleading unless you or someone you know has this tragic disease. The filmmakers succeeded on many aspects-most notably, they made a major motion picture which was shown throughout the world and gives other mental health consumers afflicted with mental illnesses hope. If one viewer of the film leaves the theater knowing he or she needs ‘help’ and pursues it, then the filmmakers have achieved their goal.

            The first half of the story (based on the book by Sylvia Nasar and adapted to the screen by Akiva Goldsman) is told through John’s experiences. The second half of this Best Picture winner (2002 Academy Awards) we painfully watch Alicia’s horrifying realization-via Dr. Rosen’s psychiatric evaluation of Nash-that John has schizophrenia. At the midpoint of the film we’re thrown for a loop. Do we (the audience) trust what Dr. Rosen has to say or is he really a Cold War spy posing as a doctor, like John so adamantly thinks? This adds a whole new shape to the stirring climax.

            James “Titanic” Horner composed a somewhat lackluster music score-especially in regard to his previous opuses. Charlotte Church provides her unnecessary angelic vocals throughout the films score. I think this is the most important and recognizable flaw in the picture. Director Ron Howard was thinking with his ‘pockets’ instead of his mind and heart. You would think that a biopic about a genius would call for some classical music. I wonder what music, if any, Mr. Nash listens to. One probable answer: Not Charlotte Church.

            Russell Crowe gives a multi-dimensional performance not seen since Dustin Hoffman’s, Raymond Babbitt, in Rain Man. Jennifer Connelly knows her craft well. She gives an emotional and empathetic turn as Alicia Nash. Three other ‘characters’ who play a vital role are in John’s mind. The orders in which they appear during the linear story are as follows: Charles (John’s prodigal roommate at Princeton) played by the colorful Paul Bettany. Parcher, played by Ed Harris, works for the Department of Defense trying to break Cold War Codes with John’s invaluable assistance. Charles’s kin, Marcee, is performed by Vivien Cardone, a tyro thespian. Finally, the supporting cast includes actors Christopher Plummer, Adam Goldberg and Josh Lucas.

We haven’t been posting too many blogs lately . Mainly because time has been cut down for the instructor that attends to the drop in center. We will get better and more people will get in volved with writing to this blog. That I promise. I will for now keep it a place for advancement of mental health. Come and Join us celebrate living healthy lives .

Experiencing feelings
can be a challenge if we’ve had no previous experience or permission to do that.
Learning to identify what we’re feeling is a challenge we can meet, but we will
not become experts overnight. Nor do we have to deal with our feelings
perfectly. Here are some ideas that might be helpful as you learn to
recognize and deal with feelings:

Take out a sheet of paper. On the top
of it write, “If it was okay to feel whatever I’m feeling, and I wouldn’t be
judged as bad or wrong, what would I be feeling?” Then write whatever comes to
mind. You can also use the favorite standby of many people in discovering their
feelings: writing or journaling. You can keep a diary, write letters you don’t
intend to send, or just scribble thoughts onto a note pad.

Watch and
listen to yourself as an objective third person might. Listen to your tone of
voice and the words you use. What do you hear? Sadness, fear, anger, happiness?

What is your body telling you? Is it tense and rigid with anger? Running
with fear? Heavy with sadness and grief? Dancing with joy?

Talking to
people in recovery helps too. Going to meetings helps. Once we feel safe, many
of us find that we open up naturally and with ease to our feelings.

We
are on a continual treasure hunt in recovery. One of the treasures we’re seeking
is the emotional part of ourselves. We don’t have to do it perfectly. We need
only be honest, open, and willing to try. Our emotions are there, waiting to
share themselves with us.

Today, I will watch myself and listen to
myself as I go through my day. I will not judge myself for what I’m feeling; I
will accept myself.

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The Creative Process

The Creative
Process

Creativity is at the core of a happy, meaningful, productive life. It is
through our creativity that we bring order and meaning to our world. We use our
creativity in how we create our homes, raise our children, build our careers,
and continually reinvent a sustaining and joyous relationship. Cultivating
creativity is as important to our souls as exercise and good nutrition are to
our bodies, and they overlap, they work together.

Researcher Graham Wallas identifies four stages of the creative process. The
four stages, adapted by Pierce Howard, author of The Owner’s Manual for the
Brain, are

Preparation: This is the time for
research, fact gathering, assembling materials, gathering needed information
before the creative act.

Incubation: This is the period of
gestation, of letting go so that the mind, the unconscious, intuition, and
emotion can mull over the information and put it into its own original
perspective. Dreaming may be a part of this period.

Inspiration: This is the “Aha!”
when the solution, illumination, or discovery either emerges or forces itself
through into a coalesced form.

Evaluation or confirmation: This
is the time to ask, Will it work, does it hold up next to other theories, does
it logically fit with the original stimulus?

I am a creator.

“To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to
sweat over lonely labor, to be given the chance to create, is the meat and
potatoes of life. The money is the gravy. As everyone else, I love to dunk my
crust in it. But alone it is not a diet to keep body and soul
together.”
–Bette Davis
The Lonely Life
(1962)

ghh50

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