Replies

Many thanks for the interesting post.

I've had very good results with traditional Chinese medicine, both acupuncture and herbs. The Traditional Chinese doc I went to in San Francisco made up herbal compounds on the spot, sometimes piling up a 4-foot long counter with ingredients that he'd brew up into a tea while I waited. Twigs, bark, stems, antlers, and who knew what else piled a foot high.. Of course, the quality of any ingredient might vary, and it certainly looked unscientific, but I assure you, his was the best medical treatment I've ever received. My ailments were not too serious, I must admit. For serious stuff, and also for lab tests, I'd head straight to the Western doctor and hospital.

While science must question these things, as a patient, I don't really care whether symptom relief is all I get if symptoms are relieved and never come back. I don't want to be a human guinea pig, but have no objection to availing myself of ancient formulas that have been proved not to hurt me and have a good track record.

OTOH, Western meds almost always give me side effects and I truly fear they could kill me...my American doc calls me a "high responder," and prescribes 1/2 to 1/4 normal dosage for me. Last year, for example, four months on 1/4 dose of Lipitor lowered my cholesterol 110 points. A regular dose might have really damaged me my doc is the first to admit.

One of the first popular writers on nutrition, Adele Davis, used to stress the point that we should make our bodies "a fortress against disease," which I consider very good advice. I'll bet the ranch that most who die from SARS are rundown or even subtly malnourished and cannot throw off the disease.

A sidelight I hope won't bore you..my ophthalmologist is Chinese, grad of Johns Hopkins....his daughter is at Harvard Med and is taking a year in China to learn traditional Chinese medicine. He was not too thrilled with her doing so, because, he said, she was too Western and would never catch on.

"Last year, for example, four months on 1/4 dose of Lipitor lowered my cholesterol 110 points."

I should be so lucky. I could not sleep at all on Lipitor. I'm presently taking 1/2 tablet of Lovastatin at bedtime.

He was not too thrilled with her doing so, because, he said, she was too Western and would never catch on.

That's pretty funny.