Health and dis-ease

CLL is one type of leukemia.  It is the bad overgrowth of white blood cells.  My partner is receiving chemotherapy for this cancer and is now receiving the drug Neulasta (pegfilgastrim) after each cycle of chemo.  This is the supreme irony.  Why?  Because Neulasta encourages the growth of neutrophils, one of the types of white blood cells.

The treatment is not as insane as it first sounds.  CLL is chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  There are about seven main types of white blood cells.  In CLL, the particular sort of white blood cells going out of control is the lymphocytes.  On the other hand, the neutrophils are well-behaved and doing what they should be doing: fighting bacteria.  Therefore, if a patient is receiving chemo to knock out the lymphocytes and this medication concurrently wipes out the neutrophils, there is a problem.  A big problem.  Now, the normal bacteria living on and in people can become a threat.  Thus, the introduction of Neulasta is appropriate.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming, extremely simply put, asserts that what you say is what you create for yourself.  The cognitive therapy branch of psychology similarly works on the premise that thoughts precede (and create) feelings.   People who recite affirmations are also in sync with these theories.

Therefore in accordance with these concepts, positive, happy thoughts should promote health and mental predictions of doom and gloom will create misery and dis-ease.

While I believed these to be true, I mostly believed them with my head only.  Amazingly I recently had the theory brought home to me somatically.

My partner is a curmudgeon.  There is no other way to describe him.  So, in the past, when people would ask me how he is doing, my reply was “He’s a pain in the Butt.”  I said this to indicate that he was a constant annoyance, but not causing a heartbreak.  Well, happily I did not talk myself into any cardiac problems.  On the contrary I talked myself into a very bizarre rash.  I’ll give you ONE guess where.

Needless to say, this lesson was well-learned.  While dealing with the symptoms, I ceased all attribution to anyone of any pains anywhere in my body.  Now I do not hand over to anyone, including myself, the power to cause problems.  Those sorts of utterances are no longer in my life.  Hopefully, you can learn from my experiences instead of going through it yourself.

It worked for me.  I took it and aspirin when I was feeling scratchy, drippy, and achy.  Instead of blossoming into a full-force cold, my symptoms abated.  I have taken zinc in the past for cold prevention and had the common side effect of upset mild nausea.  The creator of Airborne wisely added ginger, a homoepathic remedy, to counteract that effect. Additionally, the bonus of this treatment is that I really like the choice of flavors and the fizzy drink. 

The site www.chemotherapy.com is owned by Amgen. 

Amgen is a biotechnology, genetic engineering firm (http://www.amgen.com/about/amgen.html)  which markets medications used in the treatment of cancer.  Therefore,  I will  assume that any of its products or general treatment modes in which its medications fall will be favorably reviewed on this site.  Accordingly, one cannot expect totally impartial, unbiased information here.

The page has very attractive, up-to-date graphics and includes these links:  Understanding Cancer,  About Chemotherapy,  Treating Cancer with Chemo,  Chemo Side Effects,  Other Treatments, Tracking Test Results, Insurance Tips,   and more.  These are very useful.  Additionally, there is an option for a  complimentary subscription to the print journal Women and Cancer.  However, it seems that some mail list inclusion may be a condition for receiving this.

I find much of the information to be on the basic side.  However, it is worth a look to see how it may meet your needs.

Sometimes people use positive thinking to ward off colds and viruses.  Other times, they think they are practicing “positive thinking,” but are really practicing denial.  Thus, instead of mind-over-mattering away a dis-ease, they are losing an opportunity to engage the enemy germs in battle.

I realize that I may have been one of the latter types.  Therefore, when aching shoulders joined a few days worth of slight deep bronchial itchiness and post-nasal drip, I decided to take action.  I have heard many positive testimonies for the Airborne product, so I am giving it a go. 

The list of ingredients includes many vitamins that I would be taking IF I took all the vitamins I intend to every day.  Sadly, I do not meet my vitamin goal.  Subsequently, I feel comfortable trying this vitamin-mineral immunity product without fearing an overdose.

It has appeal.  In my local grocery, it comes in three adult flavors and a kids’ type.  I chose lemon-lime.  I like the fizzy effervescence – that is just fun.  In addition, it feels official because other cold and flu remedies use this format for medicine delivery.  I feel good at the moment – two hours post first dose – however, the extra-strength aspirin I took concurrently with the Airborne may deserve the credit.

I work with children.  I live with an immune-compromised person.  Let’s hope and see if this works.

I am just drop-jawed in awe of Dustin Hoffman’s acting talent.  He can be anyone.    One of the roles he played was a new college graduate who receives advice to look for employment in “plastics.”

Plastics certainly have reduced the number of broken containers on the kitchen or dining room floor.  However, the concerns of the far left, all-natural tree-huggers seem to now be seconded by research institutions.

What are the health field’s uses and concerns about plastic?  I think that plastics have greatly increased sanitation levels.  Disposables may be wasteful, but in an infection-conscious environment, the waste is far outshadowed by the benefits in sterile equipment.

On the other hand, a doctor at Johns Hopkins University raises the concern that dioxins are bleeding from plastic wrap and plastic containers into food.  Dioxins are not good for people.  In fact, they are VERY bad – carcinogenic, to be precise.  This is not good news for all the microwave oven plastic accessories businesses.  Can the population make the switch back to (breakable) glass and ceramic dishes for cooking?

It is horrifically sad that a father reportedly killed his two-and-a-half-year-old son because he owed $4,000 of child support.

The atrociousness of this murder is exponentially compounded by the fact that this is not a novel event.  Each year parents, step-parents, babysitters, foster parents, and grandparents are found guilty of willful or negligent murder of children in their care.

Where is the country’s value system?  Why do we test people to see if they can correctly cut hair or draft a deed, but we totally “trust” something – I don’t know what – to insure that a wee human being will be nourished, nurtured, and protected by his parents.  What insanity!

The biological capacity to make a baby does NOT automatically endow the parents with the skills to raise it.   One may counter that there are mandated reporters to watch for abuse and then agencies in place to intervene, should it be deemed necessary.  If one further attempts to assert that these adequately manage the problem, this is not so.

Pre-parental training and testing is overdue.

“God is on OUR side” is a sentiment probably felt by any and every country involved in armed conflict.  God intended us to have enough land for OUR people (Hitler and Austria, United States and western expansion).  God intended that OUR religion dominate and that others disappear (just about everywhere.)  God intended that OUR ethnic group or race dominate and all others get the bleep out or be extinguished from the face of the earth (just about everywhere).  When you read the plain words, don’t they sound about as immature as a two-year-old with the gimmes?  So, why did and do countries adopt the manifest destiny philosophy?

Jingoism is belligerent, aggressive, and selfish nationalism (please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingoism for a fine definition and discussion.)  What a bizarre name it is for the concept!  How about patrarrogance? (Patriotic arrogance) Or egoarroblindagance?  Or xenobigotrism?  The United States certainly was filled with it after 9/11, although it had always been lurking under the surface of the consciousness.  Soon after the attack, copious cars were displaying American flags, especially ones which could be inexpensively purchased and hooked over the window.  Although it truly only proved that people could afford the flag and could figure out how to attach it, it seemed to represent an ugly “me first” attitude about America, its sources for oil, and its willingness to use military force to get what it wants.

However, many years have passed.  I have learned from the experience.  I am not particularly proud of this, but I will be honest:  before the attack on the twin towers, I felt that we were magically protected on our own continental boundaries (sorry, Hawa’ai and Alaska.)   It was as if I believed that a Star Trek force field was up, protecting the mainland.  Therefore, the invasion of 9/11 destroyed a faith I had.  Citizens of other countries probably would laugh at my naiveté, but the events truly led to a loss of innocence for me.  Now I am sadder and hopefully wiser.  (For example, when the four –day ban on air traffic ended, the first time I heard jet engines above, I had these thoughts:  “What is that sound?  Oh, I know that sound: it is the noise of an airplane.  I wonder what it is doing.  I think it will probably crash into the side of my house and into the bathroom where I am standing.”  That sequence NEVER would have occurred to me before Sept 11^th.)

Many of us are wiser.  (Just a few still think that pouring money into the military complex solves all problems.  From them, I get the Internet anti-Democrat jibes and “Pray for the soldiers” emails.)  Most of us are now recognizing that the song “God Bless America” is passé and the new song needs to be “God Bless the World.”