Well... Apparently Popeater found my comment too lengthy to print, and I hate to waste all my hard work, so here are my thoughts on the whole Sandra Bullock/Jessie James thing.
What red blooded woman in the U.S. wasn't raised, by intent or by watching the utter bored staleness of her own parents' sham of a marriage, to be attracted to the Bad Boy? We have ALL taken a bite of that apple unless we have zero body fat percentage and thereby no sex drive (yes, people--skinny women do not crave sex as much as their more curvy or athletically built counterparts--it's hormones, not Hollywood that decide that one). But I digress. We see in "him" what we want to be ourselves but have been raised NOT to, under any circumstances, because "it's just not lady-like" but we long for it, to be free, tough, mouthy (meaning actually SAYING what you think rather than just thinking it and hoping glaring at someone hard enough will suffice)--that "F-you if you can't take a joke" attitude, and the danger...mmmm baby, the danger! Adrenaline high anyone?
Then what is the very first thing we do once we are "with" him, officially I mean, not just for funsies.
We immediately try to domesticate the guy. Now seriously, I don't care who you are or how much money you have. It's NOT gonna happen. Never. Ever. Not without surgical intervention anyway. I don't care how beautiful you are, how good you are at any number of open minded sex acts, how successful you are (in fact that one often works against you, along with loads of money) or how many changes of life you go through trying to keep the guy interested. One woman is NEVER going to satisfy a high testosterone man--which is basically what a bad boy is. You either take him as he is or become a one woman prison system--intercepting every call, checking all his various online activities, going through his wallet, calling to check up on him, scanning the credit card receipts--secretly following him--all things that some guys find perversely appealing, but which is just too effing exhausting to maintain for the long haul and just too demeaning for many of us to even CONSIDER doing. If his ego is that fragile, the relationship is just gonna be one long mind fuck anyway.
So, as much as I detest what the guy did to "America's Sweetheart" (personally I don't see it... but that's just me) I have to say she was old enough to see that ALL coming from miles away, and she 1. got involved with him anyway and 2. took the ridiculous risk of leaving him home and unattended. It was certainly over from that point, and most likely long before that because you can never fully trust any bad boy under 75 or so (and thanks to Viagra, probably not them either). He probably loves her to death...but he just has this "itch" he has to scratch...hormonally and psychologically. Maybe his mommy didn't breast feed him, or if she did, she didn't do it long enough, or maybe he's just an infantile PRICK who doesn't care about anyone but himself (something we found SO charming in the beginning).
It is a shame she had to be humiliated in public as she was, and at such a stellar point in her career, but she CHOSE to spend that time ON her career, doing that movie, instead of doing him. Sorry ladies, but as a woman I have to be honest. He's not the only person who made mistakes in that relationship.
And as for the bimbos? The world is full of brainless vultures all too eager to start pecking at the corpse of a dying relationship. They're attracted to carrion and have a 6th sense for finding it...not that most men are exactly subtle in making their needs known. The only consolation is that the carrion feeders always end up as living illustrations that you are what you eat. Always.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
On The Alleged Horrors of Natural Substances
I've been hearing much of late about the evils of natural substances, you know the ones provided by Mother Nature, not Big Pharma. I tend to wonder just what motivates these writers; given the most recent "anti-natural" rant was on some financial page I was directed to by my AOL welcome screen. Doctors usually get a nice trip to a "conference" somewhere tropical or where the skiing is nice and where little if any time at all is actually spent in conference related activities...and by gosh the WHOLE FAMILY gets to come, too! I wonder what a financial writer gets...and just what experience, expertise or authority he or she perceives to be speaking from. (Sorry about the preposition at the end of the phrase, Mrs. Wagler, but I just can't seem to break that habit.)
Most alternative meds/remedies/substances, whatever you wish to call them, are time tested, and I'm talking hundreds to even thousands of years of positive outcomes here, and come with a clear warning stating they should not be used unless under the direction of a naturopath or physician well versed in homeopathic medicine. Increasingly main stream doctors are becoming quite adept at prescribing these valuable and natural substances in a safe and effective manner. For those with little or no insurance they can be a relatively inexpensive alternative (and thereby very threatening to the pharmaceutical industry, which is racing to create their own "brands" of the very substances they are damning in the press.) Doctors who have added natural/holistic aspects to their practice have come to realize that while they may not be receiving as many trips to the Riviera Maya or whatever thinly veiled kickback the pharmaceutical companies are offering for pushing their drugs, their patients are benefiting...and believe it or not SOME doctors actually still care about patient outcomes. Shocking, I know, but as old fashioned as that may sound I have seen it now and then in my own practice as a BSN and as a consumer as well.
Many naturally occurring substances work as well if not better and certainly with less deadly side effects than some virtually unregulated "generic equivalent" medications from third world nations (or even here) with questionable practices, inconsistent product strength, cheap and even unhealthy "carrier" substances to add bulk to the medication, and mold, feces, and other undesirable filth everywhere. Your pharmacist will tell you which ones to avoid if you have an honest, educated and current pharmacist. Anyone who knows anything about medicine and health care would never allow their dog to take medications from many of these "generic manufacturers", much less anyone in their own family. So scaring would-be consumers with bogey man imagery and vastly exaggerating the HORRIBLE side effects of simple, natural, time honored remedies may please America's corporate masters, but the fact of the matter is that natural substances are every bit as safe and effective and far less likely to kill people when taken under proper supervision than many if not most DRUGS. Case in point-antidepressants, specifically SSRIs like Paxil, Lexapro, Zoloft, Luvox, Prozak and Celexa and their generic equivalents have carried strongly and clearly stated warning labels in Europe for many years, and rightly so. The same warnings are appearing here in the states at a snail's pace. In fact we are only beginning to include "young" adults (how's that for nonspecific?) in the "at risk" group, when study after study indicates substantially increased suicidal ideology and suicide risk for all ages. And let me be very clear here. Each of these studies allows for the fact that depressed people have a higher rate of suicide than the population at large, and the increase when these drugs are added is over and above the "norm" for ALL AGES.
Of course this is exacerbated by the fact that anyone with prescribing privileges can prescribe these meds, and they do, excessively, and then fail utterly in the follow-up and counseling of at risk individuals. Unsupervised or under supervised usage is not a factor only in natural products, but in drugs as well. Doctors have so little time per patient that they throw pills at everyone they see and promptly forget them until the next crisis arises-depending upon someone already under extreme psychological duress to self regulate and report back to them-when and IF they can get through the gauntlet of automated phone messaging and ignorant if not downright abusive nurses (yes I'm a nurse, but some office nurses do NOT deserve their licenses) which stand between patient and doctor! I have some experience with the subject and I have lost a brother to suicide under these exact circumstances.
These drugs are so often a double edged sword. The medications that make many depressed people feel better can wreak havoc with someone who is bipolar, and precious few family practice doctors, internists or even psychologists (who do not prescribe, but report and recommend to a nurse-prescriber or psychiatrist who sees the patient very briefly if at all) are equipped to pick up on the nuances separating bipolar hypo mania from depression. I won't go into the neuro-chemistry here, but inhibitions are also lowered in many people on these mind altering drugs, so not only do you have the suicidal ideology, but you are also tampering with the very mechanisms that prevent non-medicated individuals from acting on impulse, with disastrous results.
Another major group of medications that can cause more harm than good are those used to treat gastric reflux. They dangerously raise LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) in many people, people for whom diet and life style changes would be perfectly effective, along with something natural to decrease the flow of acid into the esophagus. Unfortunately this class of drugs are prescribed like candy. Moreover, many of those who survive them also end up on statin drugs (because of the artificially high LDL cholesterol caused by the anti reflux drug of choice) which irritates the stomach, thus creating and keeping in motion a vicious cycle in which one drug is used to cancel out the side effects of another. Meanwhile the money keeps rolling in for big pharma. so they can keep pumping out ads telling people how sick they are and give step by step directions on how to get doctors to prescribe their products.
The drugs I've mentioned are just three of the most common examples, and there are many, many more. So when life style and diet won't work, I'll at least try natural substances every time over a pharmaceutical drug if I can. They often don't give the immediate fix so important to society today, but given time they do work when used properly with supervision. Knowing that, I will continue to use them as a first choice and rest easy knowing I'm doing what's best for my body and my mind.
Most alternative meds/remedies/substances, whatever you wish to call them, are time tested, and I'm talking hundreds to even thousands of years of positive outcomes here, and come with a clear warning stating they should not be used unless under the direction of a naturopath or physician well versed in homeopathic medicine. Increasingly main stream doctors are becoming quite adept at prescribing these valuable and natural substances in a safe and effective manner. For those with little or no insurance they can be a relatively inexpensive alternative (and thereby very threatening to the pharmaceutical industry, which is racing to create their own "brands" of the very substances they are damning in the press.) Doctors who have added natural/holistic aspects to their practice have come to realize that while they may not be receiving as many trips to the Riviera Maya or whatever thinly veiled kickback the pharmaceutical companies are offering for pushing their drugs, their patients are benefiting...and believe it or not SOME doctors actually still care about patient outcomes. Shocking, I know, but as old fashioned as that may sound I have seen it now and then in my own practice as a BSN and as a consumer as well.
Many naturally occurring substances work as well if not better and certainly with less deadly side effects than some virtually unregulated "generic equivalent" medications from third world nations (or even here) with questionable practices, inconsistent product strength, cheap and even unhealthy "carrier" substances to add bulk to the medication, and mold, feces, and other undesirable filth everywhere. Your pharmacist will tell you which ones to avoid if you have an honest, educated and current pharmacist. Anyone who knows anything about medicine and health care would never allow their dog to take medications from many of these "generic manufacturers", much less anyone in their own family. So scaring would-be consumers with bogey man imagery and vastly exaggerating the HORRIBLE side effects of simple, natural, time honored remedies may please America's corporate masters, but the fact of the matter is that natural substances are every bit as safe and effective and far less likely to kill people when taken under proper supervision than many if not most DRUGS. Case in point-antidepressants, specifically SSRIs like Paxil, Lexapro, Zoloft, Luvox, Prozak and Celexa and their generic equivalents have carried strongly and clearly stated warning labels in Europe for many years, and rightly so. The same warnings are appearing here in the states at a snail's pace. In fact we are only beginning to include "young" adults (how's that for nonspecific?) in the "at risk" group, when study after study indicates substantially increased suicidal ideology and suicide risk for all ages. And let me be very clear here. Each of these studies allows for the fact that depressed people have a higher rate of suicide than the population at large, and the increase when these drugs are added is over and above the "norm" for ALL AGES.
Of course this is exacerbated by the fact that anyone with prescribing privileges can prescribe these meds, and they do, excessively, and then fail utterly in the follow-up and counseling of at risk individuals. Unsupervised or under supervised usage is not a factor only in natural products, but in drugs as well. Doctors have so little time per patient that they throw pills at everyone they see and promptly forget them until the next crisis arises-depending upon someone already under extreme psychological duress to self regulate and report back to them-when and IF they can get through the gauntlet of automated phone messaging and ignorant if not downright abusive nurses (yes I'm a nurse, but some office nurses do NOT deserve their licenses) which stand between patient and doctor! I have some experience with the subject and I have lost a brother to suicide under these exact circumstances.
These drugs are so often a double edged sword. The medications that make many depressed people feel better can wreak havoc with someone who is bipolar, and precious few family practice doctors, internists or even psychologists (who do not prescribe, but report and recommend to a nurse-prescriber or psychiatrist who sees the patient very briefly if at all) are equipped to pick up on the nuances separating bipolar hypo mania from depression. I won't go into the neuro-chemistry here, but inhibitions are also lowered in many people on these mind altering drugs, so not only do you have the suicidal ideology, but you are also tampering with the very mechanisms that prevent non-medicated individuals from acting on impulse, with disastrous results.
Another major group of medications that can cause more harm than good are those used to treat gastric reflux. They dangerously raise LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) in many people, people for whom diet and life style changes would be perfectly effective, along with something natural to decrease the flow of acid into the esophagus. Unfortunately this class of drugs are prescribed like candy. Moreover, many of those who survive them also end up on statin drugs (because of the artificially high LDL cholesterol caused by the anti reflux drug of choice) which irritates the stomach, thus creating and keeping in motion a vicious cycle in which one drug is used to cancel out the side effects of another. Meanwhile the money keeps rolling in for big pharma. so they can keep pumping out ads telling people how sick they are and give step by step directions on how to get doctors to prescribe their products.
The drugs I've mentioned are just three of the most common examples, and there are many, many more. So when life style and diet won't work, I'll at least try natural substances every time over a pharmaceutical drug if I can. They often don't give the immediate fix so important to society today, but given time they do work when used properly with supervision. Knowing that, I will continue to use them as a first choice and rest easy knowing I'm doing what's best for my body and my mind.
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