Shut out all of your past except that which will help you weather your tomorrows.
Sir William Osler
I find it hard to believe that Sir William Osler, astute, prominent physician would make such a statement. Perhaps it was his euthanasia speech-- recommending putting the old men out to pasture at age 60. Osler is well known in the field of gerontology for the speech he gave when leaving Hopkins to become the Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford. His speech "The Fixed Period" given on 22 February 1905, included some controversial words about old age.
Osler, who had a well-developed humorous side to his character, was in his mid-fifties when he gave the speech and in it he mentioned Anthony Trollope's The Fixed Period (1882), which envisaged a College where men retired at 67 and after a contemplative period of one year were 'peacefully extinguished' by chloroform. He claimed that, "the effective, moving, vitalizing work of the world is done between the ages of twenty-five and forty" and it was downhill from then on. Osler's speech was covered by the popular press which headlined their reports, "Osler recommends chloroform at sixty."
I do not want to put my past in a shut down mode, but I do not want to dwell on the past either. Our past lessons help us in the future. I guess if the same mistakes are made time and time again, then we should examine our past more closely. Perhaps you cannot understand why you cannot have a healthy, loving relationship. Perhaps there is a hint in the past. Perhaps you have an 'addiction' which does not allow you to move closer to another human being and to God. As Sir William Osler states, the past can help us in our future experiences. He is so right. Thanks, Sir William.
So why a photo of a crab? What does a crab have to do with medicine? Actually, most crustaceans have an increased amount of mercury in their tissues. They are bottom dwellers filtering the sand where there are heavy metals along with the remains of the Titanic, among other things. So it does keep with the flow of the blog. However, the word 'chelate' in Greek means to "grab onto" as the crab grabs onto something with its claws.
I am going to discuss the use of chelation therapy in the treatment of heavy metal intoxication, and other diseases. I could spend days discussing chelation therapy, and might do so. It is an interesting and controversial topic. I did intravenous chelation in my my first group practice, my second group practice with Robert Atkins, MD and in private practice. I am board certified with the new testing requirements by the American College of Advancement in Medicine (ACAM). I have concluded that chelation therapy is a safe, useful, and promising therapy for a wide range of diseases.
Your own conventional physician may say one of two things when you mention chelation. He will either say .."It is dangerous, and is quakery !" or "I do not know enough about it, are there studies?" More than likely he will grunt, look at you with a twisted face and say nothing. I would hope he has enough sense to say he does not know all the facts. The the National Institute of Health (NIH) is currently conducting trials to assess Chelation Therapy (TACT). Results of this work will answer many questions.
I sometimes think it is closed-mindedness that provides comfort to so many physicians who either say nothing or a sly comment. I used to be one of those physicians. However, I learned long ago, possibly through European traditions with herbs that medicine has a wide scope of treatments. I was not taught that in medical school nor in my clinical years. Remember the initial title of the blog... Anything Worth Learning is Self Taught!
Dr. Atkins once said (do not know whether this is his quote or not), "An expert with no experience in a subject is NOT an expert in that subject."
The use of chelation therapy in diseases has had an uphill battle. There are important historical facts, published scientific facts and then there is the patient's benefit from their point of view. I have seen patients benefit from its use whether to rid the body of toxins or to be preventative for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The benefit in metal toxicity is the decrease in the measured metal after chelation. The first sign of improvement in a cardiac patient undergoing chelation is the increase in exercise tolerance. I have measured the calcium score of the coronary arteries pre and post chelation treatments. I know that the allopathic doctors cannot argue the fact that chelation is still used today in the treatment of lead poisoning, especially in children. It is also effective in the removal of iron, which is an important concern today.
Over the weekend, I will discuss the history of and how chelation works. It is simple, effective and safe.
Cancer is the Fourth Sign of the Zodiac. Its name is derived from the Latin "cancer...literally the crab." Cancer individuals are "tried and true." They tend to cling to tradition as though they were a part of it, yet their moods and even their purposes may become as changeable as this Sign's ruling celestial body...the Moon. Thus, such self-contradiction is understandable, given that it is part of the Cancer person's innate nature. Much like their representative symbol, the Crab, Cancers are well protected on the outside but are prone to be soft on the inside. They are good at sustaining others and appear to have a mission to take care of not only people in and of themselves, but also their means of making a living.
The association of this Sign with water dates back to the very emergence of astrology itself and is Babylonian in origin. In Egypt, Cancer was represented by two turtles known as the "Stars of the Water" and occasionally as an obscure aquatic creature known as Allul. Perhaps more than any other sign, Cancer is symbolic of the passive, receptive but profoundly powerful and encompassing female force in nature...the all-nourishing or all-devouring mother. The Crab itself is associated with the sea...the cradle of life. Those born under the Sign of Cancer should strive to find a safe haven in which their exquisite sensitivity can bloom and flourish. If this is not achieved, then they will find themselves dominated by the prickly and grasping aspect of the Cancer personality.
I have a special fondness for those with this Zodiac sign, my mom, my second Mom Nancy, my dad, Vera, Maryanne and I like to think my Poppy, but he was born on July 30, 1901.
Who can forget Disney's Sebastian from The Little Mermaid.
Until tomorrow...
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