"Just be what you are and speak from your guts and heart--it is all a person has" - Hubert Humphrey
Yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The passengers of the RMS Titanic were among the approximately 2,223 people who sailed on the maiden voyage of the second White Star Line Olympic class ocean liners, from Southampton to New York City. Halfway through the voyage, the ship struck an iceberg at 11:40 pm on April 14, 1912 and sank in the early morning of 15 April 1912, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people, including approximately 832 of the passengers. It is an anniversary but in reality a remembrance of those that didn't get a chance to speak from their guts. Some aboard were rich and some were poor. It doesn't matter, but many lives were lost.
I speak from the guts and heart. This weekend, Rick and I had an opportunity to commerate with three other doctors and their spouses the 30th anniversary of the beginning of our medical career. We all are from different parts of the tri-state area and now each has our own pracitce- Gastroenterology (Dr. Tempera), Internal Medicine (Dr. Cecere), Plastic Surgery (Dr. Coons) and Cardiology (Dr. Fratellone). I do not think any of us knew what starting a new career at 20 years old would hold for us in the future. Medicine has changed but I listened to my friends, and I began to realize that we each love taking care of patients. It was refreshing. We each had memories of medical school to share. We laughed. I had a private moment in the bathroom tearing up remembering the day my father took me to the airport. That summer my mother had just died. She never physically saw me graduate , but I am sure she did now that I think back. My dad was with me the whole time.
Rick and I also planted our terrace. Among some of the plants which have blossomed from last year is Broom. From the family Fabaceae, Cytiscus Scoparius is also called Scotch Broom, butcher's broom, and even sweet broom. It is a perennial shrub with thick stems. I have seen it in various colors, but ours is covered in golden-yellow flowers. It is magnificent. I have seen many other varieties on Fire Island through the years.
Our herbal fore father, Culpepper considered it to be good for dropsy, black jaundice (Weil's disease) sciatica and gout. The blossoms were used for making a salve to cure gout, and King Henry VIII ( known to have serious gout) drank the flower-water to counteract his excessive eating and drinking.
I use Scotch broom as anti arrhythmic herb for rhythm disturbances of the heart, especially atrial fibrillation or supraventricular tachycardia. I think the herb Broom I use is Sarothamnus scoparis, but must ask one of my mentors if there is a difference. I know that the broom family has always been known to have cardiac properties. It contains no glycosides so does not belong to the foxglove family (as digoxin). It does contain an alkaloid called sparteine as well as genistein and sarothamin. All three slow the conduction. Upon studying this herb there is a familiarity to quinine. I have seen mid wives use broom in delivery as it causes uterine contractions. For me, it is non toxic. I have never had a problem with dosing broom at high levels. I use it with Motherwort, Hawthorn and Night Blooming Cactus.
Until tomorrow...
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