Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
Reading 2leftfeet's post about support of friends (or not, in this case), I have a question. When and why did it become acceptable and common for people to rail against the use of prescription drugs, surgery, and other mainstays of good, effective medicine?
These are people who drive cars, have cellphones and computers, and otherwise enjoy the fruits of what science and technology have wrought. It's a safe guess they are not growing all their own food and raising cotton and flax to spin into thread to weave fabric for their clothing. They're (mostly at least) not living off the grid and chopping wood for the potbellied stove to keep warm.
Why, then, as Beechfeet put it, do they feel free to suggest "a salad and a smile" to treat disease? There are still people who let their children die of pneumonia and diabetes because they believe only in healing through prayer, but the people we get this from aren't generally in that demographic.
Do they spend too many afternoons watching Dr. Oz? Heard the scare stories about opioid addiction? Bought into political diatribes about wasteful poor people wanting free medical care? Is it magical thinking, that since they are living right and don't have RA we must be living wrong? (My favorite hypothesis.) I know that the level of scientific illiteracy in the US is shocking, but there has to be more to it.
Ideas?
These are people who drive cars, have cellphones and computers, and otherwise enjoy the fruits of what science and technology have wrought. It's a safe guess they are not growing all their own food and raising cotton and flax to spin into thread to weave fabric for their clothing. They're (mostly at least) not living off the grid and chopping wood for the potbellied stove to keep warm.
Why, then, as Beechfeet put it, do they feel free to suggest "a salad and a smile" to treat disease? There are still people who let their children die of pneumonia and diabetes because they believe only in healing through prayer, but the people we get this from aren't generally in that demographic.
Do they spend too many afternoons watching Dr. Oz? Heard the scare stories about opioid addiction? Bought into political diatribes about wasteful poor people wanting free medical care? Is it magical thinking, that since they are living right and don't have RA we must be living wrong? (My favorite hypothesis.) I know that the level of scientific illiteracy in the US is shocking, but there has to be more to it.
Ideas?
I think you listed one causes - various talk shows, such as Dr Oz, The Drs, Dr Phil, and the list goes on. Compassion for people is so limited now. It all seems to be about me, me, me nowadays.We don't know our neighbors, therefore to many learned not to care about our neighbors. This is very sad.
I use to be a chatroom host on AOL, in one of the communities. One of the Hosts, from another area, asked me to help with her computer techie chat, in an area I did not have much expertise. She said she would be on the phone with me, and when something came up I did not know, she would feed me the answer. She made me look brilliant and so good . It turns out she was going through Chemo and had issues, so I was there for those time she had her head in a garage can, throwing up. That was years ago, and since then, AOL does not have Hosts, and she is now in a nursing home. Every night, we talk on the phone for 60-90 minutes. We watch TV together. She sadly has nothing else. She use to have friends, she had her work, and now she has nothing. She has absolutely no company, ever. This has been going on for over 4 years. Before I was diagnosed with RA I knew that it was the right thing to do is to stick by a friend, listed to her when she is down - and she has so much to be down about. A true and real friend would do that.
Now, more than ever, I understand just how much that can mean to someone.
My first impression is that this is craziness. I noticed some years ago when my PCP went from exam room to room all she carried was her Rx pad. I considered that pad her "tool box" of sorts.
Then as I think more into it, these pills are basically keeping me alive. I also think of the folks who had RA some years ago before the biologics and how they must have suffered. When thinking of things that way I feel lucky that my doc has the ability to keep me alive.
Now when it comes to what other people think or act I can't say as I am pretty much a recluse. The only instances of people saying things like in 2leftfeet's post is what I read here. The only other people other than my wife that I have any contact with are her parents - and my wife's father died with RA so she understands what I am going through.
I've never cared what anyone thinks about me - just the way I am. What they think has no control whatsoever in my life so why let it bother me?
I don't watch any live TV or read any news so I really don't know what brings this mentality to the masses or when it started. But then back to what I just said - I don't care what they think or say anyway.
I do however find this subject interesting and look forward to more posts - it's interesting to me to hear about why the masses think like they do and also shows me that this newer generation are more like sheeple than I thought before.
Most everyone I know has a glimmer of hope at first that they won't have to take the risky drugs. A small percentage successfully get to live out that for awhile...but most of us - well, there isn't a choice.
So to the "salad and a smile", I say, "I used to think that too until I started having deformities show up. And then I did whatever was necessary to stay as active as I can".
Something mentioned to me by someone that I first rejected was people are having a power trip, but the more I thought about it, and how people behave when they're trying something new, a food or other plan, seems its true. It usually doesn't last long or have the effect they were hoping for. I think it translates into this know-it-all attitude.
Coltrain-to your post:I'm basically an introvert but do enjoy socializing with people sometimes that I like and have a few close, trusted friendships.
I could give a rat's behind what people think, the troubling part is the ones who have seen my life turned upside down, from a physically active, hard working person, to zip, and they just want to know why I can't participate, if I would just do this, think that, blah blah, instead of showing concern for what could be going on. I'm not a fair weather person and have been through the nitty gritty with many. Not coming from feeling owed, just find it bewildering they can be so clueless.
Good grief, Sally, is Louise Hay still popular? She was spreading her gospel of shame, blame, and guilt in the guise of "healing" twenty-five years ago when my beloved brother-in-law was dying of AIDS.
I can understand fear as motivation for not taking a drug oneself, but to tell someone else they are doing the wrong thing by taking them is maybe not fear-based. 2leftfeet's "friend" wasn't expressing concern about side effects, it didn't seem. She just thought she knew better.
I have a very small number of freinds. This is my choice. When you find a true friend, give them a hug, tell them you love them.
Lynne
For the record- 15 or so years ago worked the Louise hay mantras- still here. That train of thought can create a lot of guilt and feelings of failure in my opinion.
I am glad I don't and won't live in their plasticine world
Thanks Alto
Peace
Bluedogs2
Have you made peace with God, Bluedogs??? What the heck is that supposed to mean, that God sent you RA like He sent Job the boils and locusts? Or that you are, on some level, supposed to be thankful that God sent you this little gift of chronic illness? I think I would start throwing things at anyone who said or implied that. Even with a lousy shoulder, bad elbow, and crooked fingers my aim is still pretty good.
Lynne, did your mother ever reconsider her words? Of all the times in your life for her to spew crazy at you, that must have been the worst.
As several have said, it does make you appreciate the people who say, "Wow, that really sucks- sorry you are having to deal with this," as opposed to the ones who come up with a gem like, "Have you considered the role of gluten in this?" (I got that one from someone I thought was a good friend who had just jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon.)
(smiley face)
Bluedogs2
A salesmen rented a room at a pizza parlor and invited a lot of people to listen to him talk. He said there would be free food. By the time he was done, my mother thought I should buy a $1,800 magnetic mattress pad to cure my RA. She said the salesmen guaranteed it would work!