More on Teen Screen (and an introduction)

February 5, 2007

Dear Karrisa,

Welcome to Herbal Remedies, and I appreciate your comments below enough to post them to the entire list.

Being a parent IS rewarding and an education in itself.

I've never had such joy or shed so many tears resulting from the wearing of that hat.

Yours in Knowledge, Health and Freedom,

Doc

Doc Shillington727-447-5282Doc

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herbal remedies-owner

Friday, February 02, 2007 4:57 PM

Re: Herbal Remedies - More on Teen Screen (and an introduction)

Hi, new member here, so I'll incorporate a brief intro. And, yes, I just signed the petition!

My name is Karissa Campbell. I'm 52yo, have a 6yo daughter (whose health care, incidentally, has been 95+% "alternative" since birth), and am a writer and photographer living in the woods.

I've been studying and "practicing" what the mainstream would call alternative approaches to health for 17 years. My arsenal includes, to name a few things, herbs, essential oils, homeopathy and Bach essences, reflexology, massage and therapeutic touch, energy work and meditation/hypnosis.

I always avoid conventional approaches when possible. I don't totally reject allopathic medicine...it's useful in trauma and life-threatening situations where time does not permit the sometimes slow progress of my preferred approaches (as an example, last year I somehow came down with bacteremia and septic shock [no one can figure out how] and was treated conventionally with antibiotics and surgical drainage. Quite simply, I was too far along in a rapidly-spreading systemic infection, quite close to death in fact, for anything less than heroic measures. Conventional medicine has come up with some useful things, but they are used too often, too quickly and often to "treat" things that are really the body's efforts at achieving homeostasis. Often, modern medicine, which is under the grip of Big Pharma, seems hell-bent on inventing diseases "requiring" whatever was most recently patented. Cause and effect are reversed for the bottom line.

I often hear people claim my successes are due to the "placebo effect". My first response is always, "Assuming you're correct, so? The mind-body nexus is far more powerful than realized and how health is restored is really secondary...if someone is better, I don't *care* how they became better, except as a way to better handle the future". Then, I add a couple of anecdotes. I once had a dog that was *terrified* of thunderstorms. She'd continue trembling uncontrollably even after we brought her inside. A dropper full of Rescue Remedy never failed in stopping the shakes and bringing on a restful sleep. How do you explain "placebo effect" in a dog? When my daughter was an infant, she would occasionally develop colicky symptoms (didn't fit the now-current diagnostic criteria for colic, so I'll use the adjective form). When burping and abdominal massage didn't do the trick, my next resort was gripe water, and that usually was enough. But late one night, I was at home with my mother (who was already leaning to my ways of thinking) and none-of-the-above worked. Out of desperation, I started working on the feet. I was a neophyte at reflexology (and still am far from an expert) and I had no chart handy, so I just worked *everywhere*. Suddenly, I hit a spot and my daughter stopped crying, relaxed and drifted off into sleep. It was almost as dramatic as someone getting a big dose of IV morphine. Once she was safely in bed, I grabbed the chart, and the spot I hit was the transverse colon analogue. I showed it to my mother and she said she would not have believed it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. She's minimized her exposure to conventional approaches ever since...and she's a retired RN! My daughter is very precocious, but I haven't figured out how she knew about the "placebo effect" at 3 or 4-months old.

Anyway, enough tale-telling. A few thoughts on the post at hand:

"Mental health screening is based on the assumption that ten percent ofchildren suffer from a mental disorder severe enough to causeimpairment"

I'd need to see the definition of "impairment". I suspect in the vast majority of cases what's impaired is the kid's docile acceptance of the indoctrination offered under the guise of education. We certainly can't have the sheep-in-progress asking embarrassing questions and rocking the boat, can we? Or, perhaps, the impairment is in the social life of the nominal parents who might actually have to take the time to try and understand their kids and dialogue with them as *real* people. The opera starts at 8pm, and we just *can't* miss the opening curtain. Why did they even have kids? The tax deduction isn't *that* great.

"The clinicwill be rewarded with $50 of taxpayers' money for every child sent tothe clinic."

While I'm pagan, I consider the understanding of all approaches to theology/philosophy/spirit essential. Thus, this brought to mind the notion of betrayal, and I'm glad to know that inflation has raised the going rate from 30 pieces of silver to fifty bucks. Still no sale for me.

"Parents should take on the responsibility of being parents"

Amen! It's the hardest job I've ever had and it taxes me physically, emotionally and spiritually. But, I wouldn't swap the rewards for anything. Love and joy have been taken to levels I never knew existed.

My best to all of you.

Peace,

Karissa

February 5, 2007

Yes! And far too often we forget that hot water bottle and hot and cold therapy.

Love,

Doc

Doc Shillington727-447-5282Doc

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herbal remedies-owner

Monday, February 05, 2007 5:01 PM

Re: Herbal Remedies - More on Teen Screen (and an introduction)

What caught my eye about Karrisa's story is the part about her daughter's colic and how her massaging the right area caused the colic to stop. My oldrest grandson was also stricken with severe colic. As soon as his symptoms appeared, off to a chiropracter, highly qualifed in infant care, we went. After only 4 visits his symptoms disappeared entirely. The chiropracter told us that colic is a twist/kink in the intestines. So, it is not surprising when Karrisa massaged the area related to the traverse colon, relief was found. I wish I had known this when my youngest son was born. We suffered together for 8 months (proof that nursed babies can also be colicky). Barb

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Dr. Ian Shillington

herbal remedies

Monday, February 05, 2007 3:18 PM

Re: Herbal Remedies - More on Teen Screen (and an introduction)

Dear Karrisa,

Welcome to Herbal Remedies, and I appreciate your comments below enough to post them to the entire list.

Being a parent IS rewarding and an education in itself.

I've never had such joy or shed so many tears resulting from the wearing of that hat.

Yours in Knowledge, Health and Freedom,

Doc

Doc Shillington727-447-5282Doc

-

herbal remedies-owner

Friday, February 02, 2007 4:57 PM

Re: Herbal Remedies - More on Teen Screen (and an introduction)

Hi, new member here, so I'll incorporate a brief intro.

When my daughter was an infant, she would occasionally develop colicky symptoms (didn't fit the now-current diagnostic criteria for colic, so I'll use the adjective form). When burping and abdominal massage didn't do the trick, my next resort was gripe water, and that usually was enough. But late one night, I was at home with my mother (who was already leaning to my ways of thinking) and none-of-the-above worked. Out of desperation, I started working on the feet. I was a neophyte at reflexology (and still am far from an expert) and I had no chart handy, so I just worked *everywhere*. Suddenly, I hit a spot and my daughter stopped crying, relaxed and drifted off into sleep. It was almost as dramatic as someone getting a big dose of IV morphine. Once she was safely in bed, I grabbed the chart, and the spot I hit was the transverse colon analogue.

My best to all of you.

Peace,

Karissa ,_._,___