[FRIAM] self-care

[glen]

Ha! Kauffman's comment is just plain silly. I've had migraines since I was at least 4 years old, which is the earliest memory I have. I had severe allergies my entire childhood until I took allergy shots. And I've had chronic back pain since I was 14. The "over 50" thing is pure nonsense, not only for me but for most people. In fact, it strikes me as a bit toxic to claim that any one of us is pain-free under 50. Of course, what matters is how you deal with it, regardless of age.

As for the self-help thing, I'm also skeptical. I think *curiosity* and FOMO are drivers for most of the wacko behaviors I see, especially the "do your own research" memes of QAnon, fad diets, etc. Rather than pain, anxiety, depression et al, I'd chalk it up to something like agency. People really *want* to be in charge of their selves, have free will, etc. Cancer patients are a great example. The non-specific effects (placebo, nocebo, etc) have a dramatic impact on several types. As long as the patient *thinks* their actions matter, they cope with their circumstances much better. If "the thing" is associated with an illness of some kind, it's probably more an existential angst or feeling that they're not in control. Maybe that's more like fear or frustration, I suppose. But it doesn't matter what you call it. Sneering at those who feel it and respond to it isn't productive.

I am worried about those women who self-administer medication abortion > 13 weeks. The recommendation on some sites is to go hang out really close to a hospital, maybe even in the emergency room lobby, while doing it. And there are no good solutions for self-administered abortion > 20 weeks.

On 7/1/22 14:06, Frank Wimberly wrote:
> Glen,
> 
> Over 20 years ago Stuart Kauffman was in my office.  I stood up and groaned.  He asked, "What's wrong ?"  I said that it was just arthritis.  He said, "If you're over fifty and don't feel pain it means you're dead."
> 
> Seriously, I think "the thing" that causes people to engage in the activities/choices you list is some combination of pain, anxiety, and depression.  The latter two almost always occur together.
> 
> Frank
> 
> 
> ---
> Frank C. Wimberly
> 140 Calle Ojo Feliz,
> Santa Fe, NM 87505
> 
> 505 670-9918
> Santa Fe, NM
> 
> On Thu, Jun 30, 2022, 9:22 AM glen <gepropella at gmail.com <mailto:gepropella at gmail.com>> wrote:
> 
>     In the aftermath of the activist Justices overturning RvW, this popped up in my feed:
> 
>     How to Give Yourself an Abortion
>     https://jewishcurrents.org/how-to-give-yourself-an-abortion <https://jewishcurrents.org/how-to-give-yourself-an-abortion>
> 
>     I remain torn on the issue of self-care. And lots of energy was added to my oscillators with the whole "horse dewormer" thing for COVID-19. (Yes, I'm poking fun both at the people who bought veterinary ivermectin and the people who used the disgusting sneer "horse dewormer".) To boot, this post came up this morning about a homeopathic packet sent home with the patient after surgery: https://centerforinquiry.salsalabs.org/2022cfimidyearemailversion11 <https://centerforinquiry.salsalabs.org/2022cfimidyearemailversion11>. (Placebo is a thing, despite Blumner's write-off.)
> 
>     Nick is fond of asking people whether they take multivitamins or not. And while it's true most experts claim that *healthy* people just pee them out. *Who* amongst us actually qualifies as "healthy"? What does "health" even mean? That's not an idle or rhetorical question. Am I "healthy", despite the excruciating chronic pain in my shoulders, neck, and lower back? Despite my sporadic debilitating migraines? Despite my now abated follicular lymphoma? Sure, I *seem* healthy because I can do pull-ups, shovel dirt, drink 5 pints without a hangover, and maintain a full-time job with a bit of time for hobbies. But what you see from the outside doesn't reflect what I feel on the inside, which is like a sick puppy where the slightest bad event would topple me into the "disabled" category. "Healthy" is at best a misinformation concept, at worst a malinformation concept: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/mdm-incident-response-guide_508.pdf
>     <https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/mdm-incident-response-guide_508.pdf>
> 
>     Sneer all you want at the new-age descendant reading self-help books, cutting out magazine ads for their "vision board", or self-administering veterinary de-fetus pills, but there's something important, here. Fad diets, bottled water, alcoholism or pregnancy as an indicator for moral failure, etc. all point at that thing, whatever that thing is.
> 
>     In that context, self-administered abortion is legit.


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