Certain members of my family are fond of saying "You're not a doctor," if I say something about health-related topics, especially their precious pharmaceutical industry. Good GOD, how can someone trust their health to CHEMICALS, and chemicals alone. It's beyond me. Fuck exercise and not eating cheeseburgers from the drive-thru, if meds won't fix it, then nothing can. It's sad.
I'm not sure if they think I'm so out-of-it that I think I'm a doctor, or maybe I forgot that I'm not a doctor. It's a deflection and a cheap-shot. You'd think that people who fancy themselves to be hyper-intelligent wouldn't have to stoop to such childlike moves. How does not being a doctor impede my being able to learn about health-related topics? Is it magic? I think so.
It's like saying that a doctor decided one day to take up drumming, but because he wasn't yet a drummer, he couldn't learn about drumming. He'd start studying rudiments and he'd learn a Paradiddle, but if he played it for them, they'd say it was wrong, because he's "not a drummer." It's absurd, but in their minds, the fact that I'm not a doctor somehow negates anything I say, before I even say it. The fact that they're not doctors doesn't stop them from literally thinking they can diagnose me medically, but that doesn't count I guess.
There is one person, among quite a few others, I might add, who aren't bothered by the fact that I'm not a doctor. In fact he's extremely glad I'm not. I've been talking about my buddy Chef Dave, from the crazy restaurant, since I've been blogging. He's an intense cat, as you can probably tell from the photo. By nature he's a man's man and a manly-man, and he takes no shit from anyone.
By default he's a badass, but he never used his badassness to take advantage of anybody. He's stern, firm, fair and reasonable, grumpy as fuck sometimes and hugging on people at others. He's good-hearted and good-natured, smart as a whip and funny as hell. He has an amazing sense of humor. He was well-versed in the old was as well as the new, and he had a good moral compass.
For a while I blogged about him more than I actually saw him. Except for running into him a few times I didn't see him or even really talk to him for almost a decade. In that time he'd gotten married, had a kid, gotten divorced, gotten into some very bad habits, but to his credit, and by the grace of God (his words), he came back from that. He also had three major heart attacks.
I'd heard through the grapevine that he'd gotten way into drinkin' and druggin' and such, and had lost a good job, pissed-off his family and such. I'd hoped it wasn't completely true, because he's such a great guy for one thing, and I hated to see him down. It just didn't sound like him at all. Before he married the woman he had a kid with, he'd married a gal we worked with at the restaurant. Sadly they divorced. I knew it fucked him up, but I didn't know to what degree. A few years later we lost contact.
About four years ago he friended me on Facebook. We immediately started talking like no time had passed, except things were different, and more for him than me. A friend of ours who played in a couple of bands with me, and now plays with Bonerama, among others, was playing in town, and I invited Dave. He wanted to go, but he said he wasn't feeling well, and that he was going to lie down. Luckily a beautiful woman and long-time friend of his, named Kelly, got wind of the gig and talked him into going out. She and I hit it off, but nothing came of it.
Just hearing him talk about not feeling well was unusual, at least compared to the Dave I knew not that long ago. I was incredibly excited to see him again, but I was also a little apprehensive. It was great how I saw him after all that time. They were playing in a courtyard outside, and it was packed, mostly with people who used to come see our bands, and were also very good friends. It was packed, and I found a seat at a big round table and sat down.
Right away I saw a couple-dozen of people I love, and hadn't seen in a good while. I sat down with somebody, and I was still talking to a few people who were standing up. I didn't pay any attention to anyone else at the table. It happened that I sat at the table where Dave was sitting, directly across from me, but I didn't see him. He saw me but he didn't say a word. When I finally looked around, there he was, looking at me with that 3D smile of his.
I yelled his name automatically, and we both started laughing. We stood up, worked our way around the table, and had a big ol' bearhug. I was thrilled to see him again, and I think he was okay with it too. Even though I was lit-up happy to see him, my heart also sank a bit, although I tried to hide it. He wasn't the same Dave I saw about eight years earlier.
He was overweight. He was walking with a cane. He never said anything, but it was obvious he was in a good deal of pain. Even his skin looked bad. It was pocked and rough, with some zits for good measure. I was really glad his friend Kelly had gotten him out, but he wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't feeling well. It was from pain. Normally they'd have prescribed opiates, but since he's a recovering addict they gave him a whole bunch of other bullshit instead, and it made him feel like shit.
He called me a few days later. He said that he felt awful, and he felt like the meds weren't helping at all, and in fact were making him worse. He remembered that I was into natural remedies, when possible, and asked if I had any suggestions. I was thrilled that he not only remembered that I was into that stuff, but that he was willing to give it a try, and that he sought my advice. Dave and I were cool. We were big buddies and never had a cross-word between us, and we trusted each other, but it was an honor that he respected my knowledge and experience enough to give it a try.
He told me what all was going on with him...not sleeping well, anxious, despite taking tranquilizers and sleeping pills, lack of energy, which granted is a part of getting old, pain, bad knees, and back, weight-gain and a few other things. I told him to come over. I put together a goody bag of everything I had on hand, and suggested a few things I was out of or that I thought would be good. By the time he arrived I had everything ready, and had sent him links to the other stuff.
We had a nice time. He hadn't seen my mom in over a quarter-century, and he was blown away by the fact that not only did she remember him, but she remembered a few of the dishes he came up with, like his famous polenta with sundried tomato coulis. Back in the day Dave was crazy about my mom, and she him. Whenever she came to the restaurant, he always made time to freshen-up and go out into the dining room to say hello, no matter how bust he was. They had a good long hug, and picked-up like old friends.
I filled a few capsules with Turmeric and black pepper, and gave him some loose powder and empty gelcaps. I also gave him some multicollagen, organic fiber with probiotics. Probiotics are KEY...a healthy gut means a healthy immune system, and even helps with mental well-being. How's about that? I gave him some Blackseed oil, Spirulina, Butterfly Pea flowers for tea, and Ashwagandha.
Ashwagandha is tied with Butterfly Pea (Clitoria turnatea) for first place on my list of herbs, especially in this day and age. It takes about six weeks to fully kick-in, but it lowers Cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone. It's very toxic and causes a host of problems, including inflammation, which is the root cause of pretty much every disease. About two years ago someone in the family told me that her son was having anxiety and stress issues, but didn't want to get on meds, as his real doctor wanted. Long story short he was delighted with the results, is talking it regularly, and never had to get on meds. Bravo. Word got around and now at least two other cuzzes are also taking it. I'm happy to oblige.
I suggested a few other things. He asked about CBD. I told him I'd absolutely say take it, although the other things covered a lot of the bases already, but redundancy never hurts. He said he'd get some, and the other things I suggested. Over the next few weeks I talked to him every other day, but he never said anything about taking the stuff, and I figured either he didn't think it would work, or just didn't want to fool with it. It turns out he followed my instructions to the letter, including ordering the other stuff.
We spoke often, but I didn't see him in person for about two months. One day he called and said he was over this way, and asked if I wanted to go to the river. I didn't expect that, but I didn't say no. I figured he wouldn't want to walk around much, so I picked a spot with benches, so he could sit while the dog and I got our paws wet. I needn't have worried.
I was outside when he pulled up, and I literally did a double-take when I saw him. My head jerked to the side and I blinked hard, before opening my eyes again. I said "What the hell, man...you been to the spa?" "Huh?" he said. "You look...damn...it's night and day! You look like a million bucks." I said. "I feel like it too" he said. It's great, huh?" "Dang" I probably replied.
The first thing I noticed was that his skin was clear again, and he'd lost weight. It was a sunny day but compared to the last few times I saw him, he glowed. The look of pain was gone, and I was really glad to see that. His eyes were clearer, and he just looked much healthier in general. "That shit's working" he said. "I see" I replied. I didn't see his cane. "Where's your stick?" I asked. "Don't need it now" he said. "Wow."
In that short time, maybe ten weeks, he'd literally turned his health around. He'd stopped taking several of his meds and cut way down on the others, with his real doctor's approval. Not only did his doc approve, but he was blown away, and rightly so. When he saw the improvement in Dave he asked questions, and Dave referred him to me. I thanked him respectfully for his interest, and sent him some links, and told him about some things that I and others had experienced.
He started looking into things, and he got back to me a couple of times with questions. A real doctor was seeking advice from a non-doctor. I love it, and he deserves a lot of credit for being open-minded, and looking into this stuff. Of course he could see the changes right before his eyes, but most doctors would chalk it up to spontaneous-remission or whatever. I wonder what my family members would say to that, and he's not the only real doctor (real dentists and vets too) who's asked me questions. They don't teach this stuff in med school, for a reason. Most doctors have no idea that ALL medicines originally came from, and STILL DO come from, plants. Doctors don't know everything.
These family members know Dave well. They know he doesn't bullshit people, and that he'd never fool with "alternative meds" if they didn't help. I never bothered to tell them. I guess in their minds, what happened to Dave is invalid, since, you guessed it...I'm not a doctor. It's just a fluke I guess, or a coincidence. It doesn't count, because I'm not a doctor. Try telling that to Dave. Or his doctor.
Results speak for themselves. The funny thing is, the medicines they gave him did little to help, and overall made him feel much worse, due to the side-effects. The "medicines" I gave him actually did way more to help, with ZERO side-effects. It's not Voodoo...these plants contain the same compounds they synthesize in the lab, reproduce chemically, saddle with a 15-syllable name, with letters, dashes, emojis and shit that no one can pronounce or enter into a search window easily, and charge fifty times what the natural form costs. I also gave him some serious nutrients and things to help detox the body, which isn't part of a real doctor's routine. That's a shame. Those things are very important.
Even knowing that this stuff works, I was astonished at what it did for Dave. So was his doctor, and so was a friend of ours named Cam, who also worked at the crazy restaurant. Cam's a great guy, and we were big buddies back them. He bought some land near here that has a natural spring, with super-pure water, which he bottles and sells under the name of Blue Water. After we went to the river, where Dave not only kept up with me and El Doggo, but also stripped to his skivvies and dove in for a swim. I had to laugh. Dave was back.
Later that day he drove to Cam's place to get some water. I got a call, with Dave and Cam on speaker. He said Cam nearly dropped the case of water he was holding when he saw him at the door. He couldn't believe it either. Dave told him that I'd fixed him up, so he wanted to tell me that I was a Shaman, and he wanted every single item on the list that I'd given Dave. He ordered everything right on the spot, and I'm not a doctor.
Does Dave care that I'm not a doctor? Nah. Cam? Nope. Even the real doctor? No, not even him. And BTW, any doctor who's willing to ignore what they're taught in med school- that herbs are bogus, and start looking into it, is a good doctor in my book. I wish my family members could hear it from Dave. One of them saw him when he was sick, and they'd have to agree he looks better, but it's fake. I'm not a doctor.
