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From: rcj@burl.UUCP (R. Curtis Jackson)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Is there any benefit in African Medicine
Message-ID: <709@burl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 27-May-85 23:53:05 EDT
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Posted: Mon May 27 23:53:05 1985
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>Sorry that you had such a bad experience with your physicians, Jeff,
>but 99% of the MDs I know (and I'm meeting more every day) do not fit your
>description.

I have had mostly good experiences (relatively) with physicians, but I
personally agree with Jeff.  One of the main problems with physicians
is that they don't take the time to explain what is really going on.

A representative example:  For several years off and on I have had
plantar warts.  These are nothing more than warts that grow on the
sole of one's feet, but due to the pressure of normal walking and
standing they grow inwards, putting all the pressure of one's
weight on nerve endings and causing \much/ pain.  I went to my
dermatologist (treating me for acne at the time), and he took one
look and said "Yep, those'll have to come out."  Well, it is a
litle-known historical fact that the bottoms of the feet were
long relished by torturers in dungeons because exquisite pain
could be imparted there.  I found out the hard way.  The pain (even
of the multiple shots to deaden the area) was so bad, and the
recovery so nasty (I couldn't walk for quite a while) that I dreaded
my second trip a year later.  It was just as bad.

I managed to avoid them until I moved to Greensboro, then they recurred
yet again.  I went dejectedly to the first dermatologist I found in
the book and told him to go ahead and cut them out.  Imagine my surprise
when he refused outright.  He sat me down and explained to me that
these warts were caused by flagging T-cells (a type of white blood
cell), that warts come and go as the T-cells strengthen/multiply
and weaken/diminish in number, and that he had something he called
"Cocaine for T-cells".  He gave me the cure rates for surgery
such as I had had before (15-20%), acid treatment (very long, and
only 35-40%), and this treatment (75%).  He then said that he would
be glad to try the acid if I so desired, but he would recommend the
injection and would NOT do the surgery.  I elected the obvious.
He took out an incredibly small-gauge needle and very slowly and gently
injected around the warts, then told me to come back in about 10
days.  I did so and he removed the warts without any discomfort
to me and WITHOUT ANESTHETIC.  His fee was quite reasonable as well.
He told me that, if by chance I was not cured, he would have a laser
in his office by the next time and he had (unconfirmed) reports of
95% cure rates with them.

That was 3 years ago, and I haven't had a days trouble since.  The
point of this whole harangue is that through bad childhood illness,
8 years of allergy shots, bronchial pneumonia twice a year in my
teens, half my stomach removed at 16, and two bouts of colitis;
this is the ONLY doctor (and I bet I've met more of them than you
have!) who EVER fully explained to me what was going on and laid
out my choices with cure percentages and the whole nine yards.
-- 

The MAD Programmer -- 919-228-3313 (Cornet 291)
alias: Curtis Jackson	...![ ihnp4 ulysses cbosgd mgnetp ]!burl!rcj
			...![ ihnp4 cbosgd akgua masscomp ]!clyde!rcj