Originally Posted by
Al
Gunny, I get asked this a lot, by well-meaning friends who a) "hate doctors", or 2) are under the assumption that all you have to do to avoid getting sick is to take care of yourself; i.e. if you do get sick (or injured) it is because to were not taking enough of supplement x, or broccoli, or whatever. This is both too simplistic and often totally wrong and unfair. First, people who eat and live well do get hideous diseases, just like the slovens. Secondly, very few of the really bad diseases respond to simply living better. There is, for example, no known cure for WG, nor is any "cure" conceivable in our lifetimes. (In 1968 I broke my thumb off. The bone was reset, but the orthopedic surgeon pointed out to me that it would likely become arthritic in 25 years or so. "But don't worry." he said, "by that time they'll have a cure for arthritis." Hah!) The best anyone can do, now, is manage the symptoms. Better diets, better nutrition, and better ways of living may help, but they will not do the heavy lifting.
Al
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