2009.04.04 13:00 - Maybe a Dozen Bananas Would Help

The Guardian for this meeting was Pema Pera. The comments are by Pema Pera.

Pema Pera: Hi Qt!
Qt Core: hi Pema
Qt Core: hi Scath
Pema Pera: And hi Scathach and Horalik!
Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Pema, Qt, horalik
Qt Core: hi horalik
Qt Core: hi Zen
Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Zen
Zen Arado: H Scath, Pema, QT
Zen Arado: Horalik
Pema Pera: hi Zen!
Pema Pera: Does anybody have a topic they would like to explore?

Zen Arado: I heard an interesting radio talk this week
Zen Arado: at least I thought it was :)
Zen Arado: abbout the 'Medicalisation of the Normal'
Zen Arado: how the medical establishment now stick a new label on any departure from 'normal' health
Zen Arado: and pharmaceutical companies rush to bring out a new drug to treat the condition
Zen Arado: like Ritalin for overactive children
Zen Arado: any thoughts?
Qt Core: i was always amazed by how (maybe only in stereotypes) us have everything with some vitamin and such added
Qt Core: US
Qt Core: and now it started even here in Italy
Qt Core: we have real progress now ;-)
Zen Arado: yes
Zen Arado: maybe I am prejudiced here, but I seem to notice that people in the US seem to have less scruples about using drugs than Europeans ?
Zen Arado: I would just grin and bear it with headaches
Qt Core: can't speak about that, i'm having a flu and my doc gave me three different meds including an antibiotic
Zen Arado: rather than take pills
Scathach Rhiadra has never been to US, so doesn't know much about their scruples:)
Zen Arado: Hi Doug
Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Doug
Pema Pera: hi Doug!
Zen Arado: I only know from a website for MD that I visit
Scathach Rhiadra: oops, I think he crashed
Qt Core: it seem that that sector is'nt really av friendly...
Zen Arado: they take an amazing amount of supplements too
Qt Core: a US living people pov would be nice, Pema ?
Pema Pera: pov?
Qt Core: point of view
Pema Pera: ah :)
Pema Pera: well, I was amused coming to the US to see that every town had a few "drug stores"
Pema Pera: I was amazed how liberal Americans were
Scathach Rhiadra: :)
Pema Pera: till I understood what it meant

Zen Arado: how liberal Pema?
Pema Pera: well, not as liberal as Amsterdam . . . .
Zen Arado: morally you mean?
Pema Pera: well, there are "drug free school zones"
Pema Pera: where they pump children full of retalin and such . . .
Zen Arado: it's nearly as bad in Britain I think
Zen Arado: going that way anyway
Zen Arado: if it iIS bad
Zen Arado: maybe you all agree with it
Zen Arado: the overuse of drugs I mean
Qt Core: it is starting here too, before teacher just asked for the hyperactive kids to be declared handicapped and push them to a "support teacher"
Zen Arado: and supplements
Zen Arado: that is still categorizing them
Zen Arado: AHDD etc
Qt Core: yes, but at least it wasn't an health risk
Zen Arado: you aren't allowed to feel sadness any more
Pema Pera: brb, telephone, sorry
Zen Arado: it is abnormal and must be treated
Zen Arado: maybe we need to feel sad sometimes
Qt Core: or restless and hyperactive
Zen Arado: yes
Zen Arado: arent these 'normal'states?
Qt Core: today these discussion are making me reminish about school times
Qt Core: i could have been categoryzed as hyperactive in my first school years
Zen Arado: they would have soon stopped that nowadays :)
Qt Core: but it was only that i was bored as i used to read schoolbooks in advance
Pema Pera: sorry, turns out that I have to get to an unexpected RL meeting right now, sorry about that!
Qt Core: bye Pema
Scathach Rhiadra: bye Pema
Zen Arado: ok Bye Pema
Pema Pera: one of those last-minute things . . . .
Pema Pera: looking forward to seeing you again!
Pema Pera: bye for now

Zen Arado: anyone take supplements?
Zen Arado: vitamins?
Qt Core: no
Scathach Rhiadra: not unless I need to
Zen Arado: how do you know if you need to ?
Qt Core: i mostly get some salts supplement when i feel i will have cramps in the night
Scathach Rhiadra: If I was sick, run-down maybe
Qt Core: after the most heavvy days
Zen Arado: oh?
Zen Arado: they help?
Qt Core: yes, usually it is a lacl of potassium
Qt Core: lack
Scathach Rhiadra: you should eat bananas:)
Zen Arado: I was taking coq 10
Qt Core: maybe a dozen bananas would help ;-=)
Zen Arado: yes bananas have potassium
Scathach Rhiadra: yes, it is hard to get a concentrated dose, if there is a lack
Qt Core: basically i think that having supplements in pill form or artificially added to foods is a lot like doping
Qt Core: where there is no a clear medical need
Scathach Rhiadra nods
Zen Arado: yes and the evidence that they do any good is scant
Qt Core: one can improve his/ alimentation choosing healty food that will help but no more
Zen Arado: yes a healthy diet seems a better option
Qt Core: there are some ads around here that seem to clearly say go on cheat, do some doping to have success in your life
Zen Arado: though even that is subject to changing fads
Scathach Rhiadra: but it has always been like that
Qt Core: and there are kids too i those ads taking some pills to have better school results
Zen Arado: yes and if you have an untreatable didease it is easy to fall for quackery
Scathach Rhiadra: even the ancient Olympics, the atheletes used every trick in the book, including what drugs were available to win:)
Zen Arado: didease
Zen Arado: disease!
Zen Arado: oh? interesting Scath
Zen Arado: not a new thing then
Scathach Rhiadra: not really, but what human behaviour is really 'new'?
Zen Arado: true
Zen Arado: only the technology changes
Scathach Rhiadra: we always seem to fall for the same Samsara:)
Zen Arado: well I was taking CoQ 10 because I thiught it was giving me more energy
Zen Arado: but have stopped and feel no different
Zen Arado: and am sleeping better
Scathach Rhiadra nods
Scathach Rhiadra: maybe the thought that you needed it interfered with your health/sleep, then when you realised you didn't the relief just settled down?
Zen Arado: yes - who knows?
Zen Arado: saves me a lot of money anyway :)
Scathach Rhiadra: :)
Zen Arado: though I feel a bit tired tonight :)
Zen Arado: was at an all day meditation meeting in RL
Scathach Rhiadra: and also we cannot really know what other people need, some may benefit from supplements
Zen Arado: true
Zen Arado: even if it is aplacebo effect
Scathach Rhiadra: but the meditation meeting would be a better choice I think:)
Zen Arado: yes - but got into an argument
Qt Core: that would be fun... especially if they spend a lot for it ;-) (thinking about the supplement that many take while at the gym)
Zen Arado: :)
Zen Arado: I strayed too much into Buddhist 'non-self'idea and one of the women who is a \Christian didnt like that idea
Scathach Rhiadra: ah, not a Buddhist meeting then, mixed?
Zen Arado: yes
Zen Arado: mindfulness meditation group
Zen Arado: some are Catholic christian
Zen Arado: it is held in a Catholic Retreat Centre
Scathach Rhiadra: it is always sad when dogma rears its ugly head
Zen Arado: yes we usually get over our differences though
Scathach Rhiadra nods
Zen Arado: the 'no self idea is hard for some to swallow
Scathach Rhiadra: true:)
Zen Arado: find it hard to fully go along with it in practice myself
Scathach Rhiadra: mmm, it is one of the most difficult concepts
Zen Arado: yes to really grasp and live it out is so difficult
Scathach Rhiadra nods
Zen Arado: it is waht got me into Buddhism
Zen Arado: though
Scathach Rhiadra: :)
Zen Arado: sorry QT -this is probably boring to you?
Qt Core: no, not boring, just almost unknown so i stay sileng and listen
Qt Core: silent
Zen Arado: I am learning not to push Buddhism onto people
Zen Arado: the hard way :)
Scathach Rhiadra: :)
Qt Core: at least it is buddhism you push, i range from tech to star trek, less useful things to push to others ;-)
Scathach Rhiadra: :)
Scathach Rhiadra: and it is very much concerned with the nature of reality
Zen Arado: people are more sensitive about these kind of beliefs though
Zen Arado: especially if they are strong with them
Zen Arado: feel threatened
Zen Arado: if you seem to challenge them
Qt Core: yes, most, me included get defensive if we feels someone just come to us and say you are wrong
Scathach Rhiadra nods
Zen Arado: or even just introducing different ideas
Qt Core: hard to avoind even if you are aware of it
Zen Arado: silences ar a good idea I think
Zen Arado: yes
Scathach Rhiadra: yes, and the practice of stopping and dropping everything, lets you see what is really there, not just beliefs
Scathach Rhiadra: oh, I am in danger of falling asleep at the keyboard, must go
Scathach Rhiadra: good night Zen, QT, will see you again soon
Qt Core: ok, bye and sleep well Scath
Zen Arado: yes goodnight Scath
Zen Arado: time I was going myself
Scathach Rhiadra: namaste
Zen Arado: goodnight QT