I sincerely think we are all on the same page here. If we can just stop a minute and listen...listen with a desire to hear and understand what is being said...strive for understanding without sematics getting in the way.

I thank Wolfgang for that link. I've had it bookmarked for years. It is an absolute necessity to know your sources when you're researching medical information on your own. I thought his statement was one of just pure and simple fact, and I much prefer that way of communicating. As a matter of fact, I've chosen a neurologist who is often criticized for her lack of bedside manner, but happens to be one of the most intelligent people I know. This is by far the most important thing to me. But what many people don't seem to appreciate about her is that she is also very caring and compassionate. So the lesson from this is: don't judge a person from your perception of their words. It's just unfair.

Spaw spoke for me above more eloquently than I could express. I'm firmly on the fence here. I've seen things I can't explain; I've also experienced the pain of having to argue with well wishers about why or why not I choose to do something. My hope is to keep an open mind, to optimize every possible strategy under my control in order to have good health, especially the things I don't fully understand. (I'm well aware of diet, exercise, reducing stress, not introducing "poisons" into my body, etc. etc.)

One reason this Quackwatch page is so good is that it is a reliable source for people like me with limited time and access to information. I know I can trust the site because they are far ahead of me in looking for news and in investigating it. When I saw the comment about Lorenzo's Oil here at Mudcat I knew we were not all on the same page. That has been documented in MS literature for years. The movie did not give a true and complete picture, and thus has caused a lot of harm and heartache to people who don't have access to all the information.

I'm one of the world's biggest critics of doctors. But I don't paint them all with a broad brush. I've also been subjected to about every nutritional and physical "cure" for MS and its symptoms. And I don't automatically discount or paint any of them with a broad brush. My hope is to always have an open mind, to know my limits, and to have to strength of will to keep inquiring. And also to really listen to what people are saying.

One last analogy: It took me two years to finally realize that eveyone around me reacted in different ways to my diagnosis and used different words to communicate. Not until I saw my parents saying and not saying certain things did I finally understand.

We really are all on the same page her