The "Worried Well"

In article <[email hidden]>,

Kathryn Friesen said:

Who constitues this group? Are these the same as hypochrondiacs?

Pretty close, although the "worried well" aren't necessarily sure they
are sick, they're just afraid they are.

Quoted message said:

I find these alternative medicine/health forums so interesting as I
never knew there was so much going on. It never occurred to me that my
system could be "out of balance" or that my colon needed irrigating. Or
that I should spend time in an oxygen chamber. Not to mention remove my
fillings, some of which date back to high school.

Here I am, 66 years old & haven't done any of this stuff. What's wrong
with me?

Well, nothing that can't be set to rights by reading enough
fearmongering web sites. Pretty soon you'll know that you're being
poisoned by aspartame, your fillings, and environmental toxins, and
that only a very expensive regimen of MLM-sold herbs and vitamins
will give you even a fighting chance of making it to your next
birthday.

Oh, right, and you'll have to have your colon irrigated too.

"We are the MLM-ers. Resistance is futile. Prepare to be spammed."

-- David Wright :: alphabeta at prodigy.net
These are my opinions only, but they're almost always correct.
"If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants
were standing on my shoulders." (Hal Abelson, MIT)

Kathryn Friesen said:

Here I am, 66 years old & haven't done any of this stuff. What's
wrong with me?

Nothing yet...........but just wait till judgement day :-)...........it
appears that many of the "worried well" are also judgemental in regards
to religion.

"Kathryn Friesen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Who constitues this group? Are these the same as hypochrondiacs?

Not necessarily. David Wright is correct. It is also very relevant that
the majority of healthy people regularly experience minor symptoms such as
fatigue, headache, irritability, anxiety or mild depression, and mild
musculoskeletal problems.

See ---
http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/band115/b115-4.html

Such symptoms only become redefined as an "illness", and the sufferer a
"patient", when a person decides to seek medical advice, often just for
reassurance that nothing serious is wrong. Thus the minor and usually
self-limiting symptoms of the "worried well" dominate a lot of medical
practice and also provide a fruitful area for charlatans.

One tactic of the latter is to make the sufferer feel inferior for having
any symptoms at all. You introduce the notion of "welllness", a kind of
"superhealth" wherein anything less than a state of euphoric exuberant
well-being and longevity is a reflection of some kind of supplement
deficiency or noxious influence that can only be rooted out by buying this
stuff or following all the instructions in that book.

Peter Moran

"Peter Moran" <[email hidden]> wrote in

Quoted message said:

Such symptoms only become redefined as an "illness", and the sufferer a
"patient", when a person decides to seek medical advice, often just for
reassurance that nothing serious is wrong. Thus the minor and usually
self-limiting symptoms of the "worried well" dominate a lot of medical
practice and also provide a fruitful area for charlatans.

I've seen it estimated that around a third of health care dollars go to
treating people with no clinical condition save anxiety (and, in many cases,
some type of narcissism). I'd like to find a good reference for that
estimate. It seems a bit high to me. But not at all crazy.

le moo

I'm sure the gods will come back to punish me for my post & give me the
first headache I've ever had in my life (really).

BTW, while your all here...some gal on another alt. forum was sure she
suffered from a "weak liver". What does that mean?

Kathryn Friesen said:

I'm sure the gods will come back to punish me for my post & give me
the first headache I've ever had in my life (really).

BTW, while your all here...some gal on another alt. forum was sure she
suffered from a "weak liver". What does that mean?

It works for 7 days and then has a week off?

"Kathryn Friesen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Who constitues this group? Are these the same as hypochrondiacs?

Good question. Thee are two distinct groups: those who rely on science to
reach medical decisions, and those who rely on anecdotes, sales pitches and
tall tales. In the latter group, there are those who have real conditions
such as multiple chemical sensitivity, etc. whoch they believe is a
physicilogiacl condition. They deny that this is a psychosomoatic condition
and, thus, refuse to seek therapy that actually treats their problems.

Sometimes they get lucky and find an alternative method, which actually
treats their psychosomatic symptoms with a psychosomatic treatment.
Unfortunately, they do not actually treat their underlying psychological
problems, but instead, push their treatment onto others.

Quoted message said:

I find these alternative medicine/health forums so interesting as I
never knew there was so much going on. It never occurred to me that my
system could be "out of balance" or that my colon needed irrigating.

IOW, you never heard the likes and baloney of the AltSalesCreeps and feel
better for it.

Quoted message said:

Or
that I should spend time in an oxygen chamber. Not to mention remove my
fillings, some of which date back to high school.

Strange that you do not feel like you are falling apart.

Quoted message said:

Here I am, 66 years old & haven't done any of this stuff. What's wrong
with me?

Having common sense is not a problem.

(Kathryn Friesen) said:

Who constitues this group? Are these the same as hypochrondiacs?

I find these alternative medicine/health forums so interesting as I
never knew there was so much going on. It never occurred to me that my
system could be "out of balance" or that my colon needed irrigating. Or
that I should spend time in an oxygen chamber. Not to mention remove my
fillings, some of which date back to high school.

Here I am, 66 years old & haven't done any of this stuff. What's wrong
with me?
concatenated

In article <[email hidden]>,

Kathryn Friesen said:

I'm sure the gods will come back to punish me for my post & give me the
first headache I've ever had in my life (really).

BTW, while your all here...some gal on another alt. forum was sure she
suffered from a "weak liver". What does that mean?

It probably means she fell for some sales pitch. I don't think it's a
medically recognized term. The liver has so many functions that you
have to be a lot more specific.

-- David Wright :: alphabeta at prodigy.net
These are my opinions only, but they're almost always correct.
"If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants
were standing on my shoulders." (Hal Abelson, MIT)

Kathryn

Quoted message said:

Here I am, 66 years old & haven't done any of this stuff. What's wrong
with me?

Obviously you've lived too long. Go find a good cause to destroy and
blow yourself up! <G>

marvin

Marvin L. Zinn
Reply to: [email hidden]
Using Virtual Access
Windows 2000 build 2600

Sorry I don't recall her exact question to the forum, only that she knew
she had a weak liver; Milk Thistle, however, was the answer.

"Happy Dog" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Peter Moran" <[email hidden]> wrote in

Quoted message said:

Such symptoms only become redefined as an "illness", and the sufferer a
"patient", when a person decides to seek medical advice, often just for
reassurance that nothing serious is wrong. Thus the minor and usually
self-limiting symptoms of the "worried well" dominate a lot of medical
practice and also provide a fruitful area for charlatans.

I've seen it estimated that around a third of health care dollars go to
treating people with no clinical condition save anxiety (and, in many

cases,

Quoted message said:

some type of narcissism). I'd like to find a good reference for that
estimate. It seems a bit high to me. But not at all crazy.

In Australia only 10-20% of the health care budget goes into general
practice, where most such patients are seen. The rest goes into hospitals,
drugs, and other services.

It is not unlikely that a third of general practice involves the worried
well. Add to that a significant percentage of the pharmaceutical budget,
patient copayments for pharmaceuticals, and an expenditure on "alternatives"
that now rivals expenditure on pharmaceuticals (but they are still too poor
to do any research), and we are talking pretty big bucks.

Peter Moran

Quoted message said:

le moo

"Markioso Probertioso" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Kathryn Friesen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Who constitues this group? Are these the same as hypochrondiacs?

Good question. Thee are two distinct groups: those who rely on science to
reach medical decisions, and those who rely on anecdotes, sales pitches and

Buddy, would you please be kind enough to stop using the
word "science"? It involves a thing called an "open mind". It's
nauseating to see it coming from someone with a totally
closed, sealed-shut (and therefore relatively useless) mind.

Be nice, sometimes people read these newsgroups after breakfast,
such misuse of terms could make it hard to keep it down...

[email hidden] (Kathryn Friesen) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Who constitues this group? Are these the same as hypochrondiacs?

I find these alternative medicine/health forums so interesting as I
never knew there was so much going on. It never occurred to me that my
system could be "out of balance" or that my colon needed irrigating. Or
that I should spend time in an oxygen chamber. Not to mention remove my
fillings, some of which date back to high school.

Here I am, 66 years old & haven't done any of this stuff. What's wrong
with me?

Nothing apparently, and you are lucky.

If you had a disease that your doctor could not find
a cure for, you would yourself be looking for
the right solution.

Naturally, some people would want to take advantage
of such a search. Other people would want to
help you. The resulting mish-mash would be
what you would find during such a search.

Not very different from MD's either. Some are
good, some are bad. Getting misdiagnosed,
given the wrong medicine or surgery is
not impossible. But chances are, you have
been brainwashed from early childhood to
believe that any MD can do no wrong.
Let's hope you come across no real reason to
learn better...

On 26 Nov 2003 08:03:37 -0800, [email hidden] (soft-eng)

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (Kathryn Friesen) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Who constitues this group? Are these the same as hypochrondiacs?

I find these alternative medicine/health forums so interesting as I
never knew there was so much going on. It never occurred to me that my
system could be "out of balance" or that my colon needed irrigating. Or
that I should spend time in an oxygen chamber. Not to mention remove my
fillings, some of which date back to high school.

Here I am, 66 years old & haven't done any of this stuff. What's wrong
with me?

Nothing apparently, and you are lucky.

If you had a disease that your doctor could not find
a cure for, you would yourself be looking for
the right solution.

Of course. If she was somatically hypervigilant and * thought*
(worried well) she had some illness that the MD's could not find then
she would be ripe for some quack to push this treatment or that.

Quoted message said:

Naturally, some people would want to take advantage
of such a search. Other people would want to
help you. The resulting mish-mash would be
what you would find during such a search.

Yes. And the likelihood of getting taking advantage of is quite high
if you went to an alternative provider whose diagnosis would likely
not be either reliable or valid. Without a proper diagnosis, the
treatment is likely to be incorrect.

Quoted message said:

Not very different from MD's either. Some are
good, some are bad. Getting misdiagnosed,
given the wrong medicine or surgery is
not impossible. But chances are, you have
been brainwashed from early childhood to
believe that any MD can do no wrong.

I doubt if many people if any thing that MD's can do no wrong. However
if you have a health problem, a good MD is probably your best bet in
getting a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Conventional medicine tries to make diagnoses that have high
reliability and validity; likewise with the treatments. Alternative
medicine makes diagnoses with dubious validity and reliability. They
use nonspecific terms like "weak immune system" or "toxins" that
cannot be confirmed by objective tests.

They are designed to manipulate their patients into thinking that they
have the answer to the problem. In other words they create a problem
so that they can come up with a solution and the patient pays for it
(in more ways than one).

Aloha,

Rich

Quoted message said:

Let's hope you come across no real reason to
learn better...

------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------

The best defense to logic is ignorance.

"soft-eng" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Markioso Probertioso" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Kathryn Friesen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Who constitues this group? Are these the same as hypochrondiacs?

Good question. Thee are two distinct groups: those who rely on science

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

reach medical decisions, and those who rely on anecdotes, sales pitches

and

Quoted message said:

Buddy,

Your first mistake. I am not your buddy.

would you please be kind enough to stop using the

Quoted message said:

word "science"? It involves a thing called an "open mind". It's
nauseating to see it coming from someone with a totally
closed, sealed-shut (and therefore relatively useless) mind.

Your second mistake, i.e., seeing your pathology in others.

Quoted message said:

Be nice, sometimes people read these newsgroups after breakfast,
such misuse of terms could make it hard to keep it down...

I find your ilk humouous.

Quoted message said:

Subject: Re: The "Worried Well"
From: [email hidden] (soft-eng)
Date: 11/26/2003 7:59 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id: <[email hidden]>

"Markioso Probertioso" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Kathryn Friesen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Who constitues this group? Are these the same as hypochrondiacs?

Good question. Thee are two distinct groups: those who rely on science to
reach medical decisions, and those who rely on anecdotes, sales pitches and

Buddy, would you please be kind enough to stop using the
word "science"? It involves a thing called an "open mind". It's
nauseating to see it coming from someone with a totally
closed, sealed-shut (and therefore relatively useless) mind.

Be nice, sometimes people read these newsgroups after breakfast,
such misuse of terms could make it hard to keep it down...

Mark is so filed with hate, this ng is his breakfast.

He is a drug pusher, gives his kid Ritalin, organized medicine brain washed
frustrated _________

You fill in the blank.

Jan

Rich is a cyberstalker and he has been stalking Jan for a long time. John Bain

Rich said:

Are you sure my name is Richard Jacobson??
Is it or isn't it?

Negative.

I am grateful for one thing; that Richard Jacobson is not my real name.
Unfortunately the Richard Jacobson that DOES live in Hawaii may not be too
happy with my assuming his name for purposes of the internet especially given
the recent events. He happens to live on a different island from me. I do plan
to contact him to let him know that someone may try to harass him since he is
listed in the phone book.

===
Aloha,Rich
------------------------
------------------------
Richard H. Jacobson
Always remember to put Horace before Descarte

"Jan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Subject: Re: The "Worried Well"
From: [email hidden] (soft-eng)
Date: 11/26/2003 7:59 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id: <[email hidden]>

"Markioso Probertioso" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Kathryn Friesen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> Who constitues this group? Are these the same as hypochrondiacs?

Good question. Thee are two distinct groups: those who rely on science

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

reach medical decisions, and those who rely on anecdotes, sales pitches

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Buddy, would you please be kind enough to stop using the
word "science"? It involves a thing called an "open mind". It's
nauseating to see it coming from someone with a totally
closed, sealed-shut (and therefore relatively useless) mind.

Be nice, sometimes people read these newsgroups after breakfast,
such misuse of terms could make it hard to keep it down...

Mark is so filed with hate, this ng is his breakfast.

He is a drug pusher, gives his kid Ritalin, organized medicine brain

washed

Quoted message said:

frustrated _________

You fill in the blank.

That blank would be between your ears. It is properly called a void.

Jan, you are an anti-semetic bigot who has trouble understanding anything
beyond the concepts of the sandbox.

You are a coward, taking pot shots at me from behind your killfile. You
refuse to engage in discussion with anyone. When an intelligent conversation
is going on, you take shots at the people you hate, and thus, derail the
intelligence. You do this because you cannot understand anything beyond
sandbox.

"Markiosos2 Probertiosos2" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"soft-eng" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Markioso Probertioso" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Kathryn Friesen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> Who constitues this group? Are these the same as hypochrondiacs?

Good question. Thee are two distinct groups: those who rely on science

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

reach medical decisions, and those who rely on anecdotes, sales pitches

and

Quoted message said:

Buddy,

Your first mistake. I am not your buddy.

would you please be kind enough to stop using the

Quoted message said:

word "science"? It involves a thing called an "open mind". It's
nauseating to see it coming from someone with a totally
closed, sealed-shut (and therefore relatively useless) mind.

Your second mistake, i.e., seeing your pathology in others.

At least I am not pathological enough to want to make my kids suffer
for my superstitious pathological unscientific prejudices.