Chinese Medicine Guys

Epilepsy: Lauren Axelrod (CMG Take)

In Part 1 of this piece, I explained the Back Stories that motivated me to do a CMG Take on Lauren Axelrod’s epilepsy.

(I bummed out. I’m later editing this piece and adding in the related links. There was a great clip of Brian Williams of NBC News interviewing David Axelrod in his small office at the White House. David explained how much he missed his daughter, Lauren. He explained a painting by Lauren that hung predominantly in his office.  It made me happy I spent so much time on a family like them. The specific clip is gone, but here’s a link to the entire series by Brian on a day in the Obama White House.)

Introduction:

A few months ago there was an excellent article in Parade Magazine about Lauren Axelrod’s epilepsy. I was unable to find other articles or videos that provided me with valuable information to do a CMG Take. I felt confident just based on the Parade piece, I could provide a valuable alternative Chinese Medicine view of Lauren’s epilepsy.

The research for Lauren’s epilepsy turned into an adventure, as detailed in the Back Stories, as I needed a new way to communicate what I knew about Chinese Medicine.

I don’t have enough information to explain Lauren Axelrod epilepsy as it pathologically changes over the course of her having seizure attacks for about 19 years. This lack of background information turned out to be a helpful, because just explaining her initial epileptic attacks was complicated enough to explain to anyone, especially Chinese Medicine beginners, which is the purpose of this website.

Above: The cover photo of Lauren and Susan Axelrod from the excellent Parade article mentioned above. Lauren’s face is superimposed on a baby’s body below to illustrate her epilepsy from a Chinese Medicine perspective. This blog is part of a series on people affected with epilepsy – so having the faces will help when I compare and contrast the different patient cases.

Admin: I'm Not the Brightest Bulb

I've been watching on DVD, from the Seattle library, the first season of Mad Men. This TV Show/Series is based on Advertising Guys set in early 1960's. It's getting a bunch of hype that is well deserved.

In an episode, the Advertising guys are going ga-ga over the real life 1960's series of ads about the Volkswagen Beetle. How the ads just tells the truth about the product which turns out to be marketing genius, if in fact you have a quality product -- which I believe we do.

But I've had better days on the job. Live and learn.

Epilepsy: Lauren Axelrod (Back Stories)

Lauren Axelrod is the daughter of Susan and David Axelrod. David works for Barack Obama. -- or it’s probably vice versa, as often the main media consultant wags the politician’s tail.

Back Story: (written relatively recently)

It’s been over 3 months since I first read the Parade Magazine’s article that motivated me to give a Chinese Medicine take on Lauren Axelrod’s Epilepsy. I have been reading a lot about Epilepsy and everything is the mainstream media discussing epilepsy from a Western Medicine perspective. I knew I could add an incredibly valuable perspective to epilepsy by viewing it from a Chinese Medicine vantage point.

After reading the Parade piece, I easily put myself into Susan Axelrod’s shoes. Well maybe not that easily, because unless you’re taking care of someone you love for 19  years and she is having up to 25 seizures in a day, then it’s impossible to really walk in their shoes. Nonetheless it was heartbreaking for me to read about the little girl with epilepsy and her caretaker mother.

I was surprised that the Parade piece provided me with a bunch of useful information to make a good stab at it. I knew epilepsy wasn’t my strong suit in Chinese Medicine but I felt with some research, I could explain a possible alternative to Lauren’s epilepsy.

Admin: On The Verge of Going to the Emergency Room

I've been bragging on this blog how I'm 53 years old and haven't seen a Western Doctor for 17 years. I haven't had insurance for 17 years. I've spent zero dollars on Western Medicine over the last 17 years. It's because, according to me, I've got Chinese Medicine game. It ain't bragging -- if it's true.

Well, if you multiple my costs for heath care over the last 17 years times the number of people in America, we would not have any health care crisis.

I woke up today so frickin' nervous I was about to puke. I wasn't getting any better as the day went on. I'm a bundle of nerves.

Admin: He's The Man

You have no idea how much I've learned from this guy over the years.

Hey Barack: An Openning

I saw parts of your health care speech to Congress yesterday, as I came in at the tail end of it being streamed over the Internet. I had to wait a few hours for sites like Youtube, MSNBC and CNN to post the whole thing. So I read the NY Times synopsis on the whole thing after it ended. I saw highlight clips on these sites too. I was sick to my stomach. I really can't follow this thing so closely. Barack your starting to sound like a politician to me and that is not good.

You talk about the public-option and how much you think it is important. Then at the end you say something like if a better option comes up you will embrace it. I'm all for tossing a so-so idea away for a better idea, but it's starting to sound like you are offering up poker chips to negotiate on later. Wink-wink-nudge-nudge.

Admin: Roger Ebert Speaks

Not to me directly, but it still counts.

Almost every Friday in the late afternoon, when I'm finishing up my planned Chinese Medicine work for the day, it hits me that it is Friday and Thank God It's Friday. Carol asked me today what I was gonna do for this holiday weekend. I laughed saying that everyday is the weekend for me and I live for the weekend. I wish I had a snare drum to finish that sentence.

No matter how this teach Chinese Medicine to the masses turns out at least I loved doing it everyday and that makes for an enjoyable life. I remember when I didn't have something I loved doing everyday like Chinese Medicine, so I'm not giving it up easily.

I love Friday nights not to drink, but I get to stream Bill Moyers' new weekly installment over the Internet. As hopeless as some, most, of his pieces are -- I still admire that guy so much that it's tough to for me to not feel good after watching that great man do his weekly thing.

Admin: A Big Fish Strikes

Sure you can't wait for a highly technical blog post on epilepsy to be posted next. Enough of this nonsense. Get to meat and potatoes that is gonna make my life better. If I wanted nonsense, I'd go stand by the coffee machine in the cafeteria.

But we have been laying in the weeds waiting for the big tiger to walk by and pounce on them. OK this is making no sense.

How about we are The Old Man and The Sea (which I never was assigned to read, so I haven't read it) and we are waiting to land the big fish that gets our Chinese Medicine drift to change the world. It's a plan and so is a plan of winning the lottery. The odds of which are similar. Or are they?

Carol knows the marketing plan and she lets me be delusional about the plausibility of it. Nice sister -- the blog enabler. Well, I've eluded to in this blog that Carol never reads this thing. She edits what I send her and no more. But this morning she left me a phone message, that she read the blog and found it amusing.

I thought I was in hot water for not running these covert blog posts by the PR/Sales Department. I thought I'd be reprimanded for wandering off the CMG Talking Points -- whatever they might be.