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Friday, Apr 14, 2006 10:27 AM UTC

Medicine show

Going to extremes, and searching for moderation -- this week in Table Talk.

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Families Who Think

Not the Mommy Track: Career Advice for Mothers and Others

EricaYO – 11:30 am Pacific Time – Apr 6, 2006 – #565 of 604

There was a study I remember being in the headlines just a few weeks ago that said that women are going back to work before they are physically ready to.

I wanted to throw something at the TV.

Yes, we go back before we are ready, because we don’t have enough money to stay home unpaid, because we can lose our jobs if we don’t, because our insurance will lapse after 6 weeks out — Jesus, does anyone think we rush back to work to get away from the squalling child, because we like that we fit back in our sexy work clothes and can’t wait to get back in the trenches??? We go back because we have to go back while we are still bleeding, while our breasts are leaking and we are too exhausted from night feeds to remember how to do our jobs (even when we love them).

Health and Science

Health questions

Tona Aspsusa – 02:58 am Pacific Time – Apr 13, 2006 – #1773 of 1773

I wish doctors and people in general would *start* by telling patients to be moderate and pay attention to what seems to make them feel more well. Instead of issuing blanket “cut out alcohol,” “no more animal fats,” “stop smoking” and “lose 15 kg” recommendations or orders.

OK, for some people a blunt order to change their ways will work. But for many many it won’t. It will only be guilt inducing (= add another stress) and leave the patients with a detached feeling from their own health. How many people will take an active interest in their own wellness when they feel set up to fail, or view the recommended life-style as not really worth living?

And it has the added effect of making people not take it seriously when doing or stopping something that really IS a matter of immediate life and death. (See previous rants about medicines and alcohol.)

I happen to have an example of this effect, at least partly, among my SOs friends: bipolar guy, mid-50ies, heavy drinker. pancreatitis. Probably due to the drinking, but decades of heavy medication is also involved. He WILL die from drinking, he has already been hospitalized four times within a year with acute pancreatitis, which locally is kind of a record; apparently patients usually die the second or third time.

For 30 fricking years idiot docs have been telling him he can’t drink while on his psych-meds. Bull, as he has proven many times. Sure, sometimes a drinking binge has been a precursor for psychosis, sometimes his liver values have looked bad. But mostly he has been fine (family, employed, all the normal stuff).

So since for 30 years “you can’t drink” and “you shouldn’t drink” have proven to not be true, why should he take it literally now?

People do unhealthy things BECAUSE they get some kind of benefit from it. No one eats too much fat or sugar or smokes or drinks just because they want to get sick. We do it because it makes us feel good. Or because it stops us from feeling bad, sometimes in quite concrete physical ways. And sometimes we just LIKE our lives, including our unhealthy habits.

So don’t tell us to cut out pizza and late drunken nights, tell us to try switching to a little less unhealthy pizza (like: first step, switch pepperoni to something with less salt and fat, then perhaps try vegetarian etc.) and educate us about how to drink less for the same buzz (it’s cheaper! Always a good selling point), or how to drink so we don’t feel thoroughly sick for a week afterwards.

In all honesty, doctors aren’t usually the worst when it comes to blanket life-style advice (though there are some not-in-touch-with-reality zombies), but because of laziness or time constraints they do issue far too much boilerplate “live healthy” advice.

The worst offenders IME are usually laymen (and sometimes non-MD health pros) with a serious interest in nutrition. Sorry, I am not interested in popping vitamins and balancing my intake of essential fatty acids with a calculator. Or getting a naturally strong immune system from whatever the latest fad is.

And I do not care to hear how I should eat more super-crunchy, additive free, whole grain, organic, spelt black bread with salt-free lentil paste made with omega-z fish oil! But I might be persuaded to try the graham wheat toast or the carrot buns instead of the whitest-of-white fluff. And *maybe*, just *maybe* test it with blueberry jam instead of my regular 80% sugar Lemon Curd.

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Mobile Entertainment: 9 Amazing Drive-In Movie Theaters Still Standing

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  • Two-for-one for Everyone — West Wind Solano Twin Drive-In, Concord, Calif.
    This family-friendly attraction with several spots across the U.S. (including California, Nevada and Arizona) prides itself on offering first-run double features (save for premiere events) on the cheap — which is quite the deal, considering their 65-foot screens are among the biggest in the biz. And if you have great car speakers, even better: squawk boxes of old have been replaced with Dolby quality audio piped through your car’s FM stereo.

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  • For the Four-legged Friendly — Warwick Drive-In, Warwick, N.Y.
    Northeast city slickers looking for a place to watch their favorite movie stars under the stars need only veer six miles east of Vernon, N.J. What began as a family affair in 1950 has since become a seasonal institution offering rural and urban (and pet!) audiences two movies for the price of one on any of its three giant screens.

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  • See Stars Collide — Ford-Wyoming Drive-In, Dearborn, Mich.
    Open year-round (unlike many of its surviving contemporaries), this five-screen staple of the Midwest known as the “largest drive-in in the world” plays host for up to 3,000 cars on any given night. And if the double-feature doesn’t hold your attention, relax; you’ve got the best (car)seat in the house for the occasional overhead meteor shower.

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  • A Hole (Lot of Fun) in One — Wellfleet Drive-In, Wellfleet, Mass.
    Built in 1957 and still offering original mono sound boxes for those looking for an authentic experience (or not, as FM stereo is available as well), the summer-exclusive theater hosts double features of first-runs on its giant 100’ x 44’ screen. Come for the movies, stay for the mini-golf and flea market (on select days).

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  • Go Big or Drive Home — Bengies Drive-In, Baltimore, Md.
    The only thing bigger than Bengies’ prolific history (57 years and going) is its main attraction — boasting the biggest theater screen in the U.S. at 6,240 square feet. That’s 52’ x 120’ of pure anamorphic presentation. Complementing its time capsule of a snack bar (unchanged since ’56), previews old and new occupy the venue’s old-timey intermissions between features.

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  • Proof That Film is Forever — Shankweilers, Orefield, Pa.
    While we’re on superlative street, consider stopping at this roadside treasure: America’s oldest drive-in. Operating since 1934, it may not have the frills and pony rides of nearby Becky’s Drive-In, but it’s defied hurricanes and the wear and tear of time. Worth the one-hour drive from Philly.

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  • The Gritty Hollywood Reboot — Corral Drive-In, Guymon, Okla.
    Like a slasher movie menace that died (several times) in the ’80s only to be rebooted years after, the long-vacant Corral Drive-In was resurrected and restored in 2009, providing big entertainment at a nominal fee. And if the $6 adult admission doesn’t make you feel like a kid again, the venue’s inflatable bouncers most definitely will.

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  • Hop the Healthy Highway — Delsea Drive-In, Vineland, N.J.
    Less than an hour’s trip from Atlantic City, New Jersey’s only drive-in offers the best of both worlds — old school aesthetic outfitted with modern tech and healthier food choices to boot. Open seasonally, with first features beginning around dusk.

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  • Bring Your Backyard to the Big Screen — Starlight Six Drive-In, Atlanta, Ga.
    As much a backdoor barbecue as it is a night out at the movies, this six-screen Atlanta drive-in encourages what most in the theater biz forbid: bringing your own food and grilling it. Those looking to add a hip twist of the theatrical to their Labor Day getaway need only stock the cooler and pack some brats or burgers for the Starlight’s annual “Drive-Invasion,” which features a hot-rod show, live music, and B-movies galore.

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  • And really, what better way is there to cruise the nostalgia highway of old Hollywood than in a MINI Roadster? Allowing all the headroom one needs to see the stars on the screen and those directly above, the 2013 convertible goes the distance where it counts — on the road (obviously), not to mention the discerning driver’s wallet. Never mind that its fun-size frame also makes motoring in and out of tight traffic all the more enjoyable (or parking in even tighter spots for cozy romantics all the more convenient).

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