Monday, June 22, 2009

The Beautiful Truth...

My wife is a vegetarian, and I'd sure like to be- the mere thought of killing cute little pigs sickens me. But the faintest airy wisp of thin crispity bacon (let alone the actual magic of having it settle upon the taste buds) is almost enough to induce near ecstasy. It's one of life's many contradictions I've learned to negotiate a very uneasy truce with, but the big C (as in cancer) is about the only incentive that will ever make me go totally vegetable. Of course, it may be a little too late by then, but them's the odds I've chosen.

For those a bit wiser, or just more self disciplined, The Beautiful Truth traces the path to longer, healthier living- and escaping the jaws of that dreaded disease. It describes nothing radically new or revolutionary as far as vegetarianism (juicing, organic fruits, vegetables, etc) and holistic lifestyles are concerned, and the film itself is certainly nowhere, anywhere near Oscar contention. In fact, the main reason, the only reason I can recommend said movie is that it introduced me to the the good Dr. Gerson, who devised and promoted said program a good many decades ago, and for his effort has been vehemently ridiculed, ostracized and condemned by both medical establishment and pharmaceutical companies alike ever since. And did I mention... was poisoned to death (arsenic) for his effort.

4 comments:

Stephen said...

This is just so depressingly dumb, it's hard to know where to begin. It's as though someone who had never seen, let alone used, a camera started spouting "The Truth" about photographic technique. As though they had said, "Yes, f45 is the best way to go, when using Kodachrome 25, for sports photography. It will allow subject isolation and fast shutter speeds, while, at the same time, maximizing depth of field. This only refers to photographs taken with a 4x5 camera, of course. Sports photography is utterly impossible in any other format.". A photographer simply wouldn't know how to respond to that level of ignorance. As a biologist, who does photography in his spare time, the Gerson nonsense strikes exactly the same note.

Stan B. said...

In your most humble medical opinion, made only after viewing the film in question, no doubt. At least Dr. (and Senator) Frist made the effort to watch the video of Terry Shiavo before he proceeded to make a fool of himself...

BTW the anti-Gerson viewpoint was given plenty exposure in the film.

Stephen said...

No, I've read various articles describing his "treatment". And, to repeat, I'm a biologist, not a doctor. You know, just another guy with a Ph.D. in studying how living things, like human beings, work. And they don't work anything like the way the good Dr. Gerson thought they did. Try his treatment one day, if you like. Just not if you're suffering from anything serious.

I won't tell you how to take pictures. Do me the favour of not telling me how life works.

Stan B. said...

Yes, I'm sure they were all unbiased, scientific reports written by those in no way related, funded or employed by major pharmeceuticals or other medical institutions involved in the multi billion dollar cancer business.

Besides we all know what an absolutely phenomenal job those organizations have done in arresting, curing and preventing cancer just in the 50 yrs I've been on the planet. No question there!