DocRobert

11/07/2025

The recent discussion on this page about 'good' and 'bad' brought to mind an interesting case in the clinic. I can talk about this now as it was a very long time ago in a different country, and there is approximately zero chance that anybody would be able to identify the person involved. He was a priest in the Catholic church, and an exorcist. Until I met him, I had no idea they still existed. The Catholic church holds that Satan and the demons are real entities and that demonic possession really occurs. The rite of exorcism is performed by specially trained priests. Anyway, this priest came complaining of sciatica which after several weeks was not getting any better. He explained that during exorcisms the "possessed" can become violent or have a fit, and they have to be physically restrained to prevent them from causing harm to themselves or others. It was on one such occasion that he believed he had injured his back. It appeared to me to be a run-of-the-mill, straightforward case - my bread and butter really, the sort of thing that I get a 95% success rate if the patient complies with the requirements of the treatment. This man complied with all the requirements of the treatment, but he did not get any better. I formed the idea, although I do not know if it is true, that he really believed that his pain was of supernatural origin (a calling card from the Devil), and that this belief inhibited any improvement. The mind is certainly capable of such things.

[Photo from: https://thecatholicherald.com/faqs-what-is-an-exorcism/]

06/07/2025

A section of real human spinal cord. Enables you dance, to feel, to hurt...

🧠 This is what the spinal cord actually looks like — a true marvel of biology!
Inside, the gray matter forms a distinctive butterfly shape 🦋, where it processes motor and sensory signals that let you move, feel, and respond to the world.
Surrounding it, the white matter transmits electrical impulses ⚡ at incredible speed, linking your brain to every part of your body.

The spinal cord is organized into dorsal, ventral, and lateral horns, each with essential roles:
— Controlling voluntary movement
— Regulating automatic functions like breathing and heartbeat

Myelinated nerve fibers bundle into spinal nerves that are critical for muscle control and interpreting sensations from your environment.

But perhaps the most fascinating part?
Many movements — even walking — occur without conscious thought. Intricate neural circuits coordinate seamlessly, running like a perfectly tuned, silent machine.

💡 The human body is extraordinary, and the spinal cord is truly one of its most remarkable masterpieces.

05/07/2025

This post is following up on my last. I spoke of a “vital tension between opposites”. We experience this in various ways in both body and mind. For example, many vital processes are controlled by two parts of the nervous system called the “sympathetic” and the “parasympathetic”. They pull our body’s physiology in different directions, the one towards alarm and action and the other towards relaxation and recuperation. Both parts are always active to some degree and the balance between them shifts according to circumstances. Concerning the mind, who would deny having found themselves in some sort of internal conflict between acting in a way which serves the self-interest, and in a way that serves somebody else’s or the common good? Obviously self-preservation is a basic necessity, but so too, in social animals such as ourselves, is a willingness to help others in need and safeguard the well-being of the community in which we live. At the extremes, some people sacrifice their own needs almost absolutely for those of others, while others live and act almost exclusively for themselves, even willingly causing harm to others for their own gain. Most people would regard the first kind of person as "good" and the other as "bad". (The ugly one doesn't come into this!) These are the outliers though. Most of us achieve a more or less healthy balance, aiming to achieve a reasonable level of well-being, integrated well enough in our communities. We are, to varying degrees, the “decent” people! People who do their best to navigate life with some sort of a moral compass and get through.

03/07/2025

A LITTLE PHILOSOPHY AND A LITTLE BIOLOGY

A recent discussion on the Internet interested me. It was in a thread on a post in which a reporter opined that from his experience, despite all the horrible things we hear, most people in the world are decent people who just want to lead their lives in peace.

A commenter said yes, there are more good people in the world than bad, and good will always overcome evil.

Somebody replied to this comment by saying, unkindly, that the commenter was delusional. They implied that their thought on this was just a popular cliché. They talked about the evolution and genes. They referred to Richard Dawkins book, “The Selfish Gene”. They affirmed that people are programmed by their genes to act only in their own self-interest. Even actions that you might assume are benevolent always provide the actor with some payback, even if only the dopamine boost they feel when they do feel they have done a good deed. Because the human race is, no matter what, subject to the law of “survival of the fittest”.

There are two things that strike me about this exchange. The first is this: that this kind of debate lacks meaning unless we define our terms. What is “good”? What is “bad”? (In the moral sense.) Are these the kind of questions the answer to which is, “If you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand the answer”? I don’t think so. It isn’t so straightforward as one might think. For instance, what do militant Islamists, Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump and the Pope (any pope) have in common? It is that some people believe they are doing God’s work, while others think that they are evil people. What about a “good person” and a “bad person” then? Do we judge a “nice” person to be a “good” person, and one who is “not nice” a bad person? Do we not all think and do things which we might even ourselves judge to be good or bad? People are complex. Do not the dark and the light co-exist in every one of us?

The second thing is this: if you are going to try to validate your own view by referring to a scientific theory, make sure you actually know the theory. The second commenter above, while portraying himself as intellectually superior to the first one, didn't. Although Dawkin’s book has a snappy title, it is metaphorical, not literal. A gene is a chemical molecule, nothing more nor less. Genes have no free will, they cannot be selfish. Their power and the implications of that power cannot be regarded in terms of moral judgements. Because of their biochemical activity, genes confer upon their holder certain characteristics, whether those be physical or mental. A certain genetic make-up, together with their upbringing and environment, can make a person relatively selfish, and another can make a person relatively selfless. But then, it really isn’t about the survival or success of the individual, but about the evolutionary success of the whole population or species. And furthermore, it isn’t the genes which decide to battle it out with each other (remember - they have no will of their own), it is environmental conditions which decide which of them are most useful. At a certain time in a certain place altruism might be favoured because it serves the population better; in another place at another time, individualism may be on the whole the best strategy for the species to thrive. And the human species needs both kinds of person within it so that it can adapt to changing circumstances. That is the theory.

If that is indeed how it works, in the grand scheme of things it makes no sense to consider selflessness “good” in and of itself, and “selfishness” bad (the usual scheme), and the one will never vanquish the other, because both are necessary, within reason. That is, so long as there are not too many people at the extremes of the scale in either direction.

I will go beyond biology now and suggest that on a metaphysical level there will always be a vital tension between two opposites (like "good" and "bad"), and that one will never overcome the other and reign supreme for ever and ever. At least not in this world.

[Image from https://mwtb.org/pages/bad-or-good?srsltid=AfmBOorEas8UvwGZyPh2KW3UstV2k2xtEeMmpdWHWbVFn79896LNQid5]

30/06/2025

[Scroll down for ENGLISH]

PECULIARIDAD PROFESIONAL

Es una peculiaridad profesional de los osteópatas experimentados observar habitualmente a la gente caminar y notar qué les pasa. Esto resulta bastante aburrido para nuestras parejas cuando señalamos cosas como: "Mira a ese hombre, tiene esto y aquello". Si te cohíbe, es bueno que no sepas si tienes un osteópata detrás cuando caminas por la calle.

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[ENGLISH]

PROFESSIONAL QUIRKS

It is a professional quirk of experienced osteopaths that we habitually observe people walking and note what is wrong with them. This gets quite boring for our spouses or partners when we point things out, "Look at that man, he's got such and such". If you're self-conscious it's a good job you don't know if you have an osteopath behind you when you are walking down the street.

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[Image from https://drawdown.org/solutions/walkable-cities]

30/06/2025

The summer heat has come quickly and strong, so take care out there! Keep well hydrated and stay in the shade. Avoid excessive activity if it is not in the water!

N.B. If you suspect heatstroke - very high temperature with an altered mental state (confusion, agitation, slurred speech, seizures, loss of consciousness, light-headedness), nausea or vomiting, flushed skin, headache, dizziness, muscle weakness or cramps - you need to get the person urgently to the emergency department for medical care.

To help milder heat exhaustion, moistening herbs (like Marshmallow or Violet) combined with calming nervines (like Skullcap or Lemon Balm), especially when symptoms include fatigue, dry throat/skin, thirst, irritability and insomnia.

Why this combination works:
• Marshmallow root: moistens and protects mucous membranes; restores fluids.
• Violet leaf: gently moistens and clears residual heat; supports the lungs and lymphatics.
• Skullcap: calms nervous agitation, cools.
• Lemon Balm: relaxes tension, mildly cools, uplifts mood without over-stimulating.

Marshmallow root is best steeped in cold water overnight. Use 9 g to 300 mL water. Otherwise it can be decocted (boiled for 30 minutes) covered.

For your infusion put 1 teaspoon of each of the other herbs into a cup and fill the cup two thirds full with boiling water. Cover and steep for 10-15 minutes. Then add 75 mL of the marshmallow infusion. Drink it when its cold.

[Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis). Photo by Quinn Dombrowski, via Flickr. Creative Commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en]

23/06/2025

This is the tincture made from the St. John's Wort (Hierba de San Juan) I gathered a few weeks ago. Note its beautiful red colour. The flowers of St. John's Wort are yellow but a red pigment, hypericin, is found in specialised glands on the margins of petals and leaves. You can sometimes see them as tiny black or reddish dots when holding the flower up to the light. Hypericin is released when the plant tissues are crushed or damaged, and on exposure the the air it oxidises, taking on an even deeper red colour. It is this that comes to the fore in alcohol or oil. (A tincture is an alcohol and water extraction.) The function of hypericin in the plant is likely as a chemical deterrent to herbivores. It used to be thought that it was the active component responsible for St. John's Wort's proven antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties, but this has been found not to be the case; instead, a different substance, hyperforin, is the most likely candidate for this.

12/05/2025

10/05/2025

[ESPAÑOL más abajo]

St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) gathered this morning at Puig D'en Valls, Ibiza. Most of it will be dried in the oven at 70ºC to be used in infusions or to make a tincture with vodka. I have a 1L bottle of vegetable glycerine that needs to be used, so I'll take some of this fresh herb and immerse it in the glycerine for 6 weeks. This preparation is called a glycerite, and can be taken by mouth like a tincture. Glycerites have the advantages (for some people) that they are sweet tasting and don't contain alcohol, however their shelf-life is shorter. St. John's Wort taken orally has a relaxant and anti-depressant action, and may also relieve nerve pain like sciatica. However, it can interact with quite a long list of medications, producing negative effects, so before taking it you need to check up on that.

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[ESPAÑOL]

Hierba de San Juan (Hypericum perforatum) recogida esta mañana en Puig d'en Valls, Ibiza. La mayor parte se secará en el horno a 70 °C para usarla en infusiones o para hacer una tintura con vodka. Tengo una botella de 1 litro de glicerina vegetal que necesito usar, así que tomaré un poco de esta hierba fresca y la sumergiré en la glicerina durante seis semanas. Esta preparación se llama glicerita y se puede tomar por vía oral como una tintura. Las gliceritas tienen la ventaja (para algunas personas) de tener un sabor dulce y no contener alcohol; sin embargo, su vida útil es más corta. La hierba de San Juan, tomada por vía oral, tiene un efecto relajante y antidepresivo, y también puede aliviar dolores nerviosos como la ciática. Sin embargo, puede interactuar con una larga lista de medicamentos, produciendo efectos negativos, así que conviene comprobarlo antes de tomarla.

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09/05/2025

Year 1 of a 3 year course completed. It's been challenging and fascinating. The ancient Chinese advanced herbal medicine to an extremely sophisticated level. This first year of the programme is designed to provide the basics for the student to begin practising Chinese herbal medicine. Year 2 will cover much of the same ground only at greater depth, and Year 3 is detailed discussion and feedback on 30 case studies.

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Se completó el primer año del curso de 3 años. Ha sido desafiante y fascinante. Los antiguos médicos chinos perfeccionaron la medicina herbal hasta alcanzar un nivel extremadamente sofisticado. Este primer año del programa está diseñado para proporcionar las bases para que el estudiante comience a practicar la medicina herbal china. El segundo año cubrirá gran parte del mismo tema, pero con mayor profundidad, y el tercer año se centra en el análisis detallado y la retroalimentación de 30 casos prácticos.

05/04/2025

La Acupuntura de Equilibrio es el nombre moderno que se le da a un método basado en los principios de la medicina china clásica y descrito en textos antiguos. Cuando se estandarizó la enseñanza de la medicina china en la década de 1950, no se incluyó en el currículo, y actualmente se imparte a acupuntores cualificados de forma privada a través de diversas líneas de maestros.

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Balance Acupuncture the modern name given to a method rooted in classical Chinese medicine principles and described in ancient texts. When Chinese medicine was standardised for teaching in the 1950s, it was not included in the curriculum, and nowadays it is taught to qualified acupuncturists privately through various lineages of masters.

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02/04/2025

[For ENGLISH scroll down]

"ACUPUNTURA DE CAMPO"

De caminar fuera de pista por el bosque de Ibiza en pantalones cortos.
Yo la llamo "acupuntura de campo".
Fortalece el sistema inmunitario y restablece el sistema nervioso autónomo (el Yin-Yang del control fisiológico).
Sin embargo, no recomendaría este grado de estimulación a todo el mundo. En mi caso es bueno: siempre necesito mucha cantidad de cualquier tipo de medicamento (incluidos fármacos) para tener un efecto apreciable.

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[ENGLISH]

"BUSH ACUPUNCTURE"

From walking off-piste in Ibiza forest in shorts.
I call it “bush acupuncture”.
It tones the immune system and resets the autonomic nervous system (the Yin-Yang of physiological control).
I wouldn’t recommend this degree of stimulation for everybody though. In my case its good: I always need a lot of any kind of medicine (including drugs) to have an appreciable effect.