Followup to "Johnny got his medication." -- Let's hope he doesn't.
Boycott Procramital! -- Why adrenaline makes us human.
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From a post here on 11/28 concerning the Wyeth drug Procramital, which is designed to combat high blood pressure but is also reportedly quite effective at reducing the vividness of certain indelible human memories.
Our memories are created partially via the natural chemical adrenaline....
....And here's what a Dr. James McGaugh told Leslie Stahl and "60 Minutes" on the piece that aired two weeks ago:
"Procramital sits on that nerve cell and blocks it, so that, think of this as being a key, and this is a lock, the hole in the lock is blocked because of propranolol sitting there. So, adrenaline can be present, but it can't do its job."
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Why is this a totally frightening scenario to us? Our immediate response was to consider that the military would love to order several hundred thousand doses of this stuff to increase the rotation of troops in and out of Iraq. But there's also a reason why folks not in the armed forces should fear the repercussions of blocking adrenaline from "do(ing) its job.".
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Viewing one of the great films, "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", the other night reminded us that memories make us who we are, giving us our greatest joys as well as lowest lows. We live in the moment, but moments are gone soon enough, and all we have afterwards are what remain in our minds.
Two scenes from "Cockoo" in particular were surprising in that they lasted just a few seconds, though were firmly implanted into our memories way back when.
The first comes when the towering Indian mute is brow beaten by McMurphy into joining his fellow patients vote to watch the '63 World Series on the unit television. The way we have always remembered things, it took several minutes for him to offer up his hand. But in reality, the scene lasts just a few seconds.
Also, the unforgettable patient vs. staff basketball game featuring that same Indian showing signs of the man beneath, through which ex-Celtic and NBA Hall of Famer Robert Parish's teammates gave him the nickname "Chief", was a very brief scene. Two or three trips up and down the court. That's all that director Milos Forman gives us. But viewers memories expand that into an unforgettable, joyful battle of good vs. evil as well as the resiliancy of the human spirit.
All this thanks to adrenaline doing its job.
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The medical community would have us believe that fixing the human brain is akin to healing a broken bone or repairing an artery. It isn't, at least not yet.
Though the "60M" piece focused on the potential positive uses for Procramital in easing the suffering of victims of trauma, we wonder: at what price might we receive this placidness?
At the expense of our humanity?
---------------------------------
From a post here on 11/28 concerning the Wyeth drug Procramital, which is designed to combat high blood pressure but is also reportedly quite effective at reducing the vividness of certain indelible human memories.
Our memories are created partially via the natural chemical adrenaline....
....And here's what a Dr. James McGaugh told Leslie Stahl and "60 Minutes" on the piece that aired two weeks ago:
"Procramital sits on that nerve cell and blocks it, so that, think of this as being a key, and this is a lock, the hole in the lock is blocked because of propranolol sitting there. So, adrenaline can be present, but it can't do its job."
----------------------------------
Why is this a totally frightening scenario to us? Our immediate response was to consider that the military would love to order several hundred thousand doses of this stuff to increase the rotation of troops in and out of Iraq. But there's also a reason why folks not in the armed forces should fear the repercussions of blocking adrenaline from "do(ing) its job.".
----------------------------------
Viewing one of the great films, "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", the other night reminded us that memories make us who we are, giving us our greatest joys as well as lowest lows. We live in the moment, but moments are gone soon enough, and all we have afterwards are what remain in our minds.
Two scenes from "Cockoo" in particular were surprising in that they lasted just a few seconds, though were firmly implanted into our memories way back when.
The first comes when the towering Indian mute is brow beaten by McMurphy into joining his fellow patients vote to watch the '63 World Series on the unit television. The way we have always remembered things, it took several minutes for him to offer up his hand. But in reality, the scene lasts just a few seconds.
Also, the unforgettable patient vs. staff basketball game featuring that same Indian showing signs of the man beneath, through which ex-Celtic and NBA Hall of Famer Robert Parish's teammates gave him the nickname "Chief", was a very brief scene. Two or three trips up and down the court. That's all that director Milos Forman gives us. But viewers memories expand that into an unforgettable, joyful battle of good vs. evil as well as the resiliancy of the human spirit.
All this thanks to adrenaline doing its job.
===============================
The medical community would have us believe that fixing the human brain is akin to healing a broken bone or repairing an artery. It isn't, at least not yet.
Though the "60M" piece focused on the potential positive uses for Procramital in easing the suffering of victims of trauma, we wonder: at what price might we receive this placidness?
At the expense of our humanity?
posted by joe sweeney at 7:12 PM
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