Malarky on Roberts' seizures
So, the Chief Justice has two idiopathic seizures fourteen years apart, and now some smart-ass doctors (probably paid off by the drug companies) have diagnosed him as epileptic and in need of medication:
Because the seizure was his second — he had a similar one in 1993 — he meets the criteria for epilepsy, and he and his doctors will have to decide whether he should take medication to prevent further seizures, said neurologists not involved in his care.
That's just as absurd as Bill Frist diagnosing Terri Schiavo via videotape.
I've had two of these same kinds of episodes, and the last one was twelve years ago. I'll be damned if I'd go on some pill indefinitely because of ancient history.
More bull from the pill pushers:
Even though his two seizures occurred 14 years apart, they meet the criteria for epilepsy because they were "unprovoked," meaning that they were not caused by a head injury, a drug reaction or another known factor.
So, I guess my two episodes eighteen months apart would also qualify, even though it's been twelve years since the last one happened. According to the inane and circular logic of the quoted doctors, I apparently have epilepsy, even though the events haven't recurred since 1995.
Yeah, right.
According to the self-serving definition promoted by the doctors quoted in the article, symptoms include:
- Daydreaming
- Blanking out for brief intervals and not snapping out of it when others try to speak to them
- Dizziness
- Sensations in the stomach
- Feelings of déjà vu
- Noticing odd smells or tastes in the mouth
By those goofy criteria, most people are epileptic. I'm sure most people daydream (ever been bored at work?), get dizzy (maybe after a few beers?), have sensations in the stomach (ever been stopped by a cop?), and odd tastes or smells (especially after Indian or Thai food).
And who hasn't experienced déjà vu? And who hasn't experienced déjà vu?
Certainly, a large number of people genuinely have epilepsy, and it can be debilitating for them, but it cheapens the experience of those actual victims of the disease to broaden it to such a large, obviously non-affected population. Doctors on the payroll of the pill companies have just as much credibility as Bill Frist declaring Terri Schiavo to be "responsive to visual stimuli."
Frist was job-shopping when he said that, and the quoted doctors in the article were doing the same thing.