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Man, 22, Dies After Tongue-Piercing Causes Brain Abscesses 28306190 Woman Lives Whole Life With Half a Brain 28301394 Study: Chocolate, Water Alleviate Pain 28301400 Psoriasis: A Nuisance or a Deadly Disease? 28283782 Self-Described Abortion Addict Has 15 Abortions in 17 Years 28284006 Annette Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 619-260-4006 tay...@sandiego.edu ---- Original message ---- >Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:31:17 -0500 >From: sbl...@ubishops.ca >Subject: [tips] Dystonic cheerleader update >To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <tips@acsun.frostburg.edu> > >Desiree Jennings, the cheerleader with the bizarre affliction of >"dystonia" she attributes to receiving a seasonal flu shot, has >made an amazing recovery. > >She now has her own website, here: >http://www.desireejennings.com/ > >But the good news is here: >http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,565984,00.html?test=late >stnews >or >http://tinyurl.com/yg5s95c > >The doctor responsible for this remarkable achievement, Rashid >Buttar, is a practitioner of alternative medicine including urine >injection therapy, according to this site: > >http://tinyurl.com/yfmex5r > >He also is known as an anti-vaccination advocate. > >The treatment which restored Ms. Jennings is the controversial >"mercury detoxification" technique known as chelation therapy > >The site above links to an interesting blog by a clinical >neurologist named Steven Novella at the Yale University School >of Medicine. >( http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=1195 ) > >He suggests that Ms. Jennings' condition is most consistent with >a diagnosis of psychogenic dystonia; that is, her symptoms >indicate a psychological rather than a physiological origin of her >disorder. > >Dr. Novella makes the interesting observation that because Ms. >Jennings recovered so rapidly (within 36 hours) in response to >an unscientific treatment which is likely a placebo, this provides >support for the psychogenesis hypothesis. > >Giving credit where it's due, I have to point out that in an early >post on this topic, Beth Benoit warned us that her husband, an >orthopedic surgeon, expressed reservations about this case, >although he did use the politically impolite term "hoax" rather >than the kinder "psychogenic" designation. > >Me, I voiced reservations too, but I tended to believe her >symptoms were "real" (giving a workout to scare quotes). I >shouldn't have. > >Stephen >----------------------------------------------------------------- >Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. >Professor of Psychology, Emeritus >Bishop's University > e-mail: sbl...@ubishops.ca >2600 College St. >Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 >Canada >----------------------------------------------------------------------- > >--- >To make changes to your subscription contact: > >Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
