Gym Rebuffal

In the gym, there is a usual atmosphere of health and joy. It seems everybody knows one other and be it in the swimming pool, sauna, steam room, squash court, exercise room, etc you have a set of friends that you talk and joke. As it could be very boring if you just go through the motions in silence. Also especially when bathing, shaving, etc it seems you become less uninhibited especially with endorphins flowing in your bloodstream and freer with your fellow gym members and most of the time you are semi-naked. Topics from politics, health, sex, children, etc are discussed openly and freely. I talk on topics of health being the chief resident health adviser as I had trained and worked as a medical doctor. I have a belief that we should try to avoid seeing doctors except for checkups to see everything is going on smoothly, by living healthy lives and preach this message vigorously.

I happen to be a big man and have a large voice. I had finished swimming and was relaxing in the steam room. When the issue of medical treatment came up, as being the only medical educated person around I learned in a word or 2. Especially, when I thought the man was in error. He seems to place more emphasis on natural herbal remedies than trial and tested pharmacological drugs. I did agree with him that herbal remedies may work in some instances, nothing will bet against medication which has been through animal and human trails. By this time we were shouting and we were told to lower over voices this made the man very angry and he left.

Another woman, who just had open heart surgery due to Mitral Valve Incompetence as a result of Rheumatic Fever she had as a child. She said if she had known of the herbal remedies she would have not gone for the operation. We continued to talk in whispers I told her of the recent "study" I read of a lady refusing a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and being placed on a special vegan diet and when accessed some months later it was found that the arteries lumen had widened. But in the case of Mitral Valve Incompetence, it is a functional disorder and I believed although herbs and healthy living could help the only truly corrective measure is surgery. She also told me of her medical history and she was told that because she had been exercising before the outcome and general prognosis was much better. She told me of some other patients who were not as healthy as she was and had to have pacemakers inserted, but I think maybe they went into severe heart failure, atrial fibrillation, pulmonary hypertension, etc. I decided to find out how she was doing now and her exercise regime. All of a sudden a man said we could go out and continue our discussion outside as he wanted to "Meditate". I left the room immediately and called on the "Manager", and said, "although we were whispering a man told us to go outside to continue our discussion". Yes, I snitched on him. When the Manager arrived things got worse for the man and he felt so embarrassed that he looked as if the floor should swallow him whole. He was very apologetic and said why did I not tell him before. I told him I made a judgment call, we had been rebuffed before and we were whispering and to make sure we were in the right I had to inform a "higher authority".

I personally believe that people should learn how to tolerate one another most of the problems and bad situation in the world could be linked to lack of tolerance. Once should not enforce his rules on others and people should be kind and respectful to others.