Morgan Hoffman

[fundy]

Interesting article

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/mo...NUtnQfMVokmZ6IIgNvUxVcZpWpssB7LPaf3oWbQLQOQyA

 

[Ethan]

Interesting, indeed. Sorry to say that his alternative treatments won’t make any difference and drinking urine definitely won’t. Some of the new gene therapies might be helpful but his career as a PGA Tour player is finished.

 

[louise_a]

I read it earlier, very interesting.

 

[Deleted member 25172]

Was listening to this story yesterday on golf digests podcast. Comes across like a real tinfoil hat when they get into the talks about medicine. Interesting listen though.

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

Dan Rapaport tends to do quite a lot of interesting articles i find.

For Hoffman, I doubt alternative therapies are perfect, but even if they are not successful it looks like he's deliberately built a life that suits him which is quite impressive.

 

[Ethan]

Dan Rapaport tends to do quite a lot of interesting articles i find.

For Hoffman, I doubt alternative therapies are perfect, but even if they are not successful it looks like he's deliberately built a life that suits him which is quite impressive.

Sure, dropping off the grid is fine, but eating nothing but grapes and drinking his own urine is going to do exactly zilch for his muscular dystrophy. Most of the current treatments do not do very much, but some gene therapies and micr RNA treatments in development may be better. His realistic objective is to maintain useful functioning for as long as possible, not get back to the PGA Tour. That is very very unlikely.

 

[Dando]

Interesting, indeed. Sorry to say that his alternative treatments won’t make any difference and drinking urine definitely won’t. Some of the new gene therapies might be helpful but his career as a PGA Tour player is finished.

As the wise Patches O’Houlihan once said;
“Is it necessary for me to drink my own urine? No, but I do it anyway because it's sterile and I like the taste.”

 

[Ethan]

As the wise Patches O’Houlihan once said;
“Is it necessary for me to drink my own urine? No, but I do it anyway because it's sterile and I like the taste.”

As a lifestyle choice, sure. Urine is indeed sterile, although it is mostly composed of breakdown products. I'd boil it and let it cool, just to be on the safe side, though.

 

[srixon 1]

As a lifestyle choice, sure. Urine is indeed sterile, although it is mostly composed of breakdown products. I'd boil it and let it cool, just to be on the safe side, though.

Just drink Carling, tastes the same, or so I’ve heard?

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Interesting, indeed. Sorry to say that his alternative treatments won’t make any difference and drinking urine definitely won’t. Some of the new gene therapies might be helpful but his career as a PGA Tour player is finished.

You are of course almost certainly right, but he'll need to discover that for himself. I like that he's not preaching to others, as he said, this works for him. If he's happy doing it and he gets some benefit, even placebo / mental then it's great.

Must be so hard for people diagnosed with a condition such as this not to give up, he's doing brilliantly.

 

[jim8flog]

I would never drink my own urine when I can easily take it out of someone else.

 

[Ethan]

You are of course almost certainly right, but he'll need to discover that for himself. I like that he's not preaching to others, as he said, this works for him. If he's happy doing it and he gets some benefit, even placebo / mental then it's great.

Must be so hard for people diagnosed with a condition such as this not to give up, he's doing brilliantly.

I feel for him, and I really hope he does all right, whether through conventional medicine or voodoo.

He can have it both ways, eat grapes, drink Carling, mediate and occasionally hallucinate. But also check out some clinical trials of gene therapies for FSHMD.

I think there is a more complicated psychological reaction taking place, with a strong hint of denial. He is said to have rejected having an MRI to check his pectoral because of the radiation. MRI does not use any radiation, so he is safe enough there. I think he doesn't want that MRI for other reasons.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Definitely been through the mill with his diagnosis and mentally it must be hard to accept that no matter how much you want it, your body won't let you get back to anywhere near where you were. Grapes and urine though is way out there and definitely in the realms of tin foil nutter

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Definitely been through the mill with his diagnosis and mentally it must be hard to accept that no matter how much you want it, your body won't let you get back to anywhere near where you were. Grapes and urine though is way out there and definitely in the realms of tin foil nutter

Lovely empathy there, Homer.....

 

[Ethan]

Lovely empathy there, Homer.....

There comes a stage when you sometimes have to tell people, for their own good, that they need to wise up. Empathy can become enabling.

Steve Jobs developed a curable form of pancreatic cancer, but instead of accepting surgery, he went down the same route as Hoffman - diets and cleanses and all that stuff - and only regretted it when it was too late. Hoffman does not have a mortal condition, but he has one which will become increasingly difficult to treat with time. He should have the numbers for the US's leading researchers in this field on speed dial.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

There comes a stage when you sometimes have to tell people, for their own good, that they need to wise up.

Steve Jobs developed a curable form of pancreatic cancer, but instead of accepting surgery, he went down the same route as Hoffman - diets and cleanses and all that stuff - and only regretted it when it was too late. Hoffman does not have a mortal condition, but he has one which will become increasingly difficult to treat with time. He should have the numbers for the US's leading researchers in this field on speed dial.

Why? That's one approach, but it's not the only one, quality of life while he is at his fittest is tremendously important -he's unlikely to get better, isn't he? Clearly you're approaching it from a very different view to him on medicine, and for what it's worth, I agree with you - medically he's probably not doing the things that will hold his deterioration at bay for as long as possible. However, what I take from the story is a message of great hope; not that there is hope of a cure to his condition, but hope that his condition does not automatically mean life is over.

Yes, he might be deluding himself about his ability to come back and play on the PGA tour, but the key thing here is that he has found peace with his diagnosis and is living his life in a way that means he can move forward even if conventional medicine has written him off (based on his words).

Going back to your point, would telling him to "wise up" really help, if he's currently happy?

 

[Ethan]

Why? That's one approach, but it's not the only one, quality of life while he is at his fittest is tremendously important -he's unlikely to get better, isn't he? Clearly you're approaching it from a very different view to him on medicine, and for what it's worth, I agree with you - medically he's probably not doing the things that will hold his deterioration at bay for as long as possible. However, what I take from the story is a message of great hope; not that there is hope of a cure to his condition, but hope that his condition does not automatically mean life is over.

Yes, he might be deluding himself about his ability to come back and play on the PGA tour, but the key thing here is that he has found peace with his diagnosis and is living his life in a way that means he can move forward even if conventional medicine has written him off (based on his words).

Going back to your point, would telling him to "wise up" really help, if he's currently happy?

People go through stages in some illnesses. He is fully entitled to die what he wants, and I hope it works, but he is also entitled to expect friends to talk to him honestly. He will have a long time to regret not acting when it might have made a difference.

FSHMD is not a fatal condition, he can expect to live a normal lifespan, but he is a positive and determined young now and it won't always be like that. There has been some development of effective treatments for this sort of condition using something similar to the Pfizer vaccine technology, so it would be wise to stay alert to more opportunities. In the meantime, he can drink all the usine he likes. It won't do him any good, but t probably won't do much harm so long as he brushes his teeth afterwards.

"wise up" was shorthand for persuading him to explore conventional medicine opportunities too.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

People go through stages in some illnesses. He is fully entitled to die what he wants, and I hope it works, but he is also entitled to expect friends to talk to him honestly. He will have a long time to regret not acting when it might have made a difference.

FSHMD is not a fatal condition, he can expect to live a normal lifespan, but he is a positive and determined young now and it won't always be like that. There has been some development of effective treatments for this sort of condition using something similar to the Pfizer vaccine technology, so it would be wise to stay alert to more opportunities. In the meantime, he can drink all the usine he likes. It won't do him any good, but t probably won't do much harm so long as he brushes his teeth afterwards.

"wise up" was shorthand for persuading him to explore conventional medicine opportunities too.

I'm sure you're right from a medical standpoint, not so sure you are on what is best from the perspective of his mental health and happiness. In my experience, friends sharing what they perceive to be "truths" in situations of high emotion (be it something like this, or something like a partner they do not like) never ends well. I'd say better to be there for them and to help support them in whatever way they can rather than falling out.

 

[Ethan]

I'm sure you're right from a medical standpoint, not so sure you are on what is best from the perspective of his mental health and happiness. In my experience, friends sharing what they perceive to be "truths" in situations of high emotion (be it something like this, or something like a partner they do not like) never ends well. I'd say better to be there for them and to help support them in whatever way they can rather than falling out.

I worked as a psychiatrist once. The "wise up" school of counselling was pretty popular back then. Happiness is not just a 'right now' objective. A lot of nonsense has been talked about mental health during Covid. Being happy is not the same as having good mental health. Being happy now believing you are defeating the odds when you really aren't can lead to years of bitterness and regret. Hence the "wise up" form of tough love.

 

[Backache]

There's usually a reason why the body gets rid of things in urine and that's because they are no use to the body.
Why someone who believes in natural healing thinks the body is getting rid of therapeutic substances in their wee is a loss to me.