ExRx.net

You need to send this fat man some beetlenut, lye and whatever that magic leaf that is chewed on Papua. I knew you had to have some sort of secret jungle medicine.

Well, I think that this is the first time a thread has been addressed to me directly.

First to clarify where I am. "Papua" is the traditional name of the the southeast coast of the island of New Guinea (not where I live). It became the name of the British, later Australian "Territory of Papua". After the Brits swiped the colony of New Guinea (the northeast of the main island, and a bunch of smaller islands off the northeast coast) from the Germans in 1918, the Aussies combined the administration of the two areas as "The Territories of Papua and New Guinea". With independence in 1975, the new country adopted the name "Papua New Guinea." Then a few years ago Indonesia stole the name "Papua" to give to it's rebellious province of Irian Jaya, which occupies the western half of the island. So I'm not in either "Papua," I'm in Papua New Guinea, PNG for short. I live in the highlands, approximately in the center of the PNG end of the island.

Betel Nut is one of the names of areca nut, which is used throughout PNG, as it is throughout the Pacific Islands and South-East, and South Asia. It is a seed pod from a type of palm tree. The seeds are chewed with a leaf from a plant that is related to mustard, and often with slaked lime. The lime apparently makes the active ingredients more soluble and absorbable. Chewing it causes a mild euphoria and stimulation. People use it to stay awake, much like people use caffeine. The lime also causes a chemical reaction the produces a crimson-red dye. That, along with the increased saliva production leads to copious bright red saliva that is commonly spit onto the ground. When you walk in areas where there are a lot of people, there are often big swashes of the red spit on the ground or sidewalk.

It produces some pretty nasty long-term effects. By itself it has about the same rate of increased mouth and throat cancers as tobacco chewing. People who use both betel nut and chewing tobacco have about 5 times the rates of mouth and throat cancers as people who use just one or the other. I have seen some pretty ugly mouth and throat cancers here, and every one has been in a betel nut user.

I believe that it increases a variety of stomach problems like ulcers and GERD.

The teeth of users are usually stained red. The dye darkens dental plaque, so that people who use it, and don't keep their teeth clean develop black teeth.

Our hospital forbids betel nut use either by employees or on the hospital grounds. Applicants for work have been known to clean their teeth with steel wool to hide the tell-tale staining!

So, Hoosegow, I'd advise you to stick to Twizzlers. I'm trying to get them imported here, because I'm convinced that once people try them, they will lose all desire for betel nut.

By the way, for anyone interested, you can find Kudjip (where I live) on Google Earth. The place that Kudjip is marked isn't accurate, but you won't care. I live about 1 mile east of where Kudjip Village is indicated. If you turn on Panoramio, you will find several photos that I have taken and placed. It's a beautiful and fascinating place.

If you have trouble finding it, I can email you a placemark.

Are these your pictures?

http://www.panoramio.com/user/57608

Yes. The last of those was taken from our front yard.

Those are great. That's some view you have.

So what you are trying to say is that it isn't so great? I was watching Survivorman and he was in PNG. It was a beautiful place and he was using the betel nut. It didn't look like a pleasurable experience, but I thought I'd ask anyways.

Haven't seen that one, but it may be around the station somewhere. Do you know what part of PNG he was in? I'm pretty sure that I could survive anywhere around here. I'd just stop someone, and say "Hi, I'm a doctor from Kudjip Hospital--may I have some food, please?" or "may I please sleep in your cook house?", and I'd be OK.

That is a very nice view. I also always thought it was very admirable that you are out there helping those people.

See, that's what he wants you to think. He is really over there to discover some new superman drug. When he comes back to the States he is planning on winning Mr. O, WSM, and Nationals all in the same year.

Thanks, but I'm never sure how to answer that, because I don't really feel any more altruistic than most people. When I practiced in the US, I helped people, too. Coming here has helped me. I think that every person has a job to do, (a calling from God, to put it in the terms that I'm most comfortable with), and that mine is very different than yours or the next guy's. If we all do our part the world works.


Hoosegow is the only person here who had seen through my ruse, and now he's spilled it to the whole world! And the people who follow my training log know how close I am to winning all of those titles!

We all know you write "pounds" but mean "kilos." It's not the squats, though, it's getting your bodyweight up to 170 or so that's so impressive. That's pretty massive but you hide it so well in those pictures.

Doc, it turns out we share the same surname. Now what are the chances of that?

ACK!!!! Just as I expected! ProperKnob and Doc are the same person.

Sorry. I'm deleriously tired and that struck me as funny. I need a little of the Betelnut, lime and leaf right now.

Well, Jungledoc also has the same first name as Andy Bolton . . .