Abracadabra

I think everyone has seen a magic act at some time in their life.  There used to be several variety shows on television when I was young and each one had a magic act on them every week.  Some magician was always sawing some lady in half or making her float in the air.  It was fun to watch.

No matter who the magician happened to be, he always said “abracadabra” when he was getting ready to perform his magic.  It was a standard catch word for all magicians.  I have not seen a magic act in a long time and don’t know if it is still used as much or not.

The word abracadabra is believed to have originated from the Aramaic language.  The original words were ibra, which means “I have created” and k’dibra which means “through my speech”.  The word abracadabra therefore means “created as I say”.  Wouldn’t it be nice if doctors could “abracadabra” some cures for a few problems?!

Most of us, I hope, believe that only God has the power to perform miracles.  He has given the knowledge of some things to man to try and better man’s circumstances.

Unfortunately, man has become more interested in bettering his own personal circumstances rather than the betterment of mankind.  Many doctors have become wealthy from the disabilities of their patients.

I have no problem with personal wealth.  If one has honestly worked hard and made a good living, I feel they are entitled to it.  It is the person who takes advantage of other’s misfortunes to obtain wealth that is upsetting to me.

Talking to many on our MS sites has reaffirmed some of the thoughts that I have been thinking.  Many of us have been shuffled from doctor to doctor, test to test, medicine to medicine, without any regard to improving our situation.  Many of us still do not have a regular treatment plan or firm diagnosis from all that testing.   The only thing we can count on is that at each visit, we will be asked to try the same test again or a different medication.  It gets really frustrating.

On a more positive note, some have found wonderful doctors who take the time to listen to them and try their best to find medications to ease their pain and slow the progress of their disease.  These doctors may not always understand what their patient is trying to tell them, but they always listen and try to understand as best they can.  It is these doctors who have made giant steps in finding ways to treat MS.  They have also recognized that textbook symptoms often do not include a large portion of what real patients are going through.

So, even if we can’t have an abracadabra cure to our problems, we can listen to each other, share with each other and rejoice in each other’s accomplishments.  This, in itself, is magic!