HomeInfo PagesRogues GalleryThe Funny Pages

The Gail Michaels Theory/FAQ Page

Why is this here? A good question, one that goes far back into the early days of the newsgroup when someone posted her theory on the origins and causes of Crohn's disease. Though well intending, her insistence in this theory and its unpopularity created not a few problems on the newsgroup, and a newsgroup intended for caring, spreading information and mutual support became something of a battleground for flames. To combat the problem, our founder created a FAQ that was to be posted to the newsgroup on a regular basis informing people of the theory and asking that they not respond with flames to the group. This was especially important since someone was sending the theory to newbies and sometimes scaring them off -- as well as creating additional flames. Now in all fairness to the Gail Michaels that I have come to know, she can be a very caring, supportive person and has certainly been supportive to me despite the fact that we disagree heartily on other issues. When this problem came up again recently, we all felt that the issue should be dealt with as an addendum to this page, but Gail felt that the FAQ as written by Sue was not a fair representation of her theory. Regardless of whether we agree with the theory, we all agreed that Gail deserved equal representation. Therefore, we developed this page to try and provide equal time for all sides involved. Please read this page. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the individual by email. However, I would also like to ask that you not contact Gail for the point of flaming her or insulting her. She really does mean well, and she is a good person. And please, keep discussion of this material off of the newsgroup.

 

Gail Michael "FAQ" Version: 2.0 March 29, 1999 Frequency of posting: as often as necessary Direct replies by email only to: smb@panix.com Who is Gail Michael and what is her theory on the cause of Crohn's Disease? Gail Michael is an elderly woman who lives in Chicago. Gail believes that a person contracts Crohn's Disease when close friends and relatives on what she terms "uppers" (she includes antidepressants,  asthma medications and marijuana) think a lot about the affected person. According to Gail, physical and/or verbal contact are unnecessary; if a close friend or relative thinks intensely about someone while that close friend or relative is on these drugs, then that is what is causing you to suffer from Crohn's, even if you totally break off your relationship with that person. Your own drug use has nothing to do with this theory; rather, some sort of telepathy between the drug-taker and the person with Crohn's appears to be at work. Prior posts of Gail's have indicated (in no particular order) that   1. She believes people on what she terms "uppers" can also give pets Crohn's Disease if they think a lot about the pets. 2. At least one physician has counseled her to see a psychiatrist but she  refuses. 3. She has broken off several friendships believing that this people were causing her Crohn's by thinking intently about her while on drugs. 4. She once had stomach pains that she believed were caused by a nephew  who was taking an antidepressant after his wife died, and that she believes ceased because her nephew committed suicide, and therefore was no longer taking antidepressants. 5. She once accused a man of causing his sister-in-law to have a stroke and die because he refused to stop using marijuana. The man told her that he hadn't touched marijuana in 25 years. Why is there a FAQ about Gail Michael?   Gail often replies to newbie posts by detailing her theory in a way that  some find difficult to understand and that many, for various reasons,  find provocative in the full sense of that word. Replies to her posts often  constitute flaming, which is disturbing to those who look for emotional  support in this newsgroup. More importantly, she has taken to targeting newbies, especially newbies with suffering children, by email. This is a group in particular need of strong positive emotional support and information; what they don't need is for their first email after posting to be disturbing enough to stop them from visiting the newsgroup.    What is the solution? The best solution in this imperfect world is to REFRAIN FROM POSTING in  reply to Gail. This FAQ will be posted every time Gail Michael posts so that the person  she is replying to knows exactly what her theory is. To people who find her theory interesting or provocative in either a  positive or negative way, PLEASE, don't post. Please email Gail directly  with your comments or questions at . If you feel the need to complain about her posts, the address to complain to is abuse@aol.com. Be polite and include examples of her posts and the reason why they're a problem. To people who find this FAQ interesting or provocative in either a  positive or negative way, PLEASE, don't post. Please email me directly  at smb@panix.com. Also email me if you want backup as to anything I have posted in this FAQ, and I will be happy to email you past posts of Gail's   I have saved that back up all of these statements.

....

Gail Michael's Theory This is a layman's theory on the cause of Crohn's, and quite possibly UC, as they are similar, as written by Gail Michael. (Beacon1415@aol.com) Crohn's is caused by someone the crohnie knows well and is in a relationship with (friend or family) who happens to be on a stimulant drug, such as amphetamine, diet drug, anti-depressant, marijuana, cocaine, depakaote, buspar, seratonin drug or 1 of many I could not know of that have an anti-depressant in it as an ingredient. When that person is on the drug, he/she can unknowingly cause a vulnerable person to develop the symptoms of Crohn's. The strange and unbelievable part that defies logic is that the two (or more) persons do not have to be in the same room for the crohnie to have the symptoms. They can be miles and miles apart. All it takes is the mind connection and the drug. Asking the person to cease the drug and substitute it with a tranquilizer such as Valium or Ativan rarely will be successful, as the person cannot believe that what they use or ingest can harm another person. In that case, I cease ALL contact with the person, hoping that time will diminish and negate our thoughts of each other, because as long as the drug and thoughts continue, so do the symptoms. Much like a divorce, it takes time to release the thoughts. As for children, younger than 16 or so, they rarely have friends that are on a drug (or med, if that sounds better) so usually it is a caretaker or parent that may be on an anti-depressant or one of the other meds, not thinking it important to tell the child they are on the med. May I add, this is not to say discontinue treatment with the physician, until the child or person is completely feeling normal. The latest med I discovered that has an antidepressant in it is Flexeril, an anti-spasmodic, by looking in the PDR (Physicians Desk Reference) and who would ever guess. To cite something I was told by a pediatrician at the County Hospital in Chicago, is that they have babies of drug addicted mothers that throw up constantly. The doctor said they throw up because they are trying to bond with the mother and cannot because she is on a hard drug. So they remove the baby from the mothers care and have a surrogate mother take over. The vomiting illness is called rumination. Their action is correct, but their reasoning does not coincide with mine. I tried to explain, the baby IS bonded with the mother but is reacting by throwing up BECAUSE of the stimulant drug the mother is on.  Whether the idea was accepted or not, I cannot say. I realize it is a difficult concept to understand. However, if one can identify with this theory, or even if not, ask around and not be bashful, the results will be the cessation of Crohn's and UC, if not immediately, then in the time that is needed to break the bond. Some misconception about this theory. The thoughts have to be bad thoughts. No, usually they are good thoughts or any thoughts, because one tends to forget the person if they do not like them. The med or drug user is being accused of being a drug junkie. No, some are illegal drugs, but most are the commonly used drugs prescribed by physicians. The person that has Crohn's only a short time has an advantage, because no drugs or surgeries complicate the matter. In a long standing illness, there may be fallouts from the past treatments, but no matter, the Crohn's will cease and no further new symptoms will occur. This is not moral issue, it is a health issue to try get someone well. I wish you well. Sincerely Gail Michael

This Page © 2000, Another Vulgar Page,
with much thanks to Sue, Gail and Billy Goat Gruff who designed and edited the table above.
Hey, he did all the work -- I did a lot of cutting and pasting! Thanks, Mike!