(2) ----------Massey the Assey

While I am waiting with ''bated breath' so to say, I might as well the describe how I came to understand that it was not a good idea to talk to a Kaiser Permanente physician unless I had a recording of the conversation.

About two years ago I was in bad shape: both knees were extremely painful because of osteoarthritis. I was also developing numb spots on the bottom of my feet. Lastly, my feet would often become 'hot.' The Kaiser Permanente response to my knee pain was inadequate. They recommended an anti-inflamatory drug, Nabumetone (I think). The drug had no effect that I could discern. I began using Aleve, which did work. I did some research on the web. As a result of recommendations I found on the web I also bought some new sneakers with heavy cushioning which tended to absorb the shock of walking. The combination of Aleve and the new shoes appeared to solve the knee pain problem and my knee pain slowly disappeared over a period of six or eight months. (As I type each fact there is a tap above me. The voyeur(s) want to be mentioned in this account, apparently.)

The numb spots and hot feet continued. I would later discover, by researching the web, that mono-sodium glutamate caused 'hot feet' in some people. I was doing huge amounts of msg at the time as part of a diet and exercise program to lose weight. The msg was used in the 'japanese soup' I made, which was a low calorie miso soup. I eliminated msg from my diet and the hot feet disappeared. The numb spots stayed with me, however.

I knew at the time that I was being gassed, of course, and I began to wonder - before I discovered that my problem was msg poisoning - whether there was a connection between the gas and my foot and knee problems. So on impulse one day I made an appointment with a Kaiser physician by the name of Doug Massey.