"If you are in desperate need of a drink of water, and the glass in front of you is 99% clean, but contains just 1% poison, would you drink it??"
*sigh* Yet another one of those silly JW "illustrations" that has no grounding in reality.
The Story of Coumadin
By: Jeff Guillory, RN, MSN, CFNP
Coumadin is one of those drugs which are frequently considered poisons more than
medicines. It is common to hear the word Coumadin in the same sentence with “rat
poison.” This is because, it’s true. Coumadin is the brand name for the drug “warfarin.”
This is the story of warfarin and how it came from killing cows to becoming the most
widely used rat killer in the world, to being one of our greatest drugs used in certain
patients for the prevention of strokes.
If there are JWs who are prescribed Warfarin (and there is likely lots - it is a fairly common drug now), they already consume "a drop of poison" every day.
*a little piece of trivia...Dwight Eisenhower, the American president with Bible Student/JW background, was instrumental in bringing this drug to market (from the above link):
Coumadin (warfarin) was not used frequently until 1955 when President Dwight D.
Eisenhower had a heart attack while on vacation at his in-laws' house in Denver.
Coumadin was used to prevent clots from forming in President Eisenhower’s damaged
and weakened heart. Eisenhower's long term treatment included Coumadin 35 mg per
week. Since then, it has been one of the most widely prescribed drugs in the United
States.
And then there is arsenic:
Arsenic is a trace element. It is found in several foods including seafood, poultry, grains (especially rice), bread, cereal products, mushrooms, and dairy products. Some forms of arsenic are used as medicine.
Despite serious safety concerns, arsenic is often used as a part of extremely diluted homeopathic remedies that are used for digestive disorders, food poisoning, sleep problems (insomnia), allergies, anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Arsenic is also contained in traditional Chinese medicine formulas and used for psoriasis; syphilis; asthma; joint pain (rheumatism); hemorrhoids; cough; itchiness; cancer; to reduce swelling (as an anti-inflammatory agent); and as a general tonic and pain-killer.
Healthcare providers sometimes give arsenic trioxide intravenously (by IV) to treat a type of bloodcancer called acute promyelocytic leukemia. This arsenic product is available by prescription only.
Natural medicines can be contaminated with arsenic and may produce symptoms of poisoning when consumed in large amounts or for extended periods of time. Cases of arsenic poisoning have been reported with homeopathic arsenic products and with kelp supplements. High arsenic levels have been reported in people who consume raw opium for long periods of time. Measurable levels of arsenic may be found in some calciumsupplements made from algae or shells. A study of 251 herbal products sold in the US detected arsenic in 36 (14%) of them.
I think it was an arsenic preparation that was used to try to treat Bethany Hughes, the young JW girl from Canada who made the news several years ago. That treatment was arranged by the illustrious HLC crew. And she died.
So, to answer that stupid question from a JW if you would drink a drop of poison, I guess the answer would be "Oh yeah. It will be okay if the HLC arranges it."
