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Much of my page focuses on medicine, science and looking for a medical
cause to the sanguin condition. But is this a practical approach? Are
we wasting our time looking in that direction?
Many argue that there can be no medical cause for sanguins... it is either
all metaphysical or it is all psychological. I approached the psychological
aspect of things in the article Psychosomatic?
I Think Not!. Metaphysical is more difficult because of its very nature,
but I will address it in another article later. Here, let us look at the
practicality of a medical reason for sanguinarians.
THE LIMITATIONS OF MEDICINE
Many times, the first argument people use for having no medical cause
is that science and medicine have not diagnosed it yet. This is a huge
leap of logic that assumes science has found everything and there is
nothing new. We know this is not the case due to the number of new species
and even new diseases discovered. Ten years ago, we didn't have Restless
Leg Syndrome or Celiac disease. The second even still being controversial
in medical circles today. Medicine is constantly changing, evolving
and discovering. Generally something isn't found until the money is
there to research it and there are few that would risk their credibility
to look closely at something like us, unfortunately. We are dismissed
as a case for the psychiatrists.
This dismissal is probably our greatest hindrance coupled with our own
suspicion. Once a person does have the money and will to do research...
sanguins shy away. Due to what we have experienced and how we have to
live, we tend to shy away from anything that would put us even on the
edge of a spotlight. We investigate the investigators as much as they
investigate us, it seems. It does us a disservice, however, by keeping
true research at a snails pace. Researchers seem to only be trusted
if they come from within the community first.
DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR?
In order to make any sort of reliable conclusion, there has to be a
focus. To start research with the focus of "Is this medical?"
is asking for way too many variables. Medical how? Genetic? Nutritional?
Hormonal? Viral? An argument could be made for almost any branch of
medicine or the basic sciences:
Cytology: Are there changes at the cellular level?
Genetics: Is it familial? Is there a mutation?
Biochemistry: What are the chemical and hormonal changes in us versus
a regular person?
Embryology: Is there a change at the developmental level even prior
to birth? Is it a result of something at a critical moment?
Immunology: Why are we seemingly more resistant to disease?
Microbiology: Is it infectious?
Nutrition/Dietetics: What is in blood we rely on? What is lacking in
our regular diet? What are we not absorbing properly?
Pathology: What is the progression through life? How does it change?
What are the initial symptoms?
Pharmacology: Is there a drug cure or treatment? Are we more sensitive
to medications?
Physiology: What is different about the way our body functions? Why
is it so?
Neurology: Why does the lack of feeding induce the behavioral changes?
Dermatology: Why the sun problem? What is wrong with our skin?
Ophthalmology: Why are our eyes so sensitive?
Toxicology: Is it something in our environment that affects us differently
then others?
Endocrinology: A subset of biochemistry... what hormonal changes do
we experience?
Gastroenterology: Why does blood work? Is there something different
about or GI tract that prevents absorption of some other nutrient?
Hematology: Are there any changes in our blood? Why can one sanguin
not feed another?
Obviously, there are way too many unanswered questions. Too many routes
of exploration to just walk into a hospital and say "What is wrong
with me?"
DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT?
The second problem that arises is what IS a sanguin? What allows us
to say person A is a sanguin, person B is not with any surety. The big
problem is we cannot do that right now. We do not even have a place
that defines us past the rather inclusive and vague "A person who
needs blood". Anemics need blood, porphyrians need blood components,
people with clotting disorders need blood... but they are not sanguins.
How do we narrow down this definition?
The second half of this dilemma is the psychological one. Many sanguins
want to be nice and inclusive "If you say you are, then you are..."
Even if you just drink blood on Tuesdays in February because you only
need it then but only a drop or two. We need a definition, and we need
to realize it won't fit everyone. Too bad, so sad, sorry. We aren't
a club or a secret society we need to stop feeling guilty that we are
turning people away. It is like a diabetic support group feeling guilty
for turning away a non-diabetic. We aren't what they need! If we aren't
what they need, then letting them stay in that delusion is NOT support.
IN CONCLUSION
We do not know enough to summarily dismiss medical causes. We cannot
walk away from the possibility just yet. As time goes no, perhaps more
thorough research will turn away from it, but for now we need to keep
all possibilities open.
This article is presented as part of an ongoing
effort to present other views outside of, as well as within, the online
vampire community. As such, the views and attitudes contained in this
article are entirely those of the author(s), and may not necessarily
be shared by SphynxCatVP. The webmaster is not under obligation to update
or otherwise keep current the contents of this article. Most
importantly, only you can decide for yourself whether this article or
any of the author(s) other views are useful or applicable to you - use
your own reasoning and judgment.
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