Michael Rosenthal

(6/2019) In 1958 a bulldozer operator for a logging company in Northern California made a discovery. He was clearing away brush and stumps about 300 miles north of San Francisco, when he found very large manlike footprints in the mud. He found that other colleagues had seen a similar thing. These sightings were published in the Humboldt Times as "Giant footprints puzzle residents along Trinity River." The article coined the name "Bigfoot." The story spread, and a great deal of reaction occurred.

In 2002 it was revealed that the event was a hoax, caused by stomping in the mud with carved wooden feet. But the belief lived on! Believers in Bigfoot are everywhere, and conferences are held where believers share their experiences and knowledge of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch. The University of New Mexico at Gallup spent $7,000 in university funds in 2016 for a two-day Bigfoot conference, "Bigfoot in New Mexico: Evidence, Ecology, and Behavior." The conference included no Bigfoot skeptics, only believers. The conference was followed by a university-financed Bigfoot Expedition. The expedition, alas, had no luck in finding evidence of Bigfoot. The event was not well-received by New Mexico government, and the university president promised that a Sasquatch summit "was not appropriate and will not occur in that manner again." Other conferences elsewhere continue to be held.

Since then, sighting of similar half-man and half-ape creatures have been reported regularly all over the world, and believers feel that Bigfoot is the missing link between man and his evolutionary predecessors. People who have seen it describe it as large, muscular, bipedal and ape-like, roughly 6-9 feet tall and covered with hair described as black, dark brown, or dark reddish. Footprints were described as having five toes and claws, and being as large as 24 inches long and 8 inches wide.

Many cases of Bigfoot sighting have been made, but none has been proven definitively real, and some have been proven hoaxes. In 1957 a prospector claimed to have been abducted in 1924 by a Sasquatch, and forced to live with its family for six days. In 1967 a film was made showing an ape-like creature walking around the area of the original reported sighting. This was later revealed to be a man in a gorilla suit and revealed the individual who wore it.

There is an organization called the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), who lists some 5,000 sightings from every state except Hawaii, about one-third from the Pacific Northwest.

So what do scientists have to say about it? There are some reputable scientists who believe that such a creature exists. Famous and highly respected primatologist Jane Goodall told National Public Radio, "Well now, you will be amazed when I tell you that I’m sure that they exist." Though there are other scientists who agree with Goodall, there are others who do not. Many scientists point out that there is no supportive data of any scientific value. Great apes have not been found in the fossil record in the Americas. No Bigfoot remains have ever been found! Why do so many people want Bigfoot to be real? Folklore professor Lynne McNeill says that Bigfoot satisfies a deep human hunger for the mysterious and the magical, and serves as proof that humans have not totally dominated nature. She says, "It’s a better world if Bigfoot can be real."

So, if there is no Bigfoot, what do the responsible scientists think is happening? There have been no bones, no hair, no bodies, no skin and no DNA recovered after all this time. Some scientists think it is all about black bears, which are tall and human-like, when standing upright on two legs. Other scientists point out that a species as common as that reported would breed and be conclusively observed. I will close with the second sentence in Jane Goodall’s statement on Bigfoot. "I guess I’m romantic. I don’t want to disbelieve."

We’ve talked before about dietary supplements, and we’ve concluded that some are useful (my physician, a board-certified internist, has me taking Vitamin D3 daily), and that many dietary supplements are useless.

A current popular supplement, kratom, a green powdered herbal supplement that is widely available and up until now unregulated, has been shown to be a serious risk. Kratom is derived from the leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia, and it is sold in the United States online and in bodegas and head shops. It is sold as a mood booster, energy supplement, and pain reliever. It is being increasingly used by persons with opioid addiction. It is believed to be now used by several million Americans.

Though some folks report that kratom made a great positive difference in resolving their problems, others have reported side effects that include seizures, hallucinations, and symptoms of psychosis. A recent government review has linked kratom to nearly 100 overdose deaths as well.

The Food and Drug Administration has warned people to avoid using the drug, saying it "appears to expose users to the risks of addiction, abuse, and dependence." The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on its dangers, reporting that kratom had been found to be a cause of death by medical examiners or coroners in 91 overdose deaths over an 18-month period. In most of these deaths other drugs were also found. Thus kratom is being considered to be put on the Schedule I list of controlled substances by the FDA, a list that includes heroin and LSD. There are still professionals who support the use of kratom to discourage opioid use. Kratom has thus far been banned in a half-dozen states, and in several local jurisdictions. A final decision on the status of kratom has yet to be made.

The Measles outbreak continues. As of April 30, the number of measles cases has passed 700 in 22 states. More than 500 of the recorded cases are people who were not vaccinated; sixty-six people are reported to have been hospitalized. The great majority of these cases are in New York City and its suburbs. Detroit now has cases, and Los Angeles is undergoing a fast growing outbreak.

More than 94 percent of American parents vaccinate their children against measles and other diseases, but some 100,000 children in the United States under the age of 2 have not been vaccinated, and are thus vulnerable. Before the measles vaccine became widespread in 1963, up to 4 million Americans got measles (I was one of them!). Of the roughly 500,000 cases reported at that time, about 48,000 were hospitalized, and 400 to 500 died. My memories of my youth in the 1940s in Ohio is that many of my friends got measles, but that all recovered. I don’t recall knowing that it could be deadly! Once again, if you had measles as a child, you are immune to it now. If you and yours have not had measles, and have not been vaccinated, Get vaccinated! If you have doubts about your susceptibility to measles, consult your physician.

Read other articles by Michael Rosenthal