Pills and shots

[dVant]

I don't have time to give an analysis but I wanted to share the following info I collected on the web to develop some theories of Bree's pills and injections.

Regarding iron pills:

Iron deficiency is very common in the United States and around the world, and you're particularly at risk when you're pregnant. That's why your practitioner tests your blood for anemia at your first prenatal appointment. If your test indicates that you're anemic, you'll need to take even more iron, usually 60 to 120 mg a day...
(courtesy babycenter.com)

Regarding shots:

Intramuscular injection is the injection of a substance directly into a muscle [such as the deltoid]...

Examples of medications that are sometimes administered intramuscularly are:

* codeine
* methotrexate
* metoclopramide
* olanzapine
* Streptomycin
* many vaccines
* diazepam
* prednisone
* Interferon beta-1a
* sex hormones, such as testosterone, estradiol valerate, and Depo Provera
(courtesy Wikipedia.org)

[Kasdeja]

I'm anemic. I've been anemic my entire life. I have no kids. Sometimes people have a hereditary condition that makes them chronically anemic. Let's not jump to too many conclusions.

[AutoPilate]

Holy crap, Bree has an hereditary condition!

[dVant]

I'm anemic. I've been anemic my entire life. I have no kids. Sometimes people have a hereditary condition that makes them chronically anemic. Let's not jump to too many conclusions.

but Bree wasn't taking pills until we found out about the ceremony.

I think she's taking the pills to boost her red blood cell count because there will be a blood-lettings AND impregnation!

The shots I believe are vaccinations intended to boost her immune system. The question is... why so many shots? I think she may be spirited away to another part of the country or world, places where disease is a concern, immediately after the ceremony.

[cbowen4]

I've not seen anyone mention this, though I may have just missed it. What if the shots are some poison that she is being administered so as to develop an immunity. I'm particularly thinking snake venom. Snakes figure prominately in Egyptian mythology (Ra was bitten by a venomous snake). The Dendera reliefs have snakes on them.

Venomous snake handling is an obscure, but not uncommon religious practice. Some of them take regular shots, intramuscular no less, to build up an immunity to bites. Some venom injections can cause pain and scaring. Maybe the pills are to help with that problem or maybe they are part of a more elaborate mithridatism process? I did fine one note that snake venom can cause a decreased platelet count. Back to the iron pill idea again?

[AutoPilate]

Hmm.

Asclepius... Ophiucus... Imhotep... Haoma.

[Kasdeja]

I've not seen anyone mention this, though I may have just missed it. What if the shots are some poison that she is being administered so as to develop an immunity. I'm particularly thinking snake venom. Snakes figure prominately in Egyptian mythology (Ra was bitten by a venomous snake). The Dendera reliefs have snakes on them.

Venomous snake handling is an obscure, but not uncommon religious practice. Some of them take regular shots, intramuscular no less, to build up an immunity to bites. Some venom injections can cause pain and scaring. Maybe the pills are to help with that problem or maybe they are part of a more elaborate mithridatism process? I did fine one note that snake venom can cause a decreased platelet count. Back to the iron pill idea again?

This sounds more interesting than the impregnation of bree, to me. Very interesting, actually.

[thinkitthrough]

You know I think cbowen4 might be on to something there?
Snake Venom???? hmmm

What is it though that connects all this... There is the connection of Astronomy to Science and Religion, Free will Vs. Determinism, I just can't find any really pattern in all of this...

[cimaruta]

I've not seen anyone mention this, though I may have just missed it. What if the shots are some poison that she is being administered so as to develop an immunity. I'm particularly thinking snake venom. Snakes figure prominately in Egyptian mythology (Ra was bitten by a venomous snake). The Dendera reliefs have snakes on them.

Venomous snake handling is an obscure, but not uncommon religious practice. Some of them take regular shots, intramuscular no less, to build up an immunity to bites. Some venom injections can cause pain and scaring. Maybe the pills are to help with that problem or maybe they are part of a more elaborate mithridatism process? I did fine one note that snake venom can cause a decreased platelet count. Back to the iron pill idea again?

hmm their ARE a lot of initiations that symbolize the death (and facing the dark goddess, etc) of the initiate. I've never heard of it for a dedicant or 1st degree, but then again, this is fiction.

You guys may be getting pretty close. I like this idea a lot.

*was really planning to take that nap*

edit: oh my! What would explain her possibly being "too weak" to post videos for a while!

[thinkitthrough]

How do we know she is a 1st degree she has been a counsler for a couple of years at the camp???

[cimaruta]

How do we know she is a 1st degree she has been a counsler for a couple of years at the camp???

Well, I didn't get the impression that the camp and the Order were the same thing. Also got the impression that she was new to the order, but you know what? I don't think any of us know how long she's been in the Order.

Huh, now I have a new question!

[greenshimmer]

It's not surprising that the cult would control her diet. I'm sure many do it, here is the case of one:

http://www.rickross.com/reference/vip/vip4.html

The body is usually a sacred thing in many religions (hate to generalize) as in some medicine is forbidden, in others, certain foods (like meat), or specific types of medicine (like anti-depressants) are forbidden if not severely frowned upon.

So it's clear that the injections and dieting are part of the ceremony (as Gemma has said, another previous chosen girl had the same injections). And LG said herself that she was very weak at some point.

Perhaps the diet was more than just a "no-junk-food" deal. Perhaps she was fasting. The videos mention a Purity Bond, or something, right? It's possible she was fasting...like Muslims do for Rhamadan. Maybe she wasn't STARVING, but seriously fasting. Perhaps eating only simple foods and only eating them at very specific times (as she mentions, the religion is very in tuned with the position of planets, so perhaps she was only able to eat then the sun was down or something).

This would explain the shots as well. If she was in fact fasting (perhaps to ensure that her body was totally pure at the ceremony--like a detox program), then perhaps the shots were to keep her healthy. Perhaps the shots were vitamins, or anti-biotics to make sure that she was not only pure, but strong enough to go through with whatever is entailed at the ceremony.

A detox, purification program. It's hard not to eat normal foods, and to have a pure mind without temptation...this is where Lucy would have come into the picture...a guide to help Bree with this very important passage into adulthood in the cult. (Remember Katie Holmes Scientologist "Friend"?).

Pure virgin, pure body, pure mind... pure acceptance of her "religion"

[greenshimmer]

How do we know she is a 1st degree she has been a counsler for a couple of years at the camp???

Well, I didn't get the impression that the camp and the Order were the same thing. Also got the impression that she was new to the order, but you know what? I don't think any of us know how long she's been in the Order.

Huh, now I have a new question!

Actually, the camp is part of the religion. Daniel went the previous year and said that its purpose was to learn about the religion. The skit was also related to the religion--remember he talked about the Mayflower? He waid it was creepy too.

Many religions have camps like this. I was actually invited to one and wasn't told that it was a religious camp. I thought it was just going to be like summer camp but it ended up being a fundamentalist group...and I guess they were trying to recruit me and my mother....not a fun weekend...also very creepy.

[iqfrenzy]

I'm anemic. I've been anemic my entire life. I have no kids. Sometimes people have a hereditary condition that makes them chronically anemic. Let's not jump to too many conclusions.

I don't see that conclusions were jumped to. An article was simply quoted that used the phrase "particularly if pregnant". By the way, I'm anemic also.

[lousiethrill]

It's not surprising that the cult would control her diet. I'm sure many do it, here is the case of one:

http://www.rickross.com/reference/vip/vip4.html

The body is usually a sacred thing in many religions (hate to generalize) as in some medicine is forbidden, in others, certain foods (like meat), or specific types of medicine (like anti-depressants) are forbidden if not severely frowned upon.

So it's clear that the injections and dieting are part of the ceremony (as Gemma has said, another previous chosen girl had the same injections). And LG said herself that she was very weak at some point.

Perhaps the diet was more than just a "no-junk-food" deal. Perhaps she was fasting. The videos mention a Purity Bond, or something, right? It's possible she was fasting...like Muslims do for Rhamadan. Maybe she wasn't STARVING, but seriously fasting. Perhaps eating only simple foods and only eating them at very specific times (as she mentions, the religion is very in tuned with the position of planets, so perhaps she was only able to eat then the sun was down or something).

This would explain the shots as well. If she was in fact fasting (perhaps to ensure that her body was totally pure at the ceremony--like a detox program), then perhaps the shots were to keep her healthy. Perhaps the shots were vitamins, or anti-biotics to make sure that she was not only pure, but strong enough to go through with whatever is entailed at the ceremony.

A detox, purification program. It's hard not to eat normal foods, and to have a pure mind without temptation...this is where Lucy would have come into the picture...a guide to help Bree with this very important passage into adulthood in the cult. (Remember Katie Holmes Scientologist "Friend"?).

Pure virgin, pure body, pure mind... pure acceptance of her "religion"

I don't think the bolded part fits because A) her parents wouldn't have any reason to hide that information from her, nor would the deacons do the same to the parents and B) she's a smart girl, she reads EVERYTHING, don't you think she'd figure that out?

The fasting stuff kinda makes sense, but it still falls into that category "Why would this be hidden", ya know?