Unsealed: Posted to General Missive Network

[sound_council]

Perhaps this is a bit forward of me, but my experiences over the last few months have indicated that there is a near-criminal lack of basic medical knowledge among the ninja and civilian population.

As such I, Dr. Yakushi of the Sound, will happily answer any medical questions you might have, no matter your village affiliation, from the hours of 3pm to 6pm, Mondays through Fridays. Yes, even the questions your parents or teachers are unwilling to answer. Yes, even things that might make you uncomfortable or embarrassed. There is an anonymous messaging option for that very reason. Yes, I can speak to most complications arising from Bloodline Talents (though depending on how unusual your abilities, it might be best to speak to your personal doctor or teacher, should your talents be considered a village secret.) It would be my pleasure, and duty, to answer your questions and decrease the number of preventable injuries within our communities.

So.

Ask away.

Some common questions to start us off - 

Is scar tissue stronger than regular skin?
It is. However, each cell of your body can only replicate so many times. I would encourage you not to intentionally scar yourself for any reason. 

How useful is medical jutsu outside the ninja world?
Very. Most humans possess at least a base-line amount of chakra which can be induced to speed healing. Furthermore, basic medical knowledge includes traditional as well as ninjutsu based healing. I would encourage everyone to learn at least a bit of the former. It can save lives. If you are interested, I can post information on the basics of CPR, Chakra Healing and first Aid as taught by the Sound. 

Do ninja's have to eat more than regular people?
Using ninjutsu uses energy similar to that of regular exercise. The more you exercise, the more you need to eat. Similarly, the more you practice ninjutsu, the more calories you will need to consume. This is equally applicable to both male and female ninja. Starving yourself for any reason is idiotic and can lead to health complications which can negatively effect ones abilities. I recommend eating a balanced but varied diet, to ensure that you are receiving the appropriate amounts of micro-nutrients as well as calories.

Are condoms uncomfortable?
No. If your significant other uses this as an excuse to not wear them, they are lying and should be dealt with accordingly. Alternatively, if your find your preferred method of protection uncomfortable, it is likely that you are using the incorrect size. Please be safe when engaging in intercourse. The Sound already has too many orphans.

And because this is distressingly common - 
I cut off my finger/hand/arm/head. Is it possible to reattach it?
Please do not do this. While an experienced medical professional can reattach and ocassionally regrow limbs, every surgery has its dangers. At the moment, I have a jar on my desk full of glass eyes and an entire sewing kit of sutures specifically for re-attaching fingertips. If you are a teacher or parent of a young ninja, for the love of all things holywatch your children while they are training. Just because doctors can reattach limbs, doesn't mean we should be asked to do so on a daily basis!

Comments

[sensethis]

This might seem like a weird question, but how would you handle feeling like you're drowning around certain people?

[sound_council]

Hmm. That would depend on the kind of "feeling". But if you are coughing up water or blood after meeting with these people, or find yourself lethargic after speaking to them for any length of time, I would consider if there may be a justu of some kind involved, whether a blood-line talent that may suck the life or air from someone, or something that could deposit liquid into your lungs or bloodstream. Alternatively, they could be restricting blood flow to your brain, which could cause both light-headedness or feeling unable to breath. I would suggest monitoring your vital signs immediately before speaking with this person or people, and then again afterward.

Alternatively, you may have some latent sensing talents, and be picking up on a mental jutsu of some kind, whether directed at you or person you are dealing with. Feeling an oppressive weight on your chest, a general feeling of malaise or unexpected sharp panic can all be signs of a genjutsu at work.

Unfortunately, I cannot help with the final possibility, that of an entirely emotional response to the person or people. Though a doctor, I specialize in physical rather than mental health, and interpersonal relationships are far from my area of expertise. All I can say is that some people are charismatic and can make one feel overwhelmed, and others seem to drain one's breath or joy away by their mere presence.

In any situation, you may wish to confer with others to ascertain whether the effect is only on you. Your doctor or therapist should be able to monitor any changes in your physical or mental behavior, and close friends can be quite observant of even small changes that a genjutsu or emotive response could produce.

But to give more specific advice, I would need more information.

[sensethis]

The feeling is typically just me, and you wouldn't be the first to suggest I'm a sensor of some kind. I'm not entirely sure how accurate that assessment is though.

And most people that it happens around I'm only just meeting for the first time, so I don't think an emotional response is accurate either. And it isn't all new people before you ask. I wish I had more specific information to give you, I've listened to enough consults at the hospital to know the importance of that.

[sound_council]

Most villages have standard tests that can help determine if one has a rare ability such as sensing. Of course they aren't always perfect, but it still might be useful to try one out. Alternatively, you could look into your family's history, and see if anyone else has mentioned feeling something similar.

Part of the purpose of a doctor is to help you by asking questions you might not have considered before. We try to help take vague feelings - such as shortness of breath, or feelings of dislocation - and turn them into concrete hypothesis. The information you've offered is quite interesting already!

So, lets divide that non-specific information down. What kinds of people generally trigger the drowning feeling? Do they have anything in common? Men, women, young, old, those from outside or inside your village? Are they from a specific clan or heritage? It might not be something obvious - perhaps a certain scent or sound is triggering the feeling. Could they be wearing bells or have all eaten at a certain restaurant? I'm sure if you thought, you could come up with similar questions that could help us suss out the cause of the feeling. Using your answers, you then can proceed to coming up with a profile for those who trigger the drowning feeling.

You could even conduct a semi-experiment. If there is someone you are familiar with that causes this feeling, ask them to participate with someone you know never triggers it. Ideally, if you have a team, work with them to set the experiment up. Not knowing the specifics of your village, I cannot presume your structure, but if you have a team, and if you know one of these 'catalysts' well enough to ask their help, you could use the visit of a diplomatic group or trade caravan to test your hypothesis. Find an outsider who triggers the response, then find out what they have in common with your own catalyst and what they do not have in common with your 'normal'. Then repeat as necessary, refining your definition of catalyst or expanding it to include different categories of catalyst.

I would be very interested in the results you have. Even if you are not a sensor-type, you appear to be picking something up, and now I am equally curious as to what it is.

[ooc: Good job, Karin, you gave Kabu a science puzzle, and now he's going to bother you until you figure it out.]

[sensethis]

I'm not entirely sure I want to take my villages test on the chance the result won't be accurate. And family history might be sort of difficult, for a number of reasons.

I know, I know. And I wouldn't have asked if it hadn't become an issue last month. I'm not particularly fond of feeling non-existent water close over my head and my throat nearly close in response. Dry drowning doesn't sound like it would be any kind of fun because my senses went haywire.

The feeling isn't gender or location specific. Happens with all ages too. Not clan specific either that I can tell, but definitely the strongest occurrence was with a Hoshigaki. Not sure that makes much of a difference, in the long run. And I highly doubt any of them were wearing bells, they're shinobi.

The experiment suggestion isn't a bad one. I might look into it. The trick is finding the participants needed that are closer to home. Though if I do it the search can only benefit me, so it should be considered an avenue worth looking into.

And if I do decide to conduct such an investigation I'll need help interpreting the results. I haven't done much in the way of research in this vein before.

[sound_council]

Generally the more information one has, the better. But if there is a reason you would wish to hide a potential ability from your village, I can understand your hesitance in taking the test.

I see. May I ask how often this happens? If there is some kind of regular schedual, it might be possible to link the feeling to a season or monthly cycle. And if the occurance is becoming more frequent, it would be important to discover the cause as quickly as possible.

The more you speak of this, the more it sounds like an external jutsu, perhaps designed to either keep you away from someone or a group of people, or to overtime corrupt your skills. Especially if it is uncommon to experience it within your village's walls and protections.

Not knowing your position, I cannot guess as to why it is targeted at you, however.

I would be happy to help with interpretation. This is far more interesting than putting on bandaids and healing bruises.

[sensethis]

I don't have a reason to hide anything from my own village. I just would rather not have the possibility of an inaccurate result hanging over my head.

Not with any obvious frequency. There's usually some amount of weeks or months between occurrences. And I'm pretty sure it isn't an allergy to pollen or dust or something else that happens with the seasons. It wasn't more frequent, just more potent. I apologize for the lack of clarity.

But the only time I'm around the same people with any regularity is when I'm in my village and I'm generally alright at those times. It's easier to tune out.

I'll see if I can locate some help and get back to you then.

[sound_council]

Fair enough. May I ask why others have suggested you have the talent? It must be something more than this drowning feeling, correct?

You know your own body best. If you feel certain that the cause is external nor a simple cause, I trust your intuition.

Can you explain what you mean when you say "tune out"?

And I would be curious if you get any further results - especially any notes you take about the experience. They would certainly help.

[sensethis]

It was just the one. I got a little...woozy is the only accurate description. I was already suffering from the beginnings of a monster of a headache though. It just got a little overwhelming between the drowning feeling and that.

Easier to ignore. Forget about it. Familiar is easier, less overwhelming. I know where to focus if I start feeling a headache coming on.

I'll see what I can put together for you.

[sound_council]

Interesting. That doesn't sound like any awakening story I've heard, though the headache fits. I wonder if this person sensed in you something that neither of us could guess at.

Can you describe to me what, exactly, you focus on?

Thank you. I hope I've been of help.

[sensethis]

Fits being a sensor? We'll never know for sure, I'm not exactly sure our paths will cross again in the future. He isn't exactly the only capable shinobi from his village. Even if he is the only one with such a dense feeling to him, almost like the water in my head were nearly solid.

A sensation that's soothing. It usually feels like a warm breeze, sometimes it coupled with a feeling of stability or feeling like I'm sinking into a pile of blankets fresh from the dryer.

[sound_council]

Given your reaction, it may be a good idea to avoid this person in the future, even if he does return to your village. Especially if we cannot rule out the fact that he is the cause of your problem..

When you say 'dense' - could you compare that to how others feel?

And this sensation - does it come from within, or do you ind it in your surroundings?

[sensethis]

That part won't be particularly hard. I know what he feels like and I can avoid him if he ever does visit.

Most people aren't so solid. Sometimes they feel spongy or like they'll just blow away, but he was dense and solid and immovable.

I'm not sure. I just get an impression of what they feel like and that's how I tend to describe them, and sometimes it changes over time.

[sound_council]

That seems like it would be in your best interests. There is no need to expose yourself to unnessary discomfort.

Facinating. Do people become more or less "solid" over time? Do people change with age or experience, perhaps? Or could it be that it changes depending on how well you know them?

[sensethis]

Then I should be good in that case.

I...don't know. I've never found anyone that felt quite so solid like that before. I don't know that either. My aunt is pretty stable, hasn't shifted or changed for as long as I've known her. If nothing else you've given me something else to keep track of when around people repeatedly.