More often than not, in today’s society we have become a generation of individuals who want quick fixes and instant gratification. How often have you sent a text message, only to stare at the screen expecting the person to answer back right away? And if you’re accessing a website and your wifi takes a little longer than you think it should? Watch out!
This “instant fix” mindset is also true in the medical community. We have something wrong with us, it’s so easy to just have something prescribed, and done. However, even for people like me who try to stay away from medications as much as I can, it’s easy to get sucked into the medication loop. I recently discovered that contrary to popular belief (OK…. Contrary to MY belief) I’m not superwoman and I can’t lug boxes up and down the stairs for an extended period of time with no help.
I ended up at the doctor’s office to discover that I had a soft tissue sprain along the side of my neck. And my recommended treatment? Anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxers, physiotherapy and massage. This would be the fourth time in my medical history I’ve been referred to physio (and the fourth time in my medical history I’ve skipped physio), I’ve never had a massage (I don’t know… the thought of a stranger kneading my skin just creeps me out), but the anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxers made sense to me, because less swelling meant less pain and more mobility… which would get me on the road to recovery.
As I’m about to leave, the doctor says “Oh, those anti-inflammatories are very strong, so make sure to always take them with food and lots of water. You don’t want one to dissolve in your throat or it can cause an esophageal burn (?????) and they can also cause ulcers. If when you’re hungry you begin to notice a burning sensation in your stomach just come back in and I’ll prescribe something for acid reflux.” And just that simple, I could have jumped on the medicinal bandwagon.
I could have been prescribed something for acid reflux, which may cause x symptom, but don’t worry there’s an x pill that will fix that side effect, however it may cause another side effect which can be fixed with this…. And on and on and on. What should have been a set time of treatment could very easily have spiralled out into much, much more. Search out healthy alternatives and natural remedies whenever possible and maybe you’ll discover you’re not always running around in a medical circle!
Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Source Url: http://gobelmont.ca/break-the-cycle/