keep your health

Aug 03, 2007 11:44

Reflecting on yesterday's medical debate with the boss at work:
To say I put too much faith in either tradtional medicine or nutraceuticals is kind of funny. I don't have faith in either. I take the treatment, and if it works, I stick with it. That's it.I don't think I go in blindly trusting at all. Yes, I would rather avoid too many prescription drugs. I'd personally rather not depend on a massive cocktail of chemicals. That's just me. But you know what, I'm totally fine with taking one or two or three that would really help me out. Hey, if the health of my brain depends more on a prescription drug than anything else, I say gimme gimme. And I'll take some supplements along with it. It's about finding a balance.
Really, it's... I don't know what to say. My boss is a man in his fifties, who is so distrustful of doctors that he doesn't want to take chemical drugs for his cholesterol, for his damaged liver and kidneys, for his recurring annual pneumonia, for his serious lung problems. He prefers stuff you find at Whole Foods.
Look, I like natural, alternative, holistic, homeopathic therapies as much as anyone. But they're supplemental. You cannot rely on them to keep you alive and well. If you're in decent general health and there's nothing serious, sure, go ahead, knock yourself out. My mother, who has mild arthritis, hypoglycemia, and asthma, takes a ton of supplements along with OTC pain relievers and a prescription inhaler. True, she does prefer supplements to prescriptions, but thankfully her conditions are not so bad that she really needs a pharmaceutical. But at least she likes doctors, listens to doctors, and understands the need for these drugs. My boss? Not so much.
To bring this all together: I'll say that if you want to live your life a certain way, believe certain things, do things a certain way, that is entirely your choice. Be happy. But don't dare tell me that I shouldn't do one thing or another, especially if those things could help keep me sane, living well, and happy. We are all individual, our bodies work differently. What works for one will not work for another.
By the way, tonight I take my first dose of cyclobenzaprine. I'm looking forward to it.

science, alternative medicine, medicine, health

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