Jul 21 2008
Drug-Free
I was having a long late-night conversation with a friend of mine.
Catching up in the news and what happened at the birthday party of a mutual friend. I couldn’t make it - I had plans.
He told me who showed up, the gifts, the food.
He said, “But what was weird was when everyone started talking about their health.”
I said, “Their health?”
He said, “Yeah, it’s not like we’re that old but they started talking about their health and the drugs they have to take!”
I said, “Drugs?”
He said, “It was strange - like we were all old folks or something.”
This particular group of friends is from my college days and we’re all about the same age - late 30s to early 40s.
I said, “Seems like people start talking about what body parts are failing around our age. But it seems a bit young to start taking drugs.”
He goes on to mention the prescription drugs and health problems various friends have.
I thought about the drugs in my bathroom. They are all over-the-counter and I rarely take any of them.
I do take plenty of supplements from Calcium to CoEnzyme Q10.
I enjoy antioxidants in the form of dark chocolate, coffee and red wine.
I started to think about how often I’ve seen the giant bottles of various painkillers on office shelves at work, in kitchens and on bathroom shelves.
I thought about how many times I’ve heard someone tell me that they had to take some type of anti-inflammatory.
I realized how fortunate I am. I don’t suffer from any chemical imbalances that affect my emotional state, I don’t have any allergies that require I take medication and no health conditions.
Sometimes I ache from all my running but I try to listen to my body and rest.
Seems like we take a lot of drugs in this country. Sometimes I wonder if people think that if a drug is over-the-counter, it “doesn’t count” as a drug or that it’s safe.
My shoes may be on drugs, but luckily, I seldom am.
I’m still working on the rest of my story about A Very Special Gift. Much has been going on in my life. It’s been inneresting.
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I take cabergoline to keep my prolactin in check (and I’m taking so very little that the next reduction will be to none), but aside from that I don’t take anything.
Two weeks ago I tweaked my back nicely and took Advil three or four times over two weeks — mostly because I couldn’t remember to take it more often. I had stronger stuff, I just don’t like taking things unless I really really need it. Not because I’m particularly tough — I just don’t care to do it.
The only pills I pop are supplements. Even if I catch a cold I try not to take anything for it. Most people pop a pill at the first sign of sniffles. You have to allow your body to heal itself.
Yikes! I’m not comfy sharing my health problems with people. A few of my closest friends know, but I wouldn’t talk about it at a birthday party.
Glad to see you are so healthy! You inspire me to start running again. I stopped when Lauren had her accident, but it’s been a month now.
Well you’ve cursed yourself NOW!!!!!! My guess is that you’re medicine cabinet will be FULL within the next week or so…KIDDING! I’m not ******that****** superstitious, but I do hope you at least knocked wood or something.
I remember one day at lunch sitting around the break room with a bunch of older teachers and my coteacher, who is six years younger than me. The older teachers spent the entire lunch break talking about their various illnesses and medications. I was sort of out of the loop conversation-wise and my coteacher, it turned out was absolutely exasperated with all the “old people talk”.
I went back to yoga class last night after a month long absence thinking, “I’m going to be forty next month. I better not stop stretching now!”
delmer: Glad you’re working your way down to nothing on the cabergoline! I’m with you on not taking drugs unless I really have to. I figure if I don’t get my body used to taking things, when I do have to take something, it’ll work much better!
A couple of years ago I had a fever of 102F and didn’t take anything to lower it. I know that our body uses fever for a reason. Plus 102 wasn’t bad. If it was over that…I’d take something.
I felt like cr*p and was able to sleep all day (very unusual) so I knew I was sick. I thought I had the flu but it wasn’t flu season and I didn’t have any other symptoms but a massive headache, no appetite and that fever. By the 4th day I knew something was NOT RIGHT and drove myself to emergency room (no other option - it was a holiday and my doctor was off). My fever had broke by that time (of course) and the doctors there said I had an Acute Viral Infection. They didn’t take any tests, they just figured that was what I had based on my symptoms and it’s not like they could do anything about it but make me feel more comfortable.
They did give me an IV to rehydrate me. I never had an IV before. Not fun. But I was dehydrated. I think I lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks. After the saline IV thing I gained 7 lbs in 2 days from bloat. I was tired and headachy for weeks. When my energy rose..wow! I thought I’d never feel well for a while there. I am SO GLAD to be healthy!!
UT: I agree with you and do the same thing. I dislike taking medicine, especially cold medications! They make me feel weird. But sometimes I’ve had to because I just can’t breath or I have to work and my nose is running in some unstoppable way.
Sue: Well at this birthday party everyone has known everyone for years. I’ve noticed that most people seem fine with talking about high cholesterol or blood pressure - it’s when they discuss their digestion that I think “Too much information” but it’s only because we’re usually eating!
Glad you’re thinking of running again. I recall you wrote something about liking to run. I hadn’t known that you had stopped. I really am fortunate in that when I get stressed or down or even…depressed (rarely and I do everything I can to avoid it!) I get healthier. When I was depressed last summer I had no desire for any type of fat, anything “heavy” and I didn’t want to drink anything alcoholic. I craved fresh food and lots of exercise. Phew! I am so glad I don’t fall in the ice-cream and lay in bed all day type of depression. I know that eating poorly will make me feel worse so I do what I can to feel better!
Nothing like running outdoors and I think you’re near woods, right? I dunno if it’s hot where you are. I like running when it’s cool to cold!
Jill: I did have a bit of a “knock on wood” thought after I stated I was healthy but I stay away from superstition unless it’s a positive one..then I kinda go with it. Like, “Find a penny pick it up…you’ll have a day of luck” or something. That’s fun. For negative “signs” I say, “Eh, that’s superstition, don’t need to hold to that..”
You seem very active and healthy to me. I don’t stretch and I know I should! I do strength and core and cardio but stretching…sigh. I’m moderately flexible in general.
Most of my friends are healthy and active. It’s just weird to think that people my age are talking like “old folks!” Of course there are people my age who talk like fitness and health fanatics so it’s all about antioxidants, brown rice and exercise routines. I can talk fitness and diet but I haven’t gotten overboard (well..I don’t think so…) with heart rate monitors and suchlike. I do have a body fat scale so maybe I am overboard!
I have a body fat scale, but I’m not really sure how to use that part. It’s just that it was on clearance at Target for practically nothing and it seemed like a really good scale.
Jill: I bought my body fat monitor scale sheesh, 7 or 8 years ago? It’s some Tanita model for a family (has 4 buttons you can program).
The scale is very good (accurate) and I wasn’t sure about the body fat thing but one review on the Tanita scales (by some medical researcher - but, it’s on the ‘net so who knows) said they are pretty accurate and the testing was done with different groups and ages.
I had to program my scale with my sex (gender, not if I have any), height and activity level. I fell into their “athlete” description which was another choice with the programming. You have to be barefoot when using the body fat part so that the electrical impedance can run from one foot to the other. Water adds resistance and if you’re dehydrated, you’ll have maybe lower weight but higher body fat!
I pay some attention to my BF percentage and it’s been interesting to see how it’s changed over time. Did you know that you need fat to produce hormones? This is why female athletes can stop having their periods - their body fat gets too low and they can’t produce enough hormones. Makes sense to not have a cycle if you don’t have enough fat - nature’s way of insuring that babies have some chance of surviving!
I actually prescribe medications for ‘chemical imbalances’. It is a tough place to be in when you see that patients can be helped much more with a bit of therapy and exercise. perhaps some nutritional counseling and substance cessation. But this country is one of the highest and heaviest prescribers of medications.
But I am vigilant. I prescribe only when necessary. And one at a time. There is nothing good about anyone being on 12 medications. I have seen it too many times and it really is a shame. I don’t care if the person is 18 or 80. Anything over four is too much. I think some prescribers have lost their minds. Perhaps I should medicate them, HA!
So good for you. When you hurt, you rest. Then, you run.
ROCK ON!!!
Mrs. Hall
Hi Ms.Q! I’m not sure if this is going to post or not - my computer died a second death last week and I’m using a little Apple that belongs to my kids and more or less chooses what it will and won’t do on the internet. And it is FINICKY I’m telling you!!!!!!!
What was I going to say? Yeah, I knew that you could exercise periods away! I wasn’t sure of the whole biology of the thing, but I did know that it could be done!
At least I can READ your blog & I’m hoping this will post - it doesn’t even let me READ Ricardo’s, much less post on it! And I’m trying to figure a way to update my own blog - it’s sure the heck not going to let me do that from this computer!
Mrs. Hall: It’s great that you are being watchful and it IS a difficult place to be in when you know that there are natural ways to become healthy. I wasn’t sure if the US was the highest and heaviest prescribers of medication but it sounds right. It ties in with my observation that people in the US seem to like things “quick and easy” and would much rather pop a pill than change their lifestyle. I heard someone say they had their physical and learned they had high blood pressure. Their response was, “But that’s no problem, I can take pills for that…”
Eeeek!
Jill: Well…this posted and what is up with your computer dying??
I dunno about “exercising periods away” as something you’d want to do but I have heard about how extreme exercise will prevent a woman from having her period. If you think about it, extreme exercise is probably stressful and nature wouldn’t want to put a baby in a stressed out environment - doesn’t make for healthy babies!
I wonder if you can’t read Ricardo’s blog because of a Parental Controls? My blog is Rated G and Ricardo’s is R but I have no idea how Parental Controls can tell this. Weird that you can’t update your own blog. I’m sure yours is Rated G!
I *think* what happened is that my brother may have set this computer to not accept any cookies, spyware, spam or anything else. I’m not sure on that though & I’ve never used an Apple. Ricardo’s blog comes up with the top banner and a few words single file in no particular order down the side & then a big blank screen in the middle. I can log into yahoo, but I can only read some of my email and not every email. I can log into google but I can’t do a blog post. I can’t log into facebook or myspace at all.
My computer - It just completely died about two months ago & I had it fixed by Microcenter, who I think sent it back to Compaq. So there’s a chance it will be under warranty.
Yeah, the extreme exerc ise makes sense. I’ve also read that having slightly higher body fat makes it easier to get pregnant, so that fits in with not having a hospitable environment for a pregnancy.
Jill: Yep, sounds like your brother has his computer locked down! Facebook and MySpace being blocked? Huh. Is it just Ricardo’s blog that does that weird stuff? I dunno Apple but I would think that it’s browser could read most things readable by Internet Explorer.
Not just Ricardo’s - I can’t read Delmer’s either.
Haven’t really tried all that many, because I can’t log into bloglines either. It’s not exactly that those two blogs are blocked - it’s that it comes up a mostly blank screen with a little bit on the side. It’s weird. Myspace & facebook I think are both blocked in that I can’t log in, same with a scrapbook website I like to go to. 