Our family is perhaps the most important part of our lives. They have influenced who we are today, instilled morals and values within us, and are there with an open ear to listen to us when we need to talk. Most of all, they are there to love us. Consequently, if any member of our family is not healthy, they can not take as active a role as they could. There are certain sicknesses which are very hard to predict and even harder to treat, cancer being one of them. The majority of illnesses or diseases we get over the course of our lifetime, however, can be prevented or remediated easily by taking care of our bodies and leading a healthy life. Most of us see a doctor the moment we get sick or feel that something is wrong with our bodies. Unfortunately, most doctors, upon diagnoses of the problem, will prescribe medications to whisk away the symptoms without offering simple, healthy alternatives to treating the problem ourselves. I've said this before and I will say it again, if medications made us healthy, then the person on the most medications would be the healthiest person on earth. (I dare you to find someone who is taking more than 10 pills a day that is "healthy"). Medications serve one purpose, to cover up the symptom without treating the underlying cause. This is dear to my heart because I have seen evidence of how medications don't work.
My grandmother, currently in her seventies has diabetes, is currently on her regimen of insulin (has been for over a decade) and is in horrible health. Since she was young, she ate whatever she wanted to, scrambled eggs with a stick of butter in the pan, every meal covered in a layer of salt, and of course, plenty of cookies and sweets for dessert. This is the way she was brought up and as such, she knew no other way of eating. Well, when she made it to her fifties, she started having problems and went to the doctor to take care of them. He diagnosed her and told her that she was going to get diabetes if she didn't change her lifestyle, i.e. her eating and exercise. She was started on insulin. I'm guessing she figured the insulin would take care of the problem and changed nothing in her life. (She is after all Polish and extremely stubborn). Well, the insulin didn't solve the problem. Rather, it got worse. She continued to see the doctor complaining about her eyes and hearing. The doctor continued to warn her, if you don't change your lifestyle, you will go blind and you will lose your hearing amongst other complications of having diabetes. I think everyone can see where this story is going. Her insulin increased, her sight and hearing decreased, and she was only forced to change her eating habits when she couldn't cook anymore. Today she can see shadows only, no colors or anything definitive, and maybe some shapes here and there; that is if she can see at all. When you are in the room, even though she has a hearing aid, you must seriously raise your voice if you want her to hear you.
This would be sad enough on its own, but if one person gets sick, it affects the whole family, most notably my grandfather who had to take care of her. He, in my mind, lives his marriage vows, and has for over 55 years! When she became incapable of cooking, cleaning, washing herself, and even moving around the house, he took care of everything regardless of his health. He is pushing 90 now, a good deal older than my grandmother, and took care of her for many years. His body suffered though. He dealt with herniated disks, a mild stroke, and a slew of other issues. As soon as he recovered from any of these, he went right back to taking care of his wife, leading her by hand around the house, her body quaking in fear of the unknown and the unseen. He tucked a napkin in her blouse at every meal, cut up her food, and put it on a spoon so she could feed herself. All this while eating his own meal. (He still does this today.) They lived like this for years on their own and those around them saw my grandfather literally wither away. About 8 years ago, we started talking to them about moving into an assisted living facility so they could have help whenever they needed it. My grandfather was all for it, but he was going no where unless his wife wanted to. She (as I mentioned before) is extremely stubborn. It took eight years of conversations and prompting before she finally realized that they needed more help. Near the end of those eight years, they did have someone come to help with cooking and cleaning, but moving my grandmother and feeding her were still left up to my grandfather. Finally, last winter, they moved to an assisted living facility 5 minutes from my parents house (as opposed to an hour and 15 minutes away). My grandfather, by that point, was in horrible shape. Although he could still hear and see, he needed as much help moving around as my grandmother did, the years of helping her having taken their toll. After only 3 months, he is doing fantastic. He zips around the nursing home with his walker, his spirits are lifted, and he looks a lot better. I only wish that my grandmother could have witnessed the effect she had on him. She still can't see or hear very well and, you guessed it, she is still on her daily regimen of insulin.
So what's the moral of the story. We have an obligation to look after our health, not just for us, but for our family as well. It starts by eating healthy and exercising daily. What we do does not just impact us, but our family and friends as well. Luckily, this story did not end in death. But how many others out there, who have not taken care of themselves, have had to deal with death in the family. Most of the common illnesses we have can be prevented. High blood pressure, high cholestorol, high blood sugar, etc. can all be prevented if we start taking care of ourselves now. Tomorrow never comes. A change must be made today. Don't think about yourself here, think about your family and how your health affects them. These effects can be monetary, physical, or psychological. We do not exist alone, but rather we exist in a community that starts with our own family. If you are in good health and someone in your family is not, it is time to start getting them to see the larger picture. Don't flee to the medicine cabinet, flee instead to the sidewalk and healthy foods. Those are the basis of anything healthy we will do. We can make a difference and we must make a difference. As I said yesterday, if you woke up today, it is a good day. There are many out there who went to bed and won't be with us today. Its Sunday and time to spend some of the day with your loved ones. Lets all lead healthier lifestyles starting today.
Very true. I have finally listened and am starting to eat healthier, and I feel better. I don't drink soda anymore, and I just feel healthier and more refreshed, and hope to keep on this good track.
ReplyDeleteAlso, very good point about the medications. As an EMT I see the effects of this firsthand. It seems that a good predictor of health is the inverse relationship between health and medications. They just hide the symptoms for the most part, and very rarely treat the root cause of the issue. One of my friends has had knee issues and her doctor told her to take lots and lots of advil and it has since ruined her stomach, and did not solve the problem. So not only do many medications hide the symptoms, but they can also incur other problems along the way. There are very few medications that actually solve the problems (such a anti-biotics for infections) and those are the ones that you are on only for a short period of time.
As you know, we also see our parents heading down the same track by always making excuses why they can't exercise, yet so often I come home to find them in the den watching TV. They have an elliptical, you don't think they could watch TV in the room that has the elliptical while exercising? Additionally, sometimes they complain about sleep, yet if you exercise, it not only increases the release of endorphins but also makes you sleep better generally.
Again, good post, I enjoy reading your thoughts.
I'm sure glad medication didn't cure Polio, make HIV a livable disease, or effectively cure some forms of cancer.
ReplyDeleteI mean really, what the hell has modern medicine done for us other than save the lives of hundred of millions of people? Ever heard of penicillin? Yeah, that was a terrible idea!
That doesn't mean today's doctor's don't toss pills at every problem that comes their way (hell, the pharmy companies pay them to do it), but don't spoon feed me this new-world hippie crap that the only purpose medication serves is to mask symptoms.
Modern medicine has prolonged, and/or saved the lives of many friends and family members. Therefore, I cannot buy into your opening rationale.
Now, medication is not a substitute for good habits. But here is a little news flash for you, people in this country are, for the most part, apathetic and lazy.
It's a lot easier to pop pain killers and sit on one's coach than it is to get up and take care of one's body. Sad? Of course. But truth and experience show that if you present a man with two options, one difficult and one easy, I guarantee the easy option is always the overwhelming choice.
The problem isn't rooted in the drugs we take, it's rooted in the complacency we've come to value and project.
If you want to talk about Polio, take a look at the facts. Polio was already on the decline before the vaccine was introduced. And I did mention that some diseases are not easily treated. But prove to me how high blood pressure medication "cures" the problem. The moment that someone stops taking their blood pressure medication, it goes back up. How is that a cure. I am not saying that medicine has helped a great number of people, but really take a look at the facts before you comment. Last time I checked, you weren't a doctor, so how do you have the basis to comment. I have done some research, and most of the maladies out there are caused by our own self neglect. And also, you made the choice to read this article, so don't give me this "spoon fed crap". I didn't shove it down your throat bro.
ReplyDeleteWhy get so personal b/c I disagree with something you say?
ReplyDeleteDon't be so touchy. I am not attacking you, just disagree with certain things you wrote. And b/c I disagree, I get personally attacked? Very mature.
Way to have an grown-up debate about a serious topic.
"Medications serve one purpose, to cover up the symptom without treating the underlying cause."
ReplyDeleteIt was that line that truly inspired my comment.