Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Just take a pill.

A few weeks ago I was sick and decided I would look into some alternative medicines rather than taking some over-the-counter cold or flu medicines. With the help of some friends on Facebook.com, I created a list of some of the things they had mentioned and went on my quest to the local store on a hunt.

On the list of things I gather, at the top of my personal list, was Vit. D. I recently saw on a national morning show that taking 1000 i.u. of the vitamin would help promote stong bones, help with illness and fight the winter blues. I am highly allergic to the winter blues, so I made absolute sure I grabbed some.

Also on my list was a neti pot which, at first when Dawn mentioned it, I was close to responding to her that, "I don't do drugs!", then I decided I would google it first before I potentially put my foot in my mouth. Good thing, because it has nothing to do with drugs. So I grabbed one of those.

Milk thistle for cleaning and promoting a healthy liver and probiotics were among the other things that ended up in my cart. There were a few other recommendations that were made for a quick recovery of the stubborn illness I had however, with the budget I was on, I stayed with these few items.

So I started taking the pills on a very strict schedule. I found myself being a little OCD about it all too. I would take the bottles dietary supplements with me every where: to the BSU game, to work, to go to the store, etc. It was almost pathetic so, I had to check myself and relax a bit on the schedule.

I hate taking pills. I pretty much always have, but this phobia of-a-sort really kicked in when I went through some mental health counseling back in the early 2000's. I tried pills of all sorts of things that the doctor perscribed. I dealt with side-effects after side-effects and not really knowing if the pills were working. And the pressure to take them was nearly unbearable. The fact that I would sometimes forget to take them and everything else just became more frustrating. Worrying about whether or not I had taken my pills, or if I was going to break out in full body rashes, or if I would even remember what I had done that day, was more of an issue than I thought the pills were trying to help me with. So, I decided (with my doctor) to stop taking pills.

All of this has got me thinking about when did taking a pill become the remedy for everything? I am taking these supplements to maintain a better health but when did eating a well balanced diet escape the American way? Was it when it became acceptable for women to enter the work-force because of the war, and the 'perfect' stay at home wife because just a mere fantasy? Nowadays, everyone in a family works to help pay the bills and the norm is to eat at fast-food resturants, who could care less about what the calories they shovel into our faces are.

We are a country of fat people. Working more and more, spending less time with our familes. Everyone on a different schedule and too tired to be leaders in our homes, let alone our communities. I know, some of you might be saying to yourself, ""Why is Lane, of all people, complaining about too many calories?!" Well, what I am really complaining about is feeling like I don't have enough time to live the way I want to. A healthy, well balanced life.

So, I want to encourage you reader, to find one thing, of possibly many, in your life that you can try and improve, or better. We live in a crazy world these days. Family and friends should be one of the top things in our lives, because they are the ones that hold us accountable to ourselves. I am challenging myself to focusing on eating healthier with a higher count in calories and natural vitimins. I will challenge myself to feed my body the nutrients it needs, without taking any suppliments (if possible, I mean I need my Focus for my memory). And, I am challenging myself to rebuild connections with friends and family. Remember, you've got a friend in me.


I would just like to say that I am not a doctor and I am NOT saying medications are not necessary. You should ALWAYS consult a physician before taking or stopping any medication. I would also like to say that if you do not feel that your medications are working properly, to immediately let your doctor know.

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