I was standing in line at Whataburger not long ago. The weather was dismal, cold, dreary, light rain, windy, dark overcast, with barren trees and dead grass as far as the eye could see. As I moved forward towards the order point, the lady in front of me had a beautiful smile – very graceful, almost angelic. I noticed her for a couple of moments. I decided to comment on her smile. I said something along the order of, ‘You seem very happy today!’ She said she was happy and blessed to be standing here.
I asked another question, and we ended up in a fascinating conversation. She had been in a wheelchair a year ago. Seven years ago her health started going downhill – stress, trauma and more stress. She had undergone a terrible experience with her dentist that left the hinges of her jaw bone on both sides of her face non-functional. The doctors told her that she would never have use of them again. She managed to find someone who did fix her mouth, and she can eat and talk and do everything anyone else can do.
But, her health started in a downward spiral with that event and got worse over time. A year ago she decided that enough was enough. She was taking charge of her own life. She started an internet search on what was causing her health problems so that she could take some action. She said that she studied neurotransmitters and began an adoptive therapy – not everything that was identified in her research, but what she had found and what she thought would work for her.
I asked her what neurotransmitter supplements she was taking, and she listed a half-dozen very quickly. I didn’t go into details of dosages or brands or anything like that. She offered me the name of a book and a website for my further information. I told her that I was in the process of writing a book about pain control and that I would check into some of the items that worked for her. She asked if I was a doctor, and I told her that I was not. I gave her my business card and said to her that I had an interest in personal health and blogged about it often.
Most people in a wheelchair, racked with pain, do not take it upon themselves to take matters into their own hands. They sit back (so to speak) and take whatever pills and advice their doctors give them. They are passive to the point of near incapability. They will take what the doctor tells them, but they won’t go any further. I applaud this lady for the initiative she decided to take charge of her health. Very few of us do it.
Almost every prescription medicine comes from some natural herb or plant. The natural product in the herb or plant worked well in conjunction with everything else that comprised the plant. When an active ingredient is extracted and synthesized, it transforms – many times with some degree of toxic side effects.
White willow bark was used for centuries as a painkiller. Salicin is the responsible painkiller compound. Salicylic acid was synthesized in 1838 from the wintergreen tree. It relieved pain but left people with gastric distress and vomiting. Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) was manufactured in 1893 and reduced a lot of the gastric side effects. But it still has side effects that salicin does not have. Salicin is still available today for us, but it cannot be prescribed for pain by physicians – it’s not a drug.
Take a look at the drugs you are taking. What are the side effects? Are they worth it? Is there something else that can be used that is just as effective without the side effects? Who is really in control of your health? Always consult your physician before you make any changes to your prescription medicines.