I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.
~ Abraham Maslow
My daughter was at a bachelorette party about six months ago. She was three weeks away from delivering her first baby.
One of the guests left her seven-month-old at home with her husband. The baby was fussy, likely missing mom, due to normal close attachment bonding at that stage.
A young doctor at the party advised that the dad give the baby Tylenol (acetaminophen) and ibuprofen (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug - NSAID) every four hours.
Our beliefs are shaped by what we experience.
This same doctor cautioned my daughter about attempting to deliver a baby at home. She feared that home birth, without proper medical intervention, was too great a risk. In fairness, that’s what she sees and has come to believe.
Well-baby visits usually include immunizations with advice to prevent and numb symptoms with Tylenol.
Tylenol over-use is a leading cause of acute liver failure. Studies show that taking Tylenol during pregnancy and infancy increases the risk of ADHD and autism.
Yet, doctors don’t seem aware of the potential for harm. It takes seventeen years to apply new medical research in a clinical setting.
Antibiotics have been prescribed like candy in the recent past, wreaking havoc on our internal ecology and immune system. Overuse has created treatment-resistant superbugs.
Last week, I coached a young adult struggling with digestive and mood problems. A quick assessment revealed a history of Accutane and antibiotic use for acne. Birth control pills were also part of the protocol.
I have seen several cases of irritable bowel conditions, anxiety and depression related to such treatment - short-term gain, unfortunately, leading to long-term pain.
When I volunteered for a Public Health program designed to help parents and caregivers raise resilient, responsible teens, well-intentioned experts encouraged seeking medical treatment for kids who might be struggling to focus or do well in school.
Many students were prescribed stimulants like Adderall or Ritalin for being “over-active”. While my daughter was at university, kids shared these potentially habit-forming medications “to enhance performance”, especially during exams.
Closing thoughts
We are overmedicated, partly because our trusted healthcare professionals have been programmed to believe that there is a pill for every ill. Everything can look like a nail when your only tool is a hammer. Direct-to-consumer drug advertising has aggravated the problem.
When funding for medical education comes from the pharmaceutical industry, natural remedies that cannot be patented and made profitable are often dismissed, discouraged and occasionally demonized.
Awareness helps create change. We have to have the courage to question the "experts".
New parents have so many fears. They need guidance. With the support of experienced elders our granddaughter has taken no medication, other than vitamin D, in her first half year of life, thankfully.
We risk creating patients for life when we administer, a pill to every ill.
Love and nurturing are the best medicine, healing all that ails one.
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