Health Chaos

I was born in 1946, the beginning year of the  baby boom generation (1946 to 1964). We, at the beginning of this boom, were at the front lines of so many good societal changes, but also exposed to the sex and drug explosions that made our lives less preditcable. Just like a recent president, we “didn’t inhale”. But we more likely to go to more socially acceptable wine tastings, visit the Napa Valley, or the wine fields of France. But at what cost? Not to mention that wine was an important part of the dinner fare.

 And then? So many of my friends and relatives have become addicted to wine. Goes with dinner, and/or lunch. Good at bedtime. Great for relaxing after a day at work. I am amazed how many of my friends and relatives accross the country have told me that they drink a bottle of wine every day. Then in the next email they tell me that they have no more than a glass every other week; and then the next email tells me that they just polished off a whole bottle that night, or that morning.  

 I admit that I am guilty too, and want to finally confront this addiction. It is hard. I really don’t think that the current rehab programs are specific enough to address what I am seeing as a really specific addiction.

 What do we do with all those beautiful crystal wine glasses in our cupboards? I have discovered that they look really nice and inviting with “S. Pellegrino natural sparkling mineral water”.

 Any ideas?

 

A few days ago i was invited to dinner by a good friend. She is 62, and told me that she was having a “period” which means she was hemorrhaging vaginally. She is still on HRT which most women abandoned about 5 years ago, after a study confirmed risks of heart attack from continuing this regimen. Yes; HRT keeps your skin and hair looking wonderful. But is that as important as staying alive? Most women don’t think so. there are  other ways to age gracefully…

 I find it unconsciounable that her physician continues to prescribe HRT.

In addition, she had very firmly swollen legs, that, to me, suggest a fluid and electroyte imbalance, or even a possible blood clot.  Why is her provider simply telling her to get exercise and walk to cope with this? I encouraged her to keep her legs elevated as much as possible, even on pillows while sleeping. And I kept reiterating that she was not having a “period”,  but rather hemorrhaging. She needed to see  her provider as soon as possible. But how competant is her provider?

 Prescribing drugs has taken the place of looking holistically at a person and his or her health care needs. This current trend, thanks to television advertising, is such a contrast, to the holistic health care movement of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. No; we are not going backward in time, just “progressing” into a world where heatlh care is drug industry dominated.

Where do we go from here? And shouldn’t we FINALLY take a hard look at health care change proposals in the next presidential election? This is talked about at every election, but no one has suggested a viable alternative, nor followed up on any visions that were had.

 Where do we go from here?

I have often said that I felt my internist received her medical education from watching drug ads on television. Just take this drug and that drug…

I was shocked this morning, to hear a drug ad for a sleep medication, and the commercial asked you to talk to your “prescriber”. What is a “prescriber”? So we don’t even need physicians anymore, do we? Just prescribers. What are their credentials? Who are they?

For complex medical problems, we do have specialists. But what about the average person who has minor aging conditions, and doesn’t need a simple pill, but some sound advice? Like diet and exercise and lifestyle changes? Where do they go for assistance?