Health Chaos

My scoliosis was first diagnosed when I was in college, way back in the 60’s. It is lumbar, one of the worst kinds. It didn’t bother me for years; I made it through 2 pregnancies with no pain. And then lo and behold, I lifted some heavy bags 4 years ago, felt a “pop” and here we go. Found  a pain specialist at a major medical center. Surgery is on his mind. Not for me. No one is touching my spine with a knife!

So my solution: an occasional 1/2 pain pill during bad days. A 1/2 muscle relaxant on bad nights so I can sleep. But the very best!! yesterday I had a private bikram yoga class taught by the teacher and founder at the local center who has scoliosis too. What a great relief from stretching out those muscles and vertebrae. I will be going back and taking classes.

The bottom line: lots of folks have scoliosis. I would recommend anything before, or instead of, surgery. I also found that over the counter Icy Hot does almost as well as medications. Heat helps too. The yoga teacher works in a highly heated and humid room. How can you help relaxing?

Why do I have scoliosis? I attribute it to the fact that the “girls” in my generation did no exercise. We read and studied while the boys all played sports. As an adult I was a runner for 30 years, but it was too late then to reverse the damage, and may even have made it worse.

The bottom line: if you have this condition, try anything but surgery. And keep the young ladies in your life physically active. My daughter in law was a basketball star and is now a runner. Lucky her!

To those of you who have read my blog, I apologize for repetition. But some issues just don’t go away.

I just heard an ad on tv for health insurance plans to supplement what medicare offers. First of all, just what does medicare offer? And what about the 47 million of us who have no health insurance and are not yet ready for medicare? The ad was about a certain supplemental insurance company, and it was recommended that you discuss this plan with your “doctor” who will help you decide if this plan it right for you. Yah sure! Since when do “doctors” recommend health insurance plans? Well, someone is getting a kick back here from an insurance company. You need to count on your friends and colleagues for this kind of advice: not your “doctor” and not the insurance companies!

All research must be taken with a grain of salt. I was recruited, years ago, for the Nurses’ Health Study. After filling out their questionnaire, I received a letter informing me that I was ineligible as a participant since I had taken steroids. I had  never taken steroids in my life! I didn’t write back because I didn’t have the time (full time working mom, grad student, with two little boys). So now I look at all health care research with more acute skepticism.

As for HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy), I did that for about 5 years, then quit cold turkey because my gynecologist told me she could not in good faith prescribe it anymore. I have a friend who has been “tapering off” HRT for the 3 years I have known her. Tapering off HRT? No need to. Doing this will not affect your blood pressure and heart rate, and will probably do nothing except have you discontinuing HRT.  I can only suspect that her gynecologist is her age as well, and the looks of skin and hair are more important than the total health picture? Or maybe not? Maybe it doesn’t matter if we do HRT or not? Once again, conflicting conclusions from research.

There is a lot of spurious, and confounding, information in these studies…I am a medical professional, but also a skeptic. I have attended prestigious universities, have worked at prestigious universities. But that doesn’t mean anything. What is important is the integrity of their representatives,  their scientists, of their reporting of results of their studies. They need to be honest, not just writing what the public wants to hear.

So now we need drugs to fall asleep, drugs to stop restless leg, drugs to make us “regular”? Soon we will need drugs to wake up, get our legs going, and be able to use the bathroom normally?

Have we forgotten to eat a normal, well balanced diet, with fiber,  that would prevent some of these “problems” in the first place? Have we forgotten to just go to sleep to some nice music at 10pm after walking the dog in fresh air? And though I am lax myself about taking vitamins, popping a pill or two each day, if it doesn’t burn up your stomach (drink plenty of water), you won’t have legs that fly around or get stiff and achy, most likely.

Thankfully the democratic party candidates are in tune with the fact that we have 47 million Americans without health insurance, sometimes due to job elimination, like myself. And health insurance is not affordable without assistance from an employer, except for the very wealthy, and those that have spouses and domestic partners whose insurance they can tag on to.

And why is health insurance beyond our reach? Obviously, the insurance industry wants profits by driving up rates. And I believe that the pharmaceutical companies are creating diagnoses, and recommending drugs, that we all “need! “Just ask your provider,” whoever that is…

And who are two strong lobbies: the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical companies? And who is helping to finance most of the presidential aspirants?

What on earth is a “nervous breakdown”? why can’t people sleep at night? what is “restless leg syndrome”? Where did this stuff all come from? We should all be taking 21 drugs each day? Oh, and you need a stool softener, and laxative for breakfast that may make you “regular”. And a daily decongestant, whereas just being in a vertical position and blowing your nose in the morning may work just fine. Why? Why not choose a healthy lifestyle instead?

Why not jog or walk your dog (you would both benefit), stretch, swim, eat properly i.e. a diet rich in fruits, veggies, grains? Try to avoid anything but the essential drugs that you really need to stay alive.

All of these drugs, too many drugs, interact with each other, and can kill you. Less is better.