Just say no … to antibiotics
For years, I’ve cautioned people not to believe getting an antibiotic was necessarily a good thing. I’ve groaned inwardly when I’ve heard parents say, proudly, that their doctor prescribed an antibiotic for their child without even seeing him/her. It has floored me when I’ve heard of people taking a portion of theirs, then stockpiling the remainder to take a bit when they feel ill or to give to a family member.
This is amazingly dangerous stuff, folks! You’re playing risky games with your health, not protecting it. Reserve the use of antibiotics for the few occasions when they truly are life savers. And that does not include every time you or your child sneezes!
I was glad to see a mainstream article pop up with the very same caution recently. Ah, finally, people are getting “real” health information! So here are the details:
Your physician may prescribe an antibiotic, not because you need it, but because you’re going to drive him/her crazy until you get one. I get that this is tiring for doctors, but it’s frustrating none the less. I’d like to see a lot more who dare to tell people they won’t casually write this ‘script and why. That will protect all of us, as antibiotic-resistant strains are growing because of this kind of misuse.
Why don’t you want an antibiotic unless you really need it?
Antibiotics kill off good bacteria as well as bad. You need the good to digest what you eat and keep a healthy balance in your body. When good bacteria are gone, you can get diarrhea and infections more often. A tip: If you have been on an antibiotic, take a probiotic to restore the good bacteria in your body.
Antibiotic overuse and misuse is helping to create superbugs that now are resistant to treatment. If you end up afflicted with one of these, you’ll need an antibiotic, but there won’t be one that is effective.
If your doctor does feel you need an antibiotic, ask questions. Tell him/her you’re willing to wait for testing that determines exactly what bacteria you have and the antibiotic that will treat it best. This is very possible, and it means you’ll get what you need, not what you don’t.
Make it clear to your doctor that you don’t want an antibiotic if it’s not needed.
If you are on an antibiotic, take the entire dose according to directions. When you decide you feel better and cease to take the rest of your prescription, you set up a contributing factor to creating drug resistance. The bugs that haven’t yet been killed off will recover and become more resistant to drug therapy. The problem you were taking antibiotics for may return, yet it will be worse and much more difficult to treat.
This is yet another area where what matters most is that you stay informed. About what’s right for you, about what harms your body, about why — or why not — you want to do something. We value education on all sorts of topics, but the most important may be gaining a thorough understanding of how to take care of your health.
What’s your place in the pattern?
“Every piece of the universe, even the tiniest little snow crystal, matters somehow.
I have a place in the pattern, and so do you.”
~ T.A. Barron
You hold power over your health
“The next major advance in the health of the American people
will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself.”
~John Knowles, former president of the Rockefeller Foundation
What’s your teeny-tiny spot?
“Our lives are sometimes hard, difficult to change. So change the easy things first. Fix one little thing you don’t like about your life.” (Rav Natan)
“I don’t know where to start!” (Kayla)
“The starting point doesn’t matter! Find a teeny-tiny spot you’d like to change for the better. Maybe it’s the way you answer the phone, or how you greet people on the street. Be consistent. Follow that one little spot, until you’ve transformed your whole life. Because you can’t change just one thing without it changing everything.” (Rav Natan)
The section above is a dialogue between two characters in the novel, The Tenth Song. It applies nicely to why I’m against New Year’s resolutions, and it also speaks to why a different approach actually can result in bigger changes.
New Year’s resolutions, in our quick fix society, tend to be huge. We want it now, and we want it fast. Lose 50 pounds in a month! Microwave a healthy meal in 30 seconds! Completely tone and strengthen your body in 5 minutes a day! Unfortunately, we’ve learned to apply the same quick-fix-hope to our health.
But, really, how many times have you changed your life overnight? And it stuck? Maybe you’ve managed a little of that, at best, but I bet there are more health resolutions laying tattered along the road of your life than there are ones fitting nicely into your day.
That’s why I stubbornly stick to my small steps approach. Because one, I’m stubborn! Because two, it works. Break down your health goals into small steps, and you’ll do them. You can’t run a marathon tomorrow, but you can walk around the block. You probably won’t last long tossing all your comfort foods out the door, but you can find one healthy recipe you enjoy, and incorporate that into your week.
Sometimes we truly can implement huge changes and make them stick. It depends on the reason; it depends on the motivation; it depends on the cause-and-effect; it depends on the individual. I went sugar-free (and that means no sugar nor that fake chemical stuff either) pretty much overnight years ago. Reference above: one, I’m stubborn! Plus I like the challenge. Two, I was very ill at the time with Lyme disease, and recovering from that was huge motivation. Three, I found a definite cause-and-effect: Eat sugar, lay in bed ill the next day. For me, that made sticking with no sugar pretty darn easy.
While some of you could embrace the overnight-change-approach and succeed, it’s still a gamble. And I don’t want you gambling on your health. Unless you’re seriously ill and must make drastic changes, stick with a small change at a time. That’s something you can do, and do well.
So what’s your resolution this year? Take it, and break it down into small pieces. Sort of like those English paper outlines we were tortured into doing in school! What’s the first step you could take this week that will move you closer to your goal?
Spice for your life
“Health is the soul that animates all the enjoyments of life,
which fade and are tasteless without it.”
~ William Temple, Sr.
