Don't Take That Pill So Fast : Check Your Options For Prescription Medications

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm "over the hill," "past my prime," "on a down-hill slide," and all the other "cute" terms y'all might use to describe a 52-year-old woman who has had surgery on more than one body part, complains about at least one major joint, and has more things hanging than a Chinese laundry. But these years have given me a chance to observe things that someone younger might not have noticed. Like, for example, how quick doctors are these days to prescribe medications. When I was a young parent and my daughter had a slight fever, I knew that her pediatrician's office would ask: (1) how high was the fever, and (2) how long has she had the fever. If the fever were 103 or above and not relieved by an over-the-counter fever reducer, they'd suggest we come right in for an appointment. However, if the fever were below 103, reduced by an over-the-counter medication, and she'd had it less than 3 days, they advised us to stay at home, drink plenty of fluids (other than milk), give her over-the-counter remedies for pain and fever and call if it hasn't gone away in 3 days. Why? Because they wanted to give the child's body a chance for its NATURAL healing to kick in, a chance for her body to develop the antibodies it needed to fight off infections. Much of the time, after 3 days, the fever was gone and she was much better, the miracle of healing designed into our bodies having done what it was supposed to do.

Several months ago, my husband and I were talking about joint pain, and I shared with him that it had been my observation that when I don't drink enough water, my body can definitely tell the difference. Water deprivation makes my joints stiffer, my muscles less flexible. Not drinking enough water simply makes me move slower and feel older. It makes my skin drier. It makes me retain water and get puffy around the ankles, even though I KNOW that makes no sense whatsoever. Not drinking enough water makes my gout flare up, and that's PAINFUL PAINFUL PAINFUL!