Thursday, November 28, 2013

Life After Peace Corps - Your Body



Your Body Can Heal Itself!
Yesterday at work, I overheard my two co-workers talking about the allergy medications they were taking. 
“I take Zyrtec day time and Benadryl at night” one of my co-workers  said

I love Tavist, it works wonder for me.  I am very happy taking it, maybe you should try too”, the other responded. 

Later, I could not help but telling one of them that she was putting poison into her body by taking so many medications.  I advised her to strengthen her immune system instead. She did not take it so gratefully; perhaps she thought that I should mind my own business.  

The problem in the American society now is that there are so many TV advertisements about drugs.  Every time when we have a problem with our body, there are drugs to take, over the counter or prescription.  If we overweight, take a pill, if we have a headache, take another pill.  If that pill gives us side effects, take another pill to suppress those symptoms, just keep taking pills.  We taking pills as if we are taking candies, it is really no big deal.  

The advance medicine and science open up all the possibilities for mankind that we, human, can manipulate our bodies whatever way we want, even it is totally against nature.  If we do not like how our face looks, we can inject Botox.  If we do not like our belly fat, we can do a liposuction.  What harm do those “foreign substances” do to our bodies, no one really cares.   So long as they can make us look and feel better, it is all right.  After all, our doctors prescribe them, right?  Occasionally, I was a victim of those “quick fixes” as well.

Since I came back from the backpacking trip two months ago, the pain of my neck, shoulders and lower back linger.  I took an X-ray, MRI twice, went from doctor to doctor, visited one specialist to another, and kept taking prescription drugs.  For a while, I took the doctors’ advice and drugged myself with high dosage of pain killers. But when the pain returned after I stop taking them, I knew I have not yet solved my problem.  Until I find out what causes the pain, my body will keep screaming at me with the acute pain.  So I refuse to take anymore medicines.  I go onto internet, educate myself about my body, read books about how to reverse neck, shoulders and back pain naturally and try to understand my bodily structure, and eventually go visiting a Chiropractor for his advice.  After four sections, 99% of my pain is gone and I did not even take a single pill.  

Today, I feel much better about my pain. I understand what I did wrong.  Taking medicine is not the answer.  Pills may temporarily hide my pain, but they do not help my body to heal.  These past two months suffering from the pain makes me understand my body more.  How important it is to treat my body with respect.  How powerful it is to maintain a positive altitude, believe in my body can and will heal itself even without taking all the poison drugs and a neck surgery!

My age is catching up with me.  Even I do not have to give up all the outdoors activities that I enjoy doing, but I must listen to my body.  If the activity turns out to be too much for my body, (such as carrying 40 lbs on my back and hike 13 hours nonstop) I need to reconsider, take precaution and not be foolish enough to keep convincing myself that I CAN DO IT.  The fact is I CAN NOT! I have to accept it. 

I can become whole again.  All the positive thinking, acceptance, integrity and sense of humor help me to heal.  I am on my way to recover, I must believe!