This week was all about the things we put into our bodies and the implications of those "things".
Food:
I know that I spend a lot more time thinking about non-human animals than I do about humans, so I'm going to make a conscious effort to consider who grows what I eat. It's horrific how we treat those less powerful than us, and it's even more horrific how we all live as if injustices aren't happening every second of every day. I guess I tend to focus on the negative, so I think about these issues a lot. Learning to cope with the reality of what is happening is something I don't know that I will ever learn to do. I often just sit and think about all of horrible things that are happening and feel pretty powerless when it comes to stopping any of it. I'm quite cynical and pessimistic, but I also will never stop trying to make a difference because "to do nothing is to do something".
Pharmaceuticals:
I struggle with this topic because I know how beneficial prescription drugs can be. There is a history of mental illness in my adoptive family and without these companies I would have lost a lot more people than I already have. I was on Prozac and anti-anxiety medications during middle school and into my freshman year of high school, and I don't like to imagine what could have happened if I wasn't taking these medications. So, it's a tough topic. Are there people who abuse the system? Sure. Do these companies have enormous power? Definitely. Is there a problem? Of course. Of course, I despise the animal testing that occurs in the bio-medical industry the most and am thankful for places like Johns Hopkins that are constantly searching for alternatives to animal subjects. (Hope: http://caat.jhsph.edu/)
I'm not sure I like the solution falling on the consumer of medications. I think we ought to be able to trust doctors to help us. If we can't, then I think the problem is not with people looking for help, but with those who are failing to help because they have an economic interest in prescribing a medication that a person doesn't actually need.
I don't know what the solution is. Any solution I can come up with depends on people to be willing to give up the things they enjoy, which is an impossible concept. I think our dependence on these drugs is a result of western society. As always, I think we need to look to the east for guidance on how to live.
Here's the video I mentioned that I made before going to India, about Ayurveda and encroaching westernized medicine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amr_cmWM31s
Food:
I know that I spend a lot more time thinking about non-human animals than I do about humans, so I'm going to make a conscious effort to consider who grows what I eat. It's horrific how we treat those less powerful than us, and it's even more horrific how we all live as if injustices aren't happening every second of every day. I guess I tend to focus on the negative, so I think about these issues a lot. Learning to cope with the reality of what is happening is something I don't know that I will ever learn to do. I often just sit and think about all of horrible things that are happening and feel pretty powerless when it comes to stopping any of it. I'm quite cynical and pessimistic, but I also will never stop trying to make a difference because "to do nothing is to do something".
Pharmaceuticals:
I struggle with this topic because I know how beneficial prescription drugs can be. There is a history of mental illness in my adoptive family and without these companies I would have lost a lot more people than I already have. I was on Prozac and anti-anxiety medications during middle school and into my freshman year of high school, and I don't like to imagine what could have happened if I wasn't taking these medications. So, it's a tough topic. Are there people who abuse the system? Sure. Do these companies have enormous power? Definitely. Is there a problem? Of course. Of course, I despise the animal testing that occurs in the bio-medical industry the most and am thankful for places like Johns Hopkins that are constantly searching for alternatives to animal subjects. (Hope: http://caat.jhsph.edu/)
I'm not sure I like the solution falling on the consumer of medications. I think we ought to be able to trust doctors to help us. If we can't, then I think the problem is not with people looking for help, but with those who are failing to help because they have an economic interest in prescribing a medication that a person doesn't actually need.
I don't know what the solution is. Any solution I can come up with depends on people to be willing to give up the things they enjoy, which is an impossible concept. I think our dependence on these drugs is a result of western society. As always, I think we need to look to the east for guidance on how to live.
Here's the video I mentioned that I made before going to India, about Ayurveda and encroaching westernized medicine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amr_cmWM31s
How about self medication? with wild edibles? http://wildfoodgirl.com/2012/nothing-left-to-do-but-self-medicate/
ReplyDeleteBut how do we get people to eat right, care for themselves when often people don't want to think about self care as an issue?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o41A91X5pns