The Talk in Ceramics was about Prescription Pain Medicine

Went to ceramics today, and the talk was all about prescription pain medicine. Their prescription pain medicine and the cost and how much they take and why they take it. Apparently, for most of these ladies they are dependent on their pills, taking them in the morning and at night. It did not sound as if they were taking more than what was prescribed, but they need their drug. And probably for the rest of their lives.

I am lucky, I do not have pain other than from arthritis, and I can live with that constant ache. When it gets too much, I go to the arthritis pill prescribed, but I can have a bottle for six months, so, no, I am not dependent.

This topic extended to home. When I am home in the middle of the afternoon I watch THE TALK, and today's show started with Prince and his taking prescription pain medicine. Is this what contributed to his death? Then, they talked about Jamie Lee Curtis writing an essay on how she (17 years ago) became dependent on pain medicine after a medical procedure.

Then, I look around at the people I know, and I do know people who are dependent on pain medicine. One of my sisters was in so much pain that she was dependent on pain medicine. So much so that when she developed cancer, she did not even know she had it until she went into the hospital for what she thought was an asthma episode. A few days later she was dead. Just a few days. Her pain medicine masked the pain from the cancer everywhere in her body.

From what I observe, the use of pain medication is at an epidemic proportion. It's not the use for a short period of time, it's once a patient goes over that point of no return and becomes dependent on its effects that will alter a life. That's when it's bad. And who is really paying attention? Certainly not the drug manufacturers. Family and friends see and do not respond because they are prescribed by a doctor. We trust doctors, right?

When did we stop trusting our gut feeling on knowing when something is good for us or not? Doctors are great, but I prefer the one who does not like to prescribe medicine. Any medicine. That's me, though. I listen to my body, to what it is telling me.

And I know from all the research that there are two HUGE items that I need to work on -- one is inflammation in the body and the other is the immune system. If we could get rid of the inflammation in our body and had a healthy immune system we would be good to go for a very long time.

Then, people would not need to be addicted to pain medicine. Or, maybe, we are just guinea pigs for the pharmaceuticals....

Until tomorrow...to your health, and have a great day.