d
-sn)n.1.
a. The science of diagnosing, treating, or preventing disease and other damage to the body or mind.
Just in case you were wondering. I think the medical field needs to change its name, because nowhere does it say "treating symptoms because we're too lazy to dig deep enough to find the underlying problem". Plus they're kind of going against the last part - "preventing ... other damage to the body or mind". I dunno, maybe I'm the only one that hears the fast-talking voice at the end of the commercials talking about all the side-effects that sound to me like they're worse than the original problem. Or maybe I'm the only one who can ignore the smiling happy faces of the asthmatics who can now breathe or the insomniacs who can now sleep and hear them mention all the horrible things that could also happen to you while taking this drug... I don't get it :-(.
I'm a little upset right now. Well, maybe a lot upset, but I don't want to make myself sound TOO crazy... I've suppressed quite a bit of emotions about the medical field for many many years (letting out some of my angst to like-minded people, but preaching to the choir never got anyone very far so that's probably why I never feel any better). I'm not asking anyone to agree with me, but I do want to get some gears turning in some minds at least.
I got off the phone with the doctor's office I'm seeing for all my wonderful prenatal stuff. First of all I couldn't talk to my midwife, because according to the OB nurse I talked to they don't take personal phone calls... WTF? I'm seeing her for my personal pregnancy and my personal child and my personal business, so why can't she answer my personal questions? Off to a great start. So I asked her my question. Is the glucose tolerance test mandatory? I was told I'd have to take it at my next visit to screen for gestational diabetes. Now, I'm totally not opposed to being tested for that. I have no reason to believe I have it, but I understand the risks and complications that come along with having it so I'm open to being tested to be on the safe side. What I am opposed to, though, is consuming a 300+ calorie substance consisting of primarily of corn syrup that I KNOW will make me sick, because I know my body and that's how it reacts to mass quantities of sugar. Plus, I like to have control over what I consume. If I CHOOSE to eat a blizzard from Dairy Queen, that's my choice to put that sugar in me, I know what I'm doing, and I understand I will have the jitters for several hours afterward in exchange for a few minutes of guilty pleasure. I'm not choosing to drink this crap they "need" me to drink for the test, and I'm kinda angry that I'm stripped of my right to choose. And on top of that the nurse was not very friendly, saying that if I have gestational diabetes and I don't do anything about it because I don't know I have it, then my baby could DIE. Okay lady, shall I express how angry scare tactics make me too? And she goes on to explain that requiring it of all patients at this stage in their pregnancy is a standard of care, and they refuse to do anything substandard. To which I said good and I appreciate that, but what about honoring my requests as a mother and a patient? What about in the future with something I feel is truly serious, like vaccinations in infancy for example (something I refuse to partake in, let the child's immune system at least have SOME fighting chance and let it grow on its own first, I say), are my requests going to be honored then? Drinking this substance is not going to drastically harm me or my son, or at least I hope it won't, rather it'll just make me sick and possibly make him jittery to, but we're down to principle now. I'm offended that my requests are not going to be honored, and that my feelings are not going to be taken into account. There are other ways to test for diabetes, do a little homework and figure that out!
What annoys me too is that I'm one of very very few people who actually bother to question these things. I might go overboard with some things, but I take comfort in knowing that my health and well-being are completely in my hands. I do research, I do my homework, I learn things. I will not blindly trust a person in a labcoat. I'll take their suggestions as guidance and apply it to my personal situation. How can you completely trust doctors? Their knowledge comes from text books and personal case studies, but you are an individual, not a text book or the person they just saw last week. Your needs and health and body as a whole are different from the rest of the patients they see. And only you can know what's best for your body. Your doctor can suggest things, knowing it worked in the past, but only you can be certain it's the best idea. I wish more people knew how to trust their intuition. And better yet I wish more people would educate themselves before blindly trusting or following.
This is why I got into the field I got into, massage therapy right now but in general it's wellness, as I will be expanding further with and away from massage therapy in the future. Alternative wellness, non-invasive care, completely natural healing techniques. And even in my practice I understand that the tight neck muscles in the person I'm treating now could be caused by things entirely different than the person with tight neck muscles I saw last week. And I encourage my clients to guide me - if the pressure is too much, if pain is caused what kind it is, and how they feel about a technique I may be using. I don't know because I'm not you, only you know these things. I'm just facilitating the healing. It's your body getting better, I'm just encouraging it to get there!
Alright I guess I feel a little better. Again, these are my personal feelings, I don't ask anyone to agree with my choices or do what I do, I just ask that you take the extra time to learn and know what's best for your body as an individual, to trust your intuition, and to educate yourself before jumping right into following a request from your doctor or health care provider.
