Tag: medicine

Re: Chemistry

It’s true that a human body is composed of chemicals. Depending on who you ask or what process is used to extract them, our physical elements could be valued at anywhere from $100 to $150,000 dollars. Perhaps we are not far from giving our consent to harvest these resources as part of our estate for distribution to our beneficiaries: A step up from our current ability to will our body parts, so to speak.

I adjust my body chemistry all the time. When I eat or drink I change my chemistry. I’m baffled that after I start eating something I cough, or sneeze and have to blow my nose. It’s so irritating! I’ve been told that this surge of mucus is the result of my body reacting to the input. I picture it as similar to a transplanted organ being prone to rejection: My body says no to that foreign stuff coming down through my gullet! My allergy, to any food it seems, is an example of how whatever passes into me changes my chemistry. My initial response passes quickly, so I’ve gotten used to it. It does make me reflect on the phrase, “We are what we eat.”

We are also what we feel. Our emotional being is evident when we are exposed to other humans. I enjoy feeling a chemical attraction to another. We are all aware of evaluating a relationship based on whether or not it exhibits ‘Chemistry’. A rom-com movie review may depend on two lead actors displaying chemistry at least in their love scenes, if not when they first meet in the grocery aisle. In real life I contend that this initial spark can be maintained as long as the ingredients of curiosity, compassion, respect, and play are regularly added to fuel the fire of love. In that sense the US of a relationship is a chemical compound made of YOU and ME.

A slogan for homes built in the late 1960’s was ‘Live Better Electrically’. I think we can live better chemically by acknowledging the role that chemical elements play in our existence. We get to know ourselves through our relationships, our upbringing, and our choices. Our experience defines us in ways both unique and complementary to the rest of society.

When I’ve got pain, I take an analgesic. Some people choose to use cannabis to affect their chemistry. Others may find other ways to reduce their annoyance with all manner of disturbances. I’ve known many people who can’t start their day without a cup of coffee. The point here is that we all ingest substances to help us travel the road of life. I refuse to be hypocritical by showing anger towards street-drug users because we all use chemicals to cope. I’m currently taking a low dose of escitalopram for general anxiety. I support decriminalizing drug use. Safety of intake of risky chemicals can be controlled more effectively by education and distribution through health care services.

Medication is not a crutch: It can be an aid to a healthy lifestyle.

Re: Pill

The pills in my medicine cabinet give me a sense of control even when I don’t use them. Everybody has pain in their lives and sometimes a pill makes it better. Like it or not I belong to a culture that finds it acceptable for people to modify their brains. You can choose tobacco, coffee, alcohol prescription or illicit drugs depending on your situation. Whatever method you choose, the common goal is the same: To feel better.

My mom would often have mood swings. When she was exasperated with me or my sister she would snarl, “You’re such a pill!” When we got older she would lose patience with us if we were doing typical adolescent things causing her to say, “Take a pill, why don’t you!” Such was the nature of her language use that the word Pill could be so haphazardly used to show feelings or give abstract advice. In truth she had a substance abuse problem herself, that varied according to economics and availability.

News headlines often refer to a ‘war on drugs’ as overdose deaths rise or police report drug den discoveries. Law abiding folks wring their hands saying they fear to walk on downtown streets. Statistics regarding substance abuse should make us scared. Any population must raise an alarm when death by overdose/poisoning becomes the main cause of death. In Victoria, BC a university student died in Jan.2024 of fentanyl poisoning. She was one of 200 in the province who died that month! For six years BC has been in a state of declared emergency over this dilemma.

I don’t take street drugs, but I have been prescribed medication that has helped me through tough times, both physical and mental. I try not to judge others; looking down my nose at other people’s choices is not helpful especially when it comes to the topic of addiction, which should be a health concern, not a criminal offence. I am a car driver. I expect my government to help me if I get into an accident. I expect there to be government regulations that will keep the car and the roads I drive on as safe as possible. I will continue to drive my car even though I’m aware that my car can be an instrument of death; accidental or intentional. Drugs and cars are a fact of life in my culture. The risks and rewards are great when using either. Maybe someday I will see the wisdom of not owning/operating a car but in the meantime I want systems in place that will mitigate any harm I may cause to myself or others. The same goes for drugs.

It’s a given that people may choose to take a pill, or any substance that helps to relieve the pain of life. The student I mentioned was given pills laced with fentanyl by a ‘trusted source’. Her mother is grieving. Harm reduction is advocated by groups like Mothers Stop The Harm.  Our drug supplies must be regulated. No one deserves to suffer. No one needs to die.

Re: Panic

I have a panic room in my head and it works the opposite of a safe haven. I’ve never seen a film style panic room; where actors portraying people victimized by home invaders find sanctuary. My panic room is a room in my mind. My panic room must have doors and windows to let fresh air in. I’m only there because I have been stifled by repeating thoughts that whirl me into a panic response. My panic room door must not be locked for then a key may be lost, the key to understanding how I got there in the first place, even if the key is found the latch may be corroded, the knob broken, a sealed room of past hurts will continue to mildew with dark mold teeming with disease. No confidence can be regained whilst in the panic room of my mind.

I once helped a student take the moment necessary to come out of his panic room. Something triggered him to rise beside his desk. I called his name. He had the posture of a cornered animal. He started towards the door, tripping and falling to the floor. Students quieted as he lay there, eyes darting. It was not a seizure but some strange force had seized him. Taking advantage of his stillness I moved beside him and placed my palm lightly over his heart. His breathing calmed and his classmates remained breathless. He looked at me. He sat up. I asked his friend to accompany him to the office so the secretary could call his parents. He left for the day. It wasn’t until year’s end that he mentioned the incident and thanked me. I told him I would always remember what happened as though I had been guided: The right person, in the right place, at the right time.

I most feel panic when things seem out of order. My way seems barred. Access is being denied. I feel trapped, painted into corner, claustrophobic, breathless, suffocated. In the midst of this anxiety attack I feel there is no way out, yet why I enter there in the first place is always a mystery to me. I don’t know the why of panic’s approach, yet I’m getting better at the how of waving it goodbye.

A Yoga instructor once advised me to see disagreeable thoughts as flowing through and not lingering. Deep breathing helps. Calm may be the opposite of panic. I like the way some pronounce calm with a noticeable ‘l’. When stressed I will linger with the middle section of the word repeatedly sounding it out as ‘c-ah-m’. I’ve developed strategies as I’ve aged to minimize the risk of entering into a panic response. I have medicine that brings comfort when needed. Just knowing it’s there in the cabinet is often enough for relief. I’ve learned to visualize safe places; like a verandah with a swing. Peace is found there, sitting for a spell with a cooling lemonade, taking time to gather my thoughts, settling me into a fresh perspective.