It's Our Fault

 

It’s Our Fault

As I write this blog upon receiving a text from a friend that all my state’s hospitals are overloaded. I think to an afternoon about a decade ago. My youngest at the time was in first grade. She came home and revealed to me what was being taught in her first-grade health class that day. It was wrong. I’ll start with that.

Yes, what was being taught, how it was taught that day in my first grader’s classroom for health was wrong. Off the mark. And she knew it. As a matter of fact, she respectfully called the teacher out on it. She raised her hand as the teacher said, “…There are good drugs.”  He called on her. She replied, “Mr. DeCarlo. No there aren’t good drugs. Drugs are not good.” He rebutted gently, “Yes there are.” Up went her hand again. He called on her again. She responded, “Mr. DeCarlo, how about the side effects. Ohhh like, headaches, nausea, stroke, muscle aches, restlessness. And how about sudden death?”

So, flash-forward to hours later. We were sitting at the dining room table, and she repeated all this aforementioned to me. I commented, “So, Mr. DeCarlo was talking about prescription drugs and Over-the-counter drugs, I take it. She replied, “Yes. He said they were good drugs. They’re not.” And then she rattled off why. What she already understood at such a young age was that her parents referred to health as a responsibility of each individual. That our choices to remedy something that did NOT usually need a form of an allopathic drug first.

What she had already experienced was acupuncture, teas if a feeling of any illness was suspected, homeopathic remedies, proper daily exercise, proper daily eating and so forth. Oh, it wasn’t that she’d never had a medical emergency. She saw how I reacted with her, when I knew not to wait. Not to medicate, yet take her or her sister to our allopathic doctor or to the ER if needed.  She knew there was a time and a place for allopathic medicines. As well that they might not go without some type of bodily reaction that could endanger her welfare. Before the age of seven she was paying attention in detail to this.

She’d see me be injured from my sport, and my regular job which was physical in nature. I wouldn’t run to my allopathic doctor. I would deal with the pain and work with it. Yet maintain my workload. I would still work, train where I could, clean the house, and make meals regularly. Ninety-nine percent of the time it was business as usual. What the point is here. In the area of the United States I live; we are probably one of the best educated. Most educated in my county, probably.  Yet, we certainly don’t act like it.

Yes, we do NOT act intelligently. Right now, I will lose some of you. For those of you who remain, I will tell you what the general population has done wrong.  After people who received vaccination(s), many decided to let it all hang lose and not wear a mask in crowded places. Most threw caution to the wind. I remained masked, regardless. As well did my children to a large degree, in crowds, markets and the like.  

At a local fitness place here in December, not one person was wearing a mask. Even people I knew, who were probably vaccinated, yet extremely auto-immune compromised went mask free in this particular big gym. I will tell you that many who did this, are well-educated people. And they have been and are raising children. It takes nothing to put a mask on. You can walk and lift weights with a mask on. If you can’t, you’re not that fit. So, you should taper down your exercise till you acclimate or walk outside where you could potentially go mask free, if it bothers you so much. Or perhaps, you should check in with your physician.

Outside exercise, has mostly been better than remaining inside even during the winter months. I’m sure I’ll receive more rebuttal here. I am NOT speaking in terms of fight gyms and dojos. I’m speaking of Fitness gyms. Where the average bear on December 31^st swears they’re going to have either the dynamite body this year or lose that forty to one hundred and fifty pounds they’ve been meaning to lose for the past decade, or two, or three or four. Or the old jock or high schooler is just having good lifts three days a week. That is majority of the population that entertain the general fitness gyms.

Gets better, those same people. I’ll call them the masses, should have known to either remain masked when foodshopping, or indoors with large groups (if they must party), especially entering the new school year. This should be ‘old hat’ by now. People need to also understand that this is a once in hundred-year historic time-piece. As well, be aware that in 1962 there were 3.6 billion people in the world. Now we are either at or nearing 8 billion people in the world. All this, that we are dealing with is Mother Nature. And we need to know when to heed her, once in a while.

By heeding Mother Nature, you don’t stop doing most of what you love. You take precautions. You can be a wrestler and still play the game, being aware of the risks you take. But once you step outside the mats, the ring, the cage and mingle in a supermarket, a big fitness gym, and the like, that is where the other non-fighters and non-wrestlers exist. That is where the elderly, the pregnant women, the infants and toddlers are in the mix.

As well, it behooves you to not consider surfaces and possible spread. Pin pads, pens, pencils, counters and even at home in shared bathrooms. Just being mindful at home. Wash your hands as soon as you arrive home. Leave your shoes outside the door or in the foyer of your home.

The problem here, goes back to first grade. Actually, it goes back to common sense. Ironically, I’m reading Thomas Paine’s book, “Common Sense” currently.  In first grade we don’t appear to being taught ‘proper’ prevention. We are taught to put a bandage on things. Many things that could be prevented. I actually had said this to my husband, who was a teacher years ago and repeated it again to him on occasion. “Why aren’t we teaching cutting edge healthcare and nutrition to children in school K through middle school? We would have a healthier nation.” He commented something about curriculum. I can say, I’ve always felt our health classes in elementary through middle school at least in my state were poor in delivering healthy preventative self-care, to say the least. I was thinking this as a child. It still remains poor.

And what this all boils down to is adult role-modeling. Yes, it’s about parenting. Doctors are in practice. Remember that. And whatever you do as parent, your child may or may not decide to gravitate to what you intend them to do.  But this I can tell you. As much as my oldest is quite independent. Two weeks ago, her boyfriend said, “I have a headache. Do you have any ibuprofen?” My oldest responded, “No we don’t.”  She obviously didn’t have any ibuprofen. However, I always have some in a cabinet. I replied, “Is that all? Symptomatically? And I know you are vaccinated. “Yes.” He replied.  I responded, “How about a cup of tea?”

My oldest said, “That might work.” He replied, “Oh. Okay.” Two nineteen year olds agreeing that a cup of tea might just help what may be a simple headache. And figuring to wait a few minutes and see if it works. What a novel idea. So, I brewed some tea, a little raw honey. And after some sips, his headache was gone in minutes. Days later he said, “I never was a tea drinker. It’s nice. I’m now looking forward to having a cup of tea.” So, for the next couple weeks, he tried different types of tea at my home with my daughter, just to enjoy.---Jody-Lynn Reicher