By Donna N.
I was feeling ill at work thinking I might have strep throat because a few of my relatives that I had seen several days earlier had come down with it. So, I called my doctor and was able to get appointment at 9:30. I left work to see my doctor who did the ten minute strep test showing that I had weak strain of strep throat. She prescribed an antibiotic giving me a sample of a new antibiotic so I could get a dose in me as soon as possible allowing me to go complete my work day.
My doctor gave me a sample of the new antibiotic only having samples of new antibiotics from the drug company sales representative. I returned back to work, cleaned up, preparing to leave as soon as my work was done. As I was waiting for my work to finish (I am a chemist) I was reading the patient insert of the drug my doctor gave me-and it read- “What is the most important information I should know about Avelox? Avelox belongs to a class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones. Avelox can cause side effects that may be serious or even cause death. If you get any of the following serious side effects, get medical help right away. Talk with your health care provider about whether you should continue to take Avelox.”
Now what hit me was the part about the death. I mean I wasn’t too crazy about reading that it may cause serious side effects, and the list was long, but the death part got to me. I live alone. How am I supposed to talk to my doctor on whether I want to continue taking this drug if I am dead? Well, moot point because I already taken the pill as soon as my doctor handed it to me, without looking into what it was I was taking. I do credit my doctor for asking if I had any allergies. However when she handed me the sample drug I didn’t hesitate to pop it in my mouth and swallow. Is it because I trust my doctor 100%? Or that I really believe that no one would hurt me? I do trust my doctor. However, in the rush to cure disease and find a better drug I really believe that as a society we have gone a bit crazy. I feel that many times more often than not, the drug we take to “cure” our illness is actually worse for us than the illness itself.
So now I am home and I am eating some watermelon hoping the cold would soothe my throat. I start listening to the news and how there are exploding watermelons in China due to a pesticide that the Chinese put on their melons to make them grow larger. I guess so they can charge more. It usually is about money. It is always about money. Seems this pesticide they used too much actually caused the watermelons to explode, I read. So I thought, what is this going to do to me. If the pesticide actually permeated the watermelon skin enough to make them explode, it must be in the melon well. Suddenly I no longer wanted the watermelon and went to bed.
I awoke the next morning to go to work. I stopped for gas and went inside to pay noticing the brownies by the counter. “Relaxation Brownies” they are called. They have been on the news lately. These brownies have 4 times the normal dosage of melatonin in them to make you tired. They were on the counter right by the five hour energy drinks and the energy chewing gum. I thought to myself how would my heart and other internal organs feel if I ate a Relaxation Brownie and washed it down with a five hour energy shot?
I continued on to work and at lunch I ate my chicken. I wondered how much and what type of antibiotics they might have given to the chicken I was eating and would it interfere with the antibiotic I was taking? I decided from now on even though it is more expensive I will be buying organic foods as much as possible. At least I can cut down if not eliminate the chemicals I ingest. What I can’t understand is why people feel there is a need to put these additives in our foods with people somewhere who must be buying these products. Unfortunately though, I fear that innocent, unsuspecting people may be ingesting these products as well. Although the brownie wrapper did state that they were for adult consumption only, I have heard of a 2 year old being admitted to a hospital for eating a small portion with the doctor at that hospital stating this toddler could have very well have died had he eaten the entire brownie. I wonder just how many unsuspecting people have grabbed a brownie on the way home from work and eaten it as they were driving, and then felt the melatonin’s effect. Do we not have enough to worry about with the alcohol and drug impaired people on the road, now we have to worry about people who drive and eat brownies? I just don’t see what drives a person to market these items.
Bath salts were the previous items marketed towards getting a high where you can actually go into a store and purchase these items legally. And you get to die legally I guess the bottom line is, because you have not broken the law. What you do to your body is your issue. However, I do feel for the individual who is unsuspecting and feels that, I want to try it just this one time to see what all the hype is about, or see what it is like. It may be their one and only time because these chemicals are serious drugs. I think we have been lulled into thinking that they are not dangerous due to the marketing in the ads on TV and in printed material.
Restless nights? Take all natural melatonin for that and get a good night’s sleep. Just what makes it all natural? The sound of “all natural” and “organic “make it sound almost as if it is healthy for you. It is not. According to Brent A Bauer, MD, a Mayo Clinic Internist:
If you choose to take melatonin supplements, melatonin side effects may include:
Daytime sleepiness
Dizziness
Headaches
Abdominal discomfort
Confusion
Sleepwalking
Nightmares
Melatonin may interact with various medications, including:
Blood-thinning medications (anticoagulants)
Immunosuppressants
Diabetes medications
Birth control pills
It’s thought that taking melatonin for longer than two months may be harmful, and the best dose of melatonin isn’t certain. If you take melatonin, be careful during daytime activities, such as driving or operating heavy machinery. Talk to your doctor before taking to be sure that it is good for you.
Seems to me like a serious drug that shouldn’t really be placed in a brownie for innocent children to ingest. I also wonder just what the baking of the brownie does to the melatonin as heating a drug can alter it’s chemical state, thereby changing it’s properties. Not to mention the elderly person who may ingest this delightful baked treat unsuspectingly and become sleepier than usual, falling down, breaking their hip and dying as a result.
I just can’t understand the need for chemicals in all we ingest. All to relax or alter our minds.The funny thing is one can do just that by self-hypnosis, and remain healthy for years to come as an added side effect. Seems much better than the side effects I have been reading on these drugs, or are they foods?
Sleep Soundly Tonight
Ever had a restless night when you really needed to sleep? Wish there was some way to get the rest you needed without resorting to pills? Check out the "Sleep Soundly" MP3 available for download at a reasonable price from the Dawning Visions Hypnosis Store
Sleep Soundly Tonight
About Suzanne
Suzanne Kellner-Zinck founded Dawning Visions Hypnosis in 2002, She has become an innovator in the use of hypnotism and neuro-linguistic programming in the areas of obsessive compulsive disorders such as: eating disorders, sexual addiction and substance abuse as well as working with those with anxiety and mood disorders.
Her clients have come to work with her from across the United States and as far away as Africa to help them to finally be freed from these emotional issues that once ruled their lives. Today she is in the process of bringing her work to many more in the form of ebooks and other downloadable formats.
She is a member of American Holistic Medical Association and the American College for Advancement in Medicine.
Prior to founding Dawning Visions Hypnosis, Kellner-Zinck worked within vendor programs for the mentally ill working to help them to live up to their fullest potential. Many of her previous clients were able to move out on their own and find fulfilling work.
Kellner-Zinck is a Certified Trainer of Hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic programing through Tad James Company, Inc. and a Master Hypnotist and Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming through Advanced Neuro Dynamics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education and political studies from Curry College.
Dawning Visions Hypnosis is teaching people that they can indeed leave their unwanted behaviors behind as they move forward to living fulfilling and joy filled lives.