Big bucks in drugs

You are probably thinking I am going to delve into the moral decay of TT, but I will save that for another time. What I am referring to are the medical ailments affecting many people in our population.

Health Minister John Rahael at the expansion of the Chronic Disease Assistance Programme (CDAP) last month announced that it was serving more than 230,000 people or almost 20 percent of the population. That is a lot of people being treated for chronic ailments (eg diabetes — an estimated 12 percent of the population are diabetics), high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, depression.

At the rate we are going a few years from now the Health Minister may be touting how CDAP has reached 500,000 people or almost half the population.

There is no cure for cancer, AIDS, Herpes or schizophrenia however, in today’s world there is a pill to help manage these conditions.

There is a pill for almost every ailment. According to one website, there are 13,000 prescription drugs on the US market (several of them treat the same condition). Thanks to marketing, information the latest pharmaceuticals can reach a wide audience.

Drugs are not without side effects. There are also negative effects if used with other drugs or if certain other medical conditions are present.

You could have one illness and start medication which could bring on — diarrhoea, headache, a pulmonary event, rash, hair loss, liver failure, and sexual dysfunction.

The sale of pharmaceuticals is booming today and the cost is increasing.

According to one website this is because the over-65 population is growing and longer life means increased use of prescription drugs.

It said people are taking drugs more often to prevent illness and hospital admissions, and pharmaceutical companies were spending an average of $500 million to develop one new medicine which took 12-15 years to go from the laboratory to the pharmacy shelf.

We all know that long-term illness is expensive. Loss of income is one thing but purchasing medication can be a financial setback if the illness is chronic. This is why many people were happy for the introduction of the CDAP. Even those annoying seasonal illnesses can be costly.

There was a time when bronchitis was an annual event in my life which inevitably led to antibiotics. Antibiotics are not cheap!

Last year, just getting the flu led to antibiotics (to prevent infection) which cost close to $200. The sinus/allergies are another story —a particular nasal spray cost me $158.

There was a time when Over the Counter (OTC) pills, and syrups were my first line of defence against the runny nose, nasal congestion, fever, coughing. I recall one year when the coughing (later diagnosed as bronchitis) led me to consume bottles of Buckley’s cough syrup.

I particularly liked those OTC cold medicines which made me sleepy so I could sleep through the illness while my body recovered. However, upon closer inspection of these labels I noticed that these OTC pills don’t really cure but “suppress” some symptoms.

As one doctor explained during an interview, the cold/flu will run its course.

Rest, increased fluid intake are the best remedies. It was news to me when he said that if someone has a stomach bug they should not try and stop the diarrhoea with medication but let it run its course since that was the body’s way of getting rid of the irritant. If an apparently minor ailment is lingering for too long — eg more than one week, then it is time to see the doctor.

My GP only sees me when I am unable to manage the minor illnesses on my own. I have been trying to abstain from pills and keep things basic, this is why last year when I had a flu, home remedy action was taken. A book on the healing power of foods was my guide.

Years ago, I would never have imagined drinking garlic water, and eating dates to ease my cough and soothe my bronchial passages. The book also recommended eating onion. I can stomach onions on a sandwich or hot dog but not eating a raw onion like an apple.

The book said dates have been used as a traditional remedy for cough and respiratory ailments. The dates are supposed to be boiled in non-dairy milk and a spoonful of honey added. But that was too much hassle so I ate them without any milk.

During those times when I had a lingering cough many people have offered bush medicine advice.

Highly recommended were —shining bush, zebabique bush and Christmas bush.

People have some weird concoctions for colds. My Aunty Donna from Canada once mixed a little milk, with salt butter and black pepper for me to drink. Despite my total skepticism, it worked.

Other local remedies for the cold are boiled shaddon beni or bois cano. Boiled fever grass can be used for high temperatures. I was told that “wonder of the world” can be used for “everything.”

I have never really tried bush medicine but since the boiled garlic and eating dates worked, one day I may.

Bush medicine has a long tradition in our society and while many of us have moved beyond the days of boiling senna for a clean-out, the simple remedies should never be forgotten because society seems to be moving more and more toward more and more pills.