GENERAL CARE OF THE BODY: MEDICINES, DRUGS, AND NARCOTICS

In the 1950′s and 1960′s, a revolution took place in the field of medicine. It meant that the public could be protected against and cured of many ailments that, in the past, had been disabling or fatal, or had taken tedious weeks or months to recover from. But there have been some bad effects accompanying the new cures. A new category of disease has arisen, called iatrogenic disease, caused by the administration of medicines and drugs. More than 250 such ailments have been recognized by medical authorities.

More than ever, it is necessary to use only those medicines your doctor recommends for you and to use them exactly as he directs. Your doctor knows of the dangerous side effects of many medicines. The habit of using an old medicine months or years later when apparently similar symptoms occur, or of taking a medicine prescribed for a friend who had the same thing, is worse than foolish. It can be extremely dangerous, sometimes resulting in death.

I want to warn pregnant women especially to stay away from all medicines except those ordered by their own doctor. Even a seemingly innocent preparation may harm the woman or her growing baby. A particularly shocking example occurred in the early 1960′s, when the medicine thalidomide was used by thousands of women. It was created to bring about a deep and restful sleep, and in some countries, particularly Germany, it was sold without prescription. Its effect was soon apparent. New-born babies had deformed or rudimentary arms, sometimes little more than flippers. An Australian gynaecologist, Dr. William McBride, was the first man in the world to link thalidomide with deformities in new-born babies. Due to his efforts, Australian manufacturers withdrew the drug from sale, making Australia the first country to suspend the drug. But not before thousands of deformed infants had been born in a score of countries.

It is not only the new prescription medicines that can cause trouble. Even vitamin D has been fatal when taken in an extremely high dosage over a long period of time.

Also, such seemingly harmless remedies as aspirin and bicarbonate of soda should not be taken indiscriminately. Aspirin, for example, causes peptic ulcers to bleed. While there is no need to fear medicines, they should never be taken regularly unless your doctor tells you to do so. Pain, indigestion, and other symptoms may be nature’s warning signals of a disease or bodily malfunction that should not be obscured by self-medication.

Sleeping tablets should be taken only upon a doctor’s prescription. They cannot be obtained without one. This is a wise provision, as they can be extremely dangerous.

Pills containing caffeine or Benzedrine to keep you from getting sleepy or to pep you up can also be very harmful.

Pain-killers such as codeine (related to morphine and opium) are habit-forming. Only a physician knows when more powerful narcotics such as morphine and cocaine should be administered to relieve intolerable pain. There is no such thing as a safe, small dose of any of these narcotics except when a doctor prescribes them. Otherwise, even the most high-minded individual runs a very grave risk of becoming a drug addict, with resulting deterioration of body and mind. For example: some years ago, a group of young scientists became addicted to cocaine as a result of repeatedly experimenting on themselves in their search for a local anaesthetic; only one of them, after undergoing terrible agony, was able to conquer the habit and complete the work, eventually becoming the outstanding surgeon of his day. (See also the entry drug addiction in the encyclopaedia section.)

If you feel a desire to use these drugs, or if you do use them or have used them in the past, you should talk over the matter very frankly with your doctor. He will pass no moral judgement on you, but will advise you how to prevent or to overcome the habit before it is too late.

‘Only one to a customer’

Your body is the one machine that is unconditionally guaranteed to last a lifetime. How long and good a lifetime this will be depends a great deal on you, on whether you neglect and abuse your body out of carelessness or ignorance or whether you treat it with the respect so wonderful an organism deserves.