Sometimes, the quickest and most practical option is not the best or the most reasonable one, and even more so if the decision is related to something as important as our life. I am sure that when it comes to our health we do not think and act lightly, but the truth is that in many cases confidence leads us to overlook certain guidelines when it comes to taking care of our health, and we give in to self-medication out of self-interest or because of advice and suggestions from others. How dangerous can this be?
Near the end of the pandemic, I had a rather unpleasant experience with a family member. I happened to get a phone call one afternoon, telling me that my aunt was having a little trouble breathing and her chest was hurting a bit. I immediately set off for her house, and just as I got there her husband immediately said, "Relax, we've given her something to make her feel better!" It turns out that while my aunt was having the discomfort, a neighbour came over and suggested that she drink some ginger tea, assuming it would help her right away. The neighbour even brought her the ginger herself, and by the time I arrived she had already been drinking it for a few minutes.
It didn't take more than half an hour for my aunt's countenance to change, and she quickly became paler and more depressed than she already was. She started waving her hands because she couldn't breathe and felt as if she was stuck in her chest. So we had to practically run to the nearest medical centre, where after a rather agitated hour the doctors were able to normalise my aunt's state of health. After some questioning by the doctors, my aunt and her husband were given some strong words by those attending her, because it was the ginger tea she had taken that had accelerated her respiratory discomfort. In fact, I don't know if they said it out of annoyance or to scare my aunt, but they even told her that if she had taken longer to get to the module it could have been worse, even putting her life at high risk.
My aunt's case reveals something that is quite common in my country, namely self-medication through natural herbal drinks. This seems to come from not so modern times where many people used to resort to these "guarapos" to solve respiratory, stomach and even muscle pain related problems. In most cases, many of us are confident in assuming that they are "natural plants", obviating the reality that they can still have unfavourable reactions in certain people. This type of self-medication is of considerable concern, as many people just go to their backyard, take a plant and then prepare their own remedy. Something easy but not so responsible.
Another factor that can perhaps lead to self-medication with natural plants is the high cost of medical consultations and treatments. It is no secret that many decide to opt for something quicker and cheaper because they do not have enough money to take care of their own health or that of their loved ones as it should be. In this case, I am not saying that these guarapos are bad and cannot help the person, but because we all have a totally different organism and state of health than others, we are not sure what effect it will have on you, me or someone else's life.
Our life and that of others is a wonderful gift that we all want to take care of and value more and more each day. That is why in the face of certain eventualities we are capable of doing whatever is necessary in order to feel good. Even so, let us keep in mind that self-control and prudence must be the ones to guide our decisions, so that we can give ourselves the best with the confidence of knowing that we are taking care of our health as it should be. Remember: Life is the best gift we have, so it is worth giving ourselves the time and dedication possible to feel good and to see others with the same perception with which we appreciate our existence.
Thank you for giving value to this publication with your time and attention.
See you soon.