August 18, 2009
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Sometimes a Headache Is Just a Headache
I had a headache a little while ago. Headaches were once a daily occurrence for me: cluster headaches, migraines, hypoglycemic hammerings. That was decades ago, when I was also depending on the medical establishment to tell me what was wrong and try to fix it. They told me lots of different, often contradictory things, ran tests and scanned me to rule out things like brain tumors and cranial aneurysms. They got me addicted to chemically dependent on painkillers and muscle relaxers.
Then something happened. I went to the doc one day, complaining of headache, nausea, runny nose and shortness of breath. He prescribed four drugs, one for each symptom. I took them according to directions and went into seizure. After some time to recover and think — plenty of time to think because while I was recuperating I lost my job — I decided to give the docs a wide berth. I read a lot — learned nutrition and self-care, studied works such as A Barefoot Doctor’s Manual, Where There Is No Doctor, and Let’s Get Well.
If I didn’t need medication for asthma, I’d still be staying away from doctors. One doctor told me that the reason I am dependent on that medication is because I was given it in the first place and it changed my neurochemistry. I routinely go in every year or so to get my prescriptions renewed. Fear of pain used to drive me to the doctor or the ER on a regular basis. Medical and nutritional knowledge, and the Painswitch, allow me to decide intelligently whether I need a doctor or not, take care of the minor things myself, and not fear pain.
Some of the above ran through my mind this morning when my head was hurting. Then I started asking myself: was my blood sugar low? No. …in caffeine withdrawal? No. Do I have a congested sinus or two? No. Is the pain a danger signal — something serious? That required a bit of introspection and intuitive footwork, but the final answer was no. It was just a headache. It went away.
A total of 248 doctors replied to the question ‘About what per cent of your patients present problems that do not really require medical attention (problems that would take care of themselves)?’ The answers given ranged from 0 to 90%, with a mean of 20–61 and standard deviation of 23–81. The estimates given by the doctors were related to their own performance as pre-medical and medical students, and to personal qualities and dispositions as indicated by psychological assessment. Doctors whose estimates were higher than the average for the group tended to have better pre-medical scholastic records than their peers, to attain superior scores on the Science subtest of the Medical College Admission Test, and to prefer rational to intuitive methods of problem-solving.
Comments (16)
I still remember the result of the first drug a neurologist gave me for migraines. I was supposed to pop 2 pills when the headache hit, then another one every X number of hours for Y amount of time. The first time migraine hit after that I popped the two pills and gradually felt better. But then 20-30 minutes later I tried to get up off the couch I’d been sitting on and immediately fell over. I had to be helped off the floor and back onto the sofa, where I laid for 3-4 hours until the drugs wore off enough for me to stand unassisted.
The drug after that failed after a while, which resulted in an ER run. I have to admit, that ER has some sweet migraine remedies… Dark and secluded room, warm blankets, IV of fluids and meds, and crackers and juice when the pain and nausea faded. Only did that the one time though, since I discovered chiropractics and the tylenol/caffeine combo shortly afterward!
Bravo! This summer I was showing some of the neighbor kids how that could “talk” and “listen” to their bodies. Seeing the looks on their faces when just rubbing a sore foot and saying “Aw, foot. You’ll be alright”, was priceless . The pain went away. There is so much we can do from the inside out when we connect with ourselves first. I’m not dismissing doctors. They can be a companion to your health advisor aka YOU.
going thru menopause has stopped my headaches before it was a monthly thing. I very rarely have one now.so I’m glad for that.
I personally think that doctors are overrated. I’d rather go the natural route any day of the week than use conventional western medicine. For me, mother nature is my medicine cabinet!
I heard about a doctor who always drove his Porche to work so people wouldn’t know he owned a Lamborghini……………..
@hapax23 - That’s funny — made me grin.
@SuSu - So far as I’m concerned they’re nothing but a bunch of elitist bastards. There a very few that doctor for altruistic reasons.
I have chronic pain and accident induced fibro….to be honest the thing that has helped me most in Acupuncture…..and since i have finally found one that specializes in chinese medicine I have never felt better in my life…she also does massage which I also think helps work out the crud…the bad thing is insurance does not pay for any of it and it is expensive…the up side is though when I am on a schedule I need to use it less
Interesting post, statistics and all. Thanks.
I try to avoid doctors like the plague. I have to go for meds, but if it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t.
READ THIS and then you SHOULD have a headache
In other words, the smart docs were the ones who would say “it’s just a headache.”
@butshebites - Thanks for condensing that so succinctly.
Good job. Maybe I should have summarized or something.
@hapax23 - I think you’re right, and it’s true of lawyers, too. Medical school and law school are top choices for people who want lucrative careers. The exceptional ones in either career are relatively rare and therefore precious.
I had started down the road of asthma medication creating the need for more asthma medication, but I saw where it was going and stopped it. One doctor told me I had asthma because I was “getting older” (I was 23) Another doctor told me ”nutrition has nothing to do with health.” After that, I figured out I was talking to the wrong people about being healthy. I developed a holistic approach to health. Everything you put into your body and everything you do with your body and mind affect your health. Seems pretty obvious, but apparently it isn’t a concept addressed in medical circles.
The precious ones usually go to treat under privileged and destitute in third world countries……….
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