What's in your medicine cabinet?

 

Photo: Unsplash

The older I get, the more I appreciate that it is I who is ‘driving the bus’ with regard to how my health/medical care goes. My doctor accepts that, as I age with  since birth spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, I must be doing many things right given I’m not frequent flier with regard to ER visits and hospital admissions. I stay well clear of both and I credit my diligence within the parameters of ‘I am what I eat’ protocols, in place for decades.

  I’ll be 69 in few months;  that I am still upright mobile and independently living is an anomaly in rehab medicine devoted to the treatment and study of cerebral palsy and the aging process. The stage was set for this positive status within the first two years of my life when I was exercised, exercised, exercised. Thanks, Mom (and sometimes Dad, and a few older siblings).

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, “on average, seniors use more drugs than any other age group in Canada. This release describes the number and most common types of drugs prescribed to seniors (including those living in long-term care settings) between 2017 and 2021 by sex, age, neighbourhood income and geographic location.”

Think about that for a moment. 

Then there’s this, from Hospital News, Canada’s health care news and best practices:  “one in four Canadian seniors on 10 or more prescription drugs.” Ten or more! If that’s not an OMG moment, I don’t know what is!

Instead of a medicine cabinet full of prescription drugs, I have a vast storehouse of information, decades in the making, with regard to health and wellness, aging safely and well with disability, and the role lifestyle, notably nutrition, plays in outcomes. To learn that most Canadian seniors take 10 script drugs daily is worrisome to say the least. How often does their treating physician call them in for a drugs review? How many are still taking drugs for conditions that have long since resolved? How many doctors are still prescribing long after the drug is no longer indicated because a patient asked for it?  Drug seeking and doctor shopping amongst the senior set is not new, though today’s climate makes it challenging to find a family physician. The province is crying for care. 

I care for myself by opting to supplement, given that persons with neurological insults such as cerebral palsy absorb nutrients far more rapidly than the able-bodied. I've been taking several supplements recommended to support aging well with cerebral palsy. Notable among them is zinc, C, D, magnesium and B12. B12 is indicated for brain health and often prescribed if there is a familial history of stroke. Post-stroke it's been demonstrated to heal the brain. There’s not much in the literature with regard to longevity amongst persons with cerebral palsy, regardless of type, but it’s reasonable to say that the less medicated we are, the healthier we will be.

As with all things, consult with your treating physician before undertaking a course of supplements. The 'normal' body sans pre-existing condition may get sufficient vitamins and minerals from daily diet. We who are neurologically insulted often do not.

  Sadly, a lot of people take prescription meds to ‘treat’ conditions that no longer exist; from a medical/health perspective that is potentially dangerous. What drives the practice of prescribing without real cause? It may set the stage of addiction which could be a deadly path. Opioid addiction amongst seniors is growing. 

New Brunswick has a significant block of senior, elderly and advanced geriatrics, with many living alone, in an isolation which has been exacerbated by COVID. Fear-driven seclusion is now part of the landscape.  What can be done to break the bonds of this ‘held hostage’ mentality? Community companionship may well be the ‘drug of choice’ that keeps on giving without the hangover effect. Loneliness may be the single-most debilitating condition that has potential to cause illness and disease than any of the ‘usual suspects’.

Genetics and lifestyle significantly contribute to how one ages; I’m testament to that. Genetics wreaked havoc in my family with two siblings succumbing to implications and complications of Rheumatoid Arthritis. 

Since my late teens, I’ve plodded along with fibromyalgia, though confirmed diagnosis came decades later when a treating physiatrist felt that presenting symptoms suggested I had, in fact, lived with ‘fibro’ long before ‘official’ diagnosis was named, given that it mimics other conditions, particularly those in the arthritis family, though it is not an auto-immune disease; inflammation is not a feature. Interestingly, it’s frequently found in women aging with cerebral palsy, regardless of type. I had actually read about it in one of Dad’s old medical books, devoted to women’s health, published in the 1930s. So as a ‘dis’ease/condition, fibromyalgia has been around for some time. Sadly, it’s been called the ‘all in your head’ condition, dismissed by clinicians who should be more thoughtful when exchanging with a patient who is obviously in pain and stress. ‘Doing’ good medicine and ‘practicing’ are not synonymous.

Post-COVID, many clinicians have returned to in-clinic practice with protocols of mask wearing and social distancing still in place, others have opted for telephone consults only, and anything that is emergent has follow up at hospital. 

DOING at home on a daily basis is key to wellness.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, a boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell

Character education has a place in school

Coming out of COVID lock-down has forever changed the landscape with regard to how we conduct ourselves within the community; from how things now function within the school systems, within the workplace and in public gathering places. To ensure health and wellness of all, it’s vital that men, women, boys and girls embrace being a ‘WE’ people. Some of us are disadvantaged by circumstances beyond our control and sometimes need a hand up. 

According to William Ellery Channing, a Rhode Island born Unitarian preacher, “the home is the chief school of human virtues.”

Not a day goes by that we don’t read or hear about some ‘wronged’ person, adult or child,  going on a rampage, armed with assault weapons, randomly shooting moving targets who are running for their lives. Clearly, all is not well in their world for them to explode their rage in a hail of bullets.

Parenting children today is no easy task, with the push and pull of almost every facet of daily life contributing to elevated stress levels — children want what they want — NOW.  Some parents tend to give in rather than have conversations about the value of patience and behaving in acceptable ways to ‘earn’ the object/toy of their desire. They need help. 

I recall, many years ago, making my way through parenting a young school-age stepson, venturing into not totally uncharted territory as I was used to being around youngsters. He was not an easy child, a combination of temperament and circumstance, so I decided that a way to reach him would be through reading together. All manner of books became part of his childhood library. Among them Joy Berry’s series, Let’s Talk About, with each book focusing on a single topic and includes cartoon illustrations and relatable situations. Though designed for pre-schoolers, they were appropriate for my stepson given his situation. The Let’s Talk About books help children identify, understand and learn how to handle their new feelings. It was my hope that my stepson would adjust and grow into this new, blended family. Alas, that was not to be. His needs were far greater than my abilities to meet them. Now an adult, he still hasn’t fully found his feet.

That is why I am a strong advocate of early intervention for children with special needs, unique circumstances and different learning styles, with adults in their world who just don’t seem to get them. That being so, I also believe that virtues/moral values should to be taught in school. They need be taught in school. 

In Ontario Catholic schools, as example, they have what is called graduation expectations. It’s not about advancing the doctrine of a particular religion; rather it’s about developing in students a skill set that readies them for their place in their community as full-time, ongoing contributors. Students must meet a specific set of goals/requirements in order to graduate; to me, it’s ideal in theory and in practice. In fact, we could use it in our schools — I’m sure parents and teachers would welcome it. Several of the goals include: an effective communicator; a reflective, creative and holistic thinker; a self-directed, responsible, lifelong learner; a collaborative contributor; a caring family member; and, a responsible citizen. Each goal has various individual components which guide behaviour and learning.

Children who are not getting enough constructive conversation in the home, for whatever reason, need access to it in school — the one place where they rely on other adults to help them when they need it. Success in life isn’t just about reading and writing, language arts and maths. One must have the basics of kindness, of caring and sharing, if they are to achieve favourable outcomes in other aspects of life.                                           

I don’t think I’d be too far off the mark when I say that, if each school day, in each classroom started with “Good morning, how are you feeling this morning? John, you go first,” teachers would soon realize there is a need and they have an opportunity to fill it. Invite students to share but remind them that others need to have a turn. If there’s not enough time to get to everyone, invite them to stay after school for more conversation. Invite colleagues to participate and explore plans for making these discussions a part of daily interactions with students.  Such exchanges could potentially save lives as they allow teachers to see who’s struggling with situations beyond what would be expected. Stabilize the feelings and the learning takes flight.

Character/morals education is not some outdated concept that has no place in school curriculum. It has a very important place in the education of our children if they are to succeed in life. Building character in children also involves including them in the community so that they come to know that what they have to say and how they feel is important. 

Morals education is like growing a vegetable garden. The seeds are planted and watered and as ideas flourish and feelings mature, the weeds are pulled away. Imagine if students developed their own real-time gardens and watched them grow. Carrots and conversation go well together.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with Miss Lexie, a rambunctious Maltese and Mr. Malcolm, a boisterous Havanese. She can be reached via email at Carla MacInnis Rockwell