This week's warning against two popular "pain killers" by a federal medical advisory panel following last week's death of Michael Jackson should alert us all that sometimes drugs can hurt as well as help us.
The ban was urged against Percocet and Vicodin. That wouldn't mean much unless you realize they contain acetaminophen, an ingredient in popular over-the-counter painkiller pills such as Tylenol and Excedrin.
The warnings and Jackson's unexplained death should teach us this:
*We must be our own guard against physical problems and their solutions.
*Doctors often help those problems, but sometimes some add to them.
I have nothing but the highest regard for the medical profession. In my many moves around the country, three types of professional acquaintances I always made first in any new town were a doctor, banker and lawyer, in that order.
But at age 85, I've realized for years that doctors differ greatly in their philosophical approach to patients. Many younger doctors are more inclined to be liberal in prescribing drugs or other "fixes" for patients. Most older doctors are more conservative and explain pros and cons more carefully.
Permit me a personal example of how and why I became drug adverse.
At age 47, I was diagnosed with a not uncommon heart condition called "atrial fibrillation." My doctor urged that I take Coumadin as an anticoagulant regularly.
When I researched the complications of monitoring Coumadin and its possible side effects, I opted instead for a daily aspirin. That also has a blood-thinning effect. So I've been on one aspirin a day for nearly 40 years.
Moral: The fewer drugs you or your doctor experiment with, the better. An inexpensive and easy-to-take aspirin a day may keep many headaches, heartaches and other pains away.
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