Self-Medication—Benefits and Risks

By Awake! Correspondent In Brazil

“WORLDWIDE the self-medication market is expanding,” claims the president of a large pharmaceutical company. “People want to be in control of their own health.” Although this may be so, are there any risks you should be aware of?

Of course, if used properly, medicine can bring relief. For example, insulin and antibiotics as well as even the inexpensive and simple formula of oral rehydration therapy save countless lives. The challenge of self-medication is to determine when the benefits outweigh the risks.

Admittedly, in some lands qualified medical aid may be either too far away or too expensive. Hence, many people rely on the opinions of friends and relatives or on self-help books for information regarding medication. Also, “publicity campaigns convey the idea that through the purchase of a simple capsule, it is possible to have health and well-being,” says Fernando Lefèvre, a professor at São Paulo University, Brazil.a As a result, to overcome the effects of overwork, poor nutrition, and even trivial emotional problems, many resort to drugs. Lefèvre adds: “Instead of improving the quality of their life, people try to solve their problems with products off the shelves.” And who knows if the patients even have the right diagnosis?

Besides using medication to treat such illnesses as headaches, hypertension, and upset stomach, many resort to medication to cope with anxiety, fear, and loneliness. “People seek the help of a doctor because they think that a pill will solve the problem,” says Dr. André Feingold. “Even health professionals are inclined to prescribe formulas and recommend countless tests. There is no effort to get to know the history of the patient, who in the majority of cases has a chaotic, stressful, and unwholesome life-style.” Admits Romildo Bueno, of the World Council for Prevention of the Abuse of Psychotropics (drugs that alter perception or behavior): “There is limited time to see patients, and the doctor gets rid of the person, treating only the symptom.” Using drugs “is a medicinal way of [solving] social problems.” However, another doctor cautions that many patients do need carefully prescribed psychotropic drugs.

After discussing the “Prozac Fad,” the Brazilian daily O Estado de S. Paulo says: “A remedy that becomes a fad, just like a new hairstyle, is, to say the least, strange.” It quotes psychiatrist Arthur Kaufman: “Lack of perspective and purpose in life creates a phenomenon that makes an effective remedy the salvation from all ills.” Kaufman adds: “The human being is becoming more and more concerned with immediate remedies, and therefore, having lost interest in finding the causes of his problems, he prefers taking a pill to solving them.” But is it safe to self-medicate?

Self-Medication—A Risk?

“One of the striking characteristics in the medical field in the 20th century has been the development of new drugs,” says The New Encyclopædia Britannica. But it also says: “Probably more poisoning is due to medicines than to any other cause.” Indeed, just as medicine can cure, it can also harm. Anorexia diet pills “act on the nervous system and therefore can trigger such adverse symptoms as insomnia, changes in conduct, and in some cases even hallucinations,” explains writer Cilene de Castro. She adds: “But anyone who thinks that anorexia pills act only as appetite inhibitors is fooling himself. One capsule may be the beginning of a vicious circle of remedies, each one neutralizing the effect of the other.”

Many commonly used drugs can cause irritation of the stomach and even nausea, vomiting, and bleeding. Certain drugs can be habit-forming or cause damage to the kidneys and liver.

Even popular health products may be suspect. “This fad for vitamin supplements is extremely dangerous,” warns Dr. Efraim Olszewer, president of a Brazilian medical association. “Not only is the population medicating itself but some uninformed doctors are prescribing dubious formulas, disregarding the dangers involved.” Another doctor, however, states that vitamin supplements in appropriate doses may be necessary or beneficial in treating certain illnesses and deficiencies.

Safe Self-Diagnosis—How?

Since we cannot see a doctor every time we feel discomfort, health education and rational self-medication can be beneficial to our families. However, before any medication is taken, correct and effective self-diagnosis is vital. If there is not a doctor nearby or you cannot afford to see one, consulting an adequate medical reference book might help you to make a correct diagnosis. For example, the American Medical Association publishes a family medical guide that includes a 183-page section of symptom charts. These lead the patient through a series of questions that can be answered either yes or no. By this process of elimination, a problem can often be identified.

But what about the role of doctors? When should we seek professional help? How can we avoid the extremes of being either too worried about our health or negligent? Really, in a world where illness and psychosomatic sickness are prevalent, how can we enjoy a measure of good health?

[Footnote]

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“There is no effort to get to know the history of the patient, who in the majority of cases has a chaotic, stressful, and unwholesome life-style.”—Dr. André Feingold

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Herbal Home Remedies

For thousands of years, people in many cultures have treated their sicknesses with herbal remedies, using plants found in the fields and forests. Even many modern drugs are made from plants, such as digitalis, which is used for treating heart problems. Thus, Penelope Ody, a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists in the United Kingdom, states in her book that “there are more than 250 safe treatments to help alleviate common complaints—from ordinary coughs, colds, and headaches to special treatments for skin conditions, digestive problems, and children’s illnesses.”

She writes: “Herbalism has always been regarded as the ‘medicine of the people’—simple remedies that can be used at home for minor ills or to supplement more potent remedies prescribed by professionals for chronic and acute conditions.” She continues: “Although most herbs are intrinsically quite safe, they should be treated with respect. Do not exceed stated doses or continue with home remedies if conditions are persistent, are worsening, or if the true diagnosis is in doubt.”—The Complete Medicinal Herbal.