Medications as a tool

I think medications are misunderstood.

Of course no one wants to take medicines, and I admit that healthcare should do a way better job of incorporating non-medical approaches into treatment whenever possible. However, medications can be powerful tools to help you achieve your health goals. 

The web defines a tool as 

• an instrument that you use to help you accomplish a task

Just as a hammer helps you in the task of driving a nail, medicine can help fix a problem like an infection. If you have a bacterial infection in your bloodstream, you're probably going to want antibiotic therapy.

A few problems with medications:

• Some providers want to prescibe a pill for everything, even when there are other options
• For chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, we don't often get good feedback that the medicine is helping
• Medications can create side effects, sometimes serious ones, that make us nervous about taking them
• Medications cost money, sometimes a lot of it
• It's a hassle to manage prescriptions, get refills, and deal with insurance companies

The trick then is to use the right medications, at the right time, and combined with the right lifestyle choices, to move you closer to your desired health.