Stances & Statements
HEALTH / WELLBEING - Part 2
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Pharmaceuticals
Some pharmaceuticals are absolutely necessary for a person's health. However, because many pharmaceutical companies have demonstrated unethical practices, and clearly are more interested in profits than the health of their customers, one should be cautious when taking any pharmaceutical. There are often side effects of taking just about anything. Don’t assume that because you are being prescribed medicine that it’s for the best. There are many medical professionals who are doing great work, but there are also a significant number of poorly trained and incompetent people in the medical profession. Even good doctors can make mistakes. Often doctors know very little about nutrition. They don’t have the best understanding of your past and present health even when you're being honest and extensive in communication. There is only so much information they can get from various tests and brief doctor’s visits. When being diagnosed with something and prescribed medication, just be cautious, do your due diligence, and make as much of an effort to solve the problem, if not more than your doctor.
COVID-19
The coronavirus known as COVID-19 is of course a real virus that has killed millions of people worldwide, more than HIV/AIDS has since its inception. It appears to have originated in a lab in Wuhan, China that studies coronavirus. While the truth of its origin is out there, we may not know for sure for a period of time, and perhaps indefinitely. What we can take away from this situation regardless of how it originated is that we need to do everything we can within reason to ensure the low probability of deadly viruses emerging and spreading. We encourage individuals to get vaccinated for COVID-19 with either of the two mRNA vaccines, Moderna or Pfizer. If for whatever reason you do not want to be vaccinated, it's advised that you take greater responsibility in protecting yourself as well as others by wearing a mask and not taking unnecessary risks.
Preferably you would wear an N95 mask, and if that mask has a vent, wear an additional cloth mask over the N95 as the vent otherwise releases your mouth/nose particulates ultimately putting others at risk. While not as common, an individual can get COVID-19 through their eyes as well, so for greater protection wear sunglasses. It takes little effort to protect yourself and others. For example, if you go through a drive-thru window to get food, simply use a cloth mask if you don’t have access to an N95 mask and put some sunglasses on that are stored conveniently in your vehicle. You may be partially outside, but also fairly close to another person, someone you likely do not know who is working indoors in a higher-risk environment. The idea is that you make the proper effort to not spread or be infected with a contagious virus that can potentially kill people.
When the above statement was originally written COVID-19 was more of a concern than it is at present. With that said, do your best within reason to be responsible and not put others’ health at risk.
Mental Health & Therapy
There has been a stigma behind mental illness for too long. As humans, we often perceive traits of people as weaknesses and make assumptions about situations we don’t understand. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), one in five Americans experiences mental illness within a given year, while one out of twenty-five Americans live with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression. I myself have dealt with anxiety and intrusive thoughts from being on the spectrum of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Life is challenging enough even when an individual doesn’t struggle with mental health. A good foundation for understanding oneself and others is to learn the basics of human psychology and how chemicals such as dopamine influence how we feel and behave. We also need to have a greater understanding of what other people are going through to have the needed empathy and compassion to help those who are struggling with mental health. Therapy is also something that has had a stigma attached to it but has been slowly becoming more accepted. The value of therapy can be lifesaving to an individual and that person’s loved ones if done properly. As a result, therapy should be embraced, or at least seriously considered.
Disabilities
It would seem that every person to some degree has some kind of disability, even when considered very minor. However, when people tend to think of disabilities, they might think of the ones that are visually more apparent. Regardless of any type of disability a person may have, it is not something to ever discriminate against, but to have a better understanding and empathy of that person’s situation. Everyone wants to be treated with respect and dignity, and everyone has different needs and should not be lumped into one category.