Is Natural Choice Always the Best Choice When it Comes to Health?
My dog has fleas. Creepy crawlies are getting me in the night! Despite my best efforts to deter fleas from my dog, she got them. I can’t SEE them, but she has bites and is scratching. And I have bites! I recently got back from a trip to California, during which time I stayed at a not-so-swanky hotel, so my initial fear was that I brought bed bugs home with me. But no – thank God – we’re just dealing with fleas. That said – Still very gross!
Upon moving to the Lower Mainland, I did everything a yogi dog owner could do – I made a natural choice, I hit up the privately owned pet store on Commercial Drive and purchased a piece of plastic that creates a bio-energetic field around my dog so fleas and ticks won’t be attracted to her. It’s completely harmless to her (not like those nasty chemicals).
And it seemed to work. I’m told fleas are a big problem in this climate, and for the last two years that I’ve lived here my dog has not contracted fleas. But, then, we have also stuck mostly to sidewalk walks since I’ve lived here. Now we have found a park where bunnies are abundant so my dog gets an amazing workout and she has brought home fleas.
So my earthy, chemical-free, hippie approach to dealing with fleas has gone completely out the window. She got the shampoo treatment, the ointment treatment and every piece of flea-fostering material in my place has been sprayed with toxic chemicals made to kill.
Why is this relevant to health and fitness, you might ask? Because it highlights the fact that our generation has gone so far in the way of wanting to keep things organic and natural, we’ve ignored and dismissed some scientific advancement that DO make a positive difference in our lives.
The lesson I learned this week regarding my health is that sometimes it’s okay to risk a potential, unproven future health risk in order to make a “now” that is liveable. The benefit of medication in the present is sometimes worth the statistic. Don’t be stubborn to spite yourself – it’s okay to need the odd medical miracle; you’re just another creature of the Earth trying to survive comfortably.
