Lice, Fever & Other Things

Well, I think we are about over the Lice scare. We have checked and checked the kids heads and my head and don't see any signs. I have learned quite a bit more about lice than I wanted to. I am thinking to avoid this scare in the future we need to stay home.

Today, Scott has had a fever. He threw up all over me and himself but luckily missed Darryl's couch. It got up to 104.8 at the doctor's office but since we have come home, it went down to 99 and now he doesn't seem to have one at all. The doctor is thinking an ear infection/virus. This evening he has been playing and acting just like himself. He got a candy cane from the pharmacist and carried that around all evening. Kevin was quite jealous and wanted his own candy cane even though I wouldn't let anyone actually eat it. I think a full grown candy cane is just too much sugar for small children. I was really impressed that the Doctor called us tonight just to check on Scott. Great customer service!! Darryl wanted to know what they did to him to make him seem well so soon.

I really think we need to have more education for doctors and patients about medicine and antibiotics. In fact, we need more education for the public on how the body works in general. Maybe if everyone understood how the body works, we would treat it better. We recently bought a copy of the movie Human Body Exploring the Limits. It was really good and the kids were also fascinated by it. It has a lot of music, action and explains quite a bit about the body. I think that the body can heal itself in some cases if we let it. I don't understand why it took the medical community so long to figure out that a fever was the body's way of getting rid of the disease/virus. If we have figured out that bugs like lice can't stand heat, then why couldn't we deduce that maybe the body heated up to kill the infection. Why do we encourage people to take medicine that blocks the bodies natural defenses (like a fever) against disease?

We need a lot more public education about antibiotics. So many people still take only part of the prescription and save the rest for later. People routinely use other people's antibiotics when they can't get to the doctor quickly. Many people feel that antibiotics will cure anything so you need to take them if you are sick. We need public service messages about medication as well as education for doctors. Our local doctors have only recently begun not medicating over every little thing and still you will walk out the door for a prescription for antibiotics for an ear infection - even if it is a wait and see. Pretty much if you want an antibiotic they will give you one. How many people wait and see? We seem to expect that a cold or infection should clear up in a day or two when a normal cold may take two weeks or more. I think the public needs to understand that antibiotics don't cure everything immediately. We need ads on TV, public service messages, bill boards, whatever will work to curb our dependency on medication. Whey don't we have that? Because medication is big business!

Why do doctors keep prescribing medication we might not need? Because you go to the doctor for a product. If you go and they don't give you anything, you think you've wasted your money and really why would you need to go next time. Instead we need to be going for assessment and education.

Ok, off the soapbox. Happy New Year!