Experimenting With Alternative Medicines

                Throughout these chapters I learned a lot that I did not know. Every chapter I read, I realize what a poor consumer I am. Thankfully for this class, however, I am becoming a better one. I definitely related more to chapter 5 than 6 because I am not one who really uses alternative medicine and things of that sort. I do use over the counter medicines when I am sick and behind the counter such as Advil Cold Sinus.

I do not take prescription drugs almost ever anymore. I remember being prescribed different things when I was little for colds and such, and it has been ten years or so since that has happened. Something that stood out to me in this chapter was the pain killers. As it says in the text, it is up to the patient to use them properly and be responsible. I have seen so many people use these inappropriately and it is so sad.

I felt as though I still learned a lot from chapter 6 although I could not relate to it as much. The only alternatives I had been familiar with were yoga, chiropractic, acupuncture and supplements. Any other ones mentioned in the text I had never heard of, and it was interesting to learn about how people try to help themselves and in a way ‘self-medicate’ without actual medication.

I have tried yoga in the past. I did not prepare for it at all, and I had no idea what to expect. I did not wear the proper clothing and was incredibly uncomfortable. I did not like it because I felt it was too slow pace for me. I was bored and had trouble focusing, problems I do not normally have. I have thought about possibly trying supplements in the future. Before I do that, I will make sure to look into who is advocating for this type of treatment and how widely available it is. I would also research if it was safe and talk to a professional because making any rash decisions.

Something that was helpful throughout this module was the discussion postings. I liked being able to read how everyone understood different parts of the text and their thoughts about it. I really like how we all have to answer questions because it makes you think more about the topic than you normally would having just read the text and being done with it.

I liked this article I found form the mayo clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/alternative-medicine/art-20045267 It just explains as well what was in our text and adds to it. I always appreciate looking at multiple sources to understand material.

I think to improve my grade I will take more notes while I am reading which may help with the quizzes and even the discussions. When taking in so much information it is easy to forget things. I love being able to look back on my note sheets and be instantly reminded of a chapter or module. I think my participation in discussion has improved. I would sometimes forget to add information from the text or to accompany my original response with a link, and I feel I have gotten much better with that.