MISTAKES IN SELF-MEDICATIONS

With the growing internet and information, a lot of research is readily available at the tip of fingers. People find accessing and getting answers from google easier, cheaper and comfortable than asking or approaching an expert. This led to creation of a group of content creators who are not qualified yet based on their personal experiences they are delivering suggestions, advises to anyone.

This also led to the creation of a lot of myth that eclipses the expertise and experience that is required to deliver a better prescription. People try to find their medication related details from internet and try that product/medicine on themselves blindly. This is common these days and nearly everyone in one way or another tried to do such experiments on themselves. Reading online forums, gathering researches, going through surveys won't replaces a practitioners advises. I myself in the past tried several supplements like spirulina, vitamins and amino acid based products that caused me a lot of health damages than benefits.

Rather than going through a perfect channel of Advise->Tests->Medication->Screening, people go for the online tests and generic supplements that are available at lower costs. Without prescription, people are trying to heal themselves and it is not only worng for their ownself but this also propagates the open usage of medications in front of common or non-experts viewers. In the end, this word of mouth spreads like a fire and you will see people trying similar things in their houses.

One perfect example is during covid, a lot of supplements based on herbs came in the market, advertising the benefits without a proper research. This led to the large amount of sales of such supplements which was half-baked, not proven and had a geater chance to cause side-effects. In thrid world countries, this phenomenon is quite common. People tend to be their own doctor and finds everything available on internet as truth.

Not only online forums, but other mediums like blogging, articles, youtube videos also aided in this henious experiment. I don't say that herbs are useless but to a common person making anything useful out of it is as same as a bicycler attempting to fly a plane. It may work or may not but why one should leave their life on chances when better channels are still available. We know that in tribal areas, demographic indicators are poor which shows that not everything available in forest can be used to make medicine. And myth won't prevail over a mere esxperience of few generations.

At the same time, the medications that are believed to be helpful can be surely tested with scientific grounding and be delivered to people in need. Another perfect example for this is ORS - Oral Redydration Solution - which is made up of table salt, sugar and water - which helps in replenshing vital electrolytes required to function as a healthy person. In South-Asia, ORS helped millions of people to get out of the tragedy, pandemic, disaster while maintaing their health.

It is high time, that we must use all the available data, surveys, medications with due considerations and advises of experts. Let's not push ourselves in a pandora box which is filled with uncertainities and half-baked knowledge or experiences.

Thank you.

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