Medicalisation
As ever, I can only read the ‘headlines of
Chris’s posts at ‘Always smiling,’ but I had to smile at the heading of her
latest post, ‘I feel I missed out.’
Her post was about menopause. Of course,
there’s peri-menopause and post-menopause as well, so there’s no escape from
all the ‘research’ that goes into this mysterious condition that affects every
woman if she lives long enough.
Of course, some women have gynaecologically
challenging times, and deserve sympathy and practical help. Most women I know
have ‘just got on with it.’
My apologies if I’ve trampled on any toes,
but my gripe is a general one, that we live in an increasingly medicalised
world.
Natural conditions are transformed into marathons
of ‘experience,’ with ‘problems’ to be faced and ‘overcome,’ as if we are
climbing a mountain and need to be provided with ropes, axes, and crampons. Don’t
forget the ‘special diet,’ either, to compensate for all the things that will
now and forever be missing, or to provide for the ‘new’ and ‘challenging’
things we will face in any new or unfamiliar condition in which we find ourselves.
Of course, it is essential to be aware and
alert, to monitor our health and take steps to preserve strength and wellbeing.
It is also important to maintain a sense of balance.
There is no cure for life.
It's a tricky subject. Do we "soldier on" as women did for centuries, or do we take advantage of all that can make life easier? I soldiered on for a while through hot flushes, but when they got worse and I also had "crawling skin" I went to my doctor and got HRT pills, gold stars to whoever invented them! I don't believe in making a big deal out of anything "marathons of experience"?? Not too sure about any need for the "special diet" to make up for all the things we are missing. Does anyone change their diet because of menopause?
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