An Addendum; Our Journey to Better Health

Hi Everybody, Frank here.

 A couple of months back, actually February 13th, Fern and I put out a post called Our Journey to Better Health. This post dealt with medication we had taken over long periods of time, a few things we have done to reduce our exposure to chemicals, like changing toothpaste, deodorant and other things like that. We talked quite a bit about some of the prescriptions that doctors had given us over the years. Well, the reason for this addendum, is that I wanted to add one more to it, one more prescription, that is. 

In the original post, I talked about taking the prescribed medication Relafen, which I took for a pain in my shoulder blade area. Now remember, this was before the Internet. Well, after doing a little research and some experimentation, it dawned on me that the Relafen was causing the continued pain in my shoulder blade. So, what it boils down to, is that I was taking a medication for a symptom that the medication was creating. Well, that was easy enough to solve. Quit taking the Relafen, deal with the pain for a handful of days, and it’s a miracle, I’m cured. Like I told you in the original article, I took Relafen for a couple of years. When I asked the doctor about it, he said, sure it could cause that pain.

Moving along here. Also in the original article, I talked about having dry itchy armpits while living in Alaska. I used steroid creams, shots, numerous different forms of medications, and finally it dawned on me somehow or another, it was just dry skin. Now these steroid creams, shots and medications all came from doctors via prescriptions. All that it was, was simple dry skin, that within a short period of time, Vaseline Intensive Care hand lotion took care of.

Well, there is one medication that I had been taking for over 20 years, that I didn’t share with you in the original post. It’s called Zyrtec. Most people take it for some type of allergy. I took it because I had this uncontrollable entire body itch. Like I said, I took it for 20+ years. I’d tried to quit it multiple times, but every time I tried, two or three days later, I would get this uncontrollable itch that felt like my skin was crawling.

Well, about the time I hurt my back, while in Alaska, and took pain pills for weeks, the itch would go away and I could quit taking the Zyrtec. Which, by the way, at that time, Zyrtec was a prescription drug only, now it is over the counter. But, when I quit taking the pain medication, I would start to develop the same type of itch patterns again. Then out would come the Zyrtec.

Now, let me compliment the Internet. There is a tremendous amount of data available. Some of this data is worthless, some of it is filth and trash, but it can provide you with good, solid medical data. 

Fern and I started looking back. Here is some of the data we discovered. When coming off pain pill usage for long periods of time, one of the classic withdrawal symptoms are chronic itching and the feeling your skin is crawling. Very interesting. Also included in the data is with long term Zyrtec use, the major withdrawal symptoms include chronic, unbearable itching and feeling like your skin is crawling. 

Let me digress a little. I do not know the exact reason why I started taking Zyrtec. Fern and I changed our bar soap, laundry detergent, I quit wearing polyester type clothes and went to strictly cotton with a minimum amount of dyes, we changed everything we could change, and I cannot tell you exactly why I started taking the Zyrtec. I took the Zyrtec for the itching sensation, but we could never determine what caused the itch, not even with allergy testing. But the prescription Zyrtec took away the symptoms, or removed the itch. Wouldn’t it be ironic if that itch was caused by something as simple as dry skin? But I honestly do not know what caused it.

Going back to the original article, Fern and I have been trying to remove chemicals from our lives, and unnecessary medications. Now I still take a handful of vitamins daily, but I was also taking that one last medication that I couldn’t quit. Zyrtec. Back in January of this year, before we wrote the piece on February 13th, I had gone to my family doctor for some reason. While I was there, I asked him about some help for quitting Zyrtec, and his answer astounded me. “Why not just keep taking it? It doesn’t hurt you.”

You see, I had used the Internet to also study the side effects of Zyrtec, and one person had mentioned that he used a steroid medication for short term, to counter the effects of the Zyrtec withdrawal, so he could cease his addiction. That day at the doctor’s office, I asked him for a prescription of a steroid dose pack. At first he said the side effects of the steroids were worse than the long-term Zyrtec side effects. But with a little prodding he wrote me the prescription. It’s one of those things where you start off with a large dosage and for three, four and five days, gradually take less and less. Fern had an old prescription of this same type of steroid that she keeps around for poison ivy outbreaks. I used it to extend my daily steroid intake for a couple of weeks. Also, the day the doctor gave me the prescription, he gave me a steroid shot.

Well, that occurred back in January. Three months later, I am happy to say that I have not had a Zyrtec since middle January. I am not addicted to the steroids, I haven’t had one of those in two months. But after 20+ years, I’m off of the Zyrtec. You see, the Zyrtec was causing the itching. Now I have taken one of those things, either every day or every other day for over 20 years. I tried to get help to quit the Zyrtec multiple times over the years from numerous different doctors. Why is it that I, a retired educator, can figure out how to get myself off of a drug, when the medical profession can’t figure it out? And the doctor’s comment still plagues me, “Just keep taking it. They don’t do you any harm.” 

It bothers me to not trust the medical profession. It bothers me to not trust my government. It bothers me just to not trust. Period. But it seems that I have good solid reasons not to trust. That saddens me. It saddens me a great deal.

Now, on to happier things. In the original post, Our Journey to Better Health, Fern and I mentioned that we had also started a weight loss program. We started it December 3, 2014. Fern has now lost 26 pounds, and I have lost 30 pounds. We’ve done this by reducing our carbohydrate intake. We have had no sugar and almost zero processed foods. We have lost inches and reduced a couple of sizes in our clothes. I’m happy to say that we both feel much better. 

Other good news. Fern has ceased all prescription medications except one, and that is a thyroid medication. I am a 65 year old man, that a few months back was taking four or five prescribed

medications on a daily basis. I have, one at a time, quit all of them, without any negative side effects. Actually, I feel much better. So, why was I taking four or five prescribed medications if I really didn’t need them? Now, I know there are lots of folks that have to take medications, like Fern does. But, how many of us are taking medications that were administered originally for a short-term problem, that continue to take them for the long-term? How come our doctors, that we trust with our lives, keep us on medications that we don’t really need to take? Yes, I know there are lots of reasons why, but I don’t want to believe that my doctor would do that to me.

We all know that big business pharmaceuticals control the medical profession. Just like big business agri-chemicals control the food industry. I really don’t believe that any of them care about the people any more at all. So much for the doom and gloom.

If you would like, please read the original article. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it causes some serious thought. In the meantime, I am now Zyrtec free after 20+ years. Now, if the world, for whatever reason were to collapse, then I would not scratch my skin away from Zyrtec withdrawals. Imagine that 20+ years. I’m happy. Hallelujah! Free at last, free at last!

We’ll talk more later, Frank

Visit Thoughts From Frank and Fern at http://thoughtsfromfrankandfern.blogspot.com/