nettled
I'm sitting here (procrastinating) with a big cup of nettle tea. It tastes like a big cup of hot grass water. My midwives suggested I drink it for a few days to relieve my itchiness. This pregnancy has brought to the forefront one of the minor tensions of my life, which is my feelings about medicine. I believe in science, and I also believe in the limits of science. I believe that the ability of Western medicine to make people well is limited. I want to go to the hospital if I am seriously ill or injured, but I have very little faith in the medical system to address minor complaints, and I am aware that the medical system sometimes makes people sicker. I think the tradeoffs when you enter the system should be considered. I almost never take over-the-counter medication. I also don't take herbal supplements, because I know how poorly they're regulated. My preference for most physical problems is just to try to eat properly, exercise, drink lots of water, and wait and see. This nearly always works out fine, for me. So far.
Luckily, I have never had any serious health problems, so I've never really had to wrestle with my faith in any kind of healing system. However, I've spent a lot of time during this pregnancy trying to pick my way along a sort of compromise path. I got two ultrasounds and some blood tests. I'm planning a home birth. I keep turning down all sorts of herbal interventions for my minor complaints. My midwives are lovely people who quickly grasped that I am not very far out on the hippie continuum,* and are very respectful of my commitment to science. I appreciate the way they work with me. The nettle tea, however, is the first "treatment" they've suggested that I'm actually following up on. The internets suggest that nettle tea might trigger miscarriage, but that's not a problem at this point. It sounds like there's nothing bad about it, and maybe some good (hooray for vitamin K!). Once I settled that, however, there's the issue of who picked it, and from where. The midwifery clinic sold me the stuff, in a plastic bag labeled "nettles" in sloppy handwriting. So I just have to assume that it is really nettles, and that the plants are clean.
Anyway, I guess this is something I'll have to come to terms with pretty soon. The odds are good that I or Cook or Dutch or Anaximander will have some serious medical problems in the next twenty years, and we'll have to figure out what to do. Probably nettle tea won't do the trick.
*One of them has started using car-mechanic metaphors to talk to me about pregnancy and labor, which I very much appreciate. No talk of blossoming lotus flowers and whatnot.
Luckily, I have never had any serious health problems, so I've never really had to wrestle with my faith in any kind of healing system. However, I've spent a lot of time during this pregnancy trying to pick my way along a sort of compromise path. I got two ultrasounds and some blood tests. I'm planning a home birth. I keep turning down all sorts of herbal interventions for my minor complaints. My midwives are lovely people who quickly grasped that I am not very far out on the hippie continuum,* and are very respectful of my commitment to science. I appreciate the way they work with me. The nettle tea, however, is the first "treatment" they've suggested that I'm actually following up on. The internets suggest that nettle tea might trigger miscarriage, but that's not a problem at this point. It sounds like there's nothing bad about it, and maybe some good (hooray for vitamin K!). Once I settled that, however, there's the issue of who picked it, and from where. The midwifery clinic sold me the stuff, in a plastic bag labeled "nettles" in sloppy handwriting. So I just have to assume that it is really nettles, and that the plants are clean.
Anyway, I guess this is something I'll have to come to terms with pretty soon. The odds are good that I or Cook or Dutch or Anaximander will have some serious medical problems in the next twenty years, and we'll have to figure out what to do. Probably nettle tea won't do the trick.
*One of them has started using car-mechanic metaphors to talk to me about pregnancy and labor, which I very much appreciate. No talk of blossoming lotus flowers and whatnot.
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