Did you know that the origin of the custom of saying “God bless you†to someone who just sneezed dates all the way back to 590 AD? It was also during this time period that the bubonic plague was raging through Europe.
One of the most damning symptoms was when a victim sneezed and it was during then that a papal decree was supposedly issued which suggested that God’s blessing be offered to anyone who sneezed so that that person does not fall victim to the bubonic plague.
Today, the phrase is heard every so often and it is, just as often, dismissed as something passive. Much like the passing of a breeze through your bedroom window on a summer night, it is felt, detected, but unnoticed. It seems funny to think that there was a time when the phrase would be uttered for someone suspected of being infected with an illness that pretty much spelled death.
And today? Well, thanks to modern medicine, the illnesses that ancient civilizations once feared, such as cough, colds, and the flu, are now more of a nuisance rather than a real danger to our lives. And as we progress, we continue to make our solutions even more potent than ever.
But there’s a fine line between developing technology as a means to improve one’s quality of life and as an excuse to seek convenience. The benefits of technology cannot be overlooked, but there’s a real danger in being overly dependent on our innovations. As it is, it may seem that there’s a pill for every ill and that’s dangerous to both our health and our psychology.
The Psychology of Dependency
Yes. Let me explain. Dependency on medication is dangerous to our behavior when it comes to minor aches and pains. Because we are able to get instant relief from the pain that plagues us, we then learn to strive for instant gratification, which is one of the worst things to accrue in terms of behavior. When we reach for medication instead of enduring the pain (and waiting for the pain to go away naturally) we are programming our brains to seek instant gratification. This hinders mental toughness, which is an essential aspect of the modern human, especially in an environment where almost every market is oversaturated and highly competitive. You need grit in order to be able to carve out a spot for yourself.
Over-reliance on Medication
There is a growing concern over self-medication, especially in the United States. People have been found to take whatever they feel will get rid of the pain they are experiencing. This behavior is dangerous on so many levels due to the fact that most of these medications are meant to be consumed alone. This is an unnecessary risk especially when there are a lot of safer alternatives to common medications. Herbs such as Andrographis provide an effective and safe solution to the medication dependency we have.
The only problem here is that drug manufacturing companies spend millions so that they’re able to market their products. Those that harvest herbs do not have that kind of money and as a result, they are often out-marketed by drug manufacturers. Most people may not even be aware that there are indeed alternatives to the pill for every ill solution that we have grown so used to as a society.