The Dry River

Thank you, Mom! I got sick as a child, and I owe that to my mother. I am proud of that fact though. I like germs. I’m glad I faced my fair share of infections and sickness. I am in college now, and I can stand my ground versus any virus that faces my peers. I have decided to add my excellent immune system to my resume due to the fact that it has become very uncommon. There is an epidemic facing the world because of overmedication and illness avoidance.

Moms lead their children around with a can of anti-bacterial spray and alcohol wipes. They run to the doctor with the slightest inclination of an outbreak. They insure a yearly dose of the flu vaccine. They prevent the development of a decent immune system with their meddling in the misunderstood. Germs and viruses thrived long before humans walked this planet. We evolved among them, equipped to deal with their affliction. That said, it’s only so obvious that we are a mightier species, while they thrive on evolutionary weaknesses. A weakness, a loophole, must exist for them to utilize it. Every species has these weaknesses, but we as humans have attempted to eliminate them. The world evolves through natural selection; sadly, this selection normally results in the death of those not favored by it. But we as humans have completely eliminated natural selection within our society. This has left us standing still on the road of evolution. To top off the lack of evolution, we have weakened our own species though overmedication. Now not only are we not proceeding, we are going backwards. Not allowing our children to get sick has weakened their immune systems, allowing previously beatable illnesses to be deadly without more medication.

Consider the medical implications; a person must get sick to produce antibodies, naturally anyway. The best example is still the Chicken Pox; every person on this planet gets infected, on purpose in a lot of instances, to force their body to produce the antibodies necessary to beat it. Once produced, that individual is immune to the affliction. If we would have developed a vaccine, we would use it without a second thought. Thankfully, the Chicken Pox virus is not changing as fast as some other, more dangerous ones. What if it were changing? What if the virus adapted to the vaccine and became capable of infecting those who were previously immune? What if it were… the flu? The flu virus changes every season; hence, some seasons are worse than others. This is the reasoning behind yearly inoculations. So, once enough of the population is immune, the virus fades from view, and another form of it takes its place. Each year, one must be given the vaccine to remain illness free, but the root of the virus is still the same. I got sick, majorly sick, a few times in my life and naturally grew my own antibodies to fight it off. Now at my current age, the virus barely impacts me; my body recognizes it as a form of something I have beaten before and it has years of steps taken toward beating it again. Compared to those who receive yearly vaccines, we have the same antibodies in our systems, but mine knows how to build them itself.

I like the human species; I do not wish to see it wiped out, and therefore I do agree with artificially eliminating those viruses that cause death. Viruses such as polio, rubella, and the plague, these should be stopped by any means necessary. The flu needs to be left alone to run its course without interference; this is the only way to ensure the forward movement, even if only to match that of the evolving world around us. I ask parents out there to drop their cans of disinfectant. Regular cleaning and hygiene will beat any virus. Allow your children to get sick, care for them, and watch them come out stronger than they went in.

The overmedication has led to far more than beating the flu; every negative quality has a medication. Got depression, get a pill… Overweight, get an operation… Sore muscle, have some aspirin… Lack the essential vitamins for life, don’t worry about your diet, just pop this multi-vitamin. In an age where everything can be solved by medicine, why concern yourself with general good habits? Let me tell you, since the pharmaceutical industry that you trust with your life will not – the children. The pharmaceutical industry is interested in one thing, profit. They lack concern for the future generations, or if they do care about them, it is because they see more profit at hand. Over several generations, we will eliminate our own immune systems and come to rely on these corporations for cures for all problems. Nothing against the industry of the future, but it is up to the public to use it wisely.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, July 4th, 2009 at 8:55 pmand is filed under All, Humanity, Psychology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.