Suggestions: They’re a Good Thing
When people hear about my various ailments, often they try to help by offering suggestions that have worked for a similar problem they’ve had or someone they know has had. I think Martha Stewart would agree with me when I say that suggestions are “a good thing. ” (Yay! I’ve mentioned Martha on here twice now.)
I welcome suggestions — to me they show that people care — and I also see them as an opportunity to educate people about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). I do my best to explain EDS in a concise, easy to understand way. I like to teach, and I like to think that I’m good at it, but sometimes I wonder. It seems as though people just don’t get that their simple suggestions won’t alleviate a complex problem, even after I explain why their suggestions won’t work.
Just because going to the chiropractor fixed Aunt Ida’s subluxed ribs, it doesn’t mean it will help mine. If I went to a chiropractor every time I had a subluxed or dislocated joint — actually I wouldn’t go to a chiropractor — I’d be there every day, several times a day. I might as well set up a cot in the waiting area so I could be there as each event occurs. Maybe if I did that, I could get a deal on the “natural remedies” and the other miscellaneous, non-FDA approved stuff they sell.
On the same note — not chiropractors, I’m talking about suggestions again — I love hearing about how Uncle Herbert once used St. Ives Collagen Elastin to soften his 60 year-old skin. Just because the product has “collagen” in the name and my collagen is fragile (and I often feel 60 years old), it doesn’t mean that using a product made of collagen will make my skin less fragile.
Like I said before, I get that people are trying to help. It’s only natural to want to help someone solve a problem — it’s human. If something worked for you or someone you know, it feels good to share it. Maybe someday someone will suggest something that isn’t contraindicated with my condition — chiropractors — or something that might actually work. Until that time, I’ll leave the suggestions up to my doctors and I’ll continue my attempts at educating people about EDS.
This entry was posted on Friday, February 6th, 2009 at 12:19 pm and is filed under EDS Stuff, Misc. Thoughts on EDS & Chronic Illness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.