Her Active Philosopher: Ripping Off the Band-Aids
Posted July 23, 2007 at 11:26 AM by Katie Drummond
Section: Her Health, Body Image, Eating Disorders, Her Motivation, Her Nutrition, Her Story, Special Features
In this weekly column, Her Active Philosopher, Senior writer Katie Drummond, waxes philosophical and writes lyrically as she invites us on her personal health and fitness journey. You can read her previous columns by clicking on the following links: column one; column two; column three; column four.
When we were young, cuts were torture – even the smallest bleeder could evoke tears and trauma, as anxious parents went to great pains to subdue young casualties. Usually, all it took was a bright sassy band-aid (and maybe a cookie or two) before the tears dried up and we were back in fighting shape, ready to take on the world. Twenty odd years later, and I can still admit to preferring Cinderella band-aids to the usual flesh colored ones. Unfortunately, band-aids and cookies no longer solve most of my problems…though sometimes, I actually do give it a try. When it comes to cookies, I usually end up slightly nauseous. When it comes to band-aids - in that oh-so-profound, non-literal sense - I’ve found that they usually only make the cut even bigger, bloodier, and harder to heal.
Writing an article on amenorrhea and the birth control pill this week, I was given reason to pause and consider the ubiquitous dependency we have on so-called “band-aid” solutions to our physical and emotional ailments. Headache? Tylenol. Lovers spat? Buy them flowers. Bigger lovers spat? Go with jewelry. Today, it seems that no matter what the issue, facing a problem head on is passé, and addressing the symptoms is all the rage. More and more, doctors prescribe medication – from antidepressants to cholesterol inhibitors – that will alleviate our aches and pains, instead of determining why we have them. Trendy magazines dole out relationship advice that endorses little white lies and manipulative behavior to gain the upper hand, instead of communicating honestly and finding out what’s really wrong with a relationship. We’re all covered in proverbial band-aids, and I don’t think – pardon the overwrought use of cute clichés – that anything but ripping them off is going to heal the cuts underneath.
My own experience with band-aid remedies hits close to home for many athletes. Four years ago, a trusted doctor prescribed my too-thin-too-stressed teenage self a potent dose of birth control pills to kick start my period and protect my bones, which she said were at risk because of my low estrogen levels. Since then, I have wavered between attempting to gain weight (and solve the real problem) and just trying to be fit and happy (by deluding myself into thinking that the fake hormones coursing through my veins were as good as the real deal). When new research emerged showing that those years on the pill hadn’t really safeguarded me from anything, and had, if nothing else, worsened my precarious bone density, I was struck by the problems inherent in solving symptoms rather than attacking their root – a much more difficult task, sure, but a necessary one, if my brittle bones are any indication.
It is absolutely tragic that so many women take the easy road, opting for oral contraception rather than weight gain and long-term treatment for whatever psychological or physical woes are causing their amenorrhea in the first place. Clearly, medical science, though often well founded, is not fact, and we can’t unquestioningly trust in pills to solve problems that have deeper causes and more permanent solutions. Likewise, we can’t count on superficial remedies in any respect, whether dealing with romantic relationships, family, or our own emotional wellbeing. Flowers might make for an amorous reconciliation, and skipping holiday celebrations might alleviate simmering sibling tension – but be prepared for the consequences. It seems safe to say that whichever pseudo-solution you go with, it won’t hold, and you’ll likely put yourself, and everyone else involved, in an even more precipitous position.
After all that psycho-babble, what’s my remedy to the band-aid solution epidemic? Obvious – do it the hard way. This may not be welcome advice, even to me. Digging deep, no matter what the trouble, is always scary. If it weren’t, birth control would never have been prescribed to counteract bone loss – all of us underweight women would have just gained those 10 pounds and dealt with those demons. For me, I’m finding that the best I can do is think in terms of the short and long run. Will addressing the problems beneath the pesky symptoms be difficult? Absolutely, or we already would have addressed them. But will we be healthier and more whole, honest people as a result? I think it’s safe to say so, and after making the mistake of an easy solution once, I’d rather take on the tougher challenge.
Photo: ©istockphoto.com/Carmen Martínez Banús