While I was crocheting...

Often when I'm crocheting or knitting something I don't have to think about much (I memorized the pattern and the stitch is easy) I will watch hulu.com or the Friends episodes we have on DVD. Yesterday I was watching House and had the option to watch it commercial free if I "watched" (read ignore) a 1min30sec commercial. This commercial was about medicine for a certain sleeping pill. I've seen the commercial before, but this time I paid attention to the "warnings." Check this out...
Diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness (including daytime drowsiness); "drugged" feeling; dry mouth; headache; nausea; nose or throat irritation; sluggishness; stomach upset. OR...(even better -.-) Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the hands, legs, mouth, face, lips, eyes, throat, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); abnormal thinking; behavior changes; chest pain; confusion; decreased coordination; difficulty swallowing or breathing; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; hallucinations; memory problems (eg, memory loss); mental or mood changes (eg, aggression, agitation, anxiety, depression); severe dizziness; shortness of breath; suicidal thoughts or actions; vision changes.

HOLY COW....Ummm I get that people can't sleep. And sometimes they need these things. (I suppose.) And if I'm not careful I might offend (not that there are a LOT of people that read this blog..), but YIKES. I find it scary how we (the US) readily swallow things that might give us side affects like this. I have before ... I'm sure you have before. I'm finding, though, that staying healthy in the first place is so much easier in the long run. When Francisco and I started using the AdvoCare products I don't think we really understood how MUCH more of a benefit it would be for us. Staying healthy from the inside out prevents us both from needing to consume mass amounts of these kinds of drugs. Don't get me wrong...I'm not saying that all drugs of this sort should be thrown out, but shouldn't we pay more attention to what we're taking and what it could do to us? Shouldn't we be worried when we take one pill then we have to take 2 more pills to counteract the first one and so on from there?
I pay attention more now then I used to. And it really is because of being involved in AdvoCare. I turn to their products (which have never had a negative affect on me) first before anything else. I understand that a mostly unknown product and company is difficult to trust, but why is it we so easily trust pills that could possibly harm us more than help us? I suppose the idea that a pill from your doctor could immediately "fix" the problem you're having is a huge draw. Francisco and I struggled when we first started. It was hard to stick with it when I didn't wake up and find myself a size 2. But we stuck with it over the year and Francisco lost 85lbs (from a size 44 to a 30) and I lost 12lbs and went from a size 16 to a size 8! We realized that the products we take work when we are consistent for longer than a week. We ask the people we work with to commit for 3 months, because everyone's body is different and sometimes it takes a while to fill in the holes and repair what ever has happened to the insides. It's difficult for our culture to grasp the idea that you have to be patient. AdvoCare isn't a microwave or an overnight miracle pill. It requires you to look at your life and how you treat yourself. Are you will to invest the time and resources to that? Will you begin to change what you eat? Will you try and take a walk more then once a week? If it meant climbing out of that energy slump or foggy feeling wouldn't you want to try? I know doing new things are scary, but sometimes you have to in order to change that path you're on that you dislike so much.
Something to think about. :)