Counseling Sheet

Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.
Preventive Medicine

The body is incredibly delicate. Its smallest building blocks are the individual cells. These cells are made of membranes so delicate that a tiny whisper of air would blow holes in them. These membranes are actually held together only by electrical fields. They are not hard structures, yet, with proper treatment, their structures can withstand stresses within reasonable limits.

Through the centuries of man's existence on this planet, we have identified many poisonous substances that will quickly kill or disable a living organism. Such things as cyanide, arsenic, strychnine, and similar substances are in this category. There are many poisons of a lesser nature that, while not causing immediate disability, give immediate interference with the body's functioning.

Drugs, both licit and illicit, are made up of different types of poisons and are all deleterious and potentially dangerous to the body in one way or another. It is for this very reason that certain drugs are under the control of prescriptions. Their interference with the function of the body is of such a profound nature that death or disability may result from their use. However, a license to practice medicine and dispense drugs does not give a doctor the right to deal with all poisonous chemicals. Some are controlled by laws that are not under the medical act. They include cyanide and other chemicals determined by law, and only certain licensed individuals are allowed to handle such chemicals. It is for the common good that these controls are imposed.

The way that most drugs work in the body is by interfering in enzyme systems. If, by definition, a drug is poisonous because it interferes in the various biochemical systems of the body, it is understandable that the use of drugs could interfere with the long-range welfare of the body. An unborn child can also be damaged by the use of all types of drugs. From antihistamines, aspirin, and antacids to diuretics and antibiotics - all interfere with the development and growth of the unborn baby.

Nicotine is also a poison. Smoking disrupts the function of every tissue of the body. Nicotine interferes not only with the body of the person who smokes, but also with an unborn baby. Recent research compared the placentas of several hundred women who had smoked during one pregnancy but did not during another. Invariably, the smoking pregnancy produced a larger, more scarred placenta, indicating a reduction of blood flow to the fetus. Furthermore, the babies were smaller and less vigorous, and many were premature. Even breathing in the secondhand smoke from another person's smoking can put injurious chemicals into the blood of an innocent bystander. We can do ourselves and society a great service by giving up drugs and tobacco.

Many individuals feel indifferently about the body and treat it improperly. We should want to care for the body for its own sake, and for our own comfort and welfare, both present and long-range. But, if one does not sense a responsibility to one's self, he or she should develop a sense of responsibility to family or friends. One seldom suffers alone in sickness or disability.