Health Media Frenzy

“Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”
      Mark Twain 

I’ve been thinking of dumping my television. I’d kick out the whole social media thing, but it has its uses. My blog for example.

​But my god! Take the health advertisements! It’s amazing that the majority of us aren’t hypochondriacs. Maybe we are.

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I guess money has a big part in this. You think?

​We are educated about so many diseases, and then, on top of them, we have to deal with the real, in-our-face illnesses, which we or others are suffering from. It’s a heavy burden. 

And apparently, to make it even worse, I’ve learned that some bugs have no empathy and don’t care. Not a Christian among them. Humbug!

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A Little Dog By His Mail Box

We also have all the tests which are posted on the social media. For example, we can check to see if we’re getting dementia by studying how we shower or sleep. We can also do self appraisals on our bodies, so we can discover what other bugs are sneaking up on us. It’s a massive’ Find Waldo’ situation. And if we do discover Waldo or think we’ve found Waldo, then what? Spinning like a hamster in a cage. We must take the appropriate action. Which may be to dump your television and other mouthy media utensils. 

Ghostly Forest

However, whatever you do, please don’t do the luddite test on me. If you do, make sure you wait for fifteen minutes before you take a look at the results. Will you find out that I have Ludditis. Ha

Hiking on Big Baddeck Highland Trail

No wonder we feel anxiety when we’re constantly reminded that there are strange, unsympathetic diseases hiding in our bodies. Waiting in ambush. 

​Oh yes, and there’s a drug for most of these diseases. And most of these medications have side-effects. Some of the side-effects’ explanations take up over half of the commercials. Some of them can kill you. However, they play soothing music while they’re listing them off.

A Happy Hiker

It’s not that I don’t think that most of these diseases are real, but having to hear about them all the time, is like living with a hypochondriacal uncle. 

 They say that a coward dies many times. I think television and social media makes us sick many times.

​So, this is one of the reasons I have thought of dumping my tv. I’m tired of educating myself about so many illnesses. I don’t want to know. 

Moss Critter

Therefore, I use the ostrich approach. For example, I don’t read the warnings on any pills that I take. If I’m taking a prescribed pill and all of a sudden I’m peeing out Christmas cane coloured urine, well then, there’s a good chance that it’s the pills.

On Our Morning Walk

You see, I have a good imagination. If I read the warnings and see that Christmas coloured urine warning, well then, I’ll be anxiously waiting for the multi-coloured urine to appear, and I’ll probably also begin suffering from attacks of too much health education vertigo.

Our Snowy Pond

PS. At this moment I am anxiously watching the river getting higher and higher. It’s dangerously close to its banks and I have no ostrich philosophy that will help me with this in-my-face climate event. I’m hoping the rain lets up soon. Fingers crossed.

Turkey Tails

It’s times like these when I miss Sue’s quiet confidence. She could stare into the rising river’s eyes and not flinch. Her attitude made me feel safer. 

PS. Two
Some of you might wonder why my photos mostly don’t go with the text. It’s part of my anti-AI battle. 

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Dominic Enjoying the Snow