Prescription Bottle
Abha Yadav Pharmacies Ltd, ca. 2020
Molded plastic
9.7 x 3 x 3 cm
Purchased from Shopper’s Drug Mart
Personal collection
This artifact is a prescription bottle, something that I myself was prescribed for a long-term health issue I have had to learn to handle and live with. I see the medication I take every day as a last resort. Prior to my being prescribed this medication, I had tried every other option for relieving my medical issues and returning to a normal quality of life. But, despite everything I had tried, my doctor and I decided that it would be worthwhile to explore different medications that may aid in taking the edge off the more debilitating aspects of my health issues. Although I was deeply nervous and concerned, the impact that this medication has made on my life has felt like a miracle; my quality of life has improved, my academic performance has benefitted, and I have been well enough to return to hobbies and activities that I used to love. Since the beginning of the current global pandemic, and my own personal isolation in social distancing, this medication has taken on an even deeper meaning as I have been left to think and reflect more. I have come to appreciate how fortunate I am to have so many options for treating various healthcare issues. This grows in significance for myself when I consider how deeply indebted I am to have universal healthcare in Canada, as well as just to be able to afford any sort of pain relief medication.
The use of modern medicine, and particularly prescribed medications have become a hot-button issue from my own experience in contemporary academia. My peers and I have had many discussions considering the proportion of people being prescribed mediations in Canada while not truly needing them. A trend toward natural remedies for various genetic disorders, chronic pain issues, and mental health issues (to name just a few) has arisen in the last few years as a response to this. But I would like to state some interesting and positive ways in which modern medicine has truly benefitted the human population. According to Sullivan (2018), the rate of fatalities from heart disease has dropped nearly 60% since 1970, and the death rate from cancer has dropped approximately 16% since the 1990s. In addition, the lifespan of Americans has risen over 10 years since 1960, and the rate of deaths from HIV/AIDS has dropped more than 75% since 1995. These are some really wonderful effects of modern medicine, and I encourage everyone to think about how incredible the progress our medical research has made during this darker time in history.
Teresa Kern