Drugs

I do understand the business model. But I don't have to like it.

To ensure continued revenue, companies benefit by fostering a dependence among consumers. I have come to accept some of these dependent relationships -- for example, I am cheerfully resigned to being addicted to Peppermint Patties and Dr. Pepper. I have no problem with my perceived need to have a continuous gym membership. And I've been completely comfortable with my utter reliance on Chapstick since I was 15 years old.

But I do NOT want to become dependent on prescription drugs.

After much discussion and multiple ineffective attempts at dietary control, my doctor finally convinced me to try some cholesterol management medicine. I've been on Lipitor for a couple of months now, and I don't like it. One of the documented side effects is muscle aches, and I have been consistently achy and knotted up since I took the first pill. Of course, it's tough to tell how much of that is due to the drug, and how much is workout related...or perhaps just an "old age" thing. But massages haven't helped, nor has my Body Wrench/foam roller work, nor even sitting in a hot tub for extended periods. I'm just feeling constantly tight and lumpy, and am thus not able to access my natural fluid grace.

Well OK, you caught me -- I've never had any fluid grace. But you know what I mean. I have never been as consistently tense and wound up as I have been since I started Lipitor...so I'm looking forward to getting off of it. I'll finish this bottle and get my cholesterol checked again in a month or so, and after that will do my best to hold the LDL and triglyceride numbers down with strictly non-pharmaceutical methods.

But that's not my only drug-dependence issue right now. As previously reported, I had been squirting Nasonex up my nose to open up the Eustachian tubes as a cure for the mysterious crackling noises I heard coming from inside my head. It worked, and I've been free of crunchy audio phantoms for over a month. So I stopped using the spray. And guess what? The noises have begun again.

So I guess I'll start shooting the Nasonex again. Bummer. I hate to think that my ears are permanently messed up, and that I'll need this medication forevermore. It's a pain to remember to use it each evening, an inconvenience to administer the doses, and a drain on the wallet when it comes time to renew the prescriptions. And from a self-image standpoint alone, it's important to me to avoid such addictions. I do NOT want to be one of those old guys who schedules his life around his pillbox.

Of course, I don't want to have clogged arteries or unsolicited ear noises, either. But if I expect to avoid allocating a significant portion of every single paycheck to the drug companies, I guess I'll have to explore other alternatives. For the cholesterol problem, a conversion to Veganism might be the answer, as commie-pinko-hippy-queer as that might sound. An unpleasant option, to be sure, but one I could probably do. As for the Eustachian tube noises, I suppose I could try pouring some Liquid Plumr down my ear canal, or perhaps implementing some sort of Mythbusters-style solution involving energetic explosives. I'll have to consider all the available approaches before deciding what to try next. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

In the meantime, I have another graphical challenge for you. What is the common theme that runs throughout these pictures? (Click to enlarge the photos.)



I'll give you two hints -- They are in a specific order, and that order is also represented by this sequence: 26 28 29 47 50 79 80 82.

Good luck, and have a great day!