A Formidable Foe Indeed

January 22, 2023

Honey badgers…are known for their incredible strength and aggressive attitude when facing likely predators…Honey badgers are also well known for their tremendous courage and fearlessness. They have been observed…chasing adult lions from their territory…Their best form of defense is offense. Their strong jaws, sharp teeth and claws and their ability to rapidly move backwards makes them an extremely formidable foe. ~ factanimal.com

I’ve become a full-on Western medicine skeptic over the last several years. I’m particularly leery of prescription medications and only take them with great circumspection. My elderly family member, however, is fully immersed in a  decades’-long history of “necessary” prescriptions, and disentangling her from their clutches seems an impossible proposal for a layperson like me.

However, disentanglement may become necessary. Quite suddenly, she can’t hear very well. After wishfully thinking that it might get better, it occurred to me that her allopathic medications could have hearing loss as a side effect. With growing dismay, I researched her medications. I stopped after looking at three, all of which can cause permanent hearing loss.

I feel as if a vulnerable elder has been stealth-assaulted by products that we’ve been assured would keep her “healthy.“

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I am not at all sure what to do about this, but I must do something. Damage of a relatively severe level has already occurred. Hearing loss is frequently irreversible, and from what I understand, there is no cure, only the notoriously inadequate crutch of hearing aids. 

Since this health issue is not mine but a dependent family member’s, any action I take could be called into question. I’ve always been careful to abide by healthcare providers’ instructions for my family member. I don’t want to be accused of endangering her health—for all I know, an overzealous doctor could attempt to remove her from my care if I am deemed to pose a “danger“ to her. It seems unlikely, but I don’t want to take the chance.

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It’s been percolating into my head that while I may be a mere layperson, I am not uneducated or helpless. I possess strong research skills as well as intuition and discernment, and the ability to consult alternative health care providers. I won’t disdain Western protocols, either, since the problem could be caused by earwax buildup, a mechanical issue addressable at our longtime clinic.

I realize I must proceed with care. Even following recommendations from a licensed “complementary and alternative” provider might be flagged as potential elder abuse if it comes to the attention of that overzealous doctor. In my opinion, any elder abuse was perpetrated by prescribers who didn’t know, or care, what devastating results could occur from their rote prescribing for a given condition.

Am I overreacting, jumping to conclusions? My strong mistrust of the medical system is certainly at the fore right now. I’d be delighted if there’s a simple fix like removing earwax buildup. If that doesn’t work, though, I’ll have to consider that medication might be at fault, and proceed with caution worthy of a tightrope walker.

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I can imagine that the scenario I’m experiencing is being played out far and wide around the world, or at least in first-world countries.

Certainly, individual practitioners may have the best intentions and highest ethics on the planet, but they’re forced to operate per the dictates of a corrupt system and its dubiously beholden administrators and authorities. 

Not everyone would quickly begin to wonder if a professionally prescribed product was at fault for sudden onset hearing loss. But I suspect many would research, as I have done, and the number of medical system skeptics is likely growing.

This gives me a small taste of what thousands or perhaps millions of people are experiencing. The stomach-churning realization that humans have been betrayed, lied to, and poisoned by a profession we’ve been programmed to respect and obey.

Some might philosophically note that it’s all part of the great awakening.

That may be so, but I’m not able to be philosophical about the possible damage that may have been done to a loved one as a result of prescription medication. I doubt that any who realize that a medication or other treatment has caused injury or death (think Covid “vaccines” and hospital Covid protocols that killed thousands) will feel philosophical anytime in the near future.

But in the now, I will call on divine assistance to help me embody a latent warrior self. Vigilant, diligent, and fiercely protective. Those attitudes can be my bulwark. Perhaps it’s never too late to start channeling our inner honey badger persona.