IndexThe Bottom Line on AdulthoodThe Problem of the ElderlyOver-Medicated Society: The SolutionI am a part-time nanny, for the sheer joy of spending time with energetic rascals. It might be exhausting, but it comes with some stellar moments. It also comes with accident-prone children, and scraped knees are an all-too-common occurrence. When you have a screaming child on your hands, the band-aid is a godsend. “I've got just the thing for you, that'll make everything right – everything better now? “The crying stops immediately as soon as the plaster sticks to the wound and the child smiles. “Everything is better.” The plaster works wonders. Everyone is happy again. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why video games violent shouldn't be banned"? Get an original essay The mysterious part comes into play when no one falls and no one scrapes a knee; when there is no need for a band-aid at all. The other day a child was bitten by a mosquito He was a little itchy and soon became a miserable little boy on the verge of tears. “Will a band-aid help?” I asked. “Is everything better now?” "All better," he replied with a proud smile. Of course the patch didn't do much. Yes, it stopped the bite from itching and making it bleed, but it no doubt still itched. In his mind, however, the patch had solved the problem problem. The placebo effect at its best. The result in adulthood When we believe that a band-aid can fix any kind of wound as a child, at least part of that idea is bound to follow us into adulthood. Just a quick look to today's society confirms this idea: everyone takes pills in the blink of an eye. A headache because we didn't drink enough while running around in the summer heat terrible cold and you are tied to bed all day? Ask the doctor to give you some antibiotics. Heartburn after eating that hot curry last night. Are there any drugs to solve this problem too? The real question is: do we really need to take these drugs? Or do we simply take them because we feel like we need to do something to fix the problem somehow? Just like that band-aid that worked wonders for us as kids. The problem of the elderly The scale of the problem becomes more evident as we grow older. Unfortunately, it's natural for our bodies to wear out as we age. Things that used to work perfectly start to slow down. Our body gets tired. The problems we have are much more numerous than they once were. And, just as we have done for the rest of our lives, we resort to the band-aid approach and look for something that can solve our problems. The result? Too many drugs. One for blood pressure, one for cholesterol, one for heartburn, one for arthritis, one for blood, one for pain, one for when we're feeling down, one for nausea or constipation that we feel it comes from taking all the other medications. Everything becomes a big mess of drugs trying to solve our problems. Overmedicated Society: The Solution Sometimes, it's not as simple as finding an easy fix. Just like a band-aid doesn't fix a mosquito bite, some medications just make us feel like we're being proactive about our health. A more practical solution is prevention. Instead of sticking a band-aid on a mosquito bite, use insect repellent to stop the entire problem before it becomes one. Likewise, treat your body well before you get sick to prevent diseases from creeping in. I'm sure.?