From what I have observed, the Taiwanese are not known for being self-diagnosing do-it-yourself-ers when it comes to treating aches and ailments. In fact, I know several who go to the doctor for something as simple as a headache because they find it to be cheaper and easier than picking up a pain reliever at a drug store. This in mind, I found myself a bit surprised and disturbed by what I discovered at my neighborhood chain pharmacy on my way home from work this evening.
As I glanced over shelves in the first-aid section, I did a double take at what I found in one particular aisle.
Top shelf: shiny metal instruments, some resembling things you'd see at the dentist office while others looked like things I'd imagine to be on a surgical tray
Second shelf: syringes of all sizes followed by tourniquets and boxes of needle tips
Third shelf: amongst various other things, bags of empty pill capsules in a variety of colors - orange with green, blue with yellow, plain yellow, or for the unadventurous there were clear ones too
Bottom shelf: mysterious bags of powders, perhaps for filling those empty pill capsules
Is this only striking me as a bit odd? I've been to other pharmacies in town, even other ones belonging to this chain, and never have I seen these items elsewhere. I tend to believe that things are stocked because there are those out there who buy such things, however, I'm not sure I want to know who's buying these items. The row of gauze and bandages was quite extensive as well, looking more like the supplies for an EMT rather than for the average person's medicine cabinet.
Please allow me to go a step further and shed some light as to why I really find this discovery disturbing. Once upon a time during my first few months in Taiwan, a former manager and contact wearing co-worker had a conversation about lasik eye surgery in Taiwan. The manager confirmed that Taiwan can be a great place to have it done, being slightly cheaper than the procedure in the U.S. However, he issued a caution: Be sure to choose a place where those performing the procedure are actually trained and licensed to be doing what they are doing. Huh, shouldn't they all be? He then proceeded to clue us in as to how there are those out there who perform lasik eye surgery, plastic surgery, dentistry, and veterinary medicine without former training. Some are just people with a lot of money who can afford the equipment, who have an interest in the profession, and who probably read a few books and manuals and decided to start a business. Yikes! My co-worker, also a pet owner, is certain she's encountered a few "vets" who would fit into this category. And so, while I do believe that too many people run to the doctor for things they could take care of themselves at home, the average person having certain medical supplies so readily available also frightens me a bit.
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2 comments:
do you have a hematoma? now becky can take care of that for you! remember when she went through her hematoma phase... good times. : )
my mom is a do-it-yourselfer. she likes to self-diagnose. she usually goes with the worst case scenario. she also has the little mirror and pointy scraper thing the denist uses. not sure where she got it, but she does employ it.
okay, so the irony to my story is that i was actually at the pharmacy to pick up some non-traditional items: cotton swabs on long sticks like drs use(for poking my tonsils, obviously) and a little dental mirror (thought i may have chipped a tooth the day before and wanted to check things out).
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