Pulling the Plug

The end is near – for Gaia and this blog.

Here, we’ve explored Western medicine through its linear lifecycle of production, usage and waste; and as we’ve all learnt from the most recent ENV1101 lecture, this model is not sustainable for the future. We’ve also considered TCM as an alternative by learning more about the way we perceive it, its struggles with conservation, as well as its intricate connection to nature. The possibility of incorporating indigenous practices of medicine was also briefly touched on and we learnt that by working together with different stakeholders, a more comprehensive solution can be designed to save the Earth. We even talked about spirituality and death and its impact on the sustainability.

The idea of balance and Yin and Yang (something I mention quite a few times throughout the blog) seems to be the key to the sustainable use of medicine for our warming planet. Rely too heavily on western medicine and we will continue to introduce harmful chemicals to the environment. Conversely, depend too much on TCM and precious flora and fauna are at risk of extinction. We need to start sieving useful and sustainable practices from ALL types of medical care before we can even come up with a model that will have minimal impact on our Earth. Here’s a quote from my interview with Dr Ewan Macdonald – a conservationist working on a project to learn more about the trade of donkey hide for TCM that Dr Coleman introduced me to :

Q: Will TCM be a more environmentally-friendly alternative as a medication?
A: I think that traditional knowledge has the potential to contribute hugely to evidence based medicine, and if traditional knowledge can provide demonstrably effective approaches that also result in fewer environmental impacts, then wonderful.  However we shouldn’t be shy about accepting what works and discarding what doesn’t.  

Online interview with Dr Ewan Macdonald

As individuals, we can start by being more open to alternative forms of not just medicine, but everything else. Medicinal herbs can be grown in community gardens to loosen our reliance on common pharmaceuticals. Healthy lifestyle habits, adopted from TCM, can be incorporated such that we stop falling sick so often.

We should also learn to be more conscious of the decisions we make daily. From the coffee we drink to the type of clothes we wear, all little actions eventually echoes out and affects indigenous and marginalized communities all over the world which (in the context of my blog), affects their access to their forms of healthcare and medicine. 

Our intuitive instinct to see medicine as a solution shrouds us from the fact that it in itself is the cause of some of Earth’s suffering and hopefully this blog has served as a stepping stone for us to discover more industries that we may have overlooked. 

Before I part ways with this blog, I leave you all with this self-portrait that I drew which I feel is very powerful and inspiring for all environmentalists. 

(Source: Author)

Hope you had a good laugh and thank you all for following me on through Earth and other drugs. While the time to pull the plug has not arrived, lets all do our best in saving the Earth. After all, we are all budding environmentalist.

See you guys during the exam! 💙