Your own medicine
Too much self-help can be bad for your health
“ONE of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine,” observed William Osler, one of the giants of 19th-century medicine. It is a lesson that I, as a pill-popping member of the public, have learned the hard way. Several years ago, I was given a prescription for an acne medication which worked wonders for my complexion—so much so that when the prescription ran out, I kept refilling it myself, thanks to a friendly neighbourhood pharmacist.
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