GREEN WELLIES, I agree...until there was no alternative but dying, I loathed putting any kind of chemical in my body, though I did have to cope with a heart valve which was either broken from birth or injured by a childhood illness. Those one or two drugs kept me alive while technology grew by leaps and bounds and I was able to get a new valve.

Now, I take drugs to be sure I stay as healthy as possible. I KNOW that sounds like anathema to some. Back when I was writing my op/ed column I wrote a humdinger against letting drug companies advertise (they were not allowed to at the time, remember those days?)...it didn't do any good...they were given the green light and that, to me, is a horrible disservice to all of us.

I used to be like Dorothy and Little Hawk, all natural tinctures, teas, etc. Now I have to be much more careful about what goes in the mix. I am thinking about getting back to making my own kombucha tea and maybe trying some glucosamine.