What To Consider When Self-Medicating with Over the Counter Drugs and Supplements
Success without wellness is nothing: the self-medicating conversation dance moms need to have!
A couple of ibuprofen a day sounds harmless. I'm not convinced it is, especially for a dancer who lives away from home and has no one watching how often that bottle comes out.
In this solo episode, I talk about why pre-professional dancers reach for over-the-counter pain relievers to get through training, what that can cover up, and why so many of them stay quiet about pain in the first place (fear of getting kicked out of the program comes up again and again). If your dancer is far from home, I share how I'd approach it: talk to her first, then bring the program in together, never behind her back. And because moms in dance groups swap natural alternatives as freely as pills, I get into why "what worked for her dancer" is not a recommendation for yours. The examples are a lidocaine patch, a rose oil I almost added for a dancer with a strawberry allergy, and a curcumin and iron question I'm still researching. If you're only now realizing your dancer may be doing this, no shame here!
And since when did we decide dancers can't take a sick day to look after their bodies? Wait. WHAT?!
00:00 Why this episode: dancers, especially those living away from home, using over-the-counter pain relievers to get through training
01:29 What to teach your dancer about managing pain and reporting discomfort, from the day they decide on dance as a career
02:28 Why masking pain with a pill worries me: the unstable area, the inflamed area, and the wrong step at the wrong moment
03:21 A known injury with a plan is one conversation. Popping pills just to get through the day is another
04:12 Fear of getting kicked out: why dancers underreport injuries, and why it isn't only a pre-professional problem
05:00 A developing body, prolonged use, and what a boxed warning on a label is telling you
06:09 What "long term" really means (two weeks counts!) and how that differs from occasional, correct use
07:17 The questions to ask your dancer, starting with why she's taking it and who told her to
09:08 When your dancer is away: talk to her first, then bring the program in together
10:13 A local issue or something underneath? Why the source of the pain matters
11:01 Facebook groups and "everybody's got their answer": why what's safe for one dancer isn't a recommendation for yours
11:40 The lidocaine patch example, and why I wouldn't pass it along
14:03 The rose oil and strawberry allergy story
15:17 Why "what's the best vitamin?" has no honest answer, and why self-medicating with alternatives has the same problem as pills
16:28 Curcumin and iron: why I keep researching what I think I already know
17:28 Building your dancer's toolkit early, and being the support system she can call
Takeaways
- Notice. Pain that needs a pill just to get through class is information, and a reason to look at what's underneath it.
- Ask. Why is my dancer taking this? Did someone who understands the problem tell her to, and for how long?
- Talk first. If your dancer is away, start the conversation with her, then involve the program together.
- Individualize. Pills, patches, oils, and supplements all belong in a conversation with a provider who knows your dancer's history.
- Start early. The conversation begins when a dancer decides she wants to dance professionally, well before she's living away.
I am an integrative health educator, not a doctor or a clinical professional. This episode is health education only. Every dancer is different, and your own licensed provider is the place for questions about your dancer's pain or any medication.
Questions or topics for a future episode? Send them through Instagram (instagram.com/thrivingdancersco) or email team@thrivingdancers.com.
