GOOD FOR WHATEVER AILS YOU

 

Got a problem? Any problem? This is the place to come. Pharmacies in Costa Rica work more like those in Europe than in the U.S. No giant chains like Walgreen's or CVS here. They tend to be tiny and independent. You have to talk to the pharmacist about your muscle pain or diarrhea, and they will you tell you what to take. No vast selection of over the counter stuff like here. This one, though, seems to eliminate any need for a physician.  

AMERICAN MEDICINE

This is not a medical facility as such. It's a Walgreens Pharmacy, the biggest chain in the land. (Pharmacies here are very different from what I've seen in other countries. I can go into this place and buy a toilet brush, USB hub or a bottle of whiskey. Plus my prescriptions, of course. Whiskey is not one of them.)

I, for one, am horrified by the commercialization of American medicine. All the big pharmacies have an office where you can see a nurse practitioner (which is not a problem) for minor or routine concerns, as long as you can pay. The next level up is what's called urgent care offices and they are all over the place. The dominant local group uses the slogan "ER Skills Without The ER Bills." I suppose it serves a purpose-you can see someone quickly without an appointment- but they are for-profit. You can't go in for a bad URI without getting a chest CT and albuterol inhaler before you leave. Cash or insurance up front, please.

No idea what I might post tomorrow. It's just dull here, lead sky, barely above freezing, a drizzle of freezing rain and snow falling. Nothing going on. Time to put on my thinking cap rather than my night cap.