Why Whitney Houston Matters!

  

The life and death of Whitney Houston Matters!

 There are three reasons Whitney Houson's life and death matters.

 First, no matter what the superstar was experiencing in her life, she was always truthful about what was going on. Her struggles were not a secret.  At even her lowest points, you can really believe that it was her FAITH that sustained her. With God in her life, suicide was just not a part of her vocabulary.  She had a mission - to mentor her daughter; she just had too much to live for. Whitney's life teaches us that anyone can fall down. Her struggle to get up was eventually successful  because of her strong support system and her faith.  She told one interviewer that even when she was getting high... she would still read her Bible. Even at her worse, she never forgot the true  source of her strength. To the day she died, Whitney still had a twinkle in her eye when she sang, "Yes, Jesus loves me."  

  Second, Whitney's death is a cogent reminder of the danger of drug interactions and side effects. Four days before she died, she had received new prescriptions to treat a throat condition.  Did the prescribing doctor know what other medicines she was taking? Did Whitney really understand the danger of drinking alcohol when taking medications for anxiety, panic attacks, and depression? Obviously she did since alcohol was not found in her system during an autopsy.  Did the public ever understand she actually had fears and anxiety about being on stage?  Does the public ever get how challenging it is to perform and practice for long hours? So few of us really can grasp a life that has it all in super portions... a life lived large.  There's not book on how to live large or how to manage when you reach your dreams and more. Yet, even before the cause of death was released... people jumped to conclusions.  And even though an autopsy revealed that Whitney did not die of a drug overdose, many in the media still insist that she did.  Who's in charge here? Of course, prior behavior is always a precipitating factor for any of us when it comes to death. But on the day Whitney died she did not have enough drugs or alcohol in her system to allow the experts to rule either caused her death. The coroner ruled her death was due to "accidental drowning."  Was it her heart or someone else that caused that? If she had had too many drugs in her system we would have had a different ruling.  

       Because the general public is not educated enough about the side effects of prescribed medicines, few recognize what was really going on with Whitney.  Here's what was missed.  The sweating, erratic behavior, and mood changes were the result of reactions to incorrect dosages or types of medicines being taken together.  If you've ever been around someone taking medicines for phychological reasons, you know first hand what happens when their meds are being adjusted to find what works best for them. Because these medicines act on receptors in the brain, it is not unusual to experience changes in taste, temperatures, and moods and yet not be fully aware of ongoing changes in vital signs.  The media was quick to describe the blood and scratches on Whitney's legs and yet not realize that she was having an allergic reaction.  We need more drug education in this country.  The allergic reaction coupled with tiredness, dizziness, and drowsiness are typical of such anti-depressant medicines as Xanax.  Xanax is used to treat anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and anxiety caused by depression. This could explain not only Whitney's mood changes but also her inability to fully taste the alcohol she was consuming - a potentially lethal combination with most drugs.  When she entered the bathroom with a turkey sandwich to take a bath, it was probably to have some food in her as she took a pill.  She could be heard singing for a while and then as her meds began to work, she probably fell asleep. Certainly, if one is advised not to drive while taking Xanax, a reasonable person can also conclude that judgement is off, even while sitting in a tub.  What is clear, is that Whitney is more likely to have had a heart attack than to have overdosed on drugs. She was too street savvy not to know they could kill her. That doesn't mean she did occasionally indulge in a drug, she admitted to Oprah that the temptation lingers. But having just finished a movie (Sparkle) that kept her in the presence of Bishop TD Jakes and other supporters, it is unlikely she had gone back to heavy drug usage.
  
Thirdly, with Bobby Brown out of her life since 2007, she had lost her primary enabler for doing cocaine. She sought "recovery." Indeed, she told Oprah that she stayed in her pajamas for six months after leaving him and moving to Los Angeles. She also admitted she went to counseling and rehab at various places around the country.  She dedicated herself to being a good parent and a better role model for her daughter. Yet, so many in the public have branded her not as a "recovering addict" but an addict whose behavior was beyond forgiveness or understanding. The "haters" remain.  The scorching comments following the governor of New Jersey ordering flags flown at half mast for her is as curious as demanding that President Barack Obama produce his birth certificate to prove he's a citizen.  

   So Whitney Houston's life and death matter because they are both wake up calls that we as a society needs to:  (1) change the mindset regarding prescription drugs; legal is not necessarily safe, (2) cease permitting medicine to be depicted as normal and safe and allowing it to be advertised on television, and (3) accelerate the push for having an electronic medical system so doctors can access what medicines their patients are taking.   

   It would be a shame to learn that Whitney's death was avoidable because her various doctor didn't have accurate information about her medicines.  All of the signs during the week leading up to her death point to a bad reaction to legally prescribed medicine.   The sweating, mood changes, and scratch marks were symptomatic of such. She may even have had other underlying medical conditions that were not helped by her tendency to panic or anxiety attacks.   

Whitney Houston's living will not have been in vain, if legislators get it.  It's time for Congress and the President to collaborate on creating Whitney's Law: a new law requiring electronic filling of all medicines in a central source.  It's time to modernize our medical system to increase awareness of interactions and indicators of drugs.  As a certified teacher of adults who have relatives with mental illnesses, I also would suggest that the public become more educated about medications and treatment for various kinds of mental illness and even take the Free, 12-week course offered around the country by NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). That would certainly be more productive than blaming Whitney Houston for her own death, even before results are released.  

Rest In Peace, Whitney Elizabeth Houston. Thank you for your honesty about your struggle, your loving spirit, and decades of great music.