Synopsis: The prescription drugs of today provide benefits for many common chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. However, the number of drugs within one’s bloodstream can grow and become very dangerous. The medical community is waking up to this problem they now call “Polypharmacy.”
‘Ano‘ai e ku‘u mau makamaka. Eia au ke nalu iho nei i nā mea maika‘i a maika‘i ‘ole paha o nā kāwili lā‘au i kuhikuhi ‘ia. I kēia au ‘enehana nei, nui ‘ino nō nā kauka nona kekahi ‘oihana kiko‘ī i mākaukau loa, e la‘a ke kauka pu‘uwai, ke kauka kaha, ke kauka lapa‘au koko pi‘i, ke kauka haku‘ala, a pēlā aku. Inā ua loa‘a ‘oe i kekahi mau ma‘i, aia ka pono ‘o ke kipa ‘ana aku i kekahi o ia mau kauka nona nā māhele ‘ike kiko‘ī. A inā pēlā, e kuhikuhi mai ana nō paha ia mau kauka i nā kāwili lā‘au he nui e lapa‘au ai. He mau mana‘opa‘a lke ‘ole ko kēlā me kēia kauka, a he maika‘i paha ka nui, eia na‘e, ‘a‘ole lākou kama‘ilio pinepine kekahi i kekahi e pili ana i nā ‘ano ma‘i like a lākou e lapa‘au pū ana, no laila, ‘a‘ole lākou ‘ike i nā kāwili lā‘au a pau e kuhikuhi ‘ia ana e nā kauka ‘ē a‘e. Inā ‘a‘ole ‘oe he lālā no kekahi HMO (e la‘a ‘o Kaiser), ‘a‘ohe palapala lā‘au ho‘okahi e hō‘ike aku ai i nā kauka like ‘ole e lapa‘au ana iā ‘oe. ‘O ka hopena, nui ‘ino ana paha nā lā‘au i kuhikuhi āu e ‘ai ana. No kekahi mau mea ma‘i, he pōpilikia nui ka hopena.
Ua ho‘opōpilikia nō nā kāwili lā‘au kuhikuhi no ku‘u makuahine i kēlā makahiki aku nei. E like me kekahi mau mea ma‘i ‘ē a‘e, he mea nui ko‘u māmā o nā ma‘i like ‘ole o ka po‘e o‘o e loa‘a mau ana. ‘O ia ho‘i, ‘o ke koko pi‘i, ka na‘okoko ki‘eki‘e, ka mimikō, a me ka ma‘i iwi haki wale. Ua kuhikuhi ‘ia kekahi mau lā‘au he nui no ka lapa‘au ‘ana i ia mau ma‘i e kāna mau kauka like ‘ole. I kēlā makahiki, he ‘umi kūmālua ka heluna o nā kāwili lā‘au i kuhikuhi ‘ia mai nona e ‘ai iho ai i kēlā me kēia lā no kona mau ma‘i like ‘ole. Eia na‘e, i waena mai o ia mau kāwili lā‘au, he ‘elua mea āna i ‘ai ai no kona koko pi‘i. I loko nō na‘e o ia lapa‘au ‘ana, ua noke mai ia ma‘i. No laila, ua kuhikuhi kekahi o kāna mau kauka i kekahi kāwili lā‘au hou no kona koko pi‘i. ‘O ia nō ke kolu o ka lā‘au. Eia kā, he pākela ‘ino nō ia lā‘au hou, a ma hope o kāna ‘ai ‘ana i ia lā‘au koko pi‘i ‘ekolu, hele ‘o ia a ma‘ule. ‘O kona lawe ‘ia akula nō ia i ka haukapila me ka hikiwawe. Ma ka haukapila, ho‘ēmi ‘ia ka heluna o nā kāwili lā‘au āna e ‘ai ana, a ma muli o kēlā, ua pohala hou maila ‘o ia.
Ma mua o kona hala ‘ana i ke ala ko‘i‘ula a Kāne, ua loa‘a ka makuahine o ka‘u wahine i kekahi ha‘awina like. Nui ‘ino nō ho‘i nā kāwili lā‘au i kuhikuhi ‘ia nona, a ma muli o kēlā, komo akula ‘o ia i ka haukapila. Ho‘opohihi ‘ia nō kona mau mana‘o i ke kupa kemika e kahe ana i loko o kona mau a‘a koko. Ua ho‘ēmi ‘ia auane‘i ka heluna o nā kāwili lā‘au kuhikuhi āna e ‘ai iho ana, a ua pohala maila ‘o ia. ‘O ko‘u kaikaina ho‘i, ‘eha‘eha nō ‘o ia i kekahi mau ma‘i like ‘ole he nui. E ‘ai ana ‘o ia he ‘umi kūmāono kāwili lā‘au no ia mau ma‘i. No kona ma‘i kaumaha, he ‘eono ka heluna o nā lā‘au āna e ‘ai ana. Ikaika loa nō ia mau kāwili lā‘au, a e like me ka hopena o ka makuahine o ku‘u wahine, ho‘opohihi ‘ia nō ho‘i kona mau mana‘o i ke kupa kemika e kahe ana i loko o kona mau a‘a koko. Ua ho‘ā‘o ‘o ia e ho‘omake iā ia iho. Iā ia e noho ana ma ka haukapila, ho‘ēmi ‘ia auane‘i ka heluna o nā kāwili lā‘au kuhikuhi āna e ‘ai ana, a pohala nō ho‘i ‘o ia.
E ho‘omaka ana ke kaiaulu lā‘au komohana e ho‘omaopopo i nā pilikia like ‘ole o ke kuhikuhi ‘ana i nā kāwili lā‘au he nui, a kapa ‘ia ‘o Polypharmacy e lākou. Maika‘i paha nā kāwili lā‘au o kēia au, a kūpono nō paha. Eia na‘e, he kuleana ko kākou no ke kaulona ‘ana i nā helu a me nā ‘ano o nā kāwili lā‘au a kākou e pono ‘ai wale aku nei me ka puni wale i ko lākou maika‘i.
E ho‘ouna ‘ia mai na ā leka iā māua, ‘o ia ho‘i ‘o Laiana Wong a me Kekeha Solis ma ka pahu leka uila ma lalo nei:
>> kwong@hawaii.edu
>> rsolis@hawaii.edu
a i ‘ole ia, ma ke kelepona:
>> 808-956-2627 (Laiana)
>> 808-956-2627 (Kekeha)
This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.