Almost two years ago my mother died of cancer. She had hospice care in her own home and the day she died, the hospice nurse said, "please give me all of the drugs that hospice gave your mother so I can flush them down the toilet." I said, "flush them down the toilet? Why on earth would you flush them down the toilet?" She answered, "Because, it is illegal to do anything else with them. It is a strict requirement to do so." Of course, being completely bereaved, I did as she instructed, but with great apprehension. I could not believe that just in my mother's community of elderly and dying people alone, just how many drugs must be being flushed down the toilet on a daily basis, let alone world wide. My concerns over the pollution of our water supply extend beyond my sincere desire to keep our earth clean and well taken care of. It is my strong belief that practices such as this are contributing to chronic illness such as Interstitial Cystitis. Water is a HUGE subject in the creation and treatment of this disease, as anyone who has treated with me or has read these blogs knows by now. The practice of medicines being flushed down the toilet is only one way in which medications end up in our water supply. This does not even include all of the medication contaminated urine in today's overly medicated culture. In any case, this story illuminates the challenges behind this problem. This is yet another area of concern that requires attention for Interstitial Cystitis and for so many other reasons. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26706059/