I’m a smoker, I don’t always wash my hands before or after handling food or other sources of bacteria, and I take care of my friends when they’re sick without gloves or a mask – I do just about everything “wrong” in terms of not getting sick…
And yet, I can’t remember the last time I had a cold or the flu. It was probably something like 5 years ago, but I can’t be sure.
Although, last week my boyfriend had a massive case of food poisoning for 6 days. The day after he came down with it, I prayed at the porcelain god once (as compared to his hourly “confessions”), slept most of the day, and felt fine after that.
Here’s my secret: I don’t take medicine.
The Problem With Medicine
Suppression of the common cold through medication is not a cure. Suppression temporarily makes the symptoms go away but since the cause is not removed the symptoms usually return at a later date as a more sever symptom. – Brannick Clinic of Natural Medicine
It is all too easy to forget that doctors and medicine are best suited to treat emergencies. Having a cold is not an emergency. However, having a fever of 103 for more than an hour is an emergency, and well worth the risk of whatever that chemical cocktail will do to you later on.
Otherwise, throw out that NyQuil, DayQuil, and Alkaseltzer Cold & Flu. You’re not doing yourself any favors by inhibiting the body’s battle against your infection.
You have a fever because the body is trying to burn it out. You are sneezing with a runny nose because the body is trying to expel it. You feel achy and tired because you should be sleeping.
Taking a chemical cocktail to suppress these symptoms just means you’re not burning it out, you’re not expelling it, and you’re not giving your body ample opportunity to heal.
Building a Better Immune System
My seemingly dumb luck with avoiding disease didn’t happen overnight. I built this immune system from the ground up – the long, hard, and correct way.
Think about it this way. How did you get to be so good at your best skill? Did you have someone else do it for you all the time (i.e. take medicine to suppress symptoms), or did you get hands-on experience with just about every possible situation (i.e. let your immune system handle it)?
You know how most people say “I have a cold, you better stay away from me.” I’m not afraid of sneezing, coughing, Pee Wee Herman sound-alikes – I want my immune system to get all the practice it can!
Next time we’ll have a look at some natural remedies to nip the problem at the bud and make sure you never get sick again.
Very nice article with some good thoughts on staying healthy, thanks for sharing. Regards, Keith Johnson, Author, 365 Great Affirmations.
You start out with “I’m a smoker…” and then go on to give us health tips? You built your immune system “from the ground up”? What’s next — a bottle of Jack Daniels a day keeps the Alzheimer’s away? Good grief!
I don’t believe in germ theory (but I do believe in germs LOL)
@VuhDooch – it’s all just a matter of choosing the toxins you allow into your body.
Firstly, I don’t smoke your typical cigarette (all natural, no chemicals, etc).
Secondly, I don’t bathe in unfiltered water, I don’t wash my clothes in toxic chemicals, and I don’t eat processed foods – all of which individually have greater health and environmental risks than smoking two packs of regular cigarettes a day.
Call me a fruitcake hippie if you like, but the proof is in the pudding.
Cold? what’s a cold?
You’d never have to worry about things like that if you stopped focusing on the virus,
and start focusing on keeping your body healthy enough that a virus will never concern you again.
· PH balance of the of body
http://articlesofhealth.blogspot.com/2008/05/germs-do-not-cause-disease-of-dis-ease.html
· proper Iodine levels in the body
http://www.beyondhealth.com/iodine_deficiency.aspx
If you get a cold, think ·lots· of vitamin C plus some zinc
http://www.doctoryourself.com/colds.html
Alright, you lose all credibility when you suggest showering in unfiltered water is a greater health risk than 2 packs of cigarettes a day.
Also, I agree with not taking symptom relief drugs, but its not as simple as you make it sound. I never use cough/cold medicine yet I get sick more often and longer than anyone I know. I think abstaining does benefit the immune system but it really depends on your genetics and how strong your immune system is.