Naturopathic physicians will say that catching a bug isn't
necessarily a bad thing. As long as I'm
not getting sick every month, this is a good sign that I am not
immunosuppressed and it's also practice
for my immune system. This is how my body is supposed to work. OK fine. But phooey.
I feel like host to an energy-draining, spunk-sucking organism of
unknown origin.
A day in the life.....4:45AM - If I didn't have dogs, would I have stayed asleep? Shouldn't some pet-to-master symbiosis prevent them from whining to go out before I've woken up? My man will surely take care of the pups, but I know I'm not dropping back to dreamland quickly.
5:00 - Still dry-coughing. "Can I get you
anything?" God, I love this
man. I loved him that much before he
offered to mitigate my misery, but I can FEEL that love like an extra quilt
right now. Yes, please. After 2 tablespoons of my homemade cough
syrup & a dose of Oscillococcinum, I wriggled deeper under both the real
quilt and the love quilt; I snoozed once more.
7:00 - Given that it is Saturday, I had wanted to let my Sick
Self sleep in, but I guess Dr. Birr's adrenal approach is working because I
wake up at 7. Sick or not. But I dug in my heels and refused the day for
another hour.
8:00 - Removed my (dry) warming socks. Did some dry skin brushing to keep the lymph moving,
then drank my giant AM glass of water. Then
coffee, then tea (decaf green and chamomile for this round). And by gosh, I had been craving blueberry
muffins for days. So, assuming I was
about to use up all my allotted umph for the day, I made them. (Gluten free, dairy free, coconut oil, all
that good stuff. Hurrah.) Yum.
Time to sit.
11:00 - It's like the couch has its own time zone! Tea round two: one bag ginger, one bag
chamomile. Plus a protein shake and some
nuts since I have been terrible about feeding myself (or asking to be fed). Duh.
12:30 - Why are we treehuggers again? Do you have any idea how long it takes two
grown adults to get the wires off of 40 feet of real garland? You're welcome, mother nature and the deer
who will nosh on the still soft cedar.
12:35 - Tea round three: echinacea with elderberry
tincture. Took another
Oscillococcinum. So far I'm hanging
there with this @&*^$% flu. My
throat feels so raw from the sneezing and coughing. (Sigh.)
3:00PM - I really do think this couch has a very unique
thing going on here...is it still Saturday?
Thank goodness for all those people out there Hunting Houses &
keeping me entertained! And did you know
the Cooking Channel has a show called Grow Your Own Drugs? How did I not know this? Today they greatly improved a guy's athlete's
foot with some kind of plant-based foot bath.
Nice. Ate some sunflower seeds and
avocado to accompany my tv time.
5:20 - Feeling good about myself. Used my second (brief) burst of energy to clean the holiday travel detritus from the
car (and found my awesome new scarf - thanks mom!). Made veggie soup, heavy on the antibacterial garlic and
onions; lotsa pretty purple cabbage - it's simmering now. Must sit. Tea round four: more echinacea.
6:00 - My guy walks by with a glass of wine and winks. "Medicine." Medicine?
What?! Me too, me too!
6:05 - My martini contains orange juice left from the
holidays and ginger. Medicine.
6:20 - Sweet couch.
Lovely book: Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behavior. (Recommend.)
7:00 - Dinner was a very spicy, veg-packed stir fry, heavy
on the onions and ginger. Lots of
shrimpy protein because I just feel better that way. Washed it down with an Emergen-C, from which
I intend to get my extra C versus from a string of martinis. The one was fabulous, but my immune system
doesn't need the OJ sugar right now (or ever for that matter).
9:15 Tea round five:
Yogi Soothing Caramel Bedtime. Antibacterial
chamomile & skullcap, anti-inflammatory & anti-viral rooibus, & poppy;
all of which will help me get to sleep (like I need help). This particular tea is so tasty! It smells like caramel and the flavor is the
mildest of spice. (Also recommend.)
10:00 - More cough syrup and off to bed I go. A little more dry skin brushing. Finished Flight Behavior. Such a good read;
the main character makes me think more kindly of my own faults and I feel prouder of
my strengths - and Kingsolver clearly loves this earth, which makes me love
her.
9:45AM day two. Slept
very well with the exception of one coughing session, which was quickly quieted
with the berry syrup. Woke up with a
head full of snot but I think I'm gonna be ok.
In hindsight, I have to say, this is not as bad as I
expected. My nose is either running or stuffed, my
throat hurts, and the coughing bouts are even more annoying than a stubbed toe, but I
know it could be way worse. And I know it's not over. Even so, I wouldn't allow the news stations to send me searching for shots and
pharmaceuticals. I'm over 40, and have
had bad colds and flu often enough to know that symptoms have to run their
course; drugs don't stop them.And has anyone noticed that despite all the increased flu shots & mass-marketing thereof, the flu seems to be more prevalent? I'm just sayin'...
I'd like to think that my cumulative naturopathic care has
set me up to succeed in such circumstances and my immune system is putting up a
valiant effort. Is it the vitamin
D my ND prescribes? The high veggie/high protein
diet? Probiotics & healthy gut
flora? Regular exercise? Having a naturopath to guide me through the right balance of all those things?
Yes, yes, and yes. Yep.
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