Tried & True

     I’m happy to report that I am FINALLY feeling pretty much back to my normal self after a week of nasty flu symptoms. Maybe it’s because I took my pink-eyed, body-aching, sore throat, ear-plugged, feverish self to a doctor, right? NOPE! Sometimes I can be such a hippie. I knew all they would do for me was to prescribe antibiotics and those never do much for me. So instead of going to the doctor, I healed myself! Now, I have to mention the fact that without the help of sickness-induced insomnia, the miraculous cures might have never occurred. That’s because as my throat was searing, or my cough gagging me, I was driven out of my bed {in an effort to let Marcus sleep} and into the land of google where I frantically searched things like NEED IMMEDIATE RELIEF FOR SORE THROAT or IMMEDIATE NATURAL DECONGESTANT. The sore throat was brutal and the internet wisdom all pointed to a magic drink: cayenne pepper, lemon juice & Apple Cider Vinegar. And I was desperate. I drank my fair share of that nasty crap. It definitely helped but I was still miserable so I continued to pour over natural remedies on the internet. I started to see one strange suggestion popping up over and over again- That is-to soak a washcloth or towel in water with some rubbing alcohol OR vinegar and drape it on top of your throat securely as possible and go to sleep. It promised immediate results, that you would wake up with no trace of a sore throat. Friends, I was desperate. I wanted my sleep back. So I dutifully soaked a dishcloth in water and rubbing alcohol {Which kept the cloth very cloth very cold all night}, loosely secured it around my throat and tried to sleep under the aroma of rubbing alcohol. Marcus looked at me like I had lost my mind. Which I had. But when I woke up the next morning, my sore throat was GONE. Not felt better, still a bit dry, no..it was GONE!

   So with the sore throat behind me, I figured I was surely on the mend. If only I could get rid of the intense sinus pressure in my face and head. I had already tried the shower steam, the acupressure and some spicy foods but I was still miserable. Enter google, again. As I am browsing questionable looking sites on natural decongestants, I see that somebody commented, swearing that doing about 20 jump and jacks quickly clears your head. I laughed and went on with my search until I noticed that particular remedy had received 35 comments all saying “It worked!” Well, the way my head was hurting, I didn’t know if I could sit up, let alone jump. But I was crazy & had lost my mind. And Marcus had the video camera ready. So, I rolled myself out of bed and did about 30 jump and jacks. As soon as I was done, I felt the relief. It was like dam broke. I was able to blow my nose, and felt all the pressure disappear. It is still gone!

     And the pink eye? Well, me & pink eye have a history. This embarrassing ailment always sneaks up when my immune system is down. I’ve had it frequently and I used to go to the doctor like a normal person. I would faithfully administer the drops as ordered and…..nothing. My pink eye told the antibiotics who was boss. So this time I didn’t even bother. I hit up my friend google, where everybody promised Colloidal Silver was the miracle cure. I didn’t even know what Colloidal Silver was?! Never mind, I quickly made my way to the Vitamin Shoppe and under the careful supervision of my much wiser older sister {via frantic phone calls} I walked out 30 minutes later with the stuff and rushed home to use it. I though it was a little weird, putting silver in my eye and all, but in less than 24 hours, my pink-eye was gone. GONE!

    I wish I could share the jumping jacks cure video with you, but seeing as how it was 80 degrees in my house { we’re refusing to turn the AC on in March over here} I was a little less than dressed in my Sunday best. More like underwear and a sports bra. Nobody needs to see that. Plus my hair looks like a lion’s mane. It’s too bad, though..because in the video you can totally see the transformation from I can barely life my head to look! I’m blowing my nose! I feel like a million bucks!

     Moral of this story? Next time you are under the weather and the drugs just aren’t cutting it, call a sister up! Then I will proceed to..um, call a big sister up. Because she was the real brains behind most of my remedies {excepting the jumping jacks} But in any event, we’ll help you out!!!