I recently went to an event that, big shock, was cold and rainy. That didn't stop me and my fellow warriors from having fun. We still battled between the stop and go spats of rain slipping and falling in wet grass and mud. Needless to say it was a blast.
Afterwards when I got home I started feeling a tickle in my throat. The tickle turned into a cough, the cough brought his friend sneezy along for the ride, sneezy of course brought gobs of gross yellow goo, and before I knew what was what I was in a world of hurt. I had the full blown thing going on by then headache, stomach churning, throat burning, and pretty much aching all over.
Now at this point many people have the knee jerk reaction to go to the doctor, and that isn't a bad choice but it does cost money. I grew up in a house that didn't believe in running to the doctor every time we got a boo boo or a sniffle. That doesn't mean suffer with illness until it gets so bad that you end up in the hospital either. There are some good common sense steps to take when dealing with illness and minor injury. Now mind you I am not a doctor, but the stuff I am about to outline is more common sense stuff than medical in nature. If you feel like your illness is serious by all means go to the doctor, but if it is just a minor boo boo or a sniffle save your money and take these steps. Even if you choose to go to the doctor following these common sense steps can expedite your recovery and compliment your doctors treatment very well.
I like to think of my body like a walled city when I am ill or injured. The city is surrounded by an army of germs that want to get in and destroy it. ("But wait," you say, "You are already ill or injured. The germs are already inside.") If you ever watch a movie about a siege the enemy is trying to breach the walls, sneak in the gate, or climb over the wall with a small force to damage or destroy the enemies defenses. The soldiers of the city find themselves fighting both inside and outside the city. It is more difficult to deal with than just focusing on the problem of ridding the body of its invaders.
So one thing that I do while ill or injured is pay extra attention to hygiene. It seems simple enough but when I am sick often don't feel like getting out of bed. I know that I am feverish and sweating. I can smell my own B.O. I'm coughing up gobs of disgusting goo or maybe even vomiting. All of this is natural. It is your bodies internal defenses attempting to drive the invaders out of the city but it is also terribly messy and it weakens our external defenses. So I help things along. I take showers, I brush my teeth, floss, and I use antiseptic mouth wash to kill the germs. If I have open wounds I keep them clean and use triple antibiotic ointment on them. Basically I do every thing I can to stop the army of germs outside of my body from getting in through my weakened defenses.
I get lots of rest and I try to keep warm. It might not seem like it but your body is working overtime to rid itself of disease. It takes a lot of energy, which is one reason that people often lose weight while they are ill.
I pay attention to nutrition and hydration. Often when I am ill I don't want to eat. Especially if I am vomiting. I drink lots of fluids and eat something if I can keep anything down. Sometimes this can be a challenge if the stomach is not cooperating. I find the BRAT diet to be effective when dealing with an upset stomach. Bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast are a bland diet that is easy to keep down. I'm also a fan of chicken noodle soup. Just remember the troops are fighting inside your city and they need plenty of water and nutrients to keep them going. Drinks that contain electrolytes are also a good idea. Take care of the troops and they will take care of you.
I let my bodies natural defenses work normally. A lot of people freak out when they get a fever. I don't. A fever is the bodies response to disease. It raises its core temperature in an attempt to kill the bacteria with heat. So I monitor my fevers and let them run their course unless they start to climb to high. I'm not against using medications like tylenol, but I won't take them until my temperature rises above 101. Why that temperature you may ask. Well my reasoning is that a temp of 103 is considered dangerous. At 103 the brain can be damaged if it continues to long. If temperature is climbing then it can take a while for meds to kick in so I get preemptive and take something as soon as it climbs above 101.
If the body is a walled city the mouth is the front gate. I know that I have talked a little already about oral hygiene but I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to guard the front gate so to speak. Good oral hygiene goes a long way toward maintaining good health. I want to talk specifically about using mouth wash and gargling. I find that when I have lots of nasty goo from drainage that gargling Hydrogen Peroxide not only disinfects but also helps to break things loose. Hydrogen Peroxide eats mucus so I find that when I gargle it it tends to allow me to evacuate the stubborn stuff that I have been trying to cough up.
I also clean out the sinuses. I use a waterpik sinusense to do this. I used to have a lot of trouble with sinus infections before I found out about this but not anymore. The sinusense shoots a stream of saline solution into the nasal passage which flushes out the entire passage. This keeps the nasal passage clean and prevents infectious drainage from getting into the throat. Follow the manufacturers recommendation if you decide to pick one up.
Cuts and scrapes can become entry points for infection. It is super important to keep wounds clean, bandaged, and dry. When I say dry I'm not talking about the act of washing but of long term exposure to moisture. Triple antibiotic ointment and antiseptics like Hydrogen Peroxide or alcohol are useful tools for accomplishing this. An untended wound that becomes infected should be considered a serious issue. I recommend seeking medical attention if this ever happens to you.
Well that is about all that I have to say about the topic. I know that with the weather turning cold that flu and cold season sets in. Just remember to take care of your self. Have a happy thanksgiving.
Thorne
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