After several weeks of not feeling quite right, but able to function, the bomb dropped this week. Seems that what started out as a cold, evolved into an infection, which lodged itself in my sinuses. A visit to the doc this week informed me that I had acute sinusitis. Yup. I was thinking allergies, head cold, even (wince) possibly the flu. But nope, it was all in my head - so to speak. Well not exactly, because the infection then traveled to my ear and on to my stomach, causing nausea, and the real gem....vertigo! No wonder I was walking sideways and banging into doors! Who knew?!
Antibiotics were prescribed. I rarely take antibiotics because I think we use them too frivolously in this country, but I know when my body needs them, and I agreed to take them this time. Also prescribed was a steroid called Methylprednisolone. Yea, say that three times fast. I told the doc about my reservations of taking a steroid. She said I should research it first and if I wasn't comfortable I didn't have to take it. Wasn't comfortable? Here's a partial list of what it's used for: arthritis, blood disorders, certain cancers...yes, I repeat, certain cancers, and kidney/intestinal/lung diseases. No mention of sinusitis by the way.
And the side effects? What a lovely array of possibilities. It can compromise your immune system and cause diabetes! Huh? That alone stopped me in my tracks, as it did my sister when I shared this with her, but I read on just for the heck of it: nausea, vomiting, heartburn, headache, dizziness (hello!), trouble sleeping, appetitie changes, acne, muscle pain, weight loss - now this one had my attention for a minute. The list goes on and on.
I'm not going to get into a commentary about our pharmaceutical/medical practices in this country. That would be a dissertation and not a blog. I'm writing this to suggest that you don't just pop a pill in your mouth just because the doctor says so. Read, research and explore other methods. In addition to my own internet research, I turned to two dear & trusted friends, one here in New York City and one in Italia. They gave me some wonderful nuggets to work with. Here's what I did in lieu of steroids: massive amounts of sleep, I mean massive, healing juices & smoothies with extra garlic and ginger, water with lemon, teas, blasts of vitamin-C, saline spray, neti pot, healing meditation, and a big pot of veggie broth. I took every veggie in my fridge and boiled it up in a pot. Then put it in my Vitamix and blended it up. I still had to strain it, so if you don't have a heavy duty blender, I suggest you remove the veggies whole and just drink the broth.
As the broth worked its way through my system, I boiled some water with baking soda, then added eucalyptus essential oil, put a towel over my head and inhaled that sucker in. Ahh, healing from inside and out. Thank you dear ones, grazie cari amici!
I'm not suggesting that people don't take their medicine. I'm just saying to do your own research, know your body, and don't just pop a pill because the doctor prescribed it. Don't get me wrong, I think pharmaceuticals are a good thing and I'm grateful for them, in extreme cases of compromised health. But I also think we overdo it sometimes. My original aha moment on this was several years ago during a stay in Italia. I had a pretty bad headache and the person I was staying with suggested that I lie down with a warm compress on my head. I remarked that in American I'd be offered an Advil, Tylenol, aspirin, etc... Just sayin...
I'm thinking of making a big batch of veggie broth and freezing it to keep it handy for the upcoming season. Feel free to do the same and use any of the other ideas above. Good health to you all and Big Love, PatriciaG
Courtesy of Louise Hay's Positive Affirmation Cards:
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