How far from the truth is this for 90% of America?One of my room mates came home yesterday after having some sushi. Apparently her stomach wasn't enjoying the sushi as much as she did while eating them, and she had a stomach ache that was getting worse by the minute.
After a few minutes of moaning and groaning, she opted to take some pepto-bismol.
I didn't get to see if she actually took it or not due to the fact I was in my room and she was outside of my viewpoint.
None the less, this baffled me. She just ate some raw meat, and her stomach was having problems digesting it (not surprising, your body essentially has to "cook" the meat on top of digesting it as usual). She felt ready to throw up, that is, her body was ready to get rid of it.
First response is to take a synthetic liquid that will prevent this from happening.
Ie- the quick fix, instant gratification, escape from pain.
...
Here lies (one of) the core problem/s of why the majority of the US get's sick, and stays sick, so often, it's considered "normal".
Reality check, getting sick a lot, and for long periods of time, is not only unnecessary (and preventable), but quite insane.
Back to my room mates, I've lived with my 2 current room mates since late July of 08. Living with someone really gives you a glimpse into their life, and for our purposes, how often they get sick.
At times I wish I would have graphed it, but on average they each get sick, at LEAST, once a month.
EACH
A cold, a fever, stomach aches, pains, runny noses, stuffy noses, fatigue, head aches...the works. One of my room mates even has a strange bruise that hasn't healed in a long time.
For the record, both of them are in relatively good physical condition (not even close to being over weight), eat a pretty standard diet ("kinda" healthy, but not even close), experience pretty standard stress (work/school/etc), and work out somewhat consistently.
So, why have they gotten sick (combined) over a dozen times since we moved in together, and I've caught a cold twice?
*One time lasting barely a day, the other lasting about 3 days.
Multiple reasons, so let's get busy.
1. I don't take medicine unless absolutely necessary
Meaning I haven't taken a pill, supplement, powder, or liquid in longer than I can remember, of any kind.
Am I totally against them? Ha, no. If I got in a car accident or suddenly contracted some type of rare disease, I'd be first in line to swallow a pill (assuming there was no other option and a doctor told me I'd surely die without it).
So what kind of effect does this have on my health and lack of "dis ease"?
For starters, there is an absence of synthetic and TOTALLY foreign chemicals/substances from those types of medicines in my body. More importantly, I don't force these FOREIGN substances into my body when it is already dealing with viruses etc...
In other words, I dont beat down my body when its already busy fighting off something else. Common sense, but quite contrary to conventional wisdom.
Furthermore, not taking common medicine allows my body to do it's job, uninhibited. I have a fever? No kidding, it's my body heating up in an attempt to kill something off.
The runs? (from top, or bottom), again, my body getting rid of something. The LAST thing I want to do is stop this process from happening, since that usually leads to something far worse.
Head ache? Stomach ahce?, even pains like this we don't enjoy, are signs that something is happening. At the very least, it's your body focusing it's attention to a certain area to re-balance something out of whack.
Numbing yourself into oblivion with pain killers (filled with synthetic chemicals) is NOT long term positive thinking, it's quick fix instant gratification crap that's been spoon fed to you since before you could form a sentence.
2. I get plenty of Sun Light
As I type there's ample sunshine beaming into my living room, and right on me. Weather permitting, I wear short sleeves, shorts, and drive with the windows down. Last thing I want to do is hide from the sun.Why you may ask?
Well, the sun happens to provide us with our primary source of Vitamin D, which is critical for the functioning of your immune system. I would go so far as to say that getting enough sun light day in and day out is the number one component for remaining "healthy" (dis ease free).
Also, as the picture implies, you'll rarely see me lather on a massive amount of suncreen, never anything as stupidly strong as SPF 100 either (in fact, you'll never see me use anything over 15). In fact, the only times you'll see me wear sunscreen are when I'll be outside for more than a few hours straight, and without a shirt/hat on (beach, pool, camping, etc). When I do, it's always natural/organic, and contains few ingredients. If I don't have access to that type of sunscreen, I'll cover up best I can and let my body take appropiate action.
Terrified of skin cancer? You have a lot more to worry about from common sunscreen than from moderate daily sunlight, check this article out for more info.
3. My diet does not encompass a lot of allergens
I'm a big subscriber to eating right=good health. It's a simple concept, seriously. But how many people follow that? And of those who do, who takes a deeper look into what is pushed as "healthy", and what's not.
Take "whole grains" for example. They have been touted for a while now as "healthy". In fact you see "made with whole grain" or "100% whole grain" on a lot of food packaging now a days. A lot of people see this, think "healthy", and grab it without thinking twice.
Auto-pilot, unconscious action.The reality is whole grain is only slightly better than regular white flour, and even that's a stretch since, like dairy and beans, grain doesn't really belong in your diet, despite what you've been lead to believe.
Those 3 "food groups" are loaded with anti-nutrients, toxins, high glycemic carbs (that stimulate the storage of body fat), and a host of other crap you don't want to ingest. Check out that posted link for more info, or my book Dream Vitality.
4. I eat lots of coconut!
I've blogged about the benefits of coconut oil before, but I'm going to do it again.
In relation to strengthening your immune system, about half of the fat in coconut oil is in the form of lauric acid, a hard to find medium chain fatty acid. So hard to find in fact, that outside of human breast milk, tropical oils are the only substanial source of it.
What does it do? As an infant, it's there to strengthen your immune system. Guess what effect it has on you as an adult?
5. When I do get sick...
Getting sick is an inevitable part of life, one that can not be avoided, even with obsessive hand washing and meticulous caution walking out of a bathroom.
*This may in fact contribute to getting sick more often since your constantly thinking about getting sick (mental stress), and never exposing your immune system to the germs it was meant to be exposed to.
Getting sick often however, is insane. Normal, but quite insane, and uneccessary.
So when I do get sick on rare occasion, I roll with it. I listen to my body and let it do it's work. I don't eat a lot, and what I do eat is usually fresh, uncooked, and water rich. This type of food goes down easy, and does not cause a lot of stress on my stomach (and therefore does not require a lot of blood and other resources my body is using elsewhere).
"Rolling" with it does not bar all action though. For example while I was down in South America
I caught a pretty nasty flu that was going around our hostel, for about 24 hours straight. There are few times in my life where I felt that miserable. My entire body ached, I couldn't eat any food, and I was burning up.
Nothing I did seemed to help. So, I did the counter intuitive and took an ice cold shower.
I hopped out, and instantly felt 100x better. Still, like crap, but not crippled moaning and groaning crap. The next day I woke up, went to the beach, and was back to about 95%. The day after, 100.
Around Orlando, if I do feel under the weather, I'll do 1 of 2 things (assuming I'm not burning up, which hasnt happened since, or even months before that time).
1. Go for a walk. I'll walk outside, breathe deeply (using my diagphram and expanding my belly as I breathe up through my chest), and do my best to forget about feeling ill. It's amazing how fast a head ache can dissapate when you take slow deep breathes. The Vitamin D from the sun isn't hurting either.
2. Hit the sauna. I won't overdo it, but 10-15 minutes (with more deep breathing) of sweating can do wonders followed up by a cold shower. If anything, the cold shower after a sauna WAKES YOU UP and takes your focus off of whatever is ailing you.
For the record (and those of you inclined to over do it, like I once did), going from a suana to a cold shower is fine for you. In fact it's been said to help clear acne and promote younger looking tight skin.
What is NOT good is going from a suana to a spa (hot water). This can eventually lead to heart problems such as murmurs, or even passing out. Something to think about next time you hop in a steaming hot shower after sitting in a spa or sauan for 15 minutes.
So, this is how I refrain from getting sick very often. I'm not invulnerble, but I havent been to a doctor in years, and have beaten everything from the common cold, to the flu, and even strep throat practicing what I outlined here.
If you do get sick often (which, you probably do, but might have trouble admitting to your self), try what I have listed out here. Or, follow the crowd.
It's your choice ;)
-Anthony/Dream
Edit- You've probably heard about other vitamins/minerals that support your immune system, Vitamin C and Zinc for starters. While these things to play an important role in your immune system, downing massive amounts of them when you do get sick has little effect beyond a placebo one, meaning they should be in your diet to begin with.
Additionally, downing massive amounts of sugar (processed juice) when you get sick is a sure way to DELAY getting better. Eating fresh uncooked fruits and veggies is 100x healthier than downing sugar+water, and won't screw up your hormone levels.
