What I Learned This Spring Break

I mentioned in my previous post, "What I Did This Spring Break," that the three of us got a weird virus.  Ordinarily when we get a cold or flu it doesn't last long (0-3 days) because I use an arsenal of virus-killing weapons:  yogurt, Zicam, and grapefruit seed extract.  I haven't had a bad sore throat for years and I credit the Zicam and GFSE for this, since as soon as I feel that scratchy throat, I use my sprays and the sore throat doesn't materialize.  This time, however, nothing seemed to work and I was forced to endure a bad sore throat for over a week.  I even went to the doctor to make sure it wasn't strep.

Another strange thing about this virus was that it affected us all differently.  Leonard had a cough that lasted for three weeks,  I had my very sore throat (no other symptoms), and Jordan had the more typical cold symptoms.  I heard from others that indeed this virus was going around and Leonard's version was typical: a cough that lasted for weeks, even months!  (Very possibly my use of Zicam and GFSE prevented the virus from infecting my lungs?)

Ho hum, boring right?  Well what I really want to share here is that I have possibly found a very valuable anti-microbial solution called MMS.  My sister had told me about this a couple of months ago and I didn't feel any need for it, thinking my trusty GFSE was just as good.  Uh huh...one week of painful swallowing was the tipping point and I was ready to try MMS, which frankly smells like chorine bleach. (It is NOT chlorine bleach, I assure you!)

Long story short,  I took two doses (6 drops then 2 drops 2 hours later) that night, and my sore throat was GONE the next day.  Coincidence?  Possibly.  Meanwhile, Leonard still had his persistant cough and was fed up...and willing to try anything.  I gave him a 6 then 4 dose.  Next day his cough was pretty much gone (meaning just occasional as opposed to constant).  Another possible coincidence?    So how's this:  Jordan came down with another cold on Monday--after being fully recovered for 3 weeks from the first one.  I first gave her Oscillococcinum which is an expensive homeopathic remedy sold at Long's and WalMart and which has excellent customer reviews online.  After 3 doses Monday, she showed minimal improvement on Tuesday.  Finally Tuesday afternoon, still no improvement so I decided to give her the MMS (4 drops twice in 2 hours).  By the evening she was back to normal and today happily went back to Easter Seals.  Third coincidence??  Or....CURE!?

I won't go into details about this solution except to urge you to do your own research.  With so much talk these days about scary viruses and antibiotic-resistant bacteria,  I feel much safer with MMS in the house.  I don't plan to do the full-on program they recommend for complete detox because that would require more careful research, but having seen three "coincidences,"  I consider this a keeper for occasional use.  I did do a lot of reading online about the product and it has its detractors, but nothing convincing enough to change my mind.

At $16-$20 a bottle (depending on the site) I don't feel this is a "scam," especially since you use just a few drops at a time and more so when Jim Humble gives you the recipe if you're inclined to make it yourself.  Considering the price of antibiotics these days, their decreasing effectiveness, and their potentially debilitating side effects (my mother still has blurred vision from her reaction to Bactrim last summer), it's totally worth looking into MMS. 

Again, I recommend looking up any prescription drug at AskaPatient.com .  I was considering taking Fosamax after seeing poor results on my third bone density scan, but seeing 882 patient reviews averaging 1.5 out of 5, I have to reconsider!

If you're wondering if there's a similar website to see what others have to say about "natural" remedies, there is!  Go to EarthClinic.com and you can look up MMS there also.  You can also leave your own testimonials on any natural remedy, such as Apple Cider Vinegar, etc.

Lastly, someone emailed me that "cough when you're having a heart attack" Powerpoint that I've received before.  It's a good practice to research any of these forwarded email claims on Snopes.com to see if the claim is true or false.  In this case it's labeled "false" even though it's partially true.  According to Snopes' research, coughing can help only in very limited cases and can do more harm if you're not one of those cases.  The better advice is to chew some aspirin and sit up quietly and wait for help.

Remember,  I'm no doctor, I just like to pass on my health findings in order to help my busy readers!  Subscribe to Mercola.com's newsletters for even more useful health info!

FYI, in case you're wondering, no, I don't get paid for any of these products or links I post here...darn.

Drug Kauai Sis

Happy Labor Day Weekend! What's on your agenda for this weekend? For me, I hope it'll be "nothing much," because I was looking at the possibility of having to go to Honolulu to be a nurse to my mom, who for the past week, was experiencing a very bad mystery illness with extreme weakness, lethargy, low blood pressure, diarrhea, loss of appetite, memory issues, and even hallucinations! My mom, who's very strong and active, is barely able to get out of bed and is having trouble standing for more than a few seconds. She's been sleeping 20 hours a day for the past week. This is extremely uncharacteristic for her, a person who typically doesn't let even influenza keep her down for more than a day. The doctor had nothing much to offer her except the usual blood tests. It was scary that he let her go home in that condition.

As I've said before... TGFI!!! (Thank Gore For Internet!!)...because after a couple of days of worry on my part (I was only notified about all of this on Tuesday), it finally dawned on me to go to AskaPatient.com to check on an antibiotic she'd been taking--sulfameth/tmpds (aka Bactrim). Oh...my...god!!! There are over 600 entries concerning this drug, the vast majority reporting bad side effects, many mirroring what my mom's been experiencing. Damn!! Do you see why I've been trusting my naturopathic Dr. Leia Melead more lately than my medical doctors (although I do respect them immensely and still go to them)?

Although Mom is still not feeling well, at least we now feel confident we know what caused her malaise. She said she's never felt so sick in her life. Because of her age--80--any illness is a big concern to me, but knowing the probable cause is a big relief.

Always looking for a silver lining, I can now smile about two good side effects of that evil drug: 1) She lost 10 pounds in less than a week (Gimme dat ting!), and 2) My sister and my nephew proved themselves and really stepped up to the plate in helping her. You never know how people will respond until they're tested this way, and I was happy to hear how both of them did their best to help Mom. As the older sister--and always tagged "the responsible one"--I've always felt guilty for living on Kauai, rather than in Honolulu. Of course it's not like I'm in New York, but still I'm not in Kaimuki either.

So ok, today's helpful hint is to go to AskaPatient.com to look up any pharmaceutical drug, good or evil. Or maybe I should say instead, "to find out if it's good or evil."

My Labor Day Weekend, therefore, will go on as planned from the looks of it, and that includes a sleepover visit from Jordan's friend, a visit to the Cops of Top at Safeway, shopping at Costco, and possibly a movie. Oh yeh, and I guess some work: sewing and my wonderful internet job.

Please visit your local Safeway and contribute to Cops of Top for Special Olympics. Remember, we "abled" people take so much for granted, while the mentally disabled are offered so little opportunity to participate in group athletic and social activities. Special Olympics, like all of us, is having to cut back drastically this year. Any help they receive will at least keep them above the point of cancelling all events. Thank you in advance!