Kicking the Flu

I rarely get the flu. In fact, it's been so long that I've had it, I know it was more than 10 years ago. I'm more prone to sinus infections. BUT, I know how to kick the flu faster than the two weeks it generally takes to get over it. I simply hit my body with everything I can think of to take down the virus. And the shit works. It can have you back to work in two days. But you have to do everything on the list!

First, you have to pump up your nutrition up to fight the damn thing. You may not feel like eating, may not be able to taste anything, but the nutrition part must be done. NOOOOO DAIRY PRODUCTS ALLOWED. Dairy produces mucus, let's not get a respiration infection to boot, okay? No effing dairy until you've kicked this mother. You don't have to sit down to a feast and there's the whole "don't feed a fever" thing, but how else are you going to support your immune system? It's got to have something to work with!

Two, hot fresh-squeezed lemonade -- it's crucial. Fresh lemons have more Vitamin C than oranges. A Vitamin C tablet just won't do. Get the good stuff. Use honey or agave nectar, whatever. Skip the white refined sugar -- it's another mucus causing substance, we're trying to get your immune system energized. TWO CUPS of fresh hot lemonade, spaced out, say 6 hours apart or so. To really KICK up the remedy, sprinkle cayenne or chili powder on top of the beverage and be prepared to use a lot of tissues if you're congested. This will open up your breathing.

Three, VICKS or any type of vaporub -- just a small dab on your finger, placed at the base of each nostril. WASH YOUR HANDS after applying it, don't make a mistake I've made and forget and then rub your eye or something. You'll howl!

Four, whatever you can eat, throw garlic into it. Lots. Garlic is a natural germ killer/disinfectant.

Five, if you're coughing, use the vaporub on your chest.... read the label, it's a cough suppressant. Put the vaporub on your feet and put socks on -- yes, it really works.

Lastly, a shot or two of warm brandy or whiskey before bed -- but ONLY for adults. This is not a kid or teen remedy. Go to bed, put socks on your feet, get under the covers. Be prepared to sweat.

If you're cold, (and some people shiver and then get hot and 'round and 'round it goes), cover your head. Yep, sit in the house with a damn hat on if you have to. Just do it.

These steps are really remedies as much as they are an assault on the virus. If you do all of these things, you'll kick it faster, and you'll actually support your immune system.

When you are OVER THE FLU, get some probiotics in you in the form of yogurt. If you don't like yogurt, get to the health food store and get some acidophilus in capsule form. Take according to directions. A health intestinal tract keeps your immune system healthy as well.

As with any advice, I'm not a medical doctor, I'm a nurse who is simply repeating remedies that have worked for me and my family for years. If any of the above contradicts advice given to you by your physician, or if you're unsure of medication interactions and contraindications, check with your doctor before following any of the above steps.

New Findings on Fructose

No fructose here.

The latest “new findings” regarding weight loss is that the sweetener, “fructose,” stops the “I’m full” mechanism from shutting off in the brain, so we overeat. And THIS is one of the causes of our obesity problem in the United States. I’m not buying it.

High fructose corn syrup is a sugar. Read labels, people. STOP BUYING FOOD WITH HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP! And learn how many carbs you should eat everyday. AND CUT YOUR PORTION SIZES!

Corn is a starch already and you’re adding sugar (fructose) with some corn. If you read your labels on everything in your typical lunch or dinner that had high fructose corn syrup in it, you would more than likely find yourself eating a big plate of corn with a cup of sugar on it. Oh, that sounds yummy, right?

…and then there are the portions.

Just because a portion size is given on the side of a box, or in a recipe (which is where you should be getting more of your portion sizes from anyway – not off of PROCESSED FOOD BOXES!), does that mean you have to eat it? I had better have heard a ‘no.’

Portion sizes have gotten bigger in this country. Look at your plate in a restaurant. Now look at a plate in a French restaurant. The portion size in a French bistro is about ¼ of what a portion is the United States.

Yes, size does matter

To get fructose out of your diet, eat more vegetables. Eat less of the starchy ones than you do the others. Eat no more than two servings of fruit a day. One large banana can be considered two fruits, as would one large apple. Size matters, and that is something Americans typically don’t take into account.

Portion sizes have increased

Food companies HAVE INCREASED PORTION SIZES SO BE CAREFUL. Also, read the labels on your sports drinks if you indulge in those (I have a Revive Vitamin Water every once in a while because I eat tired of eating bananas and just need a quick potassium jolt.) The servings on those bottles changed, from TWO servings, to now ONE serving. Was it an effort to get you to buy more? Probably. But it’s also making you fatter in the process. A serving size of most drinks is one cup. That’s 8 oz., people. For fruit juice, it’s one-half cup, or 4 oz.

Watch your butt…. er, bottom

What it all comes down to is this: READ YOUR LABELS. Educate yourself. The food industry wants PROFITS. If you eat less, you BUY less. That doesn’t help their bottom line…. But it does make your bottom grow!

Gone Fishing....

The Mean Nurse is taking a day off, but we'll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy these peony blooms from my mother's summer garden....

Do You Do Too Much for Others?

I almost didn't write a blog today. Yesterday I did too much for others and am paying the price today. I'm achy. I'm bitchy. And all I want to do is curl up with a book in the corner of the couch, drink my morning cup and wrap barbed wire the space. I'd like to hurl my laptop and phone into a flaming pit of death, but then I'd simply have to program new ones, and we all know how long that shit takes!

My DODTMFO (day of doing too much for others) wasn't confined to one person. Everyone had equal footing on my last nerve, and no one was mean, bitchy or even asking for too much. They just asked all at once. And that's when the DODTMFO sneaks up on you. It happens to everyone.

SO. WTF can be done about this?

One tiny little thing. That can turn into a big thing for many people.

Stop.

In the thick of it, just stop. Don't flippin' argue with me and start whining about why you can't. I'm the mean one, remember?

So cut it out. And stop.

Imagine for a moment, that at the very moment you stop, that you've had a heart attack and must be rushed to the hospital. Imagine the scene after you are on your way. What would the people around you do? How would your work, your chores, your duties, be carried on? They'd go on, right? The world would keep turning, and people would manage to pick up the slack, and maybe adjust a deadline or two. People would just have to deal. Magically, papers would be filed, customers would receive their orders, someone would run to the store for milk, kids would get the posterboard for their project. Okay. So now.....

..... take a beat.

For yourself.

When those DODTMFOs creep up, and you "think" you cannot possibly take time out to eat lunch, go to the bathroom, take 10 minutes for yourself, I know you can.

If not, there's a better chance that you'll meet me, or one of my nurse colleagues.... in the ER.

Do You Have a Cold or the Flu?

Sometimes it's tough to know whether you have a bad cold (there's a good kind?) or the flu, so here's a quick fact sheet:

A Cold

• No fever, or a low-grade fever (less than 101°F)
• Maybe a sore throat and/or a mild headache
• You're tired, but you can manage your day to day activities
• It comes on gradually, over the course of a few days

The Flu

• A fever of 102°F or more
• Body feels like you've been by a Mack truck
• Very tired, difficult or impossible to get out of bed
• Maybe a feeling of dizziness or need to hang onto furniture if you do manage to get up
• Starts suddenly
• Kicks your ass!

If you do develop the flu,

1. Please don't go to work
2. Get someone to go to the store for you if you need anything, please stay out of the public.

Read: Kicking Colds, Flu, and Sinus Infections for quick, easy, and natural remedies to feel better fast using products you probably already have at home.

Feel better!

Kicking Colds, Flu and Sinus Infections

I'm prone to sinus infections. I live in the Midwest, and the weather here will almost always give me at least one of those damn things a year. I hate them and have developed a method that kicks a sinus infection's ASS. I do this every time I get one, and by the next day, I may look tired, but I'm not sick. The pain in my sinuses is gone, and I don't have to be miserable at work or confined to my couch. The following steps also work for colds or the flu, although with the flu, your symptoms may last a little longer. I usually kick that within 48 hours though.

First, you have to keep your nutrition up to fight the damn thing. You may not feel like eating, may not be able to taste anything, but the nutrition part must be done. NOOOOO DAIRY PRODUCTS ALLOWED. Dairy produces more mucus, let's not keep fighting the same fight, okay? No effing dairy until you've kicked this mother. You don't have to sit down to a feast and there's the whole "don't feed a fever" thing, but how else are you going to support your immune system. It's got to have something to work with.

Two, hot fresh-squeezed lemonade -- it's crucial. Fresh lemons have more Vitamin C than oranges. A Vitamin C tablet just won't do. Get the good stuff. Use honey or agave nectar, whatever. Skip the white refined sugar, we're trying to get your immune system energized. TWO CUPS of fresh hot lemonade, spaced out, say 6 hours apart or so. To really KICK up the remedy, sprinkle cayenne or chili powder on top of the beverage and be prepared to use a lot of tissues. This will open up your sinuses so they drain.

Three, VICKS or any type of vaporub -- just a small dab on your finger, placed at the base of each nostril. WASH YOUR HANDS after applying it, don't make a mistake I've made and forget and then rub your eye or something. You'll howl!

Four, if your throat is sore, take a tablespoon of honey or REAL maple syrup. Don't wash it down with anything, just eat it. Repeat as necessary to soothe the throat.

Five, whatever you can eat, throw garlic into it. Lots. Garlic is a natural germ killer/disinfectant.

Six, if you're coughing, use the vaporub on your chest.... read the label, it's a cough suppressant. Put the vaporub on your feet and put socks on -- yes, it really works.

Lastly, a shot or two of warm brandy or whiskey before bed -- but ONLY for adults. This is not a kid or teen remedy. Go to bed, put socks on your feet, get under the covers. Be prepared to sweat.

This isn't so much a remedy for colds, flu or sinus infections as it is an assault. If you do all of these things, you'll kick it faster and won't have to rebuild your immune system after taking a round of antibiotics. You'll actually support your immune system and get it to kick the offending germs itself.

As with any advice, I'm not a medical doctor, I'm a nurse who is simply repeating remedies that have worked for me and my family for years. If any of the above contradicts advice given to you by your physician, or if you're unsure of medication interactions and contraindications, check with your doctor before following any of the above steps.

Saving Healthcare Costs Through Medical Tourism

The next time you’re faced with a major medical procedure, but worried about the cost, you might consider medical tourism. Imagine saving tens of thousands on a CABG (coronary artery bypass graft), or simply cardiac bypass.

Once upon a time, medical tourism was considered something that only the wealthy did, but in 2012 an estimated 600,000 will solve their medical problems in other countries, and that number is predicted to grow by 15 to 20 percent as baby boomers age. A survey conducted by Patients Beyond Borders (a medical travel company) revealed that in 2011 a CABG could be performed in the United States for roughly $88,000. If you flew to India, you’d pay $9,500. You could travel back and forth to India several times and not eat up the nearly $78,000 or so in savings.

What to know more? In addition to Patients Beyond Borders, IndUSHealth is also a medical travel program provider for patients and employer health care plans.