Confucius say...

A couple of weeks ago, I woke up with a sore throat. Then proceeded to lose my voice and acquire one of those coughs that feels like you have a constant tickle in your throat. The kind of cough that sounds like you're coughing up a lung...but not really. The only thing I could think of was, "I hope I get rid of it before my wedding." I did get rid of it, but not after buying stock in Ricola lozenges. It never fails that when winter rolls around (yes, Phoenix does get cold, believe it or not) I usually get sick. And it's never just a cold. Oh no. The Mother of All Sore Throats comes first, then the Stopped Up Nose From Hell usually arrives a day or so later. I can feel it coming on too, because only one nostril gets plugged up and I. Really. Hate. That.

I get scared when I can't breathe through my nose. It's like I can't get enough oxygen or something and I end up taking these deep, struggling breaths, and loads of Dayquil and Nyquil before finally breaking down and going to the doctor to get some "real" drugs (read: amoxicilin). Which I never finish anyway. For the record, Steven hates going to the doctor. As we know all men do. It has to be in their genetic code. Instead of calling up Dr. Feelgood, he'll open up his well worn book of Chinese Herbs to see what he can find. That book has a remedy for just about anything.

For as long as I've known Steven (5 1/2 yrs and counting), he's been into martial arts. He took classes for a long time, even trained for a week at THE Shaolin Temple in China. Needless to say, he got lucky when he hooked up with me because I love martial arts movies just as much as he does. But I digress. When we first started going out and I got sick one time--y'know, the usual symptoms--he cooked me up a remedy that works like a charm for him every time:

~ fresh ginger root, chopped
~ onions, chopped
~ can of soup

Mix chopped ingredients in bowl of soup, eat, wrap yourself in a blanket...and prepare to sweat.

Just so you know, I think GINGER IS NASTY IN ANY FORM. But when you mix it up with onions and it put it in soup, it's even nastier. Let me tell you though, after eating that, my cold was gone in two days. I kid you not. Now, whenever I feel myself starting to get sick, I find myself propping open that book. Lately, I've been doing some research, off and on, for an adult romance book I plan on writing; One of the main characters operates a Chinese Herbal store.

In my Internet travels, I came across Chinese Herbs Direct. They have herbs for Aging to Women's Herbs. They even have stuff for pets! For both dogs and cats. I found THIS REMEDY for our little furball, even though her problems probably stem from noshing on grass. Huh. So maybe I should get her THIS instead.

If you've ever thought of trying an alternative form of healing, I would suggest doing as the Chinese do. There's a reason why they live well over the age of 100. I'm just sayin'.