Before I let you into my big secret, my really big
secret, perhaps we should first discuss the issue.
So, they can put a man on the moon; they’ve
managed to successfully transplant hearts, lungs, kidneys, eyes… well
everything really as proven with Billy Bob. On top of which they’ve even
managed to not only clone a sheep but also give her a name, Dolly, as well. You’d
have to imagine that they cloned quite a few smaller animals along the way on
their development process, would you? But humans? I wouldn’t have thought so
but on second thoughts it’s always dangerous looking too closely into the
mirror.
Anyway, as I was saying, they have achieved all of
the above and yet they still haven’t managed to discover a cure for the common
cold (or flu)!
I mean, come on… can you really believe such a
thing?
No, of course we can’t.
Somewhere out there, there must be large warehouses
stocked to the ceilings with boxes of MFC (magic flu cures) and lots of other
great ideas/inventions and they’re all going to stay out of our reach, just so
we can all serve the name of commerce.
But let’s get back to our flu and cold cure. Just
visit any of your local chemists and check the shelves positively laden down
with their stash of their winter cold and flu remedies and you’ll realise exactly the commerce at stake which is
ultimately depending on no successful cures being discovered.
Personally whenever I visit a chemist and try to discover
the name of their best remedy I’m usually advised by a shop assistant - how on earth do they manage to avoid the flu so successfully, particularly after a non-stop stream of flu victims? - that the
treatments are all pretty much as good as each other. “Perhaps you should try
our own in-house brand?” seems to becoming the popular retort. I discovered 127
OTC (Over The Counter) brands of medication claiming to help tackle all our
winter ailments. I imagine when we do get down to it they’re all pretty much
created from the same basic ingredients; namely: Paracetamol, caffeine and
Phenylephrine, with the caffeine dropped from the “Night” comforters.
It used to be when a new brand hit the market they
would be launched and promoted as being capable of working wonders and they’d
immediately become the brand everyone was desperate for. For some reason or
other all new bands seem to enjoy a certain degree of immediate success. I
suppose that could be due to SWT (sugared water theory) where once you feel
your ailment is being treated you automatically start to feel better. With Contact 400 for instance I could actually
feel myself feeling better as the numerous (well at least 400 we have to
assume) little particles of wonderments worked their way into my ailing system
and reciprocated their magic as delayed-action time-bombs continued to be
effective long after the time of the initial administration. That was of course
until the time arrived for the next dose. You’d have to think thought that if
any of the cures were totally 100% effective then sales would suffer. They just
needed to be effective enough to give you some respite but, at the same time, not
being so effective that you didn’t long for more comfort.
Since then every autumn had given birth to the
latest in an ever growing line of miracle cures.
One alternate route to the above 127 OTCs is the evergreen
herbal choice. There are clearly a growing number of NDTYSs (no damage to your
system) remedies. Let’s see there Enchinacea (a root extract); aconite which
works on the principle that if you can drop a couple of these white micro
tablets just as the cold or flu starts to raise its ugly head in its gestation
period then the resultant increase in body temperature and energy might just
beat the little germs into submission. However this seems to me to be similar
to saying that if you have a good goal-keeper then you’ll be able to beat
Manchester United, which, as we know, just isn’t true. Then there are the
expensive Wellness tablets which are billed as: a Herbal Defense Complex. It’s
recommended that you take these particular capsules of goodness when you’re
feeling good the theory being they’ll build up your defence. Some swear by the
Wellness approach, it’s just I’m not exactly sure which swear words they use.
If you’re like me you’ll start off with the herbal
route and when that doesn’t help and desperation clicks in you’ll switch to one
(if not several) of the 127 OTCs when you’re happy to pump every legal chemical
at your disposal into your system to try and rid your body of the dreaded
winter nuisance.
Some people are still actually even committed to the
power of positive thinking.
One old fashioned approach I’m aware of is a hot
whiskey mixed with sugar and several cloves. It is recommended you stir the
solution furiously and drink it at as hot a temperature as you can bear to.
Apparently this approach helps sweat the germs out of you. It has also been
discovered that a few of the above drinks will temporarily numb you from your
flu, however when you wake up you just might discover you’ve not one, but two ailments
to deal with
People already infected with flu do unwittingly
help spread the germs via door-handles, sinks, door-bells and knockers, shower
and bath taps, railings, bannisters and other common hand-assistants. These
germs spread a lot quicker and more effectively than we’ll realise. Just sneeze
into an open newspaper and see first-hand from the pebble-dashed pattern just
how effective their harvest of germs are; even if you have the manners to raise
your hand to your mouth the little buggers still manager to get everywhere.
So what should/can we do to avoid and heal the
feared flu and cold?
Well we should wash our hands a lot. We should be
cautious about what we touch in public places; mainly toilets, stairwells,
lifts, escalators, restaurant tables and chairs, trains and train stations,
aeroplanes and airports etc etc., Other forms of protections? I do wonder how
far away we are from wearing the face masks, currently popular about the
streets and public transportation systems in Tokyo.
“Yes, yes, yes,” you groan, “but what exactly is
your cure PC?”
How do you get rid of a cold so common no-one has
bothered finding a cure for?
Okay, I’ll tell you.
My magic cure is TIME!
The best cure for the common cold and flu is TIME.
The secret to the revolutionary cure is to take the time you need; to allow
your body the time it takes to naturally fight off the flue or cold and make
your body better again.
And you know what? If you don’t subject your body
to various OTCs and cures and leave it to its own devices then my theory is
your body, the wonderful creation that is the human body, will fight off all
those wee flu bugs all the more quickly.
Of course you can help your body during this
process by resting; eating good food; drinking a lot of water and inhaling from
a bowl steaming hot water, with a few drops of eucalyptus, while under a towel.
Of course if none of the above works within the
statutory three days we recommend you visit your GP asap.
This time while suffering from flu and undergoing
my TIME cure...
I read:
Neil Young I feel he’s saving a lot for Volume Two.
Pete Townsend - Who I Am. A classic book against which all future 1960s
pop autobiographies will be judged. A major achievement.
And saw:
Manchester United at Chelsea (3 – 2) - the Red and
Yellow cards tell the story.
The Imposter – a classic!
Barbara - excellent!
Ruby Sparks – loved it, strongly recommended.
Skyfall – all the chasing along the roof tops
seems (to me) to be set in the same location as Taken 2.
Taken 2 – (see above) Liam outbonds Bond!
Liberal Arts - enjoyable in a good way.
The Good Wife 3rd Series - by far the
best series yet.
Boardwalk 2nd Series – loving it.
Rookie Blue 2nd Series
Hatfield & McCoys (mini-series) knowing the
end didn’t ruin the journey.
Blue Blood 2nd series... it's getting better
all the time…
… talking of which…
Top Ten Best Covers of Beatle Songs:
01. Golden Slumbers Jackson Browne & Jennifer Warnes
02. Blackbird Crosby,
Stills & Nash
03. With A Little Help From My Friends - Joe Cocker
04. While My Guitar Gently Weeps – Eric Clapton
(Concert for George)
05. Ticket to Ride The
Carpenters
06. Day Tripper Otis
Redding
07. Here Comes The Sun – Richie Havens
08. Eleanor Rigby Ray
Charles
09. Something Frank
Sinatra
10. Got To Get You Into My Life – Cliff Bennett
& The Rebel Rousers
I really wanted to include the song Isn’t it a
Pity, a life affirming version by Billy Preston from the truly spiritually
uplifting Concert for George DVD but then I remembered that although it was written
by George during the Beatle years it didn’t see the (recorded) light of day
until his majestic All Things Must Pass album, but both the song and the entire
concert footage are well worth checking out. In my humble opinion it is by far
the best live concert footage DVD ever released.
So until the next time,
Cheers
pc
