West Meets East

Good Morning -

We have another set of similarly themed Virgens, so we'll touch on them both in this same place. I think it's a marker of my days right now that they blend into groups and that the theme for one day moves fluidly into the next day.

And what theme do we have for the past two days? Medicine. Specifically, how I bridge between Western and Eastern medicines when I'm sick.

Actually, that's not entirely accurate because the bridging I do that's not Western medicine isn't exactly Eastern medicine - it's just not what is commonly thought of as Western. So - more like West Meets Not West.

Oh, there's some rambly this morning, to be sure. Let's get specific and see if that helps clear some of this up.

So, right now I have a decent cold. It's all congestion and it's mostly in my sinuses and I like to attribute it to the hot, dusty air that blows through our dirty, rental vents when the central heat kicks on. Were we not renters, we might pay one of those companies to come and clean the vents. As renters, though, we run an air purifier in the bedroom while we're sleeping and anticipate that we might still get a little stuffy.

Which leads to the meds. I tend to have an eclectic approach to healing, such that when I'm stuffy I take an OTC decongestant while also drinking herbal teas that are supposed to make breathing easier. I slow down my pace, without completely exiting my life while the cold is going on.

Noting the weaknesses in all of the medicinal approaches, I try to pair them up in such a way that their strengths play off of and support each other (similar to how one might organize one's students in a classroom).

I know that my body can clear up this congestion if I give it the time and energy to do so, so I slow things down and ease up on deadlines (non-western). I also know that at this point my body is going to need some support with that, so I take a decongestant (western). My understanding of the trickiness of mass-made pharmaceuticals, though, has me pairing those dehydrating OTC decongestants with some herbal teas that are intended to open airways (non-western). Should none of this work and my condition persist beyond a handful of days, I'll pay my co-pay and go see a doctor to make sure I don't need an antibiotic on top of the decongestant (western).

Belief in the mind-body connection has me using some of my downtime during this healing to think about what's going on in my life that might be using so much emotional energy that my body doesn't have its normal reserves to go about the act of living and thus, in its overworked, emotionally stressed place, be weary enough that germs are able to set up camp in my breathing (non-western).

And so we have the Virgens with the herbs. Both are from that free healthy living magazine you get at Sunflower and both are from an article about different herbs and their medicinal properties.

Like all things (including moderation), it's moderation. All OTC with no lifestyle adjustment or gentler meds isn't a good idea, nor is all herbals and no pharmaceuticals.

Here's to that. Here's to moderation in all things, including moderation. Here's to healing. Here's to herbals, here's to a good, strong, OTC decongestants, and here's to listening to your body.