Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Recovery

This week I made an amazing recovery from illness.

On Friday morning, the first symptoms of a cold appeared, just in time for the weekend. The physical signs manifested through a scratching ache in my throat, a faucet nose, and an increased sinus pressure. At first I hoped to avert a full-blown illness, but at some point my physical discomfort destroyed all hope. My only escape would be to pass right through the middle of the sickness.

My prognosis provoked a genuine sense of dread. In years past, this same level of infection led to bronchitis or worse. About ten years ago, I caught cold just before my birthday, which progressed quickly into a dreadful case of pneumonia. My temperature rose in deadly fashion to 105 degrees, which probably should have sent me to the emergency room, but I was too delirious from my fever to ask for help. I used to call this my "signature illness," because the symptoms never changed and always progressed in a predictable order from one cruel stage to the next. In the end, I always required medical intervention through powerful antibiotics. I've been lucky the last couple years, but this weekend I braced myself for the worst. I felt sure that my luck had run out.

But then my good friend suggested an herbal remedy that he learned from our tribal tradition. He showed me how to prepare the medicine, which I then took for the next three days. On the first day (Saturday), my health made no obvious improvement, but on the second day (Sunday), I noticed a decrease in sinus pressure. By the third day (Monday), the pain ended. When I woke up this morning, my nose stopped running and all other symptoms disappeared. Never in all my life have I escaped this level of illness without running the entire cycle if my "signature illness." Never.

The gift of plant medicine amazes and inspires me.

2 comments:

  1. 1/ Glad you're back on your feet.
    2/ Why have we forgotten so much about old lore which could help cure or cured a great many pains, aches and illnesses?

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  2. I've toyed with the idea of studying herbology for quite some time. I believe God put everything we need right here on Earth. The pharmecuedical companies, and big government, have brainwashed us into thinking that we need to pay fat cats for side effect filled drugs for our health and well being.

    Even something as simple as eating an apple and an orange everyday can make a world of differnce in a person's health.

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