My Elixir

I feel kinda silly blogging about this because it's boring, but sometimes I just get desperate to write about something, ANYTHING just to stay connected to my many wonderful fans out there.  Ah'em.

So what's been happening here is the flu bug.  Seems kind of weird to have the flu going around this time of year, but apparently it's really making its rounds these days, attacking anyone who gets in its path.  Like aliens coming from outer space to invade and take over the earth.   

But I am like the Gingerbread Man.  It can chase me, but it has a been really long time since it has caught me.  That's because I arm myself with a flu repellant.  (kinda like "bug dope")

If I were a traveling salesman living in the 1800s peddling my wares, I would definitely be stocked up with this concoction:

"The secret formula elixir to cure all kinds of ailments".

Except it really is no secret.  You can pretty easily find this, or something similar to it, with a click of a button on the internet.  I found it on the "Dr. Axe" website.

I started drinking this 3 or 4 years ago when I was having my stomach issues.  It is really excellent for settling any acid issues like GERD or acid reflux.  (Any gastro doctor who disagrees is ignorant and misinformed, and would much rather get you dependent on drugs that only make your condition worse.)

Anyhoo, I took this tonic every day for awhile for my stomach issues, and whenever I went off it,  I noticed that I felt better in general when I went back on it again.  I can't be specific in this explanation.  All I know is that I feel better in my general well-being when I am taking it.

I also began to notice that whenever those alien flu bugs from outer space came to invade, everyone around me got sick.  But I wasn't even touched.  I thought this was interesting, so I kept taking the tonic, kind of as a continual test trial and waited for the next invasion to observe how/if I would be affected. I escaped every time.

My poor poor poor hubby came home early one day last week, complaining of chills, sore throat, stuffy nose, headache, and fatigue.  He said it was going around at work and pretty much everyone at work either had it, or has it.   Chuck spent his whole entire weekend in misery, huddled under a blanket, sucking on throat lozenges, coughing, blowing his nose, and sleeping.  He was never professionally diagnosed, but I think it's a no-brainer that it was the flu.  As you all know, the flu bug is VERY contagious.  If you get in the same room as that person, you might as well count on getting sick yourself.  Being that I'm his loving, caring, doting wife who had to take care of him, I couldn't avoid him like the plague, so of course I took the necessary risks and put myself in that sacrificial danger zone.  The whole time I was thinking, if I am the average person (and I am), I should definitely be getting sick any time now.  Every morning when I woke up, I opened my eyes and moved around a bit, just to test how I feel.  Nothing.  So I could then start my day as usual. Hooray!

Now, I will be honest and admit:  On Sunday when I was in church, I started to feel a headache coming on.  And this wasn't the usual kind of headache that I get from hormones or too much sugar or whatever.  This felt like the kind of headache you get right before getting sick.  So I thought, "Hm.........maybe it's my turn to get sick now".

But the headache only lasted for a few hours, and then went away as fast as it came.  That very same night, I felt as normal and good as ever. SO, if I was destined to be victimized by the alien flu bug from outer space, I guess that was as bad as it was gonna get for me. (C'mon you buggers, is that all ya got?  Bring it on!) And yet, my poor poor poor hubby is still trying to recover  (stuffy nose and coughing, and even still now a week later complains of having chill spells.  Sheesh, this thing is not giving up on him.  I imagine it wants to knock him out cold so it can abduct him onto their space ship and do experiments on him).

My guess is, I owe it all to my personal elixir.  I hate to brag and boast about the power of this stuff because I will be embarrassed if I ever have to eat my words, and I'm sure that day will probably come.  But I tell you, I have not had a cold or the flu (in it's fullest form), in over three years, even while everyone else around me is suffering big time.  And I DO NOT EVER EVER EVER get the flu shot.  If I am right about this stuff, it beats the flu shot HANDS DOWN!!  Cuz even people who get the flu shot still get the flu!!!!  I keep telling Chuck he needs to drink my tonic, but he never listens to me.  Too bad there isn't a verse in the Bible that says "Husbands, listen to your wives, for they know what's good for you."  It would fit in very nicely anywhere in Ephesians 5.

If you take one little sip of this stuff, you will most likely put it down and say "THIS STUFF IS NASTY!", and that is why most people (like my poor suffering hubby) would rather get sick than drink this nasty stuff.  I, for one, HATE being sick, so learning to tolerate this stuff was well worth it. Yes, you do have to learn to tolerate it, I won't lie to ya.

But at the same time, imagine yourself being the ONLY one in a crowd that's NOT SICK.

Am I starting to sound like a 19th Century peddler?

Lucky for both you and me, I'm not trying to sell you anything.

Okay, so here is the not-so-secret formula recipe for this amazing "cold and flu bug dope" (repellent).

Water

A splash of apple cider vinegar

A dash of cinnamon

A dash of cayenne pepper

A little bit of ginger syrup

Fresh squeezed lemon juice

You can skip the water and just drink it straight in one swallow, but if you drink this undiluted you probably won't like the burn on your throat.  Some people might prefer to get it over with (like ripping off a Band-Aid), but to minimize damage to your throat lining and the erosion of the enamel on your teeth, I would highly recommend diluting it.  Now, let me explain the way I make it.  First, I take a 6-8 oz. mug and fill it up with water.  I heat it up in the microwave for 1 minute.  (I used to drink this stuff cold, but I found that I prefer it warm.)  Then I throw in the rest of the ingredients.

(do not literally throw them - you know what I mean)

Dr. Axe does not include the ginger syrup.  That was my own idea after I discovered its existence.  I add about a 1/2 tsp of ginger syrup, just enough to make it more palatable but not enough to make it taste like a sugar drink.   I used to use honey or salt, and that is okay too, but the ginger flavor in the syrup helps with the flavor and I like it that way.  Sometimes, when I remember to do it,  I stir in some minced ginger, but I often forget this step. Yes, this stuff tastes pretty nasty, even the way I make it, but medicine is supposed to taste bad, right? -- Keeps you from overdosing on it.

And besides, if you keep at it like me, you will eventually find that you like it.  I have gotten to the point where I actually sometimes crave it.  

Plug your nose, if that helps ya get it down the hatch.

C'mon, you wanna stay healthy, don't ya?

All righty then, next:   the cinnamon also helps with flavor AND it's really good for you in a number of ways that I can't remember right off the top of my head.  You will just have to trust me on this one.

I'm not sure what role the cayenne pepper plays in all this, but here is my guess:  I've read on numerous websites that cayenne pepper is really good for fighting viruses and infections, (some people actually keep some in their medicine cabinet!) and is also supposed to help thicken the protective mucus membrane in your stomach lining, which would be very good for me. (I've read that ulcers were cured with the use of cayenne pepper.)  I can't vouch for how true that is, but in my experience it hasn't hurt anything yet that I've noticed.  The reason it's supposed to be good at fighting viruses and infections is because it's hot and spicy -  do you ever feel hot and flushed after eating something spicy?  It gets the blood flowing, and circulating blood is what helps heal those troubled spots.  

The lemon juice is really good for the flavor.  I used to use the bottled lemon juice, but after slicing a fresh lemon and squeezing the juice out of it, it really does make a difference in the flavor of this nasty tasting tonic.  I cut a lemon into 6 slices and squeeze one slice of juice into it, but you can put in whatever amount tastes good to you.  The lemon is also alkalizing, which helps neutralize your stomach acid and also helps flush out your liver.  

The apple cider vinegar is probably the most important ingredient, but I think all the ingredients somehow work together as a team.  You can probably use regular apple cider vinegar, but I really think that the unfiltered kind with the "mother" is best.  Look for the kind that looks like it has murky gunk floating around in it.  It looks gross, but that's the kind of bacteria that your body can benefit from.

After you get it all together, you can do what I do.  After fishing the lemon seeds out of your cup (if there are any), take your fresh cup of warm tonic to your computer and read the news while you sip and enjoy, like a morning cup o' joe.

And now you know what my morning routine is.

And that is my secret to not getting sick.

(knock on wood)

Or at least, I THINK that's my secret.  What other explanation is there?

I never thought I'd write a complete detail of this because it's not very interesting.  But like I mentioned, I have no other news, so if you are bored with this, all you have to do is get up out of your chair and find something else to entertain you.

Like taking a picture of your cat sitting in a sunny patch in the middle of your living room:

(how exciting is that?)