The Not-So-Common Cold

Hi, I’m Terrie. It’s been thirteen months since my last cold.

Yes, I still cough a lot and sleep a lot because of a lung condition. But I’m doing far better than others with the same malady and have taken fewer sick days than I used to. For the past seven years, I have averaged one cold per year or less, where I used to think three or four each year were normal. As I write this post, it’s been thirteen months since my last one. (Now just watch, as soon as I hit “publish,” I’ll be flattened by a nasty cold or flu to keep me humble. I’ll risk it.)

What made the change? I can think of a couple of things.

Seven years ago, I began seeing local naturopath, Dr. Lisa Graham. She taught me a lot of tricks for building one’s immune system. Although I have not frequented her clinic for a long time, a few of the lessons she taught me stuck. 

I learned to look at food differently. I began to realize every bite I take is either fighting disease or feeding it. Seriously. Every bite. Although I gave up the vegan diet for the sake of marital harmony, I do eat a lot more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans than I used to—and a lot less sugar, gluten, and dairy.

Now that Canada’s Food Guide is finally catching up to what naturopaths have been saying all along, the next generation of Canadians should see a turn-around in obesity, allergies, diabetes, and cancer. This sounds like bad news for beef ranchers and dairy farmers if people stick to more plant-based proteins. But our economy can only benefit if people stay healthy. Maybe now’s the time to diversify into legumes or lettuce. 

What I think has really boosted my immune system, however, is the last thirty seconds of my daily shower. I do enjoy a hot shower, but just before I’m done, I turn the water to straight cold. Brrr, right? Am I insane? I don’t think so. The Finnish are on to something with their hot saunas followed by a plunge into icy water. 

Here’s how Dr. Lisa explained it. Well, sort of.

Think of your immune system as your body’s military, your antibodies the tiny soldiers waiting to be called up for duty. The warmth of the shower lulls those little soldiers into complacency. It tells them, “All is well. Relax. Save your strength.” 

Make a habit of that and your entire army will be fast asleep when needed. Unless…

BAM! Whoa! What’s that? Alert, alert! Send help! 

A message is sent to your command center, the brain. Something big is happening in your body’s core, the part requiring the most protection because that’s where the enemy bugs grow. Of course, you know you’re not truly in trouble—it’s only cold water. But your tiny soldiers don’t know that, so they jump into action. They muster all the troops to fall in, strengthen themselves, and prepare for battle. The first threatening bug to come along gets it. POW! Next day you do it again. And again. Soon your army is so well-equipped it can tackle the toughest bugs.

That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it. Of course, none of that will work without the support of healthy food, adequate sleep, and exercise. But still. I’ve discovered that when I skip this thirty-second cold blast, I step out of the shower with all the vigor of a used tea bag. I miss it because it leaves me feeling awake, alert, and all a-tingle.  

I dare you to try it for a month. Then a year. Count your colds. Let me know what happens.

Reflections on a Two-Year Anniversary I’d Have Never Chosen

Two years ago tonight I was reading in bed when I started to cough something up. I panicked a little when I saw the Kleenex full of blood. “This can’t be good,” I thought. Within a couple of weeks, I was coughing incessantly, feeling pain in my chest and back, and exhausted all the time.

When they found “something strange going on with your lungs,” I figured I’d be walking through one of three possible doors. Door Number 1 was cancer and I’d have six to twelve months to put my house in order. Door Number 2 was some easy-to-treat infection that would soon be a distant memory. I didn’t want to think about Door Number 3: a chronic illness that wouldn’t kill me but make life more challenging for the next 30 years.

 “I’m fine with going home early, Lord,” I prayed. “But please don’t let it be Door Number 3.”

Long story short, I was told I had Bronchiectasis (which in itself does not kill you, but is not known to ever go away). Meanwhile, other seemingly unrelated problems with other body parts surfaced, too.  After 14 months of various tests, they also discovered an atypical bacterial infection in my lungs known as MAC. At first, this made me happy because I thought, “at last, something they can treat.” But the treatment sounded worse than the disease and not highly promising.

So for the past nine months, I’ve been on a journey of naturopathic treatment requiring a complete change in diet, two or three trips to the clinic a week, additional self-treatments at home, and an uncomfortable amount of money.  But I began feeling better so quickly, it gave me the determination to keep going.

I’ve learned things I never dreamed I would. Like how to put together some pretty decent meat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free meals. I’m playing the saxophone. I gave up coffee. I end every hot shower with a 30-second blast of cold and barely flinch. I exercise 3-4 times a week. I ’ve asked for prayers all over the place, going to the front after Sunday services numerous times and meeting with the elders a couple of times.  

And I really am much better. Energy’s up, coughing is down.  Yet they tell me the Bronchiectasis is actually a bit worse and the infection is still present. Which tells me my lungs were not necessarily my biggest problem and whatever was causing the fatigue is, indeed, being addressed.

I’ve come to see our bodies like a Whack-a-Mole game at the carnival. While one specialist whacks one mole, another pops up, and another and another. Meanwhile, something is wrong with the basic mechanism of the machine and it’s being ignored. Naturopathy addresses the underlying problem. By building the body’s immune system, we strengthen it for battle so it can fight off the enemies regardless where they pop up. This is what I’m hoping for, and why I’m sticking with it for now.

The parallels between my road to health and my road to book publication are uncanny. Sure, I could self-publish my book and be done with it. But first, I need to know I’ve done everything— EVERYTHING — to make this book the best it can be and I know the best way to do that is on the long road. Taking advice from contest judges, critique partners, editors, and my new agent. Rewriting and rewriting and rewriting again. 

I have no way of knowing how either of these journeys will end, but at least no one can accuse me of taking a short cut. And I know something else. God walks with me, every step. He’s teaching me, every step. And I don’t want to miss anything he has for me along the way.

Today, I’ve been listening over and over to a Robin Mark song called All is Well. Please, please click the link and listen to it. These lyrics really resonate:

All my changes come from Him who never changes

I’m held firm in the grasp of the Rock of all the ages

All is well with my soul

He is God, in control

I know not all His plans

But I know I’m in His hands.

Amen!

Frequently Asked Questions

Time for another exciting episode in the Adventures of Naturopathic Medicine. When I see my lung specialist in December, I don’t know whether I’ll be bringing him a disease-free patient, but I’m confident I’ll be bringing him a less exhausted one. Some days I even skip my nap like a grown up. And I cough only enough to know I’m not home-free yet.

There are a few questions I get asked a lot, about the food plan. Being three months in hardly makes me an expert, but here are my answers.

“How do you know you’re getting enough protein?”

I’m getting plenty of protein from beans and nuts, but did you know spinach, mushrooms, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and many fruits also provide protein? I didn’t, but it makes sense when you remember the strongest animals on our planet are herbivores. Where do they get their protein?

“What about calcium?”

Spinach and other leafy green vegetables are loaded with the stuff.

“Are you going to be on this diet FOREVER?”

Yes and no. I’ll be on it until I’m either well or I give up, whichever comes first. But honestly, I’m enjoying the food and how it makes me feel so much I can’t imagine ever going back, at least not totally.

“So...what DO you eat?”

Lots of salad, stir-fry, and soup. Admittedly, some days it seems every dish I make uses the same ingredients, but in different proportions with varied methods of preparation. Breakfast is homemade granola or cooked oatmeal loaded with extras and topped with almond milk. Snacks are fruit, veggies, popcorn, or unsalted tortilla chips with hummus, bean dip, or guacamole.

“Isn’t it hard?”

I got through the first month by telling myself, “If you think of this as food, it’s going to be hard. But if you think of it as medicine, it’s wonderful.”

I got through the second month by reminding myself I’m the only one who can choose what goes in my mouth, and everything I put there holds power. Will I give my body something it has to fight against or will I give it something to make my body say, “Yes! I can work with this”?

In my third month, the cravings for meat, bread, sugar, coffee, and cheese became increasingly rare. I can walk into Sobeys and just enjoy the bakery smells—like flowers or perfume—without wanting to eat it.  It really does get easier—but not without God’s strength.

“Do you ever cheat?”

Yep. I’m attending a wedding this weekend and intend to eat whatever’s offered.

I’m not making this up.

Daily, I drink what I affectionately call my pond scum. It’s made from running one apple, three carrots, two celery stalks, and five large leafy greens through the juicer. My favorite leafy green thing is Swiss Chard.

On Labour Day, I realized I was out of pond scum and needed to do some juicing. I had all the ingredients except the chard. But the stores were closed, and the next day was going to be busy so I thought, oh well. Guess I’ll survive a day or two.

Then I went outside and Linda from across the back fence, who had earlier offered me zucchini, said, “Oh, hi Terrie. Sorry I don’t have any zucchini for you today after all. I don’t suppose you’d be interested in some Swiss Chard?”

I can’t pretend to understand why God takes care of these crazy little details while sometimes the big things appear to drag on forever unaddressed. But I do know this: you can’t tell me He doesn’t have a sense of humour. (And thank you, Linda!)

PS. Congratulations to Barb Knott of Portage who won last week’s free book draw.