A story about an untested lung infection - is it a virus or a bacteria? I was at the coffee shop next door to the Changing Habits office and the young man behind the counter asked me about taking probiotics. I enquired as to why he needed to take them, as standing in front of me was a young and very healthy looking man. He told me that he had a lung infection and his doctor had prescribed antibiotics. I asked him was the lung infection life threatening, which he replied no. I asked him what were the antibiotics that he was taking - he didn’t know so I assumed broad spectrum antibiotics. I then asked him if the doctor had taken any samples of sputum coughed up, in order to assess whether the infection was a bacteria or virus - he told me no. He also told me that his ears were blocked and his doctor had prescribed anti-inflammatories. I’m not a doctor, I’m a nutritionist so I look at the body completely different when there are symptoms. I see symptoms as the body whispering or yelling at you depending on the severity of the symptom, that something is wrong and it would be a good time to take stock of what you are eating and how you are conducting your lifestyle. Whereas it seems doctors (not all) see a sign or a symptom and they want to squash it so you can’t hear it anymore. I understand that there are crisis and life threatening symptoms and situations and by all means, we must listen to them but for this young man, he was not in a life threatening situation. The young man also asked his doctor whether he should take probiotics. His doctor said there was no proof that they help but it wouldn’t hurt. But what the doctor failed to tell this young man was that one course of antibiotics (and he was on his second) has the ability to upset the microbiome (the body’s symbiotic bacteria that helps in immunity, digestion, delivery of vitamins, protection from pathological bacteria, gut integrity and much more) for up to 2 years. I asked this young man how he was eating and he said he was so tired that he was eating really badly. I said that he was on a downward spiral and if he didn’t consider his lifestyle and what he was eating and make it a priority, then it would take him longer to recover. He told me he wanted to but he was just too tired. I suggested the old fashioned remedies of good food, bone broths, fermented food and Changing Habits probiotics and double doses of our Camu Camu. All food based remedies. I came back into the office and told Jordan and Sheridan (my two beautiful caring nutritionists) about our barista. They got to work and printed out three bone broth recipes and have taken into him some Camu Camu to at least get him started. I have harvested my kumbucha so I’ll bring him some in and the girls will make him some broths. It’s so important that we teach our young men and women before they go out into the world, the importance of proper nutrition and how to look after themselves. We have a belief that symptoms must be squashed with medications and once the symptoms are gone, we are healthy. Dorlands Medical Dictionary describes health as not merely the absence of disease and infirmity but rather physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Let me show you how powerful this can be. My walking and swimming partner Rikki has moved out west to somewhere near Windora and Quilpie in Queensland. She is on 1.5 million acres of red dirt and cattle with hot dry conditions and little rain. She was noticing that her body was not healing after a cut. In fact, every cut she had would become infected and she called me as to what to do. I told her to do the bone broths, fermented foods, some organ meats as well as extra dosing of camu camu. A week later she let me know that all was healing and no more infections. I sound like a broken record but the delivery of natural maximum nutrition, along with feeding the microbiome (not destroying it) can go a long way in helping with infections no matter whether they are viral or bacterial. So here is a challenge… next time you have a cough or a cold or blocked ears, try an old fashioned remedy of slowing down, getting more sleep and feeding your body with the nourishment it requires in order to fight the infection. Feed the beneficial bacteria that will help you fight off the pathological bacteria and let me know how you go. What we are doing is not working, so instead of doing the same thing and expecting a different result, try a new way of thinking and acting.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 00:30:00 +0000
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