I am so glad to see the back of Mr January. It has been a horrible month of constant bugs and viruses for both my young children and I. And I know it has been the same for many families.
This time of year is just rife with nasties doing the rounds, from common colds and flu to stomach bugs and fevers, and if you have children then there is very little chance you will dodge the unwanted visitors.
Of course, none of the seasonal ailments are serious or life threatening (except in some rare cases). And yet, whilst we know that they are nothing in the greater scheme of things, they have the ability to completely and utterly disrupt our daily life to ridiculous proportions. The way these simple bugs can wreak so much havoc is terrifying, and it always makes me feel so fallible.
It seems that no matter how much I try to defend my family's health and immune system, we still manage to contract something. Apparently, even healthy people should have one or two colds a year and that is perfectly normal, but when you are dealing with sick children is it an absolute nightmare. And as tempting as it is to lock your kids up so that they do not come into contact with anyone else's germs, you just can't do it. And so you spend the winter spraying noses, rubbing eucalyptus on chests, dishing out elderberry extract and hoping and praying you don't get more than one round of a vomit and diarrhoea bug – the washing machine simply cannot handle it!
But for me, that is preferable to a superficial quick-fix of medicating for seasonal illness. The amount of medications that some people shovel down their throats – and those of their children – without a second thought is also terrifying. As inconvenient as it is for your child to have a fever or a cough, it is their body's way of fighting an invader, and when you take away their right to fight it, then you ultimately weaken their ability to do so. And whilst no one can afford to be ill, it is also a well-known fact that there is no cure for these seasonal ailments – all any medication will do is ease the symptoms. There are certain friends and family who think I am a stubborn hippy to have this attitude, but I was vindicated this week…
…I have personally been ill since the beginning of January and have been trying to let it work its course. Towards the end of the month, I had to admit defeat; whatever I have was just not shifting and it was making me miserable, weak, tired and unsociable. So I relented and went to the chemist and purchased a pack of brand name, over-the-counter sinus and cold tablets and a rather ominous cough syrup, which is so strong you only need to take it once every 12 hours.
I took the tablets for just one day before consulting the chemist about whether the heart palpitations, insomnia and loss of appetite were okay as side affects. Turns out I have a reaction to pseudoephedrine. The syrup gave me gastro irritation. As far as I am concerned, the potential side affects of standard cough, cold and flu remedies are simply not worth it, I would rather be ill for two months and heal naturally than flood my body with chemicals that are actually doing me more harm than good.
So, good riddance to Mr January and fingers crossed that Mr February is not as sickly, although on the plus side, Mr January is very good at helping us undergo a forced detox after the excesses of Christmas!
First appeared in The Cyprus Weekly, 30/01/15
