How To Be Sick
It's hard to think about the benefits of being sick. We live in a fast-paced world that tells us that being sick is a problem, something to fix – “I don’t have time for this,” we scream, “I have so much to do!” But there is another perspective to consider – that being sick is a gift and is a process the body goes through in order to be healthy.Being sick is an opportunity for unhealthy tissue to correct and cleanse itself. Think about it…microorganisms find their way into the body through our digestive and respiratory tracts. The mucosal lining, the lungs, sinus cavities, and gastrointestinal system are all warm, moist places that bacteria and viruses would love to inhabit. If the immune system is functioning properly, the bug never gets a chance. On the other hand, if the tissue state is compromised and the bug does get the opportunity to establish residence, then we get sick.
The thing to remember is that our bodies are very smart. There is an intelligence running through the human body that is unrivaled. Your body knows what to do, and it knows how to take care of itself.
If you listen, it will tell you how to be sick.
Even before typical symptoms develop, like a runny nose or cough, you will feel tired, a little apathetic about life, and maybe even depressed. This is your body’s way of telling you to rest and retreat from the world for a while. The inflammatory molecules that the immune system uses to eliminate the pathogen are responsible for making you feel this way.Hibernating at this time is wise for a couple of reasons. One, it isolates you from other people, so that the likelihood of spreading the illness decreases. Two, your body has work to do! Immune function requires a lot of energy, and your body is requesting that you rest so that it can harness and focus its resources on getting you healthy. This is also why your appetite decreases when you get sick – the body has more important things to do than digest your food. Staying hydrated and eating easy to digest soups are helpful.As additional symptoms of being sick appear, you want to embrace them wholeheartedly. Interrupting the process hinders the healing of the tissue. So if your nose is running, let it. If you’re coughing up phlegm, keep coughing. If you have diarrhea, keep going to the bathroom. In a world obsessed with detoxification, this is it – the body is cleansing itself! No product on the market can do this for you! These are typically self-limiting illnesses that do not require medical intervention. We need to remember that we evolved for thousands of years without the use of over-the-counter drugs and pharmaceuticals to manage mild cold and flu symptoms.Herbs can play a particularly powerful role in fever management. As previously explained, when it comes to being sick we want to let the body do what it wants to do and help it along when it needs assistance. In times of a fever, the herbal therapies for self-care at home are simple. If you feel cold and experience chills, then that means the hypothalamus in your brain has dialed up the thermostat, but the body has not responded. Drinking a hot ginger and cinnamon tea with lemon and honey will help the body increase its temperature. You may skip chills and go directly into a hot fever where your skin becomes warm to the touch and rather dry. A cooling peppermint tea is perfect here, opening the pores of the skin and allowing the body to sweat, essentially “breaking” your fever.The bottom line is that being sick involves listening to your body. The only problem is that as a society, we are not practiced at simply “being.” We always want to “do” something.So, the next time you are sick, take the opportunity to stay in bed for as long as you like. Watch lots of movies. Or read a book. Ask your friends and family for support and experience the gifts of being sick.Take care of that beautiful body - it's the only one you've got.I'd like to hear from you:- How do you deal with being sick?- What's your favorite go-to remedy to feel better?