sick & tired...

of being sick & tired?

Sometimes I wonder about the effects of exposure versus isolation when it comes to common illnesses, like influenza, bronchitus, etc. Since my children started school, it seems that they bring home a new plague every other week, so they are obviously being "exposed" to too much. Seeing as I don't get out as often as I would like, I am probably closer to the other end of the spectrum, nearer "isolation".

So what is the correct balance for staying well, but not setting yourself up for catastrophic flu season by locking yourself in a hole? Perhaps there's more to it than that (likely!). A friend of mine is convinced that it has more to do with what we eat, and how our diet affects our immune system. However, my whole family eats the same dinners each day, and yet we all seem to suffer in different degrees when someone brings home "the bug".

We received flu shots this year, so that obviously has nothing to do with it, because here I sit, typing away, with runny nose and sore throat, and headache, fever, etc.

I'm starting to think that it has more to do with genetics, or perhaps environmental impacts during our early years. Numerous studies have been conducted to expose the obvious benefits of breastfeeding and how it pertains to a baby's immune system, but what other environmental and nutrition factors contribute to our runny-nosed demise?

Looking back at history, it's easy to see that the "white man" brought many new diseases to the "native americans" of this country, and that their previous lack of exposure to these diseases resulted in mass tribal extinction in some cases. One could argue that today's version of this same effect might be triggered by the fact that Americans move from one end of the country to another quite often, perhaps taking with them a whole new set of germs, for their children to season the "native" children with.

I don't know what the answer is - probably a combination of all of these things - diet, nutrition, controlled exposure - tackled in a regimented and clearly defined in both sequence and proportion.

Alas! Who has the time and how would we be able to measure any results, and prove that they aren't simple coincidence? So instead, we "get sick" over and over again...and allow antibiotics to do the dirty work for us, hoping that scientists and modern day medicine men can stay one step ahead of the strain.