Prescription: Oregano Oil

In the last year, I've grown paranoid about taking medicine. I try not to pop tylenol for a headache, I eschew NyQuil for a cold, and I definitely won't get near any antibiotics. I'm not sure why. My acupuncturist (who Flavio calls my "witch doctor") is definitely one reason - she always preaches holistic health and prescribes herbs when I'm feeling off, and they work! Stubbornness is a close second - when I get something in my head, don't try to change my mind: Western medicine is mostly chemical warfare - period. Finally it's just, the older I get and the more I read, the more I realize most things approved by the FDA are nothing but synthetic shitstorms made by pharmaceutical profiteers, and it just seems logical to me that our natural bodies need natural medicine.

So this past weekend I was fighting a little bug, and decided to embrace alternative goodness in the form of oregano oil. My friend Chris swears by it, and I've started taking it in the last few months when I feel that tell-tale tickle in my throat. I really think it works. You just put one little baby drop into your hot tea and it clears your sinuses right up. It is also a good preventative, I hear, although I can't bring myself to take it yet unless I'm feeling already starting to feel sick. The thing is, that baby drop is strong - it tastes like death, and if you're like me, you'll need to hold your nose while downing it. But its natural immunity-boosting and antiviral properties make it worth the gag reflex. Placebo effect? Maybe. But who cares if it works. Germs, you don't stand a chance.

PS: My other favorite natural cures -  Flavio's Magic Hot Toddy and The Best Chicken Soup