Old Wives Tales

So, I've been thinking about my mysterious illness.  Which I believe might be candida.  But, I don't know if I currently have health insurance - as I'm between carriers - and I doubt all the tests and treatments would be included in my coverage anyway.  So, I'm only going by my laptop diagnosis.  I mean, maybe I have some horrible terminal illness, or one of my organs is shutting down and I don't even know it because I'm focusing on the wrong thing.

Anyway, one thing I was thinking about was the old cold and flu prevention my mom always told me to do.  Gargle with warm salt water.  Any time I said I was getting sick, she would say, "gargle with warm salt water."  Then she would go on to say that she did it regularly to prevent illness.  Well, she was a doctor and she rarely got sick, even though she dealt with sick people every day.  So, I was thinking about this whole bodily imbalance and well being and all that.  And I thought about how what I believe plagues me and might plague other countless unsuspecting people is candida, which is a yeast.  And one of the common places where it proliferates is in the mouth.  And, well, salt can kill yeast if added directly or in large quantities.  So, maybe there was more sense in my mom's home remedy advice than I thought.  Although, at the same time, anytime I was sick, she would tell me to take antibiotics.  I have taken antibiotics all my life.  I didn't even realize that the younger generations are terrified of antibiotics and only take them if it's dire.

So, the other thing I was thinking about was how my sister used to chug out of the apple cider vinegar jug when we were kids.  So, my mom usually kept a gallon jug in the cupboard under the counter along with cooking wine and other liquids.  And we would often see my middle sister squatting in front of the cupboard taking a swig of the old ACV.

Turns out, I was researching candida treatments, and one suggestion is to take a little apple cider vinegar every day.  My sister, like my mom, rarely ever got sick.  I guess there was something they both intuitively knew.  But while my mom was gargling warm salt water and my sister was drinking from the ACV jug, I was eating one of the many Entenmman's cakes or pies in the house, or ice cream, or chips, or cereal with extra sugar sprinkled on it.  All things that yeast loves.

Which reminds me.  I have these damn Italian cookies in the pantry that are calling to me.  "Please, eat us all.  Get rid of us so you can go on a fun and strict candida cleanse with a liquid diet.  You know you want to."

I don't think I could do a cleanse for any amount of time.  I don't have the discipline.  The first time I felt weak and hungry, I would probably run to the Wendy's down the street and get a double cheeseburger with large fries, chicken nuggets and a frosty.  Seriously, just saying that made me want a cheeseburger.  What the hell is wrong with me.  I think candida took over my brain long ago, and impregnated my mind with obsessive thoughts of food.  Damn you candida and my bastard brain baby!