Tuesday, September 16, 2008

How much is that immune system in the window?

Coming off a two-week cold (and still not fully recovered), I contacted some of my holistically-minded friends to see if I could come up with any natural ways to protect me and the kids from repeating this whole scenario throughout the winter. After all, it is M's first year in preschool, and K still does do a lot of finger-chewing regardless of how many times I gently drill her that there might be germies on those.

Armed with a list of supplements, I toted the kids into Jimbo's. Then, while each child was eagerly finding and playing with every breakable glass bottle in the vicinity, I quickly gathered the things I'd been suggested.

And then I added up the price.

And then I put everything back.

See, the housing market was good to B and I, and then it was not so good. So I'm busying myself cutting corners where I can. Not to mention that I'm trying to consume less, overall. The hundred-plus dollars I was about to shell out made my new principles quiver.

But what if these supplements really do keep us healthy all winter? Wouldn't it be better to spend a hundred bucks now and enjoy ourselves? Why, absolutely! But what if they don't? What if I mix them into every vulnerable food--and sometimes just plunge them down a throat--only to find that we're getting just as sick as usual?

I know there's no answer, of course. After all, if there really were an air-tight prevention for the common cold, we'd all be using it already. But that much money makes me start thinking that I ought to just plant some grapefruit trees and press my own seeds, because I really am that cheap. And then I could sell it to my friends. And then I wouldn't have to worry about money at all. Hmm...

In the meantime--you know, while the grapefruit trees are growing--I've checked out a stack of books on immunity and homeopathy from the library. Because if there's anything I love more than saving money, it's researching something until it no longer has any meaning at all.

1 comment:

Melissa said...

Then there's always the "try one thing at a time" plan. :)