8/27-9/2: An Apple a Day?

Homeopathy's hot, Arizona Iced Tea went herbal and even gas stations sell energy boosters (next to the candy rack, usually). You may not be ready to abandon your doctor and go natural, but what are your tips for staying away from the doctor? (No offense to Doctor Bob, but the fewer of those damn health insurance claim forms I have to submit, the happier I'll be.) So if it's not an apple a day, how do you keep the doctor away?

Here's what Tripod members had to say:

muffy: When you are tired, lay down and take a short nap. It works like a champ and keeps the doc away...

gerbil2: How do you keep the doctor away?Maybe threatening him or her with a chainsaw might work...

Wallaby_: I think oranges help as well.....

JackM: As a Chiropractor I practice what I preach. I receive a full spine adjustment weekly/biweekly from a colleague. He and I both seem to have alot less of what's "going around". I would lessen that frequency to about once/month, if I could find the time to walk and stretch more everyday. Exercise is important. Walking is an excellent method of doing so. Chiropractic assists with the physical/neurological function of the body, which allows it to perform at its best, affecting all the tissues/organs of the body. However, you can have a perfectly tuned car, but if you put poor gas into it, it won't run. Good, balanced nutrition is of equal importance. Also, water is (at least for a little while longer) Mother's Nature"s inexpensive medicine. Flush out the toxins from the body! Thirdly, mental health considerations are of an equal measure with regards to overall health. Stress is a major contributor to ill health. Meditation, prayer, exercising, all can help towards reducing mental stress. In closing, "Chiropractic is the study of health, and what causes someone to live". Whereas, "modern Medicine is the study of disease, and what causes someone to die." Seek out that which promotes good health now, don't wait for the extremes of crisis.

AlMiller: Get plenty of sleep!
Even if I am on the Internet until 7 am and I have to work at 5 pm, I make sure I get 5-8 hours of sleep before I go to work. I have been working oddball hours for 10 years and I almost never miss a day of work because of illness.

LeonardT: dragonmask- sex, rest, diet, ginsing, high intensity exercise, laughter!

Roadon: I created and operated a multi-disciplinary medical clinic for several years. It included alopathic, chiropractic, naturopathic, psychology (got rid of the ic-s at this point) psychophysiology, psychotherapy as well as massage therapy - we all really like massage therapy! Aside from the business end, I also got to interview the patients everyone else had given up on. One major factor always seemed apparent that is secondary gain. In our society, we get lots of attention when we are ill. We get days off, sympathy, lightened work load and even admiration for how well we bear up inspite of it all.

If you are not feeling well, figure out what you are resisting, who you are trying to control through weakness or just plain what is making you unhappy. Then, rush in to correct the situation. If you insist on maintaining your position, then go for the least invasive solution - rest, then massage, then possibly chiropractic. As a last resort go for alopathic.

We weren't born with a whole lot of extra parts so think twice before letting anyone take something out of you. We contaminate our bodies enough with what we ingest so find out all of the side effects of the "quick fix drug" before you put them inside you to work their wonder (which will probably require another quick fix drug to relieve).

I'm with the Chiropractor, good nutrition, good exercise, adequate rest and a zest for life will usually make the concept of sickness foreign to you. If it doesn't, figure out what you need to change in your life and do it. The price will be cheap compared to a life of agony over illness.

rhoades: I like to eat ice cream.

xprof: I practice what I call, "Defensive Medicine." Recognize that MD's more closely resemble priests (i.e., proponents of an orthodoxy) than they do physicists (objective scientists), and take the responsibility upon yourself for learning about your body and the latest relevant research. If you must see an MD, establish clear objectives for treatment and seek outside opinions when they are not met in a timely fashion.

staceyt: Why bother, I just eat an apple :)

Intrant: As the late Lewis Thomas noted in "Lives of a Cell", the one thing physicians know that most other people do not is that most ailments go away on their own, without any intervention at all. Therefore, it is not surprising that almost anything will make one feel better. Frankly, I prefer frozen juice bars as a remedy to everything; that, and chicken soup; and good sushi and sashimi. Hmmm: Now that I think of it, food cures everything!

ESU: Everything in moderation!!!

mard1: I normally visit the doctor for influenza. I kept the doctor away for 1 and half years by practising successfully a Yoga method whereby you sip water through your nostrils and spitting it out. Initial burning sensation will fade away in time. But really worked for me. That prompted me to learn up more 'asanas'(sitting positions) and breathing techniques from Yoga books and Yogis (those who practice Yoga). Realtime experience has led me to conclude that you can keep the doctor away.

threep: Fresh fruit, veggies, lots of fowl, one or two good homebrews a week, study hard, play harder, spend time w/ a significant other. Avoid smoke, smog, and sleepless nights like the plague.

Nicole_S: I like to eat a big bowl of chocolate ice cream and watch TV. And then I sleep for about 12 - 14 hours before I ring up and get pizza delivered.

grizzlefarb: Sugar seems to work. An actual grandma remedy, in the initial stages of a cold in the summer take a tea spoon of sugar in a glass of water, does'nt taste much but always works for me.

homie: Hmm... health? Donuts!