Brenda Skidmore's Health Tips

In the past, I know that I have been guilty of, unfairly, bashing the sickness fighting model of the conventional medical health care system in many of my articles, newsletters, and blog posts. And, beginning now, I would like to make some amends by apologizing for some of my mistakes and failings.

A year ago, I was unexpectedly stricken with a dangerous infection. I succumbed to a bout with bacterial pneumonia. Despite my knowledge and best attempts at eating a healthier diet than most people, and my dedication to getting more physical exercise than the average individual, I still realized that if I had kept trying do rid myself of this thing (whatever it was)it might have killed me. As my core body temperature kept rising, and peaking out at 105 over several days, I finally admitted I needed the help of a conventional doctor, and antibiotics. I knew next to nothing about herbal remedies, and did not trust that I might have been able to figure out any kind of a cure there. I did not have the time for that, obviously.

Bottom line, I knew I did not know enough. Fear can make you do the right thing sometimes, and this was one of those times for me. If I had been having symptoms of a severe cough, or chest pain, I might have suspected pneumonia, but I was not coughing and had no chest pain. Upon listening to my heart and breathing with a stethoscope the doc detected a slight rattle in my chest. This prompted a chest ex-ray and the picture determined that I had developed an infection in my left lung. I was lucky, it was only in one lung. A blood test confirmed that my white blood cell count was off the wall, and that indicated a severe bacterial infection.

Two, very strong, antibiotics were prescribed, and I was feeling much better in about a week. At least I was eating again, and things tasted much better, as I had lost about 10 pounds due to not being able eat much. But, I hated the thought of what those antibiotics had done do my intestinal tract. I did voice my concern about this with my doctor. You see, many people (including me) are very aware of the indiscriminate properties of antibiotics. We know that they not only kill most of the bad bacteria that caused you to get sick, they also destroy a lot of the good germs that can help keep you well, in the future, too. Afterwards, a little bit of both types of bacteria will still remain in your gut. But, in a short amount of time, the bad 'boy' germs will eventually reestablish themselves rather quickly. They will eventually overpower the good 'boy' germs, and you will keep getting sick, and much to often.

Until, that is, you begin to understand more about the benefits that good germ nutrition can have in strengthening your overall health. You must always keep good germs replenished, by doing it often enough, and make it an ongoing necessity in becoming strong enough to fight off the effects of having too much bad bacteria or viruses in your system. The more of them you have inside of you, the more they will be able to help you fight off the bad germs that can harm, or even kill you.

Well...doctors know about the gut stripping side effects of antibiotics too! It's just that most doctors do not routinely dispense this knowledge with their patients freely, unless you know enough to ask them about this truth. My doc advised me to drink some buttermilk or eat some yogurt for a while. This is good advice by the way, but only if it is homemade and not store bought. There is not enough good bacteria in manufactured dairy to do you much good at all. Besides, these products are loaded with unhealthy sugars ( like HFC and artificial sweeteners ), preservatives, and they are pasteurized.

You know, most conventionally trained physicians are not very well versed in the science of diet and nutrition. Many of them are, slowly, coming around in being more open-minded and knowledgeable about it, while many others still feel arrogantly threatened and ignorantly afraid of it. After my bout with one of the worst infections I had ever had in my entire life (at age 48), I decided it was time to learn a little bit more about how good bacteria can help keep you safe and healthy.

I started making kombucha tea about a year ago. It seemed like a much easier, and a much cheaper alternative option, than continually buying probiotics out of the health food store ( some of which are not all that effective and way too expensive anyway ). I don't care much for the taste of homemade yogurt of kiefer. I knew I could not eat or drink this stuff on a daily basis. So, I was searching for something I could easily make myself, and like the taste of, when I stumbled onto kombucha. If you research it, online, be prepared to read some very highly opinionated, negative, and skeptical comments about it, as that is just the nature of some people. By and large, though, most of the information you will find over the internet about kombucha tea will be more positive than negative, and reliable.

I have been making and drinking this tea for about a year now, and I have found that I have not been sick with even so much as a cold. And, while it is still too soon to tell, I have several friends and family making and drinking it as well. I can not vouch for their results just yet. But, they are impressed with what I have managed to achieve with it so far. I have noticed a slight increase in my energy levels, less dry, cracked fingertips during the winter months, and much better bowel elimination. I believe drinking this stuff, everyday, also helps me better assimilate the few dietary supplements I do take. It just seems to compliment my diet, exercise, and overall active lifestyle.

Kombucha will work more efficiently for you, ( and you will read this on KomuchaAmerica's web site ) if you step up your water intake. Increasing your water intake is just a smart thing to do anyway, regardless of what health condition you are trying to improve, especially if you are hoping to lose some unwanted weight.

Recently, this article in a newsletter that I subscribe to ( which is totally free ) caught my attention. I thought I would share it with all of you. According to Jon Barron, a very respected authority in the alternative health field community, are some of his personal views, and conventional medicine's peer related views, on a few of the greatest advancements in modern conventional medicine to date.

Alternately, here are some of modern conventional medicine's worst failures.

In summarization, I feel that until both ends of the total health and wellness industry spectrum models can learn to be more open-minded and respectful with one another, our health and wellbeing is going to continue to hang, dangerously, in the balance. By embracing the good, along with rejecting the bad, in each another's equally prestigious paradigms, true human mind, body, and spirit health and wellness is going to remain stymied for a little while longer yet, if they continue to do battle with one another. However, I do believe we are, now, starting to see some much needed changes.

A little more compassion and understanding on both ends, towards one another's accomplishments and mistakes, would go a long, long way in establishing a more productive collective consciousness that would, ultimately, benefit all of mankind in so many different, and positive, ways.

An agreement in this one, very important, area of our lives would, then, begin to put each one of us on a more equal footing with one another. As to those of us who already know this, because we really do understand how we are all one and the same. You can not help, or hurt, one another without it having a rippling effect on us all, and everything that surrounds us. Yes, or no?