Getting Sick on Winter Holidays

 It has been happening for a while now, that I tend to get awfully sick during my winter holidays in the Old Continent. And that's not funny. It's annoying. Getting sick is annoying as it is, but getting sick on the holidays is doubly annoying because I can't get sick days out of it. And it's winter! I love winter. Even if it's not snowing - which I definitively adore - I would love to be out, walking in the chilly air, breathing hin the fresh, sharp scents of the season. And yet I am sick.

Last year, on my trip to Europe in winter, I've got very sick in Brussels, after visiting a friend, with some sort of stomach flu that pretty much floored me for days. It wasn't funny at all to drag my carcass from Brussels center to the airport, up the plane, down the plane and then all the way to my family's home. But I made it. I soldiered through it.

After a long period of not traveling - I was engaged building my house, so time and money went entirely into that noble cause - last year's extended trip was the first in a long time. I did remember, due to the symptoms, that I have had a similar experience in the past, also during a trip to Europe in winter, but then I thought it was due to some odd sort of beverage poisoning. (Now I have a different theory.) But now, as I've got sick once again - probably due to having caught a nasty type of flu on the plane here - I've started thinking about how many times have I had to suspend my plans to go places and meet people because I was nursing some sort of sickness. It didn't happen every time, but I have the feeling that it has happened more often than I care to remember. So, something needs to be done. (As for what, I'm still preparing my plans on that front.)

This year I've been to Europe twice, if we don't count that I started the year here already, and my plan is to continue traveling twice a year here: once in winter, which is my favorite season of the year, and once in spring. I don't travel to Europe in summer, because the heat of the summer is intolerable. In Spring, however, I was totally well. I guess that type of weather is closer to what I'm more used to, so I'm better prepared, but still, I don't want to give up winters. So, what should I start to do different to make sure my stays here are better? The things that are expected are: regular medical check ups, keep my vaccines always updated, always be punctual with my meds, though I actually don't take any regular medication right now.

Other things that come to mind always include improve nutrition with more fresh, natural, home made foods, maybe even include superfoods in my diet, though I'm not very fond of those. More exercise and all that, and all that is good, but... I live most of the year in a tropical country, and I come to spend holidays in the winter of Europe, so I suspect that there is a part of all of this that no amount of great nutrition and exercise is going to help me with. Shall I go with supplements? This things keep me thinking.

Then there is the other part of the question: how much will this cost me.

My whole budget plan for 2026 is already planned out, and tweaking it at this point is already quite complicated. My budget is really tight. There is a fund of health, and though I always make my best to get my health matters covered by the Social Security, I'm not sure how much out of pocket money would a potentially extended plan require. These are things I still have to think about.

I've got Cold

Fact Sheet from the Public Health Agency of
Canada.

I mean the sickness, just in case that wasn't clear. I tend to say always that I've the flu, like flu and cold are interchangeable terms, but as I was looking for a picture for this post, I found this useful fact sheet from the Public Health Agency of Canada, and thought about sharing it. Click on the link in the description and you can read the whole information.

I've been thinking about some topics for a post, and I even have an idea recorded on my phone - you know, one of those great ideas that come to you when you can't really stop to write stuff down, like when you are driving or in a yoga class - but then the cold striked and I don't feel like doing anything save curl up under the covers with a book, a hot beverage and my PJs.

I'm even skipping my Lesenklub meeting today, because - though I love going and I have a lot of things to say about the part we've just read - I know it's better for me to pack up my carcass, go home and make sure I remain well protected while the worse of the sickness passes.

Now, the thing is that some of my friends and colleagues have also been coming down with the cold, and each fights it their own way. Ok, some just relay on hopes and wishes because they carry on, spreading the disease like gospel. I'll share here with you my proven recipe to get the worse over as fast as possible.

Tips To Fight Cold

1. Get in bed and stay in bed, covered up to your chin for 24 hours, if possible, or as long as you can, but please make it several hours. I figured that this keeps your body warm, and helps your organism fight better the sickness. (Or so I've been told, and it seems to work).

2. Drink a lot of orange juice. Also try to consume vitamin C from as many natural sources as you can. If all fails, a Vitamin C tablet or one of those effervescent vitamin C tablets also help, BUT make sure to read the instructions.

3. If you take medication, TAKE IT ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS. If it says "every eight hours", then take it every eight hours. Don't try to be "smart" about it.

4. Drink plenty of water, lemonade and the such. Your body needs the liquid to flush out, and again, if it comes with vitaming C, even better.

5. Drink hot beverages. Specially herbal tea if you can lay your hands on some.

6. If you can, have a spoonful of ginger syrup three times a day, or at least once a day. Ginger syrup is sharp, so it can be counterindicated for people with pancreas or liver issues.

If you don't know where to get ginger syrup (usually in Whole Foods or macrobiotic stores), or you don't trust industrially produced syrups, or there is none, or it's so expensive you would rather wait the cold out, here is an easy recipe for it.

Ginger Syrup

Picture from Mommypothamus. Check out their recipe too!

Ingredients:

a bit of fresh ginger root

honey

Procedure:

Slice the ginger root into small circles, or really, any shape you want. Circles are better because it you don't use the whole piece you can save the rest and keep it from drying out too much. Slice enough to cover up the bottom of a recipient.

Normally I do this on a medium pie pan to fit more, but you can do it in a jar and do a layer or two of slices.

Once the layer of ginger has been layed down, pour honey on it to cover it. If you make a single layer, covering it up with just until all the slices are under honey or maximum 1 cm more, is enough. If you have more layers try and make double de amount with honey.

Leave it covered the whole night.

In the morning you can take out the slices and take a spoonful of the syrup.

BE WARNED! The syrup will be much more liquid than the honey is and freaking spicy. If you choose to leave the slices of ginger in the honey, make sure to pour more honey as you take out of it. And before you ask me, yes, it is ok to add more honey if the syrup is so strong it threatens to exorcise your soul out of your body.