What you eat is what you get

Came across these two 'natural' cures on my YouTube feed recently. Suffice it to say, I can't be a good judge of the credibility of the author, "Dr. Axe," yet I generally find advice for natural remedies to be less dangerous, at least in terms of side effects, than pharma solutions or in ignoring the remedies. That said, there are links to the short videos (about six minutes each) below, along with some of my own thoughts and reactions.

First, here is how to combat acid reflux (which I have had for more years than I care to recall) with diet; I have been stuck with daily Prilosec for at least ten years, probably fifteen. It has some reported negative side effects from long-term use, e.g., reduced bone density, so I'd love to go natural to cure the GRD, but I am not optimistic. This talk is almost frightening in that basically the good doctor rejects/prohibits most of my basic diet choices, including chocolate, caffeine, dairy, a lot of carbs, and even tomatoes/pasta sauce.

Second, here is how to produce a natural colon cleanse. Besides a teaspoon of natural apple cider vinegar, the three, simplest 'best' food solutions are apples, avocados and sauerkraut (fermented vegetables). This is much more doable.

Bottom line is, read the preceding post, the last thoughts of Steve Jobs, about the importance of food and prevention as the best medicine. Or, as he notes, medicine will become your food, and you really don't want your life to come to this. All three of these links reinforce a theme that has echoed through the pandemic and my writings (e.g., Covid has been more of a harvester of the unhealthy, "culling the herd," than a deadly virus in its own right) in the past sixteen months: The best medicine is self-care, with a healthy diet, maintaining a good weight, exercise, reduced stress, good sleep, and no substance abuse. Your health is primarily in your hands (which you need to wash well on a regular basis), not in those of the doctor, or the hospital, or the pharmacist. This is the real 'healthcare insurance,' maintaining your health and building your immune system to stay out of the doctor's office, the drug store or the hospital. Stay home when you're sick. Cover your mouth when you cough. Avoid lengthy, intimate contact with potentially ill people. And stop watching the mainstream media.