Two Cures for a Stomach Bug

Being in this hot and humid climate of Mazunte, on the coast of Southern Mexico, it’s not surprising that you may catch something that upsets your stomach (or let’s say digestive system). This may be exacerbated by a broken fridge, which we managed to have fixed, fortunately, relatively quickly. Still, when your guts are telling you NO-NO, it’s not uncommon to lose all the strength of your body, and you may even forget to smile. Not nice! And when push comes to shove, you may actually be ready to try anything to get better. That was certainly the case for me when I felt so out of it last week, that I barely had the power the turn around in the hammock. So I was ready to do ANYTHING to feel better. In the end I did, and since I tried both suggested remedies at the same time, it’s hard to say which one did the trick. But one of them gave me the 180° turn, setting me on my feet within an hour and a half. Let me describe both:

Inspired by a Song: The Lime and the Coconut

Though it was a bit before my time, I do remember the old tune by Harry Nilsson: “You put the lime in the coconut, you drink 'em bot' together. Put the lime in the coconut and you'll feel better.” In fact, one of the guys had it on his phone, and just the other day we were listening to it while pounding tires. Oh, how long ago that seemed, thinking about it while I was suffering in the hammock. No, I had to give it a try. And honestly, limes and coconuts are in such an abundance around here, especially if you do hard manual labor in the burning sun in a tropical place, it’s just the thing you want. Opening up a fresh coconut with a machete, squeezing a couple limes into it, and drinking it all up, seems like the most natural thing to do, so I did just that. Delicious!

A Perfect Placebo

What’s the thing about placebos that make them work? Maybe that you believe in them? Or is it that you are so ready to get better that you’re willing to do the sort of things that you normally would not? Or could it be that there really is some inexplicable reason why something weird could just have a profound effect at making you feel better… instantly? Whatever it is, in the end it works, and that’s all that matters.

At first I didn’t even want to talk about this weird cure, but then again, why not? It doesn’t make sense, though it does in a weird way, and although medical experts have told me that there is nothing about the form of administering it, it is not harmful either. And the substance itself is in fact healthy. So what am I talking about?

Taking a Clove of Garlic … Rectally

That’s right, shoving a piece of garlic up my ass. (Sorry, no pics about this!) Now, garlic is quite healthy, we all (should) know that. But chewing one down, or even swallowing whole would not have the same effect. Sticking it into your butt, however, will relieve your stomach ache instantly. Really? Well, I tried, and it worked… or something did, that’s for certain. In less then two hours I was up and chipper, and happy, and ready to push the loaded wheelbarrow around. Amazing!

So either there is really something about it, or it’s a way to show oneself that one is ready to get better. If the mind is set, the body will do the rest. And since I usually don’t like sticking things up my ass, it makes sense that once I’m ready to take that measure, it’s clear: I have decided to overcome this disease. I only hope it works again the same way, next time I fell down and out like that.