Personal Story – Certified Organic
During my first year in college I had a change in direction that I can remember like it was yesterday. The ice along the edge of the nearby river had just melted. Buds waited patiently for a little more heat and birds scurried about singing, happy to generate their own warmth. And me, I sat on a bench at the campus infirmary. “Back again.” The doctor droned.
“It’s strep.” I told him. After all, I should know. My experience with strep throat dated back to my single digit years. Penicillin always worked to get me back into the swing of things. Within a week or so, life would start again. Then, during my sophomore year in High School, I spent the entire swimming season on antibiotics. I even managed to make it to the county championship meet, still taking little white pills three times a day.
The next season, when the sickness started again, my doctor made good on his threat to cut out my tonsils. “They’re just too far gone.” For about a year it seemed he was right. Curiously, at the same time my mother, striving to improve our family’s health, led the charge to eat better, take vitamins, and cut back on sweets. Whatever it was, the chronic illness that plagued me for years appeared to be gone. My stamina returned, my grades improved, and I looked forward to getting on with life.
Once in college that firm grasp I had on health, began to slip away. Even without those tonsils that were “…too far gone”, I became sick. The young doctor in the student infirmary realized that the two previous prescriptions had not worked.
“Try these, they should work better than the last ones.” The MD said, handing over a small, nondescript white envelop. Slowly, I dragged my body back to the dormitory. Thoroughly chilled, I set my alarm to ensure I woke in time for my Saturday meal at the dinning hall, and climbed under the covers. Nobody could have felt sorrier for themselves as I did at that moment. My whole body ached with fever; my throat was painful and felt like it was swollen shut. Rock hard glands in my neck throbbed as much as my head did; it still amazes me that my appetite stayed intact.
Why I didn’t open the envelop and take the drugs I’m not sure, nor am I certain why the alarm didn’t wake me. How I slept for a twenty hour stretch, I have no clue, but when I woke the next day I knew my life and my health would never be the same again. Rising out of bed, I walked over and threw the medicine the doctor had given me into the garbage. Don’t let my actions fool you, I still felt awful. Only now I was convinced that if ever I was to feel good, I needed to achieve true health and not just chase symptoms with drugs and surgery. For the next thirty minutes I forced my body through an assortment of stretching movements and exercises. My body shook, sweated, and protested the whole time. I was exhausted, but managed to take a shower and go back to bed. Again I slept. This time I woke when my roommate returned from a weekend away. On the way to dinner I explained what happened.
“You idiot!” He announced. “That could go to your heart and kill you.”
“I guess it could. But I’m going to beat this without antibiotics. Besides, I’m already feeling better.” And I did. For dinner I had a salad and some tea. That night I drank copious amounts of water. Which was a good thing, because I woke up in a pool of sweat. While shivering and wishing I was home where dry sheets and a cool hand were always available, I crawled into my sleeping bag. There on the linoleum floor I prayed and fell into a deep sleep until the sun came up.
With the fever gone, I made it to all my classes that day. By the following day, everything felt so good I decided to go for a run.
“You idiot! That’s a sure way of making that strep go into your heart. You’re going to die.” Aren’t roommates great?
“I don’t think so.” Was my reply. I sprinted out of the room and ran comfortably along the river. I gained confidence with each stride, and I soon realized I was headed in the right direction. It was at that time I knew health would become my focus. By the end of four miles, I felt stronger than I had in months. Dependency on medications was a danger signal I had ignored too long. My chronic illness had been alerting me that something was terribly wrong with my health, and only through extreme frustration did I realize I was the one responsible for my own health.
That was a long time ago and I’ve never had another problem with strep throat and as far as I know my heart is doing great too. That day I swore off drugs. So it’s not surprising that a number of years later, I was explaining to a curious patient why I didn’t take medications. After relating my story, and explaining that there is more to health than saying no to drugs, he said. “If you were a vegetable you could be certified organic!”
After we finished laughing I got to thinking about what he said. Sure, in 1980 my understanding of health was a tad bit primitive, but perhaps farming and raising quality produce was not a bad analogy for illustrating a successful health system. The premise is very much the same. If we took care of our bodies using organic farming principles we’d be too healthy to get sick. And after all we are responsible for our bodies on this earth.
In his book Enhance Your Life Experience, Dr. Joseph B. Strauss spells it out well.
Without Doubt, the single most important concept to understand and accept so that you may attain maximum health and get the most out of life is that YOU are responsible for your health. You may receive information, advice, care or treatment from others, including health care professionals, but YOU are ultimately responsible for your health. That is really the way it should be. No one is as concerned about you as YOU are. Or should I say, as concerned about you as you should be. No one is able to understand what is going on in your body as well as YOU are, providing you learn to become aware. No one understands your body’s needs as well as YOU do. No one is going to suffer the consequences of doing the wrong thing or reap the benefits of doing the right thing more than YOU. If you add ten years to your life or take ten years from your life, it’s YOUR life!
Are you up to that responsibility? You should be. And if you need more convincing the Apostle Paul explains to Christians.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
