"I'm Siiii-ick..." Ah-choo!: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold

It's only February and I've already had the flu and two colds this year.  I don't get it!  I use hand sanitizer like it's going out of style, eat well, sleep tons, and never share food/drinks.  Why am I getting so sick???

Jennifer Ackerman has some of the answers for me.  Her book, Ah-Choo!: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold, looks into, you guessed it, the common cold (which, by the way, isn't one strain of a virus, but a plethora of viruses.  That's why we can get sick over and over again...)  I'm sure I'm not alone when I complain that we can put a man on the moon and yet we can't cure the sniffles.  Ackerman meets with the people who have devoted their lives to solving that very problem.  Did you know there are people who volunteer to get colds??  People sign up for studies in which they're given germs and then studied.  Sometimes the researchers give the subjects drugs to test.  Other times, the subjects are studied for the symptoms they present with, the ways in which they spread germs, or the duration of their illnesses.  In return for their suffering, they're given financial compensation.  I really hope I never need money that badly!

Ackerman also tells us how to avoid, and how to treat, the common cold.  To stay healthy, don't touch your nose and eyes.  While many germs can be passed by oral contact- which is why it's never a good idea to share drinks- colds are most commonly transmitted via the nasal and ocular passages.  If you can avoid touching these areas, you greatly enhance your ability to fight off colds.  If you're like me, however, and wear contacts, well, good luck not touching your eyes...

Ackerman's research on treating the symptoms of colds was, in my opinion, both disappointing and useful. She tells us that all those hundreds of cold remedies available at CVS really are worthless.  You'll be just as healthy without Airborne as you would be with it.  Zicam can't lessen the duration of your cold.
Advil Cold and Sinus does nothing but pile a bunch of drugs you don't need in a pill with two you do.

To treat a cold, researchers all offer the same advice:
1- Sudafed or another first generation anti-histamine.   These help dry you out.  The newer stuff doesn't work.  Claritins and Zyrtecs may help with allergies, but they won't help your cold symptoms.

2- Ibuprophen.  The sinus pain associated with colds can be much alleviated with proper pain medications.

3- Sleep.  You're much better off taking a day off work and sleeping off your cold than trying to power through.  (Wish I'd followed my own advice here.  I went to work with both my colds and, boy, was it tough going...)

4- Chicken soup.  Yes, it's true, grandma's old adage really does help.  The liquids in the soup help prevent dehydration and the nutrients from the veggies are good for your body.  And, let's face it, who doesn't feel better with a little chicken soup??

Here's wishing you all a healthy 2011 and beyond!

Mockingbird: Harper Lee's Story

I loved To Kill A Mockingbird the moment I started the book!  I loved the characters, the story, the messages. Atticus Finch is such a wonderful role model; Scout is the type of kid I wanted to be.  I wanted a Boo Radley in my neighborhood (I may have gotten my wish after all these years...)  The story was so vivid and real; I always wondered how much of the story was based on Ms. Lee's real life.  (And, yes, she is Ms. Lee to me.  She's the epitome of a southern lady; referring to her in any other manner would be, to me, a sign of disrespect for my favorite author.)

Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee answers a lot of my questions.  Although there are no first person accounts from Harper Lee herself, the author Charles J. Shields, researched her life so thoroughly that he left little to question.  Lee has had a fascinating life; much of her childhood made its way into her novel.  From friendship with Truman Capote to her experiences in New York City, it would be easy to imagine that she lives the high life after publishing one of the most cherished books of the Twentieth Century.  Instead, Ms. Lee has spent the majority of her life immersed in her small Alabama hometown living with her older sister and attending the yearly church bazaar.  Her life is small and compact and, by all accounts, she loves it.

Mockingbird describes Ms. Lee's childhood, illustrates her process for writing and publishing her beautiful story, and details how the book changed the world, for no one more so than Ms. Lee herself.  I've always wanted another Lee novel and Mockingbird explains why it never came to fruition.  More than that, though, Mockingbird tells us what happened to the real Scout when she grew up.  And, just as I always imagined, she grew up to create a wonderful life for herself, her own way.

The Book That Changed My Life-- GREEN CHIC

GREEN CHIC: Saving the Earth in Style -- Christie Matheson

Nobody wakes up in the morning and says “I think I’ll harm the environment.”  But, for most of us, it’s enough just to get out the door in the morning without factoring in how our actions affect the earth.  Plus, let’s face it, until recently, eco-friendly was synonymous with hideous or tasteless. Of course, we’ve all heard enough about Global Warming that it really would be nice to become eco-friendly, but not at the expense of fashion or ease.  Thus, Christie Matheson’s book was a Godsend for me—she taught me how to be green and fabulous at the same time.

Green Chic is a really fun book.  Matheson doesn’t lecture, she talks to her readers like a friend.  Her writing style makes me want to call her up and ask her to take me shopping, which we can because she helps her readers learn where they can shop and how to find chic stuff and even provides brands and websites to help make the search easier. 

Matheson filled 212 pages with lessons about how to be green easily.  But, more than that, she illustrated how to be healthier and happier without harming the planet.  She changed my entire mindset simply by pointing out what exists all around me.  I don’t want to ingest harsh chemicals or dyes if I don’t have to.  I don’t want to breathe in pollutants that can make me sick.  Ignoring the environmental effects our everyday actions can have, the physical effects they have on our bodies are quite astonishing.

Of course, you may be thinking “whatever, I don’t care whether my food comes from a farm locally or some mega-farm.  Seriously, you’re just making a big deal out of nothing.”  There was a time I’d have agreed with you.  But, look, the fact is, we don’t know why someone gets cancer without any precipitating genetic factors.  If aluminum soda cans or PVC are known carcinogens, do I really want to put those in or near my body?  If eating meat from mega-farms increases my risk of ingesting diseases from the by-products the animal ingested, why would I subject myself to that? 

Today I went to Whole Foods.  I spent the majority of my visit in the fruits and veggies section and purchased only organic and/or locally grown items.  Before I read Matheson’s book, my main fruit source was the cherry flavoring in a lollypop!

Shopping has taken on a whole new meaning for me.  I consider each item I purchase and ask myself “do I need this and what effect will it have on my health and the environment?”  It’s a quick question and it’s helped me save a ton of money.  Now, that’s a green movement I can get behind.

What Street Do I Live On? -- THE BIG SHORT, Michael Lewis

THE BIG SHORT -- Michael Lewis

Everyone is looking for a villain to blame for the recent financial crisis.  The banks, who held the mortgages and traded them as fictitious assets, are a good target.  We, the innocent mortgage holders, can then assume the role of David to the fat cat bankers' Goliath.  


I won't deny that many people were taken advantage of.  But, my very handsome husband works for one of those supposedly greedy banks so it's hard for me to consider him to be Goliath.  Though he works in Commercial Finance, not mortgages or bonds trading, I can say with certainty that Husband works hard and ensures fair deals that will help both his company and the company receiving the loan.  


Thus, I've found myself torn these past few years; I feel almost as if I live at the intersection of "Main Street" and "Wall Street."  I wanted to learn more about the financial systems and what the heck happened  so I turned to Michael Lewis' The Big Short.   Who better to parse out the details of the banking industry than the man who took us behind the scenes of Major League Baseball in Moneyball? 


I was curious about the people who foresaw the collapse.  What did they know and how did they know it?  More importantly, I couldn't figure out why they didn't warn the authorities, even though I couldn't say with certainty who those authorities were.  The financial world, one that affects every person on this earth, is very closed and confusing.  I was counting on Lewis to break it down for me.


In the book, Lewis profiled several investors who realized early on that the rising housing prices were bound to level off.  These men realized that the system was broken and that there was a major loophole to be exploited.  What I found most interesting was the reaction they received from friends and colleagues.  One investor, who is now a multi-millionaire as a result of his foresight, lost the majority of his clients long before the market turned.  I'd say he's laughing all the way to the bank, but I'd really not be surprised if he keeps his money in the mattress!


What was most astonishing to me, though, wasn't the small number of people who predicted the bursting housing bubble, but rather the lack of attention they received when they tried to alert others. They were laughed at and belittled for mistrusting the system which was, in the end, proven to be broken.  That said, I'd like to believe that the majority of those involved in the banking crisis did not maliciously look to exploit the so-called "residents of Main Street."  (Ugh, how I hate that phrase!)  Rather, I believe they were simply so caught up in the pressure to move the financial markets forward that they didn't take the time to review all the facts.


Even after reading the book, there's still a lot I don't understand.  The whole Lehmann Brothers issue, the AIG stuff, and the intricacies of the financial system still confuse me.  But, what The Big Short did succeed in teaching me is that Goliath and David aren't at war in this crisis.  Rather, myriad mistakes were made by the various stakeholders involved.  Globally, we are all forced to put our faith in the financial systems because the very nature of our survival is tied into the success of the banking industry.  But, we also need to rely on ourselves.  We need to understand the systems in which we are involved.  We, as the consumer, need the Gordon Gekkos of the world to stay greedy.  But, we also have a responsibility to keep Gordon ethical. 


So, after all that, do I still live on the corner of two streets?  Honestly, I've come to believe there isn't a corner at all.  Rather, I see it more as one of those horribly confusing rotaries; the two worlds are much too interrelated.  We need to just find a way to peacefully merge together.