Good morning, and happy Hump Day! I hope your day is off to a great start.
This seems to be the time of year when restaurants serve a lot of chicken soup, and stores sell a lot of the ingredients used to make it at home. I guess that’s partly because of the change in climate. Any kind of soup just seems to go down better when it’s cold outside. But, according to Dr. Mom, chicken soup has some healing properties the medical community has never been able to quite figure out.
Studies have been done – probably more than we’d care to know. And I’m sure the pharmaceutical companies have been in on that. After all, anything that has apparent power to treat the common cold would be worth a fortune to the company that could acquire a patent for the perfect formulation of ingredients found in something most of us just eat for comfort.
And through all that testing, I don’t think anybody has been able to prove or disprove the medical value in chicken soup. Maybe it’s all in our head. But ask any doctor if they’d recommend against chicken soup when you’ve got a cold, and not a one will tell you not to eat it. Not a one.
It’s that way with a lot of things. We can go to the pharmacy and the shelves are full of remedies to cure just about any ailment you can dream up. Until you read the fine print – “Statements not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.” Or my personal favorite – “If symptoms persist more than two days, see your doctor.” So, we’re just taking a shot in the dark?
But all through the grocery store, you can find all kinds of items that will produce many of the same benefits. Bananas are good for muscle spasms. Why? Nobody really knows, other than they’re loaded with potassium. Red wine is good for cholesterol. Eggs are loaded with nutrients that are beneficial to your mind, eyes, and heart. Prunes can relieve constipation. And then there’s chicken soup.
We all know these things. We’ve heard them our entire life. Oh, every now and then somebody will publish a study that says eggs will clog your arteries and send you to an early grave, but then three more studies will contradict those findings. In the end, it’s all about what works best for you. And the more you can rely on natural treatments, the better you are in the long run.
That’s why I was intrigued when I found out that a company I’ve come to know and trust is launching a small line of topical CBD products. They just became available today. CBD, for those who don’t know, is an active ingredient in cannabis derived from the hemp plant. Cannabis and hemp. Those are terms most of us know pretty well, and not always with the most positive connotations.
Native Americans have used the hemp plant for centuries, and today the medical community has come to accept that it does have proven effects in the treatment of a variety of conditions. CBD, in particular, is noted for its effectiveness in treating pain. And, contrary to some myths, it won’t get you “high.” By law, it’s regulated to have less than .3 mg of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
Is it a miracle cure that’ll relieve muscle pain without making you smell like an old man? I’m not sure. But I intend to find out. Like many things on the market, I try to approach with an open mind and see what works best for me. And the fewer things I can buy that come from a lab full of chemicals, the better I feel. Our bodies were designed to work with nature. I figure it’s worth a try.
Sometimes, the answers we’re looking for are right there in front of us, and they’ve been there all along. I doubt our great-grandmothers made chicken soup with any intention of curing the common cold. But somehow, it helps. I’m pretty sure nobody ever looked at a rattlesnake and wondered if its venom could help prevent strokes. You know, until somebody did. And guess what? It does.
It’s that way all through life. We’ll struggle to find the “best” solution to a given problem, whether it’s related to health, relationships, business, finances, or just raising good kids, and all too often we find that the answer has been there all along. We’ve just been pushing it aside to find something better.
For every problem, there’s a solution. It may not make the problem go away completely, but that’s the challenge of life. Still, to the extent that you can make a problem better, you can get on with the business of enjoying life. Don’t worry about what works for everybody else – find what works for you. Your idea may be the best ever. You’ll never know until you give it a try.
That’s all for now. Have an awesome day!
© 2019 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved
Dave Glardon 