How I didn't cure strep throat.

Dear Blog, 
I suffer from chronic strep throat.
I can easily get it up to 6 times a year. Fortunately I've experienced 3 to 4 year respites from the torture, but when it comes I get hit hard. Perhaps it could be something anatomical, maybe my tonsils, or even worse... what if it's stress?

After some careful thought and months of research I decided that the next time around would be an all natural attack to the terrible bacteria that loves my throat. Antibiotics are too harsh on my stomach and on my body as a whole and obviously I have some sort of resistance to them.

So here's what I did.

1. I slept.
2. I pumped Vitamin C into my blood stream. I opted to use Vitamin C tablets and EmergenC packets. At least 4 pills a day and 2-3 packets of EmergenC. I think I was dreaming of Vitamin C after day 2.
3. I gargled with salt water. I gargled with apple cider vinegar. I gargled with echinacea. I gargled with cayenne pepper. With both cold water and hot water.

4. I drank literally the most disgusting water and echinacea mix man could imagine ingesting. I had no idea echinacea tasted so terrible. Four times a day I did it... knowing this just had to help.
5. Teatime in my household occurred every 1.5 hours. I tried slippery elm bark tea, licorice, chamomile, and lemon echinancea. Every 3rd hour I'd make a strep throat appropriate "hot toddy" which consisted of lemon, honey, cayenne pepper and rum with either boiling hot water or lemon echinancea tea.
6. I phoned a friend. I'm all about single people empowerment, but being sick is just not something anyone should have to do alone. A few short hours later I had a delivery of "homemade" WholeFoods lentil soup and saltine crackers. A sick person's must. (Thanks Joe.) I was actually fortunate enough to later receive another soup delivery the next day. (Thanks Becky)
7. I watched all those movies that I've been dying to see. Ok, so really I watched 2 seasons of the Sex and the City reruns.
8. I ate garlic for breakfast, garlic for snacks, garlic for lunch and garlic for dinner. Straight up raw. Garlic is quite powerful as an antibiotic. It has been said that 1 milligram of allicin(which is the chemical that is produced when garlic is chewed, chopped, or bruised) has a potency of 15 standard units of penicillin. And yes, I do smell like garlic. Still.
9. I made homemade vegetable broth and drank it all day. 
10. I cried. 
11. I took an Allibiotic 3 times a day. This particular one was made from garlic, elderberry, olive leaf extract, and oregano. 

Did it work? 

Sure it kicked my fever and I got rid of 97% of the pus in my throat... but noooooooo... it did NOT work! Natural medicine you failed me. I ended up with a throbbing ear and numb face caused from a bacterial infection that was not "properly" treated. The cute doctor said "Antibiotics are a must right now. Do not argue." I said "ok" and scheduled an appointment with the specialist. 

After 4 days of fevering and pain, oh my, a very frustrated Elissa welcomed the last round of antibiotics (I've decided I won't get strep again). And then I went home and did a different kind of research.

Yoga teaching links the 7 major chakras to 7-year time periods. They begin, as would be expected at birth with the base chakra, and work successively through each chakra. Year 29, which I've just recently begun, marks the beginning of the 5 cycle and is connected to the throat chakra. There is a strong focus on communication, self expression, inspiration, independence, openness to higher development and speaking with wisdom. Often imbalances within your throat chakra manifest as ear, nose, and throat problems.

Because I doubt that the Otolaryngologist is going to tell me that the reason I've gotten strep throat 4 times in the last 6 months is a result of a chakra imbalance I've decided I'll just self diagnose. 

Self medicating the first time may not have worked, but let's just try something a little different this time.

Or maybe my job is too stressful...?

Love, 

Crunchy Elissa