Remedies

About a year and a half ago, I was diagnosed with asthma. My physician issued me a prescription for an albuterol inhaler, and I've mostly kept it in check since then. I used to get very sick every fall and every spring. I've come to realize that the fall and spring weather changes are triggers for the asthma, and that frequently the asthma would set the stage for bronchitis.

It's been a huge relief to know that there's a remedy for what used to be several days of bad coughing and gasping for breath. It had been happening since I was a kid, and nobody-- doctors, parents or I-- had connected the dots. After a year and a half, I'm still a little amazed that a puff or two does away with what used to take me hours, days or even a week to deal with in the past.

My other physical malady in recent years has been my right knee, a consequence of the motorcycle accident I had in 1988. I tried to start running again, after having laid off for some time, and the pain in my knee was excruciating after just a few runs. This was particularly bad, since I'm working my way through nursing school as a waiter.

I talked to my mother, who had a hip replacement, about glucosamine chondroitin, a supplement she used for some time before her hip replacement. She said that it had helped a lot-- it had let her put her surgery off a couple of years. Desperate, I decided to try it.

I did a little research and discovered that the formula with Methylsulfonylmethane and hyaluronic acid was recommended. The Aldi's around the corner had bottles of 60, a month's supply for $9.99, a very good price. I figured ten bucks was a small risk, and everything I read said that there were no known bad side effects.

I was a little shocked to discover that not only did it work for me, but worked quickly. After a week, the pain almost completely disappeared in my right knee. I had gotten so used to the pain over the last 20 years that I didn't realize how much there was until it started going away.

I'm going to give it a few more weeks and then attempt a couple of runs. Keep your fingers crossed.

There was one more remedy the last couple of days. I caught up on some of the sleep I've lost in the last year of running around like a bat out of hell, with kids, school and work. I rediscovered something, as I seem to have to occasionally: There eventually comes a time where you cannot substitute caffeine for sleep.