Miracle Cure

So, the blood tests have come back and with markedly low white blood cell count it appears that I did in fact have COVID in March of 2020. The reason for the blood tests a year later was that I have been feeling incredibly fatigued and generally unwell for the whole year, on and off. Yes, my doctor agrees that it’s likely I am suffering the effects of what is known as long COVID.

Being someone whose raison d’etre is health and wellbeing, clearly I wondered, what could I do to help my body in its recovery from this virus. Like many others I turned to supplements in an endeavour to treat the individual symptoms and also strengthen my immune system overall, and I didn’t stop there. I took the online advice of renowned cold water enthusiast Wim Hof, and started finishing my showers with a 30 second blast of cold. I’ll admit there have been times when my body has emphatically said, NO! to this treatment, and I have duly listened. But I do wonder whether my body is able to understand what each supplement is for and obviously I have days when I simply forget to take the tablets I bought for their specific health boosting qualities. Ah well, no-one’s perfect!

Obviously, I wrote a poem about this which really has become a form of therapy for me, and I hope to some degree, for you too! This one is called Miracle Cure and remember, you can watch me recite all my poems on my You Tube channel: A Stitch In Rhyme. I endeavour to interact with this poem as I read it and struggle to keep up!

MIRACLE CURE

“I don’t need any more supplements
I’m all stocked up,” I said.
“I’ll change the yoga studio into
a vitamins store instead!”

When every week it seems a miracle
cure for health is discovered.
Then stocks run dry within two days
as we hoard them in our cupboards.

So…
I’ve got cod liver oil for my joints,
it relieves the inflammation,
and apple cider breaks down fats,
supporting my metabolism.

And vitamins A and C and E
and D and B complex,
help keep me well I am assured
of their health benefits.

And probiotics help
recalibrate my microbiome:
apparently, they help if you have
post viral syndrome.

Magnesium for muscles:
it helps alleviate
aches and pains and soreness
when I have been working late.

And Ashwagandha, also known as
Indian ginseng, too
will help with my anxiety,
and maybe this is true.

I take an Echinacea to
protect myself from flu.
And zinc as well. Why just take one
pill when you can take two?!

And I’ve been told that liquorice
is good for the digestion.
And collagen for healthy skin
and nails is a suggestion.

But surely this is symptomatic
of a greater ill?
The desire to improve my health
and wellbeing, but still…

I wonder if these supplements
are having any effect?
Or if I’ve fallen foul of a
rhetorical precept.

Does it make me feel well
just believing in their power?
Or like Wim Hof, should I engage
in taking a cold shower?

It would be cheap and quicker too.
I’d feel invigorated.
An icy blast to start my day,
then I’d be liberated…

From having to remember what
I should take and how.
Once, twice or three times daily:
do I take one now?

Your health becomes high maintenance
the older that you are
I’ve got some mileage on me:
I’m just like a classic car!

I won’t throw out any supplements
just yet, I’ll wait and see.
Although I know there is no
miracle cure to guarantee.

As long as I eat well and exercise
I’ll stand a chance,
of maintaining health and wellbeing
as the years advance.

Meanwhile the claims and promises
will keep on making profits,
as those of us who care about
our health become neurotics!