Voice-over operations here at the Vox Office have resumed full force after coming to a screeching halt the other week thanks to my bout with the dreaded “swine-flu” virus, H1N1.
It gave me some time to wonder where that one fateful microscopic transaction occurred. Was it punching in a PIN? Dropping off some mail? Who knows? But the resulting flu provided time for some reflection.
It all began innocently enough. It was a Friday afternoon. I was having to deal with a couple of “challenges”. But things began to really test my endurance and I was getting hot under the collar. Literally! The nerve! Whoa, I was sweating? As my head began to pound, I griped to my friend on the phone about the aforementioned glitches and how, on top of that, I felt lousy. It was cold out but I was sweating. As I spoke the words, it dawned on me this was more than mere agitation. Turns out, these are not uncommon reactions with this strain–to basically be a cantankerous mess.
I’d seen my cousin’s posting on Facebook about himself, his wife and their two kiddos all coming down with it, but they were on the upswing. He became a kind of trip-master as he assured me I was indeed infected but by riding it out, it would afford me a stronger resistance to viruses on the other side. Soon thereafter, as I lay uncomfortably in bed, with VapoRub, Kleenex and Advil in tow, I would question everything.
At the recommendation of my mother, I began Zycamming and taking powerful antioxidants (grape and grapefruit seed extracts). I think these helped, because the thing never did get into my chest (thankfully avoiding coughing spells that, while often lovely, I really didn’t have the energy for). I also drank fresh Arden’s Garden juices and chamomile tea, in an attempt to sleep through most of it. Ibuprofen helped immensely with the aches (head and body) and keeping the fever down.
When people said things about bacon or made a pun about “oink-ment”, suffice it to say I wasn’t in the mood for the “half-baked” jokes. Especially when so directed. Why does this strain exist in the first place?
In this case, it seems that to be a booming business for an unregulated and unkempt Mexican meat industry, where the strain appears to have been born before spreading to U.S. pig farms. If you aren’t familiar with the routinely nauseating practices of most of the world’s meat industries, they are something to think about next time you’re ordering a meal. “Consider the source”, they always say. This and this are both interesting articles on the connection.
Whatever a flu’s source, it serves as a reminder from Mother Nature. A forced vacation from the everyday, if you will. So watch out if you don’t sanitize or immunize. You can take a ride on this pig this Christmas – but I’d advise avoiding the roller-coaster of fevers, chills and aches. Else you too will have big fun with the flu–or it’ll have fun with you.
VERDICT: Flu? Boo. (Ah-choo!)
I think that swine flu was a conspiracy created the government. Many of my other friends also believe it was ment to control the population, but I believe it was hyped by the media who were influenced by the companies and coporations that sold the vaccinations to the many different world governments.