Back on Track

Just after my last post, I experienced a life-changing event, and it was just the kick I needed.  I'd been slacking off on regularly taking my USANA MyHealthPak, and I'd been going out to eat more ... returning to my old habits.  In early January, I came down with a horrible case of pneumonia and a return of childhood asthma - first round of antibiotics didn't do enough, but a different set of more potent antibiotics nuked the infection.  For about four weeks I was either out of the office or not very effective - the first week, I was literally coughing every ten seconds while awake - that's several thousand coughs per day.  The medicine made my mind fuzzy, not good for a guy just promoted to Senior Database Administrator. Between antibiotics, narcotic cough meds, an inhaler and steroids, I had a lot of prescriptions swimming around, no appetite, and I lost about a pound a day - 17 pounds lost in 21 days, I think.  I took whatever nutritionals I could fit into my schedule, but one of my medicines specifically said not to take it with vitamins.  As soon as I was done with antibiotics, I added in USANA Probiotic Plus, and as I tapered off the steroids, added back the vitamin D and MyHealthPak.  The doctor said the damage would be visible on an X-ray for months, so I wanted to get my repair systems back up to full speed.  I'm happy to say that I'm much improved, and the signs of asthma are gone - a major relief.

So how did this happen if I was taking the world's best supplements?  For one thing, they're nutrition - not a drug.  They provide support for the body's natural defenses and repair processes, but if there's a powerful germ out there, the immune system's probably going to full-scale battle.  All nutrition can do is resupply the troops - which unfortunately were nuked during the multi-week antibiotic phase.  That's where the Probiotic Plus comes in.  The science I've read says the gut is the source of about 80% of our immune system.  Clean that up, feed it good bacteria and it will generate new troops.

Another reason this happened is that I didn't use my favorite products regularly.  They're not very good as a quick fix, but they're incredible as daily support.  Reusing my military analogy, it's better to keep steady supply chain instead of waiting till the troops are cornered and outnumbered 100-to-1 and then air dropping in ammo.  Wait until you're overrun, and you have to turn to antibiotics.  They're like air support with bombs and napalm.  Good troops in the area are wiped out as well.  They're a really harsh response to an infection - not to be used lightly.  Steroids, too... they can seriously screw up the immune system, leading to a vicious cycle.

Today, I'm feeling stronger than I did last year.  I swore during this battle that once I was healed I would take back 2012 as my year, and I will.  A coworker has committed me to walking up the stairs at the office - I can go from 1 to 5, the goal is to be able to conquer 1 to 9 within a month.  I'm purposefully walking a mile or more when I find an excuse; if you read one of my first posts, you'll know that wasn't possible a few years back.  The weight loss during the battle was a dangerous pace, and I overcompensated by eating everything in sight when I got my appetite back; I've regained about 14 pounds and now need to get back on track.  So I'm joining my USANA team in the 21-Day Trim Down starting tomorrow - using a few USANA products to get rid of abdominal fat without sacrificing health. 

Today is the day that I restart my journey, and to help keep me accountable, I'm inviting people to join me on the 21-Day Trim Down.  If you want details, just let me know - I can be reached via one of the contact links on this page. 




* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.