You can call me an idiot, a glutton for punishment or even a masochist, but I refuse to take medication whenever I'm sick except as a last resort. I have good reason to avoid medication. People are dying from taking medications with contraindications. I don't want to end up like Heath Ledger or Michael Jackson and passing away because I took two medicines that conflict with each other. I'm not just talking about prescription medication either.

What Ails Me?

It's actually a couple of things. One of my nieces, Michelle (all 8-years of her), brought a virus home from school a couple of weeks ago and spread it to everyone else in our compound. She's an affectionate girl and likes to hug everyone on a regular basis. This is one time she shouldn't have been hugging anyone.

I was barely able to breathe for my first couple of days with the virus, which could have been anything except the swine flu. I didn't get a fever and neither did anyone else, so it's definitely not some kind of influenza. The common cold? Doubtful. It has stayed with me for at least two weeks, but I'm not counting the days.

My sinuses clog up and then drain into my lungs, causing me to cough up all kinds of nastiness. I've been using toilet paper instead of facial tissue to blow my nose — tissue paper is way too expensive considering how much toilet paper I've gone through. I get headaches, but it's from the coughing and nothing else.

The increased humidity of the rainy season (tag ulan) in the Philippines isn't helping matters at all. I always get a little clogged up due to the humidity anyway and this virus just compounds the problem. Oh well, nothing that a saline nasal spray can't cure.

I Don't Trust Doctors or the Medicine They Prescribe

Every time I get really sick, which isn't that often, my wife tells me I should go to a doctor. "No way, babes. It ain't gonna happen."

I don't trust doctors. Most doctors I've met are quacks in my opinion. What else would you call a doctor who isn't up to speed on the latest medical studies? It takes a whopping five minutes a day to stay abreast on the latest medical happenings in our current Internet age. A simple, daily search would show relevant results.

Never mind the fact that doctors like to prescribe drugs that do nothing but suppress the symptoms. I'll let my body's own immune system take care of that, thank you. Like the famous quote from somewhere I can't remember, maybe Alexander the Great, whatever doesn't kill me will make me stronger.

I Can't Concentrate

Thank goodness for spelling and grammar checkers because I probably misspelled half the words on the first draft of this. I have a ton of programming to finish up on and those tools can't help me with it. I have to avoid programming until I can actually concentrate on the task at hand.

I know what you're thinking: Why doesn't the dumb-ass just take some medicine and get on with it? No, and a double dumb-ass on you. I plan to live to a ripe old age of 125 (or older) and still be able to do things like walk for myself and wipe where it counts. Letting my body take care of my illnesses, with the help of nutritious food, is the best way to fulfill my plan. No one lives forever, but I plan to live a long, long time.

• Hemorrhoids vs. Toilet Paper in the Philippines
• My Wife's Health Update
• My Wife's Continuing Health Problems
• That which does not kill us makes us stronger
• If Something of Your Body Hurts, Please See a Doctor