Ever since reading an article about “functional foods”, sometimes putting herbs and stuff in foods and other things, I have been extra careful to check ingredients in things like teas and items that appear to appear to “health food crowd” like vitamin waters that I like for the taste, just to be on the safe side. I once finished eating a microwave noodle dish that tasted kind of funny and had hard green things in it (it was awful-tasting) and found out it listed chlorophyll.

Along the lines of this “natural is always better” thing seems to be when people who are very anti-drug/vaccine/surgery/whatever, say that you can prevent the illness by doing things like eating right and getting sunshine and stuff. Sure, that may improve their general well-being compared to someone who doesn’t exercise, eats junk food every day and never leaves their house, but who on this or any other planet for that matter thinks that’ll protect you from pertussis? I mean, wow. I just can’t imagine. The other night, I was lying down and suddenly started coughing, non-stop, for about 10 minutes or so. It then stopped, but at that point my parents had got up and were concerned and trying to see if there was anything to do for me, since I was having trouble taking in breaths, and were starting to call a doctor. I don’t think it was pertussis since things like runny nose and mild cough have lasted for a few months before getting more severe and was probably due to my being ill and shifting around a lot before bed, but it’s not like it’s ruled out. Ah, yes, pertussis – yet another natural thing!