Of course, mother nature thought it would be terribly amusing to make me sick just as we left. I am know suffering from a mild case of coughing. Can I go back to Puerto Rico?
Monday, January 2, 2012
The beach, a magical cure-all?
My father and mother were just getting over the terrible cold they'd had for over a week as we arrived in Puerto Rico. I, on the other hand, was just beginning to show symptoms -- the glands on my neck were completely swollen, my throat hurt, and I had body aches and chills. Great, I thought. I'm getting sick as the best part of vacation is starting. Somehow, though, I miraculously recovered. By the end of the day, during which I had taken several dips in the ocean, swum in the pool, and laid out in the sun for hours on end gazing at the big blue sky while inhaling salty air, I found myself almost entirely free of any ailments. For years, doctors have sent their patients to the coast to recover from sickness. However, some modern studies suggest the ocean may in fact be harmful. One study sent a thousand or so people to a beach well-known for its pristine waters and instructed one half to stay dry while the other half was told to swim in the ocean. Though the number of people who actually became sick as a result of the ocean is incredibly small, those who stayed dry were far less likely to suffer any illness. Apparently, polluted waters are to blame (even though the waters at the beach were thought to be "pristine.") Despite these findings, the beach solution seems to have worked for me.
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