Cold or Alergies? Here's a Good, Semi-Natural Treatment

An Effective, Semi-Natural Cold or Allergy Treatment

For the past  2 months, I've had an ongoing cold or allergies; the funny thing is that since I've moved to Playa del Carmen, a nice sunny, warm beachfront town, both have been noticeably worse than either in central Mexico or in Canada.  And, on top of that, my allergies seem surprisingly similar to a cold.  The very few times I've gone to the doctor, it's always turned out to be allergies, even though EVERYTHING about it feels like a cold.

This morning my 3-year-old son woke me up at 6:30, and I had a runny nose, I was sneezing and had a headache, and I had to blow my nose every 3 minutes.  10 minutes later, the baby was crying and wanted to eat.  (Saturday is my wife's only precious sleep-in day during the whole week, so it's out of the question to take that away from her.)

I felt like closing myself into a dark, quiet room to just forget about the world.  I thought about heading to the drugstore for allergy medicine, but then I decided to try our alternative approach first.  The last time my family came from Canada, my dad had given us a bottle of tea tree oil as a natural treatment for ticks on our dog. (Ticks are very, very common here in the jungle, and all dogs get them if they are not treated.  Most people use a horrible chemical that cannot be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women, or anyone under the age of 19.  The tea tree oil actually works very, very well - better than the chemical.)

A few months ago, reading the natural health booklet that came with it, I realized that it had lots of uses, including treating the common cold. I found it also works for allergies.  So, this morning, this is how I treated my allergies/cold or whatever it is:

• Tea Tree Oil - I heated a pot of water until it was steaming very well, and added 10 drops of tea tree oil.  I place a towel over my head and leaned over the steaming pot inhaling the vapor of the oil.  The relief in my nose was almost instant.
• Hot Tea -  I used Tetley Orange Pekoe tea, but I would normally us an herbal tea - we've run out.  I prepared it while I was heating the water, so I could enjoy it immediately after the tea tree oil.
• Paracetamol - I took one tablet to help with the headache.  The only not natural part of my treatment.  This is still much better than going to the doctor here; most doctors (although most certainly not all) in Mexico tend to way over medicate; I'm highly suspicious an hesitant when it comes to over-medication.  We've found 2 doctors who are very conservative about medicine, and give treatments (which include only small amounts of medicine if any) whic, as we suspected, are usually much more successful.  I also believe in generics, most of the time.  Tylenol costs about 10 times as much, and does the same thing.

I probably could have done without the paracetamol, but on the whole the treatment was successful.  Afterwards, I just felt a little sleepy, but otherwise fine.  The rest of the morning was a very relaxing, comfortable Saturday morning.

To read more about my experience with healthcare and medicine in Mexico, read:

• Interesting Expats Part 2 - The Drunk "Dentist" 
• Childbirth in IMSS - Mexico's Social Insurance Health Care System 
• Mexican Health Care – The Really Cheap Side of Things

What's Wrong With This Sign?

The sign announcing the power outage.

 This is a sign that was posted throughout our neighborhood yesterday.  For anyone who doesn't read Spanish, It says:

Dear Residents:

We are informing you that the electric company will be turning off the power between approximately 1 pm and 2 pm, for the purpose of repairs.  Thank you for your understanding!

What's wrong with this message?  Well, if you're not sure, the following are my complaints:

• It doesn't state which DAY the power will be turned off.
• Electric work is NEVER completed in 1 hr.
• The paper signs were randomly pasted in visible, but completely unprotected areas, like on this electric power box, or on the walls separating the homes from the main road; this morning only one of the 5 we saw were remaining.  This is as much a problem with social responsibility as with the community council's method of communication.  This is a really big problem here; it's really common that people destroy, remove or deface things just to be a nuisance to other people.  They could have put some in stores, etc.

The only sign remaining after less than 24 hours.

At least it's a small improvement. Up until this yesterday, we've never been informed of electric work and the resulting power outages.   So, it's one small step ahead.  Hopefully they put the date on next time.

It must be noted, however, that the date may not have been put on because they themselves were not sure of when they would do the work.  The signs may have been a response to complaints, without any real intentions of solving the problems of lack of communication.

Our Beautiful Bougainvilleas - Flowers, Flowers and more Flowers

As you can see in this picture, we now have a beautiful bougainvillea plant growing in front of our living room window.  Of course, it's going to get much bigger than this.  Our plan is to draw wires between the protection bars on the two windows so it grows up and covers the upper window, providing shade.  This plant has been part of our house since we moved here a year and half ago and has grown marvellously since then.

The flowers grow almost all the time, and the neighbourhood kids love pulling them off and making heart shapes, or flower-covered walkways on the ground.  At first we were going to tell them not to, but then we realized the flowers grow back so quickly that it really doesn't matter.  We've just told them not to break the plant itself, and only pull of the petals.  Yesterday my wife was going to take a picture of the heart they made, but the batteries in the camera were dead.  Another time.

As you can see from the second picture, the plant was tiny when bought in August 2010.  I'm  impressed and happy with how it's grown.

To read more about our gardening, read:

• Our Mexican Marigolds - Cempoalxochitl, the Flower of the Dead 
• Our homegrown tomatoes 
• More Gardening - Our Mini Rose Bush 
• My Papaya Tree and Our First Homegrown Papaya

Tepache - A Fermented Pineapple Drink

Tepache, in Tacubaya (from Wikimedia Commons, user Thelmadatter)

Tepache is a traditional fermented pineapple drink popular in some areas of Mexico. As seen in the picture, it is a reddish colour.  It is still fairly sweet, and only mildly fermented - perhaps similar to that of a milder traditional fermented apple ciders.  (Not the Strongbow's sort, but the actual raw apple juice naturally fermented.)

The place where I have had it most often is in a small group of flauta shops in the Tacubaya neighborhood of Mexico City.

Flautas are tortillas, rolled up with a little meat in the middle, fried until crispy and brittle; they are served with lettuce and sauce on top of them, and, in the case of these shops in Tacubaya, with tepache.

Tacubaya is mostly a working class neighbourhood, and it's the end of one of the major subway lines, thus also serving as a major bus and transportation terminal.  On Sunday afternoons, many young adults from villages to the west of Mexico City (approx. 1 hr away) come to Tacubaya, hang out in what's sort of a village square, and enjoy the dining and shopping of this vibrant neighborhood, all of which is really, really cheap (I got a pair of New Balance running shoes there for $40 - originals!)  The neighborhood is in no way pretty or picturesque, but has a charm that only a place that has been given over entirely to practicality of the city and has been "discovered" only by those who need it's cheapness and complete lack of pretentiousness.  It was one of the original Aztec villages that was in alliance with Mexico City (Tenochtitlan) when the Spaniards arrived at the time of the conquest.

So, needless to say, the flauta shops are also really cheap.  If I remember correctly, the flautas are sold 3 for 50 cents, and the tall glass of Tepache seen in the picture is also about 50 cents.  So, with $2, you'll be doing quite well in this place.  (This is why I was surprised when I moved to Playa del Carmen from Mexico City, and realized that here, even with $10, you're better off staying home.  One of the biggest charms of Mexico City is that you can go out with less than a dollar to your name and have a great time.)

Vats of Tepache in Tacubaya (from Wikimedia Commons, user Thelmadatter)

I found tepache once in Playa del Carmen. The fruit and vegetable store where we normally shop (the same one that had those wonderful tamales being sold in front of it, see xxx), sells fresh fruit juices at about 60 cents a glass.  One day they had tepache as one of the choices. Although this doesn't really count as "fresh fruit juice," I was delighted and had a glass.  I've never found it since.  One of these days I'll ask them for it.

If you're in Mexico City, I highly recommend trying tepache.  It's easier to find, and easier to take down than pulque.  I'm sure there are many other places to try great tepache as well.

To read about pulque, another traditional Mexican drink, read:

My Mexico City Experience - Pulque

A note about the pictures: they are not my pictures, but they are from Wikimedia commons (with a shareable license) and the person who took and posted them noted that they are from Tacubaya; I also recognize the place.

The Morning Edition - Exotic Mexico

I was just taking a look at the most popular stories in my blog, and the top 2, outnumbering the 3rd and 4th places by 2-4 times as many visits have to do with items very unique to Mexico's distinct culture:

• The Curse of the Eye - This has been #1, almost doubling #2, and tells about a very, very popular superstition in Mexico, and how to protect children against it.  While supposedly it's the "Catholics" who are more superstitious (in quotation marks, since these beliefs are in now way officially Catholic or approved by that church), recently an Evangelical mother visited me her newborn baby, and I caught a glimpse of deer's eye bracelet on the baby; if the Catholic Church disapproves, Evangelical Churches even more so; I find this paradox hard to wrap my mind around ...

• My Mexico City Experience - Pulque - #2 has also doubled #3 in popularity.  This is a traditional fermented drink, dating back to Aztec times, made from the same plant as Tequila.  Originally it was a sacred drink, and now it belongs to the rural working class.

Another post about the dangers of being caught unawares by a beautiful Mexican WARNING: Mexico is DANGEROUS! Do not come here - unless ... is also very popular, with another one about illegal immigration, Illegal Immigration - An Alternative Approach, being fairly well liked.  The top 5 are rounded off by one completely unrelated to Mexico, about my wife's luck with technology, Have you ever flushed your phone down the toilet?

Judging by the high popularity of the "exotic" theme, and because I really do like these topics, I'm soon going do another post or two on related topics; one will be about "tepache," a fermented pineapple drink, the other will be about "Saint Death" - a saint sub-cult focused on a grim-reaper like figure.

Our Mexican Marigolds - Cempoalxochitl, the Flower of the Dead

The Cempoalxochitl (marigolds) in our garden

These flowers have been growing beautifully in our back flower bed. They are Mexican Marigolds, called Cempoalxochitl (pronounced cem-pa-SU-chil) in Mexico, which is the Aztec name.

The story behind these is more significant than our other gardening endeavours.  At the beginning of November, we celebrated Mexico's Day of the Dead by making traditional alters to the deceased nearest to us.  To read about the altars, and see pictures, read:

Day of the Dead - An Altar for my Grandparents
Remebering Someone Dear to Us

The main flowers used on these altars, as well as in other parts of the decoration are Mexican Marigolds.  After taking down the altars on Nov. 3, we placed the flowers on top of our book shelf to dry.  When my wife's mom arrived at the end of the same month, she found them, and remembered that they grow easily.  So, she removed the seeds and sprinkled them into a flowering pot we had sitting in the back yard.  Within a few days, the plants were sprouting out.

A close up of a full Cempoalxochitl flower

In January, when I transplanted them to our newly extended flower bed, they still didn't have any flowers.  There is now a total of about 15 - 20.

For a little about the tradition of the flowers and other symbols related with the holidays, read:

Day of the Dead - The Symbols and Traditional Elements

Some more flowers - these ones never opened fully

For more about my gardening, read:

Our homegrown tomatoes
More Gardening - Our Mini Rose Bush


My Papaya Tree and Our First Homegrown Papaya

Have you ever seen a tree like this one?

Notice the woven trunk, which is actually one single trunk!

I've never seen a tree like this one before.  The trunk, as seen in the picture, is a series of "smaller trunks" woven together into the cylindrical shape seen; the really impressive thing is that the points where the "smaller trunks" touch, they are actually fused together sharking the same bark; they've actually grown together and become attached.  So the trunk you see is actually one single trunk, shaped as a hollow cylinder with a woven service.

I've seen some larger trees around here, that seem to have multiple parts of one large trunk, sometimes even with spaces between parts of them, but never anything like this.

This was clearly planned and somehow "convinced" to grow this way.  But I can't image how it is possible. 



If anyone reading this blog knows how this works, please tell me!

We found this tree downtown Playa del Carmen, at the main city bus transfer point. Next time I go by, I might just knock and ask.  I'm very impressed by this strange but beautiful plant.

I uploaded the photo with higher resolution than normal so you can view it with more detail if you like.


If you want to read about my own garden - a very easy to understand, but enjoyable mistake, read:

Our homegrown tomatoes
More Gardening - Our Mini Rose Bush
My Papaya Tree and Our First Homegrown Papaya