North of the 49th | Amway

Today is the annual flu shot day at Amway Canada. That's where a
significant number of Canuck Central employees march down to HR, roll up
their sleeve, and take one for the team! I'm not one of them, but I'll
explain that in a minute.

I mean it when I say "take one for the
team." The flu is a horrible, nasty disease that can knock you off your
feet for several days, and leave you feeling lethargic for much longer.
And it spreads like wildfire. So too do colds, but there's no shot for
them. So anything people can do to prevent from getting sick and then
coming to work and spreading their germs to the rest of us is A-OK by
me!

Now, why am I not doing it? Well, you know what else can knock you off your feet? Needles.

You
see, I have a vasovagal response to needles. Basically, if I'm vertical
when I get them, I quickly go horizontal. I'm not even sure if it's a
real diagnosis, or just a polite way for the doctors and nurses to
assuage my ego (then go snickering back to the office). Honestly, I'm
not afraid of needles. For the past few years, I've taken several
needles (including some in the neck — and if that strike a fear
response in you, nothing will!) — all lying down. That's all it took
for me to stop fainting. Sure, it only took 30-plus years to figure out,
and it would have been nice to avoid some of the following situations:

• Five-year-old Jay being thrown on a table after going into shock and doctor frantically working on me;
• Passing out onto the window of a Korean restaurant (to be fair,
  the resident did say 'Oops' when she stuck the needle in me, which
  doesn't help);
• Waking up another time (at around 18 years old) to the sound of little kids giggling at me… AS THEY'RE STEPPING OVER ME!!!!!; and
• The monthly combo of allergy shot/unconscious Jay…

There are more examples, but you get the point. It took a while for
someone to say, "Hey, have you tried lying down to get the shot?" And
since then, it's been wonderful — well, as wonderful as needles go, I
guess.

So all this to say that I will be getting the flu shot, but
I'll go with my family to the clinic (which, in itself, is
embarrassing. They don't offer a nice, private area for those like me…
No, we're paraded around in front of everyone, laid out like a mockery
buffet upon which those passing by can gorge themselves.) But that's not
all I'm doing.

For the past month, I've been popping Vitamin C
like it's going out of style. I've been adding NUTRILITE Vitamin C-500
(which, I know, is now discontinued, but I've still got a few left) to
my daily regimen. When that runs out, you can be sure I'll pick up some
NUTRILITE Vitamin C Plus (10-9747)

I've also used Echinacea in the past to ward off cold and flu symptoms, so I've got a stash of TriGuard (A-5986) at the ready.

Now,
I've had people ask, "Does that actually work?" And you know what? I
don't really know for you. I know that I believe it does and in my
experience it has worked. In fact, my family all came down with a cold a
couple of weeks ago — so I started popping a couple of extra Vitamin C
tablets when I started feeling a little scratchy in my throat and a bit
of congestion. Guess what? No cold.

There are studies that show
that these vitamins have a certain level of efficacy for system support.
That said, the brain's an awfully powerful thing too. If you believe it
works, then chances are it's going to improve your success rate. That said, I don't think it's all about the
placebo effect. I don't believe in anything that strongly. No, in
my experience Vitamin C works and Echinacea's great if you do start
coming down with something. I was skeptical before I started trying
supplements and they worked for me, so I don't think it's all about the
power of positive thinking or mind-over-matter. Basically, I find they work — and if you already believe that they do, then you're ahead of the game!

Of course, I'm not popping supplements then tempting fate by asking people with the flu to breathe on me.
No, I also take the normal precautions: washing hands, avoiding touching
my eyes and mouth, etc. But I really do believe these things help.

Again, this is just me. It's my opinion and my experience.
Regardless of whether or not you agree, I'll keep taking them. And if
you were to ask for my recommendation, I'd say to give it a shot. What
do you have to lose? Well, other than a couple of weeks of feeling
miserable and going through box after box of tissues.

But the real
point of this post (good to know I got right to it, eh? Only about 10
paragraphs later) is that I want to know what you do during cold and flu
season to prevent getting sick? Or if you are sick, what do you do to
feel better?

I want to hear from you! And I'll be keeping a close
eye on the comments too on this one. We want to be responsible with what
we say and not make any false claims or promises. While anything
included in the comments is strictly the opinion of the writer, we still
don't want to be sharing false, unproven, or untrue information. Keep
that in mind when you're writing, but I do want to know what works for
you.

You can also drop me a line at northofthe49th@opportunityzone.com! 

Here's to a healthy and happy few months of completely avoiding the dreaded cold and flu bugs!

All the best,

Jay

It's a little quiet here on the OZ — especially since our U.S. friends are now recovering from a turkey-and-stuffing-induced semi-coma. Not that I'm jealous or anything. (Sidebar note: why do we only eat turkey once — or at most twice — a year? Thanksgiving and Christmas. That's it!!! I must make efforts to rectify that in 2009).

While our American cohorts are coming out of a tryptophan haze, it's life as normal here at Canuck Central. So, in the vein of my earlier confessional, I thought I'd share another little embarrassing tidbit of my life. I hope it can provide you with some entertainment, whether you're a working Canadian or enjoying your Thanksgiving holiday.

I have issues with needles. Or, more accurately, my body has issues with needles. Mentally, I'm cool with them — in, out, done. Unfortunately, if I'm vertical when I'm getting a needle, I quickly go horizontal. I have since I was five. Recently, a doctor explained that this is a perfectly normal phenomenon — that it's an involuntary physical response predicated by a sudden drop in blood pressure (which is quickly followed by a sudden drop in Jay.)

At least, I hope she was being honest. For all I know she left the room and started laughing about "that guy."

Here are a few of Jay Menard's Greatest Après-Needle Fainting Hits:

• Age 5 — first time, booster shot. Jay passes out and goes into shock. Doctor throws me on the table and starts working on me. I either stopped breathing or my heart skipped a beat — it wasn't good either way. All I remember is sitting with my parents in the park across the street from his office;
• Age 13 — Some other needle. I was doing well — at least until the student nurse said, "Oops." I maintained my composure, waited in the waiting room, and thought all was good. I stepped out of the office, fortunately walked down the 15 stone steps and then the drama hit. My dad was assuring my I wouldn't faint, I replied in a Linda-Blair-circa-Exorcist-style voice, "I'm gonna pass out, OK???" I then pirouetted, landing face first on the window of a Korean restaurant (I'm sure I ruined that couple's lunch), spun around, stumbled a bit, then fell face down into a parking spot that was seconds away from no longer being empty. Fortunately the car stopped;
• Age 17-19 — Somebody, somewhere, had a wonderful sense of humour. That person deemed that I needed allergy shots. So on a monthly basis, I'd pass out. Once I remember waking up, in a doorway, my legs raised in the air — with little six-year-old kids stepping over me to get to their presumably faint-free appointments. I asked the nurse, "Do I want to know why I'm on the floor with my legs in the air?" She said, "Probably not…" and then stifled a giggle.

All too late in my life I've been given a trick to avoid fainting — I get my needles lying down. At first I figured that at least it'd be less far to fall. But it actually works. Unfortunately, while I can now escape the shame of fainting in public, I get the undeniable pleasure of having another spotlight of embarrassment fully trained upon me.

I firmly believe that, despite what they say, the medical establishment doesn't believe in people like me. Otherwise they'd find better ways to care for us. Instead, I get to walk to the crash mats at the flu clinic — in plain view of hundreds of people — and lie down while a pair of nurses do everything they can to draw attention to the guy with "issues."

Why not just put me on a stage, get the strobe lights going, and we'll really put on a show? Whatever happened to discretion?

This isn't the first time I've had this happen — and I'm sure it won't be the last. Honestly, I don't suffer from "chicken" pox, "yellow" fever, or general-wussitude. Mentally, I'm cool with needles — physically, not so much.

So here's your chance. Either share your tips and stories, commiserate, or feel free to mock. I've got thick skin — although make sure you're not standing behind me if that skin gets pricked!

All the best,

Jay