It’s day 5 of my cold—and I’ve just started to utilize the search engine to restore my health.

Why is the search engine so important in resolving health issues?

WebMd can only do so much; it’s the default website I go to when I have a health concern or question. But, as this cold has made me realize, I don’t take the research approach to treating or preventing disease. Which approach do I take?

I rely on past experience and on word-of-mouth advice; this, in itself, does not prove to be an entirely bad idea. After all, I have gotten over bad colds before–and that usually has to do with my taking someone else’s experiential advice (medications are not fail-proof, after all). But medicine is theoretical; it is not an exact science. And as much as we might like to deny it, medical knowledge is not much more advanced than our knowledge of nutrition–which proves to be a problem when you’re not having a good physiological moment.

But after having a cold for a few days, I’ve discovered that I’m pretty eager to become a researcher—even if I am researching outside of an area of expertise. I’ve used my research skills to analyze the problem, look for a cure, and find ways to change my health habits so that I can prevent this from happening again.

Here’s my self diagnosis:

*I’ve had persistent allergies throughout the summer, but I haven’t done too much to alleviate them. That’s my first mistake. I also didn’t realize that I could alleviate them by changing my dietary habits.

*Because I eat a lot of dairy, I was aggravating my sinuses. I also stayed away from fruit this summer because I didn’t want to be attacked by various insects. I stayed away from spicy foods because it irritates my skin. (Note: I love spicy food).

*I was under a lot of unexpected stress during the month of July (not my fault; it was circumstantial).

*All of this led to my cold. Everyone tells you about the” no dairy” rule. But what’s less well known is the “eat a lot of fruit” rule and the “eat a lot of spicy food” rule. Why do that?

*It all comes down to the pH scale. The pH scale goes from 0-14. O=completely acidic, 7=neutral, 14=basic. Our bodies prefer an overall pH of 7. Therefore, water (which is neutral) is a very good choice. But when our bodies have a lot of acid or a lot of base, water isn’t necessarily the best cure.

*Why do spicy foods help to alleviate a cold? Because they’re so acidic and our bodies are very basic when we have colds. Spicy foods drain sinuses.

*The lesson? When my allergies kick up, I’ll eat spicier food and vice versa. It does seem that it’s a matter of balancing the food I eat, but not just from a five food groups perspective. We are, after all, chemical beings. Perhaps those 40 credits of science courses aren’t completely going to waste.