To understand my attitude towards medicine, you have to take into consideration three things:
1. I come from a long line of hypochondriacs. For example, when the doctor tells my dad during a visit that he does not think he is a hypochondriac, my dad thinks that is the GOOD NEWS!! 🙂
2. In India, everybody is a freelance doctor. Very few have medicine degrees but everybody has an opinion on what is the required cure. (you do not need a prescription for most medicine in India). Any trace of a symptom rearing its head will be mercilessly squelched by a plethora of medicines as a preventive measure 🙂 Every time I go to India, my brother, for example will shove Amoxicilins by the scores (and they are dirt cheap in India) in my bag for Sharmila’s annual strep throat attack.
3. I love being a contrarian and like people who sponsor and seek contrarian thoughts.

With the end result that, I usually stay away from most medicines if I can help it. My excuse code is – let the immunity system figure it out first.

But today, even I, after a long 12-15 year hiatus, got sick and tired of being in bed for four days and succumbed to my brother. Took out one of those antibiotic tablets he sends for Sharmila and popped it. I called him and told him of the unthinkable I have done and also said that since I never take medicine, I figured, one will do the magic. He said something derogatory about life not being math and that I should have three a day for three days. I told him I will do so when he produces his Doctor’s certificate 🙂

But I do realize that for me to pop an antibiotic, I am no more under the weather. I am clearly and squarely under the climate now 🙂