On the nose

Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.

Spent the weekend in San Francisco at the annual AAN West Alternative Newsweekly Conference. I’d like to convey my excitement at the state of print journalism in the world, but aside from it being on its ass for the most part, I’m a bit under the weather.

I could sit here and wax eloquent about journalism’s condition. That’s what a lot of editors would do if they had 300 words at the front of their publication to introduce what’s to follow. But you know me better than that. I would never just say something.

I’d rather talk about colds and flus. Or, rather, what kills off such viruses.

I believe that our bodies are designed to kill off cold and flu viruses. I mean, if you think about it, the human animal has suffered from colds and flus since humanity stopped dragging its knuckles. Our bodies react to these viruses in lots of ways, but the most obvious are fever and expulsion (diarrhea, snot or phlegm).

So anyway, my theory is if you want to get over a cold or flu, you help the body use its natural defenses. I think the reason we get fevers is because viruses can’t take the high heat. Taking aspirin or Tylenol to combat the fever actually prolongs the illness because those medications keep the body at a nice, cool temperature that the viruses thrive in. I increase my body’s temperature by sleeping in a knit cap and socks when I have this kind of thing. This afternoon, I’m going to sit in the sauna at the gym.

If you want to help the body with its expulsive behavior, well, you drink plenty of water. Not just to prevent dehydration but also to promote free-flowing snot and doodie.

I guess that’s somewhat related to my opinions about the state of print journalism in the world. If we want to survive, we’ll look for ways that help the media do what it does well, and make it hot for anything that threatens our health, and expunge anything that doesn’t promote good health.