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| These ain't Skittles, kids. |
Now there are some people in my life who will ride out this stage of things. They'll up the vitamin ante; they'll sip herbal teas; they'll sweat it out; and they'll soldier on. Not me, baby. When I feel this way, I head for the nearest CVS or Duane Reade and medicate myself properly because for me, the over-the-counter medicine aisles in these places are the real American dream!
I'm talking almost floor-to-ceiling stashes of every pharmaceutical that will clog you up or clear you out. And you'll find these pharmacies/drugstores on pretty much every second corner in New York, so you're never too far away from feeling better. Trust me. When you get to the US, go into a CVS (most of which are open 24/7), and just have a look at their "cold relief" or "allergy relief" aisles - you won't believe the rainbow of pills and potions on sale. Having said that though, there are some products, even over-the-counter ones, that CVS & Duane Reade won't sell you unless you have a valid United States ID - they're not totally irresponsible.
For visitors to this city, there is one particular product at the CVS that I always recommend people buy. Melatonin is one of the greatest over-the-counter pills that you can get in the American pharmacy. I've never seen it for sale in Australia, which is a shame because it is hands-down the best jet-lag cure I think I've ever tried. In recent years, the jet-lag has always been worse for me on the Australia-US leg, taking almost a week to subside (if not more). Taking a melatonin pill just before bed has proven to be a wonderful sleep aid and regulator, which is not habit-forming, and does not leave me feeling groggy in the mornings. I definitely recommend it to all my colleagues who come over here on work trips and need to be at their best within 24 hours of landing.
But if you know that the over-the-counter stuff is not going to be strong enough, and you feel that your butt is about to be kicked by a seriously nasty cold, you may have no choice but to go to the doctor. Let me tell you outright though, that the United States of America is a wonderful country, but it is not the place you want to get sick if you don't have health insurance. If you're uninsured in this country, the costs of just seeing the doctor are ridiculous, and that's before you've purchased whatever you get prescribed. If you're planning to come here on a holiday, you must buy travel insurance that covers you for medical visits, including ER consultations. Don't muck around on that front, because it's just not worth it.
There, rant over. I've got some ibuprofen to buy <<cough, splutter>>
