This year has been an interesting one in my life – I have been sick more often that I could have expected even though I eat healthy, hearty Polish fruits, vegetables and meat. As such, I have visited a doctor more times than I would like in this country. And I have several observations that come as any foreigner, used to modern, allopathic, technologically-advanced medicine might have.

Presented by Magdalena Jensen.

First of all, Poles tend to be hypochondriacs – they seem to be so fearful of getting sick that any little discrepancy in winter dress generates so much chatter about the flu amongst old ladies it is really not worth even bothering not to wear gloves in December. And honestly, I can understand this fear of illness – you would too if you had ever been to one of Poland’s stunningly modern clinics [please take note of the sarcasm]. But, I would rather not complain about the clinics… I would prefer to give you a little peek into what it is like to see a doctor in this country.

Now, as you might have guessed, visiting the doctor in Poland is not my favorite activity. Not only are public clinics kind of funny looking (as in – not very sterile and everything has a greenish or yellowish tint, as if it was built in the 1970s, which it probably was) but also, there are always sick people in this country. Seriously, every time I have been to visit a doctor in Poland, there has been a line – at least three other sick people waiting in front of me to make me even more sick. More often than not, they have evident fevers, whooping coughs or leaking noses. I don’t think that people in this country get sick more often than in other countries, I just think that they go to the doctor for every sign of a scratchy throat or aching head.

Whenever I have gotten ill and start to say, “oh, I think I am coming down with something,” the first response I hear is to eat garlic. Polish people, even young people that seem to not buy into the old wives’ tales still highly recommend garlic as a cure-all treatment for, well, everything. It was even once suggested to me, last November when I was particularly congested, that I take a clove of garlic, cut it in half, and put each half in my nose and inhale strongly for as long as I could stand it. If I was really intent on getting rid of the congestion, it was even suggested that I stick halved garlic cloves in my ears. Now, at first I thought this was crazy, but then, being home alone for a few hours and going through an entire box of tissues, I decided to give it a whirl. First of all, let me tell you, garlic really stings. Second of all, this ‘method’ of whatever kind of witchdocter-ness simply is not effective. Third of all, what was I even thinking sticking garlic in my nose?!

Besides garlic, honey and lemon are Polish cure-alls. Do you have the chills? Drink a hot cup of water with honey and lemon? A scratchy throat? Squeeze a lemon into a glass of water and add honey when the water has cooled down a bit. A runny nose? Repeat the previous instructions. Oh, and don’t forget to eat a few cloves of garlic while you are at it. And, honestly, while I am a firm believer in the power of rest and vitamin C, it cannot hurt to overdose on lemons, honey and garlic – none of them are a harmful thing.

One phenomenon that surprises me greatly in Polish medicine is the prevalence of homeopathic drugs, or sugar pills as some skeptics might claim. While I have gone through phases of being skeptical about homeopathy, one trip to a pharmacy or doctor will show you that Poles are firm believers in holistic medicine. Seriously, in cold season in the U.S., most people are likely to go out and get a flu shot. But here, people stock up on – well, garlic, lemons and honey – but also on Dollicoccil or some other sort of homeopathic sugar pill. In all honesty, while I might sound skeptical about them, I have witnessed personally the success of the tiny, white, sugary little balls – one of my colds only last two days! But, a visit to an average doctor in Poland also garners you a prescription for homeopathic drugs. There are, as well, pharmacies that specialize exclusively in homeopathic medicines – and I have experienced longer lines there than at my local pharmacy.

There is, however, some official skepticism around homeopathy in Poland. The Deputy Polish Health Minister, Marek Twardowski, is heartily in favour of allowing Poles to continue to receive homeopathic drugs, as he believes that they really can be a successful replacement for conventional medicine in many cases. This viewpoint has, however, generated so much controversy that regulations surrounding homeopathy will be reexamined in February by the State Medical Council, who don’t believe that there is a science behind homeopathy.

And, who knows, perhaps there is no science behind homeopathy. But, I take the little sugar pills along with multitudes of my Polish brethren. And, honestly speaking, at the rate Poles seem to get sick and visit the doctor, I would rather see them taking sugar pills than stuffing themselves full of antibiotics.