文章/蓮媧法師提供

目前甲流在世界各地肆虐，美国已经宣布进入紧急状态，加拿大在全国免费注射疫苗，中国也有5万多人感染了病毒。

上周有两个午餐会不得不取消，本周也是难以确定好几个午餐会是否要举行，因为很多人生病（不一定是甲流）。这次的流感的确给人们的生活带来很多麻烦和困扰。

一个加拿大朋友把下面这封邮件发给一些朋友。把它翻译出来送给大家，希望对你有所帮助，希望大家健康平安不要生病。其中的一些东西与我们中医和中华饮食有关联。

In 1919. When the flu killed 40 million people, there was this doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it, and many died.1919年。

当流感造成了四千万人死亡时，有一位医生到各地农场去探视，看是否可以帮助人们战胜流感。很多农民和他们家庭感染了流感，很多人因此而死亡。

The doctor came upon this one farmer, and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy.
这位医生来到一家人家。出乎预料，这家的每一个人都非常健康。

When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different, the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home (probably only two rooms back then).
医生询问这家的做法与其他人家有何不同，这家的妻子说她在家里的每一个房间（那时大概也就是两间吧）里放置了一颗没有剥皮的洋葱。

The doctor couldn't believe it, and asked if he could have one of the onions, and place it under the microscope.
医生无法置信，因此就问是否可以要一颗洋葱以便放在显微镜下观察观察。

She gave him one, and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion.
她给了他一颗。医生观察时真的在洋葱上发现了流感病菌。

It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore keeping the family healthy.

显然，洋葱吸收了病菌，因此让这家人保持健康。

Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in Arizona.
如今，我从亚利桑那州我的理发师那里听到类似的故事。

She said that several years ago, many of her employees were coming down with the flu, and so were many of her customers.
她说几年前她的很多雇员感染流感，她的很多顾客也是如此。

The next year, she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop.  To her surprise, none of her staff got sick.  It must work . . .
次年，她在她的理发店里放了几个果盘，里面放了一些洋葱。令她吃惊的是，她的员工没有一个生病的。看来洋葱真的起作用…

(And no, she is not in the onion business.)
（真的，她并不做洋葱的生意。）

The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home.
故事的核心是，买一些洋葱吧，把它们摆放在你的家里的果盘里。

If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office, or under your desk, or even on top somewhere.
如果你是坐办公室的，在你的办公室里，或者办公桌下面，或者在柜子顶部放置几颗洋葱吧。

Try it and see what happens.  
试试看效果怎么样。

We did it last year, and we never got the flu.
我们去年做了，没有人得流感。

If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the better.
如果这样做可以帮助你和你所爱的人不感冒，那就太好了。

If you do get the flu, it just might be a mild case.
如果你仍然得了感冒，也许会是比较轻微的症状。

Whatever, what have you to lose?
不管结果如何，你又会有什么损失呢？

 Just a few bucks on onions!
除了几颗洋葱之外！

Now there is a P. S. to this for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues.
下面是后续。我把这个送给我在奥尔良的朋友，她经常给我一些健康方面的建议。

 She replied with this most interesting experience about onions:
她回复说了关于洋葱的最有趣的实验：

I don't know about the farmer’s story, but I do know that I contracted pneumonia, and needless to say I was very ill.
我不知道那个农民的故事，但是我知道我得了肺炎。无需说，我病的不轻。

I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion, put one end on a fork, and then place the forked end into an empty jar, placing the jar next to the sick patient at night.
我读到一篇文章，建议把洋葱的两头切掉，插在叉子上，然后把叉子放在花瓶里，晚上放在病人身旁。

It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs.
据说，洋葱会因为病菌而在次日清晨变黑。

Sure enough, it happened just like that.
果然，事情跟说的完全一样。

The onion was a mess, and I began to feel better.
洋葱看起来糟透了，但我却开始好起来。

Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago.
那篇文章还谈到放在屋子里的洋葱和大蒜在多年前的黑死病中救了很多人的命。

They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.