Two Kinds of Medicine

Omar has had a heavy cough since the weather changed at the end of October. His grandmother, who has treated the family for decades, boiled thyme and mixed it with mountain honey. "Drink this three times a day," she said, "and keep your chest warm at night." Omar thanked her politely, but secretly he believed that old remedies belonged to the past. After a week, the cough was getting worse, so he booked an appointment at the clinic. While he was waiting, he watched a nurse who was explaining breathing exercises to an old man. Doctor Salma examined his chest carefully and asked him questions about his sleep and his diet. "You have a chest infection," she explained, "so you need this medicine for seven days." Then she added a piece of advice that surprised Omar completely. "Warm drinks with honey calm the throat, so your grandmother's remedy is actually helpful." "However, if an infection is strong, honey alone will not defeat it," she warned. Omar took the medicine every morning and drank the thyme mixture every evening without complaining. Within ten days, the cough that had ruined his sleep finally disappeared. He visited his grandmother and told her honestly what the doctor had said about her remedy. She laughed and said, "Wisdom is like water; it flows from more than one spring." Now Omar respects both kinds of medicine, and he never ignores a cough for a whole week.