Nice.
I'm feeling better all the time. Had some sort of sinus infection that wouldn't seem to go away and caused a hacking cough. Taking some horse-pill sized antibiotics now, and I think they are starting to work.
Having a cough makes me think of the days before antibiotics when the treatment for T.B. was to send people to sanitariums, or sanitoriums as this Canadian article calls them.
The types of cures they tried for T.B. at the turn of the century seem like they would help your immune system fight an infection, plus they sound pretty relaxing. Fresh mountain air, good food, rest, hot mineral baths, all sound healing. Unfortunately for the people with active T.B. the ability of the immune system to fight off that slow growing bacteria is limited and a lot of people died of what was called consumption (people thought T.B. was a genetic disease that "consumed" someone from the inside, as they gradually wasted away). It's a little scary to think T.B. is making a resurgence now, with more virulent antibiotic-resistent strains on the horizon.
It's interesting to think about the relative lack of lingering sinus/lung infections in a dry climate like Montana vs. what I've experienced in the damp/moldy Pacific Northwest. It seems reasonable that dry mountain air or maybe even better, dry desert air would be less conducive to funk growing in your lungs or sinuses. I'm thankful that we have good antibiotics today.
Fear led to Montana's sanitarium for TB patients talks about the T.B. sanitarium at Galen Montana. I never made it to the Galen sanitarium, but according to the article the treatment focused on milk, fresh air and sunlight. That sounds pretty boring. I think I'd opt for a more spa-like sanitarium if possible, something with a hot springs and a nice view of the mountains; like Chico or Hunters Hot Springs.
I love the hot springs in Montana. I've been to Bozeman Hot Springs, McCleod Hot Springs, Hunters Hot Springs, Chico, Norris, Boiling River and Elkhorn Hot Springs and they were all lots of fun. Hunters and McCleod are gone; but the rest of them are still around. It would be a fun trip to visit hot springs some time...or maybe just go to one and hang out. At Chico you can sit in the hot pool with a drink, Elkhorn has great muffins, Boiling River isn't a hot springs but it's hot and cool, Norris was sort of scuzzy but a good place for a party...not sure what it's like now, ditto for Bozeman Hot Springs.
One of these days I need to get up to British Columbia to check out some of their hot springs.
Hot Springs Enthusiast Text Links Page has links to little topo maps showing hot springs in various states. It's interesting but you would need to do some additional research if you are looking for a hot springs to visit; for example, in Montana, it has Hunters Hot Springs which used to have a pool, hotel and cafe; but not anymore, same for Corwin Springs which was a nice resort in the early 1900's but it's a pipe with hot water running into the Yellowstone River now.
I did hook a nice rainbow trout near Corwin Springs last year (and they have really good soup at the Four Winds Cafe.
I think I'll look into a trip up to Harrison Hot Springs or something near by...like the Y.
Here is a link to some good looking books about touring Hot Springs
from Amazon.
