The World is Just A Great Big Onion

Onion Cure

In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people, there was a Doctor who

visited 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. The

doctor came upon one farmer, and to his surprise, everyone in the

household was very healthy. 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). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could

have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him

one, and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It

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

Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser in AZ. She said that

several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu

and so were many of her customers. 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... (And no, she is not in the onion

business.)

The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls

around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your

office or under your desk or even on top somewhere. Try it and see

what happens. We did it last year, and we never got the flu.

If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the

better. If you do get the flu, it just might be a mild case.

Whatever, what have you to lose? Just a few bucks on onions!!!

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. She replied

with this most interesting experience about onions: Thanks for the

reminder. 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. 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. It said the onion would be

black in the morning from the germs. Sure enough, it happened just

like that...the onion was a mess, and I began to feel better.

Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed

around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have

powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.

This is the other note: LEFTOVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUS! I have used an

onion which has been left in the fridge. Sometimes I don't use a whole

one at one time, so I save the other half for later. Now with this

info, I have changed my mind. I will buy smaller onions in the future.

I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, makers

of mayonnaise. Mullins is huge, and is owned by 11 brothers and

sisters in the Mullins family. My friend, Jeanne, is the CEO.

Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I

learned from a chemist. The guy who gave us our tour is named Ed.

He's one of the brothers. Ed is a chemistry expert and is involved in

developing most of the sauce formula. He's even developed sauce

formula for McDonald's. Keep in mind that Ed is a food chemistry whiz.

During the tour, someone asked if we really needed to worry about

mayonnaise. People are always worried that mayonnaise will spoil.

Ed's answer will surprise you. Ed said that all commercially-made

mayo is completely safe. "It doesn't even have to be refrigerated. No

harm in refrigerating it, but it's not really necessary." He

explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at a point that bacteria

could not survive in that environment. He then talked about the

quintessential picnic, with the bowl of potato salad sitting on the

table and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick.

Ed says that when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the

officials look for is when the 'victim' last ate ONIONS and where those

onions came from (in the potato salad?). Ed says it's not the

mayonnaise (as long as it's not homemade mayo) that spoils in the

outdoors. It's probably the onions, and if not the onions, it's the

POTATOES. He explained, onions are a huge magnet for bacteria,

especially uncooked onions. You should never plan to keep a portion of

a sliced onion. He says it's not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock

bag and put it in your refrigerator. It's already contaminated enough

just by being cut open and out for a bit, that it can be a danger to

you (and doubly watch out for those onions you put on your hotdogs at

the baseball park!)

Ed says if you take the leftover onion and cook it like crazy you'll

probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put it on

your sandwich, you're asking for trouble. Both the onions and the

moist potato in a potato salad will attract and grow bacteria faster

than any commercial mayonnaise will even begin to break down.

So, how's that for news? Take it for what you will. I (the author) am

going to be very careful about my onions from now on. For some reason,

I see a lot of credibility coming from a chemist and a company that

produces millions of pounds of mayonnaise every year.

Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolize

onions. Please remember it is dangerous to cut onions and try to use

it to cook the next day. It becomes highly poisonous for even a

single night and creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach

infections because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.

Please pass this on to all you love and care about.