Summer Cold

I'm sick. It's just a cold... but I'm still sick.
The big boys came home from camp with a cold.
Days went by and no one else became sick.
And then Paul caught it last weekend, but I didn't
...until yesterday. sigh.

If you've been reading here for a while you probably know,
we take a very holistic approach to health.
The number one thing you can do is preventative care,
but from time to time we all catch a bug...
and when we do,
this is how we treat it.

1 :: Food.is.so.important. Your body is working hard, trying to beat whatever bug you have. It doesn't need any extra baggage, it needs support.
-Cut out all dairy and sugar. Dairy produces excess mucous and sugar stomps all over your immune system.
-Limit hard to digest foods :: grains, meat and obviously stay away from processed foods.
-fill up on fruits and vegetables :: green smoothies, tea, pureed veggie soups
-boost your Vitamin C naturally :: sweet peppers, kiwi, grapefruit, oranges, strawberries, broccoli, Brussel sprouts...

2 :: Fluids. Keep yourself hydrated and flushing your body out.
-Soothing Tea :: 8 oz of warm, not hot water, 1 Tbsp raw honey & 1 Tbsp {or more if you can tolerate it} of raw apple cider vinegar. I drink this tea all.day.long when I am sick. You can also gargle with this for a sore throat.

3 :: Rest, but not too much. Keeping moving is actually healing. Spend some time cuddled on the couch with a book, but then get back up and keep going. Eucalyptus oil is excellent for breaking up mucous and congestion. You can put it in a diffuser or 6-8 drops in a warm bath.

4 :: Help circulate your lymph system. Did you know your lymph system doesn't circulate itself. It depends on movement, exercise and massage to properly circulate through your body. To massage your lymph nodes in your neck bring your fingers together under your chin pull outward, always moving away from the center and out/down. Once you have done your neck you can do your chest area, starting at your sternum and moving outward. You can use coconut oil {or non-toxic lotion} while doing this.

5 :: Vitamins & Supplements.
-Echinacea {We use liquid, alcohol free drops found at most health food stores} 1 dropper full and hold in your mouth for 5 minutes then swallow. 8-10 drops for children and hold as long as they can. If you are pregnant avoid the echinacea with goldenseal.
-Colloidal Silver {We use Meso-silver} For upper-respiratory we use a small spray bottle and spray the back of your throat while breathing in to pull it into your lungs.
-Elderberry syrup {Kids love this, it's a sweet syrup you can find at most health food stores}
-Vitamin C {I have pills and powdered, both can be found at most health food stores}
-Calcium Lactate {We use standard process brand}
-Probiotic {generally speaking the more expensive the probiotic, the stronger it is. We use a moderate priced probiotic from the health food store but for sickness we use Ortho-biotic which is pricier but stronger... if you buy it from the health food store I was told to always buy it from the refrigerated section}
-For young children I will mix up raw honey, coconut oil & smashed calcium lactate & vitamin C and put it in the fridge to harden. I give them a spoonful multiple times through the day. It ends up tasting a bit like a honey candy.
-You can also put most of these in a smoothie for kids that don't want to take their vitamins.

6 :: Avoid over the counter medicines.
-If you are running a fever, and it's only a cold, it's likely to stay under 102. Let the fever do it's job, it's working hard to fight for you.
-Antihistamines decrease mucous, but your need the mucous that contain the virus to flow out of your body rather than block it in.
-Couch medicines. If you need a more productive cough try a natural expectorant. Avoid cough medicines that suppress your cough. Coughing is your bodies mechanism for clearing the mucus from your lungs.

So there you have it. A little bit of what we do to fight off the pesky common cold. Now I'm off to drink my apple cider tea and read in bed. Goodnight Friends!