Tag Archive for Essential Oils

Home Remedies: Proven, Safe, and Effective; Get Over The Learning Curve.

 

mark and i on roadHappy Snowmaggon!

I get a lot of questions about using essential oils and herbs for both illness and prevention.  Well, I have both going on in my house right now:  Shelby’s ill, and I’m trying to prevent catching it.

(**Important: Real prevention comes from a strong immune system: no sugar, good sleep, managing stress, and eating Real Whole Food. “An ounce of prevention….”**)

I think it started as the flu and has morphed to bronchitis.  What am I doing?  A lot!  Here’s a pic showing some of the natural medicines I’m using on both her and the rest of us:supps on counter

And here’s a list of what’s in that photo from left to right:

Biotics ADP – which is oregano extract (anti-viral)

Tea tree and eucalyptus essential oil (these go in a pot of water – steam inhalation.)

Herbal Medicine’s Respiratonic, and Osha Cough Syrup ( definitely helping!  Bought this at Natural Market in Warrenton, Va.)

Ovvio Thief Plus ( I LOVE essential oils!!) This I put directly on the throat and use in a diffuser.

Biotics Vitamin D3

Garlic, which I mix with Manuka Honey (look at a ‘how to’ here)

Herba Tussin Tea, by Traditional Medicinals

Those front baggies:  from the left –

Ground Rose Hips – HUGE amount of vitamin C ( that’s for all of us, I put it in smoothies).

Chamomile flowers ( Natural Market by the ounce – CHEAP, POTENT and very relaxing. I o.d. her a little bit at night.  We all sleep better that way.)

Marshmallow root ( Natural Market, Cheap/Potent/ rebuilds lining of esophagus, great for a cough/sore throat.)

The 2 jars in the back are homemade Vinegar of Thieves and homemade Elderberry Syrup, easy recipes for both are here.

What you’re not seeing?  Regular cold meds.  They give me the creeps.  Do you know what’s in them?

Let’s look at Nyquil:

Active Ingredients (in each 30 mL) (Purpose)

Acetaminophen 650 mg (Pain reliever/fever reducer)

Dextromethorphan HBr 20 mg (Cough suppressant)

Doxylamine succinate 12.5 mg (Antihistamine)

Phenylephrine HCl 10 mg (Nasal decongestant)

Inactive Ingredients

alcohol, citric acid, D&C Yellow No. 10, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Green No. 3, flavor, glycerin, propylene glycol, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium benzoate, sodium chloride, sodium citrate, sorbitol, sucralose

Why would we put these poisons in our kids?  When I look at the artificial colors, the propylene glycol, the saccharin, the sodium benzoate, I just see cancer and disease. Acetaminophen is the #1 cause of liver failure in the US! This crap can’t make anyone healthier – ever.

Moms, this is mostly up to us.

Our kids are predicted to die at an earlier age than we are.  This isn’t something our family doctor is preventing, as it’s happening under their watch.

This is OUR job.  We need to recognize and then reverse the conditioning we’ve received our whole lives to immediately turn to OTC meds for every sniffle, ear ache, and sore throat, because honestly, these substances aren’t making anyone healthier.  The long-term effects of the ingredients ruin livers, kidneys, hormones, stomachs, etc.

Look around.  The statistics show we’re all getting sicker, fatter, and more depressed by the minute.  This is a multifaceted phenomena, and we can safely say that the ingredients in OTC products are one of the facets.

We all need to step up to the Mom Plate, and start studying, because there’s a big learning curve to using herbs and essential oils. There is no Natural Home Remedies Lobby paying for advertisements via the TV, Radio, and Print Ads.  ( I’m convinced that most Americans get all their medical knowledge thru Big Pharma’s advertising business.)

Neither will our doctors be recommending Natural Remedies, as in med school, they’re only educated on synthetic drugs. Period.

I’m wrapping up here with a dose of guilt, which my kids say I’m good at:  aren’t your kids worth the learning effort?  Isn’t taking care of our kids supposed to be our biggest priority?

That said, there’s a lot to learn.  How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.   Get on the daily mailing list for GreenMedInfo and Dr. Mercola.  Their peer-reviewed information is free – and priceless.  I remember feeling overwhelmed when I first started this journey, but not anymore.  You’ll become confident and comfortable too if you pledge to learn a little bit every day.

Our health, and our children’s health, is in our hands.  Email me if you need help.

Supplements for Cold and Flu Season

This Post really is about supps for colds and flu, but first, read this excerpt from an October 12, 2015, Medscape newsletter on the upcoming Gastro Conference:

“A prominent theme of the meeting — the way food affects health — will be reflected in a lecture on food allergies, sensitivities, and food-related illnesses by William Chey, MD, professor of gastroenterology at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and coeditor-in-chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

The association between food and gastrointestinal ailments has received renewed attention in the past 5 years; however, little credible research has supported specific dietary interventions for gut disorders, Dr Chey told Medscape Medical News.”

Wow, the Gastroenterologists are going to be considering that “food affects health and the gut”,  even though “little credible research supports dietary interventions for gut disorders”.

And this folks, is why we need to quit putting our full trust in the medical establishment, who think we’re sick from a lack of pharmaceuticals, and become very responsible for our own health.

We are, literally, made out of the food we eat ( sleep, movement, and stress management play a big role too.)  Everything we put in our mouth has an effect on us, good or bad.  Everything.

Which brings me back to Supplements:)  I got a cold about 10 days ago, darnit. My goal:  support my immune system so it’s able to overcome the virus that got me.  Here’s the routine I used to get well.

20151022_072817Fire Cider!  This is Powerful!  I’ve used a homemade version of this the past 2 winters, but since I didn’t get sick, I just used it preventively: 20151022_072834 a couple teaspoons in a big jar of water everyday, or sometimes on my salads.  This particular cold caught me off guard.  No homemade hooch so I had to buy it at my favorite health food store, Natural Market in Warrenton.  If you’re not from my area, and you don’t want to DIY, you can find the Fire Cider here.

This year, I just poured the Cider in a shot glass and downed it – WHEW.  It has a kick, and it’s effective. If you’re a wuss when it comes to food, and will only eat things that taste like pie, this could be tough.  That’s a weakness to over come though because a lot of healthy foods are bitter, sour, or hot. If I can develop my taste buds, you can you, I promise.

Next, I used oregano essential oil ( Plant Guru ), and DoTerra On Guard, which is a blend.  I also used a ton of eucalyptus oil, both Plant Guru and Arbor Oil.  I kept one in my car, and carried the other with me.  Eucalyptus is wonderful because you can rub it directly on your nose and in your nose; it opens up sinus passages fast.

Speaking of sinus passages, the Neti Pot is awesome.  Gross, but awesome.

About essential oils:  some can be rubbed directly on your skin or in your cheek, and some will burn the heck out of you if you don’t dilute them with a carrier oil like coconut oil.

I accidentally got cinnamon oil on my raw nose skin and that really stung!  There was nothing I could do, it just had to kind of “burn out”:(  I’ve also had a few minor disasters with oregano oil, and geranium oil, (I use geranium oil on my face, and I’ve learned to always put my carrier oils on first, heavily.)

I actually tried some oregano oil in my Neti Pot.  It was horrible!  I did it 4 times anyway, dumped it out, and switched back to salt water.  Much more pleasant.

I went through a whole lot of Elderberry Syrup, garlic and Manuka honey, and liquid zinc ( zinc is huge for good immune function.)  I took Biotics products “Bio-immunozyme” every morning and every night, along with A.D.P.

To sleep, I used a tonic with Valarian, Hops, Passionflower, and Skullcap, along with a Biotics Melatonin w/ B6 and Magnesium.  I slept mostly great, which is totally necessary since we repair best when we’re asleep.

I made sure to eat a huge variety of vegetables, herbs, and spices; I had liver more than normal, more lemon than usual, and more turmeric and ginger. ( I put turmeric in every single morning coffee, a habit I’m going to keep.)

20151022_082312And last, I got an ear infection, which I thought was just for kids.  I used Mullein Garlic oil: eardrum soothed, and infection gone.  Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics has changed their position on ear infections to “watch and wait”?  Most ear infections are viral, and most clear up – untreated – in a week.

I did a pretty good job staying away from sugar(which seriously and immediately suppresses immune function), except for a dive into Trickling Springs ice cream on Saturday night.  I was weak.  And made sure I got outside every day to move in the sunshine.  Vitamin D and fresh air – remedies for everything!

Here’s what I didn’t do:  use conventional cold meds.  Why?  One, suppressing symptoms while ruining my liver and other organs scares me now.  Besides, I used that stuff for years, and it never seemed to suppress the symptoms well anyway.

Sneezing, dripping/runny nose, watery eyes:  that’s our immune system expelling germs from the body.  Why would I get in the way of that?

Two:  take a look at these ingredient lists.

Vicks Dayquil:

Inactive Ingredients: Citric acid, FD&C yellow 6, flavor, glycerin, polyethylene glycol (aka PEG, I wrote about this in the Miralax post), propylene glycol, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium citrate, sucrose.

Active Ingredients: Acetaminophen ( #1 cause of Liver Failure in the U.S.),Dextromethorphan HBr, and Pseudoephedrine HCl ( banned from store shelves since 2006).

Vicks Nyquil:

Inactive Ingredients: Acesulfame potassium, alcohol, citric acid, D&C Yellow No 10, FD&C Green No 3, FD&C Yellow No 6, flavor, high fructose corn syrup, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, saccharin sodium, sodium citrate.

Active Ingredients: 650 mgs Acetaminophenm Dextromethorphen Hbr, and Doxylamine succinate.

No wonder we’re such a sick society!

It’s the end of October, start stocking up for your family now.  Colds, flus, sore throats, ear aches,… tis the season.  Make sure you and your family are covered.

Remember, no one “gets” us sick.  We come into contact with germs every day, all the time, every where.  Our immune system is either strong or weak, and our life style determines that.  Our choices determine that.  Let’s choose to be strong, and do what’s best for our body.

I LOVE Essential Oils! From Skin Care to Fighting Virus and Bacteria, They’re Fantastic.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWe’re living in a world of rampant illness; 70% of us are are both overweight, and on at least one medication.  70%.  The good news: 86% of those meds (and the money spent on them), are for Life Style Conditions.  That means we could reverse or at least lessen the condition through Life Style.

Because we can control our life style; we have tremendous power to improve our immunity, our mood, our energy, and our weight with the steps we take to be healthy every single day.

Here’s the thing:  good health isn’t going to fall on our heads like rain, we have to pursue it.  Essential oils (EOs) are a great tool in that pursuit.  Here’s how my family and I use EOs.

Mea Culpa: a couple of years ago, way after I was deeply into real whole foods, stress management, and using herbs and supplements instead of drugs, I was a total skeptic when it came to essential oils.  I knew nothing about them – I’M STILL LEARNING/NOT AN EXPERT AT ALL.

I’m not a doctor, and I’m not pretending to be one.  My General Practitioner probably wouldn’t use an Essential Oil if you paid him.  But I do.

And I love them! EO’s are amazing!!  The more I read and learn and use them, the more convinced I am that we sure veered off track when somehow we believed that pharmaceutical medications, with all their side effects and placebo effects and risks, were the only way to treat our ills.

They’re not, much of the world uses essential oils, and has for thousands of years.  The Magi brought frankincense and myrrh to baby Jesus.  How exceptional is that?

Is there research on them? Oh yeah!  More and more regular MDs are promoting and using them; here’s both examples and resources for you to use if you’re interested in EO’s for your health.

Wintergreen Oil for pain relief: why?  wintergreen oil contains compounds called “methyl salicylate”; menthyl salicylate is an integral ingredient of nearly every anti-arthritic and analgesic balm for muscle and joint pain that is currently available on the market.

From a Dr. Jon Barron newsletter: One reason for wintergreen oil’s analgesic effect is because the methyl salicylate found in the herb is a substance that is similar to aspirin. Did you know that one teaspoon (5 mL) of wintergreen oil is equivalent to approximately 7000 mg of salicylate or 21.5 adult aspirin tablets? That just might explain why it is used in high concentrations in deep liniments such as Bengay to help treat joint and muscular pain. Studies have shown, however, that it is more effective for acute rather than chronic pain.

Here’s a study from Pub Med showing methyl salicylate’s incredibly similar effects to aspirin in an anti-platelet (blood thinning) study for heart disease sufferers. Wow!  Aspirin’s really rough on the stomach, how wonderful to have an alternative that’s not.

Oregano Oil: anti-bacterial/fungal/viral/parasitic.  This one’s a powerhouse.  From Dr. Mercola:

Carvacol and thymol, two phytochemicals in oregano, are powerful antimicrobials. Research has shown essential oils from oregano may kill the foodborne pathogen Listeria4 and the superbug MRSA (making it a useful addition to hand soaps and disinfectants).5 According to one of the researchers involved in the MRSA study:6

“We have done a few preliminary tests and have found that the essential oil from the oregano kills MRSA at a dilution 1 to 1,000. The tests show that the oil kills MRSA both as a liquid and as a vapor and its antimicrobial activity is not diminished by heating in boiling water.”

Studies have also found essential oils of oregano to be useful against certain Candida species.7

Yesterday morning I sliced my hands in 2 places cutting peaches.  We were planning on spending the whole afternoon in the Shenandoah River, paddle boarding. I applied oregano oil before we left to each cut, and brought it with me in a cooler with an ice pack, so I could apply it again after we got out.  The river’s full of bacteria, so I protected myself.

For more science on Oregano oil, go here, and here.  That second link is to 33 Pub Med studies on Oregano oil and it’s effectiveness on everything from bacteria to candida to encouraging liver regeneration after hepatitis.  Seriously!

Cinnamon oil Ginger oil, and Peppermint Oil,  have huge anti-inflammatory and pro-digestion properties.

Shelby tends to get stomach aches and nausea; ginger oil has become our #1 go to for it.  We dose it 2 ways:  rubbing some on her stomach, or putting a little swipe of the oil on the inside of her cheek.  It’s fast and it works.  Ginger chews and real ginger are fantastic also, but when you’re nauseous, it can be hard to get that stuff down.

Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics has changed their stance on ear infections?   That’s because most ear infections are viral, not bacterial.

Girlfriends, if your mom argues with you about this, tell her the rules have changed since her kids were young.

Anyway, what to do when your child has an ear ache?  Garlic oil and tea tree oil.  We used these last year on Shelby and they worked FAST.  Check out Dr. Axe’s protocol here.

Hopefully I’ve piqued your interest, and if you’ve clicked on any of the links, you’ll see that Essential Oils aren’t woo-woo, at all.  I really really encourage you to learn as much as possible about them, because I’m barely scratching the surface in this Post.

Let me wrap it up with my Skin Care Routine, which is ALL about the essential oils and other fats.

I’m 50, I went through Menopause about a year and a half ago; I spend a lot of time outside.  Preface: I’m not saying this because I’m proud, I’m saying this because I’m pleased:  my skin looks pretty good.  I think it’s because I quit using soap and all conventional products years ago, and just started washing my face with an organic scrub once a day, and using only organic lotions.  I think not slathering chemicals on my skin was a good start. But two winters ago, I began getting little lines on my lips and checks; panic sunk in.  I quit the organic lotions and started using homemade coconut oil/shea butter/cocoa butter/olive oil and Essential Oils.

(Read the ingredients in Clinique Dramatic Difference Moisturizer here.  It’s gross.)

The lines REVERSED.  REALLY!!  I’m not saying I have the skin of a 20 something ( I live with three 20-somethings, they have a freshness…) but I don’t have (big/many) wrinkles yet!  ( I also added way more fat to my diet, and gelatin/collagen – critical to skin formation.)

What I use after my homemade lotion:  Rose Hip Serum, Clary Sage, Geranium Oil, and Frankincense.  I use the serum every night, but the oils I rotate nightly. I’ve also used Carrot oil, and Myrrh.  I’ll probably change this up as I continue to age, and learn more.  But right now, it’s totally working for me.  If you want to read more about skin and EO’s, check here, and here, and here.

Again, I want to say I’m just scratching the surface, but Essential Oils are so fun and effective and – for myself and my girls – addicting!  I’ve made sure all my daughters have their own Essential Oil stockpiles for both home, school, and travel, and that they know how to use them.  The more we learn and use them, the more we want to learn and use them.

What brand do I recommend?  A bunch.  I started with DoTerra, which along with Young Living are the two biggest names in EO’s.  However, they’re not the only names.  I buy from my local health food store, Natural Market, whom I trust to examine their vendors authenticity; but I have other brands I trust also.  Right now, Plant Guru is one of my favs.

If you’re interested, learn more! I am.  There was an Essential Oil Summit earlier this summer, you can find access to it here.  Order some books; look at all the links I provided in this Post.

Take your health into your own hands!  We spend more money on our health through medications and doctors and surgery’s and procedures THAN ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, AND YET WE’RE THE SICKEST AND THE FATTEST – IN. THE. WORLD.

To me, that means it’s time for a change.  Besides, who doesn’t want to look and feel better?

Has the Flu, a Cold, Virus or Bacteria Invaded Your Home? Here’s What To Do Now:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and a BIG thank you so much for reading my Blog:)

Now on to the topic of about a dozen emails the past several days:  either you, or someone in your home, has the flu, or a bad cold.  It’s a pretty sick December, isn’t it?  Obviously, the first line of Defense is to PREVENT pathogenic virus or bacteria from setting up shop in the first place.  Read these posts on how to do that plus several suggestions for treating illness after it strikes:  (1), (2), and (3).   Then see what I’m doing right now, including a few recipes.

My daughter Shelby is on her 3rd day of illness.  I’m pretty sure it was or is the flu, and she definitely had/has Pink Eye.  I absolutely DON’T believe in the flu shot.  For one thing, it’s LOADED with Mercury and Aluminum, why would I inject that into myself or my kids?  I’d rather get the flu bugs than Toxic Heavy Metals.  And Two: the CDC admitted that this years shot isn’t even that effective for those who did get it.  (I have a beef with vaccines. My daughter Amanda’s first seizure was 30 minutes after her kindergarten shots.  )   I’m not saying that all vaccines are bad, but they’re not all good either.

I also don’t use standard Cold Remedies anymore.  That stuff’s poison, and they have ZERO effect on actually helping your body kill the pathogenic bacteria or virus – ZERO, or boosting your immune system.  Cough and Cold medicines ONLY suppress symptoms, and actually contain ingredients like acetaminophen ( horrible for the liver), food dyes ( cancer anyone? ), and other chemicals that come with a long list of undesirable side effects.  PLUS *** symptoms like fever, coughs, runny nose, and watery eyes, are all DEFENSE MECHANISMS OUR BODY USES TO GET RID OF BAD GERMS.  I don’t want to suppress those;  I want to help her body clear them.

Here’s what I’m doing in my house for my Sick Kid, and here’s her symptoms: low grade fever ( about 100 ), severe body aches, nausea, sore throat, pink eye.  Everything abated within 12 hours, now it’s mostly a cold and fatigue.

1) She’s on 2 homeopathic flu remedies,  Oscillococcimun, and Influenzium 30.  I got both from my local health food store a few weeks ago.  I stocked up because the Influenzium 30 is actually a good PREVENTATIVE.  The past 2 years we’ve done a “take 10 pills 1x a week” routine starting in January, which worked beautifully.  ( I didn’t plan on someone getting sick so early!  Now, it’s a treatment instead of a preventative. )

2) She’s drinking a TON of water, herbal teas, and my TONICS, recipes to follow.

3) I’m using the essential oil blends ( from DoTerra ), Breath, On Guard, and a personal mix from a friend of Lavender/Clary Sage/Myrrh/Frankincense, which I’m rubbing on her feet, and the skin on the outside of her throat.   I’m a BIG believer in Essential Oils; they’re very, very effective.

4) For the Pink Eye ( and it was wicked!), I made a mix of 1 cup water, 1tsp salt, and a tbsp of Manuka Honey.  We’re putting those drops in her eyes every couple of hours; it started working very quickly.  She went from swollen shut with lots of goobers to wide open and no discharge within an afternoon.

5) Hot baths with Magnesium Flakes and essential oils, the same ones listed above.

6) She’s eating eggs, homemade Coconut Milk Bread w/ butter and honey, bananas, chicken, homemade broth, and peas.  Easy foods to digest.

7) For sleeping:  Melatonin, and Herb Pharm Relaxing Sleep Tonic – this puts her out like a light; our body WANTS to sleep when we’re sick, that’s when it can heal best.

8) Lots of Positive Reinforcement and Hugs.

Here’s the Recipe for Elderberry Syrup from the Wellness Mama site:

⅔ cup black elderberries
3.5 cups of water
2 T fresh or dried ginger root
1 tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp cloves or clove powder
1 cup raw honey (we get from our farmer’s market)

Instructions
Pour water into medium saucepan and add elderberries, ginger, cinnamon and cloves (do not add honey!)
Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour until the liquid has reduced by almost half. At that point, remove from heat and let cool enough to be handled. Pour through a strainer into a glass jar or bowl.
Discard the elderberries (or compost them!) and let the liquid cool to lukewarm. When it is no longer hot, add 1 cup of honey and stir well. ( you don’t want to kill honey’s live nutrients )
When honey is well mixed into the elderberry mixture, pour the syrup into a pint sized mason jar or 16 ounce glass bottle of some kind.
Ta Da! You just made homemade elderberry syrup! Store in the fridge and take daily for its immune boosting properties. Some sources recommend taking only during the week and not on the weekends to boost immunity.
Standard dose is ½ tsp to 1 tsp for kids and ½ Tbsp to 1 Tbsp for adults. If the flu does strike, take the normal dose every 2-3 hours instead of once a day until symptoms disappear.

Here’s The Vinegar of the 4 Thieves from the Wellness Mama Site, and yes, it needs to sit and develop.  If you make some this week, you’ll still have it for the last part of the winter.  I put a note on my calendar last year to make it in November this year.  I’m learning to plan ahead!

Vinegar of the Four Thieves Ingredients:

2 TBSP Thyme (dried)
2 TBSP Rosemary (dried)
2 TBSP Sage (dried)
2 TBSP Lavender (dried)
2 TBSP Mint (dried)
4-8 cloves of minced garlic (optional)
One 32-ounce bottle of organic Apple Cider Vinegar with “the Mother”
[Note: Most herbs can be found locally, but are also available online at places like Mountain Rose Herbs]

How To Make the Vinegar of The Four Thieves:

Put all the dried herbs and garlic (if using) into a large glass jar (I used half gallon)
Pour the Vinegar over the herbs and garlic and seal tightly. The vinegar is strong enough to corrode some metal lids, so in this case, consider putting plastic wrap or a plastic bag on top and then putting the lid on.
Leave in a cool, dark, place for 6-8 weeks (for health tonic recipe) shaking daily if possible.
After 6-8 weeks, strain the herbs out using a small strainer and store tonic in smaller jars for easy use.
Uses for Four Thieves Herbal Vinegar:

As I mentioned before, this vinegar makes a very effective (though strong smelling!) insect repellent. If you make it to this strength, just put 1/4 cup of the vinegar in an 8-ounce spray bottle and fill the rest with water. Spray on skin, clothes, etc. when in heavily insect infested areas. We store in the fridge to minimize the vinegar smell and make more refreshing.
In cases of illness, the Vinegar of the Four Thieves is very helpful in quick recovery. Adults can take 1 TBSP several times a day (dilute in water!!) and kids can take 1 Tsp several times a day (well diluted in water/herbal tea).
When a family member is sick, diluting this with 1 part water and putting in a spray bottle will make a potent disinfectant that can be used on surfaces or sprayed in the air.
I’ve had some people report really good success using this vinegar as a soak or topical spray for foot or nail fungus.
Diluted and used on the scalp, this remedy is also said to be effective against dandruff.
This vinegar makes an effective natural disinfectant spray for use in house cleaning.

Natural Cures, They’re Real! Learn What You Can Do For Yourself and Your Family.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWho doesn’t want a stronger immune system? Between us and our kids, a weak immune system leads to: trips to the doctor, days off of work or school, trips to the pharmacy, that run down/scratchy throat/headachy/ miserable feeling, and possibly worst of all, if you take any common drug for your symptoms, side effects.

My last Post was on the Immune System. In this Post, I’m going to give you more proven steps to boost your own bacteria and virus fighting abilities.  Our immune system was designed to be a Fantastic, Super Strong, Fighting Machine.  In a perfect world. (Really, who gets 8 hours of sleep every night and always “manages” their stress???)

We don’t live in a perfect world, so we ABSOLUTELY need to take every step possible to make ourselves stronger.

Here’s 14 ideas (barely scratching the surface) for the next time you either “feel something coming on”, or you’re already sick.  Honestly, judging from the success I’ve had with my own family of 6 naturally boosting our immune systems or ditching a bug, these Traditional Therapies honestly work.  If you want proof, click on the links.  Click even if you don’t need proof – it’s important to LEARN about the compounds in Real Whole Food so you can use food as Medicine.

I’m going to guess many of these you’ve never heard of.

#1 Go To: Garlic.  I could never be a vampire, I do a LOT of this. Chop or crush a clove ( or 2), let it rest for 15 minutes ( oxygen activates it’s medicinal properties) and then swallow it down. It goes down surprisingly well – HONEST.  Oh, DON’T CHEW IT, unless you’re really really sick, and very tough.

#2 Go To: Garlic in a spoonful of Honey.  Manuka Honey has actual anti-bacterial properties, butmanuka garlic even regular RAW honey is loaded with healing properties.

#3: Ginger:  Buy a knob at the store, peel and grate the whole thing, and then baggy and freeze it flat.  It’s a time saver.  Crack off a piece and drop it into your tea or hot water, or your food.  Ground ginger is good too, just not as powerful.

#4: Oregano Oil:  This is a powerful antibiotic.  I’m big into essential oils, we’ve been using them for a few years now, and yes, it does matter that you buy yours from a company with a good reputation.  I use DoTerra.  There’s others, Young Life comes to mind, but I don’t know much about them.  Oregano Oil can be applied topically, on the bottoms of the feet, or over glands/lymph nodes.  My oldest daughter and I actually rub a drop or two in our mouths – it tastes beyond horrible, but sometimes it’s worth it.

I also use Oregano Oil in a pill form (it’s called ADP) from a great supplement company called Biotics.  All my girls have a bottle of this whereever they are ( school, traveling, etc), it’s very strong, and while there is a slight oregano odor, there’s no taste.  If they’re home, I have them swallow the pills and I also rub the oil on the bottoms of their feet.

#5: Fermented Foods: We should all be eating something fermented, whether it’s kombucha, keifer, GOOD yogurt, saurkraut, kimchi, Bubbies Pickles, EVERY SINGLE DAY. Talk about loads of beneficial bacteria!  I’ve been getting amazing krauts from my co-op, with all sorts of interesting vegetables in them.  Check out www.localharvest.com to see what you have available in your area.

#6: Rose Hips:  I buy them in bulk from the health food store, grind them, and put a big spoonful in my morning smoothies.  Not only are they an ENORMOUS source of Vitamin C, and the co-factors necessary for absorption, they’re loaded with anti-inflammatory properties.  Buying herbs in bulk from a trusted health food store is CHEAP.

#7: Coconut Oil: It’s not just for preventing Alzheimer’s and Dementia, coconut oil is loaded with anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties.  This is something that should be incorporated every day, in cooking, baking, foods, and it’s also excellent in your tea or coffee.

#8: Vitamin C and Zinc: Whether you feel it coming, or you’ve already got it, zap a cold/flu with small doses every 3 or 4 hours.

#9: Turmeric: BIG TIME anti-inflammatory. You can use a supplement ( that would be Curcumin), or buy a jar of Organic Turmeric the next time you’re at the store, and start adding it to what you’re cooking.  If the taste is too strong start with a curry instead.  There’s  turmeric in it’s ingredient mix; it’s an easy way to get used to the flavor. Pretty soon you’ll love it, I promise!

#10: Echinacea: I use it in both a Tincture or tea.  Either way, this is a BIG immune booster.  People with auto-immune conditions should NOT use echinacea.  It’s TOO stimulating.

#11: Clove Oil:  Huge go-to for me.  Again, I use DoTerra Clove Oil.  Clove’s medicinal properties are endless.  This oil, just like the oregano oil, is POWERFUL.  When you use essential oils, you only need a drop, 2 at the most.  I use clove oil throughout the year in my smoothies ( a couple times a week ), but if I feel something coming on or need to fight a bug, I use it every day.

#12:  DON’T HAMPER YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM WITH SUGAR, GRAINS, OR CHEMICALS.  Ever.  It doesn’t matter if you have the best Natural/Traditional program in the world if you put crap in your mouth.  Food is Medicine.  Food either builds us up and makes us stronger, or it makes us weaker.  There are NO NEUTRAL FOODS.

#13: Don’t use the hand blowers in public restrooms! Studies have shown a four-fold increase in the number of bacteria on people’s hands after using a blow dryer. GROSS! One study from 2009, found that people who used a blow dryer to dry their hands had two to three times as many bacteria on their hands as they did before washing them. Not only that, many of the bacteria were pathogenic— the kind of bacteria that cause disease.   Apparently, the vents and bottoms of the dryers get contaminated with all sorts of germs, and the warm, moist environment is a perfect place for them to thrive.

WHO KNEW??

#14: Don’t use the soap in public bathrooms, or touch the door handles.  Any soap in a public bathroom is going to be cheap, full of chemicals, and probably Anti-Bacterial.  Read what the science ways about anti-bacterial soaps.   There’s some great NATURAL anti-bacterial hand sprays and wipes you can find almost anywhere now, check the healthy aisle of your grocery store, or make your own.

Remember, drugs for symptoms DON’T MAKE US HEALTHY.  They just suppress the symptoms while our immune system struggles to overcome the Bad Guys.  Drugs also cause damage to the gut, the liver, etc. Help your Immune System by turning to these proven methods.  Read!  Learn!  Your body responds to these Natural Compounds beautifully.

Use a diet of Real Whole Foods, smart Natural supplements, good sleep, stress management, and appropriate exercise, and I promise your trips to the doctor will literally plummet.  It’s NOT normal to be sick all the time.  Take control of your life and your habits ( and teach this to your children), and get the healthy body you’re meant to have.