Since I'm almost done editing my Christmas pictures(but not done yet) I thought I would share with you some natural preventative measure I've recently learned for colds and the flu. As you all know, I'm trying to go the more "natural" route with pretty much everything so I've been researching natural and homeopathic remedies. Some of this stuff is common sense and some of it sounds pretty icky but I thought I'd throw it out there. Feel free to comment back with anything that has worked for you.
1. Sinus Irrigation Method(And Other Cures For Stuffy Noses)
I actually learned about this when I had my sinus surgery several years ago. I have used it ever since and I can tell you from personal experience it works wonders. It is similar to the Netti pot but I like it better. I also find it more economical.You will need one of those nasal bulb syringes that you use on babies' noses, a gallon of distilled water, baking soda and sea salt or kosher salt. I make a whole gallon of this stuff at one time. Using the bulb syringe,you will want to gently and slowly squirt half a cup of this solution into each nostril while standing over the sink. Don't insert the bulb in too far and don't squirt too hard. You want to gently rinse out your sinuses and moisturize them. This solutions rinses out any allergens, mucus and other yucky stuff that gets stuck up there. If you are not experiencing any cold and flu symptoms it works great to keep them at bay. Do it once a day. If you do have cold or allergy symptoms to the irrigations once in the morning and one before bed. I'm telling you, this stuff will keep your sinuses clear if you use faithfully.
In the gallon of distilled water mix in 8 teaspoons of sea or kosher salt and 8 teaspoons of baking soda. Shake well. I use a small one cup cup with with a handle. I fill it with the solution and microwave it for 20 seconds. You want the solution to be room temperature to lukewarm. I also shake the gallon container every time before I use it. Just in case anything has settled to the bottom.
If you try this I would love to hear your thoughts!
As usual a humidifier works great. I also like to add Vick's Vaporub to their chests although I'm not too sure if this is classified as "natural" or not. I'm guessing any kind of essential oils with eucalyptus, peppermint or lavender scents would probably work just as well to clear the nasal passage ways.
And also very importantly, drink lots of fluids!!
2. Immunity Boosters
I've recently read about the wonders of garlic. I personally take garlic pills by Nature's Bounty that digest fine and don't leave a garlic-y taste in my mouth or cause any digestive discomfort. Garlic is supposed to be great for immunity and preventing sickness. I've read that taking it straight from the source is actually the most potent form of getting the immunity boost. You take a clove or two of fresh garlic and crush it. Put it in a spoon and cover it with honey. Then, swallow it. Apparently you should do this several times a day to get the benefits. That doesn't sound appetizing at all to me so I stick with the garlic pills.
I also take Echinacea and Goldenseal which promotes a healthy immunity system. I've been carrying around a natural sanitizing hand spray by Burt's Bees that I also make sure to spray on our hands when we're out. There's nothing better for keeping sickness at bay than frequent hand washing. And although I love my children and love to share things with them I try not to share spoons, straws or cups with them during this time of year. We are just perpetuating any kind of sickness by doing this.
I've recently heard that Emergen-C is a wonderful, natural and tasty way to boost you immunity. I'm going to be buying some of that for our family. It's loaded with Vitamin C and other good for you things. It's great to prevent colds and also helps you get over them faster
3. Sore Throats
I've discovered that honey is the best natural remedy for sore throats. I have given a tablespoon of it to Katelyn before bed time and several times a day and it seems to work great for her. I myself have also started taking it at the first tickle in my throat and it's worked. It doesn't seem like it would but it does!
You can also mix some lemon juice and honey since lemon juice works as a natural detoxifier.
4. Ear Aches/Infections
I'll admit to only have read about these remedies and never having tried them myself or on my children. I have had terrible ear problems in the past and am phobic about putting any kind of liquid in my ear.
Olive oil, tea tree oil and garlic oil are all supposed to be wonderful remedies for curing ear infections. I've read that if you warm a little olive oil and then rub it just below the back, outside part of the ear it relieves pain. I've also read that if you put a few drops of tea tree oil, olive oil and garlic oil in the ears it cures the infection. Supposedly you can put a whole clove just inside the ear like a hearing aid and let it sit there for awhile and it draws out the infection.
I was always super quick to run to my pediatrician over any sign of ear infection and ask for antibiotics and pain medication instructions. I read in the book " How To Raise A Healthy Child In Spite Of Your Doctor" by Dr. Robert Medelsohn that ear infections are natural, although painful, occurrences, and will go away on there own with out any kind of treatment. They will not do any permanent damage and if we interfere with our bodies natural infection fighting ability by giving our children antibiotics it could actually take longer for the ear infections to go away. Now since I'm an ear infection-phobe I'm not quite sure what to do with this information yet. Again, my natural reaction to seeing my child in pain is to ply them with pain meds and antibiotics because I want to ease their discomfort. One of the good things about sinus irrigations above is that you can use a few drops in your child's nose to keep their sinuses flushed out. This in turn keeps mucus etc from building up and causing ear infections. I may give these remedies a shot the next time I think one of my girls has an infection. But I have to be honest, if it doesn't seem to get better I may be plying them with Tylenol and begging for antibiotics!!
5. Fevers
According to Dr. Mendelsohn there is no need to be worried or see a doctor unless your or your child's fever reaches 106 degrees or higher and is accompanied by other symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea etc. Hydration and humidifiers are key to recovery. He suggests letting it run it's course and getting lots of rest and, again, fluids. Interfering by medicating just makes things worse and is only masking the real problem. Again, I must admit I have a hard time with this. Fevers are bad aren't they? We're supposed to get them down with Tylenol right away, right?
I hope you found some of this information helpful or at the very least, interesting.
Thoughts? Do you have any homeopathic remedies that work for you?