Now, let's talk about the flu season before I start crying. Don't you just hate getting sick? I think it's pretty safe to assume that nobody enjoys being struck down by the common cold and since we've had kids - visiting playgroups on a regular basis, where tiny sticky fingers touch and share everything and where bacteria and germs are just waiting for that next host to jump on - we have battled a persistent cold more times than I can count. It's gone for a few weeks at a time, just to suddenly reappear with a vengeance and it sticks around forever. We just keep passing it back and forth between the four of us. No amount of washing your hands or hand sanitizer is going to help when your toddler smiles at you, and you're laughing and giggling with each other just so he can suddenly sneeze right into your face. I wrote a blog post a few weeks ago called 'How to keep sick, bored and grumpy children happy and entertained', just in case you missed it and want to have a peek. This time I would like to write about natural cold remedies, because I don't really believe in over the counter cold medicine and think you can save a whole lot of money by using the things you might already have at home.
Here are a few things you should be doing in order to get better:
1. Hydrate. Drink lots of fluids! Water will do, so will juice and hot drinks like tea with a spoonful of honey will relieve nasal congestion and help soothe a sore throat. My favorite is fresh lemon-ginger-honey-tea. I drink at least 5 of those a day when I've got the cold and even if it doesn't help me get better faster, at least it tastes delicious and gives me a much needed Vitamin C boost!
2. Rest! Get as much of that as you possibly can. Your body is battling a cold or the flu and needs its energy directed towards that, so help it do its job by lying down. I know getting rest can be tricky, especially if you have little ones to take care of. If you didn't get as much rest as you should've had during the day, make sure you go to bed early and get a good night's sleep. Sleep with an extra pillow under your head. It will help with the drainage of nasal passages.
3. Blow your nose often instead of sucking the mucus back into your head, but make sure you're not blowing too hard because the pressure could cause an earache. Always wash your hands after you blow your nose to prevent spreading the germs.
4. Sip some soup. I always make onion and garlic soup when we're sick at our house. Garlic has antibiotic and antiviral properties and it tastes good. We cook with a lot of garlic anyways, so eating a hot mug of onion-garlic soup is not a hardship for me. Here's a recipe I like.
Ingredients:
16 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed
2 medium onions, chopped
2 stalks of celery
4 tablespoons of butter
6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
2 medium potatoes, cut up
1 teaspoon of thyme
Pepper and salt to taste.
Instructions:
Sauté garlic, onions and celery in butter until soft. Add stock and potatoes, bring to a boil and skim. At this point you might add whatever you like. You could throw in some carrots, sweet potatoes or broccoli. It's really up to you. You can either eat the soup chunky or put everything in a blender or food processor. You might also add creme fraîche or sour cream and seasonings to your liking.
5. Humidify. If you don't want to spend money on a humidifier, take a steamy shower or just turn on the hot shower and sit in the bathroom for 10 minutes inhaling the steam. Breathing moist air helps ease nasal congestion and a sore throat. You can also boil a pot of water, drape a towel over your head, close your eyes and breathe in deeply through your nose for 30 seconds.
6. Gargle! Gargling with salt water helps get rid of thick mucus, especially after you've been lying down. Gargle several times a day to get rid of the nasty!
7. Suck a lot of cough drops. Here's an amazing natural do-it-yourself cough sweets recipe I found a few days ago, and they are so easy to make, cheap and - best of all - YUMMY! Here's what you need.
Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of water
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
1 Tablespoon of honey
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
Klick the link for the instructional video! You will never buy cough sweets at the store again.
8. Try nasal irrigation. Here's an easy recipe you can try at home:
Mix 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda into 1 cup of warm water.
Use a bulb syringe to squirt water into your nose, repeat 2-3 times in each nostril and gently blow your nose.
9. Take Oil of Oregano. One drop in water every couple of hours is a powerful antiviral and antibiotic. Now, it does not taste good so you might want to think about getting it down as fast as possible. I usually take mine with OJ instead of water just because it makes the taste bearable. (You should NOT use it during pregnancy)
I hope this will help you get through your cold or flu and hope it will save you some money. I have never been a fan of taking pills and medicine. Ever since I found out I was pregnant with Noah in the winter of 2012, I've been pretty much either pregnant or nursing, so natural cold remedies work best for me. Maybe they'll work for you too. Good luck and stay healthy everyone!!!
P.S.: My Kickstarter campaign is still on for another 7 days and I am so close to succeeding!!! We are currently 88 % funded and only 742$ away from my goal!!! Come on guys! This courageous and cute little field mouse wants to be brought to life and tell her story so let's make it happen!
I will be forever grateful to each and every one of you. Thank you so much for your support and generosity! Much love, Nina
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