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BRRR, It got cold again here in Kansas! It may even snow tonight! The weather has been hovering near the 50’s, sometimes higher, for most of the winter. Because of this, we have not gotten very sick this year! We had our first “bug” last week and thankfully, it was relatively easy, considering how hard some winter time illnesses can be.
However, I keep hearing of friends and/or their kids who have gotten sick. I figured that it was time to share about what we do to fight off winter time illness on my Get Motivated Mondays health post. After all, it’s hard to exercise and eat well if we’re not feeling well, right?
I tend to let illness run it’s course, but I do like to take things to help to rebuild my immune system so that it can get out of here faster! Here are some of the things that we rely on to get our health back on track when we’re fighting cold and flu.
- Garlic – Take garlic tablets and/or eat garlic on your food when you first come down with anything. Garlic is a natural antibiotic and helps to rebuild your immune system.
- Vitamin C – Take the pills, eat fresh oranges, drink orange juice, eat grapefruit. If you’re taking the pills, my book recommends taking 5,000-20,000 mg a day in divided doses.
- Grapefruit Seed Extract
– for colds – mix about 10-20 drops in some orange juice and drink it down quick. The taste can be bitter, but when you mix it with the orange juice, it is a lot less noticeable! When we take this, we really notice a shorter duration of our cold. - Elderberry Extract– It can help to break a fever and is “effective against a cold because it contains antioxidant flavonoids that protect cell walls against foreign substances”. Source
- Apple Cider Vinegar– fights illness, helps sore throats along with a whole slew of other things it’s good for. Definitely aids in rebuilding your immune system, also.
- Try to avoid consuming sugar as this can prolong any illness.
- Eucalyptus Oil– We keep this essential oil on hand and we put it into our humidifiers so we can smell it and breathe it while we’re sleeping. It aids in breaking up congestion.
- Use a Neti Pot– I have done this before when I was desperate, but I find it not very enjoyable, so don’t do it unless I need some serious relief! I have read that those who use a neti pot, decrease the duration of the cold. I did find that it relieved my symptoms temporarily and that my cold seemed to get over with quickly.
- Use hydrogen peroxide in your ears and nose – I know this one sounds weird, too, but I read that at the first sign of a cold, rinse your ears and nose with peroxide. I read that you are supposed to pour it into the ear and let it sit there as long as possible. That was totally miserable, so now I just use it on the end of a Q-tip, cleaning out my ears with it. From what I read, it said that the nasal cavity and the ears are the first places to accept the virus, so if you can catch it before it’s taken hold, it can cause it to go away. I have had success with my cold going away right after I was starting to feel sick by using this remedy. You do have to catch it early though, because the times that I didn’t, I went on to get a full blown cold.
– for colds – mix about 10-20 drops in some orange juice and drink it down quick. The taste can be bitter, but when you mix it with the orange juice, it is a lot less noticeable! When we take this, we really notice a shorter duration of our cold.
– It can help to break a fever and is “effective against a cold because it contains antioxidant flavonoids that protect cell walls against foreign substances”. 
– fights illness, helps sore throats along with a whole slew of other things it’s good for. Definitely aids in rebuilding your immune system, also.
– We keep this essential oil on hand and we put it into our humidifiers so we can smell it and breathe it while we’re sleeping. It aids in breaking up congestion.
– I have done this before when I was desperate, but I find it not very enjoyable, so don’t do it unless I need some serious relief! I have read that those who use a neti pot, decrease the duration of the cold. I did find that it relieved my symptoms temporarily and that my cold seemed to get over with quickly.When I’m at a loss for what to do, I check my book Prescription for Nutritional Healing, and it gives me lots of great ideas, including what to take and what to eat (or not eat).
What do you use to help you fight off the winter time sickness? I’d love to hear what works for you!
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