I was dealing with a cold all last week, and although my symptoms were mild, it was the first time I had come down with something since becoming the mother of two. Dealing with even the slightest sniffle/sore throat got me to thinking about the paramount importance of staying healthy when one is outnumbered by children! Everything was harder and a bit miserable last week, even with such a mild affliction, and I couldn't get over fretting that I would make one of my babies sick.
Fortunately, further illness has been averted in our home for the time being, but I can't help worrying about the season ahead. Every time I turn around I hear about another friend or acquaintance coming down with H1N1! I am no fan of vaccines, so you won't see us lining up for this year's flu shot.
When I felt my symptoms coming on last week, I started to refrain from eating dairy and sugar, I washed my hands more religiously than usual, I drank lots of water, orange juice, and herbal tea, I consumed lots of brothy soup (my favorite: miso), and I took homeopathic remedies from Boiron.
Reflecting on my tactics for healing, I started to wonder about my readers: I'm curious, what do you do to stay well, or to regain wellness? Leave a comment on this post to share your wellness wisdom. Thanks!
You asked. So here's a short version.
ReplyDelete1.no dairy,
2.no wheat
3.no sugar
2.fresh(juiced myself)green juice
3.daily shot of wheatgrass
4.eat as raw/fresh/organic as possible
5.water only (except for green juice :)
6.stay away foods that cause my body to be more acidic
Love you!
ReplyDeletei never read the magazines in the doctor's office. i think they must be covered with germs. i bring my own. also, wash my hands often and try not to touch my face. glad you got well, soon.
ReplyDeleteOMG last week I came down with the SAME thing! Not fun. I stayed in bed, OJ, lots of water, some homeopathic sinus tablets.
ReplyDeleteMy accupuncturist friend said sambucal is great way to build your immune system for H1N1
Wow!!! I had no idea you were sick too! So sorry you had to go through that with the kiddos! Glad you are better & that the rest of the house is clear so far. May it remain so!!
ReplyDeleteSince I just got hit so hard, I'll share what I've been doing to get well, mostly what my homeopathic physician (whom I trust with my life) recommended:
* Elderberry capsules or liquid - like the Sambucol CocoTheForce mentioned.
* 6000 IU's Vitamin D daily
* Sinus rinse every day (NeilMed from CVS is good or Neti pot)
* Warm salt water gargle
And here is the old timey anti-viral brew she told me to make & drink by the cupful:
3 T each of:
* grated ginger
* grated garlic
* parsley
* green onions & more green onions & more green onions!!
* 5-6 shitake mushrooms
a bit of salt
Simmer in 6-8 cups of water for 1 hour. STRAIN & drink broth by cupful with lemon.
It's actually quite tasty! I also drink tons of water & make a hot tea of raw manuka honey & lemon.
Hot water bottle & hot showers help the pain.
Today is the first morning I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, so I think it's working!!!
Love & good health to you, T, the kiddos & all your lovely readers.
i came down with a cold this morning... usually to keep it off at the very beginning i take vitamin C every hour and a zinc lozenge every hour or so as well. i rinse my nasal passages with salt water at least three times a day and drink lots of tea and water. unfortunately i wasn't able to fend this cold off, now it's all about shortening the days...
ReplyDeleteInteresting-- I'd never thought about omitting dairy & sugar as a way to prevent/get over illness. What I do is drink lots of fluids (I love cranberry juice concentrate (no sugar added), watered down with...water!), get lots of sleep, gargle with saltwater, use my netti pot, and take vitamin C and zinc, plus a mulitvitamin. If I can manage to cook, I cook lots of vegetables. Soup is always good!
ReplyDeleteHere are my tried and true:
ReplyDelete-drink herbal antioxidant rich teas, GT's Kombucha, and water
-crush 4-5 cloves of garlic and eat with something, like on top of a tomato salad, for breakfast
-make a gigantic salad containing a rainbow of colors for a boost in vitamins and minerals and have for lunch/dinner
-enjoy a warm broth/soup
-make a soothing hot drink as follows: squeeze an entire lemon into a cup of hot water and add one teaspoon of honey and some fresh ginger - yum!
-avoid sugar (lowers immunity) and dairy (causes phlegm/congestion) as much as possible
-get LOTS of sleep, though that's tough to do with a baby! But remember to ask for help if possible.
When I get sick, it's typically because I haven't been resting enough, so I SLEEP, and BATHE, and LOUNGE as much as possible. I also make a giant vat of chicken soup which I eat almost exclusively, and drink green smoothies and lots of water.
ReplyDeleteOh I love questions like this! We take Body Balance every day and it's awesome! We put Cell Food trace minerals in our water, we take probiotics every couple of days (and up them if necessary), whole food vitamin C daily, and zinc, another organic multi, and some other stuff daily. We also switch between two high quality krill and cod liver oils. We drink a ton of clean water and exercise alot. We get alot of fresh air and have our windows open alot. We eat only organic food (vegan, except we VERY rarely eat some fish we catch) with a ton of vegetables. We wash our hands alot. Probably other stuff I'm not thinking of right now...but if we're ever not feeling ourselves we up all of the above, rest, take echinacea, elderberry, and so forth. Glad you're feeling better and no one else got it!!! It's that liquid gold your babies are getting! :)
ReplyDeleteOH and very importantly we get adjusted regularly by our holistic chiro and go for other ones if we ever feel something is possibly going on...
This isn't exactly in the homeopathic vein, more of a weird precautionary thing, but I try not to eat or drink after Kate or let her drink after me. We share food, but I try to keep it separated as much as possible. I figure if I'm about to come down with something, I want to cut down her risk of getting it, and vice versa. I also totally second what Cindy says about the magazines in offices. Yesterday I was at the dentist's and they had this huge rack of magazines. I think H1N1 paranoia is getting to me, because I looked at it and all I could see was a giant germ distribution station. :)
ReplyDeleteI know what you are saying about the magazines.
ReplyDeleteDoes you pediatrician office have toys. Ours does and I feel bad when my child is the only one not allowed to play with them but seriously it seems like a bad idea to me. We bring books and stuff to read while we wait to keep distracted from the toys.
To stay healthy, I try to drink nettles infusions daily, eat mostly warm, cooked foods, sleep as much as possible, take baths once a week, walk a lot, and never let my neck get cold.
ReplyDeleteWhen I feel something coming on, I fend it off with lots of sleep, drown it in hot baths with dead sea salts and eucalyptus and tea tree oil and lots of fluids internally, resist sugar cravings, take chinese herbs, and do some east asian medical techniques like moxibustion and gua sha. This works almost all the time.
If I fall anyway, I make (or, ideally someone else makes!) a huge pot of chicken soup with garlic, ginger, onion, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, garnished with spring onions, and alternate between staying in bed or the bathtub until I feel better (usually after breaking a sweat).
What's good with babies who get the sniffles (it's so hard to hear them struggle for breath) is get into the bathroom, shut the door, plug the tub, run hot water in the shower, sprinkle a few drops of ravensara and/or tea tree essential oil into the collecting water, and sit with the baby in the steamy bathroom.
Hope you feel much better this week.
I would like to suggest Dr. Robert Mendelsohn's book, "How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor". It reduced my pediatrician visits to "0".
ReplyDeleteok, i'm not nearly as wonderful as all your readers. i wish i was more organic and natural, but alas! i'm not. i do, however, do a few things when i feel something coming on.
ReplyDelete1)fend it off with a good strong martini (maybe it's an excuse to drink a martini, but i do believe the alcohol helps kill those icky germs)
2) drink Emergen-C a few times a day
3) Do a nasal rinse every morning and/or evening.
xoxo,
allegra
First Off, I love the PP's solution- Martini, I will have to try that one next time.
ReplyDeleteFor myself I have noticed since my husband and I switched to mostly organic food we never get sick, or if we do it is mild and short lived.
A tip from my in-laws - If you feel your self getting sick drink Chai(tea) with crushed ginger and Haldi (turmeric) in it. This does actually work but they also think you should eat about a cup of Ghee (Indian butter) a day- if I did that I would be a blimp!
I love that you asked and I loved reading the comments - with a new baby and an alternative vaccine schedule, I am more aware than ever. What we do:
ReplyDelete1. Netti Pot with Zinc/Immune Wash
2. XCLear Nasal Spray (This is new for us this year...as recommended by a great local pediatrician)
3. Lots of hand washing
4. Rest and don't overschedule our lives
5. And if the symptoms start, EmergenC and Tom Kha Gai (Thai coconut soup :)
Be well.
1. Sleep
ReplyDelete2. Sleep
3. and more sleep!
Winters are hard on our bodies. Rest is essential to let our bodies heal.
I try to avoid sugar, dairy and gluten but am not 100% gluten free. I also only drink water (except for wine occasionally) and get lots of sleep. I also try to eat lots of fruit and vegetables buying local and organic as often as I can.
ReplyDeleteThis year I decided to get the H1N1 vaccine. It was a hard decision to make as I have never received a flu shot before but after researching it extensively I felt that the benefits, for ME, outweighed the risks. I'm a nurse in a NICU and feel an obligation there, not to bring something like that into the unit that could be so dangerous to such fragile babies. It was not an easy choice though, I'm sure if I had a different job I probably wouldn't have gotten it, even though I believe the vaccine is safe.
I have enjoyed reading all of the comments posted.
ReplyDeleteTHis is what our family does
* on going regular chiropractic visits. All of us!! Our 2.5 year old has been going since he was conceived, he loves it.
*When illness is settling in, rest, water, and fresh juiced green vegies. I was hospitilised with tonsillitus?? and my best girlfriend bought in the above for me, mixed with heaps of ice, and wow I was out of that hospital in no time.
*echinacea
*extra cuddles.
*lots of positive affirmations. remember the universe cannot understand "don't". When my friends always say "I don't want to get sick with that gastro bug", I tell them they are telling the universe EXACTLY what they want, therefor they are creating it.
Be Well
probiotics every morning before a good breakfast!
ReplyDeleteOne of the best things is to get lots of Vitamin D! I know it's good to wear sunscreen, but get outside & get some skin exposure without any screen when you can. Supplements are an option too, but nothing beats the real thing! I agree with the hand washing & sleep too...
ReplyDelete