After my stint with pneumonia I had two days of good health and then I caught a cold that has hung on for over two weeks with no real sign of leaving any time soon. Two of my four sons have the same cold. Here are the things I've learned recently about colds.
1. Essential oils work to stop the coughing. I use doTerra oils (and sell them if you're interested). We used Breathe and Eucalyptus with great success. They'd be hacking up a lung at night and I'd go in, oil their feet and throats and they'd sleep quietly the rest of the night.
2. Eating raw garlic burns.
3. Placing raw garlic cloves between each of your toes and trying to sleep is rather painful. I made a valiant effort and woke up at 1:30am with aching toes. Once I pulled out the garlic my feet felt much better.
4. Eating raw garlic mixed with butter on bread only prolongs the pain. It still burns, only you get to enjoy each bite with the burn.
5. Even if you've lost all sense of smell and taste, raw garlic burns your mouth.
6. Even if you've lost all sense of smell and taste, others around you have not and they will think your breath is stinky. They'll even tell you to your face. And pretend to faint every time you walk by.
7. Warm apple cider with a whole lemon squeezed in and a plop of raw honey feels wonderful on sore throats.
8. Steam showers work for calming coughs and unclogging noses. So do steam baths with essential oils added.
9. Hot and Sour soup has wonderful healing properties. So does Chicken Noodle soup. It's been scientifically proven. Really. I alternate between the two. Although I have to get the Hot and Sour from a restaurant. Does anyone have a good recipe for making it at home?
10. Warm apple cider with a whole lemon squeezed in AND some ginger tea (make by boiling water and shredded ginger together) with honey also feels really good. It's a little spicier though.
11. Add cayenne to your chicken noodle soup for some extra healing power. If you have lost your sense of taste and smell you can add quite a bit. You know you've added too much when your tongue starts to burn.
12. You can keep your other kids healthy by making them do all the stuff the sick people have to do - eat the soups, put on the oils, go to bed early, etc.
13. Using On Guard (from doTerra) on the healthy boys feet seems to have helped in keeping them healthy since they are still healthy.
14. Drinking On Guard is truly disgusting. Peppermint oil though is great and eases the congestion.
15. Eating On Guard on crackers with honey and butter is even worse. I made my kids promise me that if I ever tried to get them to eat On Guard they were to run screaming.
16. You can make garlic oil to put on your feet and chest by cutting up some garlic and just barely covering it with extra-virgin olive oil. Let it sit for at least 2 hours, or a few days if possible. Cover the bottoms of your feet (and the top, right where the toes join the foot) and put on some socks. You can also spread it on your chest and throat, but your clothes might get greasy. Then pretend you live in an Italian restaurant because everything will smell all garlicy. Do not, however, lick anyone's garlic feet.
17. Sleep as much as possible.
18. You'll get better faster, or not even get sick in the first place, if you eat healthier. If you do get sick and start feeding your kids (and yourself) cold cereal for breakfast and lunch, they will get sick too. If your husband goes out for burgers or pizza or other such sundries every night because you're sick, and you, the sick person, eat it, you won't get better anytime soon. And everyone else will get sick. Don't fall back on junk food when you're sick.
19. Pray.
20. Pray some more.
I have two tricks I've recently learned that helps me to stay well BIG TIME. In fact, I used to get sick maybe three to six times a year and now I get sick less than once a year. When I feel something coming on, I take some raw garlic, chop it into swallowable sized pieces and swallow them like pills. This works wonders AND doesn't burn my mouth or give me garlic breath. I got rid of a persistant sinus infection a few years ago doing this.
ReplyDeleteTrick number two is to take 2000 IU of vitamin D daily. I had a cold that wouldn't quit until a nutrition expert told me to take it and it quickly went away. Recently studies show that vitamin D boosts your immune system. It has helped me to prevent and treat illness. It also helps with winter blues.
doTerra makes On Guard drops which are lovely. I take one anytime I feel the niggling of a sore throat. Stops it quick!
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