Cold and Flu Tips - Stay Hydrated

When you are dealing with a cold or flu it is necessary to keep hydrated. There are lots of ways to keep up on your fluid intake even when you are feeling down.

On a normal day you should be drinking half your body weight in ounces of water.

100 lbs = 50 oz

When you are sick it may be harder to drink water because water or other things just don't taste good, or you just don't have an appetite. It may also be hard to take care of yourself, because you may be just to tired or weak to do anything else but rest. So give yourself some grace here. But also, be prepared with some basic steps to make it easier on yourself if you find yourself really feeling down.

Things I do when feeling down and needing to stay hydrated.

1. We have a stool that we place next to the couch or bed where we can place lidded cups, tissues, and other sick day needs (like the remotes).

2. Add things to water to make is smoother. Water can taste harsh or feel hard on the stomach when you don't feel good. I add a little apple cider vinegar to my water. About a teaspoon per 8 oz, or you can add lemon or other fruits like frozen strawberries.

3. Ice chips work wonders if we are dealing with nausea. I also use popsicles. I look for the real fruit kind, or make my own from fruit I have on hand.

#SickDayTips #ColdAndFluSeason #GetHealthyStayHealthy

Cold and Flu Season Tips

Nutrient-based therapies are typically very safe and create little side effects. Additionally, they tend to work against viruses in multiple ways by boosting the immune system and directly inhibiting viral reproduction.

In addition to these, there are a couple of other natural thing to keep in mind that will definitely help you feel better soon.

I have found these things to be helpful for my family and myself when we are dealing with colds or the flu.

Nutrients:

Vitamin C
Zinc
Olive Leaf Extract
Peppermint
Garlic

Things to remember:

Rest
Hydrate

#SickDayTips #ColdAndFluSeason #GetHealthyStayHealthy

Orange Tea with Cinnamon and Rosemary

Orange Tea with Cinnamon and Rosemary

Changing seasons mean big changes for our bodies.  As we trasition into fall we can help by supporting them with warming foods and herbs.  This drink is full of helpful warming herbs.  It is also a great way to add herbs in a practical way.  

 Photo by Karolina Grabowska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/drink-with-orange-slices-in-hands-5421508/

Ingredients

1 tea bag

2 Cinnamon Sticks

2 Twigs Rosemary

1 Orange, sliced

 

  Directions 

Place all ingredients in a mug.  Pour boiling water over and steep covered* for ten minutes.

You don't have to use just tea.  Try it in your coffee (I use this *), hot chocolate, or any tea of your choice.  You could even try it for mulled cider.

Why Cinnamon - it is tradritionally used for aiding digestion like indigestion, gas, and cramping.  It is also great for tooth pain and reducing inflammation.

Why Rosemary - it is great for memory.  As well as being an anti-inflammatory.  It is also one of the strongest herbal antioxidants.  

*You should always cover your tea when you are steeping it to keep all the good stuff in.  You don't want it evaporating out as it steeps. 

**I'm not affiliated with this product.  I just really like it.

Pain Support

Let's talk pain management. I'm talking about sore muscles from working out, sore feet from standing all day, and shoulder and neck stiffness from sitting at a computer for long periods of time.

One simple change you can make is a Epsom Salt Soak. You can just soak your feet or take a whole body soak in the tub.

Get the simple Epsom Salt from the pharmacy. I don't recommend any of that fancy stuff. I actually strongly discourage the use of any of the stuff with anything added to it. Well, unless you get it locally made from someone you trust.

Allow yourself some time to relax. Maybe Netflix and soak (your feet). If you're doing a foot soak you can just use a dish drainer tub. Put about a quarter to a third cup of Epsom Salt in, and add enough water to cover your feet. Get the water as hot as you can stand it.

If you opt for the bathtub soak, add about a scant cup of Epsom Salt to hot water. Again as hot as you can stand it.

I know there aren't any official scientific studies out there on if, how, or why this works. I also know that I have done soaks with Epsom Salt and without, and I feel so much better with.

Sometimes, I have been in a lot of pain after strenuous work all day, and the aches were keeping me from getting to sleep. I soak for up to a half hour, and I always feel better before I'm done with the soak.

#SimpleStepsToNaturalLiving #EpsomSaltSoak #FirstSimpleStep

Thyme for Athlete's Foot (Foot Fungus)

My kids are back to school.  They now are required to wear shoes everyday.  With that, I know that their shoes will start to smell, and they may even develop rashes or cracked feet.  I wanted a remedy that would kill the fungus that grows in the icky shoes and attacks their precious skin.

I found this link on Pinterest it is filled with a lot of great information on how to heal foot fungus at home.  I made a few adjustments, by just using what I had on hand.

http://frugallysustainable.com/how-to-treat-foot-fungus-a-k-a-athletes-foot-naturally/

Take 1/4 cup of olive oil and put it in a small saucepan.  Add about three medium sized sprigs of thyme, and placed it in the pan making sure to press them down into the oil to coat them.  You can use dried thyme if you do not have fresh thyme.  Just let it sit in the oil for a few minutes before you start to warm it.  That will let it soak up some of the oil moisture first.  

Then turn the burner on to a very low heat.  I mean low, like, the lowest setting you can get.  Just enough to warm the herb and the oil.  Warm them until the smell of thyme fills the room.  Probably about 10 to 20 minutes.  They will infuse just right in these conditions.  You do not want to simmer the oil or cook the thyme.  You just want it to release it's health benefits into the oil.

Let that cool, then pour the oil without the sprigs of thyme into a small glass container, like 1/2 pint mason jar.  

My kids just rub a little on their feet each night.  It has cleared up all of the skin issues, and their shoes actually stopped smelling.

Clove and Coconut oil for tooth pain

Tooth pain can be really frustrating and, well, painful, especially if a nerve is damaged, but other reasons can be present too.  Common reasons are tooth infection, gum issues, plaque, dental decay, injuries, cracked teeth, bad crowns and fillings, leaking of the fillings/crowns, loss of a tooth, temporomandibular joint TMJ issues, and sleep apnea.

Of course you should get an appointment with a good dentist right away, but these aches may happen suddenly or at night.  You may be traveling with no way to get to a dentist.  This natural cure can help right away.

Natural cure for tooth ache

To make this cure you need just this:

• ½ tsp Clove powder (ground cloves)
• ½ tsp Coconut oil

Place both items in a glass, start mixing to get a paste.  Apply it on the tooth and gums.  Do this up to 3 times daily.

Why does it work?

This works due to eugenol from the clove powder, which is analgesic, and the coconut on the other hand is antibacterial.

Breakfast smoothie

This morning I needed something that would be fresh, refreshing, and not add to toxic build up or sluggish digestive health.  I have a cold.  I didn't want anything that the germs could feed on, and only wanted foods that could support my immune system in healing me up fast.

I did not add any nuts or milks because the calcium would inhibit iron absorption.

This has a very fresh taste. It is not a sweet smoothie or a milkshake creamy kind of smoothie. It is perfect for it's intended use. To clean and detoxify. The flavor is mild and refreshing.  Below the recipe I have added some key points of the health benefits found in this smoothie.

Breakfast Smoothie

1/2 large cucumber, *peel on
1 cup **organic baby leaf spinach
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 peach, pit removed
Water for consistency

In a blender cup place all ingredients and blend until smooth, adding water as needed. Enjoy!


*Only if you grew it or it is organic. DO NOT eat the skins of cucumbers from the regular produce section of your store. See article here http://www.ehow.com/info_8689617_peel-not-peel-cucumbers.html

**One of the top 12 of non organic foods to avoid according to this article http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=43&tname=foodspice


I started with a Cucumber right out of my garden.  I wanted it to help keep my fever down.  Cucumbers have a cooling effect on the body.  Even if you pull them right out of the hot sun in the garden. 

"Cucumbers have mild diuretic property, which perhaps attributed to their free-water, and potassium and low sodium content."  -from http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/cucumber.html

"During summers, cucumbers help to normalize body temperature."  -from http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/health-benefits-of-cucumber.html

The diuretic property is helpful when trying to flush out your system.  Also the cooling effect when you feel feverish.

Then I added some organic baby leaf Spinach.

"Neoxanthin and violaxanthin are two anti-inflammatory epoxyxanthophylls that play an important role in regulation of inflammation and are present in unusual amounts in spinach.

The vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, manganese, zinc and selenium present in spinach all serve as powerful antioxidants that combat the onset of osteoporosis, atherosclerosis and high blood pressure.  

One cup of spinach contains over 337% of the RDA of vitamin A that not only protects and strengthens "entry points" into the human body, such as mucous membranes, respiratory, urinary and intestinal tracts, but is also a key component of lymphocytes (or white blood cells) that fight infection."  -from http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/11-health-benefits-of-spinach.html 

I pulled out of the freezer a bag of Blueberries and poured a bunch in.

"The highest antioxidant capacity of all fresh fruit: Blue Berries, being very rich in anti-oxidants like Anthocyanin, vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper (a very effective immune builder and anti-bacterial), selenium, zinc, iron (promotes immunity by raising haemoglobin and oxygen concentration in blood) etc. boost up your immune system and prevent infections. Once your immunity is strong, you won’t catch colds, fever, pox and all such nasty viral and bacterial communicable diseases.

Constipation & Digestion: While roughage (fiber) in Blue Berries keep away constipation (Of course, a single piece alone will not do. You need to eat a big handful of them), the vitamins, sodium, copper, fructose and acids improve digestion.

They keep you fresh, active, fit, sharp, close to nature and in a good mood, as they are very good anti-depressants. You also need not spend a lot on medicines, neither are there any side effects. Remember, the deeper the color of the Blue Berries, the more they are rich in anti oxidants and other medicinal values."  -from http://www.womenfitness.net/blueberries.htm

I finally added a Peach for flavor and found that it also added to the detoxifying affect.

"Peaches have been found to be beneficial for individuals suffering from the following ailments:

• Acidosis
• Anemia
• Asthma
• Bladder and Kidney Stones
• Bronchitis
• Constipation
• Dry Cough
• Gastritis
• High Blood Pressure
• Nephritis
• Poor Digestion"             

-from http://www.naturalfoodbenefits.com/display.asp?CAT=1&ID=71

As you can see this smoothie is a great way to fight off my cold.  If you do a little more reading at the web pages linked in this post you will find this smoothie is great for more than just a cold.  Cancer, arthritis, blood sugar, blood pressure are all listed in the health benefits of these four foods.  Maybe make this a once a week breakfast or a cool off afternoon break food.



Check out these other great articles on the foods listed above.

Spinach:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/2700-facts-health-benefits-spinach/
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=43&tname=foodspice

Blueberries:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=8

Peaches:
http://healthfood-guide.com/HealthBenefitsOfPeaches.aspx