My cold/flu season secret weapons, please share yours!

[easygoinmomma]

This year I have mixed lemons, ginger, and raw honey in a jar and added it to my tea whenever I start to feel something coming on.

Or I just eat it by the spoonfuls.

[SpringMama5]

Eliminating sugar from our diet has helped greatly. Any sweetness added to oatmeal is derived from fruit. If by chance we do get an illness it doesnt last long and isnt as bad. A cold that we all got only went as far as a mild sore throat and runny nose that lasted a couple days.

[MariJo7]

Vitamine D! In advance, for prevention.
Depends, of course, on where you are living, but here, close to the North Pole, vitamine D "for all the months with an R" is very important.

[DolphinMemae]

trying to fight off some form of bug right now.

[Anne Ofalamo]

Being an OLD wife....lol
The thing that works the best for us, seriously, is no matter how cold it gets, I a few times a week, open all the windows and air the house out. We do freeze out chore time...hilarious, as we rush around vacumning, dishes and such..
the van too...we roll all the windows down and go a few miles yelling and laughing.

[Beth1231]

Such a great bump!!
Vitamin B,C,D and elderberry syrup here are staples.
The next time Hubby calls from Central Market,I will have some names!

[Garland]

Thinking about what I need to buy for the upcoming cold season. Kids only got sick once last year. Hoping for a healthy year again.

I have OnGuard, Vitamin D, and probiotics. Need to add to my supplies.

[ValiantJoy07]

I'm going to add a kids safe EO for immune support.

last winter we did Smoothies daily with elderberry snuck in and Cod Liver Oil. This year I plan to continue that as it really seemed to help keep any illness we had mild/short.

[Earthmummy07]

Going back to review ideas. This is my first time having a little baby in the Autumn / winter and would like to keep us as healthy as possible.

[MayzieMcgrew]

My Dd's pediatrician is also an Ayurveda doctor. Her recommendation for the cold season are: consuming lots of fruit (in season), ditching white flour, sugar and dairy, and heat-inducing spices.l (because the goal is for the body not to lose heat).

I had never heard of fighting flu season with spices, and thought it was quite interesting. Anyways, her list of heat inducing spices is: cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, cloves, cardamom, mustard seeds, black pepper.

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[tempus vernum]

Originally Posted by MayzieMcgrew

My Dd's pediatrician is also an Ayurveda doctor. Her recommendation for the cold season are: consuming lots of fruit (in season), ditching white flour, sugar and dairy, and heat-inducing spices.l (because the goal is for the body not to lose heat).

I had never heard of fighting flu season with spices, and thought it was quite interesting. Anyways, her list of heat inducing spices is: cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, cloves, cardamom, mustard seeds, black pepper.

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I use cinnamon, turmeric, ginger and cloves all in my homemade elderberry syrup The only one I see missing from her list I've heard is REALLY amazing is horseradish.

---------- Post added at 10:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:10 AM ----------

Another secret I've learned to use - tea tree oil for ear pain -- apply in a circle around the ear It works really well to numb pain and eliminate ear infections

[MayzieMcgrew]

Originally Posted by SonshineMama

I use cinnamon, turmeric, ginger and cloves all in my homemade elderberry syrup The only one I see missing from her list I've heard is REALLY amazing is horseradish.

---------- Post added at 10:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:10 AM ----------

Another secret I've learned to use - tea tree oil for ear pain -- apply in a circle around the ear It works really well to numb pain and eliminate ear infections

How do you use horseradish????
Tea tree is awesome!! I've used it for other things. Never for ear infections, though. Will definitely give it a try!!

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[MayzieMcgrew]

Originally Posted by PurpleButterfly

I have to be extra vigilent during cold/flu season, due to ds's blood disorder. An ordinary cold can turn into a week of 105 fever and dangerous issues for him. So - aside from daily praise and prayer for my family's health, here's what I do as soon as we enter cold/flu season. (I started on Monday, btw).

Everyone in the house gets a daily capsule of Culturelle. After much research, I feel confident that this is the BEST probiotic available for my family. It's expensive but well worth it IMO as it really bolsters the entire immune system during such a critical time of the year. I break the capsules open for the dc and sprinkle it in a smoothie or organic OJ every morning. Don't bother with the kids version, btw, it's exactly the same strength as regular and you get less product for more $$.

Daily vitamins for everyone. The kids are on Rainbow Light Nutristars, which they aren't crazy about flavorwise, but will tolerate. These vitas rock with all the usual stuff plus bioflavanoids, FOS, veggie concentrats, organic spirulina and wheat sprouts, digestive enzymes and immune boosting herbs. We have used them for years and I start my dc on them at 2 yo. I take Rainbow Light Prenatal Ones since I'm still nursing, and dh has Rainbow Light basics when I can get them in him.

Whenever I hear of a local outbreak of anything, or anytime we are going to be traveling, I start the kids on one daily dose of Herbs for Kids Astragalus (liquid herbal supplement). Astragalus is amazing for the immune system! (Don't give if your dc has fever, btw, as it contains salycites similar to aspirin). During travel, I up it to two doses per day.

Vitamin C, a mama's friend! My dc & dh get a continuous winter dose of 500 mg per day, while I take 1000 mg per day (includes bioflavanoids) of the Country Life capsule brand. The rest of the family gets a yummy Jungle Juice flavored of their fave Natural Factors brand. My kids BEG for these!

Soy protein and flax smoothies every morning. My VitaMix has been worth it's weight in gold already for our daily health smoothies! I use the Organic Cold Milled Flax from Costco and a big scoop of Whole Nectar soy protein smoothie mix, plus a hefty portion of organic peanut butter (also from Costco), vanilla almond milk, and a spoonful of unsweetened cocoa (or chocolate ovaltine in a pinch). I can sneak in any herbals and their Culturelle without them ever having a clue, and I make sure they get it all by asking them to sample a small portion (with their supplements in ) to "make sure it tastes good" before I pour a big cup.

Afternoon Fruit & Veggie Smoothies. Again, blessed with a VitaMix, these become easy and delicious ways to sneak in veggies like spinach, carrots, celery, kale, beets and more! The kids only taste a sweet fruit smoothie or "ice cream" but I know the goodness hiding within!

Also on hand in my natural medicine cabinet:
Herbs for Kids Echinacea & Goldenroot (for use during fever, at first sign of any illness and for duration of illness up to 10 days)
Rhino Kids Zinc (for use during head colds)
Homeopathic Ferum Phos (helpful for regulating body temp, esp. in a vomiting child who cannot tolerate oral meds)
Homeopathic Nux Vomica (to ease vomiting)
Hyland's Earache Drops
Hyland's Calms Forte (wonderful for helping restless child rest/sleep, great for grown-ups, too!)
Jason Tea Tree Satin Soap - a wonderful natural antibac soap that is used before every meal at home
Herb Pharm liquid echinacea for dh and I
Herbs for Kids Nettles & Eyebright (wonderful for head colds/sinus issues)
Herbs for Kids Horehound blend (for lung/chest colds/cough/respiratory)
Throat Coat teabags

My two can't-live-without books:
Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child by Janet Zand, et al.
Your Vital Child by Mark & Angela Stengler, ND's

Where I get my stuff:
If needed, I will shop at WF, but most everything I purchase in advance in early November, through my fave online discounter, www.VitaCost.com . They ship any size order for $5, it usually arrives within 2-3 days, and if you go through www.MrRebates.com, you also get a 6% kickback into your PayPal account! Not to mention the larger sized products for about half the cost of what you'd pay at WF for the smaller versions!

Stuff I try to avoid:
Sugar
Refined foods
Fast food
Greasy food
Food dyes

All those things must be cleaned out by the liver, which is the foundation for our immune system. If our liver is busy purifying the blood from food dyes, preservatives, etc., that is all the less attention being given to the rest of the body's needs. Did you know that just one teaspoon of sugar will suppress the immune system's natural response to illness for FOUR HOURS?!

Stuff I try to sneak in:
Fresh garlic
Fresh ginger
Fresh onions
All fresh veggies and fruits
Extra sleep, rest, and downtime

The first three are natural anti-virals with blood-strengthening and healing properties not to be missed. I sneak them in by making what I call, "Star Soup".

Star Soup
6 organic onions
2 tbs freshly grated ginger (peel the outer skin then use your fine cheese grater)
6-8 HEADS of fresh garlic, peeled and mashed (drizzle w/olive oil then oven-roast it in tin foil first, it will be sweet!)
3 cubes Knorr chicken boullion (or fresh chicken stock, WAY better)
4 slices your favorite bread, toasted and cut into star shapes w/cookie cutter or paring knife.

Saute onions in a bit of olive oil. Add approx. 10 cups water and boullion cubes, stir til dissolved. Add ginger and garlic. Season to taste as needed. If it is too "strong", I add a packet of Stevia to slightly sweeten. Pour into pretty bowl and let cool slightly for children. Just before serving, float several toast stars on top. My dc also love to eat this using traditional Asian soup spoons for an extra special treat.

I also pull back from group activites and big indoor hangouts during this time of the year. Yeah, I'm sure my kids would love Chuck E. Cheese or local hands-on museums, but it's just not worth it to me. I would rather work extra hard to create individual playdates at home and other fun activities we can enjoy together at home. They still enjoy weekly activities (dance, martial arts - hand washing immediately after each class, bring own water bottles instead of using fountain like everyone else) but in general we do spend more time at home enjoying each other's company and creative play together.

This is great!!!!!!!!

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[tempus vernum]

Originally Posted by MayzieMcgrew

How do you use horseradish????
Tea tree is awesome!! I've used it for other things. Never for ear infections, though. Will definitely give it a try!!

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Very rarely do we manage horseradish and these days only on masters tonic as a supplement to make soup or chili spicy

I only posted in case someone loved it lol