Home Remedies for a Cold

Getting a Cold

First, I want to be very clear that I am not a doctor or trained medical professional in any way, shape or form.

I am only sharing what is working (hopefully) for me.

Even though the sun is shining and it is warm in Southern California, the flu season is upon us. Our extended family - that is all three of my kids and their families - live very close to us and we see each other often.

In case you don't know, little kids are germ factories. They love to touch everything. And put a bunch of little kids in one room, all the germs will be equally intermingled by the end of the day.

Goodie!! New immunities to gain.

Here is how it went for us. First, one kid got sick, then one of the moms. Next, the kid in the next family down, then the mom and now - me. Well, my husband beat me to it yesterday and spend a day taking his temperature every ten minutes.

First Defence

Last night, I felt a sore throat coming on and could feel some swollen lymph nodes in my neck. I immediately went to my first defense. An essential oil.

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A long time ago, I fell in love with essential oils and even became a Young Living Distributor. Even though I still love the oils, I haven't pursued the business aspect of this company after there was a big structural change. My account probably doesn't exist anymore.

But it is still one of the companies I recommend if people want to use the oils for medicinal purposes. Know that you want to use a high-quality oil from a reputable source. If you pay $ 5 for a bottle, it might smell good, but don't expect the health benefits a truly pure oil can have.

Immupower is a blend of several oils and even though I am not in love with the smell, I know it does me good.

Last night, I rubbed it on the soles of my feet and also on the area where I could feel the swollen lymph nodes.

This morning, there was no swelling of the lymph, but I still was feeling a bit under the weather and was running a slight temperature. that meant to get serious about this. I don't want to spend the next few days in bed being miserable.

More Home Remedies

One important thing to remember is to take in enough liquids. A glass of water is constantly on my side today. I have a Berkey Water Filter and only drink filtered water.

But water is kind of boring to drink all day long and really doesn't give me much more than liquid to fight off this cold. Some hot ginger tea sounded so much better than that boring cup of water.

I made a tea by boiling fresh ginger in filtered water. After 10 minutes or so, I ladled a cup of the delicious smelling tea out and added a good spoonful of honey.

Honey is said to also help the body when fighting a cold and it sure cuts down on the spicy hotness of the ginger. So delicious and best drunk when hot.

For the next remedy, I have to wait a bit longer. Yes, you guessed it: Chicken soup! Even my HMO health insurance send out a notice that chicken soup has flu-fighting properties. Make sure you use an organic chicken and cook the bones. All the good stuff is there.

Can't wait for it to be done!!

Other Measures

Take all your vitamins and I take extra Vitamin C and D when I feel that I am getting sick.
Wash all your bedding and change at least the pillowcase every day.
If the air is really dry, run a humidifier.
Wash your hands frequently.
Soak your toothbrush in vinegar to kill germs - or replace it if it is that time.
Do some gentle Yoga stretches.
Be good to yourself - this is not the time to start the next big project.
Sleep as much as you can.

Remember, these are things which work for me. If you have some homeremedies which work for you, please share them with me.

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