Naturally Healthy

Hello all!

Sorry for the delay in my first blog, I have had a cold since the day after starting this little site, so life has been a little crazy. In light of my recent illness I thought what better topic than safe, healthy, ways to stay or get better when there are germs everywhere! This isn't exactly cold season, but apparently in our house the germs got confused.

So often when we are sick our first desire to just get better FAST. Not that this desire is wrong, but often it is a little far fetched, especially if you want to do things more naturally. There are tons of get-better-quick promises and schemes out there from the medicine side of things, but these are not always the best option. Before you go crazy thinking I'm totally against conventional medicine, I do occasionally take Tylenol (that's all that's allowed to us Pregos), and I have been known to get desperate and down some Day-time/Night-time cold meds. However, as that is not currently an option for me and baby-in-utero, I have been trying out some new things and some have been quite helpful.

First, when you have sinus/head congestion sort of sickness it is imperative to keep your nostrils moist, this fights against the spreading of germs and inhibits their growth. You may have seen those handy little contraptions called Neti Pots on the market, those do just that. When I first heard about them I was discouraged because they sound wonderful, but they do cost money, and money was not something I had in plenty at the time. I found, however that I had three extra nasal aspirators (the things that suck the nasty stuff out of the baby's nose) - so I decided to use a clean one for my own make-shift neti pot experience.

I started with a small bowl about half full of warm, but not hot, filtered water (you can boil water if you do not have a filter, just PLEASE let it cool before using!), and a small amount of sea salt. I would say if you have about a half cup of water you should only use about a half teaspoon of salt. You don't want too much burning, but you can experiment some with more or less. You then lean your head of a sink tilting 90 degrees to the right (your ear should be parallel to the sick) and spray a steady stream into your left nostril. This stream should run out the other nostril, but if you are already severely congested it will drain out the same side. Be sure to breath in through your nose as you do this (kind of like snorting it in), so that you get it deep into your sinuses. If some runs down your throat just spit it out. Repeat on the other side. This is excellent to do at least twice a day, and really even better if you start doing it a few times a week while you are healthy as a preventative measure.

The other issue I faced this past week was a severe sore throat. Now, the combination of sore throat and clogged nose does not make for good sleep (and usually produces snoring, which disrupts everyone around!) or breathing, so this issue I find is harder to be patient with. However, there are some good, safe ways to ease the pain and make it more manageable as your immune system does its stuff! A few of my favorites are following:

1. Gargle!!! :) This is probably what your mom made you do as a child with a sore throat, and if not, I am jealous. Gargling is particularly unpleasant when you are pregnant and have a super high gag reflex! There are two really good solutions to use for gargling. 1. Good old salt water - some kind of combo of about 3/4 cup warm filtered water and 1 tablespoon salt will do the trick (I never measure, just eyeball it and hope that it's not too disgusting!). 2. This is my new one I just found out about and it worked wonders! Warm filtered water and apple cider vinegar. The ratio is the same at the salt water mixture, but the vinegar apparently kills the bacteria on contact (or so I've been told). This second mixture seemed to help me more than the first, so I would suggest trying it!

2. Hot tea - this is a much more pleasant way to deal with a sore throat. There are teas out there that are natural or Organic that treat sore throats in particular, but I found one courtesy of my good friend, that worked wonders for me. If you have access to a farm or farmers market (or even some grocery stores have this herb) buy some fresh Lemon Balm. This is a wonderful herb! Boil about two cups of water on the stove with 6-8 washed Lemon Balm leaves in the water. When the water boils cover the pot and take it off the heat. Let the tea steep for about 10-15 minutes. When it is done steeping squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the pot and put 2 tablespoons honey in. This is probably two small mugs worth, or one enormous mug! Enjoy. Lemon and Honey are both excellent, natural helps for a sore throat. Mint tea is also a good choice along with green tea or chamomile! (herbs are important to buy organic when possible as they are often treated with pesticides and other nasty stuff just like produce).

3. Hot milk - usually people say that milk is something to avoid with mucus, although I am in no way a medical professional, my research has produced many such professionals saying that this is not necessarily the case. As in any profession not all medical personnel agree on such things. I, however, have tested and had great results with warm milk while dealing with such a sickness. My favorite combination is a mug of warm milk (warmed on the stove if possible, but be careful to stir frequently and do NOT boil!) with 2 tablespoons of honey. Another wonder-worker is warm milk with a teaspoon or two of tumeric (an herb that apparently has wonderful immune-boosting power). I would not suggest using sugar, as it tends to not aid much in the immune category and is generally not all that good for you.

4. A spoonful of honey - yes, it does help the medicine go down (hehe), but if used in moderation can also do some wonders for immediately (and temporarily) soothing a sore throat. Just fill a small table spoon with honey and eat it. Pretty simple. It's wonderful right in the morning when sleeping with your mouth hanging open all night has left you super dry and sore. Again, as honey is a sweet and lovely treat, it may be tempting to do this frequently, but please use in moderation as it is not something you want to be eating my the spoonful all day long!

One last thing that works wonders for sickness is a little oil called Tea Tree Oil. I grew up hating this stuff, because it seemed like my mom used it to fix all ailments I ever had, however now I truly appreciate it and hope to one day cause my children to hate it as much as I did! There are many ways to use this oil from directly applying it an open wound, to mixing it with water, baking soda and lemon juice for a wonderful disinfectant. I do not have time to get into them all here, so I will tell you the way I used it for my purposes this week. It is wonderful to use in a steam bath (bowl of boiling water - you sit over it with a towel making a tent over your head, close your eyes and breath alternating through your nose and mouth. Use about 6-8 drops of Tea Tree Oil in a medium sized bowl of boiling water). Also in a regular bath. I used about 8 drops of Tea Tree Oil and 3-6 drops of Grapefruit oil in a fairly warm bath - keeping the curtain closed to try to keep in the steam and just breath! It is refreshing and also very helpful with the sore muscles that may accompany your ailment. *I feel the need to mention that these are essential oils and should also be purchased in their purest form as such and not as any other concoction (such as massage oil, body oil, etc).

My last thoughts about sickness are this: if you do indeed want to try to be more natural then remember that our bodies are made to fight sickness and let them do their job! If you are generally fairly healthy and a cold will not send you into the hospital, then patiently let your body do its work and just think how super strong your immune system is getting in the meantime! REST as much as possible. Try to relax and do not attempt to continue life as normal. Give yourself as much time as necessary to recover. I am in no way assuming myself to be a giver of medical advice, so please do not use this blog as such! I would love to hear your solutions to cold issues as well!

Until next time,

Kaely