Wednesday, January 29, 2014

How we beat the really awful cold going around



We're just getting over a pretty nasty cold, Noah and I. Lots of coughing, head and chest pain, shakiness, dizziness, sneezing and sniffles and nausea. I mean, I was so dizzy I couldn't stand up.
But we're both almost 100% better in less than 48 hours!

What we've been doing:

One tablespoon of apple cider vinegar a few times a day. 
It's awful tasting, but there are lots of ways to do it. 
  • Dilute in 8oz water
  • Dilute in 8oz fruit juice (I hear orange, cranberry, apple and grape are best)
  • Make in a tea with some honey
  • Do ACV "shots" followed by an 8oz glass of water
  • Make a salad dressing
  • Make a smoothie
It does help a lot. I didn't use any of these but rather, made a "super tea" which I'll put toward the end.

One tablespoon of organic coconut oil a few times a day.
Coconut oil is actually pretty plain. 
We just melted a spoonful in tea a couple times a day.

One tablespoon of cinnamon a few times a day.
Cinnamon has natural healing properties, and it even tastes great! We put ours in tea or for me, in coffee.

Vitamin C to bowel tolerance.
Self explanatory.

Daily dose of Echinacea.
Also great for immune support!

Lots of rest.
Not easy as a mom, but luckily my kids were up for lots of snuggling and movie time.

Cool mist humidifier with EO.
We ran our cool mist humidifier with eucalyptus essential oil to help us breathe better (10 drops) and chamomile essential oil to help us relax and promote restful sleep (15 drops).

Lots of fluids.
Especially if you have vomiting or diarrhea. Water, fruit juices watered down, electrolyte drinks (Wellness Mama has a great recipe for a homemade one!).

"Super tea" a few times a day.
Decaffeinated is best during a cold. 
I brewed a cup of black Lipton tea 3-4 times a day and added 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp coconut oil and 1 tbsp ACV (apple cider vinegar) and 1 tsp of sugar. It covered the taste pretty well! I do think a fruity tea would mask the ACV better, though. Find what works for you!

All we have left are a couple sniffles and I have a bit of a cough left.
Other things you can add are bee propolis, elderberry syrup, and pure organic honey.
Remember - hot liquids stimulate the immune response, so lots of soup broth and decaffeinated teas will help!

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