Fever Blisters, Oh My!

Aren't they horrible? I've had them my whole life. They ruined picture day in 5th grade, and made me self-conscious around my boyfriend in 9th grade. I hate them. Some call them cold sores, some confuse them for canker sores. But they are what they are: a horrible virus that rears its ugly head on or around my mouth.

I've tried various things throughout the years. I've tried Campho-Phenique, and Abreva, but it would still take several days (even over a week) to get better. I finally got smart and began thinking about how to be proactive. When I felt that hot spot on my lip slowly get warmer and larger, I would run to the bathroom and dab hydrogen peroxide on it. It worked sometimes.

Then, in college, I began changing my diet. It looked a lot less typical and lot more "traditional" - with more raw foods, fermented foods, fatty foods, and way less carbs. (You can learn more about it through the Weston A. Price foundation website.)

One side effect that I didn't notice for several years was how infrequently I got a fever blister. Before, I knew to expect several a year. Before I knew it, however, it had been several years since one came to the surface.

In the last 2 years, my diet has - eh, hem - suffered a bit with the growth of our family, and so has my health. I've fought off more colds and illnesses, and have noticed that more fever blisters have been trying to come up.

I've never been entirely happy with how hydrogen peroxide worked preventively, and so when one nearly came up last week, I scrambled for how to nip it in the bud.

And, Eureka!

I grabbed a q-tip and my handy bottle of Swedish Bitters (which does have camphor in it), the ickiest concoction of bitter herbs you've ever tasted. I've learned the past few years how good bacteria helps your immune system, and bitter/spicy things will fight off the bad things.

One little dab of my Swedish Bitters and the hot feeling was gone. Instantly!

So whereas my diet has proven the best way to avoid fever blisters, I know now exactly what to grab if one does surface!

And by the way, I'm curious to see if other virus/bad bacteria-fighting herbs (like oil of oregano, or goldenseal) would have the same effect on fever blisters...That's for another time, I suppose.

How to Deal with Morning Sickness

[Necessary Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, or a midwife, or any kind of medical practitioner. This is just my own opinion. Do your own due diligence, please!]

Know the feeling of waking up and the first thing you become aware of is wanting to throw up?

Some people believe that morning sickness is the feeling women have when their liver is overwhelmed in early pregnancy by the huge increase in estrogen, the exponentially increasing presence of the hcg (pregnancy) hormone, and the toxins being released while the fetus is being implanted.

If it is liver-related, some of the best things you can do is to prepare your liver for the onslaught. "An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure." Or something.

If you are trying to conceive, why not do a liver cleanse? Make sure you're eating well, and consuming lots of liver supporting foods.

If you're already pregnant, consider taking dandelion root or milkthistle. I'm taking dandelion root right now. I'm sitting at 9 weeks pregnant, and have found this dosage to be helpful: 2pills in the morning, 1 at lunch, 1 at dinner, 1 right before bed.

Now let's do symptom control. I'm having the hardest time this pregnancy. It's hard to find any food or drink that doesn't make my stomach turn, but here's what I've found helpful (consumed whenever my body decides it's okay):
-Lemon water (fresh water with a good squeeze of real lemon juice - you could also try seltzer water)
-Kombucha (if you can handle it - try diluting it)
-Raw milk (find a source here) (and if you're skeptical, take a look at this)
-Homemade chicken broth with a pinch of celtic sea salt(roast a chicken, put the carcasse in a pot, fill with water and simmer for 12-24 hours - or have someone else do it!)
-My favorite: sip on old-fashioned, lacto-fermented pickle juice

When I keep myself full of liquids (esp. these liquids), I feel much better. The trick, of course, is to get over the queasiness enough to drink them. Catch 22, eh?

Also, if like me, you're having trouble eating enough so that you end up feeling sick from not eating (another catch 22...), a friend suggested I set the clock and drink something every 1/2 hour and eat something with fat in it every hour. Not something big, but something. If you're hungry or thirsty, you're body is already reacting to the loss of liquid or nutrients - meaning, you're too late. Stay ahead of the game to feel better!