How to Fight Off the Nasty Cold

My family - all four of us - are fighting a summer cold. Sore throats, headaches, congestion, all in varying degrees.

What do you do about it if you don't have a doctor who writes you a prescription for these sorts of things?

Of course, I'll say the obvious and remind you that we do absolutely nothing but rest and relax. Sick bodies aren't supposed to be active bodies.

But here are home remedies I use for my family (do your own research, use your own discretion):

LEVEL 1: As Soon as Symptoms Appear

-Cranberry juice (a great detoxifying agent): the real deal, not Ocean Spray. Buy cranberry concentrate from your health food store (HFS) and mix it with water and a few drops of liquid stevia if you need it sweet.

-Kombucha provides probiotics, detoxifies, and has B vitamins to supply energy.

-Vitamin C (we like Emergen-C).

-Coconut Milk is anti-viral and antibacterial, and has good fats to nourish our weak bodies. I used to give my kids a tsp. every morning before breakfast, and I should do it again!

-Fresh veggies, and small amounts of fresh fruit.

-Strictly limit carbs and sugar. Absolutley nothing "white". Studies have shown that sugar actually feeds cancer, and has an immediate impact on our immune system when it hits the bloodstream. Refined sugar is oh so bad for us.

Level 2: It's Getting Worse and We're Supposed to Go Out of Town Tomorrow!

-Goldenseal is the antibiotic of my medicinal herbs world. I only use it when things are really bad. The only time I've busted out this nasty herb is when my son got a parasite (from a public splash pad!) two years ago. Nothing helped. I began giving him goldenseal (mixed in concord grape juice) and he began feeling better the next day. Honestly, I would use this if I'd been trying to get the kids to feel better for several days and hadn't seen any improvement. Or if we were supposed to be travelling soon and good health was a must! :)

-Oil of Oregano is what the adults in the house take. And you might not want to wait this long to start taking it. The moment I feel the scratchy feeling in my throat, or that achy feeling in my body, I take a few drops every 15-30 minutes until I feel better. I have yet to get sick when I do this!

Of course, it's contraindicated during pregnancy (as are many of my "bitter" herbs that I like to use when I feel ill), so it's taken me a bit longer to feel better.

Here's a tip on how to take oil of oregano: Take a sip of water and hold it at the back of your throat. Have someone else (or use a mirror, so you can see what you're doing) place a few drops of the oil at the back of your throat in the water and swallow. Quickly chase with the rest of the glass of water. If you don't do this, be prepared for a horrible burning feeling in your mouth, throat, esophagus and stomach. This stuff is strong!

Really, you shouldn't be getting sick all that often, if you're eating well. The only reason we're all sick is that for the last few weeks I haven't cooked much at all due to this early pregnancy nausea and exhaustion. Fast food will kill your immune system very quickly!

Here's hoping that our health holds out for travelling!