The average adult will get two to three colds a year. Children get 8-10!
Not in my house! I experience a brief cold a few weeks ago and that was the first one in about 2 years. My child got one since she’s been born. When we sense symptoms coming on, we SHUT IT DOWN. It takes effort folks, but trust me, it’s well worth it if you don’t want to be bed ridden and suffering for over a week. Even if the cold is not stopped dead in it’s tracks, following this protocol will MOST definitely decrease the intensity and duration of the cold.
And then there are the obvious but oft-neglected measures:
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. Avoid the triclosan hand sanitizers if you can. Use them if in a pinch but please don’t use them as a replacement for regular hand washing. It will weaken your defenses over time.
- Don’t touch your face! Especially if you’re out and about touching other people’s germy things. It’s hard to remember this! If you have an itch in your eye or your nose, use a tissue to scratch it!
- If someone gets sick in your house, disinfect everything they touch! Don’t forget doorknobs and light switches and toilet flushers. Throw away their tissues immediately. Also, consider running an essential oil diffuser. I use this one. Use tea tree oil, eucalyptus, lemon, clove and peppermint oil. Thieves oil or On Guard by DoTerra will do the trick wonderfully. This will help disinfect the air. Avoid spraying Lysol. That crap is carcinogenic.
Here’s what to do when you DO get sick:
1. Supplement with Vitamin C EVERY TWO HOURS. Your system uses it very quickly and it needs to be replenished. I take 500-1000mg every two hours. You can get chewables or liquid. Liquid for young children, which will be easy to mix in water. They should get about 250 mg every two hours. Breastfed babies can get it second hand through breast milk, or you can put some of the liquid on your nipple. They say take it to “bowel tolerance”. I.e., if it gives you diarrhea, back off. That’s the worst side effect, but in this case, wouldn’t be a bad thing as cleaning out the intestinal tract will cure you more quickly. Your immune system is 80% in the gut!
2. Therefore, probiotics are a necessity. Always. I’m taking prenatal ones right now, and they are also quite pricey, but this is one area that will most likely KEEP you healthy if you are consistent. Same for the kids. Marcella has been on probiotics since she was an infant. She’s literally never gotten more than a sniffle in two years. She’s never ever been to a doctor for being sick. Even while I was sick a few weeks ago she remained unscathed. You should also eat fermented foods like sauerkraut when possible. Nature’s probiotic.
3. Vitamin D3 for you 2-5,000 mg a day. SUPER important immune system booster that we lose in the winter months and almost everyone is deficient. They are cheap and chewable.
4. Garlic. Raw to swallow (it’s gross, but will work best. Make sure that’s with food. I chop up one clove and swallow it). You can also get it in supplement form, but it’s more expensive and less effective. Add powdered garlic to everything you can!
5. Apple Cider Vinegar is a miracle cure for just about everything! To ingest, add 2 tsp local, raw organic honey to the ORGANIC AVC, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, dash of ginger, warm 1/2 cup distilled water. I add it to my soda stream carbonated water, which is actually quite pleasant. If too acidic for you (or kids), add 1/2 tsp baking soda to neutralize acid. Or, if you’re hard core, just take it by the teaspoonful. Do this two to three times a day until symptoms are gone.
Those are the necessities.
To help you feel better and heal more quickly, stock up on some healing teas. Throat coat is pictured here because when I get sick, it starts as a sore throat. I had a sore throat about 36 hours, then the sniffles and runny nose for about 36 hours, and then a cough for another two days, and it was over. On a scale of one to ten, the cold was about a 3. You can sort of peruse the tea aisle (Or Amazon) to find one to match your symptoms. I don’t bother too much with Echinacea as it hasn’t been proven to be very effective. Focus on the ones that address specific symptoms. Add local, raw honey if possible. This is the only exception to “no sugar”.
I also use homeopathy very regularly. For just about everything. In the picture I have the kids’ Hyland cough and cold. It’s sort of a catch all of different remedies to address all cold symptoms. I will give this to my toddler if she gets symptomatic. For me, I have a whole at-home homeopathy kit and will just consult the manual on which remedies are appropriate for my symptoms. The most common ones are listed here: Homeopathic Remedies for Colds and Coughs
Elderberry syrup. An immune enhancer. Delicious for kids. I take the kids version because I’m not buying two different products! It’s pretty pricey About $12 a bottle. BUT you CAN also make it yourself if you’re feeling crafty. Here’s our post on how to do that: Supercharge your Elderberry Syrup
Eat virgin coconut oil with whatever you can. Here are the many benefits of Coconut Oil, including being antibacterial so your cold doesn’t advance. You can put it on toast, add it to your tea, or even just eat by the spoonful. It is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and healing. Coconut oil contains lauric acid, which is known to reduce candida, fight bacteria, and create a hostile environment for viruses. Many diseases today are causes by the overgrowth of bad bacteria, funguses, viruses and parasites in the body. You can replace grains and sugar in your diet with coconut oil as your natural fuel source when you’re sick. Sugar feeds the growth of bad bacteria. Instead take 1 TBSP of coconut oil 3x daily when sick and consume plenty of vegetables and bone broth as well.
NO added sugar or dairy. Not even yogurt. Bacteria feeds on sugar and dairy will produce more mucous.
Buy some premade bone broth and drink it like a drink or make it into a soup and have several times a day. can make a vegetarian broth too: Gut Healing Vegetable Broth. For my soup, I use a ton of onion and garlic, carrots, celery, kale or spinach and a ton of warming spices like cayenne, turmeric and chili powder. (Just give the kids plain broth). I make my own bone broth from free range beef bones. It’s extremely healing.
REST! This may seem obvious but I know how hard it is to sleep when you’re a mom. Try to go to be extra early.
Happy Healing!
