Thursday, January 29, 2009

Winter health

Drink a lot of water. The more hydrated your body is, the better it can fight off cold/flu bugs.

For a cough and sore throat take warm tea with honey and fresh squeezed lemon. Honey coats the throat and the lemon will break up the mucus.

Sinus problems or stuffy head? Boil oregano in a pot of water on your stove. Breathe in the air for 10 - 12 minutes. Repeat as necessary.
I sometime boil a pot for several hours on the stove while we are working on school in the kitchen. If the case is sever, directly breathe in the steam by covering your head with a towel over the pot, be very careful doing this, you don't want to get a steam burn.

Get enough sleep. A run down body can't fight off disease as well as a well rested one can.

Eat yogurt, kefir or take a Probiotic, especially if you are taking antibiotics. 80% of the bodies immune system is found in the intestine. Antibotics kill the good and the bad bacteria in your body. You need to replace the good bacteria the antibiotic has killed. My children and I eat yogurt/kefir daily and take a Probiotic several times a week. It is amazing how this 'little' thing has kept us healthier!

Elderberry has been found more helpful than echinacea in stimulating the immune system to help ward off the flu.

Ginger is a great herb to calm an upset stomach. For children try ginger chews or ginger tea, if you reach for Ginger Ale or Ginger Snaps, go the the natural ones with real ginger.

2 comments:

cindy said...

Great health tips, thank you. I never heard of putting oregeno in my boiling pot of water. Your verse of the day reminds me of a joke Blake just said the other day. "When was baseball first mentioned in the Bible?......In the big-inning...(beginning)thought i had to share.

. sarah . said...

I agree 100% with the probiotic thing! And the water...and everything actually. I haven't heard of putting oregeno in the boiling water though, I'll have to try it, I've been having a little sinus trouble lately.