Thursday, November 12, 2009

Our Families Health Plan

I thought I would share what we are planning to do during this cold and flu season, beside trust in the Lord of course;-)

The following is what I have come up with all the research I have done. I am in no way an expert and couldn't begin to explain how I came to these conclusions. I will provide links where I can so you can research and come up with what is best for your family. Okay?

Elderberry Syrup

Maybe you have heard all the buzz these last couple of years of the benefits elderberry syrup. All you have to do is google it and start reading. It is quite expensive at the health food store so I was thrilled to find a way to make it. With 10 people taking it, I needed a frugal alternative.


I bought my dried elderberries from The Bulk Herb Store, but I think Mountain Rose Herbs actually has them cheaper. You can make a syrup or even a tea out them. We plan to take a tablespoon or so a day to build our immunity and will take it up to every hour if needed if we get sick.

This is the link for How to Make Elderberry Syrup. It is so easy and cheap!
This is one of the many links explaining the benefits of elderberry.

Cod Liver Oil

I cannot even begin to go into the benefits of Cod Liver Oil, nor will I try. I have become beyond convinced of the benefits over the past couple of years. I take it daily, year round. It is even more important during the flu season.

Here is a good place to start for information on cod liver oil. You can google it also, if you need more sources. I do have to say that with the most recent information about how it is processed, I would never buy any other brand than Green Pastures Fermented Cod Liver Oil. I am almost positive that all other brands strip the natural vitamins and add synthetic back in. And, most, if not all of them are highly refined. Also, the 'fermented' part of this CLO makes it more digestible and makes the vitamins more available. This article might help convince you.

The plan is to take it daily and if we get sick we will definitely increase our dosage.

Vitamin D3

Surely you have all the buzz over vitamin D3. Make sure it is D3! Google vitamin D3.

We take about 2,000 to 5,000 IUs daily. If we get sick I plan to go up 10,000 IUs daily for a few days.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C, need I say more? I have Emergen-C in the house for the little children and TwinLab C-plus Citrus Bioflavonoid Caps for the rest of us. The Emergen-C is a yummy drink for the children. The reason I chose this particular Vitamin C for the rest of us is that it probably has the highest amount of bioflavonoids I have seen, which is very important to make the Vitamin C more usable.

HOMEMADE Chicken Broth

I personally would not make broth with regular store bought chicken, but that's just me. I make a really rich chicken bone broth every other week and we incorporate into our weekly meals. If we get sick, we will be drinking lots of the broth. I plan to add extra garlic!

This link is an excellent recipe and the reason behind the benefits. This link I have shared before, but it is great for explaining the benefits to homemade bone broths.

Herbal Remedies

Double E Immunity Booster

I got this from The Bulk Herb Store, which is a phenomenal resource for all your herbal needs. I learned so much! I am 'brewing' my very own Double E Immunity tincture right now. I am so pleased with this, they made it so easy. You could spend hours and hours learning on that sight.

This post by Passionate Homemaking is a great resource.

This post by Keeper of the Home is also great.

Ten Ways to build your immune system by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Natural Remedies, also from Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Home Remedies for a Cold. . . This has amazing information in the comment section. Don't miss it!

Nourishing a Sick Child from Nourishing Gourmet

Random tips:

Cut out all sugar and lower carbs, especially refined carbs.

Get plenty of rest.

Reduce stress. (I know, that's a funny one ;-)

Need I mention to diligently wash hands, cover mouth when coughing, and sneezing into your arm?

We personally choose to avoid over-the-counter medicines, but do use them if absolutely necessary. They only mask and often times only hinder natural healing. We also try not to reduce fevers with Motrin or Tylenol because I believe it is the body's natural way of 'burning out' the bug. Now, if I have an absolutely miserable child, I do give them some 'mercy'
Motrin ;-) After I have tried to make them comfortable in other ways.

There are other things we do and use, but these are the most important one. Please share any health remedies you have and use!

7 comments:

Jennifer said...

Thanks for this great list of links. I will be checking into them, I'm sure.

busymomof10 said...

Thanks so much for sharing this! I was very interested in this list, and hope to find time to check into the links you mentioned. There is just so much to learn, and so little time for researching!!

I have been enjoying reading the informative articles in my latest catalog from beeyoutiful.com. The recent issue had information on thyroid imbalance and adrenal fatigue. Have you seen it? I am hoping to place an order in the next day or two. There are so many items I'd love to order -- it is just so hard to squeeze out the money for supplements and such!!!

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and your sources.

Elizabeth

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

We follow a very similar plan. It is great to hear of someone else doing the same. Glad you are getting the word out!

Ellen said...

I too have been reading aboue Elderberry syrup lately...I look forward to making some myself. We also use thieves oil here. I rub it on the soles of our feet every evening. :)

Michelle (She Looketh Well) said...

Ellen, I hear nothing but good things about thieves! My girlfriend uses it diluted in a spray and spritzes herself when she comes back from shopping or something. Also the putting it on the feet thing.

Where do you get yours? Hers is soooo expensive.

Camille said...

Dear Michelle ~ What a terrific and timely post! Love it that you supplied all those links too...thanks so much!

One of my "natural" rememdies is Oil of Oregano taken under the tongue and "swigged back" with Orange Juice (preferrably) fresh squeezed. This we do when we feel something coming on...we don't use as a preventative but as an "attack" at the first sign of symptoms.

I am a believer in natural remedies and agree with you on the fever comment. I found that my children typically remained sicker for longer in my "give 'em Tylenol" days...interesting how God has programmed into us something better! Of course, if the fever is getting dangerously high one would not want to take chances, but for the "run of the mill" fever I think letting it do its job is much better.

Blessings,
Camille

Unknown said...

Michelle, I just made elderberry syrup for the first time this year. I made it from the elderberries that grow in my dad's woods. Not sure if it has the same potency as the Nigra Sambucus, but I am hoping that it has some of the same benefits.

One other thing that we do to boost our immune systems is eat as much raw fruits and veges as possible, plus use all the produce that I canned and put in the freezer from our garden.