How the heck did I get sick?! Oh yes, my sick man kissed me... and it probably does not help that we snuggle every night. TMI? No way!
For a few days I have been congested, sneezing with my entire body (sooo much pain), and completely stuffed up. All I want to do is sleep, TV hurts my eyes right now... I really don't like taking drug store medication so I am googling natural home remedies. Besides why spend $20 on something you use once a year when you can use things that are probably already in your home?
I am going to share some home remedies that I use that makes me feel better :)
Salt water rinse
Garlic
Ginger
Showers
Sleep
My momma always told me to rinse with salt water so I am doing salt water rinses and mixing up salt and warm water and putting it in one nostril and letting it drip through the other (I can't remember what this is called if any of you know).
How Salt Water Works: When your throat is sore it contains inflammations called edemas. These edemas are filled with water and bacteria. The bacteria makes you sick. Gargling with salt water gets the salt to the back of your throat where it can attack the edemas by dehydrating them. When the salt dehydrates the edema it takes the fluid out of the edema. The bacteria can not survive without the fluid so the bacteria dies. If there is no bacteria to keep you sick you will then return to optimal health. So while the salt isn't actually doing the curing, it is taking away the very thing that allows the bacteria to stay alive. Remember Osmosis in school? Just about the same thing.
Salt Water Rinse Recipe
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1 cup warm water
I am also eating a whole lot of soup piled mile high with garlic. It not only makes your breath stink it is incredibly tasty and therapeutic. So pile on the garlic sick people!
Garlic Benefits:
Fresh garlic has many active constituents including alliin, allicin, alliinase and unique sulfur compounds. Allicin and the sulfur compounds of garlic are the ingredients primarily responsible for garlic's potency as an antibiotic, anti-viral and a fungicide and for its use in treating high blood pressure, lowering cholesterol, and for helping to prevent certain types of cancer, as well as its use as an immune stimulant. Allicin is a strong antibiotic agent produced when the alliin and alliinase are merged together, as happens when a fresh garlic clove is crushed or chewed.
Today my man made me some homemade ginger lemon tea. When he wasn't looking I snuck into the kitchen to see what was in the pot. Uh... Strange... ginger chunks?
Ginger Lemon Honey Tea (makes about 4 servings)
2 inches of ginger root peeled
7 cups of water
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
Honey (as much or as little as you prefer)
This is just a few things that have really worked for me now that I am switching to more natural things.
Hope it helps you!
I did all of these things, and I found that they helped. The nasal irrigation is not fun, but it helps. Make sure not to use iodized salt! Also, chicken noodle soup with broccoli, spinach and TONS of garlic and ginger. Also, made a tomato soup with vegetable juice, lemon, lots of garlic and a shot of hot sauce. And a carrot ginger soup: boil carrots, ginger, garlic, anything else you want, really (I also added bell pepper and onion) in chicken broth and puree. If you aren't sick, this would be yummy with curry powder! Also, zinc is good. And lots of OJ for vitamin c. I'll admit, I also used fisherman's friends and dayquil to help with symptoms because I had so many assignments and midterms, but I feel infinitely better already. Hope everything works for you and you feel better soon! I hate being sick, too.
ReplyDeleteYay for feeling better!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, don't use iodized salt. Most table salts are non-iodized it should just say on the bottom on the container.
Mmm that Carrot ginger soup sounds great! I am absolutely going to make that! Oh yes, the OJ its also a must. Gav just finished the last cup...