My Favorite Natural Remedies for Cold and Flu Season.

Let me just state in the interest of honesty - and also because my co-workers from yesterday will probably rat me out - I am so stinking sick.  I've made it through and I'm feeling better today but I now have no voice.  I think the family is secretly rejoicing in this fact.

Anyway, here are my favorite ways to ward off sickness without running to the pharmacy.  Or to at least survive it without feeling too horrible.

When I feel the first signs of a cold or flu coming on I head straight to three things that usually work great for me.  Without having the least bit of scientific evidence to back me up, I would guess that four out of five times this does the trick and I don't get sick.

As soon as I start with the whole achy, whiny, just don't feel good stage, I take one teaspoon of minced garlic (don't chew, just swallow whole and follow with a lot of water) and follow it with a teaspoon of local raw honey.  I take probiotics or if I don't have any I eat yogurt a few times a day.  And lastly, I diffuse Thieves Oil and Frankincense and apply diluted Thieves oil to the bottoms of my feet at night. 

Seeing how this didn't exactly kick it for me this time, the next step involves riding out the fever with lots of fluids and rest and a good old fashioned flu bomb with essential oils.  I take a gelatin capsule and fill it with three drops of oregano oil, three drops of melaluca oil and three drops of thieves.  I take one of these 2-4 times a day.  It tastes awful if you don't put it in a capsule and even if you do use the capsule you'll kind of burp it for a little while.  Also, I personally will only used therapeutic grade oils if I'm ingesting the oil - so it's only DoTerra or Young Living for that.  If I'm diffusing, I use Now oils or Plant Therapy due to the cost difference. 

My last tip involves a good old fashioned hot toddy.  There are tons of recipes for something like this but here's what I do.

1 cup of hot tea brewed with a stick of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of local raw honey
Splash of bourbon (or we use apple pie moonshine)

It breaks up the congestion in your chest and you'll have a much needed good night's sleep.  And I feel much less "hung over" then when I used to use Nyquil for the same thing. 

As always, this is just what I do.  The nurse has to tell you to do what you feel is best for you. 

Stay well!