Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and the content below is for informational uses only. I am not suggesting that these will “cure” or “treat” illness. I am merely providing information on techniques that have helped me in my personal experience. So don’t sue me.

—

I’m a mother of two pre-school aged kids. They bring home a lot of strains of, well, everything. Mostly, it’s various strains of colds. Today, we all woke up with the sniffles and tomorrow is race day so I can’t afford to come down with something.

In the past, we’ve turned to a ton of over the counter drugs for handling our symptoms. Lot’s of small, plastic bottles, wrappers, those pills that come in some combination of foil and unidentified plastic. And lots of tissues, which we used to put in the garbage.

Today, I am tackling things a little more zero waste.

Tissues? 

In the laundry, or if we run out of cloth, in the compost. We use toilet paper instead of disposable tissue. I realize this approach isn’t for everyone, but I enjoy the simplicity of having only one paper product to keep track of and buy.

Salt Water Gargle

This is easy, take a glass, fill with water, add salt and gargle and spit until the glass is empty.

Easy Miso Soup

Ingredients:

– rice noodles, boiled for about three minutes and drained*

– 1 clove of garlic, crushed

– 1 clove of ginger, crushed

– Soy sauce or Liquid Aminos, to taste

– 1 tsp miso paste

– warm water

Get a bowl and add ingredients, stir. Eat. Feel better.

* I have not yet found a low waste rice noodle, but you could substitute brown rice.

My “Hippie Health Tonic” 

– 1 clove garlic, crushed

– 2 slices of ginger (one crushed and one left to float in glass)

– Juice from 1/2 lemon

– 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

– 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar

– warm water

I put these ingredients together twice a day while symptoms last.

Water

A hot shower can help loosen mucus from your lungs and a salt bath can help draw out toxins and relax you.

My Favorite Essential Oils for Sickness

– DōTERRA’s OnGuard Blend

– DōTERRA’s Breathe Blend (This is great to diffuse or to mix with coconut oil and apply to chest and feet as an alternative to Vick’s.)

– And high quality, ingestable essential oils (such as DōTERRA’s):

• Oregano
• Melaleuca
• Peppermint
• Lavender

Note: Always be sure to check labels when considering essential oils. You should never ingest any that say “for aromatic use only” as these brands are typically cut with harmful compounds. Oregano is a very “hot” oil and should be used with caution (and diluted with vegetable oils). I am very impressed with the quality and efficacy of DōTERRA essential oils, with which I have the most experience. If you would like to purchase from DōTERRA, while helping me out (with no cost to you) you can purchase from here: http://www.mydoterra.com/skytrombly/

TLC (Tender Loving Care) 

An ounce of prevention…

• Religious hand washing
• Regular exercise
• Plenty of sleep
• A healthy, plant-strong diet

And a pound of “cure”…

• Plenty of sleep
• Plenty of liquids (not alcohol, 🙁)
• Plenty of binge watching TV

How About You? 

How do you take care of yourself when under the weather? Have you personally pondered the vegan-ness of Niquil? Or the waste of Sudafed? Let me know in the comments!

A Year Later…

The above approaches work pretty well for me as an adult. I would also add my heartburn remedy:

Heartburn

• 8 oz. glass of water
• 1-2 tsps of baking soda

Stir and drink.

The problem lately is that my two boys are fighting the flu. They can’t gargle and won’t take anything that isn’t pleasant. Which is just about all of my remedies.

We do give them herbal  fruit teas, and tone down the tea by adding cool water. They enjoy baths, which can help take down a temperature. And enjoy getting “tickles” from an essential oil and carrier oil roller bottle. We also diffuse essential oils in their room. That said, I can’t step away from OTC remedies. I especially rely on Tylenol, Vick’s Chest Rub, and Hyland’s Cold and Flu syrups. I’ve been trying to stay away from NSAIDS, such as Ibruprofen, due to its apparent negative impact on the digestive tract.

Until next time, keep that talk walking!