Surviving Cold & Flu Season

Take a stroll down the medicine isle at your local grocery or drug store and you will find hundreds of concoctions out there to treat the common cold and flu. I’ve tried my share of them in the past, some work and unfortunately many don’t. Recently the FDA has recalled many of them because they’ve finally “admitted” that they are bad for your health. What can a person do?! Here are a few suggestions:

Herbs that can help keep you from getting sick:

• Echinacea and olive leaf have properties in them that strengthen the immune system.
• Echinacea is safe to take every day.
• If you are around a lot of sick people or traveling you should take olive leaf for a few days.

Herbs and vitamins that can help you get well:

• Elderberry and goldenseal are both good at fighting off germs. Elderberry can be taken up to 3 times a day. However, goldenseal can lower blood pressure and should only be taken once every 12 hours.
• Vitamin C helps to reduce congestion. Some people will take up to 1 gram per hour; however, too much can cause diarrhea, so be careful.

Homeopathic medicines I use:

• If you have a cold try Coldcalm by Boiron. It is especially good to take when you first feel like you are coming down with a cold. I’ve found that my cold is less severe and over much sooner when I start taking it right away.
• Got a nasty, sore throat? Herbs Etc. sells a throat spray called Singer’s Saving Grace. I know your throat hurts and you’re not trying out for American Idol, but trust me, this stuff works wonders.
• To treat a cough caused by post-nasal drip Boiron also sells a product called Hydrastis Can. Sounds weird, but it’s the only thing that will stop my cough.
• For the flu get Oscillococcinum by Boiron. I keep some in my purse so I can take it when I feel the first symptoms. For me it is the best way to beat the bug.

Want something warm to drink? Read my post at Capessa for suggestions on herbal teas.

Stay well!

 

Chicken Soup for What Ails You

Cold and flu season is soon to be upon us. With that in mind I thought I’d remind us all of a very simple food item that can be so beneficial when we’re under the weather: chicken soup.

Every fall my grandmother would visit and make several batches of home-made chicken soup. My mom would freeze the soup and then feed it to us when any of us got sick. I ate a lot of chicken soup as a kid since I managed to catch every cold that came my way.

So, why did my grandmother make so much chicken soup? Is there really anything to it? Yes!

Several years ago Dr. Stephen Rennard of the University of the Nebraska Medical Center did some laboratory research and found that chicken soup essentially acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. It also acts to suppress the creation of excess white blood cells (white blood cells may help you fight disease but they also cause a great deal of congestion when you have a cold). Other research on chicken soup discovered the presence of an amino acid that helps to clear congestion from the lungs. So much good in something so simple!

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have a nice, hot bowl of soup than take some of the cold medication that is on the market. Have you read the ‘possible’ side-effects for some of that stuff? The cure is worse than the disease!

Oh, if you have high blood pressure, you might want to start eating more chicken. Research done in Japan found that some of the proteins in chicken act just like a common blood pressure medication. Just don’t add salt to the chicken or you’ll eliminate the benefits.

Sadly, I never got the recipe from my grandmother for the chicken soup. She even made her own noodles. However, there are lots of good ones out on the Web. Let me know if you find one you like.