Hello, my friends! Anyone feel like I do today? I have cold symptoms- runny nose, scratchy throat, aches, exhaustion, along with stomach virus symptoms as well. I won’t fill you in on those, just suffice to say I feel pretty miserable today! However, I’m planning to feel much better tomorrow because I have too many things to do to let this slow me down for long. How am I planning to feel better in one day, you ask? Good question, my wonderful readers! I am utilizing all of my home remedies, along with my healthy eating habits to make a (close to) full recovery. Then I thought that I probably have readers who are suffering right along side of me now who could use this advice to feel better too. Obviously check with your own physician before using these or any homeopathies or medications. I’m going to share my remedies with you so you can be up and running soon. Read on, here we go!
The strategy is 3 fold, first treat the immune system, second treat the symptoms, and third use food for minimization of symptoms and for comfort. I will discuss each area individually. I always try to choose the healthiest, most natural remedies that I can find to put in my body, because I feel it speeds up the healing time. Sometimes when using cold medicines, you can have more disturbing side effects than the symptoms you are trying to treat! So for me, natural is the best strategy, and that’s what I’m sharing with you today.
First, to treat the immune system I utilize four really important products, Transfer Factor, Reboost (sometimes called oscillococcinum), 100% raw Manuka honey, and Imu-Max. All of these products help boost the immune system so that your body can heal itself. See my previous post entitled “Healing Cold Remedies” for more information about how to utilize these super amazing products.
https://vitalvaldecap.com/2014/10/24/healing-cold-remedies/
Second, I treat my symptoms. Now, obviously it depends upon the symptom as to how it is treated. Right now I’m taking Cocculus compositum, which is a homeopathic, for my nausea and dizziness, nux vomica, also a homeopathic, for nausea, and Mucalyxir for my runny nose. If I had a stuffy nose I’d also take a nasal decongestant. The Manuka honey also helps the scratchy throat as well as the immune system so it does double duty! Follow the directions on the packaging for instructions about how to take these products. See my previous post entitled, “A Honey Of A Cure” for more info on one of my favorite natural remedies of all time, Manuka honey! You can get any of the products listed in number one and two at a good health food grocery store, as well as some wonderful organic fruits, vegetables, and proteins for number three.
https://vitalvaldecap.com/2014/09/05/a-honey-of-a-cure/
Now on to the third phase of treatment, which is food. My main healthy food remedy for colds and the flu is chicken soup. I have a great recipe for chicken soup and you can see it in my past blog post entitled, “From Soup to Nuts, Soup’s Got It All!”
https://vitalvaldecap.com/2014/08/06/from-soup-to-nuts-soups-got-it-all/
Chicken soup is hot, which acts as a natural nasal decongestant, it’s full of chicken and vegetables, so it’s got protein and antioxidants that help with healing, and it’s gentle on the stomach for those with flu or stomach symptoms. It’s the thing I CRAVE when I am sick, and right now I’m definitely having a chicken soup craving. If you don’t have the energy to make your own, check out your local Vietnamese restaurant. I have one near my house called Sandra’s Rice and Noodles and they have really good chicken and rice soup. It’s almost as good as mine. 🙂 If you don’t have a Vietnamese restaurant near you, canned chicken soup has been found to be almost as good for you as homemade. Just make sure it’s organic and has minimal ingredients and processing.
Another food I really like when I’m sick is eggs. They are full of protein and vitamins so they help boost the immune system, and they’re pretty bland so they’re gentle on the tummy. I prefer scrambled or soft boiled eggs when I’m sick. I’ll make some scrambled eggs as soon as I am done writing. Read more about eggs in my post entitled, “An Eggceptional Protein!”
https://vitalvaldecap.com/2014/08/22/an-eggceptional-protein/
Of course vitamin C is critical to the immune system, so if you can tolerate it eat foods like red bell peppers, broccoli and kiwi. Read my previous post, “Beyond the Orange, Better Sources of C!” for more information. I won’t be eating those foods yet because my stomach is not ready for it. However, if yours feels good then go for it!
https://vitalvaldecap.com/2014/11/07/beyond-the-orange-better-sources-of-c/
Finally, and this isn’t a food source but something you definitely shouldn’t neglect, and that’s to get plenty of rest when you’re feeling flulike symptoms. As soon as I eat my scrambled eggs I’m going to lay down because rest allows the body to heal more quickly. See my blog post, “Nap Your Way To Success!” for more information about the healthy benefits of napping.
https://vitalvaldecap.com/2014/09/03/nap-your-way-to-success/
So when you’re feeling flulike symptoms make sure to first treat your immune system, second treat your symptoms, and third use healthy foods to minimize yucky cold and flu symptoms. And don’t forget to rest to let your body heal itself! Taking care of your symptoms as naturally as possible will allow you to live a life of vitality- with Valerie! 🙂
Vitality with Valerie 