Cold, Flu, AHH-Tis the Season!

Yes, it is September and school has started. This means the cold and flu season is upon us once again. Get out your common sense hat put it on at a sassy angle and get ready.

The best thing you could have done is to make sure your immune system is up and running at full tilt. It is still not too late to work on that. The old stand by is vitamin C, D, A ( be careful with the vitamin A you can overdose very easy here), and E or CoQ10. The herbs are Garlic (Vitamins A, B1, B2, C. and Zinc), Cinnamon, Ginger (Vitamins B3, B5, and B9), Ginseng (Vitamins A, B12, and E), Pau D'Arco, Bee Pollen (Vitamins B complex and C), Cayenne Pepper (Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and B12), to name a few. Honey-can't say enough! The song should say a spoon full of honey not sugar. Essential Oils are easy and can help everyone and the house as well. Thieves Essential Oil, Peppermint Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Lavender Oil, Cinnamon Bark Oil, and many more. Of course, wash your hands often, bed clothes and pillows need to be disinfected quite often, phones, toys, showers and tubs, And the cars and trucks you drive. All are high traffic areas that need special attention. Don't forget the T.V. remote, light switches, doorknobs, toilet handle and car keys.

Easy ways to incorporate some of these into your daily life. Put just a small pinch of Cayenne Pepper in everything you cook. Just a little pinch of Cayenne goes a long way, you do not even have to taste or feel the heat for it to start working it's magic. Onions and Garlic go with just about everything we cook from soups to omelets. Bell Peppers (Green Peppers) are a great source of vitamin A, and C. A very enjoyable drink any time is hot water, Honey, Lemon, and a pinch of Ginger. You can drink this all day and be the better for it. This drink will help your immune system and help with the flu or cold if you have already been tagged,as well as give you the energy to finish your day on a good note. If you like you flavored coffees try putting a sprinkle of Cinnamon and sweeten with a little Honey. Don't wait until the Holidays to start drinking your spice tea, start now. Did you ever wonder why someone put all those spices into tea? One of the first health drinks. Mulled Wine, even better, just before bed. For the season try using Honey instead of white sugar whenever possible, the benefits are amazing! Garlic butter for your toast? Why not, this tasty treat is not just for Italian Dinners. Honey on your toast instead of jam? Sure, a very healthy substitute.

Do you already have a cold or flu? There is still help. Any of the suggestions from above will help.
Yarrow is an herb that is great for any mucus problems, when used at the beginning of a cold it will generally break it up with in twenty four hours. Yarrow will also help with fevers. It will help thin out the mucus so you can cough it up, or blow it out, and it will sooth and help heal the mucus membranes. Horseradish, can be eaten or grated and sniffed to help clear the sinus. This can be done when ever you start to feel congestion settling in. The vol ital oils in Horseradish are cleansing and have an antiseptic effect. White Willow Bark is good for aches and pains as well as fever. Wild Cherry Juice sweetened with Honey (hot or cold) is very good for loosening phlegm in the chest and throat, someone with Asthma can also use this to help improve their symptoms. Children also like the taste of this and do not even think of this as a treatment.

A Diffuser or a candle potpourri burner is always good to have on hand for the fall and winter months. Several Essential Oils are very beneficial for your immune system and for healing.
They will make your house smell great and purify the air. Aromatherapy is always good for keeping a balanced body and home. Eucalyptus Oil is wonderful for the respiratory system, Lavender will help you rest, Sage and Thieves will clean the air, Cedarwood can help to maintain healthy lungs, and the list goes on an on. Essential Oils can be used in baths, burners, vapouriser, misters, sprinkled on bed clothes, mittens, and scarves. Essential Oils need a page of their own to do them justice. They are as healing as herbs and cover just as many troubles.