The common cold. More likely than not, you will get it some time during the next few months, especially if you have little ones.
Before you reach for an over-the-counter cough and cold medication, think about this: over-the-counter meds are intended to treat the symptoms of coughs and colds, not the underlying disease. Research suggests that these medicines haven’t been proven to work any better than placebos. Plus, they can potentially have serious side effects, including triggering allergic reactions, fatal overdoses and complications with other health medications.
So what do you do if you or someone else in your family is hit with a cold? Aside from lots of rest and drinking lots of water, below are my favourite natural remedies to help boost the immune system, restore the respiratory tract, and calm heavy coughs.
It’s important to remember that a fever is your body’s way of fighting an infection during a flu or infection, so suppressing a fever is not advised unless it is a high fever (i.e. above 38 degrees Celsius for babies 0-3 months and above 38.9 degrees Celsius for children older than 3 months and adults) . Keeping that in mind, there are a number of natural remedies that help relieve the symptoms of fevers and help bring temperatures down naturally. Here are our family’s go-to treatments.
Elderberry flower – The flowers of elderberry plants can be used to help bring body temperatures down by inducing sweat production. The best way to use them is in a tea. To make elderflower tea, mix two teaspoons of the herb in a cup of boiled water and let it steep for 15 minutes. Strain out the elderflower. Drink three times a day as long as the fever continues.
Lemon wrap – This popular home remedy helps ease a fever by drawing blood and the heat to the feet. Start by warming your feet in hot water or use a hot water bottle. Then soak a pair of cotton socks in warm lemon juice, wring them out, and place them on the feet. Slip on dry wool socks over top of the cotton socks.
Lavender, peppermint, or lemon essential oil – Any or all of these oils can be diluted in a carrier oil (for adults, put 3 drops in a teaspoon of carrier oil; for babies and young children, put 1-2 drops in a teaspoon or 5 mL of carrier oil) and apply on the bottoms of the feet. For babies and young children, avoid peppermint and just use lavender and/or lemon essential oil.
Immunity Boosters
Do you have other favourite natural remedies for colds and flu? Share with them us in the comments below!
The easiest way to prepare mullein tea is just to steep 1-2 teaspoons of dried mullein leaves in 1 1/2 cups of boiling water for 15 minutes, and then strain out the leaves. I like to make a larger amount though (around 2 tablespoons of mullein leaves in 1 L of water) and store it in the fridge for up to 3 months so that I have a stock of it on hand.
When a cough does hit, drink 1/4 cup of the tea (2 tablespoons for young children) at least 3 times a day. Continue taking it until symptoms are gone.
If, for some reason, you don’t like the taste of mullein tea, you can also inhale the steam of a boiling pot of mullein tea. Just let the leaves steep for 5 minutes before inhaling.
NOTE: Do not ingest mullein seeds, as they are mildly toxic. Mullein leaves have fine hairs that can irritate some people’s skin and cause rashes. If your skin is very sensitive, use gloves when preparing mullein teas, tinctures, extracts or poultices. Consult with a physician before taking herbal supplements and medicines, particularly if you are taking prescription medications.
]]>Now you can buy elderberry syrup in many pharmacies and health food stores. But store-bought elderberry syrup typically costs $15 to $20 a bottle. The good news though is that you can make it at home for only several dollars a bottle. And aside from elderberries, the other ingredients you’ll need are probably already in your kitchen.
Once made, the elderberry syrup will last 6 months in the fridge. But I usually find that my family finishes it much sooner than that. Since we’ve started taking elderberry syrup, our family has found that our incidences of colds and flu, as well as the duration of these illnesses, have been significantly reduced.
So try out this recipe by Wellness Mama and let me know what you think!
NOTE: Consult with a physician before taking herbal supplements and medicines, particularly if you are taking prescription medications.
]]>If you’re also interested in learning about carrier oils, which are used to dilute essential oils so that they can be used safely and help ‘carry’ them into the bloodstream more effectively, be sure to also visit my post about how to select carrier oils that are right for your skin and/or condition.
]]>For these reasons, I make my own natural vapour rub with coconut oil and beeswax, and gentler essential oils. The recipe is easy to follow and works just as well (if not better) as store-bought vapour rub. I’ve also included options that are safe for pregnant and breastfeeding moms. So try it out and get a good night’s sleep tonight!
You can order my premade Child-Friendly Vapour Rub.
]]>These oils are also safe for babies over the age of 3 months, as they are gentle for their young systems. Just be sure to get oils with the correct latin names written on the labels (see the recipe below for the correct latin names). For example, for the thyme oil, be sure to get Thymus vulgaris and be sure the chemotype is linalool (the other common chemotype is thymol). This particular chemotype is gentler and less likely to irritate the skin.
To learn how to make this oil blend, just watch the video or follow the recipe below.
No time to make your own? You can also purchase my premade Immunity Essential Oil Blend.
]]>If you have any questions, add them in the Comment section below!
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In all cases, prepare the spray using this method. For the slug deterrent spray and the anti-mold and mildew spray, you can skip step 1.
After preparing the mixture as outlined in the steps above, spray on affected areas.
Skip the above step 1 for this spray, and place 1 drop of each essential oil directly into 500 mL of water. Follow the remaining steps and spray on areas that are frequented by slugs.
Skip the above step 1 for this spray, and place 1 drop of each essential oil directly into 500 mL of water. Follow the remaining steps and spray on affected areas.
]]>Morning sickness confers 50-75% lower miscarriage rates in women who have had a previous miscarriage.
It also seems the greater the misery and symptoms the more the benefit to the health of pregnancy. Vomiting trumps nausea. Cruel I know, but true.
Morning sickness itself is a misnomer, but as many women will attest it’s not just in the morning. Maybe morning sickness deserves a new name to reflect our changing understanding of it.
Sickness is a marker for a healthy placenta.
We now think that nausea has a very important evolutionary role in that it prevents women from consuming toxins from certain foods to protect the growing fetus. Salivation, crying, coughing, sneezing, diarrhea and vomiting are all ways to expel noxious substances. We naturally have a revulsion to harmful contagions. During the first trimester, the fetus is most vulnerable to toxins and would-be mothers practice perhaps innate avoidance behaviours with respect to certain odours generally associated with toxins.
We know too certain drugs aimed at reducing morning sickness result in more fetal abnormalities. We also now believe that women who experience nausea during pregnancy have reduced risk of breast cancer later in life as it seems that the hormone HCG is protective to breast tissue. It is also the reason morning sickness lasts as long as it does.
Having said all that there are different approaches to alleviating the severity of the nausea and regulating the body’s ability to manage its dis-ease. Much like when a child has a mild fever it is best to allow the fever to run its course and serve its purpose to rid him/her of any unwelcome bug. At some point though the fever may reach too high and threaten the life of that child, so too can morning sickness reach dangerously queasy heights. In the case of exaggerated symptoms and even more mild ones that need treatment the following suggestions are recommended:
Important note: Not having symptoms of nausea isn’t automatically cause for worry because every pregnancy is different.
Morning sickness can be miserable, but with knowing this newer information there is light at the end of the tunnel!
]]>We all either have or know someone with food allergies. As someone who used to have a lot of allergies this topic is a big one for me. Peanut allergies are still some of the worst in terms of numbers and severity of reactions. Up to 10 percent of one-year-olds have peanut allergies. Nevermind all the other food allergies that are on the rise like wheat, dairy, and pollen. To protect children from severe consequences we have to de-nut our environments. It may not always have to be this way.
It looks like the overreaction of the immune system to peanuts can be modified. Instead of our immune cells hurting us when they are exposed to peanuts they remember how to protect us again. A lot of great research on children is backing this up.
In one study, when combining peanuts with a specific probiotic L rhamnosus 23 of 28 children resolved their peanut allergies, which is 20 times higher than those who didn’t take the probiotic. Think of that. More than 82% of kids didn’t have peanut allergy anymore.
Another long-term study blood tested 2-year-olds for allergies and compared the the kinds of bacteria they had in their intestines. The toddlers with the most allergies didn’t have nearly the amount of good bacteria like bifidobacterium that non allergic kids did. Instead, they were more likely to have increased levels of Candida (a fungus implicated with allergies and other things like asthma and Crohn’s disease).
All of this new information is calling into question when we should introduce solid foods into our children’s diets. It has generally been suggested to start solids at 6 months and to leave potential allergens til last ideally at 2 years of age. We’re flipping this on it’s head now because we’re seeing places in the world where allergenic foods are introduced even earlier than 6 months which are also places that have the least incidence of peanut allergy. Israel is the gleaming example of introducing a peanut snack called Bamba as early as 4 months. Israelis have almost non-existent peanut allergies. We should expect medical guidelines for food introduction next year. Look for Bamba stock to soar.
Severe eczema (dry, itchy, rashy skin) and an allergy to eggs are signs that a child will be more prone to having a peanut allergy. If you do then think about introducing peanuts in the presence of a doctor who can help in case of a serious reaction. Even these at risk children deserve to have hazardous foods introduced to their diets so they can eventually overcome their allergies. Living in fear of nut contamination is scary enough. It looks like there is a way out of that. We know this because babies at higher risk of developing peanut allergies starting at 4 months have been shown to be 80% less likely to become peanut allergic once given daily diluted peanut puree. Interestingly, the benefit only lasts so long as they keep taking the peanut butter. This is another opportunity for probiotics to help the peanut exposure to reverse the allergy rather than just temporarily be desensitized to it.
When introducing peanuts wait after introducing a few other foods first. Never introduce whole nuts because of the likelihood of choking. Make a puree from 2 tsps of peanut butter and hot water (or use Bamba!). Feed from the tip of a spoon and watch for any reaction (hives, rash, behaviour changes and/or trouble breathing). After ten minutes you can continue feeding peanut, but keep watch for two hours just in case. Here’s a link to a great video where an allergist walks you through the steps:
Many professionals, including myself, are encouraging parents to use specific and appropriate strains of probiotics during the last trimester of pregnancy and the first 6 months of baby’s life to encourage a healthy low-allergy-risk internal environment. L rhamnosus and bifidobacterium are easy to find in multi-strain probiotics with the help of a medical professional.
I remember a time 10 years ago when as a student I learned about all the wonderful benefits of probiotics. To the mainstream medical world the idea of eating probiotics as medicine was laughable. “They’re just another expensive supplement that don’t do anything” they’d say. With confidence we can say they are probably the cure for some autoimmune diseases (Colitis), serious infections (C. difficile), and food allergies! Now to them I say, eat it. Eat all of it.
Bamba Snack
http://business.financialpost.com/news/allergy-busting-peanut-power-in-an-israeli-snack
Australian Study on Peanuts and Probiotics
https://www.mcri.edu.au/news/new-oral-therapy-could-provide-treatment-peanut-allergies
Peanut Introduction
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/11/11/501594010/hey-baby-meet-peanuts-how-and-when-to-safely-introduce-the-food
Probiotics and Allergies
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/infant-gut-microbes-linked-allergy-asthma-risk
Peanut Patch Treats Allergies
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/skin-patch-treat-peanut-allergy-shows-benefit-children
Candida and Crohn’s
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23855357
Essential oils are very potent and can be more irritating for pregnant women, as they can have more sensitive skin and olfactory systems. Some oils can also stimulate the uterus and encourage the onset of contractions. Essential oils can also cross the placental barrier, thus having the potential to affect a fetus. That said, according to the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapy (IFPA) “the amount of essential oil that actually accesses the mother’s skin is very tiny and therefore the amount that reaches the placenta is miniscule if proper dilutions are being used.” Also, according to many authors including Ron Guba, Kurt Schnaubelt, and Chrissie Wildwood have all pointed out that there have been ‘no recorded cases of miscarriage or birth defect resulting from aromatherapy massage using therapeutic applications of any essential oil.
All of that means it is important to know which essential oils are safe to use, when to use them, and how they should be applied. When using essential oils while pregnant or breastfeeding, here are some basic guidelines from the IFPA and other authors to follow:
Below is a list of commonly used essential oils that should be avoided when you are either pregnant or breastfeeding, unless specified otherwise.
Here is a list of essential oils commonly used and are safe for pregnant and nursing mamas. Further below, you will find a list of essential oils that can be used to treat common conditions experienced by women during prenatal and/or postpartum periods.
Condition
Abdominal discomfort |
Essential Oils
Juniper, lavender |
Back and leg muscle pain | Black pepper, sweet marjoram, and chamomile |
Chest Congestion / Cold / Flu | Fir needle, cypress, frankincense, bergamot, lemon, lavender, thyme, tea tree, sweet orange, pine |
Fatigue | Spearmint, grapefruit, lime, sweet orange |
Frequent urination | Sweet marjoram, cypress, neroli |
Hemorrhoids | Cypress, sandalwood, peppermint, sweet orange, lavender, frankincense, chamomile (topical application or in sitz bath) |
Heartburn | Sandalwood, roman chamomile, petitgrain (use in an inhaler or diffuser) |
Insomnia | Lavender, chamomile, sweet orange, sweet marjoram, ylang-ylang, lime, bergamot, neroli, lemon |
Leg cramps | Cypress |
Morning sickness | Petitgrain, sweet orange, mandarin, ginger, peppermint, spearmint |
Sciatic nerve pain | Sweet marjoram, lavender, cypress, black pepper, and chamomile |
Stress/anxiety/fear | Lavender, chamomile, citrus scents, geranium, ylang-ylang, petitgrain, and neroli |
Stretch marks | Lavender, frankincense, rose, roman chamomile, sweet orange |
Varicose veins | Cypress, sandalwood, sweet orange |
Water retention | Petitgrain, geranium, bitter orange |
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