5 Conscious Cold Remedies

Posted on Feb 17, 2017 | 0 comments

It seems we are right in the middle of cold and flu season. Thankfully, my crew has so far escaped it, but many of our friends haven’t…

This year, instead of reaching for that nasty bottle of over-the-counter symptom suppressant, why not try to heal and relieve what is causing the problem? Because those ugly symptoms we all experience with a cold actually are a good sign, believe it or not. They are a sign that our immune systems are working, so why should we be suppressing them?!

Check out these 5 simple conscious cold remedies that I use to steer off colds, usually before they start!

5 Conscious Cold Remedies

Honey is one of the most important conscious cold remedies! Honey really is liquid gold. There are so many benefits to honey all around. I like to take/give a spoonful of Manuka Honey every morning and each night before bed when one of us starts feeling sniffly, a sore throat, an ear ache or when a cough begins. Read about Manuka Honey here, in addition to that it soothes the throat to naturally help curb your cough while giving your immune system a huge boost.
Sleep! Sleep is far more important than most people realize – read why you need sleep here. When we sleep, our immune system takes that chance to repair itself. If you don’t sleep, your body can not heal and the cold will get worse. So make sure to head to bed when you start feeling sick and let your body repair itself before it gets worse! I like to use Zarbee’s NightTime Honey cough and cold for the kids. It is a natural, honey based syrup that helps them sleep while kicking their immune system into high gear for ultimate repair.
Get some sun! Read this post on Vitamin D and you will understand why. Vitamin D is integral to our immune system functioning properly and therefore a big player on the conscious cold remedies team. Try to get your body in the sun for at least 30 minutes during/before a cold. If you live someplace where that is not possible, look into Vitamin D supplements or sprays and begin taking them at the first sign of illness.
Make a healing stew. Let food be thy medicine. When one of us starts ‘going down’ I make a simple, but powerful healing stew, basically a chicken soup with a bone broth base. Homemade is so much better than anything canned so if you can, here is an easy recipe that will sooth, heal and kick that illness right out of you. I’m one of those ‘use-what-you-have’ & ‘a pinch of this and pinch of that’ kind of cooks, so I will leave actual measurements up to you, but here is what I do: My Healing Stew
1. 6 Chicken legs, garlic, parsley, filtered water. Boil water with garlic and parsley; rinse and add chicken legs. Boil for 1 ½ – 2 hours.
2. Chop onion, celery, carrots, celery, daikon, parsley and garlic. In large pot, melt butter, add salt, turmeric, and a pinch of ginger and saute these veggies until almost soft. When chicken is done, strain the liquid into the sauted veggies, debone and add chicken.
3. Add more filtered water up to within 4-5 inches of the top and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce to low and let stew for several hours. 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, add noodles or rice.
5. Enjoy and store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days!
To clear congestion: Boil water, pour into a large bowl. Add a few drops of peppermint, eucalyptus, lavender and lemon oil. Lean over the bowl and put a towel over the back of your head. Breathe deeply several times. Pull your head up and gently massage your forehead and sinus area and blow your nose properly. Lean back over and repeat this several times. You can also make a rub for your chest and feet using these same oils and mixing them with your carrier oil (like coconut oil).