KAWARTHA LAKES-It seems like the last few weeks every single person I spoke to had some type of cold, flu or illness. Despite our best efforts, the seasonal cold and flu can be hard to avoid. With the season changing, and the temperature constantly fluctuating, it’s easy to see why our bodies are run down and getting sick! I am someone who hardly ever gets sick, so when I do get sick, I look to holistic remedies to make myself well again and to alleviate the symptoms of muscle aches, fever, and a cough.
Last week I even discovered some new ones! If you are feeling under the weather this week, I hope you can find some relief in some of these natural remedies.
1)Hydration
This one seems super obvious, however, when you are sick and your throat is sore, isn’t it difficult to remind yourself to drink? When we are sick, our bodies are working overtime to make us well again. Flood your body with fluids so that you can flush germs out of your system. I like to look at my morning litre of water as an “inner bath”-we bathe ourselves on the outside, but why not bathe your insides? Take one litre of room temperature water, add some freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and a pinch of sea salt and chug it down! The lemon will help to alkalize your body, the cayenne will help you to get rid of mucous, and the sea salt will remineralize you.
2)Sleep
Another very obvious suggestion, but essential to getting well. As a busy person, it’s hard for me to force myself to take a nap, but these are essential to getting yourself better! Even if you only lie down and rest for 20 minutes a few times a day-this will speed up recovery time. To ensure you have a good sleep at night, prop your head up on a couple of pillows, make your bedroom very dark, put magnesium oil on your feet before bed, and have your “cold essentials” on your nightstand: water, Kleenex, chapstick, and lozenges.
3)Epsom Salt Bath
An Epsom salt bath is a great way to aid the body in detoxification-plus it’ll soothe your sore muscles. Some people also suggest making your bath water very steamy and hot to help you to really loosen up mucous and sweat it out. Add your favourite essential oils to your bath water. Some great ones for cold and flu are: rosemary, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, tea tree, and cinnamon.
4)Apple Cider Vinegar
This is one I hadn’t tried before but it worked wonders for bringing down my fever! I always knew ACV was great for digestion when added to a glass of water, but I did not know it was so effective in bringing down your temperature and making you feel well. Adding one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to your water helps to alkalize the body, and works to reduce a fever quickly.
5)Elderberry
Many people consider the elderberry plant one of the most potent cold and flu preventers, but I had not tried it until last week. I found it to indeed help with my cold and flu symptoms specifically my sore throat and cough. You can take elderberry as a tincture or a lozenge. Look for it at your local health food store!
There you have it-5 Natural Cold and Flu remedies, I hope they help you to beat that cold fast so you can get back to feeling your happiest, healthiest self.
Becky Sheehey is a Holistic Health Coach, and a Pilates and Movement Expert with a background in Kinesiology. She lives in Lindsay.
 photo credit: William Brawley Day 59, Project 365 – 12.18.09 via photopin (license)
