Under the Weather: Remedies When You're Sick

Hello Hapi People!

I hope your week is going well. I know I've been busy but had to take a sick day yesterday. I have caught some kind of cold/flu and just needed to rest. I figured I would share some cold & flu at home remedies while I try to get better.

Let me just start by saying I am not a health expert. I am just sharing with you what works for me. I personally want to use natural remedies because when my body is sick the last thing I want to do is fill it with chemicals. I do take cold medicine but I am just trying to control what is going in my body. These remedies DO work - I have tried them myself. So here we go!

1. Tea! 

I am a big tea drinker - hot or iced, herbal, black, green ... I love it! I especially love it when I am sick. I normally drink herbal tea when I'm sick because black and some green tea is caffeinated, which can dehydrate you. Here I'm just drinking a black tea, English Breakfast. So here is what I do:

 I heated some water in my trusty coffee maker (you can use you own preferred method).

I then added a tablespoon of coconut oil.
(I know that probably sounds gross but you don't taste it.)
The honey and oil coat your throat, helps in stopping cough, 
and helps build up your immune system.  

2. Homemade Cough Drops

Now I know what you are thinking, "I don't want to make anything when I'm sick" ... But, these drops are super easy, only two ingredients and save you from a trip to the store. This was introduced to me by my long time friend and teacher Libby - so thank you Libby! 

All you need is honey, cinnamon, wax paper, a dish to mix in and a spoon.

Cut off some wax paper to your desired size. 

Then take your dish and drop in 2 tablespoons of honey. 

Then add about a tbsp of ground cinnamon.

I eyeballed it

Mix well till all cinnamon is coated in honey.

With your spoon, drizzle mixture onto the wax paper - just enough for about a quarter size. 

Then carefully, because the drops will run, move the wax paper into the freezer.
Leave for about an hour or two, but the longer you freeze them the harder they will be.

They will still be a bit sticky so I suggest cutting the wax paper and licking it off. Please excuse my sick self and towel head lol. These are tasty and the honey and cinnamon will help stop coughing and clear sinuses.

3. Detox Bath

This is a Go-To when I am sick! It is intense but works really well, so I advise you do this (and all these remedies) at your own risk. Sitting in a detox bath helps soothe aches and pains, helps relieve fever, pulls toxins from the body and the hot steam helps open your sinuses. I have two different bath soaks you can try for when your sick or just feeling sluggish. Detoxing in the bath has helped me many times and I love baths so ... double points! Lol

Recipe #1 (I used this one)

I used this first bath soak recipe, which is a combination of hydrogen peroxide and ground ginger. If you are uncomfortable with using hydrogen peroxide, you can use the second recipe. Both are very effective. You can also use less ingredients to make the experience less intense - trust me, it's intense! What you will do is mix the ingredients in your hot bath and soak yourself in the mixture for about 30 minutes. You should begin to sweat, which pulls toxins from your body. I would recommend having water with you and staying hydrated. Again, do this at your own risk but I have done it, its safe. I also add a tablespoon of coconut oil to the bath to moisturize my skin because it tends to get dry when I'm sick.

Recipe #2

4. BRAT Diet & Soup

My mom always told me that when I'm sick, to stick to the BRAT diet. BRAT stands for bananas, rice, apples and toast - basically simple foods that aren't rich that will fill you up. You will also get your needed nutrients. 

I had a banana with my tea.

I would also recommend the trusty, old chicken noodle soup. You can go canned or homemade. I personally love this copycat recipe of Panera Bread's chicken noodle, sooo yummy! (click ingredients & recipe for links)

5. Other Tips

I think if you have browsed the interwebs or had a caregiver like my mom growing, you already know some of these remedies.

 In addition to the above, I recommend taking Vitamin C and Zinc supplements - both help build up your immunity to get over your sickness. If you have a very sore throat I highly recommend Throat Coat tea. It’s an Echinacea tea (doesn't taste good) but it works wonders! As a singer, it has helped me many a times when my throat was sore. I would recommend honey and lemon in the tea to help with taste. 

Also, stay hydrated! Water is the best thing for you. I filled a jug with water to track my water intake. I believe this is about 24 oz. so I am going to try to drink two ... we shall see lol. 

I hope these remedies and tips were helpful. If you are under the weather I hope you feel better soon! 

Peace&Love,

Amy

(All of these are just recommendations - use at your own risk.)