Colds

I haven't been sick in SO long, but I have been burning the candle to bits (can there be more than 2 ends on a candle!?) Anyway, the whole family has not been sleeping well because of crazy schedules and unexpected business trips my dh has had to take. Furthermore, with all the craziness, we have not been eating as well as we usually do. This of course weakens the immune system.

So, what am I doing?
Lots of Red Raspberry Leaf tea! We also had some Onion Soup using this recipe from Herbal Legacy. YUM! We made some garlic bread using Ezekiel bread (no flour which is mucus forming and would keep us sick longer) with half a head of garlic pureed with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Dh and I crushed a clove of garlic into each bowl of soup we ate. Then, I roasted a head of garlic and ate 2/3 of it myself- YUM I will stink of garlic tomorrow but I don't care. It was tasty and my body needed it!

The kids ate the garlic bread and the onion soup. They didn't want any extra garlic, but the pot had about 5 cloves pressed in just before serving, so they definitely got some good raw garlic.

I have also taken several doses of Dr. Christopher's Super Garlic Immune. That is the nastiest tasting stuff but it works. And, especially since I haven't been able to just sleep all day like I did when I was a kid, it has helped me feel well enough to get my kids their meals, etc.

What am I not doing? Or in other words, what would NOT help me get better?
I am not stopping my fever. Fevers are beneficial to the body and they help the immune system to work better. Here is an article in New Scientist supporting this. As an aside, when this was written this might have been "new" information to the AMA but herbalists have been saying this for at least the last 70+ years. Dr. Christopher taught that wet fevers heal and dry fevers kill.
So, I have been keeping bundled, drinking lots of fluids, taking HOT showers, and drinking HOT liquids.
I am not taking a decongestant or OTC cold remedy. These stop up the body's elimination channels in the respiratory system and don't speed up healing. Your body is eliminating the dead viruses or bacteria and other toxins through the mucus. Let it out!
I am not eating sugar, flour, dairy, meat, or anything processed. I am eating, when hungry, lots of raw fruits (cleansing and laxative to keep the bowels working) and liquids and the foods listed above. All of these are mild foods which heal!