“Honey, why don’t you run to the drugstore and buy me some of that nighttime stuff the doctor told us about. I need something to clear up this congestion and sore throat I got”
As Ace Ventura would say “alrighty then”.
But its really not alright, you know.
Most drugstore meds don’t fix your illness, they just mask symptoms.
Let’s just analyze the typical scenario that plays out countless times in our homes. We get stuffy so we buy un-stuff me 24-hour relief medicine to mask our symptoms.
Got a headache from the flu, alright just pop some gel pills for the pain to float away.
Diarrhea, well just pass the pink stuff, I’m doing pink shots tonight.
A sore throat, “Now Wilma honey you know, ain’t no sore throat my good old doctor hasn’t cleared up with em antibiotics”.
Off we run time after time like sheep to the slaughterhouse. We think that just because the doc said so it must be good. We trust more in the pharmacy tech then we do in our own instincts. Why is that? Now please don’t get me wrong, doctors are necessary as they are great at diagnosing. I trust my doctors completely to diagnose me, but then I go home and in most cases find out on my own what is causing the diagnosed illness and I work on treating it naturally and removing the cause of the illness so that it does not reoccur. Of course, this is solely a decision I have made and in no way am I advising that you ignore proper medical treatment.
The point of this article is to help you draw outside of the lines for a change and not get yelled at for doing so! I want you to start thinking outside of the box.
Seldom do we stop to consider that what we are eating and our environment can be causing our ailments. I was privileged to travel with my family and live in other countries other than the USA. And I have concluded that although we are a great nation full of advances and freedoms we are lacking greatly when it comes to our health. We have become a nation that over medicates instead of over-investigating and thinking outside of the box. When you’re depressed and suffering from terrible migraines you most likely go to the doctor and walk out still sick but with a pocket full of prescriptions. We serve up hard-core drug cocktails in the form of prescriptions whenever a symptom is present and we need relief. I want to encourage you to find out more about your body and what it’s lacking nutritionally. Don’t mask symptoms, strive to find the cause and then work on eliminating the cause and treating the health condition appropriately.
Take migraines for instance. Did you know that mold in your home or work can trigger nasty migraines? Yes, especially toxigenic mold which produces mycotoxins. Most people living in hot humid, damp areas have serious mold issues and don’t even know why they keep getting infections and upper respiratory sicknesses. Here is a list of things that daily toxic mold exposure can cause:
- Respiratory distress, coughing, sneezing & sinusitis.
- Asthmatic signs; wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, burning in lungs, etc.
- Irritable bowel syndrome, nausea & diarrhea.
- Difficulty swallowing & mucus.
- Burning in the throat and lungs (similar to acid reflux and often misdiagnosed as such)
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Thyroid irregularities,
- Migraines & Headaches
- Anxiety/depression, heart palpitations
- Extreme blood pressure, cholesterol, or triglycerides irregularities
- Night head sweats, and drooling while sleeping, profuse sweating
- Nosebleeds (stachybotrys)
- Joint/muscle stiffness and pain
- Irregular heartbeat
There are more things that mold can cause but this would be a very long article if I listed all of them. If you suspect that you have a mold problem you should have the air in your home tested and follow up with your doctor and a knowledgeable immunologist. I’ve been going to many appointments trying to get to the bottom of a few health problems that seem to point to mold in my place of work since our home tested and came out clean.
Have you been feeling down lately, lacking motivation and overly anxious? I know I have been there and done that and if not dealt with these symptoms can be serious and an unhealthy situation for our family, especially for new moms and dads.
The first and most important thing is to find the root cause of our symptoms. We should always try to eliminate the cause before medicating or supplementing if at all possible.
But what happens if your life is a bit like mine and you are on a living roller-coaster all the time? Sometimes we just need a quick fix until we can slow down and determine what is happening to us I’ve listed a few “quick fixes” we use below.
Along with serious prayer and time to reflect, I have found that the following foods/supplements work great for depression and anxiety:
- Rescue Remedy taken several times a day – Check out my post on this
- Cashews
- Ashwagandha and Astragalus (adaptogenic herbs)
- Swiss muesli – eat with organic soy or almond milk
- Non-Instant Sprouted Organic Rolled Oats – add to smoothies, cookie and pancake mixes
- Organic Rose Petals and ginkgo biloba brewed as a tea with honey
- Organic Lemon Balm tea or tincture
- Whole Food Vitamin B Complex
Upset stomach and diarrhea anyone? We use glutamine powder and or activated charcoal to stop chronic diarrhea when it’s been going on for more than 2 days and is related to a flu bug. Glutamine is an amino acid that we have found to be terrific in stopping diarrhea. It also helps the body heal internal and external wounds after surgery. It helps with the protection of muscle tissue, so it’s a must if you work out with weights. Pure fresh Aloe meat is also fantastic for upset stomach, diarrhea, colitis, GERD, indigestion and many other gastrointestinal discomforts.
At home when my husband and I are dealing with a bug we fast. We drink purified water, homemade probiotic electrolyte water and or homemade vegetable broth
No one likes dealing with a miserable cold. congestion and an itchy scratchy throat.
We use oregano, garlic and lemon balm and herbal shots with ginger when we feel something coming on. The most potent brand of Oregano oil I have found so far is called North American Herb & Spice – Super Strength Oil of Oregano. It tastes strong but just a few drops 1 to 3 times per day has relieved us from the nastiest of cold and flu infections. Garlic can be mashed and eaten uncooked in everything when a cold or flu is present. It can also be mashed or pressed and placed in a cup while steeping tea for 15 minutes. Strain off the garlic and sweeten with honey. A good tea to do this with is Thyme as you are doubling your anti-viral, antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-spasmodic properties. For a list of must-haves and how to stock your own herbal medicine cabinet click here
Check below for 2 more parts of this initial article. You might consider subscribing that way you will get an email every time a new article is available. You can subscribe at the top of this page on the right.
