Sage Advice

Ginger and I are both feeling much, much better and we're on the upswing now.  She went outside to play today and I'm back in my office getting caught up on a few things, including this blog.  We were lucky it was just a cold that ran its course and didn't progress into anything worse, as sometimes happens.  "Thank You" to all you *Dear Hearts* who stopped in and gave us those sweet get-well-wishes and sage advice for a speedy recovery.  It was very much appreciated.  For future reference I'm tucking it all under my cap.  Thought it would be nice to share a few bits here for those of you that are suffering now or may succumb at some point.  There's still no cure for the common cold, but some things do seem to make it easier for us.  The first thing I did was take Kitty's advice and made chicken soup.   I never have much of an appetite when I'm under the weather, but chicken soup always seems to make me feel better.  (How true the old adage: "feed a cold, starve a fever ".)   Jen recommended Goldenseal capsules to nip things in the bud, but I only had some in leaf form, so drank tea instead, nasty tasting, but I think it helped.  Will try the capsules next time.  I was also interested to hear, that Kat's grandmother, who was born in a log cabin in 1913, told her that the bag of herbs that my Dutch Grandmother wore around her neck might have been asafoetida. Imagine that!  Perhaps this wasn't so odd afterall.  Brit and her family were treating their colds with warm lemon water and cough drops.  I swear by lemon water!  It alkalizes your system making it harder for germs to survive.  (Read more about that here. ) I drink it on an empty stomach before bedtime and it seems to help me sleep too.  Quite a few people recommended resting.  I'm working on giving myself permission to rest more often.  Why is that so hard to do, especially knowing that it can help prevent illness induced by fatigue.  There were others that hoped it wouldn't spread to the rest of the family; Kim suggested using rubbing alcohol to wipe down sink handles, toilet flushers, and door knobs.  All that reminded me to disinfect the tooth brushes while I was at it.   I run them through the dishwasher with everything else on the sanitize cycle.  So far, no one else has caught it (knock wood).  Airborne was mentioned by both Claudia and Terri who swore by it's effectiveness at preventing colds, although it didn't seem to work for me the few times I tried it.  It's funny how certain things work for some and not for others.  Zinc lozenges also do nothing for me but I know a lot of people find them useful.  I did try Zicam swabs though, and they worked really fast.  I was more than a little surprised by that.  I'll be sure and keep a supply of those in my 'box of tricks' to use the next time I feel a nose tickle or scratchy throat coming on.  They weren't at all unpleasant to use either once I got used to the idea of inserting something in my nose.  Amanda introduced me to this revolutionary treatment program to eliminate allergies that can lead to illness, infections, and nose bleeds, and I'm checking that out now too.   And Kathy reminded me about the benefits of garlic, which we use a lot of around here, so I tend to take it for granted, but it has so many healthful qualities, including boosting the immune system...just don't forget to chew a little fresh parsley with that if you eat it raw or you won't have any friends around for miles.  I have to also mention another remedy for colds and flu, that I just happened to notice on my 2007 Susan Branch calender for October, she says:  "Put a shot of Jack Daniel's in a big mug---add a teaspoon of honey, the juice of one lemon & fill it with boiling water.  Rub Vicks on your chest, tie a sock around your neck, put cotton in your ears, get your kitty, and go to bed with the clicker.  When you feel well enough to eat, have Campbell's chicken noodle soup, buttered saltines, and 7-up."  Yup.  All good advice.  So now that's that.  We should all be up and running full speed ahead soon.  My very best to all you guys out there who are also suffering with the symptoms of the season, get well soon, and hope some of this helps get you back on your feet. 

The pictures?  They're random shots this week from the kitchen.  From top left to bottom; we have the last of our delicious garden cantaloupes filled with frozen blueberries for breakfast.  Birthday flowers from my sister-in-law Janet.  Indian corn the girls grew and just harvested.  Lunch Mexicana style; cheese quesadillas, avocado, and sweet cherry tomatoes from the garden.  I made the refried beans fresh in the crock-pot, which was filled with fresh clipped rosemary and water earlier in the week to freshen, humidify, and purify the air.  (Another great tip!)

Comments

[Suzanne]

Glad your all on the mend! Hope you can get back to creating:-) and enjoying life!

[Andrea]

This post is so timely, we're all sick here too! Thank you for all the good advice, will try some of these things for sure. Glad you're feeling better now, this was just what I needed to see.

[Angela]

Glad to hear you are feeling better -- one word of warning about the Zicam treatments:

http://www.zicamsideeffects.com/claim/zicam-suit.html

Among some users of the nasal spray, it has led to a loss of smell (which also means taste). I do know one of the folks who has had this happen -- so, something to think about.

[Mariah]

Great ideas! I've got the worst cold I've had in years so I will be trying these ideas for sure. Love the rosemary water idea too. Please, would you share how you do your refried beans...I prefer to make them from scratch, but they never seem to taste as good as the canned ones. Thanks!!!

[Jude]

Lot's of sage advise here for colds. The bag of herbs around the neck is called a poltice in Scotland - they are used for all sorts of things and some are used hot. They used to be worn on boils and open sores and so on. I don't know exactly what sorts of herbs that they used though. I'll ask my mum and get back to you.

[sarah]

glad you're on the mend. I've been feeling a bit fuzzy lately, too, and when I woke up Sunday, I knew it had descended - or was descending. I'm not sure yet, we'll see how I feel after today, too.

I'm with you on struggling to give myself a break, but it makes such a difference - especially right at the beginning. I've found even if I still have to work, just shifting my expectations of myself and giving myself permission to not be up to par seems to do wonders.

I also made a pot of mustard greens soup yesterday, with a potato base and spiced with crushed red pepper. yowza! I think that helped a LOT.

[Amber]

Glad you're both feeling better. Give Ginger a kiss for me.

[Claudia]

Wow! You added a lot to my bag of tricks!! Glad you are feeling a little bit better!