My mom doesn't help me fill out forms. Any forms, applications or paperwork at all was picked up, filled out and turned in by me... nobody else... Part of that whole "growing up" thing. Well, senior year in high school, when I was filling my application for college housing, I was sneezing, using tissue after tissue after tissue, my eyes were stinging and watering. I can't remember if it was a cold or allergies but I ended up having to take a Sudafed.
Well, wasn't that an experience! I got so loopy and could not concentrate. I kept asking my mom this one question but couldn't concentrate long enough to write it down... Yes, I was too loopy. She had me hand over the computer and she filled out my form!
Back to the present: The colds have passed, except for C's random Kleenex's found in certain areas of the house. I thought, however, that I would follow up last week's health post with what herbs I took in place of drugs this past cold. Obviously, I haven't been friendly with Sudafed and look for other options.
Here are two reasons I turn to herbs:
Reason #1:
An herb is found to help cure an ailment. To make this available to the public via a drug, the specific compound in the herb, which plays the main part in curing the ailment, is isolated. The compound is then chemically derived and a drug is made.
An herb is put together in a way that all the ingredients work together to have their effect, in this case curing a cold. When one ingredient is separated from the rest of the compounds, it does not have the assistance of the others. Not only that, but it is also not the real compound. To make the drugs, the needed compound is chemically created.
Reason #2:
A drug is used with the main purpose of hiding symptoms, for example, of a cold. Clear the sinuses, stop the runny nose and relieve stinging eyes. A drug hides these symptoms well, however, doesn't always assist in curing the actual problem.
An herb is different. An herb is used with the ultimate purpose of helping the body fight the cold. A side effect might be clearing the sinuses and relieving the other symptoms. They aren't always immediate but it doesn't matter since the main goal is to strengthen the body's immune system and get rid of the sickness.
That being said...
Here are the two herbs that I used rather than Sudafed:
Give me the real thing and all the healthy ingredients to go with it!
1. D-Hist
Don't mask allergies or colds! This product helps support the sinuses and nasal passageway tissue.
2. Sinupret
This is another herbal medication commonly prescribed in Europe, that supports the upper respiratory system and healthy nasal passages. But it also helps strengthen the immune system.
When you get sick, take all your vitamins, take extra vitamin C, and look into what kind of herbs can help your strengthen your immune system, which will in turn clear your sinuses and nasal passages.
To read more about either of the above herbs, D-Hist or Sinupret, visit the following links: http://www.drhoffman.com/page.cfm/328, http://www.bionoricausa.com/2010/11/sinupret-adult-strength/
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Sick with a Cold=Jack and H2O2
The colds are back and little rougher than the first round this winter season. I was the first to catch it and now it is making its round throughout the family. The Jack Daniels can be found on the kitchen counter next to the tea and honey. And the vitamin cupboard is probably opened about 50 percent of the day.
Obviously from my post during the last cold season, we don't pick the typical methods to fight the bug. No cough syrup and hopefully no Sudafed or Dayquil. Nope. Instead its a spoonful of whiskey, some vitamins, a couple herbs and hydrogen peroxide.
When we take things for a cold, we aren't just trying to make ourselves feel better and hide the symptoms, we try to give our body what it needs to kill the bug and detox. Tea with honey and less than a shot of Jack are to help with throat pain, but when it comes down to actually trying to fight the cold, hydrogen peroxide is one of the places we turn.
First, a bit of history... In 1928, Richard Simmons, M.D., hypothesized that the cold and flu virus come into the body through the ear canal. That's right, not the mouth, nose or eyes, but the ears. His theory was dismissed by the medical community. I, however, think he had a point. When colds are going around, I try to avoid touching my face. I don't touch my eyes, nose or mouth. But I fix my earrings, put my hair behind my ear and I rest my head in my hand... the side of my head and thus next to my ears... I do all of this with the intention of not touching my face. And how many people put a pencil or pen behind their ears?
I think Dr. Simmons had a point. In 1938, German researchers experimented with using hydrogen peroxide the ears in order to fight the common cold. It worked, but their research was and, for the most part, still is ignored.
Here is what they did:
Begin this process within the first 10 to 12 hours of the first symptoms. Evidently, if done within this time period, you might be able to fight a cold off before completely catching it.
Maybe if I grabbed the hydrogen peroxide the morning of the day I pulled out the Jack Daniels for my tea, I wouldn't have gotten the full blown cold and could have fought it off faster! I usually wait till day 2 or 3 when I really start feeling bad to start this. I didn't know to start this process so quickly until I did a little more research for this post. Next year, I am definitely going to have to do this immediately within the first signs of the cold.
Happy cold season...
To read more about hydrogen peroxide treatment in the ears, visit the following link: http://www.purestcolloids.com/no-cold.php
Obviously from my post during the last cold season, we don't pick the typical methods to fight the bug. No cough syrup and hopefully no Sudafed or Dayquil. Nope. Instead its a spoonful of whiskey, some vitamins, a couple herbs and hydrogen peroxide.
When we take things for a cold, we aren't just trying to make ourselves feel better and hide the symptoms, we try to give our body what it needs to kill the bug and detox. Tea with honey and less than a shot of Jack are to help with throat pain, but when it comes down to actually trying to fight the cold, hydrogen peroxide is one of the places we turn.
First, a bit of history... In 1928, Richard Simmons, M.D., hypothesized that the cold and flu virus come into the body through the ear canal. That's right, not the mouth, nose or eyes, but the ears. His theory was dismissed by the medical community. I, however, think he had a point. When colds are going around, I try to avoid touching my face. I don't touch my eyes, nose or mouth. But I fix my earrings, put my hair behind my ear and I rest my head in my hand... the side of my head and thus next to my ears... I do all of this with the intention of not touching my face. And how many people put a pencil or pen behind their ears?
I think Dr. Simmons had a point. In 1938, German researchers experimented with using hydrogen peroxide the ears in order to fight the common cold. It worked, but their research was and, for the most part, still is ignored.
Here is what they did:
- Tilt your head to the side and pour some hydrogen peroxide in your ear.
- Let the peroxide sit. It will find and begin to start killing bacteria and you will feel it bubbling. It may tickle or sting, but it won't hurt.
- After a few minutes, it will stop and then you can drain your ear. If it doesn't stop after five minutes, then drain your ear and repeat with fresh hydrogen peroxide until the bubbling stops.
- Repeat in your second ear.
Begin this process within the first 10 to 12 hours of the first symptoms. Evidently, if done within this time period, you might be able to fight a cold off before completely catching it.
Maybe if I grabbed the hydrogen peroxide the morning of the day I pulled out the Jack Daniels for my tea, I wouldn't have gotten the full blown cold and could have fought it off faster! I usually wait till day 2 or 3 when I really start feeling bad to start this. I didn't know to start this process so quickly until I did a little more research for this post. Next year, I am definitely going to have to do this immediately within the first signs of the cold.
Happy cold season...
To read more about hydrogen peroxide treatment in the ears, visit the following link: http://www.purestcolloids.com/no-cold.php
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Slipping on Ice
Who was affected by the ice storm, blizzard or thundersnow this week? Well, here we definitely got the ice part! Woke up yesterday morning and had to wait 20 minutes for my car to heat up enough to start melting the ice, just so that I could begin to scrape it all off! And our driveway... ice skates might have been nice!
Topics of the day:
So the recognition of everybody's fall (whether they will share it or not...) here is one of my favorite wipe out scenes from the movie "While You Were Sleeping." I laugh every time...
Topics of the day:
- Your wipe out
- How big of a bruise is on your butt?
So the recognition of everybody's fall (whether they will share it or not...) here is one of my favorite wipe out scenes from the movie "While You Were Sleeping." I laugh every time...
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