Live to Fight another Day

With the advent of the holiday season a great deal of people feel the pressure to get things done and the stress of the season can take it’s toll. One of the worst things that can happen are stressors. These are things that bombard the body to cause potential illness if left unchecked.

 Stressors include money woes; too much work; cold season and even poor diet. It’s a common mistake to not get enough water during the cold season as we aren’t triggered by thirst as we would be during the hot summer months. But we need water even more when it’s a cold dry climate as this time can be. And a dehydrated body is prone to all sorts of illness. Couple that with a huge inundation of sugar and you have the perfect recipe for disaster.

The most common illness is an upset stomach followed in popularity by the flu or a seasonal cold with headaches coming in a close third. These things are easily preventable with a few common sense steps.

First off; hydration and sleep are the most important things you can do. You might not be able to resist grandma’s sugar cookies but if you eat sensibly with the cookie and drink lots of water with it; you may not get the tummy or headache ache common to this type of eating. AND the added benefit of hydration allows the body to rid itself of a toxic condition that sugar provides and may even help shed those extra calories.

Sleep is the most overlooked and underappreciated thing we do this time of year and I have found that if I have several sleepless nights in a row; I can just mark on the calendar the following week will be fraught with either a cold sore or a cold or both! The body just does not have the reserves that it should if we do not repair with sleep.

The next thing that seems to always happen; especially if we are not eating and sleeping right; is to go to the crowded department stores and catch a virus or bacteria. This is such a perfect environment for illness; a virtual Petri dish of germs just waiting for a home!  So do we avoid these places? Are we to forgo the famous “Black Friday” specials in lieu of good health? It’s not always possible to stay away from those places and it’s not always going to help us keep away from illness. But if we arm our immune system with good food, sleep, water and common sense we can go a long way toward good health.

One thing that we can do if we just don’t have the ability to take as good of care of ourselves is to take herbal supplements to offset the devastating things we do to our body.

 One of my favorite herbs to take is to balance my pH with either Chlorophyll or minerals to help the body’s defense. A body that is alkaline is not going to be a good environment for bugs so pH is paramount to great health. Another thing I always keep on hand and use every day during flu season is Colloidal Silver. I also keep a tube of Silver Shield Gel in my purse for those times when I have to enter a grocery or department store. This is especially true if I know that those places are giving flu vaccines and nasal spray for the seasonal illness. Contrary to popular science information; this CAN cause you to get ill! So I try to arm myself with a shield of silver to offset this potential danger. Please note that this is NOT the same as sani wipes that are so popular. If you use those on your hands; you are basically wiping a pesticide on them! Who needs more chemicals in our body? No one!

If by some chance the flu or other viral or bacterial infection starts to hit; take immediate action in the form of immune boosters such as Elderberry; Garlic, Capsicum, Echinacea or Vitamin C; especially a type called Citrus Bioflavonoid. If you take immediate action followed by rest and hydration you may well find that you will be healthy enough to fight another day; AND without spreading illness to the rest of the family!

So make sure that you fill your medicine cabinet with herbs to help the immune system; your refrigerator with great food and your body with good herbs, water and nutrition and you will sail through this sometimes stressful time of year like a breeze!

The Perfect Medicine Cabinet

When looking at the vast array of herbs in my cupboard and storage I think it looks like the herb store I work at! To people that have seen it and don’t understand how herbs work; probably think I’m a bit of a hypochondriac. This is absolutely false. The thing is; herbs work much different than traditional medicines do. So if you use only traditional meds; you will have only two or three bottles of pills to treat many types of issues. But these medicines are harsh on the body and to an herbalist like myself; very toxic.

So what does the average alternative medicine cabinet hold? I carry many of the same types of helps for body imbalances such as anti inflammatory and stomach help. I tend to get headaches and have something for that as well. I get body aches when I’ve worked beyond my normal exercise routine and a rub for that as well as sleep aids and energy boosters.

The difference with me and the average household is that the herbs; oils, flower essences and rubs I have are not as strong. They may well be more effective than over the counter meds or Rx drugs are; but they take up more room because they are not encapsulated into as small a pill form. So if I take Adrenal Support for tiredness; I take four or five of them in a day. If I need Vitamin C; I eat as many as I can in a day to knock out that cold I’m trying to get. That might be as many as 8 or 10 a day.
This means that my medicine cabinet is bigger than yours.

But although these herbs are not as concentrated; they are amazingly accurate in helping just what I want helped without damaging my liver or causing any other side effect. The most common side effect of over doing most herbs is diarrhea. Which is exactly what the body would do to eliminate anything you take too much of; such as eating 20 apples in a day. You don’t need that much fruit and what does the body do? Eliminate what it doesn’t use.

So one question I’m asked frequently is what should the average person have on hand for every day use in their cabinet?
I decided that there are several things that everyone should have in their cabinet; especially during flu season. Here is a list of suggested herbs, vitamins and other helps that I recommend. Please remember that there are other herbs that work similarly but these are my personal favorites. You might like to talk to a certified Herbalist for advice or feel free to ask me! And remember this is the list I'm using regularly at this time. This varies with the seasons and with issues of health in our home.
Please note; these are Natures Sunshine Products. This is the only company I will use.

Colds:
Citrus Bioflavonoid ( a particularly effective type of vitamin C)
VS-C ( a great help to stop viruses)
Garlic ( a powerful anti oxidant and immune booster)
Elderberry Defense ( immune booster)
L- Lysine ( an essential amino acid perfect to help cold or canker sores)
Colloidal Silver ( anti viral, anti fungal, anti bacterial)

Skin:
Silver Shield Gel ( Colloidal Silver in gel form; use as you would anti bacterial ointment)
Black Ointment ( amazing ointment used for all skin issues)
Golden Salve ( similar ointment to Black Ointment; that has an olive oil base)
Aloe Vera Gel ( perfect for sunburns; scrapes and cuts)

Stomach:
Stomach Comfort ( herbal version of ant acids; chewable)
L- Acidophilus ( a pro biotic; refrigerate after opening to keep culture alive)
Food Enzymes ( a combination of food enzymes very effective to restore flora in stomach)
Papaya Mint ( chews that work as an anti acid)
LB-X ( a mild laxative)
Gentle Move ( a bulk laxative)
Pain:
Capsicum ( the heat of Capsicum will help move toxins in the body to help inflammation dissipate in the body)
IF-C (Chinese combination of herbs formulated to stop pain)
IF ( another version of herb combination to help pain)
Everflex ( ointment formulated to help sore muscles)

Headache:
Lavender Essence ( a few drops on the back of the neck; at temples works wonders on a headache!)
Herbal Sleep ( a combination of herbs formulated to relax)
Chamomile Tea ( the perfect herb tea to soothe)

De toxifying
All Cell Detox ( a combination of herbs that will help the body eliminate poisons)
Activated Charcoal ( capsules of activated charcoal to absorb poisons and toxins)
Tiao He Cleanse (a mild cleanse to boost energy and help the liver and bowels)
Candida Clear ( a cleanse designed to rid yourself of excess Candida Albicans)
Para Cleanse (a cleanse to rid the body of parasites)

NSP also carries a large selection of men’s and women’s formulas as well as herbs especially for the younger set. It would take many blogs to mention them all so I am only putting some of what I have in this feature.

Now to those that are reading this; it seems a lot. And not everyone keeps what I have on hand but I have to say that I use these herbs regularly and I have not been to a physician in years! I use no vaccines for illness; I take no traditional medicine either to prevent it or to stop an illness in play. And yet I’m healthier than I’ve ever been!
And my husband; once a skeptic; is now handing out my cards so fast I’m always out!

So the next time you run out of aspirin or Tum’s please remember that there are great substitutes that will not cause long term damage to the body and are as close as your browser if you wish to get healthy!