Vitamins, Herbs, and Homeopathy… Oh my!

Drugs are everywhere – they are easy to get… they work! Why choose not to use them?

Various pills (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Drugs are synthetic. They are made in a laboratory. When you take them, your body reacts to produce a certain response – but they come with consequences.

You have a runny nose, so you decided to take an antihistamine. It dries up your runny nose, but it also makes you sleepy, gives you a headache, upsets your stomach, give you hypertension…. Hummmm and we were treating a runny nose?

Everyone has heard about antibiotics. You get a cold. You go to the doctor. The doctor prescribes you (and everyone else) antibiotics. You take the antibiotics for the prescribed amount of time. You start to feel better in about a week (the common cold course is about 7-14 days). But now you have the consequences of taking the antibiotics: constipation, diarrhea, yeast infections – all results of the killing of the good bacteria in your gut designed to protect you in the first place.

The common cold is not bacterial in nature – it is viral. Antibiotics only work against bacteria. They are the “go-to” treatment, though. Because of overuse time and time again, we now have anti-biotic resistant bacteria. MRSA, anyone?

Is there another way? Something you can do where you can help you body fight off infection without killing all your good intestinal flora (good bacteria)?

Using drugs is very reactive. I am choosing to be proactive.

When you get sick your body starts reacting naturally to fight off the infection as quickly as it can. By taking medication, you may actually be prolonging your sickness. A fever, for instance, is meant to help your body fight off the infection. It is actually a good sign – it means your body is fighting.

The fever isn’t the enemy – it is your friend going to battle. When your body temperature rises, it changes the environment so that the infection is at a disadvantage. It gives you the advantage over the infection to continue to fight it off.

Our family has decided to put away the OTC meds and use natural remedies to treat and heal us. We want to make our body stronger by learning to react on its own, so then maybe we won’t have to ever take medication. Honestly, when your body is healthy, you won’t get sick. If you get sick often, it is a sign that your body isn’t getting the nutrition it needs.

Aren’t we scared of brain damage with a high fever? A natural fever won’t get to dangerously high levels – the body isn’t going to hurt itself that way. When a fever spikes, it is usually an over-reaction to the use of medication. You get an infection, the body reacts by raising your body temperature, you take medication to lower your temperature, your body is loosing ground against the infection so it raises the temperature more – it is a vicious cycle.

Aidalyn has had a fever maybe twice in her life. The highest it got was 103. We were able to treat it with warm – not hot – baths, peppermint oil, homeopathics… and it came down on its own with time. Her body was stronger after being able to fight off the infection naturally with support than immediately jumping to medication to “fight” the fever.

I am by no means an expert on this, but this is what we do.

We are proactive by eating healthy everyday. We also take our vitamins. I take a pro-biotic for creating a strong good bacterial force in my gut. I take cod-liver oil to strengthen my immune system daily by providing a great source of vitamin D (which most of the population is deficient in to begin with). I am taking several vitamins now from my chiropractor as well.

Now it is game time. You start to feel those tell-tale signs of an infection.

Vitamins. Start by loading up on garlic and vitamin C. I love echinacea too. If our throat is sore – I drink “Throat Coat” tea that I find at my local grocery store. Try to eat as many vegetables and fruits that you can. Put down the dairy – Dairy can worsen colds or allergies because it is “mucous forming.”

My chiropractor just yesterday told me about taking calcium as well when you start to feel sick. So get you calcium in supplement form or from green leafy vegetables, sardines, almond milk, or another non- dairy source.

Essential oils. For headaches, we use peppermint oil mixed with olive oil and rub it into our temples and forehead. For respiratory issues, we use eucalyptus oil and olive oil on our chest or in a humidifier. Tea tree oil is also a great stand by – it is antimicrobial. Local honey, which is antimicrobial in nature, is great for a cough. Warm baths with essential oils in it is great for relaxing and starting to feel better.

Homeopathics. We started using homeopathics with Aidalyn when she is itty bitty because they are safe for all ages. You can do some research as to which ones are right for certain conditions. I bought most of mine on Amazon. They are little dissolvable tablets that you put under your tongue. Hylands is the brand we use the most. Lots of people are aware of Hyland’s teething tablets. Some that I use are: pulsatilla, chamomilla, arnica, and belladonna.

Herbs. I love using Gaia Kids herbal drops for Aidalyn and myself. I found a wide choice at Whole foods and Basic Market in Beaumont, Tx. You can also find them online.

I feel like this can be done in little steps. So the next time you have a headache or a runny nose, think about different ways you can support your body to heal itself rather than putting synthetic drugs into your system that could cause you more harm later on.

What natural remedies do you use? Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear from you!

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