I took a lot of antibiotics as a kid, and as a result, my immunity is not the best, especially for catching airborne and respiratory gunk.
For most of my life, I catch 2-3 full-blown sinus infections a year.
But when I started to eat a whole foods diet, I learned a lot about using food as medicine and Ayurveda, the traditional medicine system of India.
I am happy to report that over the past 6 years or so, I rarely experience sinus infections and am able to stop the sniffles, cold, sore throat, flu, bronchitis, and sinus infections before they start.
The key to this holistic home remedy is to take it as soon as you feel you may be coming down with something.
The more body awareness you have, the easier you will be able to identify when you start to feel a cold come on, take action, and not deny it.
As soon as I feel a scratch in my throat, the body aches, my head and nose go just a wee bit stuffy, I make these remedies and take them immediately.
You may not find them tasty, but they have been extremely effective for me.
- Eat one clove finely chopped fresh raw garlic. I put mine on a cracker or 1/2 piece of bread with a little olive oil and himalayan salt to help digestion and make it more palatable. Raw garlic is antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral. Garlic’s got you covered. I usually eat one clove a day for 2-3 days, depending on if I still feel a potential sickness creeping in. Yes, your breath will wreak, but I find it is worth it!
- Drink my ‘I can’t get sick now’ liquid concoction! I drink this 2x/day until I feel all potential symptoms have subsided. Combine:
- 6-8 oz warm water
- juice of 1/2 fresh lemon (lemon’s Vit C and flavonoids protect against infection)
- 1 tbsp organic Bragg’s apple cider vinegar (antibacterial properties – you’ve got to purchase organic Bragg’s with the apple bits at the bottom – the regular filtered kind at the grocery store won’t be effective)
- 1/2 tbsp raw, unfiltered honey (the bottle must say raw – this means that it is unfiltered, untreated, and unpasteurized. Raw honey is antiviral, antibacterial, and anti fungal. The ‘regular’ honey in the bear bottle is sub par and won’t be effective.)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (turmeric has anti-inflammatory and is a powerful antioxidant. Be careful with your kitchen counters – this stuff stains!)
- 1/2 inch peeled fresh ginger slices (ginger is anti-inflammatory and a powerful anti-oxidant. Snap off 1/2 an inch, peel it, slice thinly, and seep in your drink)
- Combine one drop of tea tree oil in 6-8 oz warm water with 1/2 tsp salt. Let salt dissolve and cleanse with a neti pot. Neti is not for everyone, and I seldom use it anymore because I had a bad experience with water getting in my ear. I can’t recommend this, but I’ll tell you what I do instead and then you can decide. I actually will gently snort this concoction one nostril at a time from a spoon. Just a little is enough until I feel it trickle down the back of my throat. One drop of tea tree is all you need – this stuff is strong! I also dab tea tree oil on my throat, chest, and outer corners of my nose mixed with a little organic sesame oil.
These are the 3 remedies I use as soon as I feel the first tickle in my throat or nose. It’s been extremely effective for me, prevents me from getting sick, and also prevents me from having to take antibiotics and potentially un-do all the positive changes I’ve made with my digestion and gut flora (and yes, I would take antibiotics if I needed them).
It stinks to get sick, and if you can stop the sickness before it takes hold of you, that is one less thing to manage or stress about.
Food is medicine. Food as medicine. Give it a try!
Be Well,
Angela
