In a house with a child, it seems cold season lasts forever.  It’s insane.  My child started preschool this fall, and I’ve never seen so many runny noses, coughing spells, flushed cheeks and overall sickness in a classroom.  And, then it was brought into our home – awesome.  My child caught something, then I got it, then she got back whatever crazy mutated form I had.  It’s like a sick joke.

The good news is that there are natural remedies that work and many times, are more potent than traditional medicines such as antibiotics (which, by the way, ONLY KILL BACTERIA.  NOT VIRUSES.  NOT FUNGUS).  Almost every day I feel I read an article about a super bug that is antibiotic resistant – the result of chronic over prescription of antibiotics and the resulting mutation of bacteria which no longer are killed off by traditional medicine.  I feel strongly that natural remedies deserve a prime spot in our medicine cabinets.  As I’ve stated before, I’m not against traditional medicine when it’s required (we use it).  However, I am for finding and using natural remedies which can help accomplish the same thing in a way that is less toxic for our bodies.

Getting through and conquering cold season is a combination of basic, every day supplementation and general health practices (I’ll call this baseline – I won’t cover this in this blog, but I will in another one forthcoming) and then there is bringing out the big guns for a cold.  I’ll focus on the latter in this blog post – this blog is quite lengthy, but it’s worth it!  To note:  I have a 3 year old toddler – she has been taking the below supplements for 1 – 2 years at this point.  As I’ve stated before, I’m not a doctor, so I encourage you to consult with your own naturopath or alternative pharmacist (see my mention of Pharmaca below).

ELDERBERRY SYRUP
This stuff is the bomb.  I take it and so does my child on a daily basis for preventative measure.  When we are sick, we take it 2x per day.  It’s a natural syrup from the elderberry (genius definition, I know).  It’s an immune booster, and this stuff has been around forever (literally mention of it in Ancient Egyptian times).  Here’s the story – this wonder syrup has proven to help colds, flu, sinus issues, allergies, upper respiratory issues and more.  There are several brands out there – get the syrup (don’t get a capsule with it because generally that is elder flower (not there same)).  I highlight recommend  Gaia Herbs Black Elderberry Syrup – here’s why:  (1)  it’s organic; and (2) the same bottle / formulation can be used for children (over 1) and adults – the dosage is just different so pay attention to the label.  Buy this stuff.  NOW.

WISH GARDEN HERBS

I stumbled upon this brand at a local pharmacy (Pharmaca – get to know this place.  It’s a “traditional” pharmacy as well as an alternative one.  They have brick and mortar stores nationally (a lot in the Bay Area and Denver area), as well as an online presence.  The people working here are an invaluable resource.  Here’s a tip – call a store and ask to speak to a pharmacist.  She / He can provide amazing help with respect to both traditional and alternative medicines for any ailment you / your family may have).  Back to the herbs:   Wish Garden Herbs is an amazing company, based in Colorado, which is women owned (yay!) and family run. The woman who started it is a master herbalist and has been making these herbal tinctures since at least the mid 1980s.  You can buy these at places like Whole Foods, Pharmaca or on the company’s website (I actually suggest you DON’T use Amazon to purchase these b/c it’s a lot more expensive there).  The company has a variety of tinctures for both adults, pregnant women and children, and they have herbalists on staff who can answer any questions you have.  The ones we like the best for children are Cold Seasons (link to the company’s website for this) for kids and Kick It Cough for kids.  When my child is getting sick, I give her two dropperfuls of the Cold Seasons every 2 – 3 hours (listen,  the taste isn’t exactly like a lollipop, but it works.  My child tolerates it well – and, I suggest you just go for it and give your child the two dropperfuls rather than put it in water / juice.  I can’t imagine a child drinking a full cup of something flavored with this).  If my child has a cough or upper respiratory problem, I switch between the Cold Seasons and Kick It Cough throughout the day.    For adults, I like the Kick-Ass Immune (awesome name) and Serious Cough.  (Note:  make sure you buy different formulations for adults and children b/c the strength of the tinctures are different).  Also, I’ve found the tinctures work better than the sprays.

LOCAL HONEY WITH PROPOLIS
First, don’t give honey to children younger than 1.  Why buy local honey?  It contains pollen local to the area in which you live, which can strengthen your immune system (it also is a wonder to help with season allergies).  And, even better buy raw honey (if it’s not raw, it’s heated which actually kills off most of the heath benefits).  Same goes for propolis – don’t heat it (don’t put it in hot water, on toast, etc.).  The heat will destroy the beneficial properties.What the heck is propolis anyways?  It’s a sticky, resin-like substance obtained from a beehive.  This is another one of those natural remedies that has been around forever – specific mention of its medicinal uses date back to Aristotle as well as the Ancient Egyptians.    Propolis has been shown to kill bacteria, viruses and fungus.  I’ll take it!  (let’s all understand that traditional antibiotics only kill bacteria.  That’s it.  Not viruses.  Not fungus).  If you’re feeling really brave, you can get straight propolis extract (only for adults).  It is strong and, I think, very difficult to swallow (hello gag reflex).  So, we get local honey that has propolis mixed in with it.  We adore Bjorns Colorado Honey – it’s a Boulder, Colorado company that makes raw honey in various forms including one with propolis.  When we’re sick, we take a small spoonful of this 2 – 3 times per day (I give my child hers right before a nap and bedtime).

PROBIOTICS

While we take these on a daily basis, I think it’s crucial to ramp up probiotics consumption while you’re sick.  It has been proven that healthy bacteria in our gut is much more important than we ever thought – even moreso if you or someone in your family is on antibiotics which kill off both good and bad bacteria (just make sure to take the probiotic a few hours before or after to ensure your body absorbs it).   Always get a probiotic that is refrigerated – probiotics are living cultures that generally need to be refrigerated to stay alive.  Trust me, I know this can be annoying, especially if you travel (note – work with a naturopath or someone at Pharmaca to investigate which non refrigerated brands are recommended while traveling).My toddler takes a Metagenics UltraFlora Childrens chewable probiotic every morning.  If she’s sick, she gets one chewable in the morning and another with dinner.  If you order this online, make sure it is sent in a refrigerated package, otherwise there’s no point.   I take a variety of different probiotics (switch them a lot to ensure I get a variety of bacteria) including  Megaspore Biotic by Microbiome (must buy through a naturopath; only probiotic I know of which which is antibiotic resistant…when my daughter was on antibiotics, I opened the capsule and mixed it in with yogurt) and Udo’s Choice Advanced Adult’s Blend Probiotic Capsules.  By the way, our digestive tract has over 100 TRILLION bacteria in it – so taking a probiotic that has several billion bacteria is completely tolerable.

GARLIC MULLEIN OIL

This is an ear drop that is used to treat / prevent ear infections.  We use Herb Farm Mullein / Garlic Herbal Ear Oil for both myself and my child.  It has been proven to be more effective than antibiotics and can be used for adults as well as children.  I put 2 – 3 drops in each ear (mine and my child’s) when I sense congestion – usually 2 – 3x per day.  What is it?  It’s basically olive oil infused with garlic.  So yes, it smells like garlic.  But, did you know that garlic is yet another wonder food that kills viruses, bacteria and parasites?  Here’s a tip:  warm up the bottle in your hands or in your armpit for a few minutes (don’t open the bottle until you’re ready to use it) – this will make the liquid runnier and easier to get into the ear.  We use this religiously and it is super effective.

VITAMIN C

There seems to be controversy on whether vitamin C supplementation actually shortens a cold.  From personal experience, I think it does.  For my toddler, during cold season, she chews a Rainbow Light Gummy Vitamin C Slices after each meal.  Here’s why I like this brand specifically for children:  (1)  each “slice” is only 83.3 mg of vitamin C (3 slices = the labeled 250 mg on the label) – this is important because children are more sensitive to higher dosages of vitamin C than adults (diarrhea can happen).  And with this lower dosage, I can better control how much my child gets.  It’s important to know, however, that vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin – basically if you take too much, you pee it out (unlike something like vitamin A which can be toxic at high quantities); and (2) while it probably tastes like candy, there are no artificial sweeteners or colors.  For me, I take 2000 mg of vitamin C daily (in 1000 mg doses; I double this when I’m sick), and I really like Country Life Buffered Vitamin C 1000 Mg Plus 150 mg of Bioflavonoids.

OREGANO OIL
I do not give this to my toddler.  This is something only I take, and I only take it when I’m starting to feel sick / when I’m sick.  I buy it in a capsule form and use the Gaia Herbs Oil of Oregano.  I first became aware of oregano oil years and years ago during the bird flu epidemic.  I flew to China a lot for work (every other month or so), and I wanted to make sure I had something on hand at all times that could kill the nastiest of bugs.  This is it.  It has been proven to kill a wide variety of bacterias, fungi, viruses, parasites and almost anything else you can imagine (including MRSA).  I take 2 – 3 capsules with water a few times a day to kick any of my symptoms to the curb.  The only side effect I’ve noticed, is that if you burp, it just tastes like you ate an Italian meal!

Hopefully this helps a bit.  I’m sure it’s a lot of information.  Here’s a little cheat sheet on a day in the life of my toddler when she has a cold:

Breakfast:  elderberry syrup + 2 – 3 dropperfuls of Cold Seasons (repeat this every 2  – 3 hours throughout the day; alternate with Kick It Cough if respiratory issues) + probiotic + daily multivitamin + vitamin D (will cover in another blog)

Lunch (after):  “herbs, vitamin C and honey!” (2 – 3 dropperfuls of Cold Seasons / Kick It Cough, 2 vitamin C chews + spoonful of honey with propolis)

Before rest time / nap:  2 – 3 drops of garlic mullein oil in each ear

Dinner:  probiotic + fish oil (will cover in another blog)

After dinner / before bedtime:  elderberry syrup + “herbs, vitamin C and honey!” (2 – 3 dropperfuls of Cold Seasons / Kick It Cough + 2 vitamin C chews + spoonful of honey with propolis)

Right before bed:  2 – 3 drops of garlic mullein oil in each ear

As a side note, I am a huge believer in diffusers (put a few drops of organic eucalyptus oil to help with colds / flu), air purifiers throughout the home (will cover in another blog), sitting in a steamy bathroom to clear congestion, tons of water and even more rest. Oh, and one more thing – make sure to get that congestion out of your child’s nose…if not it can lead to an ear infection.  I am a fierce believe in the “snot sucker” – NoseFrida The Snotsucker Nasal Aspirator.  Yep – you’re sucking out their snot.  Don’t worry – you don’t get it in your mouth (how dramatic).  Many kids can’t blow their noses well, and this is an amazing product to really help.  If your child is really congested, spray some saline mist (we like Little Remedies brand – DO NOT use adult nose sprays) into each nostril and then do the sucking – voila!

Love and Peace,

The Almost Green Mom

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