It’s that time of year—suddenly we’re getting the scratchy throat, the congestion in the head and the achy, tired feeling! We know its coming, we’re adjusting to much cooler nights and mornings, our biological clocks are forced to adapt to the time change, and to top it off, we also have the “Candy Holiday” in which our immune systems are assaulted by large amounts of sugar and we’re  outside in the cold. If we have kids, they’re hit even harder, partly because they’re exposed to all the other germ carriers, but also because their immune systems are new and need to produce antibodies to so many new viruses.

I was hit by the nasty sore throat and cough version last week, so I trotted out all the home treatments I could think of. I was back to my usual healthy self in just 3 days. Here’s a list of home remedies to shorten the duration and lessen the intensity of these colds and coughs:

Gargle with salty water

Drink cups of bone broth with a little salt and as much cayenne as you can stand

Take lots of Vitamin C, chewable and Emergen-C

Clear your sinuses with a neti pot or NeilMed Sinus Rinse

Drink more water and herbal teas

Take hot baths with Epsom salts or other salts

Eat lighter, easier to digest meals

Sleep more!

Rest more!

These are mainly common-sense ways of dealing with sickness, but not all of us are in a position to know about them or remember them. It took me a couple of days of having the sore throat from hell, before I remembered I could gargle! Oh, what relief!

There are great homeopathic remedies that can help with the symptoms of acute colds and flus. Call me so I can find the best one for you or your child.

We'll be studying natural care for colds and coughs at our next Homeopathy Study Group on November 19^th. You’ll learn about specific remedies for the many types of symptoms that you and your family might need help with. Call me at (510) 516-1334 if you'd like to join us.

I want to add that I’m being treated by a homeopath, so I think that also helped me get over this faster. I am generally pretty healthy, in fact this is the first time I’ve had anything like this for at least 2 years. So, making sure you come in for your health maintenance remedy is a great thing to do this time of year. Before you get hit by the latest bug!

Next week: Caring For Your Sick Child