Frugal or not, I’m a fan of home remedies. I’d much rather run to my pantry than wait in a doctor’s office when one of us is sick. I’m not foolish – we make the trip to see the doctor when necessary and I don’t experiment with anything that could possibly be risky. That said. There’s not much that beats snuggling on the couch with a cup of hot tea when you don’t feel well – in my opinion.
The cold and flu season is approaching. My husband was actually sick with a virus of some sort just this week. So I thought we could talk about some home remedies that you recommend or resources where to find them. What do you do when your family gets sick?
I’ve been really fortunate that Chloe doesn’t get sick much. She’s actually never been on an antibiotic before. It’s not because I’m dead set against them, I just don’t run to the doctor every time she gets a fever or cough. I tend to believe that our bodies are resilient and most sicknesses can run their course and heal on their own.
I don’t believe in “grin and bear it” though. There’s no reason to force yourself to feel miserable when there are ways to help ease the discomfort of being sick. Here are some of my favorites for cold and flu:
Hot Tea with Honey
There is absolutely nothing like hot tea on a sore throat. It feels sooooooo good.
A Spoonful Of Honey
For kiddos, like mine, who won’t drink the tea a spoonful of honey is soothing too!
Cool Mist Humidifier
This helps you breathe a little better and sleep a little better.
Vicks® Baby Rub
Maybe this counts as medicine, but I think it works wonders. I like the Baby Rub for adults too because it’s a little more mild.
Ginger/Ginger Ale
For upset bellies. Try adding some ginger to your tea.
I found a cool website recently with home remedies, People’s Pharmacy. I found some cool ideas I’m interested in trying. I’d love to hear yours too. What do you do for home remedies? It doesn’t have to just be for cold and flu. Anything for headache? Dizzyness?
Why I do what I do ~ Chloe asked me a question recently that I didn’t know the answer to so I said, “I’m not sure.” She frowned and said, “I thought you knew a lot.” Not long after, I heard her tell one of her friends that her Daddy is smarter than her Mommy. Man, that was a quick decision. I’ll have to prompt her to ask Daddy a question about health and beauty … 
photo credit: ShardsOfBlue
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I too am a fan of home remedies and ALWAYS try them first. The best remedy I’ve found for winter colds and flu is prevention though. We start taking vitamin D right about now because school starts in two weeks and school is a germ factory. Vitamin D boosts your body’s immune system. People in this part of the country are typically vitamin D deficient because we live so far from the equator. Being D deficient makes you suceptible to ‘all’ sorts of illness and disease. They say you should have your levels checked by a Dr. before taking any D supplements though we never have. It has to be vitamin D3. Since we started doing this we have been sick much less than years past. I didn’t have one cold last year!! When we do get sick we start taking Vitamin C (up to 1000 mg a day) Vitamin C will also boost the immune system. We drink honey and lemon juice (fresh squeezed) in hot water, or just lemon juice and cold water (sip all day) for coughs and sore throats. I’ve given my kids honey and whiskey mixed together into a syrup consistency for night time coughs along with a humidifier in the room. Gargle with warm salt water for sore throats several times a day. If the sore throat is really bad (like when you know strep is going around) we’ve gargled with peroxide which is really gross but very effective, just don’t swallow it. Gargling ‘must’ be done several times a day for several days for it to be effective. Drink LOTS of pure water. Hot steamy showers are great for congestion. Exercise really helps kick the cold, working up a sweat will do wonders for stuffy sinuses and I believe that something about it (hormones, endorphins, adrenaline or something???don’t know what it is..) can speed the recovery time. Also do not eat sugar, sugar is bad for you when you’re healthy but slows healing when you’re sick. Oh and let’s not forget chicken soup!! That stuff is amazing! LOL
Janice, I agree about the exercise – maybe it’s “sweating out” the sickness??
I love this post! We also love tea, honey, and snuggles. Popsicles and salt water gargles are also kid friendly options for sore throats. Any form of liquids are up for grabs when my kids are at risk of dehydration. Because we normally stick to water, white milk, and diluted juice they don’t turn down the offer of a smoothie, jello, juice box, chocolate milk, pudding, popsicles, milkshakes or whatever else we might have on hand. We also take high doses of vitamin D. Prunes are great for constipation and fortunately for me- my kiddos love them! Extra TV time works wonders around here when I’m feeling spread too thin while tending to sick kids or am sick myself.
Prunes are a staple around here too, Kate!