Under The Weather

My throat tickles and I have a general feeling of unwellness. I cannot be sick, I don’t have time to be sick. My thoughts flash to the previous day, I felt so exhausted yesterday. I told myself last night, “you’re going to crash soon.” Now I’m on the verge of panic because I can’t afford the inevitable crash coming my way. I know it’s a cold, I feel it deep within my cells. I’d basically given my immune system permission to crash with my thoughts of an impending crash and fear of being unsuccessful at all my looming “to dos.”

I can’t afford to be sick, but I can’t afford to get more sick. Taking off one afternoon is probably in my best interest. With self care in mind, not the feel good pampering type but rather the ‘I have to be my own mother’ type of self care, I called into work and went straight home.

Being Celiacs, in the midst of healing my gut and terrified of most foods, I absolutely refuse to trust medicines. Even Tylenol is out for me because I’m not trying to further tax my sensitive system, but instead support it and give it a much needed break.

With extreme limitations and few resources, the below steps are what I try to soothe my symptoms and get back on my feet faster.

Step 1: Detox and hydrate (Links below)

• Drink as much filtered water as you can.
• Detox baths including any of the following, and as hot as you can stand it:
  • Magnesium (epsom salt) (I used 1 cup but read your bag label, it should give you bath serving sizes.)
  • Essential oils (tea tree/frankincense have antimicrobial properties) (I used 10 drops for a full tub.)
  • Ginger, fresh ground (I used 2 tablespoons)
  • Apple Cider Vinegar (I used ½ cup)

Step 2: Nourish.

• Healing Nutrients like: (Link)
  • Vitamin D, Zinc, Magnesium, Selenium according to Crystal from Zen functional Wellness
• Foods like (Link)
  • Homemade:
    • Kombucha (link to post)
    • Bone Broth Soup (link to post)
    • Lemon Ginger Root Tea (link to post)

Step 3: Soothe the throat, loosen the cough.

Chewing on some fresh basil leaves, or making a tea by boiling them to get rid of tickly throat.

• Homemade cough syrup - Honey (1Tbs) , Coconut Oil (1Tbs) , Fresh Lemon Juice (1tsp) All in a warm shot glass. You can always try less at a time like a teaspoon of each but this was what I found most effective for my symptoms. I was surprised everytime I did this as my cough loosened and all kinds of mucus came out. I’d do the mixture when the cough started becoming painful and dry again. I wouldn’t try this more than 3 times a day.

(However be warned...coconut oil can have diuretic side effects, i.e make sure a toilet’s close...and prepare to detox).

Step 4: If there’s a fever.

A temperature is another way your body tries to fight infection. By raising the heat your body’s attempting to kill off bad guys.

I let it run its course, watched it but didn’t reduce it. I would recommend you do what you’re comfortable with, maybe try this and just keep an eye on fevers, it shouldn’t be worrisome unless there’s a fever in a child raised above 104, in this case, seek medical attention! For adults, 102 is really considered high so I’d recommend seeking medical attention. (I’ve read that for either 104 really should seek medical attention). It’s up to you if you try fever reducing medicine first, or even a cold bath to change the body’s temperature. For me I really tried to stay bundled and sweat out the cold/fever. My fever was 101 for 2 days during this sick experience and as I run a tad lower than the norm, this was really high for me, so I closely monitored my symptoms.)

Step 5: Rest

This is the most important step because it’s what the body needs; time and space to heal. Think about animals when they’re sick, are they off scampering about? No! They generally go off to a secluded area and rest, sleep, and heal. Let the body heal the illness and give it the space it needs to combat what ales you.

Rest easy apples, be well.

Apple out,

K. Sullivan