The gift of illness

Jewel is sick too.  In her inimitable way she has identified some true blessings that flow from these trials:

"One of the priceless things that God has lovingly sought to teach me throughout the multi-faceted, ever-changing seasons of motherhood, is to quietly let go and flow with the inevitable upsets that occur in life. Things we don't and can't plan for, that of their nature replace other things that might be more pleasant and desirable and what we would have chosen if we had a choice."

Of course we don't have a choice as to whether or not we will weather these storms, only how we choose to respond to them.  We choose to find a blessing or a curse.  She challenges us to discern:

"if my desire is to make it through these times of sickness or sorrow or change, in the soft, gentle way of His grace. The way that nurtures and gives life, peace and rest, rather than the stress, anxiety, and unrest for everyone, that results if we pull and strive against what is, as though it isn't, wishing it were otherwise. 

How very much there is for us to learn, and for each one that we love and care for to learn, in each and every situation that God lovingly allows. How very much can be done even when we're tired and weak, simply by way of loving words and tender affection."

Remember:

"We won't regret it when we move all around to create the time and space for allowance of whatever we find ourselves in the midst of. We can't do everything all the time. No particular situation lasts forever."   Do go read the rest! 

Our favorite remedies:

Netti Pot.  I know.  Don't tell me.  It's gross.  The very thought is appalling. Just saying, it's natural, it's cheap, it's non-toxic, it works.  And fantastically well at that.  It is also a blessing for those who suffer from allergies. 

Zicam.  Really does help if you get it at the very first sign. Not foolproof but we have had several 'almost' colds prior to this that were headed off successfully.  The little bitties won't/don't use it though so if they get sick and cough on us there is no guarantee.

Grapefruit seed extract.  LOVE this stuff.  LOVE it.  Kills just about any bad thing it seems. Tablets or capsules go down better than the drops which are astoundingly bitter. 

Olive leaf extract.  

Garlic.  Raw is best.  Don't plan to socialize while using this treatment. Upside?  No vampire trouble. 

Hydrogen Peroxide.  A drop in each ear. I can't say why this works.  Just does. And yes, some sites will warn you against it. We aren't deaf yet, if that helps, and no one here who is willing to do it has had an ear infection since. Still, I am not a doctor.  I am not giving medical advice.  Just sharing. 

Comments

[Monique]

Great remedies. I love hearing about what people use for natural remedies. I've never heard of the hydrogen peroxide for ear infections. I've used breastmilk and garlic mullein drops with great success. When the breastmilk is no longer available I'll have to change my remedy though! LOL

[Sue]

I had never heard of a Netti Pot, but we have been "snorting" salt water for years -- ever since my ENT from childhood confided that that's how he keeps from getting everything his patients bring into the office. He does the nose wash at least three times a day, and says that he rarely gets sick. When I remember it I start doing the wash from the time the first kid gets a cold.

We also use lots of garlic. I cut it in tablet sized pieces and swallow it. You just have to be careful not to over do that, and I don't recommend it on an empty stomach. As soon as any kid complains of an achy ear he or she gets a peeled garlic clove stuck in it (just make sure there are no cuts in the clove, so that juice doesn't get on the skin). We have not had a single ear infection in our home since we started doing that a couple of years ago, and believe me we had lots of them before that. A couple of my kids got my bad ear genes it seems.

Those are our two favorites -- so easy and really effective.

[Jennifer]

I sought this post this morning as it seems everyone is getting worse instead of better after two weeks. My husband brought us the GSE and we all had a bit in our juice this morning. Thanks for the tips.

[nadja]

Use much of what you do. I don't do a nasal rinse, but use a zylitol nasal spray during cold season. I haven't tried Zicam (kind of pricey), but I use a combination of ionic zinc, vitamin C, garlic and echinacea at the onset of a cold, and it often nips it in the bud. My kids don't handle tablets well, so we don't use GSE much, except for sterilizing our milking equipment (we must get some in our systems, as we don't rinse the jars after sterilizing). I use deodorized garlic, as I am very sensitive to the smell of it coming out of someone's pores! And hydrogen peroxide, if you can stand it, is a great gargle for a sore throat. Yes, it fizzes and foams and will make you want to gag, but I have fought off severe sore throats with this method. Good post! Thanks for sharing.