We have been battling illness in our home for a month. Seriously I think we could have only had to use a couple of things in the below picture had we the opportunity to do this all correctly. You see our TBA practitioner was beyond booked. So she did what she could based on what others in our family were experiencing. It's not a sure bet when she does that, but I was desperate to get us well without antibiotics. Antibiotic are well known to suppress your immune system. Due to the stress and unhealthy diet we were having over the last couple of months our immune systems were already suppressed, which is why we got so incredibly ill. I believe with some extra vitamins and the proper TBA we would have been done in a few days...and no I am not joking. Or if we had the money, which for some reason does not grow on trees around here, we could have seen the homeopathic doctor. Homeopathy is amazing as well. If caught early and with the right remedy you will be feeling better in a few hours. Not back to normal, but clearly better, and by the next day after some good rest you should be back to your own self. But we didn't have that option either so we had to do all of the following. Now, would it have been easier to do antibiotics? YES!! However there is a price to pay with antibiotic AND natural alternatives. With the natural way you pay now (in time), with the antibiotics there is a now (suppressed immunity) but also a later price to pay. Antibiotics of course wipe out a lot of your good bacteria, which play multiple roles in your gut, one being a part in your immunity. There are a lot of health problems from antibiotic that do not present themselves until years later. Am I against antibiotics? No, but I certainly do not believe they should be your first choice. So here are some things we did to get ourselves well:
A Apple cider vinegar, baking soda and Epsom salt
We used these in the bath. Do not use the Epsom salt or baking soda if you are dehydrated. The vinegar will soak into your skin which is helpful when little ones won't take it by mouth. We also used the Epsom salt to soak Flannery's infected scratch. We had ALL sorts of secondary infections going on around here! I also alternated soaking with hydrogen peroxide (C), and some oil of oregano (I) as a topical afterwards. Make sure to dilute your oil with some olive oil.
The baths were taken three times a day. I soaked Flannery's foot twice a day.
B
Nasal wash
This was very helpful in battling my sinus infection. I had been afraid to use this in the past, but I was desperate enough to give it a go. Wow, it really helped to clear my sinuses up! I did this three times a day only in the last few days, as I was too afraid to use it sooner.
C
Dixie cups and food grade hydrogen peroxide
The Dixie cups were indispensable! We used these for our gargles and colloidal silver. With what we had there was no way I was going to let the germs keep passing on to each other, and every cup would have had to been washed in the dish washer before each use. We don't have enough cups for that to happen, so I bought a couple of boxes of Dixie cups.
Next to the cups is the food grade hydrogen peroxide. This must be diluted. We diluted it to 5% for our gargles. I bumped it to 10% for my gargle and for my ears. However I watered it down to only 1-3% for my sinuses. Anything higher would have burned like crazy in the sinuses. Only I did the ears and sinuses. The girls just gargled with it. We did these hourly.
D
TBA remedies and colloidal silver (in large container)
Each hour we took the remedy, unless it was time for the silver. The silver was taken 5 times a day. So one of these was taken every hour.
E
The book, "Practical Homeopathy", my home kit (containing 50 remedies) and a remedy bottle.
Jonah and I came down with ear infections this past week. Jonah's was a clear and cut case. He woke up one night soon after we put him to bed. He was pulling and rubbing both ears, crying, and one of his ears was bright red. I then noticed that I could not put him down without him losing it, and that the only way he would settle is if I rocked him. I got out my book and found that he fit two remedies. I made them both and alternated each every hour. The next morning he awoke totally fine!
F
Essential oils
We used two, lavender and eucalyptus. These were put into just boiled water, then we draped a towel over our head and inhaled. Be careful as these are strong at first. Make sure to keep your eyes closed as well. When you exhale make sure you exhale to the side, and not into the bowl. Only Jeremiah and I used this as just boiled water is not safe around children. This really helped to open up the sinuses and lungs. We did this only when we remembered to :-)
G
Good bacteria, raw apple cider vinegar and baking soda
The good bacteria, again plays a role in your immune system, so you want to keep their numbers up.
Apple cider vinegar is believed to help all sorts of ailments. It can be hard on the stomach. Which is why the baking soda is there. Put one to two TBS of apple cider vinegar in a cup and add 1/4 of a tsp of baking soda. When it is done fizzing you can then drink it. To make it more palatable, water it down or add juice or a little juice concentrate.
H
Vitamins C, D and zinc
Please look into the following information for mega doses of vitamin C and D.
Vit C
Vit D--look for articles on amounts to take and about vitamin D's role in having the flu.
We took these hourly, amounts varied depending on their age. we have cut back to about every 2 or 3 hours. You don't want to be taking mega doses of vitamin C and then suddenly stop. You will have a rebound effect. Stopping suddenly will mess up you immune response. The C helps to support your immunity, it gets it pumped up and then if you suddenly take that "food" away...well your immune system isn't happy and doesn't know what to do then. So cut back slowly.
I
On the left is Ear Oil, on the right, Oil of Oregano
I put a few drops of ear oil in my affected ears at night. The oregano oil was diluted (IT MUST BE DILUTED) and put on the back of the ear, and the surrounding area. I also used it on Flannery's infected cut.
J
Ibuprofen
Much needed with some pain that we each had. Again, had we been on top of all of this from the very beginning with the TBA or homeopathy it wouldn't have been needed.
K
Garlic
I had read that by cutting a clove in half and holding it right outside the ear canal could take care of an ear infection. I remembered this only after day 5 or something like that. Best results are obtained if used at the first sign of infection.
I used this helpful chart for acupressure. It made my sinuses run clear. Results vary depending on what you have going on, and of course how long it takes to work varies as well.Not pictured:
Humidifier
Important to have in the dry winter months. Make sure to clean it often, as they can harbor mold.
Chiropractor
After doing multiple treatments for my ear, and not getting better, I went to the chiropractor. Two hours after her adjustment my ear opened up and drained. However I used the oil of oregano improperly and I think I damaged my ear tissues, resulting in inflammation making it impossible to clear my infection. I am now taking a homeopathic remedy which should clear things up. I am really, really looking forward to that!
I am going to make a video on two techniques I learned from the chiropractor. But for now I have children to round up and some cleaning to be done.
Oh, and we also needed to change our diet. We went sugar and dairy free. Boy that was hard at first. But it was necessary. As a side benefit Flannery's hyperactivity has noticably lessened!
I don't know about you, but I am sick of all this sick talk :-) So to end my post I will share with you something I have been working on for Saoirse. I have made all the other girls and Jed a blanket so far. I had a hard time getting the right combination of yarn and pattern together for Saoirse. But we came up with a winner. It is not complete yet, but almost. And yes, that is our Christmas tree in the background. It is our custom to take it down the weekend after New Years. But we were ill, so it has had to wait.
*Sorry for the extra spaces and the bold font, I have tried to correct it, but it won't do what I tell it to do! I didn't bold those words on purpose in item D.
