FRUGAL HEALTH TIP #4: FIGHTING COLDS AND FLU

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The cost of doctor visits and prescription drugs is unfortunately, beyond the means of many Americans today. Wintertime colds and flu can cause lost days from work, and make a body feel miserable, so I have complied some frugal, effective ways to alleviate those rotten symptoms. Why not give them a try?

Drink hot liquids. They relieve congestion, prevent dehydration and soothe inflamed membranes that line your nose and throat.

Take steamy showers. You will feel relaxed and your nasal passages will clear and your lungs will open up.

At bedtime, sleep with an extra pillow under your head. It will help to drain your nasal passages.

To calm a chronic cough, dissolve in one cup of boiled water, one tablespoon of honey and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon. Taken periodically throughout the day, it will also clear out your sinuses.

To alleviate a sore throat, and eliminate hoarseness, dilute the juice of one fresh lemon in one cup of boiled water. Gargle with it several times a day. It will also help with canker sores, or lesions inside the mouth.

To ease the ache of the flu, take a nice warm shower or bath. Add 20-30 drops of lemon oil to one cup of sunflower oil and massage it well into your skin. Cover yourself with a good blanket, and go to sleep. By morning your aches and pains will be gone!

For respiratory ailments such as cold, asthma, bronchitis and sinusitis, put a few drops of tea tree oil in your vaporizer. Inhale the steam and you will feel wonderful, blessed relief!

Here are two food remedies to try:

Eat plenty of garlic. It has anti-bacterial and immune boosting properties. You can eat it raw in garlic bread and in salads, or infused in vinegar for cooking.

You can also try this quaint suggestion, handed down for generations by little old grandmas!

Crush a few garlic cloves and cover them in olive oil. Let them soak for about half an hour. Rub the garlic oil onto the bottoms of your feet, cover them with warm socks, and go to sleep. The garlic is absorbed into the bloodstream and carried to the lungs, where it does a wonderful job of clearing out congestion. You may have a little garlic taste in your mouth on rising, but a good tooth brushing should take care of any unpleasant odor.

Make this effective tea:

To a pot of boiled water, add a one inch piece of grated ginger, four tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and three tablespoons of honey. Cover and let the mixture steep for about 20 minutes before drinking it. Ginger and honey are great immune system boosters, and lemon juice is a good source of vitamin C.


Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making.
Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com