Having a large family we always try to make sure to take care of our bodies and keep us running healthy. Getting a cold or flu symptoms can take out the whole household. We fully believe that what you eat and put on your body affects how your body will respond when you do get sick.
Nothing here is medical advice. This is meant to be educational as to what we as a family use. Please speak to your trusted healthcare provider.
Sometimes you just can’t stop the cold symptoms from entering the home. We always have a tincture or homeopathic remedy ready to go in case of cold symptoms.
We tend to stick to the more natural side of things when it comes to our health and daily lives. Less synthetic, more made from nature. Of course we have a bottle of dye-free ibuprofen readily available in case the fever gets too high or the kids just seem way too uncomfortable. But in our past experiences since we’ve become more naturally minded, we have not had to reach for that bottle except when Elijah was pretty sick back in October of 2021.
Herbs and homeopathy support your body’s needs. Taken at the first sign of illness they tend to help out better. They won’t suppress your symptoms, but work WITH your body to support it through allergies, cold/flu, etc.
In our household, depending on the first symptoms depends on what we reach for first. Generally on hand is local, freshly made elderberry syrup. We set a timer for every couple hours and give what we feel is appropriate. If one person in the house is not feeling well, then we make sure everyone else is also getting their daily dose of elderberry syrup. Elderberry has so many great properties, not just for cold and flu like symptoms, but also for allergies. Please be sure if giving to children under one year of age you make sure the elderberry syrup is made WITHOUT honey, as honey is not recommended for children under one year old.
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Next up that is great for all ages 6+ months, is Earthley’s Feel Better Fast. It is a herbal tincture that can possibly help with headaches, sniffles, and fevers. We really like the tinctures because they are easy to use as they are liquid. So a few drops here and there throughout the day, and if someone does not like the taste, we can hide it in some orange juice. Generally if a tincture is made with alcohol, it will taste strong, or as our kids say, “spicy”.
In addition to having cold symptoms we like to have ColdCalm by Boiron. They have ColdCalm Baby, ColdCalm Kids and ColdCalm. It is homeopathic and can help with symptoms if taken at the first sign of symptoms and taken consistently. We really like the ColdCalm Kids because the dosage is a liquid and easy to give to all the kids.
If we feel like the symptoms are leaning more ‘flu like’, we immediately do the elderberry syrup and Boiron Oscillococcinum. Boiron Oscillococcinum for relief from Flu-Like symptoms such as body aches, headache, fever, chills, and fatigue. Again, being homeopathic, it is very important to take at the first sign of symptoms and take them consistently. This has been readily available in our local pharmacy and even big box stores.
A cough relief we turn to since all of our kids are over the age of one, is local honey to soothe the throat. Sometimes we like to add Earthley’s Cough-B-Gone (safe for ages 6+ months if using the kid’s formula). Cough-B-Gone can help soothe sore throats, loosen and remove excess mucus, and promote lung health. We do not like cough suppressants as it is better to loosen and get the yucky stuff up and out. So unless the cough is interfering with sleep, we stick with honey for the more throat soothing aspect.
Earthley has a lot to offer, including their Breathe-Well-Salve. This we rub on the chest and/or feet at bedtime, and it can help with respiratory symptoms. Think of it as a cleaner version of that jar of menthol stuff everyone buys when stuffed up. Breathe-Well-Salve is made with Lemon essential oil, Rosalina essential oil, Balm mint bush essential oil, Clary Sage essential oil, Apricot oil and Candelilla wax.
Simple, clean ingredients you can actually say out loud.
Two more things we always add in for sure when cold and/or flu symptoms hit the house besides the elderberry syrup, is Zinc and Vitamin C. The liquid Vitamin C is made from an all natural source, organic acerola. Mary Ruth’s make liquid Vitamin C in a big bottle for the whole family and they also have a bottle specifically made for a dosage for Infants and one for Toddlers.
Same thing for the Mary Ruth’s Liquid Zinc, they have a bottle for most ages and adults, a toddler specific and an infant specific bottle. It also comes in unflavored and Strawberry Lemon. We like to buy the unflavored, as we can sneak it into juice or if we make homemade popsicles.
Bonus: Chiropractic Care for cold and flu
If you have a chiropractor’s office near you that accepts the whole family, we highly recommend it! Our kids love going to “the back doctor” and will ask to go when they get hurt, when they don’t feel well, or make up an excuse just to get aligned. When your body is all aligned it functions properly. When you are sick, getting adjusted can boost your immune response and can help your body fight the illness quickly. Not all chiropractors are equal, find the one who best fits what you are looking for.
This is just a glimpse into what we reach for when needed. Most of the time we won’t use everything for one thing; like ColdCalm AND Oscillococcinum, it would be one or the other. We switch it up as needed or add more for specific symptoms.
We hope this has been helpful to see what we use as the basics for when someone in our household starts not feeling well. Being proactive is the best; eat real food not prepackage. Most over the counter cold and flu meds will suppress symptoms, and do not work towards getting your body healthy.
Rest. Hydrate. And support your body’s needs.
And remember, none of this is medical advice.
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