Ginger Tea, OTC Drugs and a Hammock

OK so rest didn’t exactly do it for me on Monday…I did indeed get sick, which was surprising, since I was only a bit run down. I’m pretty good at catching myself when I feel out of balance and doing whatever I need to do to regain that balance. But my body had other plans this week. I always try to pay attention to what’s going on in my body and get the message it’s trying to convey. I guess this week the message was, “Cancel more appointments and rest”. *Sigh*

When I get really sick, it’s usually starts out with a sore throat, then progresses into horrible sinus congestion and pain, concluding with painful chest congestion and horrific, painful expulsion of mucus. Sorry, I know, gross.

Because I am a Holistic Consultant, I like to use natural remedies and prevention to keep myself healthy. When I find something that works well for me, I like to share the information to help others in the same situation. But once in a while, I will get the usual above-mentioned severe cold and need a little additional help.

This time it really snuck up on me – it started with barely a sore throat, which I used Sovereign Silver to treat. (www.sovereignsilver.com I highly recommend keeping this on hand for a myriad of health issues) I felt pretty good on day two so I did my morning workout, and went to the market to stock up on food for my new eating plan from The Belly Fat Cure, Fast Track by Jorge Cruise. But as the day wore on, I felt worse and worse. I know at this point the best remedy is rest – you can sleep off just about any illness if you catch it early enough. I was also craving ginger tea. (Slice fresh ginger into some water, boil, add honey or stevia and yum!) This had an unexpected beneficial effect – being a natural expectorant, the ginger prevented the cold from going into my chest, which is always the worst part, requiring me to sit in a steam shower to loosen and painfully cough up the grossness I already mentioned.

But I must confess that I did resort to the only over-the-counter drug I use in extreme situations – decongestants. I always wait too long, wanting to walk my talk and rely on natural remedies. But finally, as always, I gave in when my head and sinuses felt like they were going to explode and I couldn’t get any of my coveted rest because I was in so much pain and couldn’t breathe.

I hate to say it, but I have tried every natural cold remedy I could find in my many years of research and education, and my conclusion is…they don’t work well. Or quickly. Unfortunately, that is the nature of healing naturally – it takes a little longer since you are actually healing and not just covering up symptoms. But at this point, I need relief from the symptoms so I could function. Taking care of my mom when I’m feeling crappy is not easy. And being Mom, she feels bad and wants to take care of me. The intentions are good but she can’t really do much for me. I don’t know how moms do it with their kids. Thank goodness for senior day care!

I am happy to report that with the aid of some harsh chemicals, my head has cleared up a bit (although I feel totally groggy, but I’m just going to enjoy that for now :) and this has not progressed to my chest thanks to the ginger tea. And I also believe that my new eating plan helped my body stave off the severe symptoms I’m used to.

One final treatment that is incredibly healing for me is getting outside and spending time in my hammock. Being outside, breathing fresh air, getting some sun and enjoying the relaxing, rocking swinging of the hammock give me the zoned-out rest I have been so desperately in need of. I highly recommend a hammock for general relaxation, but when you’re not feeling well, there’s really nothing like it.

I hope my week of misery has given you some helpful information to refer to should you find yourself in a similar situation. But if you listen to your body, get enough rest, eat well and maintain a positive frame of mind, you’ll maintain your balance and feel great.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, restful weekend!

With love,

Tanna

Living Peacefully ™ is written by Tanna Marshall, Author, Holistic Consultant and Personal Coach. If you have any questions or would like more information about Living Peacefully, please contact:
Tanna@living-peacefully.com
www.living-peacefully.com
To purchase your copy of Living Peacefully in a Big City, please visit
Amazon.com
If you’d like to share this article with people you feel may enjoy it, you are most welcome! When doing so, please forward in its entirety, including our contact and copyright information. Thanks and enjoy!