11 Things You Need To Soothe The Flu or Cold

Today I’m sharing 11 things you need to soothe the flu or cold. It’s that time of year that I am starting to hear the coughs and sniffles everywhere I go. Is it an allergy or is it the flu or a cold? Sometimes it’s really hard to tell which one it is for sure. Last week I had a friend call me who I feel is my “adopted son” because his mom passed away a few years ago. I love this young man and his sweet family.

He asked me what to do because he had been sick with nasal issues and coughing a lot. I’ve listed below some suggested approaches to consider. Now, remember I’m not a doctor, nurse, or in the medical field. We must do our own research and do what is right for our family. I’m sure I have told you before I go to the doctor once a year, I feel I can listen to my body and heal it myself, in most cases.

What I Use For the Flu or Cold

I’ve had pneumonia a couple of times and was in the hospital with it years ago. Since that time, I have now learned a few techniques to heal my body before it becomes pneumonia. This does not work for everyone, I get that. When in doubt go to the doctor. I often wondered why in this day and age people are dying from pneumonia. My doctor is also a close friend and I asked him once why are both the young and old dying from pneumonia. In some cases, he said their oxygen level gets so low that they go to sleep and they don’t wake up because they don’t have the strength to continue breathing.

There are bacteria and viruses that are game changers as well. Here’s the deal, a light bulb turned on in my head when he told me the breathing story. When my girls were toddlers the doctor would ask me “Is their breathing shallow and labored”? The doctor would then tell me whether I needed to come into his office right away or wait a few days.

1. Chicken Soup by Food Storage Moms:

Do you love a hot cup of chicken soup as much as I do? You will love my recipe, I promise.

• 2 cans of chicken (12.5 ounces each) drained, or substitute 2 cups of cooked diced chicken
• 6 cups water
• 1/4 cup Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base or substitute 6 cups of chicken broth Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Chicken Base, 8 oz
• 3/4 cup freeze-dried onions or 1 fresh onion chopped into bite-size pieces
• 3/4 cup dry dehydrated carrots or 1-1/2 cups diced fresh carrots
• 3/4 cup dry freeze-dried celery or 1-1/2 cups diced fresh celery
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried sweet basil
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 package Grandma’s frozen egg noodles (11 ounces) cooked and separated as directed, or boil your pasta of choice
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup undiluted (optional)

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker, BUT add the Grandma’s Noodles for the last two hours or they will be mushy. PRINTABLE RECIPE: Enjoy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup by Food Storage Moms

2. Water

Drink water to keep yourself hydrated. One sign of being dehydrated is shiny and cracked red lips. Keep drinking water or Gatorade.

• How to Use Rain Water at Home
• Is Tap Water Safe to Drink?
• Water Storage: How Much Do You Really Need?

3. Wash Your Hands

I can’t state how important this little item is! Please wash your hands and wash your hands. I’m glad to see that schools, clinics, and hospitals have those containers on the walls to use with instant hand sanitizer. I REALLY wish the churches would do this as well. During the flu and cold season please do not shake hands and pass the germs around. Am I the only one that worries about this? Please share your comments about this one so I can add them to my post. Why You Should Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer + DIY Recipe

4. Use A Vaporizer or Humidifier

I started using a warm vaporizer because for me they work better than the cool mist humidifier. Which one do you prefer to use? Here’s the one I just took to someone: Vicks 1.5 Gallon Vaporizer with Night-Light It’s cheap and I use it all winter when the furnace runs.

5. Neti-Pot

Here’s the deal with a Neti-Pot, you must use clean water that is not contaminated. I see reviews on these sometimes and I think, really people, use clean water not contaminated water. The water is going into your nasal passages to open them up so you can breathe easier. SinuCleanse Nasal Wash System, Plastic Neti Pot With Salt Packets I love mine! I have reverse osmosis water so that’s what I use.

6. Essential Oils

I use essential oils all the time. I will make a disclaimer here, they will not cure anything. They will soothe and make you feel better, but if you feel like you need to see a doctor, do it. Enough said about that. Now, let me share my favorite ones I use all the time.  I use Lavender, Eucalyptus, Oregano (with a carrier), Frankincense, Helichrysum, and Peppermint to name a few. I have a large essential oil book, but this one works great as a small handbook to get you started using essential oils: Essential Oils Pocket Reference

7. Cough Drops

These are my favorite cough drops I have ever tried. The taste is mild and I believe in using silver: Organic Silver Lozenges.

8. Silver Solution

I use this product whenever I have taken food to sick people. I use it if I feel like I’m coming down with something. You do not have to take it every single day. pH Balanced Silver Hydrosol. Just giving you the heads-up here, this stuff does NOT turn your skin blue. I had a neighbor once that was blue, or at least dark gray. She mentioned to me she had a friend that gave her a recipe to make her own silver solution and that’s why her skin color had changed. Please do not do this.

This product was researched and the formula is made by scientists. Here is my favorite book concerning silver to help educate those who may not have heard of THIS kind of silver: A New Fighting Chance: Silver Solution: A Quantum Leap In Silver Technology.

9. Green Tea

I love using this green tea when I am feeling chilled or if I want to have a warm drink: Yogi Tea Green Tea Energy. The Chinese have been using green tea for thousands of years as a natural path to health and vitality of life. It’s a natural antioxidant to ward off free radicals in our bodies.

10. Honey

Add some raw honey as the kind Cox’s Honey from Shelley, Idaho makes. Add it to your green tea and man does that combination help a cough! Cox’s Honey This is the only place I buy my honey because it is real honey. Love it!

11. Lemon Juice

I add a little lemon juice to my water jug every day with dry packets like these: True Lemon Bulk Dispenser Pack or Organic lemon juice: Santa Cruz Lemon Juice. This one is my favorite for liquid lemon juice. It’s the one I use in my freshly ground whole-wheat bread. One of my favorite hot drinks is green tea, honey, and lemon juice when I feel a cold coming on.

Just think of what will happen if the roads are not driveable, and the pharmacies are closed due to a power outage. What can we do until we can get help from a doctor? Here is a book I keep close at hand: The Survival Medicine Handbook.

Final Word

Thanks again for being prepared for the unexpected, no one else can do it for us. We will be on our own, my friends. May God bless our world, Linda