It's that time of year again: cold and flu season. I normally leave my family's health and medical business out of the blog (other than broken bones, of course), but with all the hyper-awareness that surrounds this year's flu season I thought I might break protocol.
Knock on wood, but we manage to stay relatively healthy through the plethora of germs that get passed around all season. Don't get me wrong, we don't bypass all illness - Mike is under the weather with a cold right this minute - but we aren't sidelined for long. I give all the credit to Elena. Not to her specifically (she's probably a walking petri dish every day she comes home from school), but to the new perspective I gained on boosting your health and immunity after she was born.
We tackle cold and flu season two ways around here: prevention and action.
We do our best to prevent illness by taking care of ourselves as best we can. I try really hard to feed my family well, but in this group of picky eaters that's not always possible. To counteract any gaps in the nutritional boosts we get from fruits and veggies, I make sure we take our vitamins. Every day my kids take a multi-vitamin, a fruit/veggie supplement, and some kind of probiotic. Luckily my kids love yogurt and kefir drinks, but you could also use a probiotic powder or pill as well. I'm also a stickler about sleep. My kids have some of the earliest bedtimes around. Never underestimate the power of good, old-fashioned rest.
At the first sign of illness I do the following:
- I start giving doses of an echinacea/goldenseal formula. If I mix it with juice, my kids never notice it.
- I start doses of the homeopathic remedy Anas barbariae (I buy it under the brand name Oscilloccinum).
- I up our doses of vitamin C. Mike and I lean toward packets of EmergenC. For the kids I usually pull out the Hyland's vitamin C tablets.
I crafted our personal plan of attack after coming across the book Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child. I highly recommend this book for any parent looking for a gentle and informative introduction into natural treatments for various childhood ailments. It's the best book I've found that balances suggestions for natural treatments, such as herbs and homeopathy, with conventional medicine. In other words, it's a lot like me: sort of crunchy, but not ready to ditch my pediatrician, either.
If you're interested in trying out some great children's homeopathic remedies this season, including the Oscilloccinum I mentioned above, here's a link to a coupon from the manufacturer (Boiron).
Hoping you stay healthy this season! I'd love it if you would share your tips and tricks as well.
Disclaimer: The idea for this post came from a campaign I'm participating in with Boiron and One2One Network. In exchange for blogging about how I keep my family healthy during cold and flu season, I received product from Boiron. However, I was not required to mention Boiron nor weave the use of their products into my post. As this is a company I've supported for several years, I felt like this promotion was a good fit for me, and hopefully you, my readers.
