What is in my Medicine Box? My healthy items I use to support my immune system when needed.

DO YOU WANT TO GET WELL FAST FROM A  FLU  OR COLD WITHOUT OVER THE COUNTER DRUGS?

HELP IN FLU AND COLD SEASON WITHOUT  ANY SIDE EFFECTS

We are about to enter flu season.  Its time to build your medicine box with things that won’t hurt your body but that will boost your immune system.  Build your medicine box now, so that when you need it you are all ready to go.

The time of year when the flu will arrive is upon us.  Its more important than ever to boost your immune system now to protect yourself from getting sick in the first place.

Health begins with food, and food quality matters.  Food is information.  Food is building blocks for your cells should they become damaged.  Food is building blocks when cells expire.

Eat the rainbow from a farm as close to you as possible, and if the fruit or  veggies is on the dirty dozen list, buy organic.  You are worth it, and you deserve only the best.  Toxins will impact your immune system and in this age of Covid-19, your body can’t afford that.

Prepare your own food.  75% of your plate should be veggies and 1/2 of them should be raw and 1/2 of them should be cooked.  Cook your own food, it does not need to be time consuming or difficult and I promise you the effort will be worth how good your body feels eating real food.

You need all the colors that whole organic foods come in.  The color of the fruit and veggie denotes its gift.  Each color brings us different gifts, and even better, all these colors work synergistically together to bring us health.
A rich and diverse diet of whole foods offers the best combination of micronutrients and phytochemicals. This is the best way to get your esssential nutrients which are our vitamins and minerals, and your phytochemicals which are amazing gifts from the plant world, and are just being studied and understood.. Without these nutrients, we face poor health, disease, obesity and more.  Phytonutrients are in the plant for the plant, but was scientists has discovered they also have amazing healing benefits for our bodies.
We also need the fiber that is in real whole foods.  The fiber feeds our good gut bacteria.  We have more gut bacteria than we have cells in our body and they are hungry little devils, so we need to feed them so that they stay healthy.  A healthy gut means proper digestion and it means that we digest our food properly and it can go out of our gut through the stomach membrane which is only 1 cell thick.  If our food is not digested properly, it rips little holes into our gut all and becomes something called “leaky gut”.  Too large a size of food substances then “leak” through the wall and trigger our immune systems.  Our body screams, foreigner, attack.  Your immune system then does something interesting, where ever you are weak in your body is where you get attacked.  For me, it was my muscles and my bones.  (Fibromyalgia)  For someone else it might be their brain (dementia).  For someone else their skin(Eczema or Psoriasis. )   The list goes on.
You need the rainbow and the fiber in real foods.
  • It creates a varied population of healthy gut bacteria
  • Specific foods, not just diet have a huge influence on your microbiome
  • Where your food is grown impacts the “gifts” that each food has to offer.
  • Eating all the colors and a diverse variety, lowers the risk of food allergy and sensitivities
  • Variety is key because of the synergy of the different phytochemicals working together.
  • Variety in eating colors lowers inflammation. This helps prevent many of our chronic diseases..
  • Eating all of the colors of the rainbow neutralizes free radicals and lowers oxidative stress.
Choose complexity, every day eat as many colors as possible. Move synergistically through the spectrum of health. The combination of colors in your daily meals will be rewarded by good health.
Eat ½ your veggies raw and ½ your veggies lightly cooked. By steaming veggies for 2-3 minutes, many release their gifts to a form easily utilized by the body. ¾ of your daily food should be plants, preferably organic.
Eat plants several times a day. As another health coach and friend says, Add the Healthy, to every meal.  Add a handful of spinach and onion to your morning eggs. Add berries (frozen or fresh) to your morning oatmeal. Make colorful salads for lunch. Use fruit as your afternoon snack. Find as many ways as possible to incorporate multiple colors of fruits and veggies in your daily food plan.
Your body will be grateful for the foods you feed it to keep you healthy.

 

Part of my journey to wellness has been to eliminate all over the counter drugs since they all have a negative impact on the body. Over the counter medications impact your gut, and hinder your return to wellness.

I have a whole chapter about the side effects of over the counter drugs in my upcoming book “It Feels Good To Feel Good How I Learned to Eliminate Toxins, Reverse Inflammation and Feel Great Again”.  Understand that aspirin, ibuprofen and aleve are all very hard on the gut.  You want a very healthy gut and gut wall.  Its important to your long term health so don’t take these if at all possible.

Tylenol is very hard on your liver.  Much harder than they realized when the drug first came out over 50 years ago.  Your liver is your clearing house for all the toxins that enter your body, so you need a very healthy liver to help your overall health so this should also not be in your medicine box.

I wanted to share what I use now as my alternative remedies when I am getting a cold or the flu..  I have now utilized these items in my own immune health and I go through colds and flues faster than I ever did before.

These are amazing and work really well for us.  Both my husband and I go through colds in record time. Knock on wood, neither of us has had the flu this winter.  Yippee.  When Covid was rampant, my husband avoided it all together, and I did get it, but went through it in 5 day, my fever never went over 99 and I had no long term affects.  Since I am immune compromised, realize that it is a testament to how well I eat that I did not get impacted in a dire way from the disease.

As a reminder, I since I no longer use over the counter drugs, I use Natures Sunshine Turmeric Curcumin for pain and for headaches.

 

Nutrient Spotlight: Curcumin 

Curcumin is a polyphenol derived from turmeric that’s highly researched for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-aging properties. By combating oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, two key factors that drive aging and many diseases, curcumin can contribute significantly to the prevention and management of health conditions including heart disease, cancer, chronic pain, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Additionally, its ability to enhance brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels suggests a positive impact on brain health and function, potentially delaying or even reversing age-related decreases in brain function.

How to supplement: 500 to 1,000 mg per day
THe above is from Dr. Mark Hyman Newsletter 3/31/24
If just thinking about the holidays gives you indigestion, this study provides a little food for thought. It found that one of the active compounds in turmeric called curcumin was just as effective as omeprazole for functional dyspepsia (an umbrella term for chronic stomach aches, feeling of bloating and fullness, acid reflux, and excessive burping). The trial tested several groups, one with curcumin alone, one with omeprazole alone, and one with both. After 28 days, significant improvements were seen in all groups, with additional benefits at 56 days. The combination group did not experience any greater benefit than the individual treatment options, suggesting there is no synergistic effect of using curcumin and omeprazole together. If you’re curious, the curcumin group was given 500mg of curcumin four times daily. For reference, one fresh teaspoon of ground turmeric has around 200 milligrams of curcumin. I’m already a huge fan of using turmeric in the kitchen for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and this is just another great example of the power of food as medicine!  Dr. Human Newsletter Dec 26, 2024
Curcumin, for example, the polyphenol in turmeric provides a lot of its anti-inflammatory action by restoring gut dysbiosis which indirectly impacts the brain through the gut-brain axis.
curcumin goes straight to the gut where it promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria strains, improves intestinal barrier function, and counteracts the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (20). These properties give curcumin its medicinal power that’s been used to treat a range of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and metabolic syndrome  Dhru Prohit, Dr. Hymans Business partner.
Curcumin is the botanical version of Advil that can lower inflammation without the risk of ulcers.  Hyman 3/3033
Curcumin is amazing food-based phytochemicals that can dramatically change how we feel and function as we age.  Hyman newsletter June 2022
My preferred brand, and it works way better for me than other brands.  Remember, quality matters.  I have been using this now for 11 years and am not ever without it.

Nature’s Sunshine Turmeric Curcumin, 60 VegCaps https://www.naturessunshine.com/product/turmeric-curcumin/  Usually I can buy this on Amazon but this is the  link to the company in case they are out.  I find it is the best for pain of any brand.

Turmeric Curcumin (60 capsules)

 

Curcumin attacks zombie cells, so its super good for inflammation in the body as well.  So while I use it for pain, it also directly attacks inflammation which is the seat of all chronic illness.

senescent or “zombie” cells, release inflammatory chemicals that contribute to all manner of health issues—osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s, to name just a few.

 

 

Quercetin. The most popularly consumed polyphenol in people’s diet, quercetin is found in capers, peppers, onion, and apples. When quercetin reaches the gut it is broken down and metabolized by bacteria, which are responsible for its anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, and anti-atherogenic effects. It also improves gut barrier function, protects the liver, and reduces fat oxidation.  It also kills zombie cells and is good for every organ in the body.  It is natures natural antihistimine, and works for pet allergies as well as human.

I use Natura Quercetin Plus for Hayfever.  Quercetin works better for me than any antihistamine ever did and its good for the lungs and sinuses, good for the gut, good for the kidneys, good for the liver and good for the brain. •https://amzn.to/3ZSuV3r

 

 

Note, a newsletter by Dr. Mark Hyman recently commented that Curcumen and Quercetin also target and kill zombie cells

 

Please see my blog about glutethione, which is the most potent antioxidant for health out there.  I have found an amazing product to get glutethione support for my liver and my body called Neumi.  Its nano technology which is patented by Neumi.  Read all about gluethione and its benefits in a separate blog.

Echinacea Goldenseal  https://amzn.to/3nGFk4K

https://www.naturessunshine.com/product/echinacea-golden-seal/

Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, just noted in her Facebook postings Dec 26, 2106, that a new study showed that Elderberry and Echinacea showed to be as effective as Tamiflu.  https://www.naturessunshine.com/product/echinacea-golden-seal/

I use Echinecea Goldenseal in lieu of antibiotics.  I had so many antibiotics as a child they no longer are effective for me, but I am grateful that Echinecea-Goldenseal does work.

 

Inflammaway  Natura  https://www.amazon.com/InflamAway-Inflammatory-Natura-Health-Products/dp/B004X69GSO?ref_=ast_sto_dp

 


 
• FLEW AWAY by Natura (available on Amazon)   https://amzn.to/3m0CCGN

I take this the minute I start to feel something coming on, even that tickle at the back of my nose.  Knocks it out 9 x out of 10.

• Sambucus which is elderberry https://www.amazon.com/Sambucol-Cold-Relief-Tablets-Count/dp/B084HD4P7G/ref=sr_1_31?crid=52OFC08JFPV8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2xIzDSluTaz9VLIepddGB5wp5xIxr0bc8czgbOEwvHJZB_XdVTDqDBp7yY6jPH3xlyH1Dzp8b8AGQlE0vojOmY_8YDfkRLQmGiO_QY6wAQI.C8GixDKc4WG9_RZjK669J5irW0snY1He7MhSqU2FnI8&dib_tag=se&keywords=sambucus+elderberry+immune+support&qid=1711757668&s=hpc&sprefix=sambucus%2Chpc%2C224&sr=1-31


Keys Pure avocado oil with  menthol  VAPOR GEL ( https://www.keyspure.com/product/vaporjel/)

Cough drops

r (sweetened with brown rice syrup)  Taste great.  Better for  you.

I also use Cold Calm and Oscillococcinum, which are homeopathic and if I use them at the first sign of illness, they do th eir magic.  I get both of these at Sprouts, but any natural grocery store will carry.

https://amzn.to/3nGAYui

https://amzn.to/40Wx52N

 

Honey Propolis Throat Spray

SORE OR SCRATCHY THROAT

• Mickelberry Elderberry Tonic with Honey
• Mickleberry Elderberry Throat and Lung Tonic

https://mickelberry-gardens.myshopify.com/  I like the elderberry and the throat and lung tonics.  They taste yummy and they work.

I just bought freeze dried elderberries and plan to make my own syrup and gummy bears this  year.  Its an amazing addition to your medicine box.

(https://www.amazon.com/Starwest-Botanicals-Organic-Elder-Berries/dp/B00ZDO9GD0/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=freeze+dried+elderberries+organic+usa&qid=1600653331&sr=8-6)

Keep these items on hand because all of these items are important to use immediately when you feel the symptoms of a cold or flu coming on. I have used Echinacea Goldenseal for years, and have added the Sambucol recently. These work for me.

FOR PETROLEUM JELLY REPLACEMENTS
  •    https://www.keyspure.com/s   makes petroleum jelly substitutions using Avocado oil as its base.  These replace toxic Petroleum jelly products and I love them. I love this entire line and they also make great dog products.  All very tow in toxicity.
    • AvoJel
    • Heat Cool
    • Urban Shield
    • Vapor Jell
    • Zinc Care
    • Force X Insect Repellent  Best repellent.  Soothes the bite and then repels the bugs
    • Feet and Hand Goldbond vegan alternative for dry cracking skin
    • Skin-Aid  alternative to Bactine  Keep it in my kitchen for nips and knive injuries.
    • Urban Shield  alternative to triple Neem oil
FOR INGROWN TOE NAILS, OR SKIN FUNGUS

I have had a problem with ingrown toe nails for years, and it ends up that yeast on my toes makes the skin grow under the nail.  This has been what does the trick.    I used to buy the one in petroleum jelly, but now am using the straight oil sparingly.  Problem solved.  Also cured the cracked skin on my heals.  Amazing.

 

Avoid all products with carrageenan in it including pet products.  Horrific effects on the gut.  Hard to find a toothpaste without it, but its in tons of products.

toothpaste, no carrageenan or other nasty ingredients.  You could also use the peppermint.  Peppermint is a sensitivity for me so I use the berry.

There is a new fragrance line I love that is FINALLY non toxic.  EWG endorsed.  By Michelle Pfieffer.

 

My two favorites are TORN, and BLOND BERRY.  So nice to be able to use fragrance again.

 

Stop using any other kind.  Poisoning you right through your lungs and  your skin.  Only use unscented products.

ESSENTIAL OILS

I now make a cream that is a succotash of a variety of essential oils with coconut oil as the base. My cream has gotten rave reviews for muscle and joint aches. I am not a multi-level kind of girl, so I found Rocky Mountain as my essential oil company, and I find them as good as the much more expensive oils you can get from multi-level sellers.  I use essential oils in a diffuser, to clear the air, I use essential oils as my perfume.   Great find.

I make a cream with coconut oil, frankenscense,

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helichrysum_619x900

copibabalsam_619x900_opt

painease-619x900_opt

Muscle Aches

Activation Products Ease Magnesium Spray

This also relaxes the small of my back when I get sciatica.  I spray the small of my back and the opposite shoulder from where the pain is traveling down my leg.

These are healthy hacks from Suzy Cohen, the functional pharmacist that I follow.

Pimple– Put a dab of essential oil of tea tree on it.  Or put a dab of bentonite clay on it (mixed with water) you want a clay paste. You can do both back to back (tea tree then clay mask). Can leave the dab on there overnight.

Foot cramp or Charlie horse– If these are just occasional from over-stretching or dehydration, long travel, wearing high heels too long and so forth, just buy coconut water and drink it. The electrolytes work to stop the cramp and spasms. You can do this right before bedtime if it’s frequent. Any electrolyte drink will work, unfortunately commercial drinks most contain artificial colors.   I use Ease Magnesium spray on a charlie horse, which relaxes it immediately.

 

Insomnia– For mild bouts of insomnia due to occasional stress try soothing Delta wave music (download an app or play YouTube in bed), and apply essential oil of Lavender to your wrists, and inhale it. Then take long inhalations so that they are equal to, or longer than your exhalations. Keep breathing rhythmically (equally) for a few minutes. Another 5 minute hack is to crawl into bed with a heating pad, the warmth is soothing and relaxing.   I take an Epsom Salt bath and add  lavender every night before I go to bed, which puts me out like a light.  Use the belly button wand before you go to bed.  It relaxes me to go to sleep.

https://shop.changeyourenergy.com/belly-button-healing-kit-book-wand-course/

New product by Dr. Deanna Minich, my guru PHD Nutritionist and the original Rainbow and photonutrient researcher.
For Sleep, and herbal melatonin.

These are the two products I  use in my nightly bath.  I was also using ginger, but was sensitive to it.  Its also an anti inflammatory, so if you are not sensitive us 1 scoop of organic ginger in your bath water.  The Epsom salts increase  your magnesium in your body and relax  you to sleep.  The lavendar in the bubble bath also relaxes.  Magnesium is responsible for more than 350 enzyme reactions in the body.  Also take Vitamin D, they need each other to work.

365 by Whole Foods Market, Epsom Salt, 64 Ounce

 

Kitchen cuts and wounds– Cayenne powder, the spice, is a well-known hemostat so it stops bleeding within seconds. Outdoor survivalists know this and often have it in their backpack, but what about the rest of us? It’s amazing that you can pour this onto a cut and within 10 seconds, the bleeding will pretty much stop. I found this out when I cut some crusty bread and the knife slipped onto my finger! The water from the faucet wasn’t helping, nor any of the shameful words I mumbled while hopping from one foot to another…. so I poured some cayenne pepper on there and took a deep breath waiting for a burn. Surprisingly, no pain, but it did control the bleeding. Super cool for a hot pepper extract!  I use Keys   https://www.keyspure.com/product/skin-aid/

Headache– Sometimes a cup of coffee or black tea will help because of the caffeine. If that doesn’t help, then take a cool pack and put it on both your temples and take 250 – 350 mg of chelated magnesium. Chew gum, it helps if the headache is from clenching your teeth.

I use curcumin,

Hangover– Truthfully, I have no experience with this one as my drinking habits amount to probably one drink (or a few sips of one drink), about 3 times a year. I just don’t like feeling ‘messed up’ in my head and it causes insomnia for me. But lots of my friends drink, and some get hangovers.  I suggest you take two N-acetylcysteine supplements (approximately 1200 mg of NAC) and also a B1 (thiamine) tablet with your drinks or in the morning. There’s a biochemical reason for why this works better than drinking raw eggs or sweating in a sauna, just take my word for it.

Dry, chapped lips– Drink more, always infuse your water with marshmallow root (keep it in the fridge) and apply honey to your lips (instead of lip gloss). You’re more kissable that way too.

I use Keys Pure Avo cream noted above

Heartburn– So you ate the whole entire foot-long with chili? Shame on you, now reflux is going to haunt you all night, and probably tomorrow, lol! Try putting a half teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water, and sip it. Some experts suggest more but I like to use the lowest effective dose. Make sure this trick is fine with doc because it increases the pH in your gut (it’s the opposite of an acid blocker).  It should help on contact.

Stuffy nose– Take a hot shower so it is steamy in there and dump a few drops of essential oil of Eucalyptus on your shower floor. This allows you to gently inhale the steam infused with a known decongestant. Basil essential oil is a good expectorant. Just be careful not to use too many drops of oil because it could hurt your eyes.

Itchy eyes– This 5 minute health hack should be in everyone’s bathroom. It’s a glass or plastic eye cup with normal saline used for eye health. You can rinse your eye and bring immediate relief to itchy, red or sore eyes. It’s important to keep this, you never know when a drop of a household cleanser is going to spray your eyes, so keep an ‘eye wash’ kit handy.

Minor burns– Maybe you’ve touched the handle of a hot pot or hurt yourself from a hobby. Put some wet tea bags from black tea on the minor burn. The tannic acid is soothing. You can also make a pitcher of black tea and pour it on there for soothing relief.

Colicky baby– Okay, this is funny but  a useful 5 minute hack. In 1990 when my daughter was born, she was colicky. I would turn on the dryer, put some fuzzy blankets on top of it (making a little soft ‘bed’) but you can use any baby lounger/cuddler… and then lay her on top of it (with the dryer turned on to create warmth and subtle vibration), and hold her with my hand. Crying would stop immediately, and within 5 minutes she would fall asleep. I never took my hand off her. I could then transfer her to her crib and she’d sleep for a solid 4 or 5 hours.

Hangnails– A manicure will solve it, but sometimes if you’re traveling or short on time. These little boogers can cause a great deal of pain if they get caught on things over and over. Say all you have is 5 minutes. Do this:
Run warm water on it for 2 minutes to soften it and stop bleeding.
Apply some oil if you can, for example, as a waiter for a bit of olive oil and dab it on there for instant soothing. Find a bandage and cover your nail, I always keep a little Band-aid tucked deep in my wallet for minor mishaps or to give to someone in need when I’m traveling. Bandages are also available at any gift shop at a hotel if you’re traveling.”

Bug Spray for bites

Love this stuff.  Again from Keys.  Soothes the bite and repels future mosquito or other bites.

ForceX Insect Repellant (60 ml)

 

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Here’s to a return to wellness as quickly as possible.

YOU ARE INDESCRIBABLY DELICIOUS. LIVE WITH INTENT. LIVE LIFE WITH PLEASURE AND GUSTO. BE HEALTHY.

Hugs, Cheryl M Health Muse.

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