October 29, 2009
The Arsenal
Since our family opted out of any flu vaccines this year…I wanted to come up with some sort of plan of action. We have gotten flu shots etc in the past…but my issues with that whole business keep growing and I wanted to try and figure out an alternative to try. I figure the chances are pretty good for getting the flu and I wanted my family’s immune systems to be as healthy and strong as possible. After doing some research on healthy and natural ways to protect yourself and combat the flu…here is what I came up with:
The basic thing Miss P. takes year round. An everyday whole food multi vitamin. The vitamins are filled with nutrients derived from fruits and veggies…not chemical, lab created vitamins.
Cod Liver Oil…does a lot of great things for the body…including helping to maintain a healthy immune system. It is kind of stinky, but Miss P. looks forward to it (it has a strawberry taste…but still smells fishy).
Vitamin D…strongly suggested for helping the body prevent and/or recover from H1N1. Adults can take up to 5,000 IUs per day…toddlers up to 1,000 IUs daily. I put a few drops in Miss P.’s milk in the morning. Check with your doctor first because there can be complications if you take too much of this vitamin.
Elderberry, Echinacea and vitamin C blend. To support immune function. Miss P loves this stuff.
This is something I picked up as a preventative measure against secondary ear infections. Miss P tends to get ear infections from colds etc and I just can’t stand the thought of putting her on antibiotics over and over. My friends 4 year old and 2 year old have never had ear infections and she swears by this stuff. So, when Miss P. gets her colds this year I am going to use these willow/garlic ear drops in hopes of avoiding infection.
Adult version of vitamin D and Elderberry and Zinc. We also take multi vitamins and EmergenC if we feel like we are starting to get sick.
And of course…lots of this doesn’t hurt. The best way to give your body vitamins and nutrients is through food. I have been slacking on the fresh fruits and veggies department…but that stops now. It is essential to eat healthy if you want to stay healthy.
All of the above vitamins and supplements put me out about 75-100 dollars…but they should last a good portion of the cold and flu season. So we shall see how it goes and if we can stay a little healthier this year than we did last year. If nothing else it gives me some comfort knowing that I am at least doing something to keep us healthy…I’m very curious to see how this winter plays out for us…so far so good.
October 21, 2009
The “F” Word
Flu. H1N1 to be exact…let’s all cringe now. But we need to talk about it…
So we have felt pretty secure in our decision not to vaccinate Miss P. for H1N1…and the regular flu shot as well. However, the media gives me little freak outs on a day to day basis…thank you for that! It is difficult to find alternative sources of information. Dr. Mercola is one of the sources I really trust. Anyway…HERE is some recent info from him regarding H1N1 vaccines and other relevant info. The video interview was a bit lengthy for me to watch…but the written information in the post is great. I feel like I can make a much better decision having both sides of the story. No vaccinations for us! My plan is to up our vitamin D intake and recommit myself to MORE fresh fruit and MORE fresh veggies each day. We also do a whole food vitamin and cod liver oil/DHA supplement for Miss P…also said to boost the immune system. We take EmergenC whenever we feel like we may be coming down with something.
I’d love to hear what your thoughts are and if you have any other suggestions for keeping our families healthy naturally.
