It seems like everywhere I look, I see people concerned over the shortage of both childrens’ and adults’ medications. The pharmacy shelves are bare in many places. It sure doesn’t look like the Canada we used to love. It looks more like Cuba many years ago, where I remember travelling with a couple of suitcases full of toothpaste, brushes and other basics, to leave for folks to use.
There are so many ways to manage cold & flu season, without the use of pharmaceuticals, ALL of which have harmful side effects. So let’s talk about what you can do.
First off, it’s really important to understand that we humans have co-evolved with viruses & germs. Hundreds of thousands of years (if not more) of evolution have resulted in the human species being far more robust than big pharma would have you believe. Allopathic medicine, the for-profit system designed by Rockefeller, has very successfully convinced people that all viruses & germs are bad, and must be eradicated/vaccinated-against/otherwise destroyed. In reality, think of colds & flus as updates for your immune system. Their severity will really depend on the terrain (your body) and the health of your immune system. Surviving such cold & flus leave you (and your immune system) stronger and better equipped. So how to navigate feeling like crap in the absence of the usual pharmaceutical aids?
Think of otc med shortages as a blessing in disguise and read on to learn how to leverage nature’s medicine cabinet. First off, understand that a lot of the uncomfortable symptoms you (or your child) are experiencing (like fevers) is the body’s immune response kicking in. When you take something like Tylenol or Advil (which, if you understood their side effects, you would never touch) to reduce a fever, you are inhibiting your own immune response. This is BAD. The fever is there to kill off viruses/germs. By inhibiting it, while you might be more comfortable in the short term, you risk letting a secondary infection set it - which is often times worse than the original cold/flu. Unless your fever is dangerously high, let it run its course. Drink lots of fluids, hug the kids and read them stories in bed. LET YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM DO ITS JOB.
The Canadian Covid Care Alliance website has some excellent information on supplements for various stages of covid. These are applicable to all flus/colds. Vitamin D3/K2, Zinc, Quercetin, Magnesium, Vitamin C, etc. See their chart and ensure you are getting these vitamins an minerals as a part of your everyday self-care.
https://www.canadiancovidcarealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/CCCA-Immune-Support-Recipes.pdf
In addition to the therapies in the links, I’ve found that the combination of honey/echinacea/marshmallow root tea works extremely well to soothe throats and reduce coughs. Look for good quality organic products. For the tea, use about a tablespoon and simmer in clean, filtered water for about 15-20 minutes. Strain & let it cool a bit before adding honey. Try and get raw, locally sourced honey. Unfortunately most of the stuff sold in supermarkets is pasteurized and often diluted with fructose syrup. In lieu of aspirin for blood clot prevention, I would recommend lumbrokinase enzymes (on an empty stomach)
Ivermectin is hard to find in Canada (unless you’re not concerned about using veterinarian products - I have no problems doing this but YMMV ). Nigella Sativa seeds can be used as an alternative. There are many excellent options available for organic Nigella Sativa. Grind them up just before using. We love the taste and now use it in cooking every day.
Avoid the usual “medical” sites on the internet: they are owned by big pharma, so the information you get will be biased. We use Mercola or GreenMedInfo as our first stop for researching health info. Here is an excellent example of remedies for lung & cough:
https://greenmedinfo.com/blog/top-10-natural-cough-and-lung-remedies
Our home has been pharma-free for decades. You can do this too!
Great stuff.
For some additional intel in this arena:
https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/natural-pathways-for-optimizing-the
Hydrogen peroxide and goat milk soap can help moms keep their wee ones safe as well.
https://poetslife.substack.com/p/hydrogen-peroxide-and-goat-milk-soap