recreating the wonder beverage

I don't have much to say (or the energy to say it), as I've been through the ringer this week! A nasty virus is going around the island, and it's caused me to be without a voice for more than a week. Then came the fever, the chills, the muscle aches, the coughing, sneezing, and aching head!

I finally went to the hospital yesterday and they said I have a sinus infection and an ear infection. Because they could only prescribe medications that I'm allergic to, I've been using every home remedy I can get my hands on to get rid of this nastiness!

Some actually did some good (sea salt gargle, rice bag on the ear, essential oils around the outside of the ear, apple cider vinegar steam inhalation) and others didn't (you probably don't even want to know what some of them were!)

Then I remembered that when we lived in Reno and felt an illness coming on, we'd always run to Pneumatic to pick up a Wonder Beverage. I haven't had one in years, so I'm sure it's not exact, but this is the closest I've come to recreating it here at home. Since Pneumatic has closed its doors, we may never get to have a "real" one again! Regardless, both the original and this variation will provide a kick to the sinuses as well as a honey-laden soothing to the throat.

**Note: You may want to use different amounts of the ingredients to taste!


Ingredients:

• Glassful of water
• Fresh ginger, rinsed (powdered will do, but fresh is better if you've got it!)
• 1/2 Lemon, juiced
• 1-2 teaspoons raw honey (or manuka honey!)
• Dash of cayenne pepper 

Directions:

• Boil the water. While it heats up, peel and cut the ginger. I recommend cutting four-to-five small pieces (about the size of your thumbnail -- just big enough to keep them from floating). Drop the ginger pieces into the bottom of your glass or mug.
• Once the water is almost at the boiling point, pour it over the ginger pieces. Let it sit for several minutes, just as you would when steeping loose leaf tea.
• Once the liquid has taken on the color of the ginger, add the juice of half a lemon and a dash of cayenne pepper. (Don't go overboard, as a little cayenne goes a long way!)
• Remove the ginger pieces (unless you prefer the ginger taste to continually get stronger), add honey to taste, stir it up, sip, and feel better!

a natural approach

Because of my multiple food allergies, I cannot consistently rely on traditional medications when I'm feeling under the weather. Cough drops, allergy medications, headache pills, throat spray, and even prescription medications and antibiotics all contain allergens. Because of this, I've had to trial different homeopathic remedies for various ailments. Some work better than others, and I'm often a bit weary to try them because of the cost and difficulty in retrieving the necessary ingredients.

I've mentioned before that I've been trying out essential oils to see if they can help with symptoms, and so far I've come a long way in managing my seasonal allergies and monthly migraine headaches. Upon coming down with a nasty bug that's been going around the school, I decided to research some cold and flu (and possibly strep) remedies, some of them using essential oils.

I found a range of different combinations and used what I found to make my own cold and flu concoction. Yes, it took longer than downing a little cup of NyQuil, but overall it was easy and did wonders for both of us this weekend!


What I Did/Used:

1. Oregano gargle. I mixed a few drops of oil of oregano, which tastes positively disgusting, but works wonders (keep in mind that this is not oregano essential oil, as gargling with or drinking essential oils is not typically considered a safe practice by licensed aromatherapists) and a little more than a half cup of warm water in a glass. I took a mouthful, gargled for 10 seconds, spit, and then repeated the process a few times. **Just a warning that if you're a wimp like I am, you may want to have something prepared to chew or drink after this! I had a Gin Gin ready and this took away the icky taste quickly, and it doesn't hurt that ginger has healing capabilities!**

2. Oil pulling. I've been doing an oil pulling challenge to help my teeth, and the research has shown that oil pulling is especially good for taking toxins from the throat and mouth. I have a very strong gag reflex so I've never been able to pull for the recommended 20 minutes, but I typically pull for 8-10 minutes. For this batch, I added a few drops of Peppermint essential oil to help with the taste from the Oregano.

3. Cold/Flu lotion. This is the concoction discussed above, created after researching numerous blogs and websites. While you could easily add beeswax or shea butter to make a real body butter type of lotion, the quickest and easiest way is to simply use solid coconut oil. (See the recipe below!)


The Results: I repeated the gargle, the oil pulling, and the application of the "lotion" to my feet twice a day throughout the weekend, once upon waking in the mornings and once in the evenings. While this might not work for everyone, I can tell you that I felt markedly better the next morning (when mornings are usually when I feel the worst), I slept more than I usually do when I'm sick (since I wasn't waking up congested and unable to swallow multiple times during the night), and I felt almost 100% better after two days (when it usually takes 4-7 days).

If you're into trialing home remedies or if you're an essential oil user, I hope this information will help for the next time you're sick!

lack of anything interesting

Wellllll, I'm still sick, which kind of stinks because, of course, it means I can't really go and do anything. There is a major lack of anything to do around here (which always seems to happen when one gets sick, doesn't it?)

I was planning for jazz night tonite, which would have been great since we haven't frequented the place in quite a while..but after working all day, I was wiped so I just came home instead. Now I think I'll go watch a movie or something and go to sleep (hopefully).

Hope your day was better than mine.

**Random thought of the day: why they call it a "looksee" (like, you're going to take a little looksee)? It seems overly redundant, don't you think? Really, it's like saying you're going to take a "looklook" or a "seesee"..why don't they just say they're going to take a look at it rather than repeating themselves...

Ok, I am officially done rambling aimlessly now.

cruel intentions

I'm sick, and it's not my fault. I wash my hands. I use hand sanitizer. I cover my mouth when I cough. It's really all Rosemary's fault. She's a fine woman I work with (note the sarcasm).A few days ago, I showed up to work early. She didn't feel good, so I told her just to go home early, since I was there. So, in her excitement, she comes up and gives me a huge hug and thanks me for coming in early. Now at first I'm thinking, "oh that's nice..she gave me a hug"..and then I realized that she must really hate me or something because she contaminated me with whatever she had. And now I'm sick. And I'm stuck home all day. Needless to say, I'm not too happy with her right now.

But, on the plus side, I watched Remember the Titans today. Great movie.