I am one who rarely gets sick. I boast and brag about never getting sick to my friends and co-workers. So this week, after 3 days of denial and shear torture for my spouse, I find myself....sick. There. I said it. I'm sick. And to make matters worse, I'm training for the ING Marathon that is 25 days away. This is the most crucial time in my training and I haven't gotten my scheduled runs in. I have spent the last two nights sleepless. My husband has spent the last two nights sleepless as well for I have coughed nonstop like a 90 year old 2 pack a day smoker with COPD . My muscles and joints hurt so bad that I have accused my husband of beating me with a two by four in the middle of the night while I am temporarily unconscious from too much cold medication. Mike vehemently denies this accusation, but he has a suspiciously sneaky look in his eyes so I will not rule that possibility out. Being this sore without running a marathon is...well...simply wrong, so very wrong.
So being the holistic nurse junkie that I am, I set out to cure myself. I thought I would share with you, the reader, some of the things that have helped me during this time of illness/ denial.
#1. Make good old fashion chicken soup. Here is a simple recipe that I made that is nourishing and good for the soul.
2 organic free range chicken breast
2 boxes Wolfe Gang Puck's organic free range chicken broth (I think they are 32 oz each)
1 cup Yogi brand organic brown long grain rice
2 diced organic carrots
2 stalks organic celery-dice
1 T Braggs liquid aminos (add more to taste)
Olive oil
Basil
Salt and Pepper
Thyme
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and season with Salt and Pepper. Bake until done and cut into small pieces. While chicken is cooking cook rice using 2 cups of the organic chicken broth (instead of water) according to package instructions (usually 50 minutes over low heat). Combine all ingredients in large soup pot and let simmer on stove. The smell is wonderful and healing. Enjoy with organic crackers.
#2 For a persistent cough that makes your spouse want to beat you about the head and neck with a bat or a two by four - here is my helpful cough syrup remedy :
It soothes an irritated throat and relieves chest congestion and phlegm.
The bad news: it tastes terrible -- it really does -- but if you have a
persistant cough, it's worth a try.
•
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger ( I used fresh ginger root)
•
1 Tablespoon honey-(make sure it is local raw honey)
•
1 Tablespoon Braggs apple cider vinegar
•
2 Tablespoons water
Mix and take by the teaspoon.
I took 3 teaspoons the
first time because I had a bad dry cough and I was
desparate for some relief. It worked and I got a good night's sleep.
Consider the beneficial effects of the individual ingredients:
•
Ginger (zingiber officinale) has long been used and recommended for arthritis
and bursitis, because it is a natural anti-inflammatory. According to Home
Herbal, by Penelope Ody, D.K. Publishing, June 1995, ginger is a natural
antihistamine. It has also been used for for motion sickness and nausea, and in
addition, it's known for relieving chest congestion, according to Dr. Andrew
Weil, Herbal Medicine Chest
http://cgi.pathfinder.com/drweil/herbal/medchest
•
Cayenne (capsaicin) reduces pain, according to Herbs for Health and Healing, by
Kathi Keville, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA, 1996. The same substance that makes
cayenne peppers hot relieves the pain by suppressing a chemical that carries
the pain message from nerves in the affected area to the brain. According to Home
Herbal, by P. Ody, cayenne is warming and stimulating, it is a good cold
remedy and eases chills and will even ease the lingering pain from shingles.
•
Vinegar has so many healthful uses.
•
Honey, according to Home Herbal by P. Ody, will draw pus and poisons
out of wounds and it is useful for relief from colds.
•
Water is probably added to make it less strong tasting but it is still
strong!
#3 Here is a tea to make cough 'more productive' and sooth a sore throat:
Make some peppermint tea.
About 6-8 ounces of peppermint tea
Add about 3 tablespoons of honey,
2 tablespoons of lemon juice,
and JUST A PINCH of cayenne pepper.
(optional) a shot of liquor-- personally I like amaretto.
Stir all ingredients into the peppermint tea while it's still boiling hot.
Wait for mixture to cool enough for you personally to drink. Mixture tastes pretty good - kind of spicy sweet.
**I recommend making your tea, running a hot bath with epsom salts and a few drops of eucalyptus oil and lighting some candles. Relax and enjoy.
#4 Coat your feet with Vicks Vapor Rub and put on socks. I would like to recommend something that does not use a petroleum base, I know that the health food store carries something similar to Vicks, but unfortunately this was the only thing I had on hand. It works.
#5 For immune boosting support and all natural antibiotic effect (prescription antibiotics do not work on viruses) I use sublingual (under the tongue) colloidal silver - the brand I use is Sovereign Silver. Take as instructed on bottle.
#6 Do restorative yoga. This one is my favorite remedy. Your sore and achy body will thank you for this one. I subscribe to Gaiam TV and have access to a full range of yoga videos. If you do not subscribe to Gaiam TV I recommend Rodney Yee's restorative yoga DVD to keep on hand in times of stress and illness. It is blissful.
# 7 Last, but not least, remove all hard and sharp objects from your spouse so that in his/her sleep deprived state he does not harm you any further. Remember, your immune system is depleted enough without having to try and heal bone and soft tissue injures too!
Sickness is a part of life. We all get sick. It is a natural way for the body to detox and force you to slow down from the chaos of the world. Take advantage of this downtime and turn off the TV, read a good book, relax, burn candles and know that if you care for your body properly, it will be stronger in the end.
As for the marathon, well, we will see what happens...that will be for another day/another blog.
Here is to your good health my friends.
Namaste'
P.S. Don't forget to drink lots of orange juice and fluids too!
Attachment is based on fear and insecurity - believing that you need something outside yourself in order to be happy. In my case, holding that 26.2 medal gave me visions of happiness. By practicing detachment and embracing uncertainty, you relinquish your need to hold on to the past, which is the only thing that is known. Being open to what is happening rather than trying to control how things unfold, you experience the excitement, adventure, exhilaration, and mystery of life. Have your intentions clearly in your awareness while you maintain an attitude of Thy will be done. The coexistence of these apparently contradictory forces -intention and detachment- cultivates the flexibility that enables you to fulfill all your goals in life. Attachment breeds rigidity. I was certainly rigid in my ideas and how things should unfold. So after studying this concept I realized that if I let go of my attachment I no longer had the pressure of not being fully prepared to complete this marathon. Most importantly, we had wanted to make a small family vacation in Miami and down grading to a half marathon would certainly give us more time and the time we had would be more enjoyable with my kids. So I got on the ING Miami marathon website and I sat in front of the button that you push to change your marathon status. I asked my husband several times, "are you sure?" He was dead sure. I pushed the button to change our status and unexpectedly a flood of relief came over me. I felt great about my decision. I now look forward to this trip and know we will have a more enjoyable time with the family. From now on, I will make a more conscious effort to identify my attachments to outcome for I now know that it spoils the journey, and the journey is what it is all about my friends.
