by Wendy Evensen
coughing up discolored phlegm or you have pain while urinat- ing. • You have a history of heart dis- ease or diabetes. •For young children-constant vomiting or diarrhea, earache or
pulling at ears, skin rash, unrespon- sive or limp, swelling on the soft spot on their head, stomach pain or high- pitched ongoing crying. Do NOT give aspirin!
For Sore Throats A sore throat is an infection that
can be either viral or bacterial. It is most commonly caused by a contagious viral infection (such as the flu, cold or mono- nucleosis), although more serious throat infections can be caused by a bacterial infection (such as strep, mycoplasma or hemophilus). Bacterial sore throats re- spond well to antibiotics while viral ones do not. For viral based infections, there are many natural remedies that you can take to cure a sore throat. Some of these folk remedies work within an hour or two, others take effect overnight. Sore throats are often the ear-
ly warning signs of colds or the flu. Sometimes they’re just minor irritations caused by winter’s low humidity or too much cheering at a football game. If you think you are coming down with a cold or the flu, which is often the case with a sore throat, a tea or tisane that might help the immune system fight back is recommended. Are you familiar with Echinacea? The echinacea acts as a natural antibi-
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otic by boosting the body’s immune sys- tem and fighting infection. Garlic and onions relieve congestion and infections by reducing the amount of mucus in the nasal cavities. You can make your own healing tea blend by combining dried echinacea, goldenseal, hyssop (a mem- ber of the mint family) and lemon, which contains vitamin C. If you think you are coming down with a cold or the flu vi- tamin C may help build up your tissues to fight the germs that are making your throat sore. We think the best remedy for a sore
throat (whether viral, bacterial or strep) is cayenne pepper. You may still need to continue the remedy for 2 - 3 days to see final results, so be patient! This remedy can work when antibiotics do not. A favorite recipe: 2 TBS of apple cider vinegar in hot
water with 5 dashes of powdered cay- enne. Keep a spoon in the mug to make sure the powder doesn’t settle. Drink as hot as possible. You will find the cayenne pepper dislodges mucous from the lin-
ing of your throat. Make sure you spit it out when it comes up! Do it as much as you can until you get tired of it, and then repeat every fifteen minutes, each time swallowing a tiny bit real slowly (not necessary). It only stings the tongue a little when spitting out, otherwise no discomfort. You can get used to even the swallowing part when you see how well it works.
Another suggestion: Add an equal amount of ground
ginger along with the cayenne pepper into a cup of HOT water and allow it to steep with a lid on the cup for 5 minutes. Then allow it to cool to a comfortable temperature (or add a little cold water) and gargle. This may seem time consum- ing when you are in a lot of pain but it is worth the wait! Allowing it to steep like that makes sure the spices are at their best. The cayenne brings the blood to the throat helping circulation for those well needed “healing soldiers” and the ginger calms the throat and helps reduce the swelling. You can even drink this as a tea on those cold winter nights to help you stay warm!
For a bad sore throat there’s always
the time tested technique of making a blend of salt, lemon juice and/or apple
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