Beating Illness

On Tuesday morning I woke up with the dreaded sore throat. Aside from feeling lousy once a month (which I am still seeking to eliminate all symptoms), I haven't been sick since I started eating whole, organic, or at least minimally processed foods. In fact, just last week, I was bragging to Mark about how I haven't been sick in over a year. I thought I was pretty hot stuff...until I woke up with that awful mucus-y , scratchy throat, and feverish feeling. Part of me was incredibly disappointed, but the rest of me looked at this as one of my first real opportunities to practice what I preach. If I believe that food and herbs can heal us, this was my big break.

Tuesday morning was pretty tough, because I didn't have any of my "goodies." I felt feverish and crabby and didn't want to talk. However, I went home during one of my free periods and made a "potion" of 2 T apple cider vinegar, 1 t grated ginger, 1/8 t cayenne pepper, 1 T of honey, and a few tablespoons of water. I gargled with the mixture, swallowing some, spitting some out, depending on where I was in the house, until I had finished almost all of it. My throat immediately felt better. I also began taking 40-60 drops of an echinacea/goldenseal tincture I bought from Gaia at Wholefoods. I went to bed at 9pm and woke up at 6:30am feeling energetic, with only a slightly sore throat.

This morning, I had echinacea for breakfast, with a hot cup of chicken broth, and 2 scrambled eggs. I have been drinking green tea with triple echinacea, made by Yogi Teas. I've also been enjoying liberal amounts of raw honey to combat my illness with its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral properties. I haven't put any refined carbs or sugar (except the honey!) in my body (though I really wanted a piece of toast with my eggs!). For lunch, I had liver, onions, and mushrooms, which I sauteed in lots of butter the other night, and roasted acorn squash and carrots with a heap of creme fraiche.

I feel pretty well now, but definitely not 100%. To think that I would have taken over the counter drugs for something that can so easily be ameliorated by some research and a willingness to experiment...!