It came as no surprise to find myself coming down with a bug. I was run-down, had talked to thousands of people, and was sitting in a draft for a week.
The first thing was to start on echinacea and elderberry tinctures. After a couple of days the congestion moved into the chest, and it is now starting to clear.
In the meantime, Molly started out with a stomach bug. I dropped a slice of crystallized ginger into her cup of herbal tea to settle her tummy. As she felt better, she started to munch on some baby carrots, and they really helped. I have no idea why they work, and haven't read up on it. All I know is that when I am feeling indigestion or heartburn, 4 or 5 of those small carrots make a bigger difference than an antacid would. Could it be the saliva? Maybe it just gives the stomach something more interesting to do than annoy me. In any case, it works for us. She seemed a little sniffly yesterday, so now she's on the echinacea/elderberry. We might add a little nettle tincture.
We also stocked up on fruit and vegetable juices. We've been eating lots of good, fresh food and staying away from junk.
There are so many nasty bugs around right now - probably made worse by the lack of freezing weather. All we can do is wash our hands frequently, avoid crowds, eat well, rest well, and hope for the best. Keep the herbal preparations that you know and use on hand. Drink lots of liquids, and be vigilant. Stopping them before they get a good hold on you is the best defense.
