simple comforts for the infirmed
// December 7th, 2009 // Uncategorized
let me see… December… close to ZERO degrees in Colorado for a few days now… cooties are spreading among us… holiday partying is wearing us down… are you feeling 100%? If you are sliding or just want to boost your immunity here are a few of the simple comforts us here at Ossumniss HQ rely on when we are not feeling our best.
#1 good old fashioned rest

#2 good nutrient-dense food, vitamins if you need to supplement
#3 probiotics, we have a cow share that supplies us with raw milk, consider yogurt or supplements
#4 honey, naturally antiseptic
#4.33 honey with lemon for a bad throat
#4.66 hot toddy if you are just feeling like sh*t (squeeze two lemons, add honey to taste, heat til really hot, pour in mug, add whiskey til it slightly burns your eyeballs when you go in for a sip… vary with spices and liquors… go wild!)

#5 saline wash (add sea salt and water to gargle for your throat, use this mix in a neti pot if you need it for your sinuses)
#6 elderberry… this is a new one for us and we have been doing elderberry and zinc herbalozenges because we have not hit the cool threshold to make elderberry syrup ourselves with dried elderberries
#7 tea – we darn near live down the street from Celestial Seasoning and they are going to do well this cold & flu season for a reason… tea is comforting and in the right blend it has healing properties. just stay away from the caffeine because that will not help if you are trying to tell the mucus to go bye-bye. you can also bath with some mint and/or eucalyptus blends or just put them in a bowl to breathe the vapors.

#8 emergen-c… why is this stuff da bomb?!? stay with a flavor you like though. we have too many friends that decided to be adventurous and buy a box of acai berry, that stuff tastes like a$$.
do you have any remedies to add? the more old-timey and accessible the better.




I’m coming back from totally exhausting myself over the weekend, so this list is very timely for me.
My suggestions:
1. warm towels and/or hot water bottles anywhere you hurt, including your sinuses. A fresh blanket out of the dryer can also be a huge comfort.
2. Sudacare makes vapor balls for the shower that are awesome, but only original scent works very well. I’m sure you could make your own alternative, but I’m not there yet.
3. Hugs!
4. Eat well, but also make sure to eat often. It’s easy to forget or go many, many hours between meals when things are so busy.
5. Stretch & breathe – all the stress of the season builds up, let it go with stretching, yoga, breathing, whatever works for you