Replied By Prioris (Fl, Usa) on 12/23/2013

Replied By Mama To Many (Tennessee, Usa) on 12/24/2013

We have done lots of different things over the years. I will go ahead and share what we are doing now, and may post again as I recall other things that have seemed to help in the past.

We have had amazing results using Astragalus Root. I put my 5 year old son on it over the summer. He was getting countless tick bites and I was concerned about him getting Lyme Disease. I had him taking 2 capsules (about 1/2 teaspoon) daily. He has been doing this for many months. Astragalus Root is used to boost immunity. It is a mild herb and used for food in other cultures. This son has not had any sickness at all this fall. He has certainly been exposed to a lot of sickness this fall, but has stayed well, praise the Lord. We even had a cold go through the family in October. His 8 siblings all got it and he did not. So, I am pretty excited about Astragalus Root! If you children are not yet able to swallow pills, Astragalus Root is quite mild and 1/2 teaspoon can be stirred into applesauce or a smoothie. You may also be able to get or make astragalus root tincture. It can be used during acute illness but is better used as a preventative.

Currently in our community, a terrible respiratory virus and the flu are going around...now most of my family are taking Astragalus Root and some other things.

Some other things that we are currently using to prevent sickness in our family (children and adults) are vitamins C and D. Prioris mentioned zinc, which I have heard is good.

I also made Elderberry syrup a few weeks ago, which is tasty and easy to get everyone to take. Here is a link to a recipe:

http://wellnessmama.com/1888/how-to-make-elderberry-syrup-for-flu-prevention/

Adults in my house are taking 1 Tablespoon per day and children are taking 1 teaspoon a day. When we have been around sick people, we are taking it 2-3 times a day. I was feeling a cold coming on a couple of days ago and starting to take 1-2 Tablespoons every time I thought of it and it seemed to nip it in the bud...I did also use Colloidal Silver several times a day.

Colloidal Silver is something I have been trying to prevent colds since Dave wrote about it. I am using a 10ppm strength. I have it in a dropper bottle. I put 1 dropperful in each ear and nostril several times a day when feeling something coming on. With children, I have tried to do this once or twice a day. They are not very fond of it. For small children I am just using a few drops per ear and nostril. You can do this daily to prevent and more often when sickness occurs.

I think a good diet is helpful to keep the body ready to fight colds. Avoiding processed food and processed sugar as much as possible is good. So is avoiding MSG, soda, etc. When children have colds, we avoid dairy, especially milk and ice cream. (We actually rarely consume them anyway, unless we have access to raw milk.) Human milk is fine when children have colds, by the way, , though you are not talking about nursing little ones. (I have had doctors say to wean children when they have congestion, but human milk is not a dairy product and I reject that advice.) We do try to eat fresh fruit (mostly apples) daily. That saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away can't be for nothing! )

But even children on excellent diets who get plenty of rest etc. do get sick sometimes.

If you have little ones that are struggling to get over colds, the above things should be very helpful. I also try to get herbal teas into them. Some will drink vinegar tea. (For a child, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 - 2 teaspoons honey in a small mug with hot water.) This is excellent if they will drink it. If they like cold, herbal tea, sweetened with honey can be made into popsicles.

Garlic Salve can be made to help with chest colds. It is super. It should be used often. It doesn't smell great, but it sure does help. Here is a recipe:

http://jeffratzlaff.blogspot.com/2011/05/garlic-salve.html

Well, I hope something here will be helpful. If I remember anything else, I will try and post it later! Have a great day!

~Mama to Many

Replied By Tina (Cambridge, Ma) on 12/26/2013

Replied By Prioris (Fl, Usa) on 12/27/2013

Replied By Jillery (North America) on 12/27/2013

Replied By Prioris (Fl) on 12/28/2013

Replied By Norm (Asheville, Nc) on 01/09/2014