As I dragged myself through the last week, the latest victim of a rather nasty flu that’s been making the rounds and dosing myself with natural alternatives for antihistamines, mucus reducers and immunity boosters, it occurred to me that, quite by accident, I’ve given my liver a new lease on life by offering it food and mineral based options instead of those which are chemically created by a pharmaceutical company which has little or no interest in my long-term health.
The fact is, our liver is an amazing organ. It is able to detect things which are foreign to our bodies, and not only filter them out, but at some point in the future, after ingesting something far more often than we should, it will reject it entirely, causing those synthetic drugs to be rendered virtually useless. This is why we so often hear the dreaded words “drug resistant virus/infection”. Our lovely liver has decided that the drug is no longer welcome in the finely tuned engine we know as our bodies!
Those profit based pharmaceutical companies, and through them, many of our doctors don’t want us to know that there are many healthy alternatives which carry with them a ton of beneficial qualities, and they can be found…wait for it…in Nature!
These substances have been used for thousands of years quite effectively, but we are left to be our own advocates more often than not, if we want to pursue those healthy alternatives.
So what are these options? And what can they do that the synthetic ones don’t?
In the first place, your body won’t find a way to reject the natural substances because it recognizes them as food or minerals which contain things which are already running through our systems naturally.
In the second place, except in the case of allergies which occur on an individual basis, there are no side effects! How cool is that? No hives or damaged tendons or, in my case, disorientation.
In the third place, the beneficial parts of our well tuned systems are not arbitrarily killed off while trying to eliminate an infection. I don’t know about you, but I want to keep those good germs inside of my body, thankyouverymuch! I would rather not lose digestive bacteria while trying to clear up a sinus infection. It just doesn’t make sense!
Fourth, many of these natural alternatives are really quite tasty and can be combined with the food we already eat!
Let’s break these down as some are food based and others are either minerals or a compound which is…you guessed it…created in Nature!
The humble onion and its cousin, garlic, are two of the most common, most readily available, and most versatile antibiotics found in nature. The lowly onion also makes a great pain killer for tooth issues. And who hasn’t, by now, heard of at least some of garlic’s amazing qualities?
1. Antibiotic properties which can be used for infections of the teeth, sinuses, intestines, skin, bladder, lungs and nose.
2. Immune booster
3. Excellent for preservation of cardiovascular health.
Our next miraculous little food is grapefruit extract. It has been used for centuries to kill both viruses and fungi! (Athlete’s foot, anyone?)
Apple cider vinegar is another oft used item for curing sinus infections. I’ve heard it’s also quite helpful for digestive issues and as a diet aid.
Japanese horseradish, too, has a number of uses. It can be made into a paste we know as wasabi (and you know how a small bit of that can clear out the old shnozolla!) But combine it with onion, garlic and cayenne, and it also breaks up mucus.
And speaking of mucus, one of my favorite substances for that delightful chore is an herb known as Fenugreek. Whether it’s a cold, a sinus infection or this latest flu, if my sinuses are involved, I’m taking Fenugreek at least twice a day! I’ve tried the over the counter stuff like Mucinex, and frankly, it works a lot better and is, again, natural so my body knows exactly what to do with it, and won’t later find a way to reject it.
One of my favorite products, though, is something called Propolis which, like honey, comes from bees and has all sorts of antibiotic qualities .
While working for a cat rescue, I had a cat suddenly panic and, because we were inside a store, I couldn’t just let him go or they’d have had to lock down the store and we would have had to get a panicked cat out of a potentially very bad spot. Needless to say, my hands and arms were covered in scratches and bites. I went home and spread honey on the affected areas and wrapped them in gauze. Within a few days, some very deep scratches were completely healed without a trace of infection! Sure, it was a little on the messy side, but the results were so amazing, I’d put up with a little stickiness again, should the need arise. I’ve also found it to be amazingly effective for skin rashes.
Propolis, however, is sold in different forms, but my preference is for the frozen dried and ground substance encased in capsules. Two a day is sufficient to keep your immune system humming along nicely though I’ve discovered due to recent events that during flu season, it is wise to both ensure that you take it ever day but also to increase the dosage to supercharge your immunities.
Propolis is approximately 30% wax, 10% etheric oils, 5% pollen and 50-70% resins. You even have the added benefit of any medicinal qualities in the plants from which the bees gathered the pollen. These qualities are retained in the Propolis making it extra good at warding off evil germs! In this single product, you not only get the antibiotic and immune boosting properties, but a whole lot more! Propolis is also an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti viral, and an anti oxidant. In fact, it has more bioflavonoids than an orange!
In use for centuries, this simple substance can protect us from contagious germs, help with the regeneration of muscle cells, give us energy and even be used as a natural hand sanitizer! Think of all the products you’ll no longer have to keep in your household!
Although this is only a partial list, I’m going to add one more, chamomile tea. This lovely flower, when steeped in hot water has amazing qualities which help ease swelling, especially after oral surgery. After having all four wisdom teeth literally dug out of my jaw, I let some of the tea sit on the areas where the extractions had been done, and was able to go out dancing the same night without any pain!!!
To make a long story short, the next time your doctor prescribes Penicillin or Cipro, or any of the other common and not-so-common, chemically created antibiotics, do your homework. Ask questions. There is probably something better which won’t upset the delicate balance in your body, and will actually help make it stronger. Granted, it won’t work in 24 hours like some of the horse pills the doctor might give you, but you will be better protected the next time you’re surrounded by lots of germy people!!
A simple internet search for “natural antibiotics” will give you a wealth of information!
My gratitudes tonight are:
1. I am grateful for opportunities to share what I’ve learned.
2. I am grateful for new and different ways to present information.
3. I am grateful that I was able to naturally restore my health.
4. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue learning ways to live even healthier.
5. I am grateful that I will soon be able to return to my normal activities.
Love and light.
