Natural Winter Wellness Remedies for 2014

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I’m glad to be getting a headstart on this year’s winter wellness list since just this past weekend it dropped below freezing here in Georgia. I learned a lot last year about the remedies in my winter medicine cabinet after a horrible flu had me in bed for a week over Christmas. The flu is a different animal than the common winter cold and it took rest, time, and a combination of these remedies to fully recover. On the other hand, my daughters did great last winter with only a few minor colds they quickly rebounded from.

So this year’s list is edited slightly from last year as I learned a few new therapies I liked better and simplified a bit too…

10 Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness (that work!)

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Let’s first get this straight. “Morning” sickness for me is not just in the morning. It is all day. For many WEEKS. It’s like having the stomach flu for a month and a half. No fun here, but thankfully a beautiful reward in the end. Oh, I haven’t mentioned yet…baby#3 is on their way and due in February. 🙂 These natural remedies for morning sickness have been my savior.

When I have pregnancy-induced nausea, I can’t even talk about GREEN things without getting the dry heave feeling in my throat (hence the 6 weeks that have passed since my last post!) It has been this way with all of my pregnancies, and thankfully my body was able to hold onto its healthy state (and cancer-free) even though I am not eating my usual Budwig, green smoothie, salad, and juice routine.

So what have I been doing to deal with this? Not the usual natural/crunchy wisdom has worked for me (like wretched ginger! Bleh!), but here are a few things that did.

Natural Remedies for Winter Cold and Flu

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Oh boy, it’s that time of year! I know in our house we have already had to break out and use some of these natural remedies. Here’s this year’s revised list of what I use to keep my family healthy in the winter months. I arranged the list from what I think is most important to the extra “nice to have” goodies.

Less Toxic Hair Color and Nail Polish for Cancer Patients

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Before you dive into reading this post, make sure to check out the last two posts in this series, The Ultimate Cancer Fighting Bathroom: Shower Products and Facial/ Skin Products. Here you’ll find a great overview of what skin, beauty or hygiene products I used while treating my cancer naturally and continue to use today. In this post I will talk about some of the best nontoxic and less toxic options for hair color and nail polish for cancer patients.

I couldn’t pinpoint where to fit today’s products in, because they’re not really “bathroom” products, but they are commonly used and can be REALLY toxic. Here are some of my solutions to taking a healthier route to nail and hair color.

Making Lemonade from Lemons- My “Overdue” Stevia Lemonade Recipe

I HATE “due dates.” I have been meaning to publish this post for weeks now, but in my last few weeks of this pregnancy, my motivation has been my worst enemy. I am sitting here now with my second child’s “due date” being YESTERDAY. I am officially “overdue” at a time when it seems that everyone and their mother (really- their mothers too) are telling me their birth stories of how their second children were born EARLY and their labor was so FAST.

Just this morning, our good friend who was due 10 days after me went into labor with their FIRST child. We are anxiously awaiting the birth of their sweet boy or girl, but my more human, wordly side wonders WHY ON EARTH is my second baby OVERDUE when the word on the street is that second births are typically early?

I know- you are probably so over my whining. Honestly, I am too! I am grateful for this “overdue” baby after a miscarriage last summer, when I swore I would be pregnant for 1,000 months if I knew it would result in a healthy baby.

This post is my effort to get my impatient self together and make some lemonade from lemons- in more ways than one.

Natural Headache Relief, No Drugs Needed- Especially Great for PREGNANCY Headaches!

I really was quite convinced up to this point, that natural headache relief was just not possible. Because of my failed attempts at getting rid of my headaches naturally in the past, I have not been opposed to a few ibuprofen tablets for an absolutely debilitating, occasional headache.

However, being 33 weeks pregnant and have suffered from headaches more this pregnancy than I did in the 3 years between this one and my daughter, I became desperate to find something that works without causing harm to the baby.

So yesterday, after WAKING UP with the familiar head pounding, I did some searching and decided to try the following protocol during my daughter’s nap time. To my disbelief, it ACTUALLY got rid of my headache! (Oh, and YES, you may need to actually R-E-S-T for it to work.)

Paprika Slow-Cooked Chicken and Broth

I am determined on Mondays to get dinner cooking by 6am. Sounds weird, huh? If any of ya’ll are working mothers, you may have a special relationship with the Crock Pot, too. This chicken takes 15 minutes to prep and 8 hours to cook. It is my husband’s favorite new dish and my daughter gobbles it up. Its savory juice of coconut oil and warm chicken broth produces an experience that both comforts and heals much more than the soul.

Afterwards, check out my recipe and reasons to spend 5-10 extra minutes to make your own EASY Crock Pot Chicken Broth!

Simple, Natural, and Affordable Winter Remedies for BUSY People

“Throat Funk” is what I’m calling it. You know, that tickly, draining feeling in your throat that causes you to keep swallowing. It’s the beginning of a cold, but it doesn’t have to go any further.

There are many ailments that we suffer from in the cold winter months, not because there are just more germs, but primarily because we are indoors so much.

Lack of natural Vitamin D from the sun and reduced amounts of fresh air are culprits to our weakening immune systems.

But, trust me when I say…there is SOMETHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!

If life keeps you BUSIER than you’d like, but you want stay HEALTHY, then you NEED to read this post!