Wellness Protocol: What We Do When We're Sick

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Today, my son developed little white bumps on his tongue, so we are monitoring for other symptoms of strep throat. Thankfully he is sleeping now and wasn't feeling too bad otherwise. I figured I'd share what we do in our house when we're coming down with anything.

1. Vitamins and Supplements. I like to take a few things right away when symptoms present and keep them up until I’m feeling 100%, with the goal of supporting my immune system and shortening the duration of whatever we caught. These include Liposomal Vitamin C potentially a more absorbable form, Zinc immune supporting mineral especially taken early during an illness, Vitamin D3 critical for the immune system during a gray Seattle winter, and N-Acetyl Cysteine supports glutathione production and help thin/loosen mucus when congestion is setting in.

My favorite way to get these in is with Dr. Mercola's Vitamin C-Pak These are like a clean version of Emergen-C and they have everything you need to kick a cold—vitamin C, D3, and Zinc. Plus they are yummy and convenient. I am much more likely to drink one of these than dig through my supplements for a half-dozen pills to take. 2. Bee Propolis spray We love this throat spray. They have a kids version too. I use it on me and the kids a few times a day as soon as I feel a hint of anything coming on in my throat, and the propolis slows it down prevents it. 3. Honey! We use a spoonful of honey as cough syrup. But we also love kid-safe elderberry honey cough syrup like this one from Beekeeper's Naturals. It's recommended to wait until 1 years old for this option. 4. Saltwater rinse. Completely free and completely clean! This works so well, it's not even funny. It's a common suggestion, but if you're not regularly doing this when you have a sore throat, you are missing out. Best to wait until kids can understand to spit, so they aren't swallowing it. Any salt is fine, but I may as well mention that we like Redmond Real Salt around here. 5. Nasal irrigation. For adults and kids, we use Beekeeper's Naturals nasal spray. It really helps to keep breathing clear, and keep your nose and throat clean, so bad bugs aren't able to colonize there. For babies, from birth up, we use this one from FridaBaby. It is amazing for babies, so they can eat and sleep well when they are sick—their little nasal passages are so tiny and get clogged up easily! Be sure to choose one that has ingredients that read something like saline or water, sodium chloride for your newborn. There's also this one for kids over 1. 6. Garlic. For suspected infections, we start garlic right away. I mince 3 cloves and add to a spoonful of honey 3 times a day until the infection clears. This works wonders and was historically used as an antibiotic in cases where one was not available, like on the battlefield. There is also a way to ferment the garlic in honey which mellows the flavor and adds garlic properties to the honey if you strain it which is a great way to get kids (or yourself) to actually take it. If you can choke it down, there is no downside risk and all the upside of potentially avoiding antibiotics. Just be sure to go in if your infection is not improving or worsening. 7. LMNT Electrolytes. Of course, staying hydrated when sick is important and so with two very young children, I am breastfeeding them around the clock. So to make that possible while still keeping myself hydrated, I drink even more LMNT than before! We need so much more salt than you might think especially because in our family, we cook 99% of meals at home. (No, really. There are about 100 meals in a month and we don't always eat out even once in a given month). Our whole family loves LMNT and it makes us feel noticeably better and more hydrated through, breastfeeding, pregnancy, illness, and workouts.

We try to support ourselves and our kids at home through illness as much as we possibly can. This is something I'm working on learning more about so I can be more prepared. If you have what you need on hand and you know what symptoms to treat and watch out for, you can take the best care of your family, speed up recovery, and avoid unnecessary urgent care visits.

Stay well!