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Written by Karli @ Feed Me Mama, Contributing Writer
One of the very first areas of alternative medicine that I adopted into my own life was studying herbs and medicinal teas. Soon after I got married, I worked in a natural cosmetics shop, which introduced me to the benefits of healing and supporting your body with natural ingredients. I was fascinated with the properties of herbs- the way that chamomile tea could put me to sleep, and peppermint could wake me up, but both could help a headache? I mean, really- who wouldn’t be fascinated by that? Soon I discovered that I could buy my own loose herbs and blend my own teas– a blend for sleep, a blend for immunity, a blend for PMS. My friends would come to me when they weren’t feeling well and have me blend something specific for their ailments. It was so encouraging to see that there were many common health issues that could be dealt with ‘in house’ using natural remedies. I loved the empowerment that came with understanding herbs and how they could help me!
Within the first few months of trying to get pregnant, it became apparent that I had a hormone imbalance. I had probably had it for years but never really felt the full effects until it came time to start a family! I came up with this simple yet effective herbal blend to both balance my hormones and provide my body with vital nutrients.
The foundation of this blend is arguably the best herb for women that you can find- red raspberry leaf! Commonly thought of as a pregnancy support herb, RRL actually works effectively by bringing balance to the hormones, which is beneficial for treating all types of women’s issues- from infertility to fibroids to postpartum care to endometriosis and beyond.
The other ingredients in this blend- nettle, alfalfa, and peppermint- provide ample essential nutrients, enabling the body to function at it’s best. The peppermint is especially useful in this blend because of it’s ability to lend a nice flavor to the tea, as the other three herbs have very earthy tastes.
You can play around with the ratios if you’d like, but I start with equal parts of each herb.
DIY Hormone Balancing Tea
For Pregnancy Use:
There are many differing opinions regarding the use of red raspberry leaf during the first trimester- and peppermint, for that matter. Discuss these herbs with your healthcare practitioner and come to a decision as to what safe use of these herbs looks like for you. For me, I used each of them sparingly yet regularly in the first trimester- half doses in the tea blend, but still one cup per day.
For Labor & Postpartum use:
In the end of pregnancy, I doubled (or even tripled) the RRL in the recipe to strengthen and tone the uterine muscles! The same recipe can also be used during the postpartum period to level hormones and discourage postpartum depression. However, peppermint can sometimes reduce milk supply, so be sure to add it into your recipe a bit at a time and observe if it affects you in this way.
Do you use herbs for medicinal purposes? What is your favorite tea blend?
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]]>The post Create Your Own Health Arsenal: Build A Strong Immune System & Treat Symptoms Naturally appeared first on Day2Day Joys.
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Written by Kari, Contributing Writer
This is a transitional time of year for almost everybody out there. School has started up again, summer is almost over and the cooler months are on the way. All of this means that we are going to have to pay more attention to keeping our immune systems strong so those ever present germs and bugs don’t have a chance to wreak havoc inside our bodies!
Even healthy families and houses can experience the sniffles, coughing and that ‘yucky’ feeling, but do we have to resort to the Cold/Flu aisle at the local grocery store to get us through these times?
Absolutely not!
I can’t tell you the last time I bought OTC medication for my family when those runny noses, sore throats and coughing made an appearance. I made a decision eight years ago, after my daughter was born, to take care of these issues in a better and more safe way. First and foremost my husband and I pray over our children and ourselves and speak healing scriptures over us. That is always our main defense – then we attack the natural symptoms in the body so we don’t have to just ‘wait it out’. We usually get things nipped in the bud quickly and these symptoms never go longer than a day or two.
Often times adults and children alike have weakened immune systems due to a myriad of reasons, including antibiotic use, poor nutrition, lack of activity and exercise and stress – just to name a few. Along with addressing these issues, there are several things that are in my go-to ‘health arsenal’ that are natural and safe and I feel comfortable in giving my family knowing they are beneficial to our bodies and not harmful or toxic.
How To Keep Your Immune System Strong and Treat Symptoms Naturally
1. A healthy diet
This is extremely important. If your body isn’t getting nutritious food that support the functioning of the body, your natural immune defenses will be down and this makes it so much easier for germs, viruses and bacteria to enter in and take root. So, eliminating or decreasing processed foods, eating fresh and living foods, drinking plenty of water and eating a good variety of macronutrients (healthy carbs, healthy fats and protein) is a sure way to keep the immune system strong. We also like to make our own ‘Spa Water’ around here that livens things up a bit while adding some healthy goodness to our water intake.
2. Vitamin D
When sunshine decreases in your area and you’re not spending as much time under those beautiful rays – then supplementing with Vitamin D3 is a must. Now, D3 is a fat soluble vitamin and is better assimilated by the body when taken with a fat. This is why it’s best to take Vitamin D3 with Cod Liver Oil (which contains concentrated vitamin D, vitamin A and is the #1 source of EPA and DHA). As an added note – we also lay off the sunscreen for the most part. Unless we’ll be outside in 100 degree weather for hours on end – we don’t use sunscreen. We welcome the healthy sun to do it’s job and give us natural Vitamin D! Instead we just use coconut oil or a special oil blend I make specifically for time in the sun.
3. Probiotics
The health of your gut can determine your overall health. It’s important to keep our gut populated with good bacteria and eating probiotic-rich foods is the best option. Full-fat yogurt, dairy kefir, coconut kefir, amasai, summer sun pickles, water kefir, kombucha, kimichi and beet kvass are good examples of cultured food alive with good bacteria. If needed, supplementing with a high quality probiotic is the next best option.
4. Herbs
Used since the beginning of time, herbs are amazing and there are so many things you can make with them that strengthen your immune system or attack the bad invaders if they’ve already settled in. A few of my favorite recipes that we use all the time are Elderberry Syrup, Safe Cough Syrup, Natural Remedy for Sore Throats and Immune Strengthening Herbal Tea Blend. I also like to incorporate essential oils for even better results. Even simply combining eucalyptus, rosemary and lavender essential oils with some almond oil makes a good rub when you have congestion and a stuffy nose.
5. Juicing
I am a huge advocate of juicing and for many reasons. I have experienced nothing but positive results with my family ever since we began juicing 5 years ago. Regular juicing removes toxins, cleanses on a cellular level and gives your digestive system a break! If you need to treat symptoms you see coming on – add ginger, garlic, beets, parsley or wheatgrass! Here are some of my day to day recipes we like in our house.
Choosing to make our own products has not only saved us a lot of money, but I also believe it has saved our bodies from untold amounts of damage. I have always valued the remedies of years gone by that were used by old-time grandmothers from the farm, civilizations that only had the substance of the earth to rely on and just good old common sense!
There’s no reason to fall prey to these transitional symptoms that try to show up this time of year. Start with a solid foundation of a good diet and include the other beneficial goodies as a way to keep your immune system strong and to treat symptoms naturally!
Take charge with your family’s health and make a quality decision to only take care of them using safe and natural methods! Doing this is a long term investment that pays off with long and healthy lives!
Make yours a LIFE WORTH LIVING and be confident in the fact that it is possible when you realize the reality of HEALTH MADE EASY!
Some good points to remember:
1. Just because something is ‘natural’ doesn’t mean it’s safe for everyone. Make sure you are able to consume the herbs you want to use, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, have high blood pressure or are on blood thinners. 2. Natural remedies typically go to the root of the problem to take care of the issue, so you need patience. Most OTC medications just cover up the symptoms so you feel ‘relief’ faster. What happens, though, is the issue lasts longer than it should since you never get to the root of the problem. So, don’t give up!In what ways are you creating your families health arsenal?
*this post is linked to: Encourage One Another, Titus 2sdays, and WFMW*
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