Sore Throat Remedy

     I've been plagued with an extremely sore throat and cough this weekend.  I think sleeping for over 2 months with an air conditioner blowing right on me has contributed to this illness.  My usual remedy for sore throat is to drink hot tea, as hot as I can take it. Well, 100 degree weather just makes drinking hot tea unbearable.  I made some slippery elm and comfrey tea yesterday and drank it on ice.  It didn't soothe much.
     My mom came to the rescue last night with a tea recipe she had read about and recommended to my sister when she had strep for a few weeks.  So, I tried it this morning (after searching for fresh limes in 2 different grocery stores!) and thought I'd share the recipe.  I drank just a small amount so far, but feel much improved already.

     Heat some hot water.  While it is heating take one lime and place it in warm water ( this aids in getting the most juice from the fruit, also works on lemons).  Put 4 teaspoons of honey, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and 1 teabag of choice in a glass measure.  When the water is heated (not boiling) pour 1 cup over ingredients and let tea steep. Juice the lime and add to the tea.  Sip throughout the day, do not drink all at once. I poured mine over ice and it has already seemed to help soothe the soreness a lot. 
    Another favorite sore throat remedy is Listerine.  I gargle with it before going to bed and the disinfecting power works very quickly to help it heal. Salt water is another great liquid to gargle with when suffering a sore throat.  Avoiding sugar is also a must. Sugar feeds any infection.  Anytime I am sick and eat any amount of sugar, I immediately get congested and feel worse.  Of course, increasing vitamin C in any form and taking garlic are also great for killing an infection. 
     So, sore throat, beware, I am armed and ready for the battle.  I hope you will be gone soon!

Lesson Learned

     I have been suffering from a foot malady this summer and I had to share my "natural" healing experience with you.  I have what seems to be athlete's foot between two of my toes. I always get it in the summer time (when I always wear sandals). A few weeks ago it started getting very bad.  It was swollen, and felt like the infection had spread to my foot.  I had veins near my toes that were red and hot. So, I did a little research to find out what I could do to speed up the healing process.

     The first thing I read is that fresh air helps it heal. Strange that I only get it when I'm wearing sandals.  I wrote down the various ingredients that I had on hand to try and make it better.  I walked around an entire afternoon with a raw onion taped to my foot.  The only difference it made was that I walked in a way that injured my foot and it was sore and swollen the next day.  I have baptized the toe several times in tea tree oil, to no avail.  I walked another day for a few hours with a raw garlic clove stuck between the two toes.  I soaked it in Epsom salts, which only  made my dry cracked heels even drier and "crackier". I applied oregano oil, which only made me smell like a pizza and which also stung in the extreme for over an hour!  I drank lots of comfrey tea, ate tons of vitamin C, and even sprinkled natural pink salt in my shoes (which also burned very badly!!).  The apple cider vinegar really helped with the itching, but just made me feel like a pickle.  This infection was just not going away!
     All the while that I was "suffering", my husband kept telling me to try his favorite remedy: Vick's Vapor Rub.  Well, I would argue that petroleum jelly isn't "natural" and that the salve would keep the foot from getting the fresh air that it needed. I was also afraid that the Mentholatum in Vick's would make it burn like fire and I didn't want to put that on an open wound. Finally, two days ago, I broke down and very precariously put a tiny bit of Vick's on the toe and put a sock over it and went to bed.  I was surprised that it did not sting at all-- making me feel like it wasn't working. :)  However, the next morning, the swelling and redness were noticeably better.  I gingerly added even more the next night, and had even better results the next morning.  I am almost over this infection, that has lasted over a month, in just two nights.
    So, the conclusion?  Experience is the best doctor. I often go to a website called Well Tell Me that is a great resource of experience. People sharing their experience with a certain malady and telling how they dealt with it and what worked for them.  Now, every body is different, and will respond to different methods in different ways, but to know that someone else is out there going through the same thing and having ways to deal with it is very valuable information.  Yes, I did research foot infections through that site, and no, there were no mentions of Vick's vapor-rub!!  I may have to add that!