How to Make Elderberry Syrup

The more and more I study about herbs and natural remedies, the more and more I am amazed at all that God has provided for us. Not surprising news of course, since our blessings are always more than we can see, but it’s just such a different way of thinking in our modern society. So much of what he has given us responsibility over, we seem to have forgotten through the years. He has given us so many things that can help prevent and treat sickness as well as heal and restore our bodies. Case in point – elderberry syrup.

You can find it at any health food store, and many places carry it online. But did you know you can make your own? It’s so easy to do and very cost effective!

What you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup dried elderberries (or one cup fresh)
• 1 cup honey
• 2 cups water
• (mountain rose herbs also recommends grated ginger, a cinnamon stick, and a few cloves in their video all of which have warming properties that would be beneficial especially when you’re already sick!)

Take a 1/2 cup of dried elderberries,

place in a pan with the 2 cups of water, along with any other herbs and spices (I used a cinnamon stick this time) bring to a boil, and then let simmer (uncovered) for about 20 minutes.

Once reduced (about half – give or take. It doesn’t have to be exact science) pour through a mesh strainer

and then just use the back of a spoon to squeeze out any juice left in the berries.

Add in the one cup honey and stir until combined. (personally, next time I do this, I’ll wait for the liquid to cool down a bit before I add it in. Raw honey has so many great healing properties to it, I don’t want to damage it with the heat.)

Once thoroughly combined, just place into a storage jar and keep in the fridge!

It will last for a couple weeks in the fridge, so make only enough for those weeks as it can go bad. Cost wise, it’s hard to say, since I didn’t pay attention to how much the 1/2 cup cost me. But it couldn’t have been more than a buck or so. And the honey only cost me about $2.00 for one cup. So by my not so scientific calculations……it cost me about $4.00 for about 16 ounces. Much cheaper than the small $14.00 bottles at the store!

My husband and I have been taking a couple teaspoons a day, my toddler half that. From people I know that take it, some take up to a tablespoon at a time, so I don’t think it’s something you can overdue to much. Plus, the concentration will be a bit different with each batch due to simmer time, etc. Like I said, it’s not an exact science. If/when we become sick I’ll take the same dose every few hours to help deal with symptoms.

Benefits of Elderberry Syrup:

• Contains 3 different flavonoids. Flavonoids are effective against at least 8 different strains of the flu virus!
• Helps boost the immune system.
• It stops the production of hormone-like cytokines that cause inflammation.
• Studies have also shown that elderberry reduces excessive sinus mucus secretion, and some even suggest that elderberry can help lessen swelling of mucous membranes, improve sinus drainage, and decrease nasal congestion.
  

For some more info or to order your own, you can check out the info page at Mountain Rose Herbs.

This post is linked to :

Works for me Wednesday – cause making it at home works for me!!

Frugal Fridays

Guarding yourself from the cold and flu

As I now sit here with a stuffy nose and 2 snot nosed kids, I’m reminded of the steps I took last year that seemed to help keep virus’ at bay. So here’s a rerun post while I rest up today!

While we did not get the flu shot this year, that doesn’t quite mean I’d actually like the flu! There are some natural ways to boost your immune system and give your body a helping hand at actually fighting it (and the common cold) off should you come in contact with some sniffling folk.

First off what’s the difference between the cold and flu?
Basically both of them are respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses.

The Flu:

• Symptoms come on very quickly, within a few hours. You go from feeling well one minute to horrible the next.
• Usually consists of a fever (my last flu bug had me at 103.5 for 2 days!)
• Chills from the fever
• Horrible body aches
• Moderate to sever chest congestion
• Dry cough
• Extreme tiredness
• Headache
• Basically an all around “can’t get out of bed” feeling

What the flu is NOT: It is not a stomach bug. Although many people refer to throwing up as the 24 hour flu, people actually rarely throw up when it’s the actual flu. So if it’s intestinal, you’ve caught some type of tummy bug like the norovirus or rotavirus.

The Cold

• Symptoms come on gradually over the course of a few days
• Normally consists of stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, and the stuffy head feeling
• Mild tiredness
• Fevers not unusual but are normally only slightly elevated if at all
• Productive cough

Ways to protect yourself and your family from illness throughout the cold and flu season:

• Cut waaaay down on your consumption of sugar and processed foods! Studies have shown that the chemical process of your body digesting these foods depresses your immune system. A can of pop can actually weaken your immune system for up to 6 hours after consumption. Cutting out obvious sugars is easy (desserts, pop, candy, etc.) but don’t forget to look out for all the hidden sugar in food (which is why you should also cut out processed foods -they’re full of them!). Check the labels of yogurt, granola bars, and other seemingly “health” foods for any type of sugar, corn syrup, any ingredient ending in -ose (fructose, glucose, etc.) and even barely malt.
• Get your rest and make sure your kids do too. Stress and fatigue also lower your immune system. And if you feel something coming on, it’s best to sleep as much as possible.
• Wash your hands (especially before meals!!), but forget about antibacterial soaps. Seems kind of funny, but it’s actually detrimental to your immune system to use antibacterial soaps. Allowing your body to come in contact with germs allows it to “work out”, so when an actual virus comes around, it’s “fit” for keeping it in check. (Now, I say that as I also use some antibacterial gels. I know, a bit hypocritical. But, I do carry hand sanitizer in my bag so that we can “wash” our hands when there is no clean facility in which to do so. But I do not have antibacterial soaps in my house!) Normal hand washing should last long enough to sing the ABC’s, using soap and warm water, and lots of scrubbing. Also make sure you dry them completely.
• Eat plenty of probiotics. Think plain yogurt or things like kefir and kombucha. The good bacteria that lives in fermented foods supplies your intestinal tract so that it can fight off bad bacteria that enter it. (Did you know that 80% of your immune system is in your digestive system?) I also take probiotics in capsule form as well.
• Take Cod Liver Oil. It’s high in vitamins A & D, both of which help your immune system.

And at home:

• Make sure to wash odd objects that get touched often. Things like light switches, doors, the phone, handles on the fridge, oven and dishwasher. Take a hot rag and wipe them down or use a rag soaked in vinegar and spritz the object with hydrogen peroxide, then rub with the vinegar rag for a disinfectant.
• Keeping a humidifier helps as well since certain viruses need a low level of humidity to survive. Plus, when your mucous membranes dry out, they can’t trap the virus as it enters the body.
• Sanitize your toothbrush by dipping in hydrogen peroxide, run boiling water over it, (boil a small pan of water and pour over the toothbrush), or I’ve even heard of folks running them through the dishwasher (not with dishes) to clean them up since the water gets hotter than tap water.
• Teach your kids to cough into their elbow and not their hands. This way they don’t get transfer the virus from hand to object.

Even though you take all of these steps, it is still quite possible to contract one of these not-so-fun winter ills. But should you take some precautions and eat a healthy diet as well as feed your body good bacteria, even if you do contract it, you can lesson the symptoms you feel and get over it faster.

What are ways you boost your immune system?

Natural Cures for Mastitis

Well, the two rounds of antibiotics I took within a months time, plus the fact that I don’t get near enough sleep (a.k.a. naps) has caused me to come down with mastitis again. But this time I beat it without broad spectrum antibiotics!

Didn’t know that was possible, huh?

Yup.

And this time I was ready at the first sign.

I actually woke up last week at 4am with just a touch of pain and knew it was coming. So I woke baby up and had her nurse right away. Then pumped. Then drank a ton of water and took a mega dose of vitamin C (5000mgs in 24 hours). Then nursed, and drank water, and pumped, and drank water. I also used a heating pad on the affected area several times during the day. (if that doesn’t help you out, try a cold compress to help lessen the inflammation) I crawled under the covers as much as I possibly could what with having to feed and take care of my littles. I ignored the dishes and cleaning and laundry, and just took care of myself.

My temp went up just slightly, but within 24 hours I was feeling much better!

There are actually a few more things you can do naturally, but I didn’t need to take any more measures to kick it this time. KellyMom.com is a great reference for all things breastfeeding and it’s where I got the idea for the vitamin C, which seemed to be the extra I needed this time around. I also started to take apple cider vinegar which is supposed to help fight bacterial infections.

Basically you want to treat yourself the same way you would if you were to come down with a cold, so taking cod liver oil, eating garlic, and soaking in a nice warm bath would help as well!

And I’m so glad I didn’t have to resort to antibiotics again. Taking those 2 doses has really ruined my immune system and seems to have caused a Candida overgrowth. Not only am I craving sugar like crazy (feeds the yeast, and they want more!) I’m more tired than I think I should be, and my eczema seems to be trying to come back. So another round of antibiotics would have caused more of that good bacteria to die off and put me at greater risk for more infections.

So as long as your symptoms aren’t severe or your fever to high, check out some natural cures before resorting to meds! And while we’re on the topic, let’s talk a bit about how to prevent it.

• Take probiotics and eat plenty of yogurt/kefir (builds immune system)
• Get plenty of rest (sometimes mastitis is your bodies way of telling you to rest)
• Don’t wear wired bras
• Drink lots of water
• Eat good “real” food
• Don’t let baby fall asleep while feeding
• Make sure baby is latched and suckling well
• Go bra-less when possible

(and if you don’t know what it is, or it’s symptoms, check out this link)

** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.

Post Partum Recovery

While recovering from labor and delivery will take different lengths of time for each woman (depending on how long it took to push, tearing, etc.) there are definitely things you can do to help speed things along, ease pain, and increase comfort. After I had Cody I didn’t take the time I should have to recover and it took weeks longer than it should have. Not only did I have to take several trips in to the doctors for his jaundice, we were taking him all over town at just a few days old to visit with friends and family while we were already out for his appointments. And when he was just a week old I had enough energy to clean the house, so I did. And that set me back several days!

So after learning my lesson last time, here are a few things I’m doing this time around.

• Orange juice after delivery. It’s something I read about in the Bradley Method book that drinking a good cup of orange juice after delivery helps bring your blood sugar back to where it should be. And they talked about it so much I decided to juice my own oranges, freeze it in a mason jar, and bring it to the hospital with me! Let me tell you, it tasted awesome after wards! Plus it was super healthy being freshly squeezed and not pasteurized.And yes my husband was totally embarrassed when I had him haul it out of my hospital bag. The nurse thought it was pretty great though!
• Ibuprofen is my friend after delivery too. While not natural in any means I do take it when needed. And I normally take it to help ease the pain of contractions while nursing. Yea, cruel joke, huh? You still get contractions after delivery. And last week while nursing some of mine got pretty unbearable, lasting a couple/few minutes each time. And I’d like to enjoy nursing, not dread it, so I took some motrin in the early evening since I knew the contractions would get worse as the evening went on.
• I’m staying home and staying on the couch for 2 weeks! It’s been one week already and I’ve been lucky enough to have Todd home with me until today. I haven’t cooked or cleaned, I’ve barely even picked up my toddler. Todd’s done all the main household chores and been on toddler duty so I can rest on the couch. And while he may not do things the way I would and my floors are kinda messy, I’m gonna look the other way for at least another week! And even though he’s gone back to work today, he still gets to be on dinner, clean up, and laundry duty for a bit longer. Anything even slightly heavy will have to wait for him.

• Post partum herbal sitz baths have also been great in not only helping me relax, they also help in healing! You can use store bought ones (normally from a health food store – I’ve never seen any sold at conventional stores) or you can make your own. I made my own. And you can do it so many ways as well, whatever works best for you! Here’s my basic herbal “recipe”. I froze it in ziploc bags and then take out what I need to put in the bath, but you can also use it in a squirt bottle for after going to the bathroom, and even pour it over panty liners and freeze them for “ice packs” after delivery. Seriously though, a daily nice hot bath does wonders for your sore muscles and nether regions. Shoot for a bath each day for at least the first week, even if it’s as short as 15 minutes, you’ll feel so much better!
• Make sure I take my vitamins! I’m taking my daily multivitamin (prenatal still) as well as a B-Complex and will be taking a fish oil supplement as soon as I get out of the house since I don’t have any right now. (both the b-complex and the fish oil help with energy and post partum hormonal issues as well as post partum depression)
• I’m also taking a probiotic to try and ward off any yeast issues. Since I was positive for Group B Strep I was placed on antibiotiocs during labor. Unfortunately these antibiotics also killed off the good bacteria in my system, so I need to work on replacing it not only for my immune system, but so that neither baby or I suffer from yeast issues. After a round of antibiotics, women can suffer from actual yeast infections, both mom and baby can suffer from thrush, and baby can have rashes that turn to skin yeast infections. (I’ll also be trying to eat yogurt every day, or at least every other day)
• Along with supplements, I’m trying to eat the best foods I can. With nursing I need an extra 500 calories a day so I’ve been trying to make those calories count and stick to protein rich snacks and lots of nutritional smoothies. Granted, I have had some ice cream though!
• And I’m using a belly band this time around! With Cody I didn’t get out to get one till he was a few weeks old and by then it didn’t really do anything other than move the excess flab around and make me uncomfortable. This time I put it on as soon as I got home. And having my tummy pulled in and tightened feels fabulous! Other cultures actually wrap mom tightly in a blanket after birth and have for centuries. I bought one at a maternity store, but you can easily find them online or just use extra wide ace bandages to wrap yourself. Wrapping or binding your belly is also supposed to help it shrink back down to size as well as help with muscle tone. I don’t know about that yet, but it sure feels great being able to walk around without a big loose tummy jiggling everywhere. It seems to help with the leftover muscle pain from labor too.

So those are some of the things I’m doing and they’ve been working great for me! Anything else you’ve done to help recover?

*Updated* My thoughts on the flu shot

Flu season is upon us and the calls from the doctors office have started. Are we getting the flu shot this year? In a simple answer, “No”. Why? Well, I have yet to be persuaded that it’s beneficial for us. While the doctors and media tend to hype the dangers of the flu, to the point of telling parents their child could die if they don’t receive the shot, research shows it’s not as scary as one might think. Yes, it is inconvenient to be feverish and achy for a week, but what are the side effects?

A commercial that has started recently claims (as most flu shot proponents do) that the flu kills over 36,000 people a year. But is that true, and how many of those are children?

The fact is, the 36,000 people a year statistic include both influenza and pneumonia combined. In 2004 the American Lung Association published a paper that detailed flu deaths alone. The total was about 1500 deaths that year. In children and adults under 34 years old the total was only about 100, with the remaining 90% of the deaths attributed to elderly folks. The 2007-2008 flu season took about 65 children ages 1-18 and the three years prior took between 46 and 75 kids.

I’m also quite uncertain about the shot because of the actual ingredients in it. Each flu shot contains mercury (the one ingredient that has been taken out of most other shots due to links to neurological damage) in the amount of about 25 micrograms. There are mercury free versions (well, they contain only a trace amount anyways) available in a single dose syringe, while the full amount mercury shots come from a ten dose vial. The shot also contains amounts of formaldehyde and egg cultures and some contain antibiotics and MSG. (to find which brands contain mercury, check out The Vaccine Book.com)

The shot generally targets only 3 or so strains of the virus, basically whichever ones they think will be the most rampant. Last years shot was only 40 – 50% effective! And on average 10 out of 100 unvaccinated people will contract the flu each year, and depending on effectiveness, there are still people who contract the flu even after receiving the shot (i.e. if the shot is 70% effective, 3 out of 10 people will still get the flu).

While I do understand the fear that comes with sickness, especially for those already ill, I think each person needs to decide for themselves and their families whether or not they should be getting this shot. Our family doctor is great about vaccines and actually told me last year it wasn’t worth getting since we were all so healthy to begin with. But if you have a doctor feeding you the ‘danger hype’, it’s time to find a new doctor that a bit more level headed!

And as far as vaccines go, statistically, this one seems quite low on the side effects. And most peoples bodies seem to do fine dealing with the toxins in it. So if you decide to get the flu shot yourself or for your loved ones, at least get the mercury free version! For us, we’ll remain shot free! The risks involved in the shots currently out way any benefit to us. Well, at least for my preggo self and the kiddo, my husband can make up his own mind though I doubt he’ll get it either. Plus I think there are better and more natural ways to prevent and care for the flu.

**My very specific reasons that won’t be getting the flu shot for me or my 2 yr old.

• The mercury in the shot bothers me as my son’s neurological system is still developing, and the fact that I am pregnant and growing a baby makes me wary about affecting his/her neurological system as well.
• I am a stay at home mom and we regularly only venture out once a week to go to church and once a week to grocery shop.
• My son was breastfed until he was almost 16 months old and has a great immune system.
• We also eat plenty of probiotics and raw milk. (raw milk has the added benefit of good bacteria in it)
• The side effects bother me as well. While some people feel no ill effects at all, some have a fever and body aches after the shot. (the bodies reaction to a foreign substance – not the flu) In rare instances people have allergic reactions to the shot (mainly the egg part of it) and there has also been shown to be a slight link to Guillen-Barre syndrome. (This disorder causes your immune system to attack your peripheral nervous system causing paralysis, and sometimes the unablility to breathe. Most people are in the ICU for a few weeks while the symptoms worsen, but luckily most recover fully)

I need a bubble

That’s right. I need a huge bubble to live in! I just finished reading this book:

and I seriously want to live in a bubble after reading about all the horrible toxins we breath in and ingest everyday. It’s no wonder we were all so sick when we moved into our new house! Yuck. Anyways, since a bubble isn’t functional, and I can’t afford organic furniture, I guess I can just focus on food for now.

Anyways, over the last few years, basically since I got pregnant with Peanut, I’ve been trying to make healthier choices for our family. I’ve switched to mostly natural cleaning products (except for those few I keep around for really tough stuff) and I try to pick organic fruits and veggies whenever I can. Now my quest is to find good healthy meat and dairy products. I recently found this great site: Local Harvest. It has a list of farms in lots of different areas that offer meat, milk, and produce. I’ve been busy calling away, but unfortunately most of the beef has been sold in the fall.

What’s a girl to do?

And, no. I’m not pregnant. I just thought it looked like a good book. And it was.