I'm going natural, people!

Over that past couple of years I have been going more and more in the direction of natural living. Basically, I am over being a slave to corporations and their products that I believe really don't have the consumer's best interest in mind. And, as you can imagine, after going through the chemo experience with my mom and seeing the affects it had on her, I now have less and less faith in doctors and conventional medicine and more faith in God and the things that He created for us to fight illness, disease, etc. Having said all of this, put me in coach! I have a sinus infection and I am putting all my chips in for a natural recovery.

I looked up "natural sinus infection remedies" online and found a very helpful site called earthclinic.com (http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/sinus_infection.html for sinus infection search). The first thing that I saw was about apple cider vinegar. I have known several people that take this religiously everyday. From what I have read about it, I figured it couldn't hurt so... I drank some. Although best taken at the first signs of possible infection, I took it as someone who has been struggling for days now. It says to take 1/4 cup in 16 oz of water and drink throughout the day or take 2 tbsp in 8 oz and go for it. I went for it. I can't really smell or taste right now but what I could taste was kind of like throwing up in reverse. Don't let this deter you! My husband is going to man-up with me and if it works- it might become part of our everyday diets.

Being a nursing mom really throws a wrench in personal health care, as some remedies do not have any data on how it could affect baby, milk supply, etc. I found some additional remedies that I plan to try and are safe for me and baby:

*Placing warm compresses on the face
*Drinking plenty of hot beverages (not coffee) throughout the day
*Doing a nasal rinse (like the neti pot)

If you have never done a nasal rinse, it is worth a try! I discovered the neti pot from a friend a couple years ago. Between that and Emergen-C, I can usually kick an oncoming cold pretty quick. You can pick up a neti pot at a health food shop or Wal-mart and it is worth the purchase. The first time I rinsed it was kind of reminiscent of the time I almost drowned at the lake when I was 4, however, I have refined my neti-pot skills and it is actually enjoyable now. The key is to use water that is a little warmer than luke warm, to make sure the solution you use is dissolved and to tilt your head as far on the side as you can.

Over the next few days I am going to be as diligent as possible to do all of these things and kick it. I will write back to let everyone know if I was victorious or not.

A must-have-on-hand, Make Your Place by Raleigh Briggs

Lastly, a book review. Today, my friend Kate let me borrow a book called Make Your Place: affordable, sustainable nesting skills by Raleigh Briggs. It is ultra-fantastic! It has all kinds of recipes for cleaners, laundry detergent, toothpaste and more. It talks about essential oils, tinctures, gardening, composting and much more. I LOVE IT! See it at http://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/2333/