Seven Natural Cold Remedies

We spent the last half of October not only preparing for Halloween but also dealing with various illnesses. First we faced the flu, which swept through my eldest daughter’s class and infected all the kids and both teachers over the course of five days. Both our daughters caught it but fortunately had mild cases. Just as things were wrapping up on the flu front, however, Richard caught a cold, which quickly morphed into an awful upper respiratory illness complete with hacking cough. The cold lasted much longer than the flu so we’ve had lots of chances to implement our favorite natural cold remedies and try out some  that were new to us. Most of them would also help with the flu. If you have sickos at home, I hope you find some relief for your family members here!

Here are the seven natural cold remedies that made the biggest difference for our family: Read more

Family Friday: How to Strengthen Your Family’s Immune Systems

All the media coverage of swine flu, or influenza A H1N1, is causing some people to panic. As I listened to the news on my way home from dropping my youngest at preschool, I could feel my own worries growing. So I started thinking about what action I could take. Action is a great antidote to panic!

Once I took a deep breath (OK, a couple of deep breaths), I realized one of the best things would be to make sure my kids, Rich, and I have strong immune systems. Our time at preschool, elementary school, and work gives us exposure to plenty of local germs. I wanted to make sure all our defenses were in tip-top fighting shape for whatever we encountered.

Here are some of the best ways to bolster immune systems. As I wrote this, I was struck by how many of these items have multiple benefits. If we did these things all the time, my family would be leaner, happier, and healthier. Read more