Monday, October 04, 2010

Natural Remedies


Hi there. Long time no talk to. How's the weather there? It's cold, damp, and shivery here, especially nice weather to be home baking bread and drinking tea. Well, I'm doing neither, but will soon be going out to run some errands rather than stay in and be cozy. It's fall, which is the favorite season for me, but unfortunately, cold and flu season has started and we're already seeing that first hand in our family and among the people from church.

Now don't make fun of me, but when my daughters were young, they got lots of colds and flu illnesses with high temps. Oh, how I hated those days. Once, when Bev was five or six she got a really scary virus, which made her lethargic and with which she was running a particularly high fever. Somewhere in an old beaten up medical book which we had rescued from my husband's family home we read that putting onions and garlic in the sickroom would cause the fever to break. So we said why not try it, and try it we did and her fever broke that night, never to return. We've tried it on occasions since then and it just seems to so happen that fevers aren't quite as bad or last as long with garlic or onion in the room, even though not the most pleasant aroma to greet you when you enter.


Now, that has been of course poo-pooed as an old wives' tale, etc. etc. by the moderns of today but I say, what's it hurt? So last year with all the swine flu scary talk I kept an onion in Neesie's room all winter in a pretty little dish. When one would shrivel up, I would replace it. I figured it wasn't hurting anything and she just lived with it as she has had to do with many of her mom's weird ideas. Now I am not saying I necessarily believe all that, but as I said, I felt it wouldn't hurt anything. I do know that eating a few cloves of garlic when you have lots of chest congestion, will clear things out nicely if you don't mind what goes along with it. :)

And I do feel that the Lord can use whatever He wants to heal us and however He wants, so why not an onion or garlic? After all, He gives "herb for the service of man" as it says in Psalm 104:14.

With all that said, my purpose for this post is to pass along a link to an article on the Old Farmer's Almanac website which has lot of suggestions for natural remedies to help you when you get a cold. Please note fact number 4. When you get to the OFA site, also check out the link to the article on cold and flu prevention. I already practice a lot of the suggestions in that one and I really do believe doing so makes a big difference. So, read it all here and take or leave whatever you want from it. Oh, I just saw a link to cough remedies there too! Have a blessed day.

7 comments:

Laurie said...

I so agree that God created many natural remedies for us, and they are most likely far safer for us than some of the stuff we take from the pharmacy or OTC. I am going to hop on over to the OFA site now, since my husband has a terrible cold and our grandchildren have had colds, sore throats and stumach flu already!

It does sound like fall temps your way, but it has been in the 80s here. I am looking forward to the 60s and 70s predicted for the rest of our week. I hope you get to have that tea after you run errands, Maxine!

Blessings and love,
Laurie

Maxine said...

Let me know if you try any of these, Laurie! Tell your husband I hope he feels better soon.

I never got to go out and do my errands. I got a long phone call I needed to take and now my husband and daughter just went out in the car! So I better wait to do those errands tomorrow. Now I need to get dinner, but maybe a cup of tea first?

Susan said...

Wonderful post, Maxine. I've never heard that before but I believe God provided us with many natural things that would help us if we just knew about them and would do it. I'm sure going to do this the next time any cold or flu tries to come into our home. I hope to have time to follow the link later.

Linda said...

So good to visit with you again Maxine.
I am a firm believer in those old remedies. Thanks so much for the link.
My Mom often tells us about the remedies her mother used and how well they worked.
I'm with you - the Lord can use whatever He chooses to make us well.
Have a blessed week!

Patti said...

I am not a medicine taker, preferring, instead, to use herbs or natural remedies whenever possible. I really think there was alot of good in many of those old remedies. However, since the pharmaceutical companies don't benefit from them, conventional doctors never put much stock in them.

I totally believe in garlic and onion when sick...we OD on chicken soup. I cannot imagine, though, putting an onion or some garlic cloves in my bedroom. actually, my beagle (who is ruled by her nose) would probably never settle down with that strong of a smell going on. I'll just make another batch of chicken soup.

Have a lovely week.

Blessings and smiles,
Patti

Cathy said...

Very interesting, Maxine. I just remembered that onions are toxic to dogs. But I think it is in large amounts, and maybe garlic too. Oh, I am sorry to hear that all the sickness has started already. Hugs ~

Maxine said...

Really, Cathy? Never heard that. I better watch it because Fro will eat anything that comes in his path.