Strategies to Keep Your Family Healthy This Winter

I don't know about where you live, but here in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, the flu has been running rampant. It is so contagious! 
And why is it that science is still no closer to a cure for colds and flu? Because we're dealing with smart viruses. Any one of hundreds of viruses could launch a cold or flu attack, and chances are that this year's flu virus won't be the same as last year's making it nearly impossible to develop a simple cure. 
While we can't avoid all germs; I do have two kids in preschool so germs are inevitable, we can do some simple things to help our bodies build up their immune systems and lessen our chances of getting sick!

Our Best Prevention Strategies:

Take Good Care of Yourself: As always, the best place to start to maintain a good immune system is with the basics. Make sure to keep exercising, sleep well, reduce stress, drink alcohol in moderation, and eat a low-fat, low-sugar diet.
Wash Your Hands: Washing hands remains the most effective way to protect yourself and your family from colds and flu. Lather, rinse, repeat throughout the day. Do it long enough to sing "Happy Birthday" twice.



Boost the Beneficial Bacteria: 80 percent of your immune system surrounds your digestive system. Research supports a healthy gut flora and overall immunity. 
Along with the above, we also use Basic G and a bacteria fighting essential oil to help keep the germs away. This strategy has really helped with our health, too!








Add Foods that Support Immune Health: There are many foods with medicinal properties, make sure you include as many as possible. Think about combining a lot of the ingredients below in chicken soup: 

• Oranges, strawberries, bell peppers, potatoes and other vitamin C and E rich fruits and vegetables are all good for your immune system.
• I do not like mushrooms, but have read that Shiitake, Maitake, and other mushrooms have been used for boosting the immune system.  
• Garlic and onions have  been researched for their ability to modulate immune function. 

Helpful Herbs: Research supports the immune modulating activity of tumeric, oregano, ginger, Echinacea, Larch, and elderberry. Our family uses a product called Defend & Resist when we start to feel that first tickle or stuffiness. It has larch, echinacea, and elderberry in it. It's our first go to when we start feeling run down!
Here's my favorite recipe for making a homemade vitamin water using Defend & Resist, Vitamin C, and Performance. It tastes so good and it really helps!! 















Make Sure You are Getting the Right Nutrients: Your immune system needs to be well nourished to function at its best. Stock up on the following nutrients:

• Macro-Nutrients: the macro-nutrients are proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Focus on good proteins for a healthy immune system. Supplement with EPA and DHA, or eat fish twice a week for those healthy fats.
• Vitamins and Minerals: Vitamins such as vitamin A, B6, B12, E C, folate, and the minerals zinc, copper and iron all support an effective immune response. 
• Vitamin D: vitamin D, in particular, has been the focus research on optimal immune system functioning. Vitamin D plays a role in the improving mucus membrane barrier functioning, the production of anti-microbial peptides (small proteins), and in general overall immune support. 

Take care of your immune system by starting early, taking good care of yourself, and feeding your body the nutrients it needs to stay strong!

How to Build Natural Herbal Medicine Cabinet

Helping other families get their lives healthy is my passion so today I wanted to share with you a way you can build a natural herbal medicine cabinet. You don't have to rely on OTC meds to get the relief you need! In fact, I believe using the best natural supplements you can find is an excellent preventative to sickness!

Why Shaklee? Tons of reasons, one being that Shaklee supplements are not only pure and from the earth, but they also have proven results! See the Landmark Study for vital information on why millions trust Shaklee for vitamins and supplements!  

If you want to help your family get over their sicknesses naturally and avoid those pesky antibiotics and doctor co-pays, then read on!  Join our family in being prescription free!  Yes, you can do it!!

Here are some of our tried and true tips to keeping the germs away, fighting off colds, coughs, upset tummies, and more!

Swap out your OTC products for the highlighted Shaklee alternatives!

Herbal Blend Multi-Purpose Cream 

Dr. Shaklee originally called this product “Foot Cream”, but it became known as Basic ‘F’ (face, feet and fanny!) due to its many uses! It's one product to replace 13!

• Rashes (diaper, poison ivy and oak)
• Detergent burns
• Chapped skin
• Athletes foot
• Aching muscles
• Insect bites
• Hemorrhoids
• Chafing

Instead of Banana Boat, choose Enfuselle SPF 30 for the Body

• Patented Vital-Repair contains antioxidant vitamins and botanicals to keep skin from aging
• UVA and UVB protection adds extra defense against cancer-causing sun rays
• Paraben free

Instead of store bought aloe vera, which has dyes and other junk, choose Calming Complex

• Paraben free
• Hypoallergenic
• The perfect 'after' product: after skiing, after running, after sunburn

Instead of arthritis creams, choose Joint & Muscle Cream

• Great for minor aches and pain from sports or overexertion
• Paraben free

Instead of aspirin or prescription pain medicines, which can have bad side effects, choose Pain Relief Complex

• Muscle and joint pain relief
• Helps prevent the breakdown of connective tissue
• Easy on the stomach

Instead of Airborne or ColdEeze, choose Defend & Resist

• Active Ingredients:  Echinacea to take care of bacteria and Larch tree extract to attack viruses
• Use as a preventative when flying or in large gatherings of people during cold and flu season or anytime you come in contact with allergy activators 
• We keep this on hand year round, especially with little ones in school!

Instead of Sudafed or Claritin, choose Immunity Formula 

• Can reduce allergy symptoms, and relieves lingering symptoms such as cough 
• Contains Shaklee Guard, a natural antioxidant 
• Especially good for those with sinus problems 
• Contains a synergistic blend of Vitamins 
• Speeds wound healing 

Instead of Gas-X, choose EZ-Gest

• Offers relief from incomplete digestion of food 
• Supports complete digestion of: carbohydrates, fats , protein, diary products , gas producing vegetables such as beans and broccoli

Instead of Lactaid, Dramamine, or Zantac, choose Stomach Soothing Complex 

• Relief for upset stomach 
• Acid Reflux (GERD) 
• IBS Colitis 
• Motion sickness 
• Morning sickness 

Instead of Tums or Rolaids, which have artificial flavors and food colors, choose Chewable Cal-Mag Plus

• Acts as an antiacid from natural sources
• Helps build healthy bones
• Is excellent for restless legs
• We use it in the evenings to help our son calm down and begin to relax before bedtime

Instead of Metamucil, choose Fiber Plan Tablets

• Promotes regularity, aids in digestion and supports colon health! 
• Especially good for those who are dieting 
• Insoluble fiber promotes regularity sometimes called “the broom” which helps detoxify the body 

Instead of Ex-Lax or harmful detoxes, choose Herb Lax

• Natural detox
• Cleanses tissue cells, blood, and kidneys
• Gentle laxative

Alfalfa

• Helps decrease allergy symptoms (Our oldest decreased his allergy problems by at least 50%)
• Provides 300mg of calcium
• Helps to fight disease causing fungi

Instead of Pedialyte or Gatorade, which contain tons of sugars and artificial dyes, choose Performance

• An electrolyte drink that helps naturally rehydrate
• Super helpful during bouts of diahrea and vomitting

Instead of Rockstar, Red Bull, or Monster, choose 180 Energizing Tea

• Boosts energy 
• Contains taurine which acts as a calming agent 

I hope you found all of this helpful! Feel free to comment or email me directly (jallen44@gmail.com) with any questions! I'd love to work with you to create a healthier family!

I am not a doctor, I do not prescribe anything, nor do I give medical advice. I just have a passion for sharing what I love and what works for our family! As always, consult your doctor first when someone is very sick!!

Keeping Mosquitoes at Bay | Using a Natural Solution

Well, it's mosquito season around these parts! Yuck! It's funny how we're in such a drought down here, but the mosquitoes still seem to find a way to invade us every spring and summer!

For many years, we used topical bug spray, citronella burning candles or tiki torches to keep the mosquitoes away while we were outside. We never really liked the smell of any of it, plus all the darn warning labels that are on those products really concerned us.

WARNING! HARMFUL! CALL POISON CONTROL! DON'T INHALE! DON'T INGEST! 

Ugh, no thanks!

And once we had kids, we knew we had to find a safer alternative to keep bugs away. After doing A LOT of research, we decided that using essential oils was the best route for us. They WORK, they're SAFE, and they're not very expensive. 

Plus, essential oils smell good! Winning!

So here's how my family keeps those pesky bugs away! (There are quite a few 'recipes' for making your own bug repellant, but I had these oils on hand and they worked, so we haven't tried anything else!)

We just dab some peppermint and lavender essential oils on the insides of our wrists, behind our ears, and on our ankles. 

Just a drop of each oil in each area is all you need. 

We've not been attacked yet this season! 

Do you use natural alternatives for bug repellants? What is your favorite way to keep the bugs away?

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A Homeopathic Approach to Pink Eye

Our oldest developed a mild case of pink eye on Sunday. I'm certain he got it from a birthday party at the local germ bounce house.

I took him to the doctor just to be sure, and of course he prescribed some kind of eye drop/antibiotic. I'm really working towards building our home remedies cabinet to treat things like this. I really didn't want to get a prescription medication if there was a safe alternative to treat the pink eye.

After doing a lot of research and chatting with some of my 'greener' mom friends, I decided I would purchase a bottle of colloidal silver to use instead of the prescription meds.

Luckily for me, there were 300 prescriptions in front of us and I didn't want to wait forever for the eye drops. Perfect excuse reason to skip the meds and try the colloidal silver.  A note on the 300 scripts in front of us: the flu has hit our area big time, so our local pharmacies are running triple-time to get meds out to everyone. Yuck. 

So how did the colloidal silver work? Great!

Since he's four and has never had eye drops before, I didn't want to totally traumatize him. I had him lay down, close his eyes, then I put the drops on the inner corner by the bridge of his nose. When he opened his eyes the drops would flow in. Much easier than trying to get him to keep his eyes open.

The pink eye cleared up completely within two days! Yay for homeopathic remedies that are safe and effective!

Disclaimer: This information is NOT intended to be used in place of your personal doctor recommendations. I do not have medical training, am not claiming to be a doctor, and am not claiming to be an expert in the medical field. If you choose to use any homeopathic remedies listed on this site, you are doing so under your own discretion.