So, like every year beginning in late fall, all the Doctors offices and Pharmacies start "pushing" the flu vaccine. My family never ever gets it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and free to make their own choice for themselves and their family. I personally have a compromised immune system and I easily catch any 'bug' that comes near me. So, for that reason, I choose not to inject myself with the flu virus in order for my body to 'build' immunities against it....because my body won't do it, instead I'll get sick. I and my family opt-out of the vaccine each year and {{knock-on-wood as the expression goes}} we don't get the flu. The one and only time in my life I got the flu was the year my employer forced all the employees to get the vaccine stating he wouldn't tolerate anyone being out for 1-2 weeks with the flu. Well, guess what.....I got the flu a week or two after receiving the vaccine and then missed a week and a half of work.
Instead of the vaccine, we opt for natural preventive measures. We have a vitamin/mineral regimen that we start dosing when illness starts to strike those around us. I am also an avid Essential Oil user; we use Thieves Oil during the cold/flu season. This year the flu has been T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E!!! People have been admitted to the hospitals and some have even died from complications caused by the flu.....it's vicious this year. Even the homeopathic meds are selling out the same day the new stock shipments arrive. IT'S CRAZY!!!
So this year we went one step further and I made my first batch of homemade Elderberry Syrup...or uh...juice as it turned out. The flavor is not bad at all, it could stand to be a little sweeter. The consistency however, did not turn out at all like I thought it would. It's like juice, not syrup. The next time I'm going to cut back on the water and increase the honey; hopefully it will help thicken it up a bit.
For those interested, this is a list of the vitamins/minerals we take twice a day as preventive measures. If we start to feel bad we increase the dose of a couple of the items.
Spray Thieves Oil (mixed with a carrier base) on the bottom of your feet before going to bed each night. You could do it once or twice during the day if you want to, but I guess that depends on how your co-workers feel about you taking off your shoes and socks and spraying strong smelling oils in the office......maybe on your lunch break while you're out of the building.
I have some Thieves Oil in a roller bottle on my desk and I roll a little on the insides of my wrists a couple times a day, like perfume. So far no one has complained! Sometimes I can get away with running my diffuser in my office and sometimes I can't since it's a shared space.
Twice a day:
Cod Liver Oil
Garlic
Vitamin B
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Twice a day, unless you start to feel bad, then take 4 times a day:
Elderberry Capsules
Elderberry Syrup (store bought)
Elderberry Syrup (homemade)
Twice a day, unless you start to feel bad, then take 4 times a day:
Oscillococcinum
There are many many recipes on the internet for Elderberry Syrup. I kind of combined a couple with what ingredients sounded appealing to my family's taste; this is what I used.
3 1/2 Cups Water (which needs to be cut back to maybe 2 Cups - going to have to run a test batch to be sure)
3 Oz Elderberries
1 Tbsp Ground Ginger
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Ground Cloves
1 Fresh Lemon cut into fourths
1 Cup Honey (Good quality real honey, not sugar water honey a lot of the grocery stores sell and call honey)
Put all except the honey into a pot, bring it to a boil, lower the temp and let it simmer for about an hour.
Pour it through a tight-mesh strainer or cheese-cloth, smoosh the berries to get all the juice out of them before you throw them away. Let it cool to room temperature THEN add the honey. If you add the honey when it's too hot it will essentially cook the honey which kills off all the healing properties that honey has to offer.
Pour it into whatever you plan on storing it in. (I used 4 Oz Mason Jars and water-bath canned them so they would keep longer). Once opened, store in the frig and use within a week or two.
[I tripled this recipe and ended up with 84 Oz of Elderberry Juice - however, I intend to cut back on the water next time]
Good luck and here's to hoping the flu gets your neighbor and not you!! LOL
