Over the years I have refined which products are my no-brainer, easy, and effective supplements to pull out when I notice the sniffles start to come our way. I don’t go over-board because when it comes to chronic illnesses like asthma, eczema, allergies ect., the immune system is usually overly active, and our goal is to modulate the immune system, not to put it into overdrive. That being said, sometimes it needs a little help to kick these no-good seasonal germs to the curb! There are a few different resources that are really helpful that I will share below. I find that reading and prepping beforehand is always much better than trying to figure out what to do in the midst of sicknesses (and I say that because I have been unprepared many a times!). We just had a round of croup go through our home and I was not prepared in the ways I could have been, and what usually worked for us was not working to kick it for my youngest. Now, after some reading I have a plan for the next time it may come our way again (hopefully not for awhile!). This is by no means an exhaustive list, but they are some more readily-available and easy to understand supplements for when we are tired and running on little sleep but want to know how to support our little ones!

Before I get into the logistics some books that I LOVE and reference are The Unvaccinated Child: A Treatment Guide. This book gives you homeopathy and herbal remedies, recipes and more for different illnesses. Another good book is How to raise a healthy child in spite of your doctor. This book does a great job of reassuring your parental instinct and reminding you that fevers are not bad, and what to look out for.

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**As always this is not medical advice, this is our experience with these products.

Some things that immediately come to mind when someone complains of a sore throat, a cough, a fever or just a sniffly nose:

1. warm water with honey, cinnamon and a dash of real mineral salt. Our go to is Redmond Real Salt. (Adding a pinch of good quality salt is a great and inexpensive way to add some minerals back to filtered water throughout the day.) The warm honey water is soothing, and hydrating and bonus- its sweet so my kids love it. Sometimes I will make a tea such as lemon balm or chamomile, but usually water is just easier and if they don’t drink it all, its just no big deal!

2. Minerals- in particular our favorite, Biofulvic Humic and Fulvic acid. The benefits are endless but some of my favorites are, packed with electrolytes, minerals and amino acids. It improves gut health, aids your body in detoxing, helps repair gut lining and reduce inflammation.

3. Vitamin C and Vitamin D. We use Earthley Vitamin C which comes in a liquid tincture and I love how easy it is to give to kids. It has exactly how many drops to give for all different ages which makes it so easy. It comes from real food/plant sources and is sweet so its never a fight to give. (Using the link gives you 15% off of your purchase!)

   When it comes to Vitamin D, I have read many conflicting things on whether to supplement or not. What I have come to realize is that we live in, well… basically the tundra !! with little to no sun and little fish in our diet since we have an allergy in the family. We are likely deficient. I don’t supplement it all season, but I do when I think our immune systems need a boost.

4. De-Hist Jr. This is something that the kids take more consistently during different seasons because it is so helpful at aiding the body reduce histamines. It’s considered a natural anti-histamine which an overabundance of histamine can look like eczema, hives, rashes, congestion, red cheeks, food sensitivites/allergies, upset bellies/ diarrhea ect. It is not immediate relief though, De-Hist is best taken for some time before expecting results. If you have a kiddo with bad seasonal allergies, starting this before allergy season is most beneficial!

5. Hylands Cold and Cough. This is a homeopathic over the counter medicine, and I don’t know if its anectodal because my kids just love taking different medicines and tinctures (lol,) but this works soo well with my kids!! They have a day time and a night time one and we have both and love both.

6. Earthley has a tincture called cough-b-gone which I pull out for coughs, especially the dry non-productive coughs. I love this tincture because its an expectorant, and not a suppressant, meaning that it wont stop you from producing a productive cough, it thins the mucus making it easier to cough and clear congestion.

7. Epsom Salt Baths are a go-to for helping with congestion or bringing down a fever. We use a generic non-scented Epsom salt. It helps the body detox as well as offers some magnesium. After baths I will also up their magnesium with Earthley’s magnesium rub. I love this stuff, I just take a dab and rub it on their feet. I will also take a little castor oil and rub some over their liver and in the belly button which also offers anti-inflammatory benefits and aids in detoxification.

8. Chinese Skullcap. I have written about this herb in so many blog posts. I will link one here, where I go more in depth but this herb is just my absolute favorite. It calms inflammation, helps naturally boost melatonin (helpful especially when they are sick and need help sleeping), reduces histamine, helps starve off candida in the gut— and that’s just naming a few. I love this herb for all times of the year, but find it especially supportive during times of illness. I’ve notice it be a big aid when my kids have low-grade fevers. It seems to help them get over the hump and break the fever.

9. Humidifiers in the rooms and if they are old enough, and propping their heads up on a pillow. Seems obvious but my kids are stomach sleepers and I have to remind them to sleep up so that their noses can drain.

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