For this recipe, you will need:

• Rubbing Alcohol
• Vegetable Glycerin (optional)
• Aloe Vera Gel
• Grapefruit Seed Extract
• Cinnamon Essential Oil
• Tea Tree Essential Oil
• Distilled Water (or Colloidal Silver/Ionic silver if available)
• Other Essential Oils if you like the smell

Ingredients

To make, mix 1/4 cup aloe vera gel, 1/2 teaspoon glycerine, and 1 teaspoon of rubbing alcohol in a small bowl. Add 20 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract (A Natural antibiotic and antiseptic), 10 drops of cinnamon essential oil and 10 drops of tea tree oil along with any other oils you want to add for scent (lemongrass, orange, lavendar and peppermint are good choices).

Mix the ingredients together

Mix will and add distilled water (or Colloidal/Ionic silver) to thin to desired consistency and add any other oils to desired smell.

Use a small funnel or medicine dropper to transfer hand sanitizer into spray or pump type bottles.

Use as you would any other type of hand sanitizer.

Here are some of my other natural remedies.

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I have found in my work as a nutritional consultant, a definite link between diet and susceptibility to the flu. In fact, for the last year, those who have followed my strict nutritional program, are yet to get sick at all, and I have had people come to me in the middle of a bout with the flu and recover very quickly just by changing diet and adding a few supplements. Of course, any advice is strictly for general information and does not take into account any personal details or medications, so check with your doctor before taking any of these recommendations if in doubt. I just wanted to pass on my experience in case it can be of help.

In most cases, the flu can be treated with nutritional changes and simple things most people have around the house:

• Immediately remove all sugars and carbs from diet. This is perhaps the most important step because these can deplete the immune system and feed illness. Remove any processed foods and anything with grains or sugars until all symptoms disappear.
• Hydrate! Start drinking 8 oz water per hour, preferably by sipping slowly on water throughout the entire day. Herbal teas can also be substituted for this water every couple hours as the heat will stimulate the immune response.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: (make sure its organic and says “with the mother”) As horrible as this sounds, it has an alkalizing effect on the body and will also help fight yeasts and bacteria in the body. For acute illness, I take 1 tsp in 8 oz water every 1-2 hours and gargle with it.
• Vitamin C as ascorbic acid- Not everyone has this around the house, though I recommend it if you don’t. The cheapest form is a powdered form which can be added to any liquid to take. Take 500 mg every couple of hours until symptoms dissipate or until bowel tolerance is reached. (Bowel tolerance is the point at which you get loose stools or diarrhea) If you reach bowel tolerance, cut the dose in half and keep taking it.
• Hot bath with white vinegar in it- This will pull toxins out of the body. This is not recommended with a high grade fever, but for a low grade fever, it will raise the body temperature slightly, pull toxins out of the body and help the body fight the illness. Mix 1/2 cup white vinegar into a bath as hot as is bearable.
• Hot ginger tea. If you have fresh ginger root available, boil a few slices in water for about 5 minutes. Strain into a tea cup and add lemon and honey to help with digestive problems, respiratory problems and chills.

Homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup

Another thing I do to help fight the flu or any illness is my homemade chicken soup, which my kids call “sick buster soup.” It is also good for winter dinners:

Ingredients:

• Whole chicken or a few chicken legs or a few chicken breasts
• 3-4 ribs of celery
• 3-4 large carrots
• 2 medium onions
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 1 package frozen spinach or 1 bag fresh
• 1 head broccoli or 1 bag frozen
• 1 package sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)
• any other vegetables you have around and want to add
• 5-6 eggs, beaten in a bowl
• turmeric
• curry
• oregano
• basil
• cayenne pepper
• parsley
• sea salt
• pepper
• garlic powder (optional)
• Other herbs to taste (rosemary, thyme,etc.)

Boil chicken in large pot until cooked. (note: if using chicken breast instead of whole chicken, chicken broth can be used in place of water). Remove from water and chop into small pieces. Add chopped celery, carrots, onions, garlic cloves to boiling water. Add turmeric, curry, oregano, basil, cayenne, parsley, sea salt, pepper and garlic or herbs to the boiling water. I add 1-2 TBSP of each except cayenne, which I add about 1/2 tsp or to taste. Boil until vegetables are cooked. add spinach, mushrooms and broccoli. While stirring, add beaten eggs slowly so that they distribute (it will look similar to egg drop soup). Boil 2 minutes until eggs cooked, remove from heat and serve.

Here are some other natural remedies.

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Activated charcoal is well known as a poison antidote as it absorbs most organic toxins, chemicals and poisons before they can harm the body. Some Emergency Rooms administer large doses of activated charcoal for certain types of poisoning. According to this article, activated charcoal should be taken as soon as possible after a poison is ingested and in a ratio of 8:1. In other words, if 1 gram of poison is ingested, 8 grams of charcoal should be taken. Some people also recommend a 10:1 ratio, or a general dose of 100 grams. There are no known side effects of charcoal, even in large doses. When in doubt, take a large dose, as even large doses are not harmful, but too small a dose is ineffective.

Activated charcoal is so effective that it is often used to remove chemical toxins from overdose of medicine from the body. Activated charcoal is able to do this because it:

1. Purifies the 6-8 liters of digestive fluids that are secreted daily which in turn helps remove foreign substances from the blood.
2. Absorbs the intoxicant substance and its metabolites that are excreted into the small intestine from the biliary (bile) tract, preventing their reabsorption.
3. Absorbs drugs that diffuse back into the stomach and intestines.
4. Decreases the detoxification work load of the liver

Activated charcoal can also be taken in small doses (10-20 grams a day) as part of a general detoxification program. Because of its ability to attract toxins of all kinds, activated charcoal can also be taken to help treat the flu, colds, digestive illness, and other types of ailments. Activated charcoal can also counteract the effects of Candida in the body and can help with intestinal complaints.

Charcoal is not known to be toxic, though it should not be taken within two hours of vitamins or medications because it will keep the body from absorbing them. Care should also be taken to find a high quality form of charcoal.

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The basic smoothie consists of some mixture of:

Tomatoes- Full of lycopene, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Potassium, and antioxidants.

Cucumber- High water content, Vitamin C, silica, caffeic acid, potassium, megnesium

Celery-Vitamins A, B2, B6 and C, Potassium, Folic Acid, Magnesium and Calcium

Garlic- Immune support, anti-cancer, infection fighting

Bell Peppers-Vitamin C, Thiamine, Vitamin B6, Beta Carotene, Folic Acid and a variety of phytochemicals

Onions-Beneficial sulfur containing compounds, Vitamin C, Chromium, manganese, can help lower blood sugar, reduce cancer risk and lower cholesterol

Greens-Combination of spinach, kale, mustard greens, lettuces and green herbs containing a wide variety of nutrients and beneficial compounds

Jalapenos- Capsaicin, Vitamin C and other. Can help relieve headache, congestion, high blood pressure, inflammation, intestinal diseases as well as aid weight loss and strengthen the heart

Kelp-Great source of Iodine and trace minerals

Spirulina- A green-blue algea. Great source of protein, good immune support, and the most nutrient dense whole food.

Recipe:

In the blender, combine:

• one small tomato
• 1/4 of a cucumber
• one bell pepper
• one jalapeno
• 1/4 of an onion
• 1-2 cloves of raw garlic
• 1-2 stalks of celery
• 3-4 big handfulls of greens of choice
• 1 tsp kelp
• 2 tsp spirulina
• 2 cups water
• handful of ice cubes

I make my smoothies in our Vita Mix, so quantities might need to be adjusted if you have a smaller size blender. If you don’t have all the ingredients, use what you do have and add any vegetables that can be eaten raw. As one reader recommended, I have also started adding turmeric, as this gives additional health benefits.

Blend ingredients until smooth. Smoothie will be thick. I find the easiest way to drink is like one would do weights at the gym, in sets. I take 5 gulps, chase with water and repeat.

Happy drinking and good luck!

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3. Homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup

It seems there are two safety issues this flu season: the flu itself and the vaccine currently being manufactured. The H1N1 influenza virus has thus far proven to be less dangerous than officials originally predicted. It resembles a regular flu with common symptoms of fever, chills, fatigue, muscle aches, coughing, sore throat and stomach disturbances in some people. Like the seasonal flu, it is a viral infection of the respiratory track. For most people, symptoms are mild and clear up after several days or rest and proper hydration. In most cases, those who experience further complications already suffer from an immune compromising condition or have actually contracted bacterial pneumonia, a much more dangerous illness.

Ironically, while pregnant women, elderly, small children and medical workers are the high risk candidates for contracting the H1N1 virus, the majority of the documented cases so far have been in young adults under 30. Factors like obesity and underlying  conditions such as diabetes or heart disease proved to  increase risk for complications from the virus.

The vaccine itself is manufactured like the seasonal flu vaccine in an egg substance with certain adjuvents (additives) to elicit an immune response. Thimerosal, a mercury based adjuvent, will be present in multi-dose vials of this vaccine, though some single dose vaccines may be made without it. Thimerosal has long been suspected to be tied to autism, though it has only actually been proven to be related in one case. Other additives that might be present in the seasonal or swine flu vaccines are:

• Aluminum — a neurotoxin that has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease
• Triton X-100 — a detergent
• Phenol (carbolic acid)
• Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
• Betapropiolactone – a disinfectant
• Nonoxynol – used to kill or stop growth of STDs
• Octoxinol 9 – a vaginal spermicide
• Sodium phosphate

(Taken from Mercola.com. Read the full article here)

The H1N1 vaccine will be tested for up to three weeks before being released for public use, according to FDA documents. Additionally, any testing would be on the H1N1 vaccine alone, and not in combination with the seasonal flu vaccine, which could mean as many as four doses of flu vaccine for some. According to the official website about the flu put out by the government, “The CDC is encouraging people to get both vaccinations (swine and seasonal).”

No testing has been done on the effects of these vaccines, alone or in combination, on the unborn children of pregnant women who receive them, though:

A recent study showed exposure flu viruses among women during pregnancy provoke a similar gene expression pattern in the fetus as that seen in autistic children. (Full article)

Another important point to consider when weighing the risks and benefits of the flu vaccine(s) is their effectiveness. There are no controlled studies that demonstrate any decrease in cases of the flu among those who have gotten the vaccine. The insert in the FLUVAL vaccine for the 2009-2010 formula specifically states:

” FLULAVAL is an influenza virus vaccine indicated for active immunization of adults 18 years of age and older against influenza disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and type B contained in the vaccine. This indication is based on immune response elicited by FLULAVAL, and there have been no controlled trials demonstrating a decrease in influenza disease after vaccination with FLULAVAL.”

From my perspective as a mom and nutritional consultant, and after the limited research I have done, my family and I will not be getting either of the flu vaccines this year. I am yet to see any evidence that the benefits outweigh the risks, especially to small children. Obviously this is a highly controversial issue, but that is my take on it. I have some other links on vaccine safety and effectiveness on my Resources page.

Some of the more informative sources I found while researching were the National Vaccine Information Center, Mercola.com, and Dr. Tenpenny.

More posts on seasonal vaccines and flu prevention to follow.

Here’s to a healthy home!

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1. Drink water. A good starting benchmark for water consumption is to take half of your body weight and add twenty. That is the minimum number of ounces you should consumer, per day. If you exercise, add 8-16 ounces for each thirty minutes of exercise. Also, add 16 ounces for every caffeinated or carbonated beverage you consume. Statistics show that many Americans are clinically dehydrated and do not even know it. The effects of this dehydration can lead to things as small as headache and as devastating as early death.

2. Exercise. You have heard it before, but exercise has so many positive benefits, and is necessary for optimal body function. Recent statistics show that about 65 percent of all Americans do not get any exercise at all. The CDC also reported that about 65 percent of all Americans are overweight or obese. Coincidence? Exercise lowers your risk of several types of cancer, increases the flow of endorphins and good chemicals throughout your body and reduces stress, just to name a few of the main benefits. Even small amounts of exercises are good, so try to fit in any amount that you can. A good benchmark is to try to exercise for 30 minutes at least on 3-5 days of the week. Your exercise level should be enough that it is difficult to carry on a conversation, but you should still be able to talk. Even working in this small amount of exercise can dramatically improve many aspects of your life.

3. Supplement your diet. In today’s society, it is virtually impossible to consume enough pure, whole foods to give your body the structures it needs to function properly. Though the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables cannot be ignored, even nine servings of each per day is not enough to provide your body proper nutrition.

4. Proper diet. It is no secret that fast food is not good for you, but there are many other common foods that are just as bad. Any kind of soda is bad, even diet. Carbonated beverages deplete your bones of necessary calcium and magnesium and can lead to problems such as osteoporosis. Diet beverages are even worse than their sugar-heavy counterparts, because they contain dangerous sweeteners, many which can never be removed from your body. Any food that has been fried is basically devoid of nutrients and does nothing for your body. Diets too rich in artificial carbohydrates can lead to many problems. As a general rule, it is good to avoid foods that contain refined sugar or starches or bleached flour.

5. Sleep. This is one of the hardest elements of health to accomplish in today’s high demand society, but as you know, an average person needs 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Not getting enough sleep can lower your mental abilities, lead to fatigue and cause physical pain such as headaches.

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