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4 Ways to Optimize Your Health

Tonight I received an email from a friend of mine asking for a natural cold medicine recipe and realized that I have not yet posted anything about healing/avoiding illnesses on my site. Below are my suggestions for fighting the common cold, the flu, and even stomach viruses.

But, first …

I am not a medical practitioner. Any advice I may give regarding a medical issue is based solely on personal experience. Please consult your physician before subscribing to any remedy I may suggest.

The first thing to understand is that germs do not cause illness, a compromised immune system does. In order to fight against getting sick or in order to get well once you are sick, you must develop and strengthen your body’s immunity. You do this by maintaining a balanced microbiome in the gut. At the bottom of this page you will find the link to a free YouTube video explaining the science of illness and disease, but first I want to share some practical ways that you can begin fighting infections and maintaining good health.

Cold Remedy

1 inch of fresh organic ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. fresh organic lemon juice OR 1-2 drops of CTG lemon essential oil
1/2 tsp. raw organic honey
1 tsp. whiskey
dash cinnamon
cayenne pepper (as much as you can stand)

Make ginger tea by boiling the ginger in filtered water for 15 minutes (do NOT use a microwave). Strain into a cup with the remaining ingredients. I usually make a large pot using a lot more ginger and drink several times during the day. The ginger tea by itself stores well in the fridge and is even tasty cold all on its own.

The key to getting rid of a virus is flushing it out, so drink water ’til you pee clear. Eat as much raw food as you can. Avoid dairy and GMO’s. NO peanuts, soy, corn, wheat, or refined sugar – all of these wreak havoc on the immune system.

For a cough, slather natural vapor rub on the bottoms of both feet and cover with heavy socks overnight. Cough should be gone in the morning.

Prevent a Bacterial Infection

… with amazing probiotics that you can cultivate yourself! Here’s my favorite fermented foods recipe – easy and delicious! Be sure to use organic ingredients when possible.

1 medium head of red cabbage
1 small onion (I prefer vidalia or yellow)
1 medium carrot
1-1/2 Tbsp. unrefined sea salt (divided)
1 large clove garlic (whole)
10-15 peppercorns or other fresh spices (try sprigs of dill for the familiar pickle taste)
Filtered water
1 wide-mouth 1-quart mason jar with plastic lid (the metal ones start to rust over time so I just don’t use them).

Peel 1 cabbage leaf and reserve whole. Core cabbage, peel onion and garlic. Shred cabbage, onion, and carrot using a food processor or hand grater. The finer the better. Place in a bowl with 1 Tbsp. salt and mix well (squeeze the veggies gently while you mix). Let 30 minutes until veggies start to sweat. Place a few sprigs of dill around the sides of the jar then add garlic and spices. Press cabbage mixture down into the jar until the liquid comes to the top. Be sure to leave 2-3 inches of space for expansion.

Mix 1/2 cup of water with remaining 1/2 Tbsp. of salt. Pour over veggies to cover, adding more water if necessary. Stretch cabbage leaf over the top to help keep them submerged under the liquid. You can add a flat rock (boil first to kill any germs) to help keep the veggies submerged. This will prevent the white mold (harmless but bad taste) from growing on the top.

Cover tightly and leave on a kitchen counter out of direct sunlight for 6 days. Open jar every day to let it “burp” and to push the veggies back down into the liquid. If the liquid rises to the edge of the jar, simply pour a little off (drink, if possible – there are tons of healthy probiotics inside), then recover tightly. These will keep for 9 months in the refrigerator. Eat 1-3 forkfuls every day for optimal gut health. They taste great on salads and scrambled eggs, or with healthy chips/crackers.

Here’s a great website for fermented foods. Remember to prepare your body by eating lots of raw vegetables (especially leafy greens) so that the probiotics you put inside will have a welcome environment in which to propagate.

Cold Prevention

I take a daily dose of Sambucol and Olive Leaf Extract from November 1 – March 31. Once when I already had a cold (before I began using this preventative remedy), I took the max dose of these two supplements and completely knocked it out in a day and a half! Even I was shocked at this result. I have a friend who has been using this remedy for the past 7 years and has not yet caught a winter cold.

For Optimal Health

Stay hydrated. Avoid sodas and other sugary fruit drinks. Drink coffee in moderation. Filtered water with lemon or a splash of raw apple cider vinegar can help keep the body hydrated and increase alkalinity. Germs thrive in an acidic environment, so keeping the body alkaline is crucial to eliminate illness-causing germs.
Exercise. Sweat is a great way to detox. Get plenty of rest and take time to breathe or meditate. Hot epsom salt baths are another excellent detox (soak 20 minutes to get the maximum benefit). These practices can help to reduce stress and boost the immune system.
At the first sign of illness (cough, sneeze, or runny nose), squeeze a cotton-ball full of hydrogen peroxide into each ear (one at a time, of course). If it begins to bubble, then you are fighting an infection! Leave the peroxide in each ear for 10 minutes, then drain. Follow with rubbing alcohol (just a few second will do) to draw any remaining liquid from the ear canal.

Finally, this video provides some of the best cutting-edge information I have found regarding the root cause of disease and the rise in autoimmune disorders.

As always, thanks for reading. Here’s to your good health!