Sarah's Feel Better "Tea"

I always have gotten a sinus infection this time of year. I'm not sure if it is allergy related (I never had seasonal allergies as a child but tree pollen is CRAZY high right now). In years passed, I would just go to a walk in clinic and get an antibiotic. The year we found out we were pregnant, however, I didn't want to take any medication if I didn't have to (my pregnancy is what started my quest to first *try* natural remedies before resorting to traditional medicine and so far nature has not let us down!). I asked my good friend Google about a natural remedy for sinus infections. The most consistent result was apple cider vinegar. Specifically, Bragg's organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar. So I thought I'd give it a try...

Upon further research, I discovered that it is a miracle product!! We use it on Ayden's bum if he has particularly angry redness in his diaper area (1 part vinegar/1 part water), I've used it as a toner for my face (1/4 part vinegar/1 part water), it is apparently a good dandruff treatment, the list goes on and on! But, I digress.

Here is the recipe I use to cure what ails me this time of year.

~8oz hot water

~3Tbsp Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar

~a squeeze of lemon (optional)

~honey (of course, HONEY!! - also optional)

It is not {actually} a tea but it is warm and has honey and lemon... That makes it close enough to tea, right?!? I take this concoction twice a day until my symptoms subside. If I am experiencing a particularly nasty infection (green goo taking up residence in my head or chest), I add grapefruit seed extract, garlic powder, vitamin C, echonasia/golden seal and quercitin supplements* for immune boosting support while I let my body do what it does best. Take care of itself! Now that i have this remedy, I start taking it at the first sign of drainage and the green goo never finds me. I will SWEAR by this "tea" of mine.

The vinegar is strong in this concoction. If you find that it burns your throat a bit, just chug it all down at once. Also know that the more honey you add, the better it tastes. The honey also coats your throat a bit which seems to make it go down smoother. David is not a huge fan of apple cider vinegar so he puts his in apple juice and it seems to do the trick while masking the taste of the vinegar.

* Please note that I am in no way a professional here. I am just sharing my own experience so that you can add it to your research as you look to find your own natural remedies.

Before I say goodbye, I wanted to give a bee update! It's been raining here so we figured they hung out inside the hives most of the day on Saturday. We went to check on them today and got to watch a lot of them taking their "orientation" flights. They make circles around the hive, gradually increasing their distance so when they are out foraging (a 6 mile radius), they'll be able to recognize their surroundings and find their way back. Amazing I tell ya, simply amazing! It was so fun to see them in action.

We had a pretty quiet day today filled with house work, cooking and a trip to the mall (David spent his birthday money on a new work outfit). It was a great, low key family day.

Let me know if my feel better tea makes you feel better next time you are under the weather.

~Sarah