As I sit here at my beautiful new laptop (SQUUUEEEEEEEE!!!!!Thanks Hubby!!!!!!) surrounded by tissues, tea mugs, notebooks, and blankets, I can't help but notice the genuine irony of this situation.

But it's this exact situation that inspired me to write this post. Because I don't want you getting sick, but when it happens, which it will inevitably will for everyone #sorrynotsorry I want you to have natural tools at your disposal that you can easily use to feel better. Or maybe not even get very sick in the first place! To be perfectly honest, a cold doesn't hold me back from much of anything. I've had some BAD colds that have knocked me on my ass, but luckily this time it's really not bad at all.

But I digress...

Let's talk about Natural Cold Remedies!!! And NO I'm not talking about taking freaking EMERGEN-C. I mean no offense to them, but there's so much sugar in those little packets!! Sugar is hella inflammatory and the exact OPPOSITE of what you want when you feel a cold coming on or you're in the midst of full blown sickness. Don't get me wrong, I once religiously used it as a "healthy" nutrient boost... Especially when I was sick it was my go to. But it's backwards and twisted logic to take a shot of sugar in order to feel better. The first ingredient is sugar ya'll in the form of fructose. *face palm*

For reference I happen to have a packet here in front of me from a box I bought YEARS ago before I wised up and read the ingredients... Be prepared to have your dreams shattered.

Emergen-c 'Tropical' Ingredients: Fructose, citric acid, natural tropical flavor and other natural flavors, malic acid, tapioca maltodextrin, silica, vegetable juice color, glycine, aspartic acid, tartaric acid, and cysteine hydrochloride.

I'm sorry, that got a little out of hand, but go eat an orange or something. Also there's actually not much evidence that shows Vitamin C being an effective cure or prevention for the common cold. Here's a study showing just that. I still don't think it hurts to load up on vitamin C... Just be wary of the source ya'll! It's easy enough to get from real whole foods!

I'm sorry this wasn't meant to become a rant about Vitamin C.... Onward to the actual tips to help you out in this matter!

How to Fight a Cold Naturally!

1) Sleep as much as possible

Yes, it's true sleep is SOOOOO essentially when you're starting to feel sick! You know how your mom let you stay home when you were sick but it was an unspoken rule that you had to stay in bed and sleep? Well that was for good reason! While we sleep our body has the chance to recover and recuperate. It's not just about energy restoration here. You've gotta relax and take it easier when you're sick, or you're just going to be sick A LOT longer! Need a natural sleep aid? Try out this natural loose leaf tea: Teami 'Relax' Tea Coupon for 20% off: BALLERINA20 for December 2016 only, after that use code: HARMONY for 10% off - you're welcome

2) Drink teas & bone broth

I don't know what kind of crazy person EVER said it was a good idea to get milkshakes, smoothies, & ice cream cones while you're sick - it's MADNESS. Those things might feel nice but they ultimately make you worse in the long run. Can we say extra congestion and inflammation anyone?

Hydrate as much as possible, and preferably with warm liquids that will help your body heal like teas and bone broth. Bone broth is crazy nutrient rich, again it goes back to when mom told us to eat chicken noodle soup when we were sick. Granted most of the canned stuff these days is nutrient poor but still a better option. Here are some of my fav bone broths:

Bare Bones Broth
Kettle & Fire
They aren't cheap, I prefer to make it at home because it IS cheap that way. But you do you boo. Also here's a recipe to make bone broth at home. Or an Instant Pot Version!

TEA is the best while you're sick especially when you add LEMON!! I'm actually doing a tea detox right now so I'm drinking a whole crap ton of tea anyway but here are some of my favorite teas specifically for a cold:

Gypsy Cold Care by Traditional Medicinals,
Throat Coat by Traditional Medicinals, or you can use the same one I mentioned above
Teami 'Relax' Tea Coupon for 20% off: BALLERINA20 for December 2016 only, after that use code: HARMONY for 10% off your order - coupon codes just for my followers, yay!! You're welcome.

3) Bundle up & sweat it out

Yep, nothing complicated about this one. Especially if you're running a fever it's really important to SWEAT it out as much as possible. This is also just part of why you must ALSO hydrate as much as possible. You're going to sweat out a lot of water hopefully. It's your body's way of detoxing and regulating internal temperature. So even if you're hot and uncomfortable stay bundled! Wear a hoodie, wear warm fuzzy socks, take your blanket with you everywhere. You get the idea!

4) Support your immune system!

Food IS medicine so let's first look at some food you'll want to eat to support your immune system while you're sick with a cold:

Soup using bone broth as a base (see #2 above)
Probiotics like Kombucha & different Fermented Foods.
Garlic & Onions.
Ginger & Turmeric.
Fish like Salmon, Sardines, Tuna, & Cod.
Dark leafy greens and really all veggies.
Fruits like lemon, oranges, kiwis, berries, and cherries.
Liver & egg yolks.

Okay now that we've talked a little about food, let's look at other natural medicine. I know it might be tempting to take nyquil or mucinex when you get a cold but if you catch it and start early enough with the natural remedies you can usually avoid it altogether! On that note, I'll tell you my personal fav cold "medicines".

Echinacea or Echinacea with Goldenseal if you have a cough is always my #1 go to.
Fermented Cod Liver Oil & Butter Oil Blend (FCLO) either gelatin or capsules. I take double the normal dose when I'm getting sick or already sick. OR this Extra Virgin Cod Liver Oil by Rositas! I haven't used it but it's supposed to be even better than FCLO!
Oil of Oregano added to water you drink and also throw some in your humidifier! It's a natural antibiotic & good for immune support.
Influenzinum is a homeopathic remedy that's great as flu prevention or once you have any flu like symptoms. This is kind of my 'last resort' if the other methods aren't helping enough.

5) Use the power of steam

One of my favorite ways to promote sweating naturally besides bundling is using STEAM as much as possible. So that means having a humidifier running at all times, taking long hot showers, and especially taking nice hot BATHS. You want to detox and also steam helps promote mucous release which is great because you want to get all those junk out of your body I love a bath with epsom salts, baking soda, and ACV personally but you can also buy some great sweat promoting bath blends like this one Chris Kresser recommends: Mustard Bath!

One last thing I'd like to mention is that if you're really sick please do go to the doctor. I'm insanely stubborn and almost never go to the doctor but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. You have to do what works for you and your body! I'm not a doctor or medical professional and nothing here should should be taken as medical advice or diagnosis. These tips are merely my own personal opinion & experiences based on research.

And on top of that, before you do anything crazy or make any changes please do consult a medical professional. Don't be like "but Harmony's blog said to just drink tea! I followed her advice and I don't know why I have a deadly illness now!" Mmmmkay? K!

That's it for my cold remedies this Friday evening! I now have to run to teach ballet until 9:30pm tonight so I should really get going! Yayyyy Friday. Man my life is exciting!

Have an amazing weekend everyone and stay safe from all the germs out there!!