MY LIFE: Coping with colds when you battle a chronic illness

I doubt any of us even looks this happy when we have a cold (or another common illness) on top of whatever else we battle on a daily basis. But even with our messed up immune systems, there are things we can do to mitigate our symptoms. I recently wrote a blog post about a product you can take, Sambucol, which has helped me when I have a cold. This is only one avenue, though. What are some other tips?

REST. Yes, I know we all rest. We have to. But now is not the time to be a hero. Colds and other temporary illnesses can be a huge thing for warriors like us, and we need to take them seriously, more seriously than other people do.

MAKE YOUR ENVIRONMENT AS CONDUCIVE TO HEALING AS POSSIBLE. This means being in your most comfortable place, even if it means you stay in bed for a week. It means you banish anything that might make you sicker, like your children. I know that sounds callous, but, at least to a certain degree, necessary. I allow my daughter to come in and see me for short periods, but not for long.

USE ANY PRODUCTS YOU BELIEVE IN. I’m not a big fan of commercial cold medicines like DayQuil, but there is a time and place for them, particularly if you have to do something despite being sick. If you can avoid using them, all the better. Sambucol is an example of a product that you should be taking if you have a cold. Airborne, OnGuard beadlets, and other immune-boosting products are your friends right now.

TRY NON-TRADITIONAL REMEDIES. As I mentioned, I’m sick right now. Looking around my bedroom, where I am resting in my bed (see what I did there?), I can see all the ways I’m trying to kick this cold. My Himalayan salt lamp is on full-bore, I’m diffusing a combination of oregano, marjoram, Breathe, and OnGuard essential oils. I have an OnGuard roll-on bottle and a blend I made myself for immune boosting.

Here are some recipes for roll-on bottle blends for illnesses:

Just in case you can’t read the teeny-tiny writing on the bottles, here’s the recipe:
5 drops Frankincense
5 drops Oregano
10 drops Lemon
10 drops Melaleuca
10 drops OnGuard
Top with carrier oil of your choice in a 10ml rollerball. Roll on the bottom of the feet frequently.

EAT AND DRINK. You know that whole, feed a cold, starve a fever? Well, I don’t know how true that is, but I try to make sure I keep eating and drinking when I have a cold. Nausea is a whole different ballgame, but as long as the major symptoms coincide with that of a cold, keep something in your stomach. I tend to graze, since my appetite isn’t great on a good day. Right now, I’ve got a Bai5 that I’ve dumped two scoops of Doctor’s Best D-Ribose into. You can’t taste it and it seems to help with the whole energy sucking part of fibromyalgia.

That’s all I can come up with for now. If you have other tips, tell me in the comments!