Seasonal Wellness | Our Winter Medicine Cabinet

Winter is rapidly approaching. In fact, this week it made a hasty welcome into our hometown.  Yesterday we were greeted with our first snowfall of the season and the remainder of the week we are supposed to have steady freezing temperatures; a rather uncommon thing for Arkansas in November. While I am always excited to welcome these changes, it also seems I am always a little late in my preparation of them

This past summer my son suffered with a severe case of mononucleosis; we spent weeks at home, allowing plenty of rest as we tried to help him recover. Unfortunately, with mono, there is not much you can do to help speed the process along. It is a virus that must run it’s course and all you can do is try to ease any pain associated with it and get lots of rest. Not only that, this is a virus that will stick around for a long time and can rear its ugly head at any moment. Because of this I feel a pressing need to enter into this winter season more prepared than usual. While I can’t get rid of the mono, hopefully I can keep his immune system healthy and able to avoid any flare ups that may be lingering.

With help from The Simple Home I have supplied our medicine cabinet with some winter essentials. Most of these things are intended to help prevent illness, not resolve it. My hope is that preparing ahead of time will keep us from having to do the latter. My goal is to always keep it as simple, natural,  and least expensive as possible. Here is the list of the things I included, as well as some simple steps we will be taking to improve our wellbeing. It certainly isn’t all-inclusive, but I hope you find this list useful in your preparations as well.

General Wellness

• get an adequate amount of sleep
• exercise
• drink lots of water
• supplement with Vitamin C & D
• warm rice bag for muscle and joint pain
• essential oils: our favorites for diffusing this time of year are  Thieves, Peppermint, and Lemon
• fever and pain reducers (ibuprofen and tylenol)

Skin Care

Winter always seems to take its toll on our skin. Chapped lips, cracked fingers, and overall dryness come quickly once the winter weather sets in. Here are some of the ways we plan to keep our skin soft and healthy.

• humidifier: adds moisture to the air
• stay hydrated (more water!)
• peppermint balm (this is my personal favorite! I use this as a lip balm and body lotion.):
  • 3 tbsp Coconut oil
  • 2 tsp beeswax pellets
  • 2 tsp olive
  • 10-12 drops Peppermint essential oil
  • Combine oils in a small, wide-mouth airtight container. Melt the oils in a saucepan of simmering water, mix thoroughly.  Once melted remove jar from water, add essential oil and place in a safe place to cool.
• sugar scrub (for exfoliation):
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup oil (either coconut or olive)
  • essential oil of your choice
  • Combine all ingredients in a small wide-mouth air tight container, mix thoroughly. Use 1 tablespoon 1x per week in the shower.

Colds

• humidifier: keeps the lining of throats and nasal passages moist
• Elderberry concentrate: for protection against viral infections and to prevent and cure illnesses related to the respiratory system
• Neti Pot or saline spray
• tissues
• vapor rub (child friendly version):
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 tbs beeswax pellets
  • 8 drops pine essential oil
  • 4 drops lavender essential oil
  • Combine oils in a small, wide-mouth airtight container. Melt the oils in a saucepan of simmering water, mix thoroughly.  Once melted remove jar from water, add essential oil and place in a safe place to cool.
• thermometer

Sore Throats

• honey: to coat throat and relieve pain
• lozenges
• throat coat tea

Upset Stomach

• peppermint tea
• heating pad or hot water bottle

I hope these things keep illness at bay, but am also reminded that sometimes it’s the simple things that make the most impact. More than anything else providing a home that is comforting and is a place of rest and retreat often make the biggest impact.

Love begins by taking care of the closest ones—the ones at home. – Mother Teresa

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