Sick!

It hasn't left.  This thing.  Whatever it is that has possessed my chest.  I slept for 13 hours last night.  Who does that??  Then I stayed home today from work and rested and tried different remedies.  I'm hoping that this did the trick.  I'd really like to accompany my classroom on their field trip tomorrow.  I'm like a child--"I don't want to miss the field trip!!!  I don't care if I'm sick!"

Here's a bit more about the remedies I tried:
1. Unsure of the eucalyptus steam bath (see previous post), I decided to do a chest rub instead. 

• 30 drops jojoba oil
• 5-10 drops eucalyptus
• Mix thoroughly.  Apply liberally to chest.  Cover with cotton towel or flannel.  Top with heating pad.  Snuggle up under the blankets (or sheet as the case may be for me as it's the middle of summer) and rest.

The eucalyptus is supposed to be an expectorant to get the gunk out (as opposed to what's in most cough medicines--a suppressant--which limits or suppresses the cough), but also is said to help thin out the mucus as well.  I must say, after using both last night and tonight, it worked on both accounts!

2. Chicken noodle soup--my husband looked at me like I was crazy last night when, after he'd been out in the garden til 8:30 pm, I told him I wanted chicken noodle soup.  I knew we didn't have any chicken noodle soup in our pantry.  But I didn't care.  I wanted chicken noodle soup. Even if it meant that he might have to run to the store to buy his poor ailing wife some chicken noodle soup.  I wanted chicken noodle soup.  Lo and behold, though, the man manages to pull chicken noodle soup out of the pantry using:

• one can low sodium Campbell's chicken gumbo soup
• one can cream of chicken soup
• can of white chicken breast chunks
• a handful of broken linguine noodles
• a carrot
• two celery stalks

What would I do without him??  It tasted great and exactly what the doctor (or me) ordered, especially served with yummy whole wheat bread from a local bakery all slathered in butter.  I proceeded to replicate this meal for both lunch and dinner today. 

But there absolutely must be something to chicken noodle soup (or soup in general) being good for illness. I swear, I was running a low-grade fever before last night's soup feast, but after--gone.  My shirt was soaked after eating lunch today, just drenched.  Sure, perhaps this was also because, as aforementioned, it's the middle of summer and hot outside anyway, but I'm just going to imagine that it helped cleanse my body of toxins through the old fashioned way--sweating them out. 

3. Tea--and lots of it.  I'm not kidding--I was trying to hit this thing from every angle.  Lemon balm tea (from our very thriving plant; this calming herb, when steeped for long enough, is said to have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties), chamomille tea (helps to calm and relax muscles), echinacea tea with fresh ginger (helps to boost the immune system), and green tea with honey (provides general antioxidants).  Next up: I'm thinking of trying thyme before I go to bed.  It's known to clear up coughs.