Head Cold Season

It can't be winter without a nasty head cold, right?? Today I wanted to post (for my November post) about the common cold and one over-the-counter method that works great for me! Before going any further, whenever one person in our family gets sick, I like to use "on guard" essential oil on the bottoms of everyone else's feet. With essential oils, I really have noticed that the sicknesses do not spread as much within the family as they used to.

The common cold is a virus, meaning that there is no antibiotic that will take it away. When you or your kids get coughs and colds, there is very little that a doctor can do, so I try to stay away from the doctor's office as much as possible (unless there is a fever involved, which Michelle talked about last post).

When I get colds, I tend to have a lot of mucous and gunk build-up in the sinuses right around my nose and under my eyes. That is why this NeilMed Sinus Rinse is AMAZING! You fill up the bottle with warm water, add a packet of saline solution powder (it is simply sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate mixed together) and lean over your sink while slowly squeezing the solution in one nostril. It comes out the other nostril, and usually a whole bunch of gunk comes out with it. :) I know, TMI! The thing I love about this is that it gets out so much more junk than what normally comes out if I just blow into a kleenex.

When you get colds, it is super important to get the junk OUT! If it has no way out, then it can turn into a nasty sinus infection, which is much worse than the common cold and usually does require antibiotics to go away.

Also, I am sure all of you use Vick's Vapo Rub on your kids. I seriously love this stuff! I put it on the bottoms of their feet if they are coughing or congested and it helps them sleep so much better. What other remedies do you have for the common cold?

Strep Throat

Does anyone else feel like life is getting more and more crazy?  Sheesh!  Some news not related to the topic; we went to Disneyland two weeks ago and we had a blast.  It was so fun to get away as a family and to watch the kids enjoy the magical land of Disney.  Also, now when we are driving in the car, the kids will put their hands in the air and say weeee, even Jared!
Anyway, on to strep throat.  For some reason we have had a lot of experience with this.  Isaac has gotten this 3 or 4 times in the last few years.
  Strep is caused by group A Streptococcus (group A strep), and it is spread by droplets.  So if someone coughs or sneezes on you, or you drink from the same cup etc.  Strep has no vaccination to prevent it and it is fairly contagious if you are in close contact with someone infected.  (Though when Isaac had it he did not pass it to anyone else, we kept him away from everyone.) 
Strep will make you miserable, but is easily treated.  The trick is identifying it.  Here is the full list of symptoms from the CDC:

Sore throat, usually starts quickly and can cause severe pain when swallowing

A fever (101°F or above)

Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus

Tiny red spots (petechiae) on the area at the back of the roof of the mouth  (the soft or hard palate)

Headache, nausea, or vomiting

Swollen lymph nodes in the neck

Body aches or rash

The symptoms that have been most prominent when Isaac have had it are the sore throat and the fever lasting more than a day.  It is usually the fever that brings us into the doctor.  (Side note, any time you have a fever of unknown origin lasting more than 3 days go see the doctor!)  His fever is constant, and I am giving Tylenol and Ibuprophen around the clock every 4-6 hours.  Poor kid is miserable! He also has the nastiest breath! 
Luckily it is super easy to identify.  Your doctor can just swab and do a quick test, which if it comes back negative they will culture it and do a fullproof test just to make sure.  Once it has been tested positive they give you an antibiotic and poof, 24 hours later you are feeling better!  (It's like magic, seriously.)  It is very important to take the full course of antibiotics.  That is how we end up with antibiotic resistant bacteria.  So take all your medicine even if you feel better!  Always finish them unless directed not to by your doctor, very important! ;)
Hopefully strep does not visit your household this season, but if it does now you will be ready! 
I took all my information from this website:  http://www.cdc.gov/features/strepthroat/