Back to School & Germs. Elderberry to the rescue!

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How to survive back to school germs for Parents & Teachers

Whether you are starting the School year or returning from Fall, Winter or Spring break. Here is a natural remedy to help you survive back to school germs.

If you are a Teacher, Staff member that works with kiddos or a Parent- We all know what BACK TO SCHOOL means!

My friends and I call it the “first week of school curse“! No matter how healthy your child is, it is tradition that they get sick the first week back to school!

Back to school & back to germs!

Children are germ factories! I know because I have 2 of them AND I was a Teacher! I taught both High School and Preschool aged children. The crazy thing is that people assume its just little kids that have runny noses that spread the germs! But guess what? Its not! College students are a prime example. They don’t get enough sleep, they don’t eat properly, they live in closed quarters. College Professors also have to watch out! Sneezing, coughing, runny noses… everyone that works with kids understands!

And now my heads spinning…

What about flight attendants and grocery clerks? Oh goodness… now my mind is spinning thinking of all the people that exchange money, handshakes, etc all day long! Eeek!

We can’t hide from germs but we can do our best to boost our immunity naturally. Well guess what? I have something to share with you that will make you jump for joy! It’s all natural, organic and healthy! This immune boosting concoction that I am referring to is called ELDERBERRY Syrup!

Elderberry Syrup

What exactly is elderberry syrup? “Sambucus” is native to North America and Europe. This plant produces dark purple berries. The extract from these berries have been used MEDICINALLY for Centuries.

It was first referred to as a healer in the 5th century BC and received mentions in the writings of Hippocrates, Dioscurides and Plinius.

Elderberry contains different versions of flavonoids which fend off pathogens and allergens. They also display a high antioxidant activity. Antioxidents help prevent free radicals from damaging human cells.

Benefits

It can be effective treatment of the flu, relieving systems 4 days sooner.
Shown to strengthen immunity in addition to its antiviral properties, elderberry extract activate a healthy immune system by increasing inflammatory cytokine production.
Elderberry has been scientifically shown to be effective against viruses, flu, colds and HIV.
It has been used to treat numerous ailments including: bronchitis, sinus infection, constipation, gingivitis, obesity, neuropathy, fibromyalgia, alzheimer’s, cancer and more.
Fights fevers and infections
Boosts your immune system, antioxidant booster, surpasses viral infections,
Great for your skin-high in Vit A which can help to reduce spots, lessen wrinkles and good for acne.
The list goes on! So many benefits!

*Cytokines are small chemicals in our body that allow our immune system to work correctly. When our body is infected with a virus, cytokines communicate this infection to other parts of our immune system.

A recent meta-analysis explored the success of elderberry as an effective supplement to treat cold and flu symptoms.

Natural health

Thank goodness that people are becoming more aware of natural remedies. The over use of antibiotics has become an epidemic. Many people (including myself) have become “antibiotic resistant” too many forms of antibiotic medication. Approximently 40% of antibiotics prescribed in this Country are to be found unnecessary. Due to this we have created drug resistant strains of bacteria. (Please don’t get me wrong, antibiotics are needed in many cases, But the over use of them in cases that they were not needed has caused some issues.)

According to the National institute of Health “the way we’ve been using antibiotics is helping to create these drug-resistant SUPER BUGS”.

Did you know?

The FDA finally banned the “antibacterial” soaps, which contained the chemical “triclocarban”. These soaps were very common in many households.

In 2018 the center of disease control (CDC) labeled the flu season as an epidemic. Many pharmacies experienced shortages of the drug called “tamiflu” that is prescribed to patients for the flu. This led customers to try other “natural” alternatives. Over the past few years, the flu has definitely become an epidemic. This has led consumers to seek other alternatives and this is how most people 1st tried Elderberry syrup. During flu season it is very hard for stores to keep this botanical remedy in stock.

When to use it

As most of you know, I am a travel blogger and LOVE to travel! So obviously prior to a trip and especially if I am flying, I double up on my dose! I take it when I am short on sleep, when I’ve been to germ filled “Walmart”! When I have been exposed to someone that is sick and of course when I feel something coming on I immediately take a double dose.

Being an autoimmune warrior, I need to be very careful about getting sick. An average cold or flu that lasts 1 week for a healthy person, is a month for me. Bed and possibly even an ER visit. So the elderberry has really helped me.

As far as my kiddos, when my Son comes home from school and tells me his “Table mate” sneezed boogers all over, or coughed on him, that’s a HUGE sign that he needs to take a dose of elderberry!

+ Please make note that with some health issues, you may not be able to take herbal supplements. I am not a licensed physician so please consult your Doctor if you have questions. I will tell you that I have Lupus, Fibromyalgia and 15+ other autoimmune and health conditions and my body responds in a positive way to elderberry. Also if you are pregnant or nursing please consult with your Physician.

Dosage

Most people use the syrup as a weekly preventive. When illness arises, take every 3 hours until symptoms disappear. If it is a very bad case I have used the syrup every 1-2 hours.

Children- 1 teaspoon and Adults 1 tablespoon.

Please note that it is NOT recommend to feed babies under 1 years old HONEY.

IMPORTANT Please read-

**Most importantly you do NOT want to eat raw or unripe elderberries.**

Raw or unripe elderberries contain a toxic chemical called cyanogenic glycoside. Eating them raw can lead to hospitalization.

Once the fruit is cooked, the toxicity is NOT a problem.

Elderberry recipes

Would you like to hear more about how to make your own syrup and recipes that will tantalize your taste buds? Check out my blog post on – HOW TO MAKE ELDERBERRY SYRUP

https://www.chasingthesunshineblog.com/?p=2061