Natural first-aid kit

A FRIEND of mine called me a couple of days ago, desperate for something to help with her two-year-old's persistent cough.

"Do you have any suggestions for natural stuff I can give him?" she asked.

A few months ago, I ran a workshop called 'Natural First-Aid Kit' where I said that instead of stocking up your medicine cabinet with medicines full of chemicals and sweeteners, why not have a 'natural' medicine cabinet to keep all the things that nature supplied for illnesses?

So the first thing I told my friend was to put a few drops of eucalyptus oil on his pillow at night. This oil helps calm down the lungs and eases a cough.

Next, I asked her to try a magical concoction that works wonders with my kids (and even for adults). You mix raw honey (Manuka honey, if you can get hold of it) with crushed garlic and apple cider vinegar. The combination of these three ingredients makes an amazing natural antibiotic which clears infections in no time.

I also suggested probiotics, which are good bacteria sold in capsule form. These are great for re-inhabiting the colonies of good bacteria in the digestive tract: the body's first defences. These are very important to take during times of illness, after a bout of diarrhoea and especially during, and after, a course of antibiotics.

There are so many other things that you could stock up your 'natural first-aid kit' with. Vitamin C tops the list as it is the ultimate immune system booster. It's best bought in natural form (i.e. not the effervescent coloured, flavoured ones). Better kinds would be in powder form from ascorbates, or buffered types.

Echinacea is also a big one for your cabinet. It is a flower which helps stimulate the immune system. The type I like to use the most comes in tincture form with a dropper. You could take it three times a day for a maximum of ten days. Once you feel better, you can stop. I give it to my kids too.

Olive leaf extract is also a great one. It's great for boosting immunity. And so is bee prpolis, which is a great natural antiseptic and anti-viral.

From the kitchen, you can use garlic, onion, ginger, cayenne pepper, and raw honey.

Externally, you can use raw honey and aloe vera gel for scrapes and shallow wounds; cayenne pepper to stop bleeding; vinegar for insect bites and even sesame oil for dry skin.

From a food perspective, a cough always improves with the elimination of dairy products that cause excess mucus and phlegm. Also, sugar lowers immunity for five to 15 hours after eating it, so take out all the sugar!

And, you know what works wonders at keeping the body illness-free? Keeping it alkaline. An alkaline state is best achieved with greens - dark green, leafy vegetables. That means salads, salads and more salads. How do you eat all those greens or how do you get your kids to eat them? Simple - smoothies.

Every day, I put a bowl-full of dark greens (e.g. parsley, coriander, rocket, mint, anything green!) in the blender and mix them with some fruits or vegetables such as cucumber, pineapple, or apple (or any of your favourites). The result is a nice thick green smoothie that looks green but tastes amazing. You can start with a bigger ratio of fruits and then move your way to more greens. It works wonders at keeping you alkaline and disease-free.

Some lifestyle tips to avoid or treat illness are exercise, deep breathing and a good detox once in a while. Whatever you do, you must make sure to avoid constipation (drink lots of water and eat lots of fruits and vegetables for fibre).

You can even try other methods such as lymphatic massage, which I find works wonders. You can do it at home by using sesame oil and massaging the whole body in the direction of the heart.

I also like to use other therapies such as cranio-sacral therapy, reiki, or even homeopathy. Look these up, you might find them helpful. For more on my 'Natural First-Aid Kit' or to book seminars, visit my website at www.AliaAlmoayed.com