It is a different kind of flu season this year

It is a different kind of flu season this year but I am not worried. It has been hard not to let the media get to me with fears of what might happen to us if we don't get our flu shot. We don't get the flu shot ever, so with all this H1N1 flu fear out there I did look for a moment about whether we should decide to get one this year. But because of the questions I still have over this new vaccine I knew I was more comfortable getting H1N1 then I was getting the vaccine.

Sure many of you are thinking I am nuts. How could I not care about my kids or put them at risk? I know many who have had H1N1, they got sick before the vaccine was available. Yes they felt horrible, they were as sick as can be for a few days, but after a day or two in bed, they are all better. Then there is the list of friends who got the shot and their family still managed to get sick, they got sick before the antibodies in the vaccine had a chance to take affect. They all are also fine now.

So what did I do to deal with the H1N1 hype in my home? I opened up my medicine cupboard in my kitchen and took inventory. The one loaded full of all of our stuff, I have the standards like Advil and Tylenol, but I also have a lot of other stuff that I swear by and have sworn by for years now. It is loaded with some homeopathic remedies that I have become a real believer in. Some I came across myself (and have shared here on my blog before) others were recommended to me by my holistic nutritionist or homeopath. I will get share the list of my favourites in a few :)

Don't get me wrong I still have and love my family doctor, but after having strep throat 5 times in 4 months (the 3rd was on our family vacation in Florida) I knew I needed to look at something else. After a visit to my homeopath and holistic nutritionist we realized there were other reasons for me being sick and antibiotics not working. I headed into my holistic natural store to get a few items to help my body. This is when I knew that I could help myself and my kids fight most illness.

I really could go on and on but I am not going to bore you. I will just get into my list of must haves in my home! Oh and no I am not sponsored by Boiron, they have no affiliation with me, I just love their stuff and it works really really well for us.

1. For flu season I think every household must have Oscillococcinum by Boiron. They also have a children's version.

2. Coughs are easily cleared up, and I mean easily, by using Stodal by Boiron. We have both the adult and kids version in our home at all time. My son and I are prone to getting nagging coughs that can keep us up at night and last for weeks if not months. Not anymore since we started using Stodal at the start of a cough, within a day or two our cough is gone.

3. Probiotics, we take these daily during cold and flu season.

4. Multi-vitamins, taken daily.

5. St.Francis Deep Immune. This is taken if we feel like we are coming down with something, if we are tired or have just been doing too much. I take this every day during the fall and spring.

6. Coryzalia (again by Boiron) for both children and adults. The moment one of us has a stuffed or runny nose I start on this. I usually only have to give 1-2 doses before all symptoms are gone, it works that well.

I was given a bunch of other items that I won at my gym, but I have yet to need them. So I can't say much.

If we do get sick we will do the normal, get lots of rest and stay home to risk spreading our germs to anyone else.

I also certainly don't recommend this for everyone, it just seems to work for us and I know there are many out there who should probably get the H1N1 vaccine. We are lucky, we are all healthy and have no other medical conditions. So for those of you that want to get the vaccine, or look at what they should do. Here are some great guidelines and links from the Government of Ontario.

What to Do When Your Child is Sick with Influenza
1. Treat your child’s fever
- Take off heavy clothing and blankets.
- Dress the child in lightweight clothing and keep the room temperature at 20°C (68°F).
- Give acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever and muscle pain in the dose recommended on the package (unless your doctor says otherwise).
Note : Do NOT give acetylsalicylic acid (ASA or Aspirin®), or any cold medicine that has ASA, to children or teenagers under the age of 18.
2. Treat your child’s other flu symptoms
- Encourage your child to get plenty of rest.
- Use salt-water nose drops to treat a stuffy nose.
- Ask your pharmacist about any over-the-counter medicines for cough.
3. Protect others from flu
- Keep your child at home until his/her fever has been absent for at least 24 hours and he or she is feeling well enough to resume normal activities. It’s important for your child to stay home if there’s fever so that the virus doesn’t spread to other children.
- Your child can return to school 24 hours after the fever has resolved and he/she is feeling well enough to get back to normal activities.

Here is a current list of flu clinics in Ontario: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/ccom/flu/h1n1/public/clinics.aspx

If you think you or your kids might have H1N1 here is a link to the Ontario Ministry of Health Influenza Self Assessment Tool to help you assess if you can manage your symptoms at home. http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/ccom/flu/h1n1/public/tools/assessment/default.aspx

Other useful information can be found at http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/ccom/flu/


Note: I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central and received a Mom Central gift pack to thank me for taking the time to participate.