Warding off the Plague

My daughter just finished her first day of second grade! Along with all the excitement of the new school year and new adventures, I have this recurring thought at the beginning of EVERY school year: "We have GOT to keep these kids healthy!"

It seems like once school is in full swing, the plague starts passing from one home to the next. Have you noticed?! A few years ago, I got fed up and did something about it.

The two best things I have ever done for my children's health are:

1. Give them daily probiotics.

Whey my kids were very little, I used powdered probiotics and just mixed it in with their milk or whatever they were drinking.

They never even knew it was in there! And, the benefits of probiotics are HUGE! Your gut needs good bacteria in it to keep you healthy. The bad bacteria are what make you sick and diseased, and you definitely don't want that. That's why your doctor will prescribe ANTIbiotics - to kill the bacteria. However, once you finish a round of antibiotics, your gut is wiped out of all its bacteria - good ones, too. You have to take steps to replenish the good ones. Eating yogurt with live cultures is a great way to do that. But, just to be sure, adding probiotics into your vitamin/supplement regimen will DRASTICALLY improve your health.

When my daughter was 3 1/2 and my son was a baby, they both had gotten a "cold" that we just weren't able to shake. My heart ached for them as I would hear their sad little coughs and moans. I just knew there had to be SOMETHING that could help them. So, we started probiotics...and in a couple of weeks, they were well. They haven't been sick like that in over three years now!

Now that they are a little older, I have switched to chewable tablets for convenience. I don't know if the tablets are any better or any worse than the powdered version. We seem to be maintaining our same level of good health since we switched, though. These are the ones my kids like:

You can find both of these products online in many locations via google.com, or you can check your local health food store. I get mine at Central Market and/or Sprouts.


2. Give them Black Elderberry syrup.

In the crisis point of our sickness, a person at the health food store showed me this wonder-syrup that helped kick the crud in our kiddos' little bods. There are two brands that I have used and liked equally:

Here are the benefits of elderberries according to Methods of Healing (methodsofhealing.com):

"You have probably heard that consuming berries, particularly the dark colored ones can help boost your immunity because they contain powerful antioxidants that help fight free radicals that prematurely age your body or cause disease. The same principle applies with the dark colored elderberries. They contain the same source of anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant.

Elderberry is primarily used to combat flu and colds because of their antioxidant properties as well as their high amounts of potassium and vitamin C. These berries also have anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties which greatly help in the fight against colds and flu. Together with the potassium and vitamin C, they help shorten the duration of colds and flu and may even help prevent them too."

I get these elderberry syrups at my health food store, too. Or, if you're so inclined, a google search will produce results out the waz for you.

I just wanted to pass along these secrets to all you baby-mamas out there who are struggling to fight off the funk. You can do it! Your kids will definitely benefit from these immunity boosters, and so will you. Take good care of yourself, woman!

And, before I forget...

If you know me, then it goes without saying, but since some of you don't know me I'm going to say it. I SPEAK health over my kiddos in the name of Jesus. He is the Healer and He is the one who holds everything together. He is the Word. And His covenant with us is one of New Creation. I ACTIVELY proclaim good health over my children - that is my offensive attack, as well as my first line of defense! Then, I use the noggin God gave me to do the things I need to do: feed them good, nutritious food...limit sugar...make sure they get enough sleep...pump them with vitamins and supplements like I showed you above...and so on.

You are a good mom and you can partner with the Healer to turn your kids' health around! Go get 'em, Tiger!

I'd love to hear some things you do to keep your kids healthy...