Health Update: Manuka, Green Tea & Nasal Gel

 I guess this can be my end-of-year health update. It's been a couple of years since I lost my favorite Iowa doctor, and I think I have battled every cold and roaming virus known in all that time. Mercy!

Anyway, by mid-January, should the good Lord be willing that I am around, I will have teeth again. People, I cannot wait to be able to chew! My family teases me because every time I talk to one of them, I have something new to add to the list of what I want to eat. The most recent entry is a nicely cooked thin pork chop with just the right amount of fat around the edge...

Anyway.

As I mentioned recently, I am winning the battle against this latest infection that has me alternating between coughing up mucus (sorry bout that!) or coughing from a dry throat. Basically, there has been a lot of coughing and for the time being I sound like Marge Simpson. But I want to do a shout-out for my favorite remedies. I think they are the reason I am finally getting better.

First, there is the Manuka honey, of course. I have a small jar of the UMF 20+. I am steeping unsweetened green tea in cold water overnight, then adding some to my water throughout the day. I'm actually coming to like the unsweetened green tea - as long as it's room temp or chilled.

When the dry throat cough acts up - which is mainly at night - I am using the NeilMed NasoGel. As soon as I apply some in my nostrils, my throat feels better. And, of course, I am running a humidifier and staying hydrated with water.

Since I am on the mend and getting closer to the day I will have teeth, my mood has lifted. I was really having to battle nagging bouts of depression when the coughing and fatigue was at the worst. 

By the way, it's true what they say about the tongue being an indicator of your general health. During the worst of whatever I was fighting off, my tongue was (warning: this might be TMI and gross) this icky shade of yellow-brown. The only time it changed colors was when I was sucking on peppermints, which added a bit of red - and I should definitely mention that peppermints were so much better for my cough than any cough drops! I will be reaching for peppermints first when I get another cold...

After drinking the green tea every day, my tongue regained it's healthier shade of, well, tongue, although my tongue is never the uber healthy pink shade it was before sarcoidosis.

I'm really looking forward to being at least a bit healthier in 2025 - again, if the Lord is willing. I will be able to lose some of this pancake weight once I can eat meat and raw veggies again. I'm planning to keep up the habit of drinking green tea. Since I'm not a fan of strong-tasting green tea, I find that I am happy with this brand for the mild flavor, the organic certification, and especially the price.

I wish all of you good health, blessings, and peace in the coming year. 

Peace

--Free

DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional of any type. I was not and will not be compensated for products mentioned in this post.