The past couple of days I have been trying to fight a flu that came on which resulted in my whole body aching, having ongoing fever, a slight sore throat, and major migraines.
One problem with my own body growing up was developing tonsillitis or strep throat regularly because of still having my tonsils in. My family doctor was more of a naturopathic doctor, and I had to fight to finally go for a surgery when I was in university to have my tonsils removed. Usually they do this at a young age because the body heals faster compared to when one is an adult. However, I waited until I finally got brave enough to insist on seeing a specialist. It took me a week or two to recover, however I do not get sick as often because of the surgery.
However, one downside to this has been the fact that my body has developed an immunity to certain antibiotics. When I develop a virus, it takes my body much longer to heal and doctors are hesitant on prescribing antibiotics as it is hard on the gut and liver.
Last night, I noticed the signs of the virus occurring. I immediately decided to take action and try to prevent my symptoms from getting worse. I wanted to share with you two amazing products which have helped me this far to cope.
The first, which has made a drastic difference in the migraines and body aches is a product called Bee Propolis. Bee propolis is made from the sap on needle-leaved trees or evergreens. When the bees combine the sap with their own discharges and beeswax, they create a sticky, greenish-brown product used as a coating to build their hives. When I started taking this product, I would put it in tea. However, the product is so sticky, it would actually coat and stain any surfaces it was on. I now just directly ingest it without mixing it, even though the taste is pretty disgusting.
Pasupuleti, Sammugam, Remsh, and Gan (2017) explain that bee propolis has been reported to have various health benefits related to gastrointestinal disorders, allergies, and gynecological, oral, and dermatological problems. They also explain that propolis and its extracts have numerous applications in treating various diseases due to its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antimycotic, antifungal, antiulcer, anticancer, and immunomodulatory properties. Since I started taking this product, my throat has not been as sore, I do not have a runny nose, and my migraines have been minimal.
The second product I started taking has been CBD oil for pain management. Reiss (2010) found that cannabinoids are profoundly anti-inflammatory and impair many Ca2+-dependent enzyme systems which are central to inflammatory and cell-autonomous antiviral responses. Usually this product is the one that I regularly take with tea, however lately I use it under the tongue for a faster response.
I highly recommend checking into both these products to have in your medicine cabinet to help with healing and inflammation.
Pasupuleti, V. R., Sammugam, L., Ramesh, N., & Gan, S. H. (2017). Honey, Propolis, and Royal Jelly: A Comprehensive Review of Their Biological Actions and Health Benefits. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity, 2017, 1259510. doi:10.1155/2017/1259510
Reiss CS. Cannabinoids and Viral Infections. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2010 Jun 9;3(6):1873-1886. doi: 10.3390/ph3061873. PubMed PMID: 20634917; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2903762.
