It’s Flu/Elderberry Season

Flu season is upon us. For me that usually means I start the flu season narrative which includes:

• We need to wash our hands a bit longer and more than normal
• No hugging (my kid has been appropriately named “hugger in chief” by me
• No more shorts, long pants only, and no more flip flops

And of course...

• don’t even look at a water fountain (it’s important to mention that I say this year round, but during this time of year I have to add the “don’t play with me” intonation to my voice)

As of last year this is now also known as elderberry syrup making season.

My kid would usually gets the flu shot during her yearly visit to the doctor. She, like most kids, hates getting shots. Let's get real. She is like most people in this world. I do not know one person that enjoys getting shots, do you? Unfortunately, and fortunately, knowing the amount of kids that got the flu around her each and every year, and knowing how blessed she has been thus far, made it a necessity. One day I picked her up from school she was holding hands with one of her best friends. The next day I received a text letting me know that she had tested positive for the flu which gave me a heads up to watch for symptoms. She was fine. (Go back 4 sentences, she is truly blessed.) There was another year when the flu was on an expedient world tour. Nearly half of the school got sick and I picked up something at the school myself (not the flu), the doctors couldn’t identify it but it had me down for days and I lost a good bit of weight. So again I say she is #blessed. But if will go back to the 2nd sentence of this paragraph you will be reminded of the fact that she, just like the rest of us, hates getting shots. For parents this is hard to watch.

The last time my kid got a shot it took 3 of us to hold her down. For about 3 full years now every time we ride by her doctor’s office, or the word doctor is mentioned she says, "NO SHOTS!", "I don’t like getting shots!", "Ugh, do I have to get a shot, please say no." Every. Single. Time. While I am not anti-vaccinations, I am cautious and somewhat aware. I do not want my kid susceptible to polio, typhoid, TB and the measles, but I do believe a flu vaccine is a bit different. This past year was the first year she wouldn’t need any vaccinations. I had a choice to make. 

I started my research for an alternative method to help us fight the flu. I found something that I thought I could use. This coupled with knowing that the flu vaccine is not an exact vaccine because we never know which strand of flu we will be exposed to, helped me make the decision. Although her pediatrician was not a fan of my plan, she told us to look out for symptoms, if we caught it early on we might be able to get her in for a shot to help out. This made me feel better about my decision. No one wants to see their child suffer. A shot that hurts for 10 seconds verses being sick for days, no brainer right? Yes and no. As I mentioned before I did the research, and I thought we would try this over the past year.

I am pleased to say that we to made it through with no flu this past season. Blessed (see above). Our family of three takes the elderberry syrup. We do not take this as a remedy or in a reactionary way. We use it more as a supplement. We take it daily. 

Now I have shared MY story about MY family and MY decision. I am fully aware that this is not a one size fits all situation. People will need to make the decision that’s best for them and their family. The only other thing we have to tend with are mild seasonal allergies. However, knowing the properties of this syrup will let you know that if you are not allergic to any of these ingredients it will help to boost your immune system as well. As I mentioned it can be used as a supplement not a replacement, especially in light of our current crisis.

The recipe that I use comes from Clear + Well (https://clearandwell.com/homemade-elderberry-syrup-for-colds-and-flu/). I found this on Pinterest. After searching through several I decided this was the best for my family. Ingredients include:

• Elderberries (help boost your immune system and so much more)
• Ginger (the list of benefits is very lengthy, however in this context it helps fight against cold and flu)
• Cinnamon (loaded with antioxidants, can kill bacteria)
• Cloves  (loaded with antioxidants, can kill bacteria, numbing)
• Local Honey (helps fight season allergies)

I tried for quite a while in many different forms to get my daughter to take local honey. I tried in vain to hide it in food, but no dice. To be fair, honey truly does alter the taste of food and drinks. She is just not a fan of honey. So each year during the spring she would take low dose allergy medicine every day. This is not something her dad and I were happy about but it beat having a runny nose and itchy eyes for weeks. But now she knows that it’s in the elderberry syrup and she happily takes it to avoid the flu shot. 

I have shared this link with several friends and family members. Especially if I hear them say they are buying this from the store. 

This might be the most important part of this post. I say quite often that I am a semi-homemade chick. I feel that it’s important to tell you that this is very easy to make. If I thought it was too difficult I wouldn’t have attempted the recipe. So that’s my two cents for what it’s worth.

Until next time...