Thyme Tea for coughs from flu

For the first time in about 20 years I have let myself be sick while I have the flu - I don't think I wanna ever do that again.

I've been sick for about two weeks now, and although I am past the stage where I just wanted to tuck into bed and sleep through the sickness stuff, I am now into coughing every time I try to lay down. I don't like it, and I'm not getting enough sleep because I can't lay down without having to get back up because of the coughing.

I looked up home remedies online and found that thyme made into a tea is supposed to be good for stopping coughs, so I decided to try it. I had already tried the honey, lemon and brandy trick. And spoons of honey. And several other tricks - I even tried a trick I saw on a video where the pharmacy guy had said that you can stop nighttime coughs by putting Vicks Vapor Rub on the soles of your feet and putting on warm socks then going to sleep. Not sure on how that works, my test was flawed by inability to sleep at the time I tried it.

The thyme tea seems to be of some help though. I made up a recipe for thyme ginger tea:

1 tsp thyme leaves
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
3 whole cloves

Place into small tea pot and add 1 cup boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes. Add 1 more cup boiling water to warm it back up.

Pour into tea cups and sweeten with honey. Sip to soothe coughs.

I don't know if there is a safe limit on how much thyme a person can drink, I will need to look that up, but the tea has a nice flavor to it and is even good cold - which makes me want to try it as an iced tea next summer. Will need to look into if there is a limit to how much thyme someone should consume and what its side effects are.

Medications and Lawsuits

As caregivers we have a lot to keep track of and worry about, we really do not need to be worrying over if the medications which our loved one's doctor has prescribed to them might indeed be safe for them. And yet, sometimes we will find ourselves in just such positions. As a caregiver for my father I called doctors on more than a few medications that would have resulted in either medications that were not needed and had potentially dangerous side effects, or on certain medications that could not be mixed with other medications without life threatening results.

Some medications, while they have been FDA approved, are not right for all segments of the population, and this can lead to possible lawsuits if the drug companies and others associated with at risk medications are not careful. Such as the cholesterol medication Crestor and the possibility raised of misleading advertising that could result in a Crestor lawsuit by anyone harmed by the medication. Originally developed by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi, Crestor was licensed to Astra-Zeneca in 1998. It was not until 2003 before Crestor was approved for use in the U.S. by the FDA.

A member of the drugs known as "statins", Crestor's approval had some limitations to use due to some known potential side effects when taken by certain at risk people. This potential for serious side effects was part of the issue when in 2009 the FDA scrutinized the advertising Astra-Zeneca used for Crestor. There was, apparently, some misleading safety claims in the advertising that came under the FDA's scrutiny.

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MIT family caregiver handbook

MIT has a family caregiver handbook available for anyone that is looking for elder care resources in Massachusetts. You can find it on the MIT website on the Family Caregiver Handbook page.

The online handbook offers a wealth of advice not only for residents of Massachusetts, but information that would be of use to any caregiver living anywhere in the United States. The handbook guides the caregiver through important questions that they will want to know the answers to as they start into being a caregiver for their aging loved one, such as what needs the elder person will have, what services might be needed later on, what documentation might be needed, and so much more.

2011 Elizabeth McGown Caregiver Legacy Award

Morningside Ministries has a note on their Facebook page announcing the 2011 Elizabeth McGown Caregiver Legacy Award which honors a health care professional or caregiver (family or pastoral) that provides exceptional care to one or more older adults and inspires others to make a difference in the lives of older adults as well.

See their Facebook page for all of the details on the award (linked above).