The tonsils are part of our immune system, the visible part of our lymphatic system. They provide the first line of defense for pathogens swallowed or inhaled. Specialized cells in the surface of the tonsils capture pathogens allowing B cells and T cells to attack.

Tonsil tissue is similar to other lymphatic tissue, what we call lymph nodes found under the arms and near the groin. The purpose of tonsils is clear and immediate – they are a vigorous element of our immunological defense. So why do we perform 200,000 to 250,000 tonsillectomies a year in The United States?

Your child has frequent bouts of strep throat? Yank those tonsils! Your child’s tonsils are big? Put that kid under general anesthesia, and cut them out! Once again conventional medicine treats a symptom not a cause. If your child’s tonsils are enlarged or your child presents with frequent strep infections, the question is not whether or not to rip out the tonsils, the question is what is causing the infection?

Back in the days when my family and I still embraced conventional medicine, I believe the first time I questioned a doctor’s recommendation when he wanted to remove my eldest son’s overly large tonsils. Rather than comply, I put my son on an allergy elimination diet and discovered that he reacted to dairy products. Removing dairy from his diet solved the tonsil problem along with his frequent bronchitis and ear infections.

Years later I faced off with another doctor who insisted on a tonsillectomy for my youngest son after his third case of strep throat that year. I called a friend, my former pediatrician who lived in another state, hoping for her support. She suggested a strep test for my other child, saying he was probably carrying colonized strep with no symptoms and repeatedly re-infecting his brother. She was right. After treatment there was no more strep and no need to remove a vital part of my son’s immune system.

Rachel faced the same decision. Her research told her that her son’s most likely outcome after a tonsillectomy was one fewer sore throat or throat infection a year. She didn’t think such a small improvement warranted the risk of surgery. She took her son to a naturopath. Vitamin D (which is essential for proper immune system function) and vitamin C resolved the problem.

In the 1950s when the United States was still dealing with epidemic outbreaks of polio, researchers discovered that children who had had their tonsils removed were three times more likely to contract bulbar polio (infecting the bulbar portion of the brain stem), than children who retained their tonsils.

Aside from our medical approach that bases solutions on symptoms rather than causation, ignorance of another kind has driven the lucrative practice of removing tonsils – doctors didn’t really understand their function.

In 2012, researchers discovered the tonsil “…is a ‘factory’ for immune cells” – specifically, for T-cells. T-cells are vital for fighting viruses and cancers caused by viruses (like lymphoma or sarcoma) and T-cells play a role in auto-immune diseases.

Excellent nutrition feeds the immune system and will help anyone avoid the pain of tonsils overwhelmed with infection.Check out Bullet Proof Your Immune System, and be sure to balance your gut flora. A strong immune system is impossible with an excess of Candida. The strength of our immune system starts in the gut. And don’t forget, sinus infections are the number one cause of sore throats, so check out How To Use a Neti Pot For Sinus Infections.

Recommended Products:

• Mother Earth Organic Root Cider – Barrier Island Organics
• Shillington’s Echinacea Plus
• Shillington’s Blood Detox Formula
• Shillington’s Total Tonic
• Coptis chinensis
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin C
• Shillington’s Total Tonic
• Shillington’s Herbal Snuff

Further Reading:

• Make Your Immune System Bulletproof with These Natural Remedies
• Natural Cough and Sore Throat Remedies
• How To Use a Neti Pot For Sinus Infections

Sources:

• Tonsillectomy Confidential: doctors ignore polio epidemics and high school biology – Boing Boing
• Tonsils May Be Important After All – Health News Digest

Fermented foods are becoming very popular, and for good reason. They are rich in probiotics and enzymes and have highly bioavailable forms of the nutrients contained within the food or beverage being fermented. In this case, the health benefits of apple cider vinegar come from the mighty apple, and the results couldn’t be much more spectacular.

Apple cider vinegar may seem to be a new fad, but it actually has been used for thousands of years. Babylonians used it as a tonic in 5000 B.C., Egyptians used it in 3000 B.C., and Samurai warriors used it 1200 B.C.. Hippocrates also recommended apple cider vinegar over 400 years ago, so this fermented beverage is certainly in good company.

Nutrients Available in Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar contains more than 90 different nutrients and co-factors that make this a truly remarkable beverage for your nutritional needs. Check out this following profile:

• A good source of potassium and magnesium, and also contains calcium, chlorine, copper, iron, fluorine, and sodium.
• Contains vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, C, and E
• An excellent source of enzymes and probiotics.
• A good source of acetic, malic, lactic, and various amino acids.
• A good source of pectin and fibre.
• A quality source of electrolytes.
• A source of ash (gives it its alkaline property).

Of course, the level of each of these nutrients will depend on the quality of the product.

Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits

With its rich source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, probiotic, acids, and fibre, it is little wonder why apple cider vinegar has so many health benefits. It balances pH levels in the body and is very antiseptic, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal.

With all of these things in mind, take a look at some of its incredible benefits:

• Balances the inner ecosystem, the gateway to good health.
• Prevents and relieves indigestion
• Helps remove acid reflux
• Promotes bowel regularity
• Improves blood sugar balance
• Helps relieve allergies
• Helps eliminate sinus infections, sore throats, headaches, and flu
• Clear ups skin problems like acne, eczema, and warts
• Lowers high cholesterol and high blood pressure
• Destroys Candida and fungus, and populates the gut with beneficial bacteria
• Eases inflammation associated with arthritis and gout
• Increases stomach acid, which facilitates stronger digestion and nutrient absorption
• Overall detoxifier
• Facilitates weight loss
• Cleanses lymph nodes
• Cleanses the scalp and can help grow hair
• Soothes sunburn
• Eases varicose veins
• Provides energy

With all these benefits, it makes apple cider vinegar hard to ignore as a potential remedy to most of what ails you!

Apple Cider Vinegar Remedies and Practical Uses

So, how do you use apple cider vinegar? Turns out there are plenty of ways to use it so that you can enjoy the benefits without the unpleasant taste or burn that some people may experience. For those who can’t handle apple cider vinegar straight, you can put two ounces in one cup of water. But for those treating a symptom such as a sore throat or acid reflux, the treatment is faster and more effective with straight apple cider vinegar. Here are a few of its uses:

• Acid Reflux and Heartburn – Imbalanced stomach pH is mostly to blame for this condition, along with a lack of enzymes and probiotics. Apple cider vinegar contains all of these nutrients, and simply adding 2 ounces to a cup of water and drinking it up to 15 minutes before a meal will improve acid reflux. It will also work improve the digestion of your meal. To treat existing heartburn (as opposed to prevention), take a shot of plain apple cider vinegar (2 ounces). It’ll burn for a moment going down, but it does the trick without the side effects of conventional remedies.
• Colds and Sore Throat – Due to its antibacterial effects and probiotic content, apple cider vinegar is a nice 1-2 punch on colds and sore throats. Put 2 tablespoons in one glass of water, and take up to 3 times daily to help get rid of both. Gargle before swallowing. For a more potent treatment, you can also drink it straight. And for sore throat relief for those who cannot stomach it straight, try gargling with 2 ounces of plain apple cider vinegar and then drink and swallow two ounces mixed with water.
• Remove Warts – Put directly on wart and cover with a bandage. Leave on overnight and remove in the morning. Repeat for as little as 1 week or until you see results.
• Fight Seasonal Allergies – Apple cider vinegar breaks up mucous and and supports lymphatic drainage. It can also clear your sinuses. Drink 2 tablespoons in a large glass of water, 3 times daily.
• Ease Varicose Veins – Apple cider vinegar improves circulation in vein walls and is anti-inflammatory, so it reduces bulging veins. Combine it with witch hazel and apply with a circular motion. Look for improvements in a couple weeks.
• Sunburn Relief – Add 1 cup of apple cider vinegar to a warm bath, along with some coconut oil to ease sunburnt skin.
• Deodorant – Kills bacteria and yeast which is a major cause of body odour. Simply dab some apple cider vinegar on your fingers and run it through your armpit.
• Hair Wash – Apple cider vinegar corrects the scalp’s pH, and removes residue from it. Use 1 tablespoon to 1 cup of water in an old shampoo bottle and use as a final rinse, or you can get this excellent hair formulation.
• Skin Toner – The pH of apple cider vinegar makes it a great remedy for skin issues. Just rub some on the affected area and use coconut oil to moisturize afterwards.
• Teeth Whitener – Take your finger and rub apple cider vinegar on your teeth for a minute. Rinse with clean water.
• Household Cleaner – The anti-bacterial qualities of apple cider vinegar and its balanced pH make it a great household cleaner. Simply fill spray bottle with 50% apple cider vinegar and 50% water, then use as you would any liquid cleaner.
• Flea Repellent for Pets – Prepare a 50/50 apple cider vinegar and water solution and spray on your pets in affected areas. You can also prepare a tub and soak your pet in it once a day for a couple weeks to get rid of nastier infestations.

Apple Cider Vinegar Recipes

One of the easiest ways to add apple cider vinegar to your diet is to use it wherever you would normally use white vinegar in a recipe. Some good examples of how to use it as a more integrated part of your diet include:

• Homemade salad dressing
• Homemade ketchup or mustard
• Homemade mayonnaise
• A beverage consisting of 5 parts grape juice, 3 parts apple juice, and 1 part apple cider vinegar

It can also be used to make a homemade insect repellent and part of a tonic that can help rid your body of bacterial infections.

The list of health benefits for apple cider vinegar seems endless, but it is only 1 part of a healthy lifestyle. So tell us, what are you using apple cider vinegar for that works really well?

When purchasing apple cider vinegar for internal use, be sure to purchase raw, unfiltered, organic vinegar. We love Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar.

You can also make your own!

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar from Scratch

10 organic apples
Two large glass bowls
Cheesecloth to cover the bowls or large mouth jars

Wash and cut apples into quarters. Leave out and allow apples to brown, and then put them into one of the bowls (or jar). Add distilled water, enough to cover the apples. Cover the bowl with the cheesecloth and leave in a warm, dark place for 6 months. A hot water closet works well. You can also store it in an attic or well house during warm weather months. Leave the bowl/jar to stand, covered for six months, stirring once a week. Retrieve the bowl/jar at the end of the 6-month fermentation period. There will be a layer of scum on top of the liquid. This forms from normal bacteria as alcohol turns to vinegar. Filter the liquid through the cheesecloth slowly into another glass jar. This can be done by holding the cheesecloth securely onto the first jar or using a coffee filter. Then tip it to let liquid through and into the second jar. Do this until all the liquid is filtered and transferred to the second jar and then leave it for another 4-6 weeks, again, covered with the cheesecloth.

Then your apple cider vinegar is ready to consume and/or store.

Recommended Products:

• Mother Earth Organic Root Cider – Barrier Island Organics

Recipe for Natural Cough Remedy

Juice one small carrot, one small apple, and one piece of ginger about the size of a thumb. Add four tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and two drops of liquid cayenne pepper extract. Heat to no more than 110 degrees, remove from heat, and add 2 tablespoons of raw unrefined, unpasteurized, unfiltered honey and stir.

Do not cook the honey. Unpasteurized honey is anti-bacterial. Once it reaches 108 degrees, it becomes no better than regular refined sugar.

If no juicer is available, grate ginger and make into a tea. Do not use store bought apple juice or carrot juice;, they must be fresh.

Sipping this will relieve most coughs and help soothe a sore throat.

If the throat is raw and irritated, gargle with apple cider vinegar as often as possible. Do not, under any circumstances, eat ice cream, soda, yogurt, candy, or any other sugar or diary when sick, especially with a sore throat. Sugar (including agave nectar and high fructose corn syrup) and refined starches feed bacteria, virus, parasites, and Candida (yeast).  No matter how good ice cream feels on a sore throat, the price far outweighs the benefits, as one pint of it can add a day or two to the duration of the illness.

There are a lot of natural cough remedies out there that suggest using sugar or honey without specifying that the honey be raw and unrefined. Any such advice is garbage. Advice likes that soothes the throat while feeding infection. The goal is to sooth the throat while fighting infection.

Herbal Cough Suppressants

Oils from eucalyptus, peppermint, anise, and fennel help suppress a cough. They also increase the production of saliva which helps to clear the throat of irritating mucus. Most cough drops contain one or more of these herbs; unfortunately, most cough drops also contain sugar. Any of these herbs can be made into a tea and sipped for better results than conventional cough drops.

Slippery elm makes a natural cough remedy by forming a soothing layer around the irritated mucus membranes of the throat. Slippery elm teas and cough drops are available at most health food stores.

The two best herbal throat sprays that we know of are Micro-west Homeopathic Combination Throat Spray and Mediherb Herbal Throat Spray.

Other Natural Cough Suppressants and Sore Throat Remedies

Take a lemon and cut it in half. Add unrefined sea salt and black pepper powder to the pulp. Suck.

Make lemonade with fresh lemons, stevia (to taste) and cayenne pepper (to taste). Drink warm or cold. Great detoxifying aid, too.

If coughing is due to lung congestion, hot showers should be taken throughout the day allowing hot water to spray the chest.

The Best Natural Cough and Sore Throat Remedies

We saved the best few for last. But these two are also the most difficult. Organic raw garlic, and/or oil of oregano. With the garlic, take a big clove, and chew, swish the juice, get into the back of the throat. If you can stomach it, swallow it when you’ve chewed it as much as you can (it can be hard on an empty stomach). Or just spit it out. It stings the mouth, so you’ll want to rinse, but after the stinging sensation is gone, your throat will feel so much better! And you can do the same with oil of oregano. Or you can combine the two if you’re feeling brave.

And you can also take some time to try these recipes. With the total tonic you can gargle and swish with it before you swallow, and take as much as you want throughout the day to fend off a cold. The herbal snuff is hardcore! You snort it. You can also apply directly to the tonsils, but I recommend both. Let me apologize in advance, it’s not pleasant, but it works and works well.

Doc Shillington’s Total Tonic Recipe (or purchase here)

• 1 handful of garlic cloves
• 1 handful of chopped onions
• 1 handful of chopped ginger
• 1 handful of chopped horseradish
• 1/2 handful of chopped habanero peppers
• Raw apple cider vinegar

Throw in a blender and cover with an inch or two of organic raw apple cider vinegar. All ingredients should be organic, but don’t let that stop you from making this great formula (as long as the garlic is not from China). You can use the mash right away or wait two weeks and allow it to turn into a tincture.

Doc Shillington’s Herbal Snuff Recipe (or purchase here)

A part is a measurement by volume (cups, tbls, etc.)

• 7 parts goldenseal root powder
• 7 parts bayberry bark powder
• 1 part cayenne pepper powder
• 1 part garlic powder

All the above must be ground up very finely. It is best to use habanero cayenne as it is the hottest. Mix it very well as a clump of cayenne could keep your eyes in tears for an hour. It won’t hurt you, though.

Conclusion

Excellent nutrition feeds the immune system and will help anyone avoid the pain of tonsils overwhelmed with infection.Check out Bullet Proof Your Immune System, and be sure to balance your gut flora. A strong immune system is impossible with an excess of Candida. The strength of our immune system starts in the gut. And don’t forget, sinus infections are the number one cause of sore throats, so check out How To Use a Neti Pot For Sinus Infections.

Recommended Products:

• Mother Earth Organic Root Cider – Barrier Island Organics
• Shillington’s Echinacea Plus
• Shillington’s Blood Detox Formula
• Coptis chinensis
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin C
• Shillington’s Herbal Snuff

Further Reading:

• Avoid Tonsillectomies and Save Your Immune System
• Make Your Immune System Bulletproof with These Natural Remedies
• Natural Cough and Sore Throat Remedies