I am watching an infomercial with author Kevin Trudeau. He writes books about natural health cures.

Well, my mouth is feeling better today. I used cotton swabs to scrape all the white spots off the roof of my mouth. I used a plaque rinse and really brushed my tongue and rinsed my mouth out with salt water. I steered clear of my morning mouthwash and avoided sugar today. I picked up some plain yogurt with live cultures on the way home from work and had it for a snack when I got home. Hopefully this will clear up for good soon. It makes me horribly thirsty, though. *sigh* Figures I write about this stuff just as I get picked for "blog of the day", huh? Too funny.

Yep, Oral Thrush...a fancy name for a yeast infection in my mouth. Neat, huh? I'm prone to yeast infections. I get the vaginal ones every single time I get on any kind of antibiotic. A couple of summers ago, I got a nasty one in my armpit when the swamp coolers at work were broken and my deodorant couldn't keep up with my sweating. I've had painful white bumps on the roof of my mouth for the past two days. My good friend, the Internet, informed me that they were the aforementioned ailment. I guess they're the result of my illness the last two weeks. Of the several things they mentioned that could cause them, the mouthwash I was constantly gargling trying to kill the germs in my tonsils, the increased sugar intake from guzzling honey to soothe my cough and the lowered immune system from the illness are the culprits. Since I don't have the funds to go to the doctor, I'm going to try cutting back on the sugar, get some live culture plain yogurt and stop using mouthwash for a few days. Hopefully my body will get back in balance and I won't have to resort to expensive medicine.

I'm starting to feel a little better. I've still got a horrible cough, though. Last night was the first night I got to sleep relatively easily. I've had several nights this week where I was having such a dry, hacking cough that I couldn't sleep. One night I was so desperate for relief that went to the Internet. I found a home remedy that was made from ingredients I actually had. I was skeptical at first, but the stuff really helped and I didn't think it really tasted that bad (better than that Tylenol Cold crap). Here's the text from the web page just in case the page disappears for my future reference.

Home Remedy for Cough

By Bonnie K. McMillen, R.N, B.S.N., College Health Nurse, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Bradford, PA, mcmillen+@pitt.edu

For the adventurous and independent sort, here's a homemade cough syrup recipe that really works. The ingredients are a combination of spices and nutrients with no unpleasant medicinal side effects — no drowsiness, no dry mucous membranes, no cautions about using machinery or driving.

The recipe is from Herbally Yours by Penny C. Royal, 3rd Edition, June 1982. It seems to work for all kinds of coughs but especially for that dry hacky cough that keeps you awake and hangs on long after the cold is over.

One of our international students recently told me that her mother in India used to give her a cough medicine with similar ingredients.

It soothes an irritated throat and relieves chest congestion and phlegm. The bad news: it tastes terrible — it really does — but if you have a persistant cough, it's worth a try.

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons water
  Mix and take by the teaspoon.

The recipe doesn't indicate how much to take. I took 3 teaspoons the first time because I had a bad dry cough for over three weeks, and I was desparate for some relief. It worked and I got a good night's sleep. I have been recommending it to others ever since, and many have confirmed my positive results.

Consider the beneficial effects of the individual ingredients:

• Ginger (zingiber officinale) has long been used and recommended for arthritis and bursitis, because it is a natural anti-inflammatory. According to Home Herbal, by Penelope Ody, D.K. Publishing, June 1995, ginger is a natural antihistamine. It has also been used for for motion sickness and nausea, and in addition, it's known for relieving chest congestion, according to Dr. Andrew Weil, Herbal Medicine Chest http://cgi.pathfinder.com/drweil/herbal/medchest
• Cayenne (capsaicin) reduces pain, according to Herbs for Health and Healing, by Kathi Keville, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA, 1996. The same substance that makes cayenne peppers hot relieves the pain by suppressing a chemical that carries the pain message from nerves in the affected area to the brain. According to Home Herbal, by P. Ody, cayenne is warming and stimulating, it is a good cold remedy and eases chills and will even ease the lingering pain from shingles.
• Vinegar has so many healthful uses. See my article, Vinegar: Ancient Medicine and Popular Home Remedy in Connections Quarterly, Summer 1998 Issue.
• Honey, according to Home Herbal by P. Ody, will draw pus and poisons out of wounds and it is useful for relief from colds.
• Water is probably added to make it less strong tasting but it is still strong!

I keep the mixture in the refrigerator after I make it but I don't know if it is necessary.

The next time you have a cough that just won't quit, you might want to give this homemade cough recipe a try.

Sorry about my lack of presence this last week. I have been sicker than a dog since Monday afternoon. Marcus has been fighting this crud that has been going around work for weeks. He actually resorted to going to the doctor on Tuesday. I've been trying to fight if off for a while, but it totally got the best of me. I didn't even go to work Wednesday at all. I've been only medicating myself at night with NyQuil because I think it's best to let your body take care of stuff if it can. Most of my life I've over-drugged myself. I'd take tylenol or something at the slightest hint of fever. Take cough syrup to stop coughs. Suck on cough drops relentlessly. All it does in the end is prolong being sick. Well, I've been good up until last night. Since this crud moved into my upper chest and sinuses yesterday, and since NyQuil took out their decongestant (thanks to meth makers), I couldn't stop coughing last night. It took me forever to finally get t o sleep.

Marcus used up my NyQuil last weekend and he got some Tylenol Cold instead. That stuff is worthless and it tastes like you're drinking Scope. Yuck.

I had a horrible dream a couple of nights ago. It was one of those weird dreams where you're not sure if you're awake or not. I was in bed, Marcus was next to me and some shadowy figure was looming over our bed, strangling me. I was trying to scream Marcus' name so he would help me and nothing would come out. Well, Marcus was in bed reading while I was having this nightmare. He was concerned over the sounds I was making, so thankfully he shook me awake. I was so freaking scared. I've never had a dream like that—it felt so real.

Sorry this is so rambly. I've got more to say, but not up to it right now.