It may seem too obvious, but...

You can't underestimate the value of water. I was sick over the weekend, and I learned very quickly not to undervalue some old-fashioned H2O ~ it quickly became my best friend in my attempt to heal my body. I often forget just how important it is to stay well hydrated:

• it can keep you feeling full (to fight the munchies - oftentimes, you aren't actually hungry but your body is thirsty instead!)
• wards off unwanted headaches
• reduces muscular cramping and side-stitches (when working out)
• in the event of an illness (or allergic reaction, if able to swallow properly) it helps to flush toxins and bad bacteria through your system so that you are able to heal, faster!

Another nifty little tip is to use baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate) in water for an upset stomach! I'm not sure why it never occurred to me before, but it's the same as using tums without any flavoring or preservatives. For an individual who is sensitive to all manner of artificial flavorings, sweeteners, dyes and preservatives: this is a new lifesaver. It truly is as simple as adding 1/2 tsp. to 1/2 a glass of water. Et Voila! relief is yours for the taking.

To throw a little geek in your face, Sodium Bicarbonate is a compound present in the primary buffer system in the human body. If there is an excess of acid (upset stomach, heartburn, etc.), Baking Soda can serve to make the mixture in your stomach more basic. It does this by restoring the body's natural equilibrium and counterbalancing the excessive acid in the stomach. Pretty cool, huh? Okay...at least, I thought so. A word of caution! Like anything you take for an illness, be careful with how much you use! Too much can make you even more sick, so just be mindful to not overdo it.

Another amazing healing strategy for a sick body is: **trumpets blare** homemade chicken soup. This is one of my favorites, and is legitimately a beautiful soothing agent for an inflamed digestive system. The hot broth also contains excellent healing properties for colds and allergy-like symptoms. The hot liquid soothes your system, and if a good bird is used the broth contains all sorts of nutrients that are beneficial to a sick system.

This is my recipe that I currently use:

• 1 whole, raw Organic Free Range Chicken (this is ideal, and what I use; as long as the bird is antibiotic and hormone free though, it will still produce a decent broth)
• approximately 6-8 medium carrots
• 1/2 of a medium onion
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano

1. Just combine everything (bones in raw chicken in tact) in a crockpot and cover with water.
2. If you turn the pot on high, cook the soup for approximately 4-6 hours. If you turn it on low, cook it for 6 - 8 hours.
3. Once the meat is cooked, turn the crockpot off and remove the chicken and ALL the bones, and place them on a plate. **see below for extra tip**
4. Let the chicken and bones sit on the plate for approximately thirty minutes (This is just to make sure it isn't too hot to touch, so if you want to challenge yourself, brave the burned fingers and continue onward!)
5. Remove the chicken meat from the bones - adding the meat directly into the crockpot, and throwing the bones away.
6. (Optional) I like to turn the crockpot back on high for about 30 minutes to make sure that the chicken and broth have really blended the flavors. I'm not entirely sure why, but the flavor seems to be better when I do this.

**The chicken will be falling apart, so be careful to triple check for bones that were left behind in the pot! I recommend (particularly if any wee munchkins will be eating the soup) that you sift all of the soup with a strainer or large spoon. The bones make for nasty eating, to say the least.

And that, my friends - is chicken soup! It's very hearty, and this particular recipe is (while flavorful) very gentle on even sick stomachs. I ate this soup all weekend, despite my upset stomach. For some reason, the chicken grease did not have a negative effect despite all of the acid eating away at my stomach and esophagus.

Some additions that I've used over the years (for more flavor/variety):

• 2-3 stalks of celery
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. basil (in place of oregano)
• a couple dashes of thyme
• 1 package of organic frozen peas
• 3 tablespoons of dried parsley
• noodles (added after the chicken has been de-boned; cook for 1 additional hour on high instead of thirty minutes)
• slightly cooked spaghetti squash (cooked well enough in an oven at 350 degrees so that you can get the squash out of the rind, but not so that it will be soft) added within the thirty minutes after de-boning (in place of noodles)

That, friends - is my favorite chicken soup recipe. I know that the blog entry makes it seem like a lot of work, but it truly is as simple as throwing the ingredients in the crockpot for about six hours! Pretty minor prep and post-cooking time. It will keep in your refrigerator for about 3-4 days, and freezes very well too. Other chicken and vegetable broths can be made using this same principle and frozen for later.

Tip(s) of the day:

• When all else fails, call your Mom. She has a magic voice and touch. Mummy makes everything better.
• Talk to your professors about things unrelated to school and the classroom. In addition to developing healthy relationships with them (and remember, they will be the ones writing recommendation letters at some point), they will become more understanding about hiccups you hit in your life.
• Clean your room as soon as you have overcome a sickness, if possible: it provides extra motivation for work and adds to the exhilaration of being able to leave your bed.