Getting Ready for the Cold & Flu Season
The Keys of Prevention
Every year beginning in the fall, many people come down with some sort of viral infection—either a cold or a flu. Being sick is not only uncomfortable, it can be costly if you have to take time away from work or family duties. In my practice I often work with people to facilitate the healing of these conditions using herbal, homeopathic and nutritional formulas along with dietary and lifestyle advice. You can use many of these tips to help prevent colds and flus by boosting your immunity in advance, as well as help your body heal if you do get sick.
Other than avoiding sick people and washing your hands, here are the top preventive measures you can take as fall approaches:
Reduce Dietary Sugars
When you feel a cold or flu coming on, the worst
thing you can do is load your body with sugar-laden foods and drinks.
Sugar and sweeteners in general can dramatically deplete your immune
system—your body’s primary tool for fighting infection. In general, I
suggest avoiding large amounts of sweetened foods and drinks, and when
you are sick they should be the number one thing to eliminate from your
diet. A touch of honey in your ginger tea to soothe your sore throat is fine.
Stick to Primarily Cooked Foods
The fall is the time of year to gradually
change your diet from seasonal summer fruits, salads, and raw vegetables
to cooked foods such as soups, stews, and other “warming foods”.
Warming foods tonify or strengthen the yang energy (warm energy) in
the body. Winter is the most yin time of year (cold energy)—so your body
needs ample yang energy to balance it. Warming foods include just about
every other food other than the very cooling raw fruits and vegetables.
Simply steam or bake most of your vegetables and add a small amount
of unrefined sea salt to help off-set their cooling properties. Fruit should
be eaten in small amounts and preferably cooked as winter approaches.
Adding warming spices such as dried ginger and cinnamon to fruit can
also help to “warm it up”. Choose from locally grown, in season varieties.
Eating seasonally helps keep your digestion healthy and strong, and since up to 80% of your immune system is in your gut, it is a top priority for immune system support.
Exercise
Moderately, regular exercise strengthens your immune system
and is a great stress reliever. Try to do something every day, even if that
means just walking 15 minutes per day.
Reduce Your Stress
A no-brainer, but not always easy to do—especially as
we approach the holiday season filled with deadlines and family events.
Stress chews up your energy reserves and weakens your immunity. Try
not to sweat the small stuff and remember that the world won’t blow up
if you don’t get everything done on your to-do list. Listen to your body
when it is asking for rest, and give yourself permission to chill out and relax.
Sunlight
If you live in a northern climate, your vitamin D levels will likely
plummet during the fall and winter. (Studies show that most Canadians
become vitamin D deficient in the winter—some severely). Vitamin D is a
crucial nutrient for your immune system. Our bodies manufacture vitamin
D from regular sunlight exposure, but as we cover up and hibernate in the
cooler months we lose this natural health benefit. The bottom line is—get
outside every day! Unless you are regularly exposed to the sun (or are using
a tanning bed), then adding a vitamin D supplement during the fall, winter,
and spring is also recommended.
Now that you know how to prevent colds and flus, here are some easy home
remedies that can help if you do get sick. You can use one of the following
remedies or all three at the same time.
Fresh Garlic
Garlic holds potent antimicrobial properties—it is antiviral,
antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic making it a premier home
remedy for a number of ailments. To treat a cold or flu, finely chop a clove
of fresh garlic and swallow it with water like a pill—don’t chew. Take
one clove 3 – 5 times per day. Garlic capsules are not advised for treating
colds and flus.
Olive Leaf Tincture
This herbal remedy is an alcohol concentrated
extract of the olive leaf. Studies and practice show that it holds antiviral
properties making it a valuable ally in combating the common cold
and flu. Depending on the concentration of the tincture (and your size)
you may require 30 – 40 drops every 2 – 3 hours during the first day of
infection. Subsequent days can be dosed less frequently—every 3 – 4
hours or as needed.
Fresh Ginger Tea
Fresh ginger stimulates the body’s circulation and is
diaphoretic, meaning it helps the body sweat. In traditional Chinese
medicine this opening of the body’s exterior (skin) assists the body in
driving out infection and keeping it from going deeper. Chop 3 thin slices
of fresh ginger and simmer covered in 1 cup of water for 5 – 10 minutes.
Drink 1 cup every 3 hours.
To learn more about how to treat yourself and your family for minor colds and
flus, download The Healer at Home – Natural First Aid for Colds and Flus eBook.
This complimentary eBook shows how you can use natural remedies such as
homeopathics, herbs, and nutritional products to prevent and treat colds and flus.
Click here for more information.
