Immunity.

Seasons are changing, days are getting shorter and much cooler. I love season change, autumn is a beautiful time of year but I have been hearing an awful lot of coughing and sneezing and sniffly noses going on.

Here are some at home tips to beat cold and flu season :

REMEDIES :

---

• Garlic & Ginger Tea  (antibiotic, anti fungal, antibacterial)

1 clove of garlic +

1 tsp freshly grated ginger +

1 tsp raw local honey

down like this OR

Mix in mug and cover with boiling water, leave for 5 minutes then add juice of half a lemon and pinch of cayenne. Voila! Smack that cold in the face!

---

• Cinnamon Tea (antiviral, antibiotic)

1 tbs cinnamon +

1 tsp raw local honey

Stir to combine and cover with boiling water! Tea that helps relieve cough and congestion and lower fever.

---

• Face Steam

Add boiling water and fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano) to a bowl, cover for 5 mins then remove lid, place face over steam with a towel and breath deeply through nose, aim to stay in this little hot box for 15 minutes.

---

• Remove White Foods

Such as sugar, grains, milk, cheese, dairy, sweetness, bread, crackers ect because these foods suppress the immune system, promote mucus and slow the bodies healing process.  Instead eat a healing bowl of fresh chicken soup with lots of fresh herbs and greens and ginger, onion and garlic added.

---

• Hydrate & Rest

When your body is running a fever it means it is fighting the illness. It’s our bodies natural way of killing off the bug by increasing it’s temperature so that the bug cannot survive. Therefore to help your body heal stay hydrated with water and herbal teas and lots of rest so it can focus its attention on healing and getting better.

In winter we tend to drink less water but out bodies still require adequate water to flush out toxins, helps to fight infection, hydrates our cells, encourages circulation and boosts energy (just to name a few).  If you aren’t one for drinking plain water …

See previous post : https://alycekate.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/water/

---

• Cough Syrup

Peel and chop a red onion, place in a bowl and cover with honey. Place in a warm room for 6-8 hours.  Strain the onion from the syrup.

Adult dose : 1 Tbs every 2 hours

Child dose : 1 tsp every 2 hours – 4 hours

---

• Throat Gargle (great for killing those nasty bugs that like to hang out in your throat with what feels like sharp daggers)

Add boiling water to fresh sage and thyme leaves and 1/4 of a lemon and let steep for 10 minutes.  Strain and gargle mix as necessary.  You can also add a tsp of Manuka honey for its antibacterial properties… Or there’s always the faithful salt water gargle.

---

PREVENTATIVE CARE (don’t want to get a cold in the first place, heres some tips to support your immune system and overall health)

• Exercise : get those gloves on, a beanie and a warm shirt and get out there.  Go for a walk or run or bike ride or join a sports team or a dance group or go for a swim at an indoor heated pool or have a daily dance party.  Exercise improves our circulation, digestion and lymphatic flow which helps to move toxins out of our bodies.
• Diet : ensure you are getting lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, its a great time of year to get the slow cooker out and do a big cook up with organic meat stews and curries, make a big pot of vegetable / chicken soup.  Garlic, onion and ginger are great this time of year as they pack a punch, support our immune systems, improve our circulation and warm us up from the inside out.
• Herbs : Herbal Medicine is a great and very effective way to support the immune system and treat infections.  Look for herbs such as Echinacea, Andrographis, Elderberry, Thyme, Garlic.  There are many many herbs that can treat specific issues of the immune system.  Please contact me below for further information about this.
• Vitamin C : we often wait until we are sick as dogs with a cold before we start taking vitamin C, so start now!  The ever faithful vitamin C is great support to your immune system, but also to your adrenal system which takes a hit in stressful times.  Get some vitamin C powder and take 250mg doses 4 times daily.  Taking small regular doses improves absorption and utilisation by the body.  Also include vitamin C rich foods in your diet – berries, broccoli, bell peppers, parsley, citrus, kiwi fruit ect.
• Probiotics : These help support a healthy digestive system which in turn helps support a healthy body and healthy immune system.  If you are constantly taking antibiotics at this time of year because you are constantly getting sick, you need to find yourself a good quality probiotic from a health food store.  Those with digestive disturbances such as bloating, cramping, find it difficult to digest food, poorly formed stools or too well formed also can benefit from a probiotic.
• Vitamin D : get your vitamin D levels check.  Very important not just for bone health but for a strong immune system.  With less natural sunlight on our skin our vitamin D levels can take a hit in winter.  It may be beneficial to supplement.

See Previous Post : https://alycekate.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/sunshine/

• And finally REST : I mentioned it briefly above but rest is one of the greatest things we can give our bodies, we run around like crazy people all day long.  Drinking coffee, rushing, feeling stressed, eating on the run, eating poorly, then at night we fall in to bed, too late knowing that the impending alarm clock ring is closer than we would like.  Rest doesn’t have to look like sleeping, it can look like taking a leisurely walk around the block in your lunch break, sitting down after dinner to read a few nights a week when your favourite TV show isn’t on, taking a bath after dinner, getting to bed 30 mins earlier and not looking at your phone that whole time but actually going to sleep.

If we take care of our bodies our bodies will take care of us.

Advertisement