The winter season has already brought quite a few clients to my practice nursing sore throats, head colds and chest infections. Everyone has “what’s going round” but why is it that despite the variety of bugs we are exposed to, some of us aren’t affected? This all comes down to your immune system and how well you support it throughout the year. Here are some tips to support immune function and a simple but very effective naturopathic remedy to shorten or prevent those bugs from dragging you down this winter.
Immune Boosters:
Ø Avoid all sugar, both as part of your lifestyle and particularly during an infection as it reduces white cell production after consumption and will feed bacteria like no other.
Ø Avoid mucous forming foods such as nuts, dairy, eggs, oranges etc. These foods will clog up the lymphatic system and just add to an already mucous laden system during infections such as colds.
Ø Take your antioxidants – Vitamins and minerals that promote healthy immune function – A,C,E, Zinc and selenium.
Ø Increase Vitamin C consumption – a 1000mg tablet will only release approximately 330mgs into the blood stream so don’t be afraid to experiment by bowel response – if the bowels become loose you have reached your quota, then reduce the dosage slowly over the coming days. You may be surprised to find that you tolerate quite high levels of this water soluble vitamin when you are unwell, which simply indicates that you are not consuming and absorbing enough Vitamin C in your diet.
Ø Herbs and roots that promote immunity and fight infections are – Elderberry, Garlic, Ginger, Thyme, Astragalus, Sage, Oregano, Cats Claw, Echinacea and Olive Leaf
Ø Drink plenty of clean water and never consume fizzy drinks and excess caffeine – 1 cup a day of coffee or green tea is fine.
Ø Exercise regularly to include cardiovascular workouts
Ø Reduce your stress levels
Ø Get your sleep – a good 7-8 hours is essential for a healthy immune system
Ø Eat a healthy diet of fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds, healthy sources of protein and moderate complex carbohydrates
Winter Bug Blaster:
Lemons and citrus fruits contain bioflavonoids that assist in killing infections. Bioflavonoids are a group of what are called “polyphenolic” plant-derived compounds that are high in antioxidants. You’ll find these contained in the white pith of the lemons which is released during the process of making this remedy. The ginger is a great anti-viral, anti-bacterial and also boosts circulation. The cayenne pepper assists in promoting sweating out the infection.
Place two un-waxed, washed lemons in a medium pan covered with water, and add a chopped dice sized piece of ginger. Bring it to the boil then cover and simmer, topping up with water if it reduces below the tops of the lemons. Once the lemons are very soft to the touch, with a wooden spoon, careful not to get spurted (!), mash down the lemons so that the skins are in smaller pieces in the water, then strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a glass measuring jug, separating the water from the lemon and ginger. Discard the lemon pulp and ginger and add 3-4 tablespoons of good quality honey into the glass jug mixture. The mixture should be moderately sweet so use the honey to your taste. Mix well and just before drinking, add a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper. Warm up as required to drink at tea temperature, drinking two mugs daily. This quantity should provide you with about 4 mugs of the mixture. Drink for 2-3 days and you should see quick results.
Additional Tips
Rub the soles of your feet and chest with either Vicks Vaporub or Tiger Balm and keep socks on both during the day and when sleeping at night, topping up 2-3 times. Do not shower or wash your hair whilst you have a temperature. Keep your body warm but if you have a fever, aim to keep your temperature steady. Avoid taking anything that chemically reduces your fever unless you are very unwell with a very high temperature. A manageable fever is your body’s immune system fighting the infection and is a useful, natural process. Be sensible. Make sure you are not self-diagnosing a cold as flu. Too many people mistake a bad head cold or chest infection as flu. Where flu is present, you cannot get out of bed, you have a very high fever, are achy and shivery, cannot take calls and have no appetite.
Wishing you a healthy 2019!
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