With cold and flu season in full swing, what measures can you take now to ensure you or your family members are not sidelined with nagging colds, earaches or send-you-to-bed flu symptoms? Here are nine easy tips to help you get winterized… and it all starts with boosting your immune system.
Probiotics
Probably the most important tip on the list involves something you may not be familiar with — probiotics. Your body contains ten times more bacteria than cells, and for your sake, most of them have to be friendly. Friendly bacteria not only attack pathogenic bacteria and fungi, but also trigger appropriate white cell reactions to invaders, and they influence your mental/emotional state. It’s estimated that eighty percent of your 100 trillion bacteria are located in the gut, or at least they should be. But drinking chlorinated water, eating food sprayed with pesticides or grown from GMO seed, and worst of all, taking antibiotics will have thinned down your friendly bacteria population considerably unless you have taken Ultrabiotic probiotic supplements.
Probiotics keep your friendly bacteria population up to speed, assuring your good health all season long. And Pedia-Biotic does the same thing for your kids. It takes a few weeks to fully replenish friendly bacteria, so getting starting now is the best idea. Also, be sure to get plenty of probiotic foods like raw milk, raw cheese, kefir and fermented foods. If you or your kids have recently taken antibiotics, you probably have killed off all your guardian bacteria, so double up your efforts.
Elderberry for Cures
Elderberry extracts or syrups have been clinically proven to help us get over colds and flu. Elderberry is a naturally occurring bush, not a drug, so it’s cheaper and without the side effects that have been reported for Tamiflu. You still have time to make your own tincture and save money.
Protective Supplements
Elderberry is curative, while Echinacea is protective. Echinacea is usually sold as tinctures or extracts. Vitamin C is also protective and, in large quantities, curative, so eat foods containing high vitamin C such as citrus, melon, and cherries. Zinc is a helpful mineral for protecting against colds and making any cold you do get much less troublesome. Increase zinc levels for the whole family with Zinc Lozenges.
Minimize Sugar
As fall rolls around, ease up on sodas, pastries and such. You’ve probably had enough ice cream during the summer. A few grams of sugar can destroy your white blood cells’ ability to resist infections for several hours.
Eat more Garlic and Onion
Besides being rich in antioxidants and selenium, garlic is antibacterial and antiviral. Both garlic and onions are part of the Allium family, which is rich in sulfur-containing compounds responsible for many of their health-promoting effects.
Exercise
Moderate exercise, even walking a mile or two at least three times a week, helps your lymph system cleanse impurities to boost your immune system.
Stress Less
This should be an all year practice. Many consider stress or anxiety as the leading cause for decreased immunity. Lighten up. Try meditation or yoga. Laugh more. Be less critical. Worry less.
Sleep
Sleep more and better. Make sure where you sleep is totally dark so your melatonin production will be sufficient. Take melatonin supplements if you feel the need. The different phases of sleep contain two cycles that are deep enough to refurbish your immune system. You need to sleep through them every night.
Vitamin D3
If you live in a year-round warm sunny area, you’ll need to make sure you get plenty of sun on exposed skin. If your regional climate restricts sun exposure, make sure you get plenty of it in the summer. Your body can store Vitamin D. If you feel you need a supplement, get Active-D (Vitamin D liquid drops).
