5 Tips To Get Ahead Of It!- Cold & Flu Season

Yes, Yes, I know… we just barely said goodbye to August… but the change happens fast (especially if you live in New England). So, do yourself a favor and ACT NOW to strengthen your immune system with some simple tools & daily practices to keep yourself ahead of the season.

1. Drink water. 1/2 Your healthy body weight in ounces. Yes, I know. It seems so simple, and it is! But our bodies are about 60-70% water so it is SO VERY VITAL to our health and well being. Don’t believe me? Read more about the benefits of drinking water here. And the best thing about water? It’s practically free! Tip:Add lemon, lime or other fruit to make it yummy! Carbonated water creates gas & bloating in the body… keep it to still water if you can.

2. Make Friends With The Neti Pot. We are literally inhaling thousands of microbes EVERY TIME we take in inhale. While many of them are benign, some are not and many are linked to virues that will make us sick especially if our immune system is compromised…. enter our savior THE NETI POT! A simple tool to literally flush those little microbes out of our sinuses and nasal cavity. Yes, it’s weird at first, BUT it gets easier and than you don’t even have to think about it. Using a neti pot DAILY now through February it will change your life- espcially if you are prone to sinus congestion & infections. Hey, if a 4 year old can do it... so can you! Check out an in depth instructional video here.

3. Cut your sugar intake. GASP! As we move into the holiday season of pumkpin spice lattes, apple pie & Halloween candy?! I know! The Horror!! BUT sugar is ABSOLUTELY linked to chronic inflammation, sinus congestion/excess mucous as well as weakening the immune system… so the choice is yours… Focusing on natural sugars from fruits & veggies instead of added sugars in cookies and cakes is your best bet. Even if you just take 3 days a week to skip the sugar, it will go a long way.

4. Feed Your Gut Flora. We have more bacteria in our guts & on our skin than we have cells in our body. Read that again. We’re pretty much run by the bacteria in & on our bodies right? So, we want the HEALTHY bacteria to thrive and the “bad guy bacteria” in our guts to get lost. How do we do that? Cut sugar (it literally feeds bad guy bacteria especially candida) eat alkalizing foods like greens, and foods with inulin (which feed the good guys) like Dandelion, Burdock & Chicory root (often found in coffee substitute drinks). Also foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi & real fermented pickles will increase the amount of healhty bacteria growing in your gut as well. AND if you’re someone who doesn’t tolerate fermented foods (aka they cause you gas, bloating & diarrhea) then skip the fermented foods and go straight to a good quality probiotic.

5. Herbal Allies! Take your Elderberry! Syrup, Tea, Tincture, Caspsule… however you want it, get it into you! As preventative medicine & during the onset of a cold or flu Elderberry prevents and cuts the duration of the virus up to 50% in length. Best part is science is finally backing this amazing herbal medicine. Whether you make your own or choose to buy it premade- get that Elderberry into you- NOW. Also… Fire Cider! Although fire cider is best known to be taken when you’ve already caught a cold or flu, I also like to take it preemptively and will often flip back and forth between Elderberry Syrup & Fire Cider. Fire Cider has many variations, but the basic recipe is packed to the gills with herbs & foods that contain warming and antimicrobial /antiviral actions & antioxidants to flush your body & fight viruses. Take one or both preventatively DAILY and you’ll be in the clear! Follow these links to make your own Fire Cider & Elderberry if you like or buy them from top quality herbalists: Gaia, Herbal Revolution.