Did you know that most colds & flus are contagious for up to 5-7 days for adults and even longer for children?
So, a heads up when you’re already sick & you’re having a moment of wanting to “push through”, “be a trooper” and “suck it up”, by not calling into work… don’t. If you’re sick, stay home! You’ll be doing yourself & the rest of your community a favor. And you’ll only prolong the healing process if you push yourself. It’s not worth it, no matter who has to cover for you at work. Make your health a priority.
I was talking to my friend Amanda (Yes! And her husband’s name is Aaron too- crazy right?!), and she was asking me about some tips to keep her kiddos healthy through the cold and flu season as her youngest was already struggling with a stubborn cold. Granted, each person & child will be different around their specific needs & body types, but I gave her some of my favorite tips, the same tips I’ll now give you (with a couple extra).
Some of these take a little prep time, but I promise if you set aside a few hours out of your weekend to make a big batch of these DIY goodies, you won’t regret it!
- Slow down on the sugar. Yes, sugar of all kinds feeds disease and chronic inflammation that lowers our immune system & kills our healthy happy gut flora.
- Up your cooked greens- of all kinds. Here’s some inspiration.
- Drink your fluids! Warm water with ginger & lemon or lime or wise water are wonderful ways to stay hydrated- which is a must to stay healthy.
- Make Elderberry syrup. This process takes several hours, but if you make a large batch, you can freeze into ice cubes to have on hand as needed or store in your fridge for up to 3 months.
- Neti pot! Yes, it does a body good in so many ways. And rather than the other methods like a water syringe up your nose, I feel the neti is gentler and more thorough. Even little one’s can learn how to neti!
- Reduce your dairy intake. If you’re prone to congestion, runny nose & excess mucous in your body (even notice if you have mucous in your stools- I know- gross, but it can tell you something:)) Dairy slows down your digestive tract and adds to general congestion/sluggishness in the body.
- Cook your food. When it’s cold and raw out, your body doesn’t want to digest cold & raw foods.It makes it work harder which it doesn’t need if you’re fighting a cold! Do it a favor and eat gently spiced soups, stews and stir fries September-March. Your body will thank you.
- Make some natural hand sanitizer & room spray. Use on your space & hands often especially while in public.
- Abhyanga massage. It can be a full body massage before you shower or just the bottoms of your feet before bedtime. This video is quite detailed and outlines the traditional methods, but I tend to skip my scalp (takes too long to shampoo!) and do the rest of my body, a bit more quickly than the video which allows me to hop in the shower within 5 minutes. This is one of the best practices we can offer ourselves to improve immunity, as don’t forget, our skin is our largest eliminative organ AND our first defense against microbes, bacteria and viruses. As an added perk to abhyanga is to add your favorite essential oil to your carrier for extra antimicrobial action. Be sure to follow these guidelines for essential oil use.
- Make some Fire Cider. Although Elderberry is my first choice for prevention & treatment of cold and flu, when you’re REALLY in the thick of a bug and you want it out as quickly as possible… add Fire Cider to the mix and it will really rev things up a notch:) It’s a good one to have on hand:)
- Rest. Listen to your body. Rest some more. This is the most important piece and if you ignore it you’ll be sure to get a slap upside the head in the form of a cold and flu- I know from experience:)
Questions? Comments? Curiosities? Feel free to leave any in the comments below. xoA