It’s common these days for people to be concerned about preventing illnesses. Cold and flu season is just around the corner. And once again, there is talk about a new variant sweeping its way around the world. I want to offer you some natural ways of boosting your immune system to handle any cold, flu, or other illness that may seem to come knocking at your door. Following these techniques will give your body the boost it needs to do what it is brilliantly designed to do – keep you healthy.

Everyday Immune-boosting Tools for Cold and Flu Season

• Regularly get plenty of sleep. Adults need 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep every night; children and teens need even more.
• Reduce or eliminate refined sugar/grains and processed foods. These all lower your immunity. It is not surprising that cold and flu season coincides with the time of year when many of these foods are the focus (Halloween candy, holiday gatherings).
• Keep your lymphatic channels open and moving by drinking lots of water, exercising moderately, and using a sauna or steam bath. You might also consider doing a seasonal detox to help flush your lymphatic channels and uplevel your nutrition and immunity.
• Eat immune-boosting foods such as garlic, oregano, and ginger root. An immune-boosting vegetable soup can strengthen your body’s immune function and be very nurturing if you are feeling under the weather. Also, try sipping some warm ginger tea.
• Eat fermented foods that will increase the good bacteria in your gut – sauerkraut, kimchee, miso, and tempeh – as 70 - 80% of your immune system is in your gut.
• Get plenty of Vitamin D3 with twenty minutes of sunshine daily, or with a vitamin D3 supplement.
• Take other immune-boosting supplements – Vitamin C, zinc, a probiotic, and immune-strengthening herbs/plant medicines, such as astragalus root and elderberry syrup.
• Lower your stress level. When you are stressed, your immune system doesn’t work efficiently. Focus on self-care and stress reduction, such as getting a massage, meditating, taking a yoga class, utilizing breathwork, and spending time in nature.
• One of the best things you can do is to stay out of fear. Instead of being fearful about catching an illness, transform your thoughts about getting sick into thoughts affirming your health. Our thoughts have the power to create. You may have heard someone say, “I get sick every winter.” Guess what? They get sick every winter. The Truth of your Being is that you are healthy and strong, whole and perfect in every way. Use an affirmation such as “I am healthy and strong” or “My body’s immune system keeps me healthy.” Affirm your good health every single day with your thoughts and your words.

Tools for Support if You’re Feeling Under the Weather

Our bodies are innately designed to bring us back to homeostasis when we are unbalanced. Sometimes, we don’t realize or remember that symptoms of illness are part of regaining balance in the body. A fever is the body’s natural way of fighting an infection. The body produces extra mucous to carry out harmful bacteria or other toxins from the body, and a cough, sneezing, or runny nose is how we clear mucous out the lungs and nasal passages. Similarly, vomiting and diarrhea are the body’s way of clearing the digestive tract. When we experience these symptoms, it can be helpful to recognize that the body, in its profound intelligence, knows exactly what it is doing. Personally, I assist its efforts by employing some of the following support tools immediately when I feel like I may be coming down with something. Most of the time, when I utilize these tools, I can stave off any illness, or at the very least, lessen the severity.

• Rest! The minute I realize that something feels “off” with my body, I take time to rest. One of the reasons we can feel so lousy when we are sick is because our body is trying to get our attention; it wants us to stop working and playing and get some extra sleep and rest.
• I increase the consumption of the immune-boosting foods listed above, including garlic and ginger.
• I drink plenty of fresh, filtered water and herbal teas for immune support.
• I add additional supplements and other remedies to my daily regimen to help my body increase its immune function and support specific body processes.

My Natural Medicine Cabinet

There are a few items I always keep stocked in my medicine cabinet besides the supplements I take daily and the immune-boosting foods I include in my regular diet. I like having these options on hand because they work well at assisting my body’s immune function if I notice it's is not feeling quite right. I also feel confident that I’ll avoid any side effects that can occur with some other over-the-counter or prescription medicines. I get the following high-quality remedies, supplements, and food items at my local health food market, and they work best when taken at the first sign of illness.

• Oscillococcinum by Boiron. This homeopathic remedy works naturally with your body for flu-like symptoms – body aches, headache, fever, chills, and fatigue.
• ColdCalm by Boiron. This homeopathic remedy helps with cold symptoms – sneezing, runny nose, and minor sore throat.
• Oil of Oregano capsules by Gaia. This oil has properties that are antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic, antiseptic to the respiratory system, and an immune stimulant. This should only be taken for about two weeks when feeling under the weather.
• Immunity Shots by Vive or Kor. These little refrigerated juice shots are a potent combination of immune-boosting ingredients, such as ginger, turmeric, and elderberry. (These can also be taken when you’re well and want to keep your immune system strong.)
• Local raw honey and Ceylon cinnamon – I make a simple, extremely effective homemade cough syrup with these two powerhouses for health.
• Essential oils that support specific body processes, such as peppermint for fever and eucalyptus and cardamom for congestion – a few drops of these can be used in a diffuser or added to a warm bath, or a drop can be applied to the head or body with a carrier oil, such as coconut oil.
• Immune Support by Truvani or Quick Defense by Gaia. These supplements contain vitamins and/or herbs to help stave off sickness at the onset of symptoms.

Another great healing herb to consider using when not feeling well is echinacea, and I sometimes add quercetin to my regimen, as well.

We encounter, and frankly, we host many germs and harmful bacteria in our bodies all the time. Our bodies are designed to fight them off, and most of the time, they do. Be proactive in keeping your immune system working as it was meant to, and instead of colds, flu, or any other illness, you will enjoy a season of good health!

“The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.

Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food.”

~Hippocrates

🧄 Click here for an immune-boosting vegetable soup recipe.

🐝 Click here for a simple, effective homemade cough syrup.

🍋 Click here to learn about my Eat to Nourish Fall Detox.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Consult with your health practitioner regarding the safety of any supplements

if you are pregnant, nursing, have a health condition, or are on medication.