10 Tips to Avoid Getting A Cold or the Flu
By: Shandalla Seirawan, M.Sc., LMP
As a
natural health practitioner, during this time of year, I get asked
regularly, "How do
you prevent yourself from getting
a cold or the flu?" Here
I'm going to reveal what I, and other natural health practitioners due on a
regular basis to prevent illness. The best offense is a good
defense. The biggest thing I do for
myself is keep my immune system functioning at it’s most optimal. Prevention is the key because once you have
an illness, the only thing you can do is support the immune system, rest,
hydrate, and wait until your body does its job to fight off the virus.
·
First and
foremost, WASH YOUR HANDS....A LOT! I can't express this enough. If
someone sneezes into their hand, opens a door, and then you touch the same
door they did, BAM, you have just contacted whatever nastiness was lurking
on their hands from the sneeze. Then, you scratch your nose, rub your
eyes, touch something, or worse, you eat something and/or lick your fingers. Now
you've just ingested that nastiness they were carrying. By touching your eyes, nose or mouth, you just
let it enter your body through the thin mucous membranes and turn you into a
host. Now you have a virus. Wash
your hands, often, especially before eating anything. Avoid rubbing your eyes, nose, or
touching your mouth without a barrier or cleaning your hands. Most
viruses and bacterium enter the body through these locations.
·
Stay hydrated,
especially during those long holiday trips when it's easy to skip water. Carry
a water bottle with you and fill it up with water when you can. Try to stick to the guideline of 8-8 oz
glasses/day. This is easy to incorporate by filling up when you stop to get gas
or using the airport water fountains. This will give your body some well
needed benefits, like the ability to have your blood move around more
easily, which transports ALL your cells, including the cells
responsible for boosting immunity. Further, it helps to eliminate
toxins and prevents dehydration, which can prevent travel fatigue.
·
Absolutely get 8 hrs
of rest to keep your brain and immune system at maximum capacity.
·
Get a least SOME
exercise 3-5 times a week. Even if it's just walking for 20 -30 minutes or
running up and down the stairs at home or work. Any exercise counts. With
the New Year right around the corner, get a jump start and invest in your
health by getting a fitness tracker like a Fit Bit or getting a gym
membership. If you want something SUPER
COST EFFECTIVE, get a plain old pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a
day. Exercise has been shown to boost
your body's natural immune system.
·
Take a probiotic. This
contains good bacteria that increase your immune system. They are found in
yogurt, kambucha, and fermented foods. This will increase the good bacteria
in your intestines and prevent the bad bacteria that cause intestinal issues
and other health problems from colonizing in your body. Probiotics help your intestines stay in proper
working order. This is important because elimination through bowl
movements gets rid of your body's toxins. In natural medicine, one of our main
pieces of treatment to boost the immune system is to promote proper intestinal
function and assist in elimination.
·
Eat mushrooms, on
everything. Or better yet, see your naturopathic physician to see if a mushroom
extract is right for you. Mushrooms have been clinically proven to boost the
immune system even better than the more well-known cold fighter, Echinacea.
·
Consume vitamin C and
eat citrus fruits. This time of year, I personally take 1 packet of Emergen-C
and eat citrus regularly to boost my immune system.
·
Eat a lot of garlic or
take encapsulated garlic. This boosts your immune system function and has been
shown to be antibacterial and antiviral. Take the encapsulated garlic as
directed. You can take it with orange juice to get your vitamin C and kill the
taste. The smelly kind works best, but for those who just cannot handle that, they
make a garlic pill that is odorless.
·
Get your vitamin D levels
checked. With winter coming, there's very little sun available to those
located in the Pacific NW. Our body uses the sun to create vitamin D.
Without it, we're at risk for depleted vitamin D levels. This can
cause depression, winter seasonal affective disorder, fatigue, chronic
pain, and decreased immune function.
·
Finally, for the
sweetest immune booster, my personal favorite is elderberries. This can be
taken in pill form, extract form, as a tea, or in syrup. Not only
are elderberries delicious, but they give your immune system a huge bump
when taken regularly throughout the season. You can sweeten your tea or water
with the syrup, or take about a 1/4 of a spoonful of the syrup for the fullest
flavor. Consume daily as directed for fullest benefits.
So there
you have it. A natural healthcare practitioner's guide to keeping her
immune system strong. This is in no way completely inclusive, but this is
a good start as we enter the holiday season. If it seems like too much
all at once, the first 4 tips are the most important and then you can add any
of the others, 1 or 2 at a time where possible.
Keep your eyes open for more tips to come on staying healthy.
I want to
say that this material is meant for the average healthy adult who is not taking
any medications, with no allergies or medical illnesses. Further, it
is in no way meant to replace any doctor's advice or the advice of your primary
medical practitioner. Consult with your physician with any questions or before
adding any new herbs, health regiments, exercise, or health practices to
your lifestyle. This advice is not meant to treat any illness or meant to take
place of any advice, recommendations, prescriptions, or treatments from your
doctor.
