Everyone knows that wintertime means playing the game of “who can run faster than the ‘bug’ trying to catch you” and lay you up in bed. Or worse, make work life miserable while you fight it off. Here are some strategies to prevent catching a cold and ways to shorten the duration.
Prevention is the best medicine. Exercise boosts your immune cell activity so stay active this winter. Wash your hands. Drink plenty of clean water all day long. Vegetables and fruits are full of all the antioxidants and vitamins and minerals your body needs to function optimally. This winter is the opportunity to add in an extra fruit or vegetable a day to one of your meals. If you make one veggie at dinner, try making two. If you don’t eat fruit at breakfast, add your favorite one in. Satsuma oranges are in season only in the winter and are great sources of Vitamin C.
The basics need emphasis when you’re feeling sick. We all know this, but let’s just say it again. When you’re feeling sick, it’s not time to go out to that Christmas party and drink three glasses of hot buttered rum and two helpings of dessert. It’s time to lay low, sleep extra hours, stay hydrated and stay away from your vices. Sugar, alcohol and foods you may think you’re sensitive to are only going to suppress your immune function when you need it most. So what do you do when you feel that shift in your body that tells you you’re getting sick? A quick trick is to artificially raise your core body temperature for 20 minutes. You probably learned to suppress your fevers, but what I’m telling you is to actually create a little fever, either by sitting in a sauna or steam room, or by taking a hot bath. Add some Epsom salts in that case (sold at most drug stores) and soak in as hot of water as you can stand for 20 minutes. Don’t stop there! Bundle up warmly and stay hot! Your immune cells actually work faster in a slightly higher temperature while putting the virus or bacteria at a disadvantage!
For you special cases, the stressed moms and workers who struggle just to get breakfast let alone enough sleep, there’s hope even for you! The approach for your immune health is through your adrenal glands. They help you cope in times of high stress, and during this winter season they need specific attention. Through the wonderful remedy of herbal medicine, we have all sorts of combinations to meet your needs.
