The Weather Outside is Frightful!

Ahhh, autumn, such a beautiful season and yet a prelude, for many, to a winter spent enduring months of cold symptoms ranging from a stuffy nose to a hacking cough. Well, never fear because there are a number of natural remedies that you can start using now to help ward off those germs.
The first step to staying healthy in any season is a strong and healthy immune system, and no, that does not mean carrying around a month’s supply of Purell. In order for your body to build an immune system, your body must be exposed to germs, if you avoid them like the plague, when that little cold bug hits, it will hit you like a typhoon!
So stop slathering yourself in alcohol and let’s talk turkey about immune boosting options;

1. Everyone’s favourite, Echinacea! So let’s be honest, we all pretend that we take this magic little herb all year round, but the full shelves at the Health Shoppe belie our words, so let’s get honest. Forget the past and start popping some Echinacea in whatever form you feel comfortable. I recommend anywhere from 900mg to 3gm/day, starting with around 900-100mg and slowly increasing your dosage. Studies in Canada have found that taking Echinacea can cut your risk of catching a cold by more than half and can cut the duration of a cold by 1.4 days. So start enjoying this wonderful herb, pop a pill, take a tincture or add some drops to your tea, however you take it, take it now!

2. Vitamin C! Vitamin C has been a staple for years, even those Flintstone chewable vitamins from when I was a kid advertised Vitamin C! What you may not know is that Vitamin C is actually Echinacea’s partner in crime. When Vitamin C and Echinacea were taken together, studies shows that they can cut your chances of catching a cold virus by 86%! That is incredible.
Vitamin C does a ton of other great things for your body and mind, so grab a Vitamin C supplement or choose a multi vitamin that gets you at least 1000 mg in each pill. The average person, man woman or child, should be getting at least 3000mg of Vitamin C every day. There is a fair amount of Vitamin C in the foods we eat, so start with around 1000mg and see how much better you feel…. In fact, I’m pretty sure they still make adult chewable vitamins, so check out your health shop for some tasty and healthful options.

3. Have a Cup-O-Tea - I know on those cold mornings you are tempted to reach for that extra cup of cappuccino or non-fat Latte, but beware, caffeine can negatively effect your immune system. Caffeine stresses the adrenal glands that sit near your kidneys, the cold weather adds stress to your kidneys as it is, making you more sluggish. Add in the stress of caffeine and you are begging your immune system to let a little virus through the dront door.
Instead of your regular cup-o-joe, try an herbal tea, or a nettle tea! The warmth will seep into your body and help you energize for the day, and you’ll also reap the benefits that tea always brings, antioxidants etc.

4. Tingly Throat, Swish with Sea Salt Water - How many times have you gone to bed with a tickle, knowing you will awaken to a full blown cold? Well, nip it in the bud now. When you first feel that tingle, grab a glass of filtered water (Brita type filters are great) and throw in some sea salt. I usually make a pile in my palm about the size of a quarter and throw it in. Sea Salt is the best option for many reasons; first, table salt is the bad stuff that clogs your arteries and often has MSG. Sea Salt has none of those bad qualities, and on top of that, is also a natural option without any chemical concerns. Moreover, sea salts are LOADED with minerals from, well, the sea! Most larger grocery store now carry a large variety of sea salts, all harvested from a natural salt deposit or sea salt farm.
Take a mouthful of the salt water at a time and swish or gargle concentrating on the tingle spot. Try and keep each mouthful in your mouth, gargling for 20-30 seconds. Repeat 2-8 times until you can feel the tingle diminish slightly. The tingle won’t go away entirely right away, but when you wake up in the morning, should be all gone.

5. Eat some Mushrooms! These are immune super boosters, kind of like virus crime fighters. Mushrooms super charge your blood with disease fighting white blood cells, making any virus shake in it’s viral boots! I love mushrooms in soups and stews in the winter, they can often be used as a meat substitute. You can throw them in salads, in casseroles, sauces any just about anything you can imagine. There are also great medicinal mushrooms that you can get dried or tincture form such as Changa, Reishi, Cordyceps and many others. Add those to drinks, shakes or take them alone. Not only are mushrooms great immune boosters, but they also taste great, so grab a paper bag and get picking.

6. Take a Breathe - This means something different for everyone, but take time for yourself. Take a yoga class, grab a head massage or find a quiet moment to meditate in your office. Your immune system can be directly linked to your stress and cortisone levels. This is a similar link as stress and cortisone levels to weight loss and retention.
You may call if hooey, but humour yourself and even if you don’t feel your stuffy nos clear up, you won’t be able to say that you don’t feel better on some level.
Taking a moment to breathe properly, focus attention inward and allow your body and mind to quiet, can be all you need to finally ditch that bug that has been plaguing you.
Get warm and fuzzy and just be, your body will take care of itself if you allow it to, so step back, breath deep and just chill….


So there you have it, some great, natural and cheap ways to help keep yourself virus free as the weather gets colder and the winds get stronger. Stay tuned for my next segment, simple remedies for when your friends and family (who didn’t read this article) get sick. Lots of simple little ways to make yourself and your family more comfortable when the sniffles finally battle past those white blood cells.
Until then, stay healthy, happy and connected!