by Glady Kublik – Neighbors Vitamin Shop
The Christmas Holiday season is not far away and everyone is busy preparing for family gatherings, workplace parties and numerous social functions. With the hustle and bustle starting earlier every year, it seems we are totally worn out by the time Christmas comes and susceptible to every virus we come in contact with. There are many ways to protect and support our immune system to keep us healthy for the holidays and the rest of the winter also.
Some good lifestyle habits go a long way to protect us. Wash your hands regularly, catch a cough or sneeze in your elbow to avoid passing it along and do not touch your hands to your nose, mouth, face. Most germs need an entry way into the body before they can make us sick, so it is important to try to keep them out. And if you are sick, stay home, it is the one gift we really shouldn’t re-gift.
As we discussed in our series on Digestion, probiotics and digestive enzymes work in sync to keep our digestive tract healthy and functioning properly and if your digestion is healthy there is a better chance that you will be also. More studies have been released citing probiotics’ positive effect on our immune system and even our moods.
Tied in with healthy digestion is nutrition. In order to maintain a strong immune system the body needs the proper nutrients. It is a known fact that the busier we are, the more we rely on quick, high energy, low nutrient foods to keep us going. The problem is during these times we deplete our body’s store of immune supporting nutrients and replace them with immune suppressing sugar producing carbohydrates. Studies have found that the equivalent of 1 teaspoon of sugar suppresses the activity of germ fighting white blood cells for about 2 hours. Daily supplementation with a multivitamin, vitamin D3 and vitamin C will support your immune system during those hectic times. These never take the place of high quality nutrient dense foods, but fill in the gaps of nutrition when you are running on coffee and a muffin.
To give you a super healthy edge leading up to the crush of shopping, school functions and the holiday round of hugs and kisses which are so important for our emotional well being, there are a variety of herbal immune boosters. Information is coming to the fore regarding the importance of medicinal mushrooms in maintaining a healthy immune system, fighting illness and free radicals, look for Shiitake, Maitake, Cordyceps, Coriolus or a blended formula. Astragalus, olive leaf, garlic, ginseng and echinacea are herbs with a long history of success in preventing illness.
Some people take a small amount of Oil of Oregano or Sovereign Silver on a daily basis as preventive medicine, I prefer to save them for times when I am feeling under the weather. These two products are similar in that they are both considered to be anti microbial, having the ability to kill bacteria, viruses, parasites and a host of microbial flora and fauna. They are different in their active properties, and most certainly in their taste! I have them both in our medicine cabinet, and if one doesn’t help, the other usually does.
Also available to provide quick symptomatic relief are homeopathic remedies. Homeopathic remedies were widely used before the advent of antibiotics and pharmaceuticals and are still effective treatment for many ailments. For cold and flu season look for relief from coughs, nasal congestion, flu like aches and fever in formulas for adults and children. One branch of Homeopathy is the study of tissue salts or cell salts, first discovered in 1873 by Dr. Wilhelm Schuessler. These are minerals in a salt form which are contained in human cells. Of the 12 common cell salts, Ferr Phos & Calc Phos are the Tissue Salts recommended to support a stronger immunity. Ferr Phos is known as the First Aid Salt that plays a role in the creation of energy in the cells and helps the body better absorb iron from food. Calc Phos is regarded as the cell restorer which helps build the cells and is a general nutrition tonic.
Start early to strengthen your immune system so that it can protect you through the Holiday Season and winter months. Wishing you all a Very Healthy and a Very Merry Christmas!
