I was all ready to write a deeply introspective post this week, but thanks to a few friends asking me for cold and flu season tips, the philosophical waxing and waning will have to happen another time. All for the good of the village though, right?
I have written a handful of posts on this blog with different things that I use to keep my kids and I healthy and our immune systems boosted throughout the year. Take a quick trip over to my “Wellness” category and you’ll find lots of good stuff there….all of which will be more in depth than this post. Today I’ll just give a few quick bites of what I’ve learned helps tremendously with staying healthy no matter what season it is. Basically, this post is one stop shopping for immunity tips.
Like I’ve said before, it took me several years of researching, trial and error, and consulting with several highly educated and trusted integrative doctors for me to find my perfect health boosting arsenal. Ever since using the things I’m about to list here, my kids and I have been able to avoid a lot of bugs that have the people around us dropping like flies….and even when we do fall victim to the nasties, we’re able to shorten the duration and severity.
None of this is magic, it just simply makes sense that when your body is supported and fed the right nutrition, your immune system is better able to do its job. So, yes, eating healthy is a HUGE part of this….and that includes cutting out sugar as much as possible, and adding in lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. Aside from eating healthy, there are a few things I add to our daily diet as a preventative, and they include extra Vitamin D, Vitamin C, raw honey with cinnamon, turmeric, and probiotics. If we start to feel under the weather, I add in elderberry syrup, oil of oregano, and a couple of essential oils. The result? Much more health, and a lot less investing in tissues and missed school days.
Vitamin D can modulate your body’s immune responses. A deficiency in Vitamin D has been shown to be associated with increased autoimmunity as well as an increased susceptibility to infection. Because of the high usage of sunscreen, and lack of natural sunlight during winter months, we don’t get the proper amount of this essential vitamin to really help our body’s ward off illness. Ask your health care professional what dosage would work best for you and/or your children during cold and flu season. We have our dosages figured out via our naturopath, and when we feel like the onset of a cold, then we double up on it.
Vitamin C is accumulated within several cells of our immune system, and these cells need the vitamin to perform their task optimally, especially t-cells and phagocytes. Not having enough of this vitamin can result in a reduced resistance against certain pathogens. The opposite is true too, and a higher amount enhances your immune function. As with Vitamin D, ask your healthcare professional what dosage works best for you.
Raw honey and cinnamon is something I also give my kids every morning with their breakfast. One teaspoon is all it takes to help bolster their immune systems. Raw honey is full of antioxidants and also has antibacterial and anti fungal properties. Cinnamon has also been shown to protect the body from bacteria and viruses, so the combination is a tasty, but effective immune booster.
Turmeric has been thoroughly studied and shown to have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect on the body, which helps your body better able to ward off infection. You can add it to your food as an herb, or use it in capsule form, which is what I do. I do add it to my foods, but want to make sure that my kids and I have an optimal amount in our daily diet…and turmeric doesn’t always mesh well with everything I cook!
Probiotics play an essential role in our immune function, because having healthy gut bacteria equals having a healthier body, and there is a ton of communication going on between our guts and our immune system. Makes sense to make sure both are strong and fully functioning. My kids and I take a probiotic capsule at night, but we also eat foods with naturally occurring probiotics like pickles, sauerkraut, and kefir. Happy gut, happy body. Really!
Using these things daily, really has helped us cut down on the amount of illness in my household. So much so, that when my daughter graduated from elementary school, she received a Perfect Attendance Award, and my son only missed a handful of days from 2nd grade through now (he’s currently in 8th). When we do start to feel the onset of something, I double up on the vitamins, and immediately add in the rest of my immune boosters.
Elderberry syrup is something I make sure never to run out of. There is a ton of research online on how effective of an antiviral it is, and it also works extremely well for respiratory support. I give my kids a dose in the morning, and a dose at night with a few drops of oil of oregano for added benefit. Oil of oregano is an antiviral, anti fungal, and antibacterial….and while it tastes terrible (unlike the elderberries, which I think taste like jam!) it works like a charm. A serving of these two is like giving your immune system a coat of armor. No joke.
One more thing I use is Thieves Essential Oil by Young Living, and Oregano Essential Oil. I add a few drops to my diffusers and let them run in my kids’ rooms overnight. As a matter of fact, if one kid starts to get sick, because sometimes they actually still do, I will make sure both kids get the diffuser, and what normally happens is that my non-sick kid stays healthy, and the sick one gets a speedier recovery. Win-win. I know there are people who roll their eyes at essential oils, but the proof is in the pudding, my friends. Worth a try and some research. The blend used in Thieves has actually been studied scientifically, and proven to eradicate airborne pathogens. For more info on this…you’ll have to look up my post on Thieves under “Wellness” right here on Adulthood Rewired! I also give other tips on how to use Thieves for even more immune support. If you want some of this awesome stuff, you can find it here: THIEVES
So, that’s pretty much it! If you’re lucky enough to have someone make you homemade chicken soup (or if you can make your own) then even better! I just wanted to wrap all of this up in one post, so that anytime anyone wants to know what I do to keep my brood healthy, I can just link them to this….and feel free to use and share this info too!
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