A Natural Strategy to Avoid the Flu

The flu season is upon us. The weather is cooler. Some areas of the country are severely cold. Most people by now have winterized their cars to prepare them for the harsh conditions. Now it is time to winterize your immune system. Your immune system also sees harsher conditions during this time of year. We spend more time indoors at this time of year. We get less sunlight and fresh air. Our bodies produce little vitamin D, a nutrient that is essential to the immune system. Online doctor Vancouver always anticipate that the flu will come after Christmas.

This time of the year there are holiday dinners and holiday parties with lots of people in confined spaces. We eat too much, especially those wonderful holiday sweets. We find it difficult to do get everything done amidst the holiday chaos. All of these factors have an added negative impact on your immune system, which is why so many people catch colds or flu during this time of year. The strength of your immune system will determine whether or not you will catch a cold or flu this season. Here are some tips on how to winterize your immune system and help you go through the flu season without getting sick.

A healthy, well-balanced diet is the most crucial component of health. Scientific models tell us that the people who maintain moderate eating habits with a healthy balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrate are the ones who will go through the colds and flu season without getting sick. Do not fall into the carbo-phobic trap. A healthy diet must have carbohydrates, the fuel of choice of the brain, but most of the carbohydrates should come from complex sources such as whole grains and legumes.

A healthy diet includes liberal servings of vegetables and a variety of fruits. A healthy diet contains a minimum of fried foods, sweets and products made with white flour. A healthy diet contains NO fast foods. A healthy diet contains NO foods that contain trans fats. Food manufacturers are required to list the amount of trans fats right on the label. Check the ingredients. If it contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oils… it contains trans fats.

Make food choices that promote healthy immune function. Drink tea instead of coffee. Tea has antibacterial and antiviral activity and can help support your immune system. Adding more garlic to your diet will help. Garlic is well known for its antibacterial and antiviral activity. Add yogurt to your diet. The yogurt cultures will help maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract and a strong immune system.

Exercise for A Healthy Immune System

A fundamental component of a healthy lifestyle is exercise. You should exercise within your physical limits. There is no need to “pump iron” to obtain the health benefits of exercise. Even if it is as brief as a 15 minute walk around the neighborhood, your muscles need to be exercised, or they will atrophy. Studies confirm that maintaining a moderate exercise routine, or even beginning to exercise later in life, reduces overall mortality. Exercise will increase blood flow to every organ including your brain, a crucial component of maintaining cognitive function. The best time to exercise is anytime you are comfortable with; however, strenuous exercise may delay sleep if performed within three hours before bedtime.

Good Nights Sleep Essential for Immune System

Exercise will help you get a deeper sleep, and regular sleep is as crucial to the immune system as is proper nutrition. Without enough sleep, your immune system cannot function optimally, which leaves you vulnerable to opportunistic pathogens. There is significant research proving your immune system will launch a stronger response if you are well-rested than if you are sleep deprived. Aside from affecting your immune system, there is growing evidence that insufficient sleep can increase your risk for diabetes, affect hormone levels and accelerate aging.

Set and maintain a regular bedtime. Avoid all stimulants in the evening, including chocolate, caffeinated sodas, coffee and caffeinated teas as they will delay sleep. Avoid watching TV or using laptop computers in bed. Your bed should be for sleeping. Use as little light as possible if you get up to use the bathroom before morning. If you still encounter difficulty getting on a schedule, try a natural sleep-aid like Nutritional Solutions Sed-8. Take 2 tablets one hour before bedtime. People who have used Sed-8 have reported noticeable improvement in their sleep habits after just a few days. Most people were able to stop taking Sed-8 after just a few weeks and still get a healthy restful nights sleep.

Don’t Rely On Diet Alone For Optimal Nutrition

A head of broccoli arrives at your supermarket with less of a nutrient content than it had immediately following picking. Nutrients are also lost during cooking. By the time that broccoli gets to your plate it will have a fraction of the nutrients it should have, and a sub-clinical deficiency in any one of a number of nutrients can have a damaging effect on the immune system. For this reason, it is essential that you supplement your diet with a high-quality multivitamin. Long gone are the days when doctors thought you could get all your nutrient needs in your diet. Doctors now routinely recommend that their patients take a multivitamin and mineral supplement.

If you are going to take a multivitamin, you should be taking the best, and I believe that Daily Essential with Lycopene is the best multivitamin and mineral formula available today. The comprehensive multivitamin formula is recently re-formulated based on the latest nutritional research, and contains a balance of nutrients that will support proper immune system function.

Supplement Your Diet with Nutrient-Dense Foods

Adding nutrient-dense super foods will not only strengthen your immunity, but will also help normalize glucose levels, increase energy levels and help with weight control. Ribalance and LifeGreens are two super foods that are part of my flu season strategy.

Ribalance, stabilized rice bran powder, is a high-fiber source of protein with more than 100 antioxidants, essential B vitamins, essential fats, and Gamma Oryzanol. Rice bran is nature’s richest source of Gamma Oryzanol, a naturally occurring mixture of plant sterols and ferulic acid esters. Studies confirm that Gamma Oryzanol has a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels. Gamma Oryzanol has demonstrated an ability to activate the release of endorphins, natural pain-relieving chemicals produced by the brain.

Lifegreens, also a powder, is a combination of gluten free grasses like Spirulina Alfalfa, Spirulina, Peppermint, and Kelp. Lifegreens contains adaptogenic herbs like Echinacea, white willow bark and olive leaf, which have well documented immune supporting abilities. Lifegreens also contains pro-biotics to help maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract. LifeGreens supplies eight strains of probiotics, (5 billion CFU per serving) and FructoOligoSaccharide (FOS), which will improve gastrointestinal health and boost immune system function.

I have already written about the “green Mimosa”, a concept conceived by my wife Toni. The green mimosa is an excellent way to start you day. Just mix a scoop of Ribalance, a scoop of LifeGreens, a teaspoon of natural lemon cod liver oil (with vitamin D), 4 ounces of organic apple juice, and 4 ounces of water. Shake to blend and you have a great-tasting (I’m not kidding) energy drink. I start every day with a green mimosa.

Natural Therapies to Fight Colds and Flu

During the flu season, I always have an arsenal of natural cold and flu fighters at the ready. Start taking natural cold and flu remedies immediately if you feel the onset of symptoms. Experts agree, if you take preventive measures early, you can stop it or at least minimize a cold or the flu. With colds or flu, like most illnesses, if you wait until it is fully established; it will be more difficult for you to get rid of it.

A cold starts gradually. At worst you will have a slight temperature for 24 hours. Your appetite is normal, and your headaches are minimal. Prominent symptoms are sneezing, a runny nose, and a sore throat. There are about 400 different viruses that cause the common cold. The flu, in contrast, starts quickly. Your temperature increases rapidly and lasts for up to five days. Your headaches can be severe, and your joints and muscle also ache. You lose your appetite and feel nauseous, often vomiting. People with a cold feel tired, while those with the flu feel exhausted.

It is essential to have your natural remedies on hand before the onset of symptoms. Colostrum, a powerful immune system modulator, is part of my normal daily supplements. I normally take six capsules daily. As soon as I feel the slightest onset of symptoms, I will start taking 4 capsules of colostrum every 4-6 hours.

Along with the colostrum, I will take 2-3 tablets of an Ayurvedic herbal complex called Septilin, one of the most well researched and widely used natural therapies for viral/bacterial infections above the neck. Hundreds of studies confirm Septilin is effective for rhinitis and sinusitis.

If I recognize symptoms of the flu, I immediately start taking the homeopathic flu remedy Oscillococcinum (o-sill-o-cox-see-num). Oscillo is safe and effective, and has been used by millions of people world wide. It is, without question, the world’s most natural flu remedy.

In line with current research, I take 8,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D daily. The Vitamin D Council recommends healthy children under the age of two should take 1,000 IU. Children over the age of two should take 2, 000 IU of supplemental vitamin D daily.

If I feel the onset of cold or flu symptoms, I would increase my vitamin D intake to 20,000 IU daily. There is significant evidence that vitamin D promotes a strong immune system. In one 2005 study, vitamin D practically eradicated the flu at a clinical facility. In this study, only 7% of the patients supplementing with vitamin D contracted the flu. The placebo group reported four times the amount of colds and flu.

I will also increase my intake of Aloe Vera and Vitamin C. I am a strong proponent of Aloe. I have been drinking Aloe juice for more than fifteen years. Aloe has strong immune boosting properties. Numerous studies have demonstrated Aloe’s ability to set the immune system into action.

Vitamin C needs no introduction. There is strong evidence of the role vitamin c plays in optimal immune system function. When I feel symptoms I increase my vitamin C intake to 3,000 – 4,000 mg daily. When taking high doses of vitamin C, I use a buffered powder mixed in water. I use the Nutricology brand buffered C powder which is extremely gentle on the stomach.

An excellent way to get the immune boosting benefits of both Aloe vera and vitamin C is the supplement Aloe C Defense. Aloe C Defense is a tablet that when dissolved in water makes a great-tasting effervescent drink. If you put an Aloe C Defense tablet in your water bottle, you can sip it throughout the day. Each dose contains 1000mg of vitamin C and 50mg of betamanin Aloe Vera extract. It is a fast and convenient way to get the benefits of two strong immune system stimulators.

Do not forget chicken soup. It does work. Chicken soup contains the amino acid cysteine, which can thin the mucus in the lungs and reduce respiratory congestion. Only the homemade style work, canned soup is useless, and do not forget to add lots of carrots, celery and onions.

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