Nov 16

Nov 16 Cold & Flu Prevention and Recovery

Whether it’s that tingle in your nose or a scratch in your throat when the signs of cold or flu show up it’s time to pull out the big - all natural - guns and bolster your immune system. Prevention is always the best medicine so of course we start with recommending Fire Cider Tonic to bolster you during “the season” and you can even find some at various stores as well! But if you do get caught - here’s our favorite immune boosting cold busting flu quenching fast recovery tools!

Probiotics

Get your gut flora ready to fight! Not all brands are created equally, these are the ones that I trust most: GutPro and Klaire labs which has a great adult version and one specifically for babies and kids. If you have a health food store by you and need something immediately I recommend this while you’re in the thick of sickness.

Remember, always grab your probiotics from the fridge section - they need to be alive!

You can always get probiotics naturally by having fermented foods at home. And anytime you find antibiotics necessary be sure to also boost your probiotic intake to protect your gut - space probiotics out about 4 hours from antibiotics and you’ll be able to keep the beneficial bacteria alive and strong!

Elderberry

I love this syrup. It’s easy to pick up at pretty much any store these days, but you can also make your own! We’ll post our recipe very soon. Elderberry is great for immune support and can shorten the length of your cold or flu. It tastes great and there is also versions that are safe for kids! My kids love the taste so I hide all sorts of other supplements in there when giving it to my oldest who needs a variety of yucky tasting things daily. For the rest of the kids I get away with hidden probiotics and vitamin C powder all thanks to this syrup!

Echinacea

A natural anti-inflammatory, anti-vital, and antioxidant Echinacea is known to shorten your cold/flu window. So, if you succumb to your symptoms reach for this is a common remedy used worldwide. I prefer it in tea or tincture form, and there is even a tincture for children.

Manuka Honey

Tastes great, makes a great honey lemon tea, and provides instant soothing to sore throats and coughs. Manuka honey is a must have in the home and can also be used for skin irritations and infections as well! It’s anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and good for just about anything. I recommend this one as many are not as potent as advertised.

Garlic

Boost your immune system with this anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-microbial food that you probably already have in your kitchen! You can eat this raw by cutting it into small pieces and taking it like a pill or on a spoonful of raw honey or you can buy it in capsule. This brand is the only one recommended by Chris Masterjohn and having used it the last two seasons I can tell you it REALLY works!

Vitamin C powder

Add this to your water for expedited healing! Always take this in powder form because once it is mixed as it is in a capsule, the beneficial properties are lessened. Also stay away from vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid and look for a food based one like this. Fun Fact: To get the proper dosage of Vitamin C when really fighting off the sickies keep increasing the dose until you get diarrhea, then back off just a smidge! Everyone’s tolerance and needs are different so this is a surefire way to figure out what’s right for you!

Oscillococcinum

This homeopathic remedy covers every facet of flu symptoms: body ache, headache, chill, fatigue, and fever are all covered here! The trick with this one is to take it the second you don’t feel well!! Seriously - I carry it in my purse just in case! Pour the pellets under your tongue every 15 minutes for severe symptoms and increase the time between dosages as your symptoms improve.

Meat Stock/Bone Broth

Healing, nourishing, warming, this can be used as your base for chicken soup, or you can sip on it from a coffee mug (because you are NOT having coffee while you are sick - right?! Ok, good!) You can make it from scratch and should always have some in the freezer ready to go but if you’re down for the count and need it NOW I love this brand.

Coconut water

Stay hydrated and full of electrolytes with a high quality coconut water. If you are nauseous then just take a few small sips at a time and resist any urge to chug, chug, chug. You can even add a bit of fresh ginger to your coconut water or tea to help with nausea. If it’s a fever you’re fighting or kids you’re caring for then making coconut water popsicles is a GREAT way to keep hydrated!

Zinc

This is another one for nipping your symptoms in the bud and avoiding getting sick (or making it much shorter). Zinc really needs to be at the right levels in your body at the onset of a cold/flu in order to help with the fight so have it on hand. Again, Chris Masterjohn has done some incredible research and recommends this one - which has worked beautifully for our family.