Staying Healthy During Cold & Flu Season
So cold and flu season is officially here! In fact, this post might be a little too late for those of you who have already caught a cold. But don’t worry! Information in this post is for those of us who are fighting colds AND those of us who are trying to be proactive and avoid them! Keep reading to learn some quick tips and tricks for staying healthy during cold a flu season.
The Basics
Drink water. This should be a no brainer! Your body needs water to function properly and to help flush out any unwanted toxins or internal disturbances. Be sure to keep your water intake high, even though it’s not warm outside anymore! Your body needs water all year round and believe it or not, you sweat every day, which includes the winter too. Just in case you forgot the measurement, you should be drinking half your weight in ounces of water every day (ex. If you weigh 150 lbs., you should be drinking at least 75 ounces of water a day).
Get a flu shot. While I much prefer to take the more natural route and stick to earth-based stuff, flu shots are also vital. While the natural supplements and herbs we can get from the earth have solid history with preventive and intervention health crises, medicine advancement is so amazing that flu shot strains are specifically crafted to combat whatever the strain is each year. So, get a flu shot.
The Natural Stuff
Take vitamins (especially immune boosting vitamins)
Elderberry. Elderberry is no new fad; it’s been around for ages. Recipes for elderberry-based medications date back to Ancient Egypt. However, most historians typically trace its healing abilities back to Hippocrates, the ancient Greek known as the “father of medicine,” who described the plant as his “medicine chest” because of the wide array of health concerns it seemed to cure. Elderberry supplements are made of elderberries, which are excellent general immune system booster. They contain chemical compounds called anthocyanidins, which are are known to have immunostimulant effects. Elderberry extract has been shown to be a safe, efficient and cost-effective treatment for both cold and flu symptoms. In fact, when used within the first 48 hours of onset of symptoms, the extract has actually been found to reduce the duration of the flu with symptoms being relieved on an average of four days earlier (source).
My daily vitamins (from top to bottom): multivitamin, vitamin D and calcium, turmeric, zinc, elderberry
Zinc. I work with young kids which means getting sick, especially in the winter, is usually inevitable. But I’ve been taking zinc since the end of August and I must say that I haven’t gotten sick yet! According to WebMD, Zinc has become a popular treatment for the common cold. Some studies have found that zinc lozenges may reduce the duration of cold, perhaps by as much as 50%, and may reduce the number of upper respiratory infections in children (source).
Turmeric. According to “Medical Herbalism: The Science Principles and Practices of Herbal Medicine,” curcumin displays powerful antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin activates a gene that encodes for the synthesis of antioxidant proteins, which can protect against the deterioration of dementias, such as Alzheimer's disease, and the damage caused by viral infections. Turmeric powder can be taken preventively or during an influenza infection. As a preventive health supplement, turmeric is often taken in capsules with dosages ranging from 250 to 500 mg daily (source).
DIY
If you’re currently battling a cold, water, rest, and a solid humidifier should be your best friends. You can also add this DIY cough syrup to your list of necessities. I learned this from one of my faves Hey Fran Hey a couple years ago. Instead of buying the sugar-filled, OTC cough medicine, make your own healthier version! All you need is honey (preferably raw), cayenne pepper, and lemon juice (preferably fresh). You can do this on the stove or in the microwave, and I don’t really measure for this. Mix the ingredients and heat it until it turns to liquid. Then drink it!
The honey will coat your throat, which stops the coughing (it will feel a little weird at first, so resist the urge to cough it up!). Raw honey contains the most nutrients making it more effective at boosting the immune system and fighting off viruses. Lemon contains flavonoids and has high antioxidant properties. Lemon juice can also help to break fevers by increasing perspiration. A key ingredient in the cayenne pepper is capsaicin. As the active component of cayenne pepper, capsaicin stimulates the cooling portion of the brain known as the hypothalamus, and cayenne pepper also stimulates the mucous membranes of the nose and sinuses. So congestion may decrease because mucous thins and liquefies when you consume cayenne pepper (source). It definitely feels different than OTC cold medicine, but it is effective and what’s even better is that it’s easy to make and you know the ingredients.
Menthol crystals. Instead of the store bought salve, consider using menthol crystals, which are formed by rapidly cooling the essential oil of peppermint. In other words, it’s as pure as you can get. Drop one of those bad boys in some warm water or a diffuser, watch it dissolve, and watch it work its magic. These little crystals have so many cold/flu season benefits! They can be used to reduce fevers when placed on the forehead or the bottom of your feet. It reduces inflammation from a sore throat when applied around your neck. You can use it to make your own vapor rub alternative that’s more effective and made from safer ingredients, and When your sinuses are congested, a small amount in a little hot water will send vapors up into your sinus, clearing them and helping you to breath. I found some at a local herb shop in Maryland, but they can also be found on Amazon.
DIY Salve. Bye bye, Vicks Vapor Rub with all those ingredients you can't pronounce. Instead, mix coconut oil, eucalyptus oil, and peppermint oil. You can use this the same way you use a vapor rub! On your chest, under your nose, or on the bottom of your feet and the best part is that it's simple. Prep time is 5 minutes max, but this has the same benefits as a store bought sale minus the extra ingredients that probably aren't natural.
That’s it for this post! What are some of your tried and true tricks for staying healthy during cold and flu season? Let me know in the comments below, and thanks for journeying with me.
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