Cold + Flu Remedies to Support the Immune Response

Photo credit: Xan Griffin

Whilst I find myself, today, in the natural beauty industry, my other formal training and big love is preventative care via optimum nutrition. { It also, just so happens, that great looking skin is a side effect of a healthy diet. } And when it comes to the common cold and flu there is SO much that we can do to help boost our natural immune system so that we have the strength to prevent ourselves from getting sick.

First, let’s break it down, little by little, in a simplified, and easy to digest way. Why? Because I’m a big believer in education being one of the most crucial steps we can take so that we can trust our self, trust our body and trust our intuition.

What is our immune system

The essential job of our immune system is to recognise and take action against any material that shouldn’t be in our body. Our immune system is constantly conducting missions to search and destroy foreign ‘things’ that have infected our cells. What’s also remarkable is that the immune system is capable of learning, in that it remembers the experiences it has and passes that learned information to future cells (as they divide and replicate). Whenever our immune system successfully deals with an infection it comes out stronger and more capable of dealing with similar threats in the future. Yes, our bodies are quite extraordinarily amazing like this!

What damages our immune system

Everything we consume or do, either strengthens or weakens our holistic health and wellbeing. First, lets look at some common ‘modern practices’ that weaken the immune system:

• nutritional deficiency, and junk food diets
• chronic stress
• exposure to toxins and pollutants
• excessive consumption of alcohol
• smoking
• infections
• exposure to heavy metals, eg. aluminium and mercury

It would be wise to avoid the above list.

What strengthens our immune system

With the change of seasons it’s always a good idea to give the immune system a little boost to help strengthen the body and mind, promoting optimum health.

Naturally, a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle is the number one take home tip here. The following nutrients are essential for a strong immune system, but please be sensible (if you’re taking these minerals as supplements) to keep in mind that consuming an excess of certain minerals can be toxic. If in doubt ALWAYS consult a natural therapist.

ZINC helps to increase white blood cell formation; and may inhibit bacterial and viral growth and replication. Good sources of zinc include eggs, pumpkin seeds, grass fed organic red meat, pecans and Brazil nuts.

IRON is essential for maintaining a healthy immune system. Sources of iron include grass fed organic red meat, dark green leafy vegetables, black strap molasses, nuts and seeds.

SELENIUM greatly enhances the function of the immune system by allowing it to respond more effectively, enhancing the production and effectiveness of white blood cells, and to protect them from the free radicals that are generated during their fight against infection. Good sources of selenium are fish and shellfish, Brazil nuts, organ meats, whole grains and cereals.

If you are vegetarian or vegan, and the thought of chewing your way through organ meats, fish, shellfish and eggs is the last thing on your mind, then pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts and green leafy veggies (kale, spinach, parsley) are perfect for the job.

GARLIC is a potent immune system stimulant and natural antibiotic.

GINGER helps to fight inflammation and stimulate circulation. 

SUNSHINE is our best source of vitamin D / calcitriol, a hormone that: controls calcium levels in the blood thus maintaining strong bones, muscles and teeth; is involved in making hundreds of enzymes and proteins which are vital for preventing a number of diseases; strengthens the immune system and has anti-cancer properties.

Our favourite immune boosters

We also can’t hide the fact that our diet and lifestyle has changed significantly in recent years. Modern day living can be stressful for some. Modern day diets – i.e. supermarket processed packaged foods – aren’t exactly healthy. Modern day cities aren’t exactly pollutant-free. So, I like to bring out the ‘big guns’ to effectively give my immune system a much needed boost. Following are my favourites that keep me cold-and-flu-free, year after year after year after year.

STAIT for Women : VIEW

CYMBIOTIKA elderberry defence : VIEW

CYMBIOTIKA liposomal vitamin C : VIEW

CYMBIOTIKA coated silver : VIEW

ACTIVATION perfect immune : VIEW

AUSTRALIA’S MANUKA active jellybush honey MGO 550+ : VIEW

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