No Sick Days This Winter!
by Jo delAmor
The month of December presents many assaults on the immune system. Cold weather, busy days and nights filled with extra holiday events, the stress and pressure to meet personal and family expectations, and the extra sweets and alcohol consumed at holiday gatherings all work together to suppress your immune system. With a compromised immune system it’s easy to catch the many colds and flus going around at work, school and holiday gatherings.
Even with all these factors at play, it is entirely possible to make it through the holidays (even the whole winter) without catching a bug. The key to this coveted experience is learning to manage your immune system. Your immune system is designed to protect your body from the onslaught of invasive bugs it comes in contact with each day. It is a complicated and highly effective system when adequately supported. Without getting into the scientific details here, there are a few key factors to this support that I can share with you to help you navigate through this season of joy and contagions.
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Eat well
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As always, fresh whole foods are the way to go. With all the holiday gatherings, make sure to keep up your vegetable intake and eat lots of leafy greens.
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Sleep well
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Getting adequate restful sleep is essential to healthy immune function. Make sleep a priority, especially if you’re feeling a little crumby.
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Drink lots of water
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Plenty of unsweetened fluids (water, herbal tea, lemon water) will help your body process and expel any unwanted germy visitors.
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Limit alcohol and sugar consumption
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Alcohol and sugar are the two biggest culprits in immune suppression. As you go to your holiday gatherings be mindful of limiting your indulgences in these two areas…especially if you feel a bug coming on.
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Use supportive nutrients and herbs when you feel compromised
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At the first sign of lowered immune response (i.e. sniffles, tickle in the throat, fatigue, aches, etc.) begin to administer the appropriate nutrients and herbs. All nutrients are best taken as they exist in whole foods rather than supplement form. Herbs are best taken in the form of herbal tinctures or teas. The herbs recommended below are all commonly found at local health food stores. Consult with an herbalist or herbal reference book to learn more about the use of the recommended herbs. Regular use of these herbs should not extend past 10-14 days.
Important Nutrients:
Vitamin C: found in rosehips, parsley, broccoli, bell pepper, strawberries, oranges, lemon juice, papaya, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, and Brussels sprouts
Zinc: found in Calf's liver, crimini mushrooms, spinach, sea vegetables, basil, thyme, spinach, pumpkin seeds, yeast, beef, and lamb, summer squash, asparagus, venison, chard, collard greens, miso, shrimp, maple syrup, broccoli, peas, yogurt, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and mustard greens.
Useful Herbs:
Echinacea (general immune support)
Goldenseal (anti bacterial)
Astragalus (caution: do not use for children with fevers)
Olive Leaf (anti viral)
Raw Garlic (anti viral, bacterial, fungal)
Grapefruit Seed Extract (anti viral, bacterial, fungal)
Usnea (anti viral, bacterial, fungal)
Imagine taking your sick days to do something fun and relaxing instead of sniffling and coughing…you can just call them well days!
Holiday Meditation:
Nature moves in cycles. The natural world revolves yearly in the cycle of seasons. As we move deeper into December we are approaching the longest night of the whole year. Although it is dark and cold, this is the day that the dwindling sun begins to grow again. From this day forth the days will grow longer and longer until mid June. All religions and spiritual traditions around the world celebrate this phenomenon of light returning from within the darkness by lighting candles, signing songs, looking to the stars and making merry.
Sometime within the hustle and bustle of this Holiday season, take a moment to sit quietly and contemplate the darkness. Allow yourself to be at peace in the dark…calm and alert, breathing naturally, rhythmically. Consider the nurturing darkness of the earth that holds the seed as it sprouts, and of the womb that holds the growing baby. Consider the vast darkness of space that holds the precious twinkling stars and know that as the natural world moves in cycles this darkness will give birth to new light. Even as we are in this darkest time of year you may ask yourself…What is the light and growth that you wish to nurture this winter season? In what ways can you celebrate and exemplify the return of the light this holiday season?
“The black moment is the moment when the real message of transformation is going to come. At the darkest moment comes the light.” ~Joseph Campbell