We’ve almost made it through the cold and flu season this year, but it’s not over yet. Now is NOT the time to but yourself at risk for infection or illness.
Don’t wait until you get sick or start feeling bad to boost your immune health. The more proactive you can be over the next two months, the greater chance you’ll have of surviving this winter and staying healthy.
Many of the best cold and flu preventive strategies are simply natural remedies. Here are some “secret weapons” that you can use to get and stay healthy.
Here are a few go to supplements to add to your daily routine to fight cold and flu:
Vitamin D3 5,000 IU daily provides another boost to the immune system. This is the vitamin that can save you when you get the flu. Look for a product that does NOT have Vitamin K because of the high short term dose.
Zinc is another powerful compound to stop viruses and boost the immune system. Look for a product that is chelated to the amino acid Glycine to improve absorption to provide superior results.
Echinacea, Goldenseal, and Propolis Throat Spray are great for upper respiratory stress or sore throat. This is ready to go right out of the box and gives your immune system a nice boost. Use this several times per day when you are traveling or starting to feel sick.
A trick to BEAT THE FLU:
If you think you have the flu (high fever, body aches, respiratory symptoms, cough, congestion, runny nose), then take 25,000 IU of Vitamin D3 at the first signs of fever or flu-like symptoms. Repeat this dose daily for a total of 4 days.
Remember, during any given flu season, the circulating flu virus could be predominantly one or the other. This is one reason the flu vaccine is so ineffective. Vaccine makers try to “guess” which strain will be circulating each year. If they guess wrong (which usually happens), the shot barely works. Finding an arsenal of natural remedies with proven efficacy against the flu can help you stay healthy.
What are these natural remedies?
Elderberry extract: This high antioxidant fruit extract, has anti-infective properties against the flu virus. It actually prevents it from spreading from cell to cell. In studies that looked at its efficacy against influenza strains A & B, Elderberry was found to shorten the duration of the flu from the typical 7 days to 4 days.
That’s 3 days less of flu-like symptoms! In comparison, the medications on the market to treat the flu only shorten its duration by a mere 1 day. Combine it with Vitamin D3, and you’ve got a powerful combo that will get you well faster than any prescription remedy.
And what about colds and sore throats?
Now for the day to day sore throat that may start after exposure to the common cold, use products like oregano oil and clove oil. Oregano has anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial properties. So, it is an all-around great anti-infective. Clove oil also has anti-microbial properties. These oils are basically made by these plants as their natural antibiotics. Clove also offers the added benefit of numbing the throat.
A few more tips:
If you think you are getting sick, here’s a few more suggestions that can help you “nip it in the bud”.
- Focus on rest and sleep, scaling back on exercise
- Mange your stress
- Cut out all sugar, alcohol, and dairy products
- Stay well hydrated, drinking extra water
- Try sipping on bone broth or chicken stock for electrolytes and nutrients
- Drink green tea throughout the day to boost immune function
Staying healthy and avoiding or stopping colds and flu will keep you feeling good and productive over the rest of the winter, as well as reducing the risk for rising blood sugar due to immune stress.
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