Coming Down With Something?
Sometimes we get run down because of stress, poor diet, or just plain bad luck. But you don’t have to lie down and take it; you can do something about it!
Remedies for sudden onset of the cold, flu, and minor illnesses don’t have to be time consuming or expensive.
Here’s a quick list of home remedies and products that can help you to beat the odds and really get well soon!
Boost your immune system
A number of common foods have immune system-boosting effects that you can take advantage of! Ginger, lemon, and lime are three great foods to break up congestion, lower fever, and bolster your defenses.
One good tip is a ginger/lemon concoction you can find here! It’s a super cheap, super easy tea to throw together in a pinch, and honestly a terrific addition to your daily routine, sick or not!
Super-juices that you can buy at the store include: pomegranate, tart cherry, noni, mangosteen, and acai. Sometimes these are refrigerated in a “natural health” or vitamin section, and other times you can find them with all the other juices. Look for 100% pure juice – it’s more powerful!
If you don’t have a fever, I can totally stand by the use of RAW Manuka honey and RAW Neem honey.
You can eat these alone by the spoonful, or try a nifty immune-boosting, microbe-destroying, joint-aiding remedy: combine 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder (the spice) with 1 tablespoon of raw manuka or neem honey. Take as much as you want, with or without food. Make sure the honey is raw! If you use Manuka honey, make sure that you are buying a medicinal quality honey, with an activity level of above 10+, like this one. (And by the way, this combination is awesome for regular joint problems!)
Relieve stress
During times of stress, your immune system functions poorly. Sometimes people don’t realize how stressed they actually are! Chamomile or lavender herbal teas (without caffeine) are terrific for relieving stress. Follow the directions on the package, and if you need a sweetener (if it isn’t already sweetened), wait for it to cool down (until you can hold your finger in there) and add raw honey.
(While on the subject of tea, there are many others that are great immune-boosting blends as well! They’ll often contain ingredients such as green tea, ginger, hibiscus, lemongrass, and rosehips, for example. I recommend having them available in your “medicine cabinet” for times such as these.)
Always get plenty of rest, and try to set some duties off to the side. An extra hour of sleep wouldn’t hurt either!
Try Vitamins and Herbs
There are herbal remedies and high-quality vitamins that can help you to fight off cold and flu and boost your immune system.
If you or someone in your family is the type to get sick several times a year, investing in immune boosting herbal extracts is a smart idea.
Immune Care Extract helps to speed recovery from illness, deactivate viruses, kill bacteria, enhance immune response, and – for those of you who need to work while under the weather – boost energy levels.
And remember how I mentioned tart cherry juice? Acerola Berry Powder is even stronger, and can be taken mixed into water or fruit juice. Acerola’s one of the highest food sources of vitamin C, and contains plant chemicals that stop a cold or flu in its tracks!
While many home remedies and pills work to stifle illness, common zinc and vitamin C can be effective at higher doses. You can find zinc gluconate (Solgar brand is my choice) and vitamin C pills (plant-derived acerola and camu-camu are much stronger) online here or at your local health food store.
Last but not least, when I worked for a chain health food store’s vitamin department, I witnessed a lot of people having success with Source Naturals Wellness Formula. These are capsules that combine a lot of different proven-effective herbs, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. I’m not as fond of this formula as the Immune Care Extract, but some people swear by it.
So there’s a start! The above methods of treating viral and bacterial sickness can be used to prevent problems from happening, but also as remedies when you’re under fire!
Apply some of these tips and I’m sure you’ll feel better in no time!
References:
-Lemon-Ginger Tea Recipe (“Queen Veggie” Kim)
-The Little Herb Encyclopedia (Jack Ritchason, N.D.)
-Nutrition, Immune Response, and Outcome (Chandra S. and Chandra R.K.; Prog Food Nutr Sci; ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
