You awoke with a tickle in your throat, you are feeling run down, everyone around you has been sick, and you don’t want to get to get it. Here are some practical tips for staving off colds and flus at the first symptom:
1) Stay in bed or go back to bed, if at all possible. Rest is obviously the best way allow your body to fight this off.
2) Begin taking vitamin C. You can take 500-1000mg every few hours up to about 5000mg/day. The sign you took too much will be loose or watery stools.
3) Begin taking Echinacea. It is available as a tea, extract, and capsules. Use the directions on the bottle of what you purchase. Taking Echinacea at the first sign of illness may help reduce your symptoms. A review of 14 clinical trials found that echinacea reduced the odds of developing a cold by 58% and the duration of a cold by 1 to 4 days.
4) Begin zinc lozenges. Zinc has immune-enhancing activities, including regulation of T lymphocytes, CD4, natural killer cells, and interleukin II. Zinc has been also been claimed to possess antiviral activity. It is best to take zinc with something in your stomach to avoid nausea.
5) If you know your vitamin D level and are already taking it, double your dose for a few days. Studies are showing that vitamin D plays an important role in activating your immune defenses against viruses and the flu. It may also produce anti-bacterial immune components. If you do not know your vitamin D status, ask that this be adding to your next set of blood work. An optimum vitamin D level is 60-100. This is higher than the range given on blood test results. Having an optimum vitamin D level is being shown to reduce susceptibility to illnesses.
6) Keep a bottle of elderberry syrup around. Take 1 tsp. every 1-2 hours at first sign of illness. This is often sold as a children’s supplement in health food stores or it is very easy to make your own. Note: you do not need both Viracid and elderberry syrup as elderberry is in Viracid. You can take elderberry daily during the cold and flu season for prevention.
7) Avoid heavy meals and make some bone broth. Bone broths are being used for many different health conditions. They are rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and other trace minerals. There was a study that proved bone broths helped in fighting infection and speeding up recovery from illness. The old saying that chicken soup makes you better is true! Check out this site for more information and videos on how to make bone broths.
The best ways to avoid illness are to eat whole foods, get 7-8 hours of sleep every day, exercise doing something that makes you sweat a few days per week, excellent hand washing, and having a positive attitude about life. Once in awhile, we all get hit with something. Use these tips to stave off the illness or at least shorten the duration. Have a few of these things on hand in case you need them. Best wishes for a healthy winter season!
Do you have other ways that you stop illnesses? Please tell us about them in the comment section below. Be sure to share this post with your family and friends.
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9 Responses
Interesting! I have luckily warded off the flu so far, but have had an awful head cold/sinus thing going on…..I need to try this bone broth idea! Also, do you recommend zinc lozenges over pill form? I was increasing Vitamin C and Zinc, but taking pills. Just curious! Thanks for all your advice to keep us healthy!!! Tricia
Thanks for your comment, Tricia! Zinc capsules or tablets are great for prevention of illness. On a side note, zinc is also important for the lining of the intestines. I like the lozenges when there is that scratchy feeling or the beginning of a sore throat. For nurses and others like you, who are exposed to a lot of illnesses, you might want to drink a cup of bone broth or add it to your cooking every day. Stay healthy!
Thanks so much for this and all the info you share. Perfect timing for me to start learning about preventative health for the cold months! 🙂
Thanks for the awesome tips. It is so great to have all that valuable information in one place. Do you recommend the use of essential oils to support healthy immune function? I know a little eucalyptus oil helps me when stuffy.
Sorry I missed this comment, Samantha. I never recommend essential oils internally. They are usually safe to use externally, but again, we need to keep in mind sustainability. Steamed mint or eucalyptus leaves will have the same effect and uses way less plant material.
I use essential oils as much as possible. I use Young Living oils. They have a line of vitality oils that are safe for internal use and approved by the FDA to use internally. There is a thieves oil that helps support your immune system and can also help support our respiratory , I take this daily with a spoon full of local honey and a bit of cinnamon on top. What is your take on oils like this? I am new to the oil world so new information or opinions is always welcomed.
Hi Michele and thanks for your message. I actually have several concerns about the use of essential oils. I asked a colleague to write a guest blog about them a few years ago. You can find it here. I share her views. Do you have a reference for FDA approval for internal use? I would be interested in reviewing that.
Besides the vit C and echinacea, We drink lots of water and teas and also swab our ears and nose with q-tips we dip in hydrogen peroxide. You can hear the germs fizzle in your ears. Swab the inner nostrils and we inhale slightly to spread through nasal cavity.
I have even gargled with it to stop a sore throat.
Are you concerned at all about killing the good bacteria in your nose and ears?