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6 Keys to Prevent and Remedy Winter Colds and Flu

You’ve probably seen the signs – flu vaccinations are here! Yes, winter is the time for more colds and flu. Have you ever wondered why the holidays bring more colds and flu than any other time during the year?

Colds and flu are viral infections and it’s no surprise that our bodies would be more susceptible to these infections during times of high stress. In fact, a recent AP poll found that about 75% of people in the US, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Italy, South Korea and the UK experience stress on a daily basis.1 With more intense stress during the holidays, our immunity is more compromised.

Body Ecology’s system of health and healing offers many valuable solutions that are specifically focused on both antiviral and anti-fungal infections. Incorporating the 7 principles into your daily life will go a long way to preventing viral infections like colds and flu.

Survive the cold and flu season in good health by following the antiviral Body Ecology diet and taking vitamin C daily.

Here are some additional tips to keep you healthy in the New Year and all year round:

Six Cold, Flu & Other Illness Prevention Tips

  1. Get a good night’s sleep– your immune system needs to rest in order to repair. For more on how to improve your sleep, read: Want to Sleep Better? First Reduce Your Cortisol and Follow These 6 Key Tips.
  2. Include fermented foods and drinks in your diet. Health begins in your digestive system, and fermented foods can keep that system running smoothly with plenty of immune boosting microflora.
  3. Be joyful! At least once a day laugh, have fun, smile. These little pick-me-ups also boost your immunity.
  4. Avoid sugars and acid-forming foods. Learn more about an antiviral diet and read Why You Should Avoid Seeds and Nuts if You Have a Virus.
  5. Nourish your adrenals and your thyroid to keep your energy up. For more on the adrenals, read thisarticle.
  6. Take vitamin C. Studies show that vitamin C can prevent colds.2 While you could take vitamin C in supplement form, it is much more potent to get your vitamins from food. Cultured vegetables made with cabbage are high in vitamin C. Since fermenting foods increases their nutrients by hundreds of times, eating cultured vegetables is a great defense against colds and flu.

If however, you are already sick, how can you feel better and heal more quickly?

Six Cold & Flu Remedy Tips

  1. Take Ocean Plant Extract and Nourish Your Thyroid. Because they are an excellent source of iodine and other minerals, ocean plants are a great food for nourishing your thyroid. Ocean plants have been shown to reduce cold symptoms and strengthen the immune system.3Ocean Plant Extract is a raw, super-concentrated extract of a ocean plant grown deep in the pure cold waters near Siberia. It is a pure food supplement that contains antimicrobial agents including vitamin C, vitamin A and B vitamins. It is useful if you are exposed to radiation and helps clean the body of metals like mercury. The toxic metals in our bloodstream are very damaging to the delicate thyroid.
  2. Be still. As you rest, you create energy so that your body can heal itself. All of nature is obediently following this Law of Nature…quiet stillness. We humans must somehow restructure or schedules during the winter months and follow the rest of Nature. Sadly we are going farther and farther away from Nature’s Way and being stressed out in the winter is a big mistake. When we rest our body is gathering energy to heal. It is vital that we store energy right now so that our body can regrow and renew itself in the Spring. Spring in most climates (as far as your body is concerned) is around the end of February so you have about 8 weeks left.
  3. Eat lightly. Warm soups and teas are easy to digest, and fermented beverages (Link to: this week’s Product spotlight on BE new fermented beverages.) keep infections under control. Find out Why Soup is More Than Just a Great Meal for the Winter Season.
  4. Be grateful! One of the most valuable ways to deal with stress is to master the “Art” of being grateful for EVERYTHING… YES EVEN THE DIFFICULT TRAININGS LIFE THROWS OUR WAY. It is said that God never gives us any training we cannot handle. Our perception of stress can be changed almost immediately if we ‘refrain‘ our thinking to become grateful for even the most difficult times. For example, you might say to yourself, “These are really difficult times for me, but I am strong enough to handle them. And I am going to feel really great about myself as I turn this problem around.” Many of our BEDROK parents have told us that the difficulties of raising an autistic child has made them stronger. They also eat better and are very grateful to their child for the lessons they are learning from them each day.
  5. Increase your intake of vitamin C. High levels of vitamin C can decrease the severity of your symptoms and help you recover faster.3 This is an important time to include fermented foods, like cultured vegetables, and high levels of dietary vitamin C.

Avoid over the counter medications like anti-histamines, and cough syrup.4 None of these potential remedies actually address the cause of colds and may make you feel worse. Take antibiotics only for an acute bacteria infection (not fungal or viral).

You can conquer the cold and flu season by taking care of yourself with the Body Ecology program and following these guidelines. And if you do end up with a cold or the flu, these natural remedies can get you back in action more quickly!

Sources:

  1. Stressed out? You are not Alone. Associated Press, December 2006. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1756626/posts
  2. ‘Vitamin C Prevents and Treats the Common Cold.’ Townsendletter.com , June 2006. http://www.townsendletter.com/June2006/vitaminc0606.htm
  3. ‘Dulse, Kelp.’ Health Freedom Resources, 2006. http://www.healthfree.com/dr_jon_christopher_dulse.html
  4. ‘Vitamin C Prevents and Treats the Common Cold.’ Townsend Letter.com, June 2006. http://www.townsendletter.com/June2006/vitaminc0606.htm
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