Coping With Seasonal Afflictions

It's that time of year. Offices are full of sneezing, coughing workers, trains packed with germ spreading commuters and it sometimes seems impossible to avoid catching something! How can we help ourselves to cope?

First we have to recognise that it is our immune system that is our first line of defence, and depending on how well it is working will determine how well we cope with illness.

When I first started learning about the immune system to help Husband with his autoimmune disease I was surprised when I read a list of things that weaken it. Various sources put them in different orders, but basically the list comprises of (these are the big ones):

If you just want remedies, scroll to the bottom of the page!

Lack of sleep

Sugary and processed foods

Stress that gets out of control

Lack of exercise

Smoking/drinking

Too much time in front of electronic screens

Over reliance on antibitotics/drugs (unnecessary ones including over the counter drugs)

Why was I surprised? Because there is nothing 'difficult' in this list. They are all basic things that can be put right with a little determination. I had thought that the immune system was something complicated that one could only help with some vitamin C, lemons and packs of throat soothers. On the one  hand I was relieved. It was nothing we couldn't work on to make improvements. Of course, the immune system relies on many things being in balance, including hormones and in and of itself it is very complicated. But we can all do something to look after it and and so improve our health.
Dr. Natasha Mc-Bride and many others say that the gut is the seat of the immune system. In other words, if your gut is functioning as it should, then your immune system will be strong and vice-versa. Fortunately all the above are also the best way to look after your gut too, so you will get double benfit by taking notice of the list. So many of us don't take any notice of our immune system until we get a cold, and then instead of looking at our lifestyle, head straight for the sugary packs of cold relievers and add to the problem.

OK let's briefly look at these things and see a little of why they are important.

Sleep is vital. It is the time when the body repairs itself. Our bodies were created to fit in with the natural rhythms of night and day. We need one day in seven as a rest, not because God was in some way wanting to deprive us of an extra working day, but because if He needed to rest after six days of creating the World, then we as the created do too. We need the rhythm. Without it we will suffer burn out. Our bodies cannot cope with the same routine day in and day out without a weekly break. They may in the immediate, but in the longer term we will suffer the consequences of ignoring the rule. Simarlarly, we need day and night. These too get rather confused now with the electric light bulb and our frenetic lifestyles. We are tempted to stay up into the night working (often in front of screens, which you will see from the list isn't a good idea either). Here's a big word - it all upsets our circardian rhythms. This is our inbuilt 24 hour clock by which our body runs. We as a family have learnt to try and get 8 hours sleep plus per night. For us it means going to bed at 9pm. Most will laugh at us and think we are freaky, but we are trying to help Husband get right and if lack of sleep has contributed to his being ill, then we must reverse it. We all have felt much better actually as a consequence. Being tired makes it harder to fight off disease (source) and makes it easier to become stressed (I know from my own experience!). Do all you can to get a good nights sleep.

Sugary foods: well seeing as we can't eat those anyway at the moment, we are seeing and feeling the effect of NOT eating them and it is only positive. If you are not doing a sugar-free diet, or even if you are a cheating diabetic, then maybe realsiing how they atack your immmune system may give you extra impetus to give them up. Try baking with honey instead and reducing amounts of consumed sugar, including in fruit juices, which although only containing natural sugars, are high in sugar never-the-less. Many say that eating sugary foods reduces your immune response for at least a couple of hours (a source). The solution: eat as many whole foods as you can including plenty of vegetables. Fill up on plenty of fat and protein and keep the carbohydrates lower. The Schwarzbein Principle  book (see below)  includes a table for guidance as to how many carbs /meal different people need, inlcluding advice for diabetics. Try and introduce fermented foods into your diet.

Stress affects our health in many ways, and as we have seen is hard to control if you are tired - it has a knock on efffect. Get the rest you need, then try and reduce what is left. We all have to endure a certain amount of stress - we wouldn't do anything if we didn't, but it's when it gets  out of control that it becomes harmful. I have found personally that when my diet improved and I got improved sleep, a lot of my stress and anxiety went naturally. Of course it returns if I do too much and get too tired!

Exercise does a lot of good things for us, so much in fact that I do try and make a half hour walk most days a priority. The daylight helps keep our circardian rhythms in sinc. , the Vitamin D when it's available is a wonderul added bonus, plus the fresh air in the lungs somehow chases the blues away. They say it can help to manage stress (source), boost the immune system as well as strengthening muscles, not least heart muscles. So a good all  rounder! (Source)

Smoking and drinking to excess are not good for anybody, therefore I can only encourage you to find a way to give them up as soon as possible.  Here is more imformation if you would like to read it.

What's wrong with sitting in front of screens, seeing as we all do so much of it these days? Does it really matter? Well it could, according to many people who see it as a potential time-bomb with no research having been done into the effects of EMF's from these devices on the human body added to which the unnatural light exposure causes problems too, confusing our circardian rhythms. It's a bit complicated (for me anyway) but if you are interested there is plenty on the subject, like this  here.

What about drugs. It's so easy to go to the chemist and get something to quickly relieve whatever is bothering us. Does it matter? Here is an interesting article. Think twice before you reach for unnecessary drugs. They can cause a leaky gut if nothing else (source).

Although we haven't been free of germs this year - we've had our fair share between us - none of our ailments has lasted long and we have recovered quickly. We did reach for our stock of frozen elderberries and we did drink lots of chicken broth. whether that helped or not I don't know but worth a try!
 See how to make it here and here. 

I hope you manage to steer clear of the bugs this Winter!

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor. A member of the medical profession  should be consulted about all matters relating to your health. This information is for advice only.

Two  remedies  that work:

Cold Busting Tonic

We have tried this one, without the cayenne and it is fantastic - our colds just melted away! Sons love it too! Do you use raw ingredients though - local honey and raw cider vinegar, with the 'mother'.

Honey and Cinnamon