It is upon us!
Cold and flu season is upon us. These are viruses and when we spend time in close quarters – at school, work, holiday functions – we are more likely to be exposed to them. Remember others can be contagious before symptom are evident, so it’s often impossible to avoid exposure. Don’t become a hermit! Take these precautions:
• Avoid toxins that weaken the immune system such as those found in some commercial soaps, hand sanitizers and pretty much anything with fragrance ingredients. Artificial fragrances disrupt our hormones by mimicking estrogen in our bodies and some cause cancer. I recommend fragrance free, gentle castile soap. The non-toxic format is one I teach passionately.
• Stay hydrated – ½ your weight in ounces daily. So if you weigh 160 pounds you should be drinking 80 ounces of pure water every day. Tip: drink 16 ounces as soon as you wake in the morning. Also you want to avoid plastic containers and additives that are common in municipal water systems.
• Eat clean! Cut sugar and processed foods to notice a big change in your health. Learn to cook – it’s fun!
• Our bodies need quality supplements that are not available at Walmart or Target.
• Boost your immune system by caring for your digestive system.
• Look for natural options. Recently on a trip through the mountains where I was not driving, even worse, I was in the back seat, I became extremely carsick. Usually a nap helps but my schedule didn’t allow a nap this time. I pulled out a simple tool which includes oils of fennel, ginger, peppermint, and a few others that are all digestive and anti-nausea helpers. A couple applications over my tummy and 5 minutes of bare feet on the ground found me feeling great in time for my next activity.
• Speaking of grounding. Grounding, or earthing, is believed to improve our immune system, reduce inflammation, which means less pain, help with stress, improve sleep, and neutralize free radicals. How do you ground? Bare feet on the grass or sand. Actually the more skin the better so just lie down in the grass – remember when you were a kid? It’ll do a body good.
These steps can become part of your daily routine with a little practice, and best of all most of them don’t cost you a dime. After all, it’s free to cut out toxins, right? Huge benefits can come when you make these simple changes and they have no negative side effects such as those reported by the Department of Justice about alternative measures such as 60% of all compensated injuries come from the flu vaccine, including the paralyzing neurologic syndromes Guillain-Barre and transverse myelitis. Make informed choices, friends. YOU are the gatekeeper of your home!
