6 Simple tips to boost your immune system and fight the first colds

Colder season is here!

Why 6 simple tips to boost your immune system? During the last weeks I’ve heard about many people getting sick with the first seasonal diseases, and, just to be on the safe side, I had my daughter being ill more than once in the space of a couple of weeks. Hence, I looked for the right natural remedies, to make sure she was recovering well, and had all the help she needed to help her body heal itself. I’ve been over the details many times, and I realised that I actually have a Golden List of Simple tips to boost the immune system and fight the first colds. This is my go-to in the colder season, and I hope you’ll find it helpful to integrate it in your natural wellbeing practice.

6 tips to boost your immune system: the Holistic Approach

I have focused on a holistic approach to consider not only the physical symptoms, but the general conditions as well, evaluating stress factors potentially playing a role. Regarding my daughter: first, she had just gone being the house move. Second, she had just started university, therefore being in contact with many people in closed environment for the first time since May last year. These were surely important stress factors challenging her immune system. Furthermore, she was not eating properly, eating out more often, and neglecting any vitamin intake whatsoever.

It’s always worth to consider all the different aspects to tackle them in a synergic way, and ensure you always consider yourself as a whole!

 

First things first: Maximum dose of Vitamin c

Banal as it seems, vitamin C is out first ally to prevent and fight the first cold related diseases. Its antioxidant action is unbeaten in fighting cold and flu like symptoms.

The recommended dose is between 500 and 1000 mg per day as a supplement. I usually switch to the higher dose with supplement, and make sure to eat plenty of vitamin c fruits and vegetables. Eat plenty of fruits like like kiwis and citrus fruits and berries, and vegetables like tomatoes, broccoli. Above all, remember that the assumption with food is always important! Vitamin C is better tolerated and assimilated by our body (Please make sure you drink plenty of water to eliminate any vitamin c excess!)

 

Second, but as important as the first

Avoid dairy products, as they increase the production of phlegm, and tend to worsen respiratory way affections. Cutting down on cheese and milk and dairy products for a period can make the difference on how well and quick you manage to heal yourself, and can prevent recidives.

In addition, they contain saturated fats, and are more difficult to digest, putting an unnecessary strain on our digestion system.

 

Third: Echinacea drops

One of the most helpful way to stop the cold in its tracks and give a boost to your immune system is taking echinacea purpurea drops! You can take them once a week as a way of prevention once the colder season starts. Whenever you have been in contact with many people, or have been through a particularly stressing day that can affect your immune system. In this case you can take 50 drops in a little water as a one off to help giving a little nudge to your immune system, to keep it well and reactive.

If you get ill anyway, you can take echinacea drops every 2 hours up to 3 times for the first day, and then keep on taking it morning and evening for 3/5 days to help you recover faster.

Echinacea contains immune stimulating substances that help our body fight bacterial and viral infections.

 

Fourth: Ginger tea

This is such an easy recipe, that I’ve learnt to implement it every time I have a cold. In this way I can be sure I heal well and don’t overlook any chesty cough, otherwise you risk getting ill repeatedly in the colder season, and it can become a real pain.

This is how to prepare a day worth of ginger infusion to take during the day. Firstly, just buy some fresh ginger root, take 3 chunky pieces, peel it, dice them and place them in cold water in a pan. Secondly, bring to boil and let it boil gently covered for 5 minutes. Thirdly, let it cool, eliminate the ginger roots, and drink throughout the day very with a generous teaspoon of honey.

The ginger helps to reduce fever and to sooth productive coughs helping our body to expectorate. It has a warming effect, and is indicated for all cold related symptoms.

Additionally, the honey is great for it soothing action, to calm cough, and ease respiratory symptoms in general, like sore throat, and its rich in minerals and vitamins. To preserve the latter, make sure you add the honey when the infusion has cooled down, as the boiling water temperature would destroy most of the vitamins!

 

Five: Take probiotics to help your gut fight the cold for you!

Probiotics are a category of friendly bacteria that already live in our gut. A relevant presence of these bacteria in our gut increases our defensive strategies, creating a protective barrier against “bad” bacteria, that can cause diseases.

Bifidobacteria have an important role in the protection against gastrointestinal illnesses. They create an acid environment in our gut, that is unfavourable to the growth of harmful bacteria. In addition, probiotics help the well function of the immune system, improving the resistance to respiratory infections.

Furthermore, these are incredibly precious to repopulate the gut biome, depleted after the assumption of antibiotics.

One of the most helpful strain of live bacteria is Lactobacillus Acidophilus, perfect to balance our gut creating the acid environment needed to fight infections.

In conclusion, you can take supplements or assume yogurt with live cultures or kefir!

If you want to know more about the benefits of probiotics, read this article from Harvard Medical School.

 

 

Six: Use self-help homeopathic remedies to fight cold and flu-like symptoms.

With the help of a couple of self-help homeopathy manuals, you can learn to address cold related symptoms, and easily heal them and help your body heal itself efficiently.

There are many helpful remedies for these types of symptoms let’s have a look at the more common:

 

• Gelsenium Sempervirens and Allium Cepa for flu like symptoms and running nose.
• Aconitum for a cold that starts with a fierce sore throat
• Drosera and Rumex Crispus to calm different types of coughs: Drosera for dry cough that sounds like a dog bark, Rumex for chesty cough that get worst with temperature change.

All of the above remedies can be taken 1 to 3 times per day, using a 30ch dosage, as we are dealing with acute symptoms. Always monitor your symptoms and consult a doctor if you do not see an improvement in a short period of time!

(bibliography: “Encyclopedia of Homeopathy” , Dr. Andrew Lockie , 2000 Dorling Kindersley Limited;

“Homeopathic self care,the quick and easy guide for the whole family”, By Robert Ullman and Judith Reichenberg-Ullman, 1997 Prima Publishing, Rocklin , California)

 

6 tips to boost your immune system in practice

Let me know if you already knew any of the 6 tips to boost your immune system and help you fight the first cold related illnesses, and which one are you more likely to implement first!

 

If you want to have more ideas on how to stock your Natural first Aid kit, have a look at this article, in the wellbeing section.

 

Credits: Images source Pixabay