Flu season is here and several people have asked me in the last few days what they can do to keep from getting the flu. It’s hard, but here are some tried and tested tips.
- Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated keeps everything moving out, including germs. Try to drink half your body weight in ounces of good, fresh water every day.
- Eat warming foods, like soups, stews, and steamed or roasted veggies. Drink warming teas.
- Eat citrus fruits – oranges, grapefruits, etc. Add fresh squeezed lemon juice to your water or tea. Citrus is detoxifying, so it might usher the uggies right out of your body.
- Get your sleep. This is not the time to push the envelope. Try to get your sleep at night, and whenever possible take a nap.
- Cut out sugar. This is really important. Sugar is very inflammatory, and inflammation invites germs. Cut way back on breads, pastas, empty snack foods (read yesterday’s Chips blog!), and processed foods with tons of sugar in them.
- Wash your hands. Try to avoid anti-bacterial soaps – just use plain soap and water.
- Move as much as you can. Exercise, walk, stretch. Movement keeps everything flowing inside our bodies, and helps to usher germs out through our sweat and breath.
- Take Epsom Salts baths. Honestly! These are detoxifying and relaxing and you’ll absorb the good magnesium sulfates, which will help your system. A 15 minute soak is perfect!
- Add an immune supporting supplement like Airborne to your water to give it some pep! You can find Airborne or a store brand most anywhere. Get the effervescent tablets, pop 2 or 3 into a 16-oz. bottle of water and drink it all morning…. then do it again in the afternoon.
- Keep a flu-prevention formula on hand. I really like Oscillococcinum from Boiron. It’s a homeopathic remedy, and you have to take it as soon as you feel like the flu is hitting, but in my personal experience, it really works. Like Airborne, you can buy it just about anywhere. Follow the directions.
Don’t mess around if you do feel sick! This season is a bad one, and if you need to, go see your medical practitioner. But if you follow some of the above, you might be able to get through the season with your health and vitality intact!
