Navigating Flu Season – Ten Tactics for You and Your Family
Intense weather; good, bad and weird, are very hard on people with both weak and strong immune systems. If your immune system is weak, any viruses and bacteria looking for a new apartment will definitely be dropping by. If your immune system is triggered and over-reactive you may find your self living a with a few annoying chronic symptoms but you never catch a cold.
The best thing you can do this time of year is to cleanse, regulate and support your immune system. Below is my Top Ten Flu Prevention Tactics for better immunity. Keep in mind that your immune system has a lot of layers and jobs to do. I recommend that you chat with a health care professional if you aren’t sure what is best for you.
Tactic One: Keep the Front Lines Active
In Traditional Chinese Medicine your immune system has many layers and the first layer, or the front line is called Wei Qi. The Chinese character for Wei describes a person at the front of a charge, holding onto a banner to lead those behind. Obviously the front line of your immune system depends on every aspect of your health, and we each need to do as much as we can about that.
When it comes to Flu season, there are some good -for-almost-everyone ideas, this one takes the cake. This combination of supplements and other healthy habits allow your immune system to produce more Ant-Viral Peptides – which help you maintain a positive immune status – or strong Wei Qi, which means no serious infections. Simply take the following supplements 3 times per day, just before you eat.
Vitamin C 1000 mg
Vitamin D3 1000 IU
Fish or Krill Oil 1000 mg
If you feel a bit under the weather then double the dose for three days. If you have any complex chronic immune problems check with your health expert. Check out this video for more.
Tactic Two: Keep the Gut Bugs at Bay
When it comes to infections, we are all carrying around a couple of pounds of bacteria, especially in the tube of our guts. Those pounds of bacteria are like a jungle or zoo full of critters living in our belly. It is normal and they are mostly good for us, or at least harmless. Occasionally, depending on diet, stress, travel and the health of your immune system things can get out of balance. Imagine a zoo with way too many hyenas. Yikes!
Bring on the Probiotics to bring things back into balance. For most people who are just wanting to tune up their gut and immune health, I recommend one capsule of mild probiotics, three times a day on an empty stomach. For any sudden onset symptoms of the Flu, there is a product called Bio-K that is very helpful.
For anything complicated probiotics can actually make things worse before they get better. In fact, the safest way to take probiotics is as an enema or as a suppository.
Tactic Three: Strengthen Your Pores and Skin
Most cultures that go back a long way have a tradition of challenging the bodies ability to handle extremes of hot and cold. In First Nation’s culture, we have the practice of jumping into water first thing in the morning as well as the tradition of the sweat-lodge. In other cultures they would bathe in the snow and enjoy a Sauna. Today, for most people that means going to a steam room and starting the day off with a cold and then hot shower. This excitation of the muscles of your pores has a profoundly beneficial benefit on your immune system and on how fast you age.
Tactic Four: Shake off the Chills
If you catch a chill outside and still feel chilled after getting into a warm room, then you are at risk for the common cold and anything else that is going around.
Boil 2 cups of water and add:
1/2 cup of the white part of green onions, sliced thin
1 Tablespoon Freshly diced and crushed ginger
Simmer for 15 minutes and a teaspoon of unpasteurized honey.
Tactic Five: Be Exposure Proof
If people around you are coughing, sneezing, sniffling and sweating, then you best start treating yourself for whatever is making your friends and family sick. There are many ways to improve your immune system’s ability to fight off a bug, by killing off bugs in general. Here are a few easy ways to boost your immune system while getting rid of the rabble.
Oil of Oregano
Tea Tree Oil
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Astragalus Extract
Chaga Tea
Olive Leaf Extract
Each of these medicines is safe and appropriate for improving your immune system’s ability to respond to random exposures to the Flu. Check with your health care support to make sure each or any of these is appropriate for you.
Tactic Six: Reset Everything
One of the most effective and unexpected resets for your immune system is a four day fast. Fasting is a big subject, so I will keep this easy and quick. Make a pot of broth and just drink that for four days. When fasting it is a good idea to stay inside and avoid stress, sweating and severe changes in temperature.
Tactic Seven: Increase Your Flow
Everything in your body need to move, or have things brought to it and taken away. The two best ways to improve every aspect of circulation and elimination is to get an abundance of exercise and water. I feel best if am in the gym or training in some way at least three times per week and if I drink two liters of water a day. If you want to learn all of the details about water check out this video.
If you want some inspiration about exercise listen to this podcast.
Tactic Eight: Embrace Traditional Wisdom
We all have two Grandmothers. Hopefully you have spent a lot of time with both of yours. There is nothing that says ‘cure for everything’ like old school chicken soup. The reason chicken soup is soooo good for people, especially those of us who are under the weather, is the bones. Yep, the broth from boiled bones are a super-food.
If you haven’t heard about the benefits of bone broth I highly recommend reading this article.
Tactic Nine: Grooming Matters
Good conversations, big family meals, play, hugs, sex and cuddling. Nothing makes primates, like humans, happier or healthier. That’s all there is to say about that
Tactic Ten: Being Yourself
This might sound sound a bit weird, but taking care of yourself has mostly to do with your SELF. What is a SELF?
Whatever a Self is, it resides deeper within us than most of us has gone before. This is because it takes a lot of time for deep, patient and reflective contemplation.
Do you have time for that?
If not, then you are a candidate for an occasional practice that includes meditation and presence. I’ll be sharing the occasional post about what I call Applied Meditation, which will hopefully give you the inspiration and techniques to see what meditation is all about.
If you are in need of some stress reduction ASAP, check out a practice called “Give Yourself a Hand.”
Enjoy your turkey soup and be sure to make some bone broth.
Michael.