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Category Archive Virus

Natural Tips to Recover from Cold and Flu

Getting a common cold doesn’t have to be so… common. There are things you can do naturally to make getting ill less likely.

But, if you do happen to get ill, there are things you can also do to help support your body to fight it off.

Good hand hygiene and overall healthy habits can reduce your risk of getting ill in the first place. And good nutrition can help your immune system fight off a cold more quickly. Imagine your germ-fighting immune cells all hungry and tired, versus them being nourished and full of energy.

And that’s what this post is all about.

Many people with chronic fatigue have underlying viruses such as Epsteinn Barr virus and cytomegalovirus. So the tips below can help you to boost your immune system.

First I’ll give you some tips to reduce your risk of getting ill in the first place. Then, I’ll let you in on some of my strategies to recover from that cold you may still get from time to time.

Natural tips to reduce your risk of getting a cold

Here are some great ideas to incorporate into your daily life to reduce your risk of getting a cold.

1 – Wash your hands. A lot. Your hands can trap and transport all kinds of microbes that cause illness. And I’m not just talking about colds here, but lots of different germs.

NOTE: Antibacterial soap is not recommended! Not only is it no more effective than regular soap and water, but it can contribute to antibiotic resistance.

2 – Get enough nutrients. I know this is way oversimplified, but I would be remiss to exclude it. Every cell in your body, including your immune cells, need enough of all the essential nutrients. The more nutrition you have, the better and stronger you will be, especially with vitamins A, C, and E. Vitamin A-rich foods include carrots, sweet potato, and organ meats. Vitamin C-rich foods include bell peppers, broccoli and citrus fruits. Vitamin E-rich foods include nuts, seeds, and leafy greens. Get vitamin D to boost you immune system from 20 minutes bare skin exposure on face and arms everyday. Vitamin D-rich foods include eggs and mushrooms.

3 – Probiotic foods. Helping our health-promoting gut microbes with more of their probiotic friends is in order here to help keep the immune system strong. Try 1-2 servings/day of fermented foods and drinks like sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, kefir, or kombucha.

4 – Prebiotic foods. Feeding those friendly gut microbes their favourite foods can help them to grow and flourish. They love fibrous foods like onions, asparagus, berries, bananas, sweet potatoes, whole grains, and seeds. Aim for 2-3 servings/day.

5 – Get enough sleep. Did you know that our immune system cycles with our circadian system? When we sleep our immune cells produce antibodies to fight infections. Try to get at least 7 hours every single night, even when you’re feeling great.

Natural Tips to Recover from Cold and Flu

When you do get an infection, not only do you need more nutrients to fight it off, but your body also has a harder time absorbing and using the nutrients you take in. Sometimes this is because of reduced hunger, sometimes due to gastrointestinal reasons. Either way, nourishing your body is even more important. When you do get ill, make sure you are implementing tips 1-5 plus the tips below that are crucial for getting over a common cold.

6 – Drink lots of fluids. Being ill can be dehydrating. Fluids like water, chicken soup, and green tea are warm, hydrating comfort drinks. Chicken soup is a source of electrolytes, especially if homemade from a real chicken with lots of vegetables. Green tea has been shown to boost some of our immune cells, and this can help to better fight off the invading germ.

7 – Rest and recover. When your body is fighting an infection, it’s busy working hard for your health. Give it a break and relax while you’re feeling under the weather.

Conclusion

There are lots of things we can do to stay healthy and reduce infections naturally. Washing your hands is a proven way to reduce your risk. And staying healthy in all other ways helps a lot. Getting enough nutrition, eating probiotic and prebiotic foods, and getting enough sleep are key year round.

If you do get ill, keep up all of your good habits above, and make sure to add some warm, healthy fluids, and extra rest.

What do you do when you get a cold? Leave a comment below to let me know.

Recipe (Throat soothing): Honey Lemon Ginger Cough Drops

Ingredients

½ cup honey
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp freshly grated ginger root

Instructions

Put ingredients into a small saucepan.

Stir frequently until it becomes foamy. Be careful because the honey can burn easily.

Remove from heat and continue to stir until the foam reduces.

Put the saucepan back on the heat.

Repeat this until a candy thermometer reads 300F.

Drop a bit into a glass of ice water. If the mixture forms a hard, crunchy ball, it’s ready! If not, keep stirring and heating for another minute or two and try with the ice water again.

Once a hard ball forms from a drop into the ice water, let the saucepan cool until the foam has reduced.

Drizzle the candy into a candy mold or onto oiled parchment paper.

Let cool at room temperature until the cough drops are hard.

Pop out of the mold or break into pieces, and store in an airtight container.

Tip: You can sprinkle them with vitamin C powder to keep them from sticking together.

References:

https://www.precisionnutrition.com/what-to-eat-when-sick

https://www.thepaleomom.com/natural-approaches-to-cold-flu-season/

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/preventing-the-common-cold-with-probiotics/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dExiRwh-DQ

http://www.who.int/gpsc/clean_hands_protection/en/

Copyright: capacitorphoto / 123RF Stock Photo

Tips for Recovering from ME/CFS

Around 250,000 people in Britain are recognised as having M.E or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Many more are undiagnosed. I suffered with severe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for 3 years. It was after visiting a Nutritionist and following her plan for a few months that I began to get my energy back. After a year I was fully recovered and back working again. Below you can read my tips for recovering from ME/CFS.

Common Symptoms

  • Chronic, debilitating fatigue
  • Muscle pains
  • Headaches
  • Poor concentration
  • Low blood pressure
  • Insomnia
  • Sensitivity to light and noise
  • Constipation

Causes of Chronic Fatigue

  • Stress
  • Viral infections e.g. Glandular Fever or Cytomegalovirus.
  • Unprocessed emotional trauma
  • Exposure to a lot of electrical equipment (EMR)
  • Have running water under your home (Geopathic stress)
  • Polio vaccination
  • Low blood sugar level
  • Heavy metal toxicity
  • Liver congestion
  • Food intolerances
  • Candida overgrowth
  • Parasites
  • Adrenal fatigue
  • Deficiencies of minerals e.g. magnesium

Tips for Recovering from ME/CFS

Foods to Avoid

  • Avoid any foods and drinks containing caffeine, sugar and alcohol, all of which lower the immune function, weaken the adrenal system and cause imbalance with blood sugar levels.
  • Most mass produced, tinned foods and takeaways are lacking in magnesium. Most M.E patients have low levels if this vital mineral.
  • Avoid energy drinks such as Red Bull which contain caffeine which will only serve to weaken you in the long term.
  • If you find yourself constantly craving foods such as wheat, sugar and snacks, are bloated, have an urgency to urinate, suffer mood swings and are always tired, you may well have Candida overgrowth. Follow the anti-candida diet.
  • Almost everyone with chronic fatigue will have multiple food intolerances, the most common being to wheat and cow’s milk.

Foods to Eat

  • Essential fats are vital for people with M.E since they support the endocrine system, boost immunity and help to balance blood sugar. Therefore eat more pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts and oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring.
  • It is vital that you eat good-quality protein such as organic meat, chicken, fresh fish, beans or lentils at least twice a day. Protein boosts the immune system and helps to balance blood sugar for longer periods.
  • Eat plenty of wholegrain cereals, leafy green vegetables such as cabbage, kale, spring greens, pak choy, broccoli, and brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, curries, black strap molasses and beans which are all rich in magnesium.
  • Replace wheat with amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, millet, brown rice, oats and wheat free bread.
  • Drink at least 2 litres of filtered water daily to help detoxify your system.

Lifestyle Tips

  • Do some gentle exercise such a pilates stretches to gradually tone the muscles and help to drain the lymph system which is often overloaded.
  • Learn to relax. Meditation is a great way to give the body and brain a complete rest. Try listening to relaxing music such as sounds of nature.
  • Have a massage to drain the lymph system and soothe aching muscles.
  • Look into ozone therapy to oxygenate the body.
  • Many people have been cured of M.E by energy healers.
  • If you symptoms persist, try having your house dowsed for electrical and geopathic stress. To find a dowser contact The British Dowsing Society.
  • Visit a counsellor as many people discover that their ME/CFS was triggered by an emotional trauma and speaking about it helps you to process it.

Recommended Testing

  • I would recommend hair mineral analysis testing for ME/CFS. This test can show you if you have adrenal fatigue, thyroid problems, blood sugar imbalances and the levels of toxic metals in your body. It can also show you the levels of minerals such as magnesium, calcium and zinc in your cells.
  • Also I would recommend doing a food intolerance blood test to check for sensitivities to wheat, cow’s milk and other foods. Alternatively you can find a practitioner who uses a bio-feedback machine to test for food intolerances as well as for the presence of viruses and Candida.

Furthermore if you would like to learn more nutrition tips for recovering from ME/CFS, contact Kate and book your free 15 minute fatigue breakthrough call!

Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash

Best Foods to Fight a Cold

As Winter draws near, you may find yourself and others around you sneezing and coughing. We tend to stay indoors more as the weather gets worse and have the heating on leading to the spread of germs. Also as the days gets shorter and we are outside in the sunshine for less and less time. This depletes our vitamin D levels which are stored for 3 months before being completely used up. If you find yourself in the grips of fighting a cold virus, nutrition can help to shorten the time it takes for your body to clear it. Here are my best foods to fight a cold.

The Best Foods to Fight a Cold

  • Apples – rich sources of vitamin C and water. They also contain the antioxidant quercetin to help protect your cells from oxidative damage during the fight off period.
  • Fish and seafood – rich in zinc with helps to boost the immune system. Also a good source of protein to provide your body with the building blocks for making white blood cells to fight off the virus. Additionally it is a source of vitamin D which modulates the immune system.
  • Pau D’Arco tea – this amazing herb has natural anti-viral properties to help kill off the virus.
  • Water – make sure you drink plenty of water during a cold. You can flush out the toxins and debris from dead virus cells with water.
  • Garlic – a potent anti-viral herb that is best taken raw for full effects. Take 1 raw garlic clove daily during your cold.
  • Onion – also a potent anti-viral herb. You can use it chopped in curries or soup.
  • Lemon and ginger tea – rich in vitamin C and antioxidants to help soothe your cold symptoms. Ginger is anti-inflammatory which can help to clear a blocked nose. It is also a plant source of zinc to boost the immune system. To make lemon and ginger tea, steep a piece of fresh ginger in hot water for 15 minutes. Then add the juice of half a lemon and enjoy a soothing cup of herbal tea.

Copyright: capacitorphoto / 123RF Stock Photo

Finally if you suffer from recurrent colds and would like to book an appointment for personalised nutrition advice, contact Kate on 07652 868342. Alternatively you can send me a message using the contact form below: