Combating Germs This Season

We have heard it before, psychological stress can negatively affect your immune system and make you more susceptible to getting sick. There is some evidence, from The New England Journal of Medicine, stating that psychological stress increases the risk of acute respiratory illness. Yet it is very difficult, especially this time of year, to decrease your stress when you have a million things to do, people to see, gifts to buy... OK lets stop listing them because that isn't helping anyone. Lets just say we are busy and how are we going to stay healthy?

I am not trying to sound like a broken record but, we all need to make a better effort of taking care of ourselves! We need to learn to manage unhealthy habits. Harvard health talks about  5 ways to de-stress and we have mentioned these steps before but maybe its time to try and do a few while we conclude 2017. 

Picture from a page in Lagom

Personally, I am trying to incorporate pieces of the Lagom and Hygge way of living. If you haven't heard about this, they are both terms about living a balanced happy life from the Europeans. There are a few books out there;
The Little Book of Hygge,  Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living and a new one The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World's Happiest People. I am sure there are many more spin offs but the first two I have read and I enjoyed them. They have some steps that are very easily incorporated into your life!  I plan on giving these books to 90% of the people on my Christmas list! Who doesn't want a few more fresh cut flowers, coffee dates with friends and twinkle lights in their lives? I suggest picking one of them up and giving it a try! 



The second step in Harvard Health is about meditation. In August, we posted a blog about mindfulness and the importance of self care
with some free apps suggestions to download and give it a try. I find myself flip flopping back and forth with being really good at making the time and then going weeks without it. Yet it is like any change in habit, it will take time but if you don't start taking the steps you will never get there. So this might be a great time to remember this post and schedule it in. Hit pause your busy day for 15 - 20 min and open the app for a session of guided meditation to recharge yourself. 


Another big contributor to avoid getting sick is our diet. It is hard to put down the delicious baked goods, you might only get this time of year, especially when other people bake them. Yet remember the points we talked about in a past Wellness Wednesday Keeping Healthy During Cold and Flu Season. Remember, sugar can be a big factor in lowering our immune system! Controlling our diets may just give your family antioxidants they need to battle the bacteria. 

Even after all these great references, what if we still feel something nasty coming on. 

A cup of warm bone broth and rosemary

Well, the old wise tale about having a cup of chicken noodle soup might be more valid than something you thought Grandma made up. Another past Wellness Wednesday interviewed Jill Weaver, owner of Stock Exchange Bone Broth . Who talks about the importance of good quality stock, when making your soups, and even having a cup of bone broth to stay healthy. So Grandma might have been onto something here. A study out of The University of Nebraska  took a look at the effects of chicken soup and why it would be beneficial to upper respiratory tract infections (coughs, colds and flu). They found that the soup had an anti-inflammatory effect and could help with the symptoms of an upper respiratory infection!



And if all this wasn't enough, I have two DIY's you can make easily at home to fight back the symptoms and get on to a speedy recovery. 

Elderberry Syrup

1.
Elderberry Syrup is incredibly easy to make and you will have enough with this recipe to keep in your fridge for a grab and go.  Research shows that elderberry syrup is a great preventative method but also helps you get over the cold faster! 

Vapor Rub

2.
Congestion, runny and stuffy noses. Who likes those symptoms? Besides taking a deep breath being a distant memory, it also makes everyone around you take a thousand steps in the opposite direction! Well our friend Jen, from The Eco Well, has shared a blog recipe to make your own Vapor Rub! It smells delicious and you will be breathing back to normal in no time!



Lets hope we refreshed your memory on the importance of de-stressing yourself  and gave you some ideas to combat any nasty bug that might creep in your direction! 

Stay healthy and happy this holiday season!

Disclaimer: The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. This information shouldn’t take the place of seeing a Naturopathic Doctor or your primary care provider for individualized health recommendations.