Natural prevention of cold & flu

I hope you have avoided colds and flu so far this winter!  Here are a few tips to help you stay healthy for the rest of the season.

Do your best to get optimal sleep every night.  

Getting enough (7 - 9 hours) and good quality sleep is the most important thing you can do to stay healthy.  Other habits that keep you healthy will not be as effective if you are sleep-deprived.

A healthy diet is very important.  

Be sure to eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, preferably organic.  Avoid processed foods that are generally highly inflammatory.  Minimize your consumption of sugar and other refined carbohydrates, e.g. white flour, to reduce inflammation and keep your gut healthy.

Get plenty of moderate exercises to trigger your immune system to produce anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

Reduce your stress levels.  

Exercise reduces stress very effectively. Other excellent stress reducers include meditation and yoga.

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.  We offer an excellent alternative;  our Palma de Salus hand sanitizing serum is effective against 99% of common germs.

Minimize inflammation.  

In addition to a healthy diet, antioxidants help reduce inflammation.  Curcumin is very effective, provided it is combined with piperine (black pepper) so it will be absorbed.

Fortify your immune system with food and supplements.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant.  It may not prevent a cold or flu (results of studies are inconsistent), but it can help reduce the severity of your symptoms.  Some vitamin C foods include strawberries, broccoli, oranges, pineapple, and bell peppers.

Vitamin D3 is involved in many aspects of health, including immune function. Research shows that vitamin D has disease-fighting properties and can help strengthen immunity.  Moderate exposure to sunshine is an excellent source of vitamin D.  It can also be found in salmon, sardines, egg yolks, and mushrooms.

Other vitamins that help strengthen the immune system include vitamins A, E, and B6.

Some minerals have an important impact on the immune system, including:

• Zinc - found in legumes, seeds, yogurt, red meat, and seafood;
• Magnesium is found in spinach, pumpkin seeds, avocado, legumes, leafy greens, and dark chocolate.
• Iron is found in shellfish, spinach, broccoli legumes, red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate.
• Selenium is found in Brazil nuts, fish, pork, beef, poultry, eggs, brown rice, mushrooms, spinach, lentils, cashews, and bananas.

References

1. Myers A. How to prevent the cold & flu naturally. https://www.amymyersmd.com/article/prevent-cold-flu-naturally/  July 15, 2022.  Accessed February 7, 2023.
2. Minnor M. 5 vitamins that fight the flu - and the foods that contain them. https://aaptiv.com/magazine/flu-season  Accessed February 9, 2023.
3. Link R. Which vitamins, minerals and supplements boost your immune system? https://draxe.com/nutrition/immune-boosting-vitamins-supplements/  November 4, 2022.  Accessed February 10, 2023.
4. Xun Y, Shi Q, Yang N et al. Associations of hand washing frequency with the incidence of illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.  Ann Transl Med. 2021;9(5):395.
5. 12 healthy foods that are high in iron. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthy-iron-rich-foods Accessed February 13, 2023.
6. 20 foods rich in selenium. https://www.healthline.com/health/selenium-foods Accessed February 13, 2023.