Passionately Holistic

Right now it is “Flu Season”.  I’m going to show you some ways that can help you fight the flu naturally using common sense along with some tips on how to boost  your immune system and help you body fight off any illness it comes in contact with.  These are just tips and ideas I personally use on my family.  I am not a doctor nor am I against conventional medicine however we chose to use the power of our immune systems, in our household, and rarely do we go to the doctor or purchase “over the counter” medicine.  That stuff is filled with a lot of extra ingredients we choose not to put in our family’s body.  Here is a list of what works for us!

• Take your shoes off at the door – do not wear shoes in your home
• Wash hands thoroughly and often
• Limit sugar intake
• Drink A LOT of water – add freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Add bone broth or stock to meals
•  Take a quality probiotic daily – before meals
• Take a quality multivitamin – whole food sourced is best
• High dose Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Colloidal Silver
• Cod Liver Oil
• Oscillococcinum (Boiron)
• Elderberry Syrup
• Local Raw Honey
• Essential Oils
• Juice when feeling down or at least a few times a week
• Detox quarterly
• Get plenty of rest – especially when sick or worn down
• Detox Baths
• Lemon – Ginger Tea
• Apple Cider Vinegar Shots

Take your Shoes Off at the Door

This tip is one of the easiest changes you can make for a healthier family but can also be one of the most annoying.  I get it, some people don’t want to remove their shoes, mess up their outfit style, or possibly show off ugly socks (or bad pedicure for that matter) but let’s think about this for a minute.  I have kids and no matter where we go one of them needs to use a public restroom.  It seems par for the course that the more public place we are, you can bet one of them will need to use the restroom.  Asking them to not touch anything is another subject all together but I now think of the bottoms of their shoes.  If there is a drop of some unknown substance anywhere in that bathroom, you can bet they will find it and walk through it.  Now, we get home and those same little feet wearing those shoes are now running through your house.  This is common sense to me but NO THANK YOU.  We all know to immediately take off our shoes and sometimes clothes depending on the circumstance and where we just were.  Not too long ago my kids could be caught rolling on floors as well but again that is another subject for another time.  Anyway so bacteria that is on the bottoms of shoes can and do track through your house which we all walk on, sit on, play on, etc. etc.  I highly recommend asking EVERYONE to remove their shoes to prevent sickness.  Again it might be annoying but ESPECIALLY those friends and family who flew in from out of town and walked through an airport which probably contains bacteria and illnesses which we are unfamiliar with.  It annoyed our friends and family at first but now they know the drill.  Just ask them to wear cute socks, get a pedicure, or you can provide the disposable footies if it is really a problem.

  Wash Hands Thoroughly and OFTEN

To me this is another common sense practice but I also feel it is an easy one to forget.  In our house the first thing we ALL do is wash our hands, myself and my husband included.  Our kids are 8 and 5 and the VERY FIRST thing they do when we get home is wash their hands.  If they can do it, so can you.  It took a while and A LOT of asking EVERY SINGLE TIME we got home but now it is second nature to them and they know exactly what to do.  They also know what the rules are when we go out in public or school.  I’ll say, “what are the rules today guys?”.  Their responses are, “don’t pick your nose (and eat your boogers – gross, I know), don’t touch your face or your eyes, DO NOT bite your fingernails, and WASH OUR HANDS OFTEN”.  This might not always happen but at least they know and always repeat it back to me!

Limit Sugar Intake

Now this one is not so easy, believe me, I know.  Just like removing shoes, and hand washing becomes a habit by hearing it over and over again, limiting sugar is kind of the same thing.  They may not do what I ask all the time, especially when I am not there, but everyone knows in our house “too much sugar is not good for you”.  Routines and habits whether good or bad start at home.  We all know the drill and know sugar lowers our immune system (makes us get sick easier, in kid language) so we can TRY to not eat so much.  I will say if the parents can’t limit sugar the kids won’t either, they need to see you practice the same habits to instill the importance in them.  My daughter will eat a cookie and then ask for a lollipop (she is my sugar girl).  Lately all I have to say is, “you just had a cookie so a lollipop would be too much sugar”, so then she will ask for a piece of cheese or another snack item which she knows mom will approve of.  Repetition is key and in the beginning it is SO HARD! Start with allowing an applesauce or fruit instead of cookies or candy and then go from there.  If we think we are being deprived of something you can bet they will fight hard and want it even more.  Like with everything else make small changes that are less noticeable.  If you kids eat a lot of sugary items it would not be wise to try go cold turkey.  This is the same for anyone trying to limit or cut back on sugar…baby steps.