Natural Tips for Preventing Colds and Flu
It’s so hard to believe that we’re deep into October already! I feel like school just got started back but here we are barreling towards the end of the year.
Cooler weather is coming (or may be here depending on where you live) and with that unfortunately cold and flu season is coming too.
I hesitate to even say this but it’s rare for someone in our family to get like sick sick. My kids will occasionally come home with sniffles or a mild cough but it usually doesn’t progress past that. (Ugh I totally feel like I am setting myself up for sickness now.) Anyway, here are the things we do to stay as healthy as possible heading into cold and flu season!
Ok so I am not going to count this as one of the things but obviously the absolute #1 thing you can do is wash your hands! Snotty nosed kids and people are everywhere and you’ve got to get in the habit of washing your hands... like a lot. Now here’s the list:
Essential Oils
If you have been on our website before you know how obsessed I am with essential oils so obviously that’s a big part of what we use on a daily basis. Oils are such an easy and inexpensive thing to add to your daily routine and use preventatively. Everyday I rub On Guard Touch from doTERRA or Germ Fighter blend from Plant Therapy essential oil on the back of my kiddos necks before they go to school. They both have a bunch of oils in it that are great for the immune system. If the kids do come home with any kind of mild sniffles or cough this gets applied every 2 hours to the back of their neck, spine, or bottom of the feet.
Extra Tip: If you aren’t new to oils or have some on hand you can make a great blend in a roller bottle with 5 drops each of Frankincense, Lemon, On Guard/ Germ Fighter, Oregano and Melaleuca that’s really awesome if anyone does get sick. Apply it every 1-2 hours and they usually feel better quicker. I get these little roller bottles from Amazon and this Fractionated Coconut Oil and make all kinds of blends. I’ll do another post about my favorite blends soon!
I’ve used doTERRA oils for years and love them so much but I also recently began using Plant Therapy and have enjoyed them as well. They’re considerably cheaper than doTERRA but have many organic oils and do thorough testing. There are other good brands but please do not buy cheap oils online from some random site or at WalMart. When I first started using doTERRA I was out of something and wanted it quickly- I ordered it from Amazon. Huge mistake, it was in a doTERRA looking bottle but absolutely wasn’t a quality oil inside. Be really careful if you order from sites other than the actual manufacturer site. Seriously.
2. Homeopathy
Now I know this is controversial but our family does not believe in flu shots. This article is not about vaccines but I truly hope that you’ll do your own research on the effectiveness (or lack thereof), the ingredients and potential side effects of the flu shot. Instead of a flu shot we begin taking the homeopathic remedy Influenzinum 9C by Boiron as soon as the yearly strain is released. I usually order it from nhc.com. We take 10 pellets once a week for 4 weeks and then skip a week and then take 10 more pellets. You can also use them at the first sign of flu-like symptoms.
3. Elderberry
Elderberry has been shown to help the immune system and fight flu viruses. It’s a super important thing to add to your wellness cabinet! There are several different products out there but we use this Elderberry Syrup and keep this Elderberry Syrup for Cold/Flu on hand always. I give a dose in the mornings before school and if they were to come down with something I would give it to them 3-4 times a day to help them feel better quicker. If you are a DIYer there are all kinds of recipes online to make your own Elderberry syrup like this one from Wellness Mama and I always intend to do it but this is my 3rd year in a row not doing it so I just keep buying it already made. I did actually purchase organic elderberries and have the other ingredients so maybe this is the year! ;)
4. Acupuncture/Acupressure
Since I’m an Acupuncturist you knew I had to include this right? Acupuncture is super helpful for boosting the immune system and can help keep the body in balance. This tends to be a more stressful time of the year with holidays coming up and tons of school activities and getting regular treatments is such a great thing to do. It can also help with symptoms when you first start to come down with it by helping to relieve fever and reducing coughing. It’s a good idea to come in early for a treatment if you’re hoping to prevent it in the first place.
Here’s a bonus Chinese Medicine tip for those who have fever with cold symptoms:
Make a broth using the white part of 2 green onions, a couple of cloves of garlic sliced, and about an inch of ginger sliced. Add this to 3 cups of water and boil for 5-10 mins. Add a little honey and drink up! Stay nice and wrapped up and soon your fever should start to ease up.
What other tips do you have? Feel free to share them!
*These are just tips and ideas that have worked for our family and is not meant to replace advice from your medical doctor. Surely you knew that already though:)
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