How to Ward Off Viruses … Naturally

With the slew of winter viruses upon us, let’s talk about steps we can take to put our body in an optimal state to deter the ability for these viruses to take hold. Let’s start with the prep work. Setting your body up for success is the key to avoiding illness altogether.

For starters, it’s important to understand where most of your immune system is found. Seventy percent of your immune system is found in your gut. Next, you have bone marrow, your lymph nodes, and your spleen. I always say, the best way to build up a system is simple: support it. There are no crazy hacks here. For your gastrointestinal tract, the best way to support it is to ensure it’s full of healthy microbes. You can do that cutting back on processed foods, skip that fast food stop, and add in a colorful diet full of fermented foods like yogurts, kefir, fire cider, and kombucha.

Next stop on your to-do list: sleep. A lot is happening while you sleep. Hormones are being released and messages are being sent. Make sure you get to bed around the same time every night and keep this schedule consistent because circadian misalignment affects immune regulation.

So now that we have the majority of your immune system set up for success let’s check out those secondary areas. Next up, we have bone marrow. Now, it’s hard to imagine supporting bone marrow but you can. You can support blood cell production and you can also support your iron levels. Chickweed and stinging nettle are both herbs that you can take in abundance and are very high in vitamins, minerals, and iron. I drink my Peaceful, Easy Feelin tea daily because it is full of all of these necessities. Not only that but cutting alcohol is another great option. Alcohol is a marrow suppressor which can cause low blood counts.

Next, your lymph system and spleen. The key with your lymphatic system is movement. You need to keep an active body as well as ensure you’re drinking water and eating well. Once again, we have herbs that have been traditionally used to help get rid of metabolic waste and stimulate lymphatic drainage. They are both mild herbs: burdock root and calendula flowers. Both of these herbs are also kid friendly. In some countries, burdock root is tossed into stir fry or cooked as a side vegetable.

So now that we know how to support these systems let’s talk about what to do once the virus does take hold. None of us our invincible, sadly. That first day of a hard hitting virus usually has some common tells. You’ll start to feel worn down. Your body may get achy. It is important, at this time, that you take an herb that’s a well known immunostimulant. This is an herb that will boost cytokine production (which is basically the little messengers in your body that tell your immune system there is a threat). Two of my favorite immunostimulant herbs are elderberry and echinacea. I have these blended in my Elders Tea and my Elders Tincture. I would start taking this immediately. It should drastically shorten the length and severity of the virus.

I hope you all fair well this cold and flu season and I hope these tips set you up for success!