staying healthy during cold and flu season

some of my favorite ways to boost immune system; honey and lemon tea, and home made chicken bone broth

so if you know me, you probably have heard me talking about our family's experience with noro virus last year.  it was awful.  i'm a norophobe, mainly because i hate vomit.  like, beyond hate---i fear it, i have so much anxiety around puke.  i could go on and on about this topic.  but i won't in this post.  however, besides norovirus ripping through our household last year, the kids and i also had so many colds.  cold after cold after cold.  z was in preschool, and ava was pretty young still (well, i guess she still is, haha), and i think all of the preschool bugs came home with us, since we all are there quite often (co-op preschool).

so right around the beginning of fall this year, i decided i would research and figure out a plan of action to avoid getting sick so frequently this year.  norovirus and all the colds, and flu obviously.  i read a bunch of info and verified what i could using PubMed because science.  and then with some stuff that i couldn't verify with actual science, i just did the best i could to read everything and then made my own decisions based on the knowledge i acquired.  i know that is so vague.  but i'll get into it a little bit.  unfortunately, because i didn't think about writing a blog post when i was doing this research myself, i don't have any resources or anything saved.  haha, whoops.  i should have done that.  i'm sure that i will go through and re-research at some point, because that's what i love, and when i do i will save it and write another post.  but for this post i will just write about what i learned and you can then do your own research, too.

***disclaimer here---i am not a doctor, so don't take my advice in replace of actually talking to a doctor.  these are just the things that i have researched on my own, and feel comfortable with for myself and my kids.  please, read through my post but also do your own research so that you can obtain your own knowledge and make your own decisions based on what's best for you and your family, and of course in consultation with your doctor.***

anyway, first and foremost, our family vaccinates.  that's our first action against disease and illness.  i'm a firm believer in vaccines because i'm a firm believer in science and allllll of the benefits that we reap on a daily basis from humankind's scientific advancements.  take that for what you will.  but i have read through real scientific literature--dozens and dozens of dense, mechanical, passive-voice written papers from which i based my own educated opinion on (oh, and when i did this, i went through and found what the most commonly voiced concerns were from people about vaccines, along with my own, and those are the things that i specifically researched).  and also, i was trained to do this.  my degree is in biology and i went through lots of training and education to be able to read and understand scientific literature, along with some classes that taught me how to question whether what is being presented is accurate or if it's misleading.  so, although i am not as advanced as some of my friends who have their PhD, i feel like i have more of an understanding of this kind of data than someone who hasn't had this training.  anyway---off my high horse now.  if you are still reading, thanks for staying!  haha.  i don't take myself that seriously though.

ok---so, the next thing i wanted to do was figure out what i could do to boost our immune systems.  i wanted to make sure that whatever i incorporate was appropriate for my kids, too, and that there wasn't any drug interactions (since i was still taking zoloft for anxiety).  first on the list was multi-vitamins, then extra doses of vitamin C and D.  then i added in echinacea and probiotics.  i'll describe in more detail below:

-alright, overall i believe that most of our nutrients and vitamins should come from our diet, if not all.  however, i know this isn't always possible.  especially when you are a mom running after your kids all day and sometimes forget to even eat lunch.  or if you can barely get your kids to eat a fruit or vegetable, bean or meat.  and i went through a period of time where i didn't believe that any vitamin companies were reputable.  but, the amount of food that i would need to eat, or that i would need to somehow get my kids to eat, to get that much extra vitamin C, or probiotics, is impossible.  and vitamin D is not an option in the seattle area until and only in the month of august.  with that said, i found supplements that i have some confidence in and hope that these companies have some integrity.  i don't really trust a lot of companies either.  but i was willing to try out this new plan for this cold and flu season.

-multi-vitamins:  i have taken a few different multi-vitamins, the ones i am taking now are from trader joe's.  i would like to find an affordable, safe, honest, and food-based multi-vitamin at some point, so that is on my list of things to research.  but for now, i actually have noticed a difference in my body when i wasn't versus when i started taking these multi-vitamins.  so i'll stick with this for now until i can find the best option.  the kids take the lil critters gummy brand from costco, but when this (huge) bottle is done i will pick up the smarty pants brand.

-echinacea:  i take various brands of echinacea (i am taking nature's way right now).  i read a couple different things, but in general it's better to take them for a couple weeks and then go off of them for a couple weeks, and then back on, alternating.  apparently this is more effective.  when i am actively fighting a cold or feel like a cold is coming on, i take 1 pill 4-5 times daily, usually only for about 2 days.  the kids take this nutra kids brand of propolis and echinacea gummy.  i like that it is non-gmo and organic among other things.  propolis is supposed to help support the immune system and is an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.  and the echinacea of course is supposed to encourage the immune system and may help reduce the symptoms of cold and flu.  and our doctor recommended it as an acceptable option for all of us.  oh, and i have for sure noticed that taking echinacea helps me fight colds, 100%.

-vitamin D: i take different brands of vitamin D, i feel like they are all pretty similar.  the kids have taken different brands of drops and are now taking gummies that were recommended by the gal from our health and natural food store.  i haven't had our vitamin D levels checked recently, so i can't be 100% certain that it's effective, but my doctor told me that any vitamin D we take should be fine (vitamin D3).  the reason i take it and i give it to my kids is because we are in WA state and we don't have access to sunlight for the most part, haha.  and you can't really get enough usable vitamin D from diet.  unless you are constantly eating fish.  we take it because your body needs D to absorb calcium, among other things.  calcium is used in all your cells and is super important in the process of making ATP (the molecule your body uses for energy) and cell signaling.  oh, and it makes your teeth and bones strong and healthy.  D is helpful in its own right as well, keeping your immune system functioning properly, and pending more research may stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin and inhibit tumor growth, and a myriad other benefits that need more studies.

-probiotics: i picked up some solaray brand probiotics from my natural food/health store, and i really like them!  i have tried a few different brands, and so far i really like this one the best.  i get the kids the Smarty Pants brand of gummy probiotics.  i like that it's a probiotic and prebiotic, and that they are in the form of spores.  that's great because it actually makes it through your highly acidic stomach and into your gut.  and there are two different kinds of bacteria being used; bacillus subtilis and bacillus coagulans.  the most common bacteria, lactobacillus, that is used on probiotics doesn't survive that well in the stomach and so not that many reach the gut.  you want this beneficial bacteria to make it into your gut, because that's where it's needed to help break down food particles even further and help with absorption.  and the reason you want to have healthy gut flora is because it is essential to keeping the rest of your body heathy, too.  there are tons of receptors in your gut, did you know that?  like sex hormone receptors (which is why when a woman is on her period she may also have GI issues), and serotonin receptors (serotonin is the stuff that makes you balanced and happy).  there are lots of studies that suggest potential links to your gut and the health of your immune system, heart, fighting of tumor cells, cholesterol level, autoimmune diseases, and lots of other things.  so, keeping the gut bacteria happy is super important for your overall health.

-vitamin C: this one is not so difficult to get from foods, which is what we try to do first, but i have no problems taking extra C on a daily basis.  and when we are actively sick, i take 1000 mg 3 times per day and i give the kids their dose (be sure to check the packaging) 3 times per day when they are sick or are first starting to get a cold.  if you just take a bunch of vitamin C (or most vitamins that are water soluble), you are just going to piss most of it out.  so i like to take it a few times throughout the day.  we probably still pee out a bunch of it, but some of it has to be absorbed into the body.  the reason we take extra C is because it's used in all the cells for growth, maintenance and repair, it helps your body absorb iron, it helps form the collagen in your cells, is necessary in the health of your bones and teeth and cartilage, and helps to support the immune system.  it's a very powerful antioxidant.  free-radicals go around damaging cells which can lead to things like cancer, and anti-oxidants like vitamin C help to diminish these attacks and damage to your cells.

of course besides these things, we are trying to also drink lots of water (we tend do do that anyway, since we don't often drink soda or juice), move around and get some exercise, sleep enough, and eat healthy.  oh and i am also a fan of the "detox bath" which consists of adding 2 cups of epsom salts, 1/2 cup of baking soda, 3 tablespoons of olive oil combines with 5-6 drops of your preferred essential oil to the bathtub and soaking for at least 20 minutes.  the things listed above are just a few of the things that i have added in this year in an effort to support our bodies during the cold and flu season.

some things that i also do while we are in the first couple days of a cold, or even just because we want to, include drinking homemade bone broth several times a day (usually when we are sick or are getting sick), drinking fresh ginger tea (daily), drinking fresh lemon/honey tea (sometimes with apple cider vinegar), drinking green tea, drinking kombucha (daily). haha, see a theme here?  so much drinking of liquids.  but also, using elderberry syrup.  i have used olive leaf pills (used this when i had shingles), and activated charcoal (when my kids had separate incidents of vomiting, i took it to avoid getting sick as well, see norophobe above), as well as lots of hand washing (we use regular soap, not anti-bacterial), i disinfect with a bleach solution or hydrogen peroxide.  i use essential oils at times.  basically, anything that i learn about, research, and deem appropriate and safe for our family, is what i have added into our lives.  it's one huge experiment this year.  and if it seems to keep us healthier this season, then i'm happy!  none of these things are harmful (well except for the bleach and H2O2 but, you know, we don't drink that or anything), if used properly, and if they help keep us healthy then i'm all for it.  and when cold and flu season is over, we will just go back to not such an intensely supplemented routine.  we will still take our multi-vitamins and probiotics, and likely extra vitamin D because of where we live.  and then if/when we start getting sick will support our immune systems with the other stuff.

so, how has this been working out so far?  it really does seem like we have had colds less frequently this year to date.  there have been 3 times now where the kids and i have started to get a cold, and then after intensely and consistently taking extra vitamin C, echinacea, elderberry syrup, fluids, bone broth, etc, the cold subsided after about 3 days.  i have had one bad cold, the kids each threw up separately about 2 weeks apart, and z is fighting a pretty nasty cold right now that has been around for a week.  i did have a mild case of shingles, which i think was mild because i started taking olive leaf, echinacea, vitamin C right away, applied a combo of tea tree, lavender and peppermint oil to the rash and the area of my skin that was painful several times a day as well as a topical capsaicin cream for pain.  i did all this IN ADDITION to seeing a doctor, not in place of.  i think that modern medicine and more natural remedies don't need to be in conflict with one another, they can be used in combination under the guidance of professionals.

one thing i have learned through all this is that these kinds of remedies and support needs to be done consistently and usually multiple times per day.  like the elderberry syrup, or the vitamin C.  just taking it once isn't going to help.

the other thing that is super important is to remember to run all this by a doctor first.  most of these things are perfectly fine for normal functioning humans, but you never know if there are allergies, reactions, or drug interactions, so it's always best to talk to your doctor.

how do you guys stay healthy during cold and flu season?  do you have any other methods, products or likewise that you find helpful?