Wellness Tips for Fall and Winter

Fall Wellness Tips

Every fall, the onslaught of sinus drainage, congestion, cough, and blah begins to be felt in communities around the country.  Maybe it is the kids all being back in school, sharing their versions of the most current bug, maybe it is just the weather change prompting the emergence of this year’s viruses, whatever it is, there are concrete steps you can take to minimize the impact these conditions can have and to stimulate your body’s natural defenses.

Defense:

1. Wash your hands: this may sound crazy to put at the top of the list, but seriously, wash them after pumping gas, after going to the store, have your kids wash their hands after school, before eating anything, after their gymnastics, or martial arts class, and after being anywhere outside the home.  If you are out and unable to wash hands, carry thieves based hand lotion or tincture in your car and put that directly on your hands, especially if you will be eating anything while out!
   
   
2. Vitamin D: this is a super defender in our bodies, and not having enough can significantly increase our susceptibility to infections.  Have your levels checked ideally, but daily winter supplementation with 2000-10,000 IU can make a big difference.  Be sure what you are taking is D3, my favorite company for this is PR labs which can be found online or at Zerbo’s.
   
   
3. Sunlight: Vitamin D, of course, is stimulated by the sun, but sitting in a window absorbing the sun has other impacts, even if the winter exposure is not stimulating your vitamin D.  The sun also has important ultraviolet spectrum frequencies that impact our pineal and hypothalamus aiding our immunity and our mood.
   
   
4. Warm Water: It is essential to stay hydrated, but also essential to support your body’s ability to produce qi.  Warm water nourishes the spleen and helps keep digestion efficient while also promoting immune defense.

If you Feel Like You May Be Getting Sick:

This may not be what everyone recommends, but this is what I do:

1. Perillia Pearls: these are a formula from the Classical Pearls line, which can be ordered through our office.  It is a combination using the formula Yin Qiao San, one known to release wind-heat patterns in Chinese Medicine. If you feel a sensation of dryness in the throat, and nose with soreness too, and flushed sensations with periods of cold, this formula is the one to use.  Take 3 capsules every three hours for three to 4 days until all symptoms have cleared.
   
   
2. Vitamin C: 2000mg every 2-4 hours for three to four days
   
   
3. Vitamin D3: 10,000 IU per day
4. Zinc: 30mg per day for three to four days
   
   
5. Kombucha: This is one of my favorite things to take when feeling like a cold is coming on, drink one whole bottle, the green one is often the most efficient for this purpose, even though, many find it to be far from their favorite flavor.  You can find this at Better Health, Zerbos, and Whole Foods.
   
   
6. Wet Socks: before bed, wring out cotton socks in cold water, put them on and cover with a pair of thick wool or very thick cotton socks like those used for hiking. Then go to bed, keep these on until the wet socks have dried.

These recommendations can be used for children too, just at about half the dosages recommended here. It is important to remember, that addressing the cold symptoms aggressively before they develop into a ripe cold is essential, as this is the easiest time to make headway. Once symptoms set in, they can be very hard to get rid of.