Monthly Archives: January 2015

Lifehack – The Bad Habit Reset Button – Fasting.

Don’t you wish you could just hit the button for a bad habit reset?  I do.  Especially right after the holiday season when I feel like I’ve eaten my weight in butter and “treats” (which are clearly not “treats” when you eat them constantly).  Sometimes it’s other habits or life areas that are struggling.  It could be that work hasn’t been going well, it could be that a relationship is rocky, it could be that I’m cultivating all kinds of bad habits I don’t need.  Whatever the reason, it’s nice to know that there is a reset button out there.  You heard me right, there is a way to hit the reset button – thank God for small miracles.

Fasting is the fastest bad habit reset button out there. Picture by © Brett Stoltz | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Fasting is the fastest bad habit reset button out there. Picture by © Brett Stoltz | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Hitting the reset button means taking a break from normal, but unfortunately life is full of obligations, so we can’t always up and fly to Tahiti, no matter how much we might need it.  What this means, is that we need a way to do it ourselves, at home, using things we have on hand and it needs to actually help us to break cycles.

The best reset I’ve ever found is a fast.  I know that’s not what anyone wanted to hear because “fasting” is right up there with “Chinese water torture” for lots of people, but those people probably haven’t tried it.  I’ll talk more about quick fasts in another upcoming post, because they are also one of my favorite life hacks, but in this case we’re looking at something different.  This is a little bit longer.  I’m not talking about Messiah-style 40 days, I’m talking about 3-5 days that are all about you.

Here’s how you do a fast for a bad habit reset:

  1. Choose the right time. Just a hint, if there is a massive deadline in the middle of it, it’s probably not the right time.  Pick a time where you can actually focus on getting in touch with you, getting to know your body, and taking out the trash in every sense of the words.
  2. Make a little space in your life. There isn’t any problem working during a fast, but if you can it’s nice to reduce your schedule to half days or to take a day or two off during your fast to give you a little bit of time for extra sleep, self care and cleaning house (which I always want to do when I’m fasting – I think it’s an external mirror for what is going on internally).
  3. Choose Your Type of Fast. During the fast you can either do all water plus the miracle drink (if you haven’t heard me talk about it before I’ll go over that in the next step), or you can mix freshly juiced veggies and fruits in.  I find that the all water and miracle drink is actually a little easier for me because the veggie juice pushes my body to detoxify too quickly.  Typically if this is the first fast you’re trying, then stick to 3 days and keep it simple. If you’ve fasted before and know your body can handle being really pushed to detox then maybe add in the veggie juices. If you choose to use veggie juices make sure they are actually juiced by you or right in front of you (not bought pre-packaged) and that you get 3-4 cups of the veggie juice throughout the day.  Also make sure they’re mostly veggie with just a touch of fruit or carrot for taste, but that the bulk is good green veggie.
  4. Make Sure You Get Enough Water! This is probably the most important thing, because without the water it’s hard for your body to clean house internally!  8-10 glasses per day is a minimum. When I’m fasting I set a timer every hour and alternate between the miracle drink one hour and water the next.
  5. Drink the Miracle Drink. People laugh when I call it the miracle drink, but it’s because they haven’t tried it.  This is such a great detoxifier and energy boost.
    1. 1 tbsp raw organic apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s is my favorite),
    2. honey to taste (no more than 1 tbsp please)
    3. 8-16 oz hot or cold water depending on how strong a flavor you like.  During a fast have this 3-4 times during the day to help your liver keep moving.




  6. Support Your System. If you have any icky feelings while you’re detoxing – this could be headache, grouchiness, mild sick feeling, bad breath, brain fog or a slightly hungover feeling – the do a little extra detox.  Anything that makes you sweat will help, so saunas, steam rooms, hot yoga, or hot baths are great.  Naps work well too.  In general make sure you’re giving yourself extra time for sleep
  7. Be Ready for Emotional Detox Too. Your body isn’t just taking this chance to get rid of the physical junk and bad habits.  There is emotional junk in there that needs to come out, and better out than in.  I love to journal so I use that as a tool to help process whatever comes up, but use whatever tools you like.
  8. Restart Your Life With Consciousness and Intention. This means that you should take some of this time to think about what you actually want in your life.  You’re resetting for a reason here. What do you want emotionally?  What do you want professionally?  How do you want to take care of your body?  What sort of food plan would you like? This is a great time to break bad health habits and restart with a clean slate.
  9. Simple Foods For Your Reentry Meal. The first meal you eat to break your fast should be simple and clean foods – preferably heavy on fruits and veggies, light on lean meats and even lighter (or not at all) on grains.  If you need a grain, choose something that is a cleaner grain like rice or quinoa.  You can eat as much of this fruit and veggie meal as you want, but make sure you’re not just jumping out of a fast into a large pizza because that’s not exactly the reset we’re looking for.

    Fasting is so much easier when you drink enough water. Adding lemon to your water is great to help support your liver through a fast. © Johanna Goodyear | Dreamstime Stock Photos

    Fasting is so much easier when you drink enough water. Adding lemon to your water is great to help support your liver through a fast. © Johanna Goodyear | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Is It Really Hard to Fast?

Surprisingly, no.  It’s almost shockingly not-hard. Almost everyone I’ve done this with is hungry the first day, and then pretty fine for the rest of it.  Occasionally I’ll have someone who is a really fast detoxifier and by day three they feel kind of icky, but most people are just fine. There’s a lot of nostalgia about food because let’s face it – part of eating is the joy of eating that has nothing to do with physically needing food.  But seriously, if you can get through day 1 with it’s hunger then you’re good to go.

Is Fasting Safe for Anybody?

If you have insulin dependent diabetes or severe hypoglycemia then it is necessary that you talk to your doctor and possibly even have in-home supervision while you fast because it can be dangerous if your blood sugars fall too low. Also it’s not a good idea for pregnant or nursing mothers because the demands on your body are already considerable – we don’t need to ask it to do more right now. Also if you have a chronic condition then it’s best policy to talk with your doctor about it.

What Results Will You See?

Fasting is tremendous for your body – it’s essentially a break from the hard work of metabolism. You can expect:

  • Weight loss – 5 to 10 pounds is normal in 3 days.
  • Energy – nobody believes me, but usually your energy is awesome during a fast. Better than normal.
  • Good sleep – everyone thinks the hunger will keep them up. Never seems to happen.
  • Mental perspective – it’s a lot easier to see the bad habits you’ve gotten yourself into when you’ve got a little distance from them. Even if that distance is just a couple of days that are different.
  • Losing Those Food Cravings – 3 days is plenty of time for the food cravings to just fall off.  Your body doesn’t actually want to live on sugar, but if you’ve been living on sugar then you don’t know that.
  • Spiritual benefits – fasting has been used by most faiths in most cultures globally to bring spiritual clarity and discipline.  I’m not an expert on this by any means, but I’m guessing all of those people aren’t wrong.
  • Anti-aging – you may not be able to tell in the moment, but by fasting you’re actually slowing down your aging process. Awesome.

Short fasts of 3-5 days are a great way to clean house, lose weight, and one of the easiest bad habit resets in the book.  After a fast – especially if you can make it through 3 days – most people have lost their sugar and starch cravings and loosened up their bad habits. I suggest doing 2-4 per year  to help keep you healthy, happy and vital.  And did I mention that it’s strongly anti-aging and actually slows the aging process?  The research is entirely clear on this point.  Regular fasting both extends life and slows aging.  Yet another great reason to hit the bad habit reset button!



Drugs are weight loss blockers just like these jellybeans. Great photo "Don't Cry Over Spilt Jellybeans" from © Mike Chytracek | Dreamstime Stock Photos

The Five Biggest Weight Loss Blockers Ever

It seems like everyone is struggling with weight loss these days and everyone thinks maybe it’s their thyroid, because that is one of the more known weight loss blockers, but if it isn’t then people tend to get a little stuck.  No matter what anyone tells you, weight loss is hard work and there are a number of things that can get in the way.  There are always challenges and hardships because in order to lose weight you really do have to change the way you view food, time, yourself and your social habits.  Piece of cake, right? There are so many things that can get in the way of your weight loss goals, here are 5 of the most common weight loss blockers.

1.  Sluggish Thyroid – The Best Known Weight Loss Blocker

Low thyroid function has become almost “normal” in our society, simply because it is so common.  Your thyroid determines your resting level of energy.  It is basically the gland that controls how fast your engine idles, and it does that via thyroid hormones.  If these hormones aren’t doing their job properly then the resting idle slows down and you don’t burn nearly as many calories or have nearly as much energy to do things like exercise.  You could be at risk of low thyroid function if you have any of these:

  • Chilly, get cold easily or cold hands and feet
  • Tired, slow moving, slow thinking, sluggish feeling
  • Dry skin, dry hair, brittle or coarse hair
  • Depression, lack of motivation, increased need for sleep
  • Retain water, feel “puffy” or if you press hard on the front of your lower leg your thumb will leave an indentation
  • Constipation and slow-moving bowels

Of course the best thing is to have your doctor test your thyroid hormones, but many people experience symptoms of low thyroid, including weight gain or difficulty losing weight, when they are within normal limits.  If you feel that thyroid might be an issue for you then:

  • Check with your family members to see if there is any history of thyroid disease – if there is you may be at higher risk.
  • Talk with your doctor to see if they’ll run proper thyroid tests.
  • Limit your soy intake – soy is known to decrease thyroid function
  • Increase your dietary iodine – either with a supplement like prolamine iodine or kelp supplements or by eating more sea vegetables.  Your body can’t make thyroid hormones without iodine and the receptors for your thyroid hormones don’t work without iodine so this is really important.
  • Check yourself for wheat sensitivity, gluten sensitivity or celiac disease – untreated sensitivities can wreak havoc on your thyroid.  If you don’t know how to check those things then read up on it here.
  • If you’re not finding any balance then it’s a great idea to talk with a naturopathic doctor to get a more personalized solution.




2.  Hormone Imbalance

Your thyroid isn’t the only player in this game.  Unfortunately for us, all of your hormones play a role in metabolism, fat distribution and use, hunger, satiety and general weight management. This includes estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, insulin, adrenal hormones and hunger hormones like leptin and ghrelin.  You may have these types of hormone imbalances if:

  • Your body shape has changed (like from pear to apple) or the areas where you are gaining weight are different
  • Your menstrual cycle has suddenly changed (in women)
  • You are seeing weight packing on around the waist, stomach and back
  • Your stress level has spiked lately or you’re not sleeping because of stress
  • Your blood sugars and triglycerides have been increasing lately

This isn’t a complete list, but it’s the most obvious signs. If this is the case work with your doctor or ND to get to the root of the problem.  Until you address the hormones the weight isn’t going to go anywhere because hormones are huge weight loss blockers.  Some simple things you can do to help begin to address any hormone problem naturally are:

  • Exercise – this is our great regulator and can decrease stress levels, change sugar processing and even help to balance your sex hormones.
  • Water – boosting your water intake helps your body to regulate it’s hormones better and to detox them more effectively.
  • Fiber – increasing fiber allows the hormones that you eliminate via your liver to attach to fiber in the gut and actually be eliminated from the body.  Without the fiber your body can pull the hormones back into your bloodstream to be recirculated.
  • Balance your diet – reducing carbs, which are sugars and starches, will help your body to cope with your hormones far more effectively.  In the long-term this is one of the most effective things you can do for your weight. Eat frequently and every time you eat make sure you’re getting protein, fiber, low carbohydrates and moderate fat. If you don’t know what foods give you carbohydrates then check out this post on Nutrition 101.

3. Food Sensitivities

Eating a food you’re sensitive to raises your resting level of inflammation, keeps your body in a state of panic and makes it much harder to lose weight.  In fact, it specifically makes your body hold on to water and fat in an effort to protect it self. Talk about weight loss blockers! Part of the problem is that one symptom of the food sensitivity is a craving for that food (the food you’re sensitive to) that has nothing to do with what your body actually needs, or even hunger.  It’s literally an addictive response to the inflammation created by that food. Finding and eliminating your food sensitivities will not only help you drop those unwanted pounds, but also help reduce any symptoms you may be having.  Find out more about eliminating your food sensitivites!

4. Check Your Medicine Cabinet – Drugs Are HUGE Weight Loss Blockers

Drugs are among the guiltiest of guilty parties in the weight loss game.  Anti-depressants, steroids, birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, and some anti-psychotic medications.  There isn’t really a test for this – just think about any medication changes you may have had in the 1-3 months before you started gaining weight.  There may be other drugs you can switch to that would give you the same benefits without the extra pounds, but sometimes there aren’t. Talk with your doctor about this one – sometimes you just have to try a few things before you find the one that’s right for you.

Drugs are weight loss blockers just like these jellybeans. Great photo "Don't Cry Over Spilt Jellybeans" from © Mike Chytracek | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Drugs are weight loss blockers just like these jellybeans. Great photo “Don’t Cry Over Spilt Jellybeans” from © Mike Chytracek | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Some of the worst weight loss blockers (or drugs that cause weight gain) are:

  • Paxil (paroxitine). Alternatives include Prozac (for short-term use) or Zoloft
  • Depakote (Valproic Acid). Lithium is a good alternative as a mood stabilizer, but also causes weight gain, just less than Depakote.
  • Prozac (fluoxitine) taken long-term.  For the first six months studies show prozac generally helps with weight loss, but over long term use that weight often returns with interest.
  • Remeron (mirtazipine). Another anti-depressant that is implicated in weight gain, although in the elderly it can be a useful tool to help keep weight on.
  • Zyprexa (olanzipine). This atypical anti-psychotic is known to pile on the pounds. Geodon or Abilify are more weight-neutral alternatives.
  • Clozaril (clozapine). This weight-gainer is a cousin to Zyprexa.
  • Deltasone (prednisone). Prednisone and other oral steroids are potentially the most famous drugs for causing weight gain. The higher the dose, the more likely you are to gain weight. You can help to reduce your weight gain by exercising, drastically reducing sugar and carbohydrate intake while you’re on the drug, and getting off of the medication as soon as medically advisable.
  • Elavil, Endep, Venatrip (amitriptyline). Tricyclic antidepressants are used less commonly now, but have historically caused huge weight gain in the people taking them.
  • Allegra (fexofenadine) and Zyrtec (cetirizine).  As it turns out allergy medicines that act as anti-histamines, can also disrupt an enzyme in the brain that helps to regulate food consumption.
  • Diabinase (chlorpropamide), Insulase (also chlorpropamide), Actose (pioglitazone hydrochloride) and Prandin (repaglinide) – these anti-diabetic drugs all stimulate insulin production, which lowers blood sugar and tends to make people hungry – which is really the last thing most diabetics need.
  • Insulin – obviously this is necessary for many people with diabetes, but it does promote weight gain so tightly controlling diet and using the lowest necessary dose is helpful.
  • Tenormin (atenolol), Lopressor (metoproplol), and Inderol (propranolol) are all beta-blockers and help to control blood pressure, but they also tend to make people more tired and heavier.
  • Birth Control Pills – lets not forget these little babies.  Many women do not experience this unwanted side effect, but the rest of us tend to gain 10-15 pounds in the first 6 months of use.

5. Poor Sleep.

If you’re not sleeping then you’re not losing weight.  It’s just a simple fact.  Poor or inadequate sleep causes an increase in hunger, more carbohydrate cravings, a decrease in the hormone that makes your body feel “full” and it slows down your ability to lose fat.  Basically this means that even if you’re doing everything else right, if you’re not sleeping then you’re going to have a hard time shedding the pounds. Sleep is complex and takes time and work to fix, but here are a few basic tips:

  • Keep your bedroom DARK and restful.  No loud TV, block out lights and even LED lights.   Your body really is meant to sleep in the dark.
  • Try to begin “winding down” a couple of hours before you actually go to bed.  Dimmer light, quieter atmosphere, no work and calming activities like yoga, meditation, reading, journaling or cozy time with your partner are great for this time of day. Did I mention no work?  That includes the last minute email checks too!
  • Developing a sleep routine can be helpful, almost a sleep ritual.  This helps you get into the mind frame for sleep.
  • If you are having sleep problems that are more complicated then talk to your doctor or practitioner.  Sleep is a big deal and your health and happiness suffer in every way without it.

The biggest thing to remember with weight loss is don’t give up.  Sometimes it just comes down to finding that one key to unlocking your body and then the pounds just melt away.  I’ve seen it happen many times – one of my patients fixes their inflammation, their hormones, or their sleep and all of a sudden the pounds come off without any other changes.  Just keep trying to listen to the signals your body is sending you, and if you’re not sure then come talk to me about your weight loss blockers.



Easy Seasonal Eating For Winter

Seasonal eating is something I feel passionately about – but seasonal eating for winter can be harder than in other seasons because it’s, well, winter.  So here are some easy ways to incorporate some seasonal into your diet and to help your body manage the season in the best ways possible.

Why Eat Seasonally?

It’s easy to dismiss this as a hippy/trendy kind of idea that has no real merit, but seasonal eating is the cornerstone of many ancient and holistic medical traditions.  Of course there are the side benefits of getting to buy from local farmers and not having to let your food wilt during cross-country (or cross-globe shipping) but the big thing really is health.  In the winter this is especially important because your body’s needs change with the more extreme outdoor climate (yes, even in Texas).  Your body uses more energy for basics like warmth and you may find yourself needing more sleep in the colder, darker winter months. So here are some seasonal Eating tips that optimize winter veggies and your winter health.

Love Your Squash (And Their Seeds)

Squash is just about the quintessential winter vegetable and comes in many tantalizing varieties including acorn, winter, delicata, pumpkin, butternut, hubbard, spaghetti, kabocha, and crook-neck. With names like that it’s hard not to be intrigued. All of these squash have yellow to orange flesh, which is saturated with healthy carotenoids – which are compounds in the vitamin A family. All of the orange/yellow veggies have these carotenoid nutrients by color – it’s literally the colored pigments that supply the nutrition. These carotenoids, some of which convert to vitamin A, help boost your immunity against winter colds and flus, help to protect your dark vision (this is the dark season, after all) and are also high in potassium, vitamin B6 and folate. Additionally one serving of squash gives you half of your RDA of vitamin C, which also helps keep you protected from colds and flus. Nutritionally they provide lots of complex carbohydrates but very low sugars, which helps your body have the sustained energy it needs to help keep you warm and cozy.  Squash are also very filling because of the complex carbs, giving you the delightfully full-belly feeling that we all crave in the winter.




Squash and pumpkin seeds are also a great nutritional input in the winter and any squash seeds can be roasted and salted for a lovely crunchy snack. These seeds are high in good fats, protein and minerals and also add a tremendous boost to your immune system for this vulnerable time of year. Seasonal eating for winter isn’t so hard, right?

The Best Roast Squash and Pumpkin seeds:

Scoop the seeds out of the squash and remove most of the pulp.
Drizzle the seeds with a little olive oil and rub the oil onto the seeds so they’re coated
Spread the seeds out over a baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt
Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until the seeds start to turn golden-brown.

Watch them carefully because once they start to brown they really brown in a hurry. The little bit of squash pulp and juice that is left on the seeds adds a nice flavor with the olive oil and salt, but be careful. These are totally addictive so if you’re planning on using them as a salad-topper or anything like that be sure to hide them from the family. Otherwise they’ll be gone in a flash.

Winter Greens – Nutrient-Packed Winter Goodness

In winter the cold-weather greens abound. Think cabbage and kale and Brussels sprouts. The cold weather keeps these greens sweet and tender and the greens help you to stay healthy and illness-free in the winter. These are nutritional powerhouses which are high in vitamins A, C, K and folate.  Also they have a good balance between complex carbs, fiber, protein and good fats. Also, Brussels sprouts cut in half and fried with bacon pieces is a treat beyond compare – seriously even non-veggie people love this.

Go For the Root Veggies

‘Tis the season for all the underground veggie goodness to get underway. Think beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips and sweet potatoes. A cubed root-veggie mix is perfect to drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 425 or so for a warming, nutrient-dense winter treat.  Roasted root veggies literally make you feel warm when you eat them and are also packed with the nutrients your body needs for the winter months.

Gorgeous root veggies - perfect for seasonal eating for winter. Lovely picture from eatingbirdfood.com

Gorgeous root veggies – perfect for seasonal eating for winter. Lovely picture from eatingbirdfood.com

Again these veggies are packed with vitamin A and other antioxidants, as well as the complex carbs needed to sustain warmth in the winter. Also high in fiber and highly filling.

Slow Cooked Soups and Stews – The Easiest Seasonal Eating for Winter Ever.

Of course the perfect food in the winter is slow-cooked.  Pot roast with root veggies, slow-cooked stew, veggie-rich chili, or homemade chicken soup.  These are the foods that warm and nourish you. The slow-cooking does all of the heavy digestive work for you and these foods are mostly broken-down and actually make you feel warm inside. In Traditional Chinese Medicine slow cooked foods are appropriate for winter when your body needs heat and easy nourishment and when warmth is a priority. Also the slow cooking releases all of the nutrients from root veggies and softens them up so a lovely roast surrounded by root veggies is the quintessential winter dish. Seasonal eating for winter makes sense on this level – you’re semi-hibernating and need easy nutrition that keeps you warm and cozy and is the food equivalent of fuzzy socks and a fireplace.  The fall-apart in your mouth meat of a pot-roast is just what you need to warm up. Also as long as you’re using grass fed, grass finished beef you’re getting a good dose of omega-3 fats, iron to build your blood and easy to digest protein.

pot roast is the perfect food for seasonal eating for winter. Thanks to colonywinemarket.com for this yummy picture.

pot roast is the perfect food for seasonal eating for winter. It’s exactly what you want on a cold day. Thanks to colonywinemarket.com for this yummy picture.

Seasonal eating for winter sounds like it should be difficult, but just follow your gut. The squash heaped in gorgeous piles around the farmers market are begging to be eaten. All of those crisp winter greens are packed with nutrients and the colorful root veggies tempt your senses.  Best of all, the slow-cooked soups and stews that feel so good on a cold day are exactly what your body wants for health.



‘Tis The Season! Natural Remedies for Cold and Flu

After having just spent several days in bed sniffling and sneezing and coughing and generally feeling icky, it seems like a good time to talk about natural remedies for cold and flu. Fall into winter is certainly the peak of cold and flu season and there are plenty of viruses that spend their time roaming through the population each year.  No matter how healthy you are, it’s a totally normal part of being human to have symptoms if you’re exposed to a new virus that your body hasn’t seen before – it’s what our immune systems are programmed to do and how they learn about viruses and keep us strong and healthy.  It’s also part of the reason why young kids tend to get sick more frequently than adults do – their immune systems haven’t seen as many viruses so each new one gets them.

What Are the Cold and Flu Anyway?

The things we call the common cold and the flu (or “flu-like symptoms” as the media has taken to calling it) are simply just different strains of virus that produce a spectrum of symptoms in the human body.  Viruses are strange little beasts.  There is an ongoing debate about whether they are alive because they can’t reproduce without a host – they have to actually infect some unsuspecting human or other animal and use that person’s body to reproduce themselves.  They then spread in different ways, sometimes through body fluids, sometimes airborne in respiratory droplets like from sneezes. For most people colds and flus are inconvenient but not truly threatening, but in immune-compromised or weaker people the flu can be a killer. Also some years there are particularly vicious strains that tend to be more serious. There is still no cure for the common cold or the flu, but there are many natural remedies for cold and flu that can help you to get through it more quickly and more easily.




There are great natural remedies for cold and flu. Häggström, Mikael. "Medical gallery of Mikael Häggström 2014". Wikiversity Journal of Medicine

There are great natural remedies for cold and flu. Häggström, Mikael. “Medical gallery of Mikael Häggström 2014”. Wikiversity Journal of Medicine

Natural Remedies for Cold and Flu

Of course it’s best if you don’t happen to catch anything, but for the times that you do catch a nasty bug, there are plenty of options to help. There are many natural antivirals that have been shown to help cold and flu by shortening duration or by reducing symptoms. Let’s look at a few favorites:

Black Elderberry Syrup (Sambucus niger)

So – not only is this a potent antiviral, it also tastes great on pancakes, and if that isn’t awesome I don’t know what is. Elderberry has been used for centuries in folk medicine to build the immune system and as a general health tonic, but also in high dose when folks were coming down with something. For an adult doses up to a tablespoon every hour will kick the immune system into high gear and has been shown in research studies to interrupt viral replication as well as boost anti-influenza antibodies. Plus, the syrup tastes great so kiddos will take it and because it’s essentially a food, there isn’t really an issue with toxicity.  Too high a dose might loosen stool a little bit, but that’s the worst of it so this is safe and family friendly.

Elderberry syrup is a great natural remedy for cold and flu. Picture by Edal Anton Lefterov from wikipedia.

Elderberry syrup is a great natural remedy for cold and flu. Picture by Edal Anton Lefterov from wikipedia.

Oscillococcinum

Not so easy to say, but this one also is easy to use for the whole family. This is a homeopathic remedy, meaning it’s a tiny dose of something that would cause the same symptoms of cold or flu if you took it in a toxic dose. By taking the tiny dose you’re giving your body a little road-map on how to deal with this, similar to the idea behind allergy shots.   These teeny little pills just dissolve under your tongue and taste, conveniently, like sugar so again this is something that it’s easy to get kiddos to take. These can be helpful for prevention as well as symptom reduction so really it’s a win-win.

 Vitamin C

Vitamin C is of course not very exciting because almost everyone already has it in their medicine cabinet and it’s just sort of common. Really bumping up the dose when you start to get ill though can shorten the duration of viruses and protect you from the worst of the viral symptoms. A few thousand mg per day will really help and your body uses more of this nutrient when you’re sick so keeping a higher dose for a few days after you’re better can be helpful too.

Chicken Soup

This easy-to-absorb, highly nutritious, time-tested home remedy also has some research behind it.  Let’s face it – chicken soup is like concentrated, highly available nutrition.  If you can, make your own at home because it’s always going to have a higher nutritional content than something that’s been hanging around in a can for ages. I always have a freezer bag in the freezer where I put the parts of veggies that aren’t good enough to use, onion skins, chicken bones after the chicken is done and the bits of veggies you don’t use like mushroom stalks and the woody parts of broccoli legs.  When the bag gets full I toss it all in a pot and let it boil in water for a few hours. Strain out the veggies and bones and throw them out and the liquid you’re left with is chicken broth. If you feel like cutting up some good veggies, chicken pieces, rice or whatever you like in soup and voila! Your own home-made cold and flu remedy (that happens to be totally yummy).

Don’t Forget The Basics

In terms of viruses, once you’ve got them you’ve got them so save yourself the trouble of going to work and infecting everyone else. Stay home, put on a good movie or grab a good book and rest. Drink lots of liquids – water or orange juice, stay bundled up and give wet socks a try at night. If you have no idea what I’m talking about with “wet socks” it’s the best free immune boost ever – give it a shot and read more here. There are so many great natural remedies for cold and flu, but honestly the basics are always the best.  Just take care of you and get plenty of sleep and take a hot bath. If you give your body what it needs you’ll pull though more quickly than average anyway.