I’ve received emails, phone calls and messages from people that are sick and suffering with sore throat, swollen glands, runny nose, fever and cough.
In over two decades of working in the health and wellness industry, I have never seen so many people worried about getting sick at the same time.
What’s going on?
- Viral shedding – maybe
- Immune system crashing – maybe
- Lack of community contact for too long – maybe
- Overall poor health – maybe
- Need for more boosters – I’m going to risk being cancelled by saying BIG FAT NO to this one
It could be anything…
I’ll leave that up to you and whatever news source you are being influenced by.
Regardless of why people are getting sick, I do recommend a few things to do at the onset of any virus/cold/flu to nip it in the bud before it fully blooms and causes trouble.
At the first sign of a tickle or sneeze, grab some Echinacea and take high doses. That means follow the instructions on the bottle and then double that.
Echinacea is an immune stimulant that is best used for the prevention of colds (colds are in the c0ronavirus family). That means, take it at the onset of the sickness. Echinacea stimulates the production and release of immune cells.
The key to making Echinacea work is to take it before the illness fully presents itself.
As soon as you feel the very first signs of malaise, headache, fatigue, itchy/runny nose or scratchy throat, that’s your cue. Don’t wait too long or you will lose your opportunity.
Take it as tincture rather than supplement for it to work quickly and be most effective.
During flu/coronavirus season, I also recommend ViraAttack by Herbpharm. It’s got an awesome blend of all the right herbs (Echinacea, lemon balm, lomatium, st. John’s Wort) to help you feel better quickly.
It’s also imperative that if you start feeling unwell, do NOT eat heavy, hard to digest meals. Eat lightly to not burden your digestive system with extra work.
Divert your energy toward healing, rather than digesting.
A large majority of your immune system lives in your gut and is dependent on the health of your microbiome.
I covered that information in depth here: Worried about the virus? Support your gut.
Instead of giving your body the task of digesting a big meal, drink broths and healing teas to help you fight the virus and heal quicker.
There are many delicious teas you can make from ingredients you already have in your kitchen.
Thyme/Honey/Lemon tea is one of my favorites for an unproductive cough that has settled into your chest.
But, if you are at the onset of sickness and it hasn’t descended into your chest yet, get out your food processor or grater and get busy with a plump spicy ginger root.
I cannot emphasize enough how effective this ginger blend is for keeping you well.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is well known around the world for its therapeutic properties and for its spicy/pungent flavor. It stimulates peripheral circulation, thins mucus, is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-microbial that supports digestive health.[1]
And, where is a large majority of your immune system?? As mentioned above (I hope you were paying attention), it’s in your digestive system.
Get an extra strong cup of Ginger Slurry Tea into your system 3-4x per day at the onset of sickness. This way you have the best chance of clearing the virus, before it gets in and takes over.
One of the things you may immediately notice is that this strong ginger tea with cayenne pepper makes you sweat. That’s the reaction we’re looking for. If you’re not sweating, it’s not strong enough.
As viruses continues doing their thing spreading around the world, it’s imperative that you do your thing to keep your body happy and healthy.
When you have knowledge at your fingertips about the medicine in your kitchen, you don’t have to be worried about the next virus and the next virus and the one after that.
We humans are strong and savvy. It’s time to get educated and get out of fear.
Check out my Food is Medicine Program. It’ll give you all the tools, tips, and recipes to keep you healthy and well.
[1] Medical Herbalism, David Hoffmann, 2003 Healing Arts Press, pg. 597
Andrea Beaman is an internationally renowned Holistic Health Coach, Natural Foods Chef, Speaker, Herbalist and best-selling author. Named one of the top 100 Most Influential Health and Fitness Experts, she is also a recipient of the Natural Gourmet Institute’s Award for Excellence in Health-Supportive Education and a Health Leadership award from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Since 1999, Andrea has been teaching people how to harness the body’s own preventative and healing powers using food, herbal remedies and alternative medicine.
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