myFM: Managing colds and flus

After hearing how many people are sick with coughs, colds, and fevers, it’s worth a chat about how to navigate being sick to support your body to deal with the virus. 

Manage your fever, don’t squash it. If you’re not feeling awful, try to wait out taking medication. It will bring your fever down, but also halt what your body is trying to do. Your body is heating things up in response to an invader; virus, bacteria, or injury, and if you canrest while not feeling great, drink lots of water and even put on cold wet socks to keep the heat away from your head, it’s a better way to support your immune army. 

Stop all sugar. Sugar suppresses the immune system for hours, and while you are feeling terrible and wanting all the comfort foods, it’s bone or meat broth that your body needs, not sugar. Eat simple foods like blueberries, boiled eggs, and homemade chicken noodle soup despite wanting all the sugary comfort foods and that could lessen the severity and duration of your cold or flu. 

Help your cough be productive. The mucus that your body has made is to capture the virus and needs to be broken down. Hacking all night disrupts sleep, so managing a cough with food is easy to do. First, ditch all dairy. It’s mucus forming and you don’t need more. Get or take mushrooms like turkey tail, Chaga, and shiitake. More on mushrooms in episodes 131 and 132. Slather your chest in caster oil when you go to bed and try out cold wet socks overnight too.

1. Set yourself up first with cotton socks (kids socks that fit), larger wool socks (I used my own wool/wooly socks).
2. Warm your feet first, having them under a blanket or duvet and warm socks on.
3. Take the cotton socks and soak them completely with cold/ice water either running them under cold water or in a bowl of water with ice. Be sure to wring the socks out thoroughly so they do not drip.
4. Place cold wet socks on feet.
5. Cover with your thickest wool socks.
6. Put on sleeper or pj’s and go to bed.
7. Keep the socks on overnight.
8. Do nightly if your symptoms have not yet improved.

Dose up with nutrients. Your body is burning through vitamin C, magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin A and zinc, and 80% of your immunity in your gut needs a boost. Get all those from your daily supplement routine. My Take This by Lianne Alka C is buffered vitamin C so you can take higher doses without the gut issues, and it contains zinc too. Sunshine D3+K2 in higher doses, I take 10,000iu a day when sick, and double my Magnesium Bis-Glycinate capsules. Bio Boost probiotic flush, an intense three-day program is needed now too. 

Support not squash what your immune system is trying to do with some key foods and supplements, and it can help diminish symptoms and duration of what you’re body is dealing with. 

Listen to the segment below!