Hi,
Welcome back to Holistic Wellness TIPS where I'll share easy tips and guidelines to help you maintain wellness and deal with health issues naturally.
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Winter Solstice is less than a week away, but the temperatures have already taken a nosedive and folks are thinking about boosting immunity to ward off colds and flu. Let's winterize our bodies naturally.
In This Issue:
Let's dodge the cold and flu viruses! Colds and flu are the primary causes of school absences and missed days at work. Being exposed to a cold virus does not mean that you'll catch a cold.
You don't catch colds and flu when your immune system is robust enough to ward off the opportunistic virus that causes them. These are some reasons the immune system can become impaired:
- physical or emotional stress
- not enough sleep or rest
- too much sugar or processed foods
- not enough nutrient-rich fresh foods
- antibiotics, chemo, or other immune-impairing drugs
- general toxic overload in the body
The most common way for viruses to spread is hand to hand. An infected person may blow his nose or cough or sneeze into his hand. Before the hands get washed, the virus may be transferred to a commonly shared surface such as a keyboard, phone, or doorknob.
A handshake or a kiss will pass it along too. And watch out for the spray of someone's cough or sneeze.
Colds can last a week to ten days, or even 2 to 3 weeks when the immune system is shot. Here are some natural cold remedies and prevention strategies:
- Drink at least eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of filtered water daily.
- Eat healthy unprocessed food and avoid most of the junk and booze that's prevalent around the holidays.
- Reduce stress with meditation, yoga, or other exercise.
- If you must be around infected people, be conscious about not shaking hands or handling the same objects. Wash your hands with soap and warm water as necessary, but don't use antibacterial soap. It just creates more super-bugs that will be resistant to treatment.
- If you have to be on a plane for hours breathing recirculated air, wear a mask. The inconvenience will be worth not having to deal with a cold after you arrive.
- Take a quality probiotic to reinforce the immune function of the intestines.
- Use a daily multinutrient containing antimicrobial nutrients and antioxidants. I just discovered a FABulous formula called Jigsaw Complete
. Check out the quality and the amazing levels of Vitamins C and D and Omega 3s - plus way wayyy more... powerful immune support!
- Other protective phytonutrients are garlic, olive leaf extract, and oregano oil.
What's a common cold treatment if you do get a cold or the flu?
- Do all of the above preventive measures.
- Don't suppress a fever unless it gets up near 105 degrees. Viruses don't reproduce at high temperatures and a fever is an immune response to fight the invaders.
- Get some 3% hydrogen peroxide and do this: Lie on your side and put 3 drops in the 'up' ear. Wait a few minutes, then turn on the other side to let it drain. Repeat with the other ear. I've never tried this but someone else said it works within a day.
I love this soup any time of year, but it's an especially yummy comfort food in cool weather.
White Bean and Swiss Chard Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 large red pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 large green pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (1 tsp)
- 1/8 cup dried Italian herbs
- 2/3 lb tomatoes, diced
- 10 cups cold water or vegetable stock
- 3/4 cup small dried white cannellini beans, rinsed
- 1/4 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed
- 3 cups washed and chopped Swiss chard leaves, heavy stems removed
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions:
- Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, celery, peppers, and garlic until the onion is translucent - about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the Italian herbs and tomatoes to the aromatics; continue to cook for 1 minute, stirring often.
- Add the broth and beans. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer the soup for about an hour, or until the beans are tender.
- Stir in the rice and chard. Continue simmering the soup for about 45 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.
- Season with the salt and pepper.
Now serve it up with warm whole-multigrain bread and a mixed-greens salad. Mmmm... my mouth waters thinking about it.
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Here are some gifts to help you start off the New Year with good resolutions. Download whatever will be useful for achieving your goals. Feel free to share with anyone else.
- Scientific Fat Burning Secrets - Dr. Roberta Temes is involved with research on the behavioral factors associated with long-term weight loss. She offers 21 strategies to trick your mind into losing fat.
- The Affiliate Masters Course - Do you have a website or are you considering building an e-business? This FREE 150 page manual is the single best resource for becoming a successful affiliate.
- 10 Steps Toward a Smoke-Free Life - Addiction Psychologist, Dr. Randy Gilchrist, has compiled ten practical strategies you can use TODAY to break your smoking addiction.
OK folks... that's it for now. I'll be back later - maybe before next year. Enjoy the holidays!
I look forward to hearing from you. Your feedback and questions will help me determine the subject matter of future issues.
Take care ~ Enjoy life ~ Stay healthy!
Nony
Copyright 2010, Nony Morgan. All Rights Reserved. Holistic Wellness TIPS is published monthly or whenever. Reproduction of any material from this newsletter without written permission is a no-no.