Building Your Immunity

Hi folks!
Cold and flu season is in full gear. I have felt some chills and aches begin to creep up, but so far have been able to keep them at bay. I have never had a flu shot and I don't take over the counter medicine when I do feel down. I try my best to use home remedies to keep the blues away, but will resort to CVS and the Doctor when I have too (temperature that won't go down, etc). Thankfully this has not happened to me in the past 8 years and I would like to think it is because of the immunity that I am building.

When I do feel like I have a tinge of something brewing, here are some easy at home practices that I use:

Supplements that I take daily: 
Zinc Poloquin Brand
Multi-vitamin (Iron free) Poloquin Brand
Vitamin D 2,000 IU Carlson Labs.
Biotin 
B12
Probiotic 2Bil. PU
Fish Oil SFH Brand
Apple Cider Vinegar- 2 tbsps, with water or a straight shot- helps to keep the body alkaline: even though it is acidic tasting, it creates alkalinity which helps to keep our bodies in a healthy balance. Our bodies need a slightly alkaline pH balance to be healthy but Western diet usually will push an acidic pH so this will help to balance it out. My great-grandfather drank apple cider vinegar every day from 20 years old, he swore by it and rarely got sick despite living in frigid Bath, ME and Tamworth, NH. For more info on Apple Cider Vinegar, click here.

When I feel that I am starting to get sick:
BONE BROTH- this has been the single most effective thing when I get sick. I pressure cook a chicken carcass or buy some bones from Whole Foods (Grass Fed Beef). Add sea salt, thyme, pepper, bay leaves, boil and then strain. Use this to create a soup or just drink as is. You will begin to feel better almost upon swallowing.

This is because a lot of our immune system lives in our bone marrow. Simmering bones allows ligaments to release healing compounds like collagen, proline, glycine and glutamine. Researchers have found that bone broth contains minerals in forms that your body can easily absorb: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulpher and more. Click miraculous bone broth to learn more!

Elderberry

Honey- Buy from a local farmer who uses bees to pollinate and is pesticide-free, raw and free or grown in an apiary. 

Magic Tea (Portuguese olive leaves, sea salt, honey)- This was taught to me by my step-father's mom, she says that these leaves heal anything. So far they really do seem to work. Olive oil is used as a cure-all for almost anything in the romance regions of Europe. They do live a very long time, perhaps they are on to something :) You can find Olive Leaf Extract at the herbalist or Whole Foods, it doesn't taste quite as good, but it does the trick. 

Sleep- A lot. That ALWAYS helps. 

Here's to YOUR health!

XO

Liz