I recently got a text from a patient asking for help. She had been sick for days. Frustrated, she asked...
"What can I do to feel better and make sure I don't keep getting sick?"
Good health starts in the GUT. There is a reason "flu season", which starts with Halloween, peaks at Christmas and dwindles by March, should actually be called "sugar season". There is a lot to be said about this, but for now, we will just address what to do!
Here are some ways to feel better and boost your immunity.
Drink Tea - choose warming spices for tea such as ginger or cinnamon. Add honey and/or lemon per your taste. If you don't suffer from GERD, Heartburn or Acid Reflux, you can make a "hot toddy" with hot water, ginger, lemon, honey and a dash of cayenne pepper. This will open your sinus cavities.
Use a Neti Pot: For a natural relief to runny nose or congestion, use a Neti pot every day. You can use the salt packets sold with the Neti Pot or you can also use 1/4 t. of baking soda + 1/4 t. of salt. Make sure the water you use is distilled.
Eat Nourishing, Warm Cooked Foods: If you don't have an appetite, just sipping on a good quality bone broth will help you heal. Mom was right - Chicken Soup does make you feel better. Stay away from dairy, so a big no to Cream of Broccoli soup. Dairy causes more phlegm and congestion. Stick with broth based soups and cooked vegetables while sick.
Eat White Foods: White foods help nourish the lungs, especially pears, daikon radishes, white beans and mushrooms. If you have a fever and are unable to sweat, eat scallions, onions or leeks. This helps release the fever.
Eat Raw, Fermented Sauerkraut: The best probiotic isn't in a pill - it is in naturally fermented foods. There have been studies showing that 2 tablespoons of raw sauerkraut per day naturally improve gut health. With improved gut health, you get improved immunity and mental/emotional health. Other good food source probiotics I recommend are: Kimchi or fizzy pickles. While yogurt is a natural probiotic, it is also dairy. Dairy leads to dampness and phlegm in the body, so be cautious if you are prone to this.
Take Vitamin D3 with K2 - take 1000 IU of Vitamin D3, no more than 2000 IU. Overdose of Vitamin D3 is more common than you might think. A safe daily dose is 1000 IU. Make sure the D3 has K2 included. While D3 helps with absorption of calcium, K2 guides the calcium to your bones and teeth, preventing it from sitting in your arteries and other soft tissue areas in your body.
Get Acupuncture - Acupuncture balances the Qi (energy) in your body to help with stress, reduce stagnation, eliminate phlegm, strengthen you when you're feeling sluggish and eliminate pain and accumulation when you might have indulged during the holidays. But most importantly, acupuncture treats the root cause of your unique symptoms. This keeps dis-ease away, including the pesky flu.
For questions or more information, please contact Dr. Simons at 702-613-3457 or drvlsimons@gmail.com. Keep living your best life!
