Fight Off Cold And Flu This Winter... Naturally

Do you tend to suffer from a cold or flu during winter? What makes it worse is the cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle aches and pains, fever and headaches which tend to go with it. If you are susceptible to a cold or the flu chances are your immune system is not working properly. If this sounds like you it makes sense for you to boost your immune system so you can remain as healthy as possible during the colder months of the year.

The common cold and flu is generally due to nutritional deficiencies, weakened immunity and the fact that you are getting older. It is true, that as we age, our bodies start to slow down. Therefore, supporting your immune system is essential to good health, longevity and happiness.

Support Your Immunity And Speed Up Your Recovery
We can easily support our immune function, as well as help speed our recovery from winter discomforts, by ensuring an adequate intake of special nutritional co-factors. Vitamins and minerals including Vitamin A and C, Selenium, Zinc, Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 have been proven to support immunity. Whilst special herbs like Garlic, Olive Leaf, Echinacea, Astragalus and Andrographis can benefit your body’s natural resistance to colds and flu.

Stay Healthy This Winter!
Supplementing with Vitamin A or Beta-carotene can help to maintain the surface layer of your gastrointestinal and respiratory tract. This encourages a protective barrier against micro-organisms from entering your body and it also elevates your immune response.

Vitamin C is a great micronutrient to help protect against colds and flu as well as enhancing your immunity. It increases anti-viral and anti-bacterial activity in your body and stimulates production of white blood cells to fend off unwanted pathogens. It works particularly well with Vitamin E. Both of these nutrients are antioxidants which aid in the prevention of cell damage.

Restore Your Immune Function
To help restore your immune function try using Selenium as it is a powerful anti-oxidant, and increases production of white blood cells. It is particularly useful in helping to eliminate toxins from your body.

Zinc is also great for your immune system. Poor smell and taste, white spots on fingernails and poor wound healing are an indication of Zinc deficiency. Zinc helps destroy micro-organisms, protects against free radical damage and is a necessary component of white blood cell functions.

Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 are responsible for the production and responses of white blood cells. A deficiency in these vitamins can cause shrinkage of the thymus (a major gland of your immune system), therefore impairing white blood cell function and increasing risk of disease.

Special Herbs Help To Fight The Common Cold And Flu
Herbs are incredibly useful when your immune system is compromised. One of Nature’s most powerful weapons in the war against winter’s ills and chills is Garlic. Garlic has become synonymous with maintaining healthy airways and resistance to winters ills.

Next is Olive leaf. This herb is wonderful for immunity and helps to fight against viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections. It is extremely beneficial for fending off colds and flu.

Echinacea is another special herb known to benefit immune function. It helps to activate your body’s natural defences against nasty bugs. Echinacea can help to protect against poor immunity and hasten recovery following ill health and upper respiratory infections such as catarrh, tonsillitis and sinus infections.

It is also an effective treatment if an infection or virus is contracted. Astragalus helps prevent the onset of the common cold and chronic viral infections. It has been shown to protect you against immune suppression.

Andrographis is a herb that has been used in traditional medicine in both India and China to help low immune function, digestion and liver problems. Researchers have studied the powerful immune benefits of Andrographis, where it has shown to strengthen natural defences against infections, such as the common cold and may help with cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle aches & pain, fever and headaches.

With winter approaching it is best to prevent immune deficiency, rather than treat infections as they occur. By consulting the professional staff at your local Healthy Life store, you can avoid the winter blues easily.