Top 10 Tips to Avoid Getting Sicker!

My last post included the top 10 tips to avoid getting sick…but what should you do when/if you succumb to the latest cold, flu or Covid virus? Consider the following.

1. First and foremost, never underestimate the power of rest.  Not only will you avoid exposing more innocent people by refraining from going in to work or running errands or attending that longer-for concert, but by staying home and resting you are likely to get over the creeping crud, fast. Do your best to get more sleep in the winter to stave off illness and recover faster when you get sick; if it’s dark and you’re tired, go to bed!
2. Let your fever work for you. Unless your temperature is hitting 103 or higher, you can rest assured that your body is making wise choices.   Nearly all bacteria and virus’ are quite temperature sensitive so even a slightly elevated temperature can help kill them off quickly.  This is what the Mayo clinic advises with letting most fevers take their due course. Read the details carefully when your patient is a young child.
3. As soon as you realize you’re coming down with something, make a plan for the Very First Night; email your boss or client cancelling all appointments for the next day and do the prep for a Ginger Tea Bath suggested in my book, Take Back Your Body.  Drinking ginger tea (keep a root in your freezer just for this occasion) while enjoying a hot bath acts as a diaphoretic (to elevate body temperature). See item #2.
4. Especially if colds tend to lodge in your lungs with a cough, start gargling right away with a little (1/2-1 tsp.) raw apple cider vinegar in a  small glass of water.  Gargle with it, then swallow.  Every hour or every time you think of it.  I found this remedy particularly helpful when I had Covid.
5. Keep those lung tissues moist by using a humidifier, especially if you live in a dryer part of the country, like Colorado.  A neti pot is also often useful to stay hydrated while also flushing through toxins.
6. Drink liquids throughout the day; hot water with lemon, green tea, herbal infusions–nearly anything without sugar or fake sweeteners.  If you’re urine is not a pale yellow, drink more!
7. And what about food??  Forget about it, if you aren’t hungry. That’s your body’s wisdom; since digestion takes a lot of energy, it’s common to lose your appetite when you’re sick. Another liquid to the rescue; bone broths. Homemade in a perfect world, but organic broths from a box are fine. They provide protein and fat to keep you going, without requiring much digestion energy.
8. Laugh.  Yes, laugh.  In between naps, leave your phone alone and watch a favorite funny movie or series.  Norman Cousins became quite famous for his research on this subject, and the U.S. Veterans Administration agrees with his conclusions in Anatomy of an Illness. On the rare occasions when I wake up cranky, I have a surefire solution: reruns of The Golden Girls. And if I’m concerned about a busy brain keeping me awake, I often end the day with a Mary Tyler Moore episode.
9. Choose wisely when you start to get your hunger back, focusing on soups and stews that contain one or more of the Three Musketeers for your immune system: garlic, onions and ginger. Avoid all sugars and sweeteners to prevent a setback.
10. Just like rest…never underestimate the healing power of prayer. Larry Dossey, M.D. wrote a fabulous book on this topic and the only reason he did was the amazing evidence shared with him by his patients.  Just remember: “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”

Thanks for reading. For all the latest and greatest, plus my Essentrics schedule, be sure to sign up for my free newsletter.  Keep moving and stay grateful.