> Health and Disease > Colds, Infections, and Viruses

You’re surrounded. The guy sitting next to you on the bus is sneezing—repeatedly—in your direction. The receptionist at work coughs and blows her nose as she hands over your messages.

Other than frequent hand-washing and avoiding direct exposure to people showing cold and flu symptoms, what’s a body to do?

Here are four natural strategies that promise to keep you free of sniffles.

1. Clean up your diet and reduce your risk

Most natural health experts agree that eating too many refined foods can inhibit the immune system’s natural defenses. Conversely, we can improve immune function by eating natural, organic foods and doing a regular cleansing program. Choose a complete cleansing program you feel is best suited to your needs and lifestyle. It should have clear, concise recommendations that include a dietary and lifestyle modification program.

Remember to add ginger, garlic, cayenne, and turmeric to your daily diet. These and many other common culinary spices add flavour and zing to your life while also adding an array of cleansing and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals to your meals.

2. Support your immune system so it fights for you

Whether you are trying to prevent a cold or hoping to speed your recovery from one, supporting your immune system is crucial. Start with the most basic immune-system nutrient
support team, including vitamins A, C, and E, along with the mineral zinc. Several reputable supplement companies formulate cold remedies based on these primary ingredients, oftentimes in combination with herbal immune boosters such as echinacea, astragalus, and goldenseal.

In addition to these nutritional and herbal supplements, sip several hot drinks daily such as ginger and lemon tea. Also include ginseng in your cold-prevention strategy, a herbal tonic with adaptogenic properties. Ginseng literally helps us to adapt to the many stresses that impede healthy immune function.

3. Make the most of mushrooms

More and more people are turning on to the powerful immune-supporting potential of mushrooms. Paul Stamets, the author of Mycelium Running (Ten Speed Press, 2005) reveres fungi as immune system miracle workers. A dedicated mycologist (one who studies mushrooms), Stamets’ list of antiviral mushrooms includes maitake, shiitake, and reishi. Choose a medicinal mushroom formulation that combines all three of these cold- and flu-fighting fungi.

4. Hone in on homeopathy

People of all ages and from all walks of life are trying the Royal Family’s primary health care approach–homeopathy. Children, pregnant women, and the elderly are considered especially good candidates for homeopathic remedies, as the preparations are easy to take.

Ideally taken at the first hint of cold or flu symptoms, homeopathic remedies are designed to gently encourage the body to shift into a balanced state conducive to healing.

Of course, not every natural remedy works for everyone. Find and use the remedies that work for you–then tell all your friends.

Source: alive #302, December 2007

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