How To Stay Healthy This Winter

By Lorrie Medford, CN

Today, our immune system is under attack from poor eating habits, lack of sleep and/or exercise, stress, and environmental pollution. There are many ways to protect ourselves and our immune system from seasonal challenges. One of the best ways is through good nutrition. From October to January, we are presented with dozens of occasions to eat white sugar and refined white sugar products. That’s also when the majority of people get the cold or flu! One serving of any type of white sugar product – from diet cokes to candy bars and cakes – depresses your immune system for the next six to eight hours! So, the first protection from sickness is to eliminate refined sugar. Secondly, get enough calcium in your diet. Calcium supports your immune system and is vital for its role in phagocytosis, or the ingestion of foreign bodies by white blood cells.

Standard Process offers many products that will help support your immune system from the stresses of modern life and changing seasons. Here are some excellent, tried and true products and how we use them:

There is about a six-hour window between the time that you first feel those familiar symptoms - stuffy nose or sore throat - and the time that you develop a full-blown nasty cold or flu. That's when you want to take action. For seven years, we have successfully used Congaplex, which contains both the whole foods vitamin A and C complex, support for the thymus gland, calcium, and other vitamins and minerals. If taken soon enough, you can nip a cold or even the flu in the bud. Congaplex contains nutrients which build the immune system, especially the thymus gland. It's great for flu symptoms, colds, fever, strep, virus or any non-specific infections. Take three capsules three times a day with meals. You can increase to four capsules per hour in acute stages. Add Echinacea-C to Congaplex for even quicker results.

Immuplex supports the entire immune system by nourishing each of the organs and tissues that work together. It’s a nutritional complex of nutrients from foods and extracts that are proven to strengthen the immune system. It’s so complete it can serve as your multiple vitamin during the winter season. It contains thymus support, antioxidants, vitamin B6, C and other nutrients. To prevent colds and flu, take one to two Immuplex daily.

Echinacea is popular for colds, flu, minor infections, and boosting immune functions. It has an excellent safety record and contains no known toxicity. Unlike a vaccine, which is active only against a specific disease, Echinacea stimulates overall activity of cells. Echinacea facilitates wound healing and speeds recovery from viruses. It may increase resistance to Candida, bronchitis, herpes and other infectious conditions.

MediHerb Echinacea Premium is wonderful for serious infections such as strep throat. We have recommended it as a natural type of antibiotic. It would take fifteen capsules of a grocery store Echinacea product to compare with one of MediHerb Echinacea premium.

Garlic has been used as an herbal remedy around the world for centuries. It’s great for heart health, lowering cholesterol, and has anti-cancer properties. Garlic has an excellent safety record and is well tolerated by most people. The most popular uses of garlic are for colds, flu and other infections, earaches, and high blood pressure. Excellent for its blood thinning, garlic is known for preventing hardening of the arteries and high blood pressure. Garlic is a protector against damage from free radicals.

Herbal Throat Spray from Standard Process, is a wonderful to have on hand during the cold and flu season. Use it at the first sign of a sore throat for quick relief and healing. It’s great for canker sores, candida, gingivitis and for teething babies. It helps to promote healthy throat tissue and supports the local immune system in the mouth and throat.

If you have any symptoms of Bronchitis or Pneumonia, I suggest this protocol: for the first two days, take these doses every waking hour: 1 Immuplex, 2 Arginex, 2 Thymex and 2 Cyruta Plus. My assistant, Carolyn, has followed this protocol twice and each time it quickly knocked out her attack of bronchitis.