Boosting Your Immune System and Battling Cold & Flu Season

It was a lovely and beautiful holiday season, and now a new year is here! Wow, welcome 2014! With the cold winter season, and most likely less than ideal diet from holiday festivities can come a weakened immune system, especially when it seems like everyone around us is getting sick. It can feel like it is just a matter of time before it catches us. And when it does, it can feel like it is lasting a lifetime. Using some potent plant elixirs on your body and in your diet can really make a difference in how you are feeling and help clear up any funk faster and completely naturally.

Why you should avoid using mainstream cold & flu medicine:

Many common cold & flu medicines can contain extremely harmful ingredients such as (but not limited to);

• Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) which has been linked to hemorrhagic strokes and schizophrenia;
• Acetaminophen which is known to be linked to liver damage and failure as well as asthma, infertility, and hearing loss;
• Pseudoephedrine has been linked to anxiety, hypertension, arrhythmia and even myocardial infarction (heart attack), etc.

These are a just a few of the dangerous active ingredients found in common cold medicine and the problems don’t stop at just the active ingredients. Health consequences can come as a result of;

• Exposure to the many other harmful chemical preservative additives that main stream remedies often contain. These dangerous preservative additives can mimic your body’s hormone production (with none of the benefits of your natural hormones) and interfere with your body’s endocrine system;
• Ingestion of Carcinogenic artificial dyes & artificial flavorings that can cause high blood pressure, autism, immune diseases, heart disease, migraines and unexplained pain.
• Leaching chemicals from the containers they are packaged in like BPA, PVC and phthalates that have been linked to cancer, infertility, obesity, depression and early puberty in children.

And if you’re thinking building artificial immunity is the solution, think again. Flu shots generally contain (among other things) a little over 12 mcg of mercury, when only 0.1 mcgs per kilo of weight is considered safe for humans. That means 1 flu shot is deemed UNSAFE for a person weighing 265 lbs or less.

Best to avoid all that. Stick with natural remedies such as drinking lots of water and fluids, getting plenty of rest, making sure you’re getting enough vitamin D, light exercising and applying some potent plant elixirs to your body & foods. There are many amazing herbal plant elixirs that serve a healing function. Here are some of our personal recommendations from our store:

Immune Illume is an antibacterial, anti-fungal antiviral plant elixir that contains hyssop, thyme, ravensara, rosemary, eucalyptus and oregano. It can be used to inhale straight from the bottle, or apply inside the nose. Add a few drops to a bath. Massage into chest and sinuses or diffuse in a humidifier. It can also be added to your culinary creations, it goes wonderfully with olive oil, in tea or mixed with a medicinal raw honey. Immune Illume can help alleviate allergies, and cold symptoms.

Immune Illume + Hotberry is a warm and fuzzy version of regular Immune Illume. This potent antibacterial, anti-fungal plant elixir has a delicious aroma of schizandra berry, seabuckthorn berry, ginger, clove, cinnamon, turmeric & grapefruit. Apply it to the chest and sinuses or add a drop or two to chocolate, tea or honey. The perfect immune booster that will leave a warm feeling all over.

Nothing is more difficult than seeing your child having difficulty breathing at night from their cold, this is a great option for replacing petroleum based vapor rubs that works beautifully for grown ups too! This Immune Illume Breathing Balm is for applying to the chest and liberating the sinuses. Also for protecting the inner nose. This liberating balm is made fresh with rosemary, eucalyptus, inula, chamomile, oregano and thyme.

Another great option to help clear the sinuses and mind! Lungevity Breathing Balm can alleviate allergy and cold symptoms with one drop on the chest, face & sinuses. Or simply inhale to open the lungs and clear a foggy mind. This fresh aromatic elixir is made with marjoram, frankincense, black spruce, chamomile, niaouli and peppermint, all of which are traditionally known to be strong anti-allergic agents.

Breath in the cool clarity of this Living Libations Tonic that you just roll on to your neck, temples or spine to relieve tension, energize your mind & lift your senses. Great for creative & focused work, air travel and treatment of headaches. Fresh lively essences of Lavender, lemon, peppermint, and tansy will lift you from your brain fog and help you take on your day!

Your immune system has a better chance of fighting illnesses when your body has proper circulation. Our lymph system needs gentle stimulation in order to absorb the nourishment is needs and eliminate waste and toxins from our bodies. Using a dry brush with Lymph Tonic activates the entire lymphatic system while stimulating the endocrine, circulation, immune and detoxifying systems. Apply 1-2 drops to your palm and run the bristles of a dry body brush over the oil. Begin dry brushing your body from toes to head and always in the direction of your heart. Also may be used for massage, bath and body oils. Created with undiluted essential oils of cypress, rosemary, laurel, eucalyptus & yarrow.

Here is a great way to help reach your vitamin D intake goal! SunDew Transdermal Vitamin D Créme has 2000 IU’s of vitamin D per application on the face and 100,ooo IU’s per jar. While sitting in the sun for a few minutes is wonderful for the body and soul, sometimes too much sun can lead to burns. Adding this to your sun exposure can aid you in your recovery process and while you’re at it, prevent premature aging. This jarred sun light is filled with organic ingredients of rosewater, rosehips, aloe vera, jojoba, herbal infusions of horsetail, nettles, marshmallow, sea buckthorn; Vitamin D3; rosewax; sandalwood, turmeric, ginger, immortelle, frankincense, lavender, rose otto, palmarosa & thyme linalool; rosemary & sage antioxidants.

Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it and hope it helps get you through this harsh winter!

Many Blessing,

Alicia