Hi Loves!! Happy Tuesday! If you follow me on Instagram then you probably already know I was sick for about 5 days last week. Truth be told, I don’t get sick that often anymore now that I lead a healthier lifestyle (less stress, no more toxic work environment or late nights etc.) but when I do it seems to hit me like a ton of bricks and take me down pretty quickly. The last time I was sick was in September when I was in Italy which was WAY worse for me as I didn’t have access to all my wellness tricks and remedies since I was in a foreign country! I ended up having to take antibiotics while in Italy to get it taken care of.. but taking antibiotics is something I avoid at all costs as it wreaks havoc on my gut health and immune system. Getting sick last week was much like it usually is, it hit me fast and took me down even faster leaving me with no voice and body aches (I was actually crying at one point, I’m a big baby when I am sick, I HATE being sick so much!!!) but luckily I was able to take advantage of all my tried and true cold remedies to kick it in the booty in 5 days without having to take antibiotics, YAY! I have another post I did a while back on Cold & Flu Remedies, and I still stand by all of those tips (and I may be repeating some in here) but I thought it was time for an updated version as I have some new ones that really helped me feel better FAST this last time!

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MY COLD REMEDIES:

1. Foursigmatic Mushroom Tonic: Thank you to my BFF Celeste for turning me on to this one!! I like to use 1 packet of chaga + 1 packet of reishi with warm water + apple cider vinegar and lemon juice! The chaga packet is overflowing with antioxidant properties that support your daily wellness, energy levels, and immune system. Reishi has been shown to support the body’s sleep cycles as well as support occasional stress, and when you’re sick the less stress on the body, the better!

2. Ester-C vitamin C supplement: To be honest I take this supplement every single day to help me keep my immune system strong on the daily! Ester-C and flavonoids help maintain a healthy immune system as well as healthy cell function. Ester-C & flavonoids provides highly absorbable vitamin C and varied flavonoid compounds for synergistic antioxidant, immune and vascular integrity support! This particular supplement includes bioflavanoids, quercetin and rutin, which are free radical scavengers that complement the role of vitamin C.

3. Earthbar Wellness Booster: Wellness Booster is a powerful combination of herbal ingredients that synergize to boost the immune system. Some of the ingredients in this tincture are ginger extract, garlic extract, oil of oregano and grapefruit seed extract! I take a 1/2 TSP. 3-6 x a day depending on how sick I am feeling.

4. Garlic capsules: This particular supplement promotes good circulation, but garlic’s antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal properties can help relieve the common cold as well as other infections.

5. Pukka Herbs Ginger Tea: I like to add a little lemon juice and cayenne to my ginger tea! It warms the body as your drink it allowing you to sweat out the sick bugs! Also very soothing for the throat!

6. Traditional Medicinals Lemon Balm Tea

7. Anima Mundi Cold’s Cocktail: A sweet and spicy immune tonic that will support busting out bug out of the system.  Our formula contains herbs with potent anti-microbial, anti-viral and immune enhancing properties, like echinacea angustufolia and purpurea, along with a strong anti-microbial like Boldo leaf often used in the rainforest to expel bacteria. We utilize the freshest most vital ingredients like coldpressed ginger, cracked cell wall turmeric, fresh pressed lemon peel, and wildcrafted avenca from the Amazon Basin

8. Lemon: Lemon is another great source of Vitamin C which stimulates white blood cell production (vital for your immune system to function properly)  As an antioxidant, Vitamin C also protects cells from oxidative damage and boosts your immune system to help keep you healthy. Boil some hot water with chunks of fresh ginger and lemon juice! It’s soothing for a sore throat and settles an upset tummy and very warming for the body.

9. Fermented garlic cloves: I actually eat a clove of fermented garlic every morning (click here to read WHY) but I double down when I am getting sick! I know eating raw garlic sounds a little crazy but it seriously works! Garlic’s antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal properties can help relieve the common cold as well as other infections. If I am really feeling horrible I will do 1 clove 3 x a day! Adding garlic to your green juice and/or adding it to your steamed veggies or soup is great too! The more the merrier .

10. Gaia Herbs Echinacea Goldenseal: The ultimate immune system support!!!! Put it right into your hot tea or juice for an extra immune system boost!

11. Elderberry syrup: Not going to lie, I love the taste of this stuff 😉 regardless, taking Elderberry is a great natural way to protect against the cold and flu! Elderberries are particularly rich in flavonoids which help support the immune system, as well as digestive issues, allergies, and cystitis/urinary tract/bladder infections!

12. Fresh ORGANIC Orange Juice: Because……. Vitamin C!!!!! . whenever I am sick juicing oranges myself is the last thing I want to do- but if you have the energy to, by all means, go for it! I usually head to Whole Foods or Erewhon (or your local natural foods store) and get fresh squeezed organic OJ- the reason I stay away from processed OJ found at “normal” groceries stores is because those tend to be loaded with sugar (among other random unnecessary additives), which will create acidity in the body which just amplifies disease in the body.

13. Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C: I was introduced to this product years ago and I used to just take it when I was sick, but now I take it 2-3 times a week normally, and when I am sick I do it 3 x a day. Most of the common forms of oral Vitamin C tablets, capsules, powders, liquids and even Vitamin C from your diet can be difficult for your body to process which in turn effects the efficiency of how it’s absorbed by the body. As a result, much of this Vitamin C is never actually transferred into your bloodstream and even less of it makes it into your cells.. which means your not able to absorb enough of it to actually benefit from it! This is why I love Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C so much: it use liposomes made from Essential Phospholipids to maximize absorption. Phospholipids are primary building blocks of the cellular membrane: the thin, protective wall around each cell in your body. The phospholipid wall functions as a skin for each cell, keeping things in or out. While your body can make some phospholipid compounds on its own, others must be supplied by your diet. These are called essential phospholipids. Lypo Spheric Vitamin C gives you 1,000 milligrams of Vitamin C AND 1,000 milligrams of Essential Phospholipids in each packet, including Phosphatidylcholine, an important phospholipid required for maintaining a healthy cardiovascular, reproductive, immune, and nervous system.

14. Zinc: This is another supplement I take daily to keep my immune system strong, but it is especially important to take zinc while you are sick! Zinc works to support the body’s natural defense system which aids and improves immune system function. Zinc also supports the digestion and metabolism of important vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and other essential nutrients.

15. Wellness shots: Juice some ginger and lemons then sprinkle a little cayenne pepper for some added heat! Or grab some wellness shots from Pressed Juicery or your local juicer! Sweat that sickness out!

16. Fresh Ginger: Ayurvedic medicine has praised ginger’s ability to boost the immune system for many many years; it believes that because ginger is so effective at warming the body, it can help break down the accumulation of toxins in your body. Ginger is  also known to cleanse the lymphatic system, which is basically our body’s sewage system. By opening up these lymphatic channels and keeping things clean, ginger prevents the accumulation of the toxins that make you susceptible to infections. Ginger is also great for settling upset stomachs, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.

17. Probiotics: probiotics always. a healthy gut = a healthy body.

18: Alkaline greens + Green juice: an alkaline body is a healthy body! My go to’s are spirulina, chlorophyll, kale; all of the dark leafy greens! Lightly steam them or grab a green juice! Just make sure if you are doing a green juice there is little to no sugar in it! I may sound like a broken record about this but….sugar= acidity, acidity=no bueno!

19. Manuka honey lozenges: these SAVED me while teaching this past week.. Manuka honey is so powerful compared to regular honey. Click here for a great article on Manuka honey!! I have been using these particular lozenges for a while now and I get them at Whole Foods.

20. WATER: DRINK DRINK DRINK! Drinking lots of fluids will help keep your body hydrated, which will help it function properly and it will help flush out your system. Alkaline water in particular is great to drink all of the time, but especially when your immune system is compromised because it helps balance the body’s pH levels: our ideal pH is slightly alkaline (I learned a long time ago that an alkaline body is a healthy body)  essentially when the body is highly acidic it becomes a breeding ground for disease.

21. REST: This may be an obvious one, but for people like me it is hard to do nothing… however, rest is SO IMPORTANT especially when you are sick! The sooner you chill out and allow your body to only focus on healing itself, the sooner you will feel better, seriously. Not allowing your body adequate time to rest may result in prolonging or even worsening the sickness!

22. Stay warm!! Wear socks, bundle up, take hot showers or try a steam room!

23. Consider juicing or eating less solid/hard to digest foods: here is my theory on this – if you’re chowing down on heavy meals,  your body is inevitably going to use less energy to fight off the sickness and more energy towards breaking down those foods! Go for soups and lightly steamed veggies, or just easier to digest whole foods in general! I chose to juice the last 3 days of my sickness (along with warm teas, pureéd soups and my garlic cloves of course) and I feel like that really sped up my healing process! Juicing isn’t for everyone, but the idea is definitely worth keeping in mind!

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Ok, that’s all I’ve got for today bb’s.. for more tip and tricks on the reg follow me on Instagram! Also, if you have any at home cold remedies that i missed please please please leave them in a comment below so we can compile a list to share with others who are reading this post! And lastly before I go, if you’re currently sick I AM SO SORRY! I feel for you.. being sick is the worst, trust me I know! But try to stay positive, and do try the remedies I share above, and most importantly listen to your body and REST REST REST!

PS: have you checked out my new vegan e-book?!