Tips To Treat & Prevent Cold & Flu This Winter

Benjamin Franklin said “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” and this week I got some tips on how to prevent cold and flu as well as treat them naturally. I got to go to #MomsClubBrunch hosted by Boiron Canada at the wonderful new Toronto Birthing Centre. The Centre will get it’s own post in the near future because it is breathtaking to see where we are going with child birth.

Tools to prevent and treat cold and flu

I got to engage and network with other bloggers and listen to Dr. Victoria Resendes, ND (Naturopath) and Margaret Wallis-Duffy, RMT (Registered Massage Therapist) talk about ways to not only fight cold and flu, but ways to prevent as well, and all naturally. Boiron, which I love and use for our family was there as well, and it was great to put some faces to the company. If you want to learn about my love of Boiron products you can read here and here.

3 Tips To Prevent

1. First off I learned that it is never to early to start on probiotics, which are the healthy bacteria that is already found in your gut and is your first line of defense. You want to get the good stuff that is gastric-resistant and the more strains the better (think 8+ strains), this does not exactly mean it needs to be expensive. Something I didn’t know is that you can buy probiotics in a powder form and feed your baby some in their mouths from your finger tip. It is important to take probiotics daily but especially important after taking a round of antibiotics that are broad spectrum, as they kill the healthy bacteria in your body as well.
2. Secondly, lets talk vitamins. We all need them and we really need to get in the habit of taking them daily. There is no need to take a bunch of different pills, as lots of vitamins are combined in groups, and some vitamins are better taken in a liquid form (such as cod liver oil and vitamin D). Another great option is ACES+Z which is vitamin A, C, E, Selenium and Zinc all in one little convenient pill, #winning!
3. Dry brushing is something I am pretty sure my mom told me about a few months ago and I just wasn’t listening. It requires you to use a stiff brush and do small strokes on your skin starting from your ankles and working your way up and always towards your heart. This allows your lymph fluid to move to your lymph nodes and be eliminated from your body and also improves circulation and oxygenated blood to your organs, another great tip.

And even if you do all of these things there is most likely going to be something that happens and the dreaded cold or flu will come in and attack you or your loved ones. There are things you can do to make recovery quicker and less painful.

Boiron products to the rescue

3 Tips To Recover

1. Start taking your homeopathic medicine at the first indication that something is not well. Don’t wait until you are on death’s doorstep before you open up your medicine drawer. This will not only make your illness shorter in duration it will also make the symptoms less severe.
2. You can do simple simple drainage technique to drain your (or your child’s sinus’). I found a site that explains this here. After you drain the sinuses either blow your nose or use a nasal aspirator on your child to remove the mucus. Once you clean up the nose Coryzalia® is a great way to treat sneezing, congestion and runny nose.
3. Herbal tea’s are a great way to help you when you are not feeling well. Herbal teas that contain ingredients like Licorice Root, Echinacea, Marshmallow root and even green tea help with symptoms of colds and flu.

Aria had a clear favourite

As if all those tips are not enough Margaret Wallis-Duffy has also put up a wonderful tutorial on how to get rid of gas and colic in a baby with a wonderful and easy baby massage tutorial on the Wallis For Wellness website (you can check it out here).

I have a pretty nice arsenal of both homeopathic remedies as well as DIY’s with what I have in the cupboards and fridge, but I am always wanting to learn more.

What tips do you have to prevent or treat illness, would you care to share?

Aneta Alaei

Aneta is a Toronto-based mom of four that loves a good meal, great company, and learning something new. In her free time, you can find her trying to keep yet another plant alive.

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