Last week we talked about the amazing immune tonic herbs we have available to support and nourish our immune system and “prime” it for winter. This week I’m sharing the other three steps which guarantee optimal health for winter.

Our 4 easy steps to prevent “illness-sabotage” this winter

1. Eat Well
2. Exercise regularly
3. Relax & have Fun
4. Supplement with immune tonics

Step 1: Eat Well

Did you know that the Food you eat has the power to keep you well or contribute to you getting sick?
 For example the vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients in our food are integral to the functioning of your immune system. If they are readily available in the body the immune system can draw upon them in times of need (i.e. when we are exposed to a virus). A healthy immune system attacks the virus and renders it harmless – most of the time we would never know that we have been exposed to a bug.
If however we have a diet high in sugar, processed foods, preservatives and unhealthy fats, our immune system is compromised because these foods actually deplete our immune system. They “disarm” it.  So when the time comes to fight a virus, our immune system is not only weakened by the sugars, fats, and refined foods, it also doesn’t have the available nutrients to draw upon to “fight the battle”. The result being, the virus infiltrates your line of defence and takes up residence in your body. And you soon know about it!

Channel 9 news recently reported (16/4/12) that each year 80,000 Australians will get the flu. 15,000 of these flu victims will end up in hospital with a further 2,000 deaths.

We have noticed in-store and in our clinics a much higher influx of clients and patients with colds, flu, gastro and viruses… and winter hasn’t even started yet!

The thing to remember though is that the flu is a virus that has been around for thousands of years and every year, at about this time, we are at higher risk of infection from viruses because of increased exposure to them. We have no control over this exposure but we do have control over our immune system and we can “prime” it so that it can beat off any nasties floating around.