It’s the most wonderful of the year.  Your toddler and school age children are going back to daycare and school.  Things are finally back to routine… that is, until they inevitably catch a cold/flu from one of their cohorts.  Then the whole family catches it too.

The key to minimizing the damage is prevention.  No, I don’t mean that short term band-aid solution know as vaccination.  I mean nurturing the immune system from the inside out.  A healthy immune system should be able to recognize a cold/flu virus quickly, start an effective fight and finish things off in 3 to 7 days.  The best part is, when you catch a disease and fight it off naturally, you retain the immunity for life, unlike vaccination.  When you encounter a similar virus later, you may have partial immunity too.

Before going back to school, here are a few things to get your immune system ready to fight a good fight.

1. Reduce the sugar in your diet.  That includes candies, desserts, snacks, sodas, granola bars, and juices.  Yes, I said granola bars.  Sugars, naturally existing or added, prevent your white bloods cells from working and the effect can last for hours.
2. Get the proper sleep required.  Melatonin is a hormone which helps your body sleep.  It is also a potent immune stimulant.  The highest concentration of melatonin production is prior to midnight.  So the earlier you go to bed, the better your immune system.
3. Vitamin C of course.  Vitamin C is great for the immune system, but it is also great for refueling your exhausted adrenals after a busy summer.  We are more prone to diseases when our body is exhausted.
4. Homeopathic cold/flu preventions.  Your health food store and naturopath would be happy to introduce you some very effective remedies.
5. Oil of Oregano is excellent for the adults in the house hold, if you do get sick.

Remember, it is a great thing to get sick.  It means your immune system is healthy and fighting foreign bacteria and viruses.  An idle immune system is like an idle teenager, up to no good.  Allergies, auto-immune diseases, and even cancer are linked to unhealthy immune systems.