This time of year especially those little cold and flu bugs love to fly around, here are a few of my natural remedies to keep yourself in your best health!

1. Neti Pot
A Neti Pot naturally cleanses, refreshes, and protects the nasal passages, one of our body’s first lines of defense against illness.   It is also the best way to fight sinus problems and infections.  I swear by mine and have given them as Christmas presents for years.  My family may roll their eyes at me upon first receiving it, but the next time I see them they are telling me all about how they can’t believe that it worked.

2.  Dry skin brushing
Dry skin brushing is one of the best ways to detoxify the body.  Besides removing dead skin layers, it strengthens the immune system cleanses the lymphatic system, stimulates circulation, improves the function of the nervous system and improves digestion.  That is only naming a few of the benefits.

Brush your dry skin before you shower from toe to head.  I also, choose to repeat affirmations while I am doing this, as I am paying attention to my naked body and it is easy to pick out flaws or rush through it.  When I was first introduced to skin brushing, I was told to make each stroke go to my heart.  So, from toe all the way to my heart, from fingertips to heart, every stroke leading to the heart.

3. Hot to cold showers – Contrast showers
This is an amazing way to boost your immune system and remove toxins.  It also gets your circulation going, stimulates digestion, and is definitely an energizer!  What you do is start out with your shower at a warm, comfortable temperature and then turn it up as hot as you can handle and stay there for 30 seconds, then turn the temperature as cold as possible for 30 seconds.  Continue switching back and forth 7 times and remember that you are strong, that you can handle it and that you are healing yourself.

5.  Garlic straight up
Garlic is a natural anti-biotic. It is highly anti-fungal, highly anti-bacterial, highly anti-parasitical, and high in antioxidants.   I first learned of the power of garlic when fighting cold and flu bugs from my favorite little health food co-op in Ocean Beach, San Diego.  I was miserably sick and missing work was impossible (it’s kind of impossible to call in sick to tour).  I was checking out and asking the cashier for his advice on several of the products he was buying.  He told me that the sure fire way to beat it was eating 3 cloves of garlic, straight up and he was right.   Just this week, I learned a trick for helping it go down from my lovely friend Rainbeau Mars.  She says to stuff the cloves of garlic in a date.  Of course, it is still super strong, but boy does that date help!

5. Ginger Tea with raw (local) honey
Follow up the raw garlic with a nice mug of fresh ginger tea with raw honey.  Eating raw garlic may cause a bit of nauscia, but the ginger tea will soothe it immediately as well as providing more health benefits.   The ginger tea relieves sore throat, minimizes symptoms of allergies, the common cold, and other respiratory disorders.  Also, both ginger and raw honey have anti-fungal properties.  To prepare the tea, wash and peel about a thumb size piece of ginger.  Slice it into thin pieces, but don’t worry about it being too perfect!  Place in a mug and pour hot water over.  You can strain it, but I usually just leave the ginger bits in, as they stick to the bottom anyways.  Let steep for 5 minutes add honey and enjoy!

My biggest piece of advice when you feel symptoms of a cold or flu coming on, is to RELAX!!!! Repeating over and over to yourself, “Oh no, I think I am getting sick.”  “I can NOT get sick right now!”  “I can not believe I am getting sick!”  or anything else contrary to popular belief will not help you to get better.  All it does is put more of your attention on being sick and that it is wrong to be sick, which means you are adding stress to whatever else that you may be feeling.

I always take it as a cue to slow down and take better care of myself.  That may not always be the easiest thing to do, but it works.