Create Your Own Health Arsenal: Build A Strong Immune System & Treat Symptoms Naturally

Written by Kari, Contributing Writer

This is a transitional time of year for almost everybody out there. School has started up again, summer is almost over and the cooler months are on the way. All of this means that we are going to have to pay more attention to keeping our immune systems strong so those ever present germs and bugs don’t have a chance to wreak havoc inside our bodies!

Even healthy families and houses can experience the sniffles, coughing and that ‘yucky’ feeling, but do we have to resort to the Cold/Flu aisle at the local grocery store to get us through these times?

Absolutely not!

I can’t tell you the last time I bought OTC medication for my family when those runny noses, sore throats and coughing made an appearance. I made a decision eight years ago, after my daughter was born, to take care of these issues in a better and more safe way. First and foremost my husband and I pray over our children and ourselves and speak healing scriptures over us. That is always our main defense – then we attack the natural symptoms in the body so we don’t have to just ‘wait it out’. We usually get things nipped in the bud quickly and these symptoms never go longer than a day or two.

Often times adults and children alike have weakened immune systems due to a myriad of reasons, including antibiotic use, poor nutrition, lack of activity and exercise and stress – just to name a few. Along with addressing these issues, there are several things that are in my go-to ‘health arsenal’ that are natural and safe and I feel comfortable in giving my family knowing they are beneficial to our bodies and not harmful or toxic.

How To Keep Your Immune System Strong and Treat Symptoms Naturally

1. A  healthy diet

This is extremely important. If your body isn’t getting nutritious food that support the functioning of the body, your natural immune defenses will be down and this makes it so much easier for germs, viruses and bacteria to enter in and take root. So, eliminating or decreasing processed foods, eating fresh and living foods, drinking plenty of water and eating a good variety of macronutrients (healthy carbs, healthy fats and protein) is a sure way to keep the immune system strong. We also like to make our own ‘Spa Water’ around here that livens things up a bit while adding some healthy goodness to our water intake.

2. Vitamin D

When sunshine decreases in your area and you’re not spending as much time under those beautiful rays – then supplementing with Vitamin D3 is a must. Now, D3 is a fat soluble vitamin and is better assimilated by the body when taken with a fat. This is why it’s best to take Vitamin D3 with Cod Liver Oil (which contains concentrated vitamin D, vitamin A and is the #1 source of EPA and DHA). As an added note – we also lay off the sunscreen for the most part. Unless we’ll be outside in 100 degree weather for hours on end – we don’t use sunscreen. We welcome the healthy sun to do it’s job and give us natural Vitamin D! Instead we just use coconut oil or a special oil blend I make specifically for time in the sun.

3. Probiotics

The health of your gut can determine your overall health. It’s important to keep our gut populated with good bacteria and eating probiotic-rich foods is the best option. Full-fat yogurt, dairy kefir, coconut kefir, amasai, summer sun pickles, water kefir, kombucha, kimichi and beet kvass are good examples of cultured food alive with good bacteria. If needed, supplementing with a high quality probiotic is the next best option.

4. Herbs

Used since the beginning of time, herbs are amazing and there are so many things you can make with them that strengthen your immune system or attack the bad invaders if they’ve already settled in. A few of my favorite recipes that we use all the time are Elderberry Syrup, Safe Cough Syrup, Natural Remedy for Sore Throats and Immune Strengthening Herbal Tea Blend. I also like to incorporate essential oils for even better results. Even simply combining eucalyptus, rosemary and lavender essential oils with some almond oil makes a good rub when you have congestion and a stuffy nose.

5. Juicing

I am a huge advocate of juicing and for many reasons. I have experienced nothing but positive results with my family ever since we began juicing 5 years ago. Regular juicing removes toxins, cleanses on a cellular level and gives your digestive system a break! If you need to treat symptoms you see coming on – add ginger, garlic, beets, parsley or wheatgrass! Here are some of my day to day recipes we like in our house.

Choosing to make our own products has not only saved us a lot of money, but I also believe it has saved our bodies from untold amounts of damage. I have always valued the remedies of years gone by that were used by old-time grandmothers from the farm, civilizations that only had the substance of the earth to rely on and just good old common sense!

There’s no reason to fall prey to these transitional symptoms that try to show up this time of year. Start with a solid foundation of a good diet and include the other beneficial goodies as a way to keep your immune system strong and to treat symptoms naturally!

Take charge with your family’s health and make a quality decision to only take care of them using safe and natural methods! Doing this is a long term investment that pays off with long and healthy lives!

Make yours a LIFE WORTH LIVING and be confident in the fact that it is possible when you realize the reality of HEALTH MADE EASY!

Some good points to remember:

1. Just because something is ‘natural’ doesn’t mean it’s safe for everyone. Make sure you are able to consume the herbs you want to use, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, have high blood pressure or are on blood thinners.

2. Natural remedies typically go to the root of the problem to take care of the issue, so you need patience. Most OTC medications just cover up the symptoms so you feel ‘relief’ faster. What happens, though, is the issue lasts longer than it should since you never get to the root of the problem. So, don’t give up!

In what ways are you creating your families health arsenal?

*this post is linked to: Encourage One Another, Titus 2sdays, and WFMW*