My Wellness Bag of Tricks

Hello all you stylish, conscious ladies! As the cold and flu season is upon us, I want to take this opportunity to share what I use to keep me and my family healthy. Everything we use and recommend serves one primary function: strengthening and supporting our bodies, particularly our immune systems. Remember one basic fact: healthy immune systems = healthy people! All year long, my family and I work to maintain a level of health by eating well and supplementing with good quality vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and certain herbs and essential oils. Much of what I know was passed on to me by my mom.
My mom began researching health and alternative therapies in the 80s, to combat her own serious affliction that no doctor could seem to. After years of study and application, she opened an alternative health clinic in Dallas, TX and was successful in helping people achieve levels of preventative health that were above and beyond today's norm. I have been happy to pass the wisdom on to my husband who, despite being the executive director at a school, rarely gets sick. My daughter, because she is nursing, gets smaller doses of whatever I take, which helps to strengthen her immune system and keep her healthy. So what I know and use literally is passed to her.  And now, I am passing it on to you...via this blog :)

I want to remind you all that nothing is a substitute for a nutritious, organic (whenever possible!) diet comprised of an abundance of fresh vegetables, fruits, and good quality-protein as well as an avoidance of too much sugar and chemically-processed food. But the majority of diets today lack vital nutrients and most people DO need to supplement. Even those who do eat as fresh/raw/organic as possible also find the boost we need from good quality vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant supplements. Particularly this time of year!

The following are the must-haves in my "medicine chest" or, as my husband Aaron calls it, my "bag of tricks":

A good daily multi-vitamin: I emphasize "good" because, as I have said before, not all supplements are created equal. Just like with anything else, there are high-quality brands and lower-quality brands. My favorite include: NOW, Nature's Way, Rainbow Light (I use and LOVE their prenatal!), Source Naturals, and TwinLab. I also use supplements from Isagenix and Young Living, two companies from which I derive and will recommend many products. When deciding on a multi-vitamin, you are looking for many things including how complete the ingredient list is, whether the ingredients are natural or synthetic, their potency and their bio-availability (how easily your body can assimilate them), etc. Read more here.

An Antioxidant Supplement: I use Ningxia Red from Young Living and my husband uses Ionix Supreme from Isagenix. Both excellent antioxidant tonics. Antioxidants can also be found in good multi-vitamins, but we take extra! Among many things, they counteract free-radicals from our environment, which are a major factor in aging and illness/disease, and they help the body cope with stress. Read more here.

Zinc: Scientists now know that Zinc can both prevent and shorten the duration/lesson the severity of a cold and perhaps other illnesses as well. The popular Zinc Lozenges are great for kids and adults. Remember, a good brand is key! We use and love the Source Naturals Wellness Zinc Lozenges. I take one every day, particularly this time of year.

Vitamin C: Yes, Vitamin C should be found in a good multi-vitamin BUT extra vitamin c is important when you sense that illness may be oncoming as well as while you are trying to fight something that has already hit. It is a major immune-booster. We get the NOW Foods brand of Vitamin C tablets in 1,000 mg doses. When you are sick, you need this much! If I feel something coming on, I will take 2-3 every day.

Echinacea and Goldenseal: When taken together, these herbs are amazing immune-boosters to help fight colds, flu, and other ailments. We use Nature's Way brand of Echinacea and Goldenseal at the earliest signs of being "under the weather" in any form. And we continue for the duration of a cold/flu. Read more about this powerful combo here.


And...homemade chicken soup! This is one of my favorite things to make this time of year not only because it is warm, delicious and hearty but because yes, it really is good for a cold. I LOVE soups and soup season! To make my soup, I buy a whole, organic, free-range chicken and boil it in a pot of 1/2 organic chicken broth and 1/2 water. Note: use a whole chicken with the bones because boiling it transfers the calcium from the bones into the broth! Once the chicken is cooked, I remove and de-bone (or Aaron does) and return the meat to the pot. To it, I add celery, carrots, peas and kale. I also make my own noodles, which is really very simple. I also add some fresh rosemary or thyme. Once done, serve it up immediately and over the next few days AND put some in the freezer for later!

Also, as my husband will tell you, the number one way to prevent the spread of illness is to WASH YOUR HANDS! He has his students sing "Happy Birthday" while they do it, and they aren't done until the song is over...so you might try this too. As always, comments are welcome and appreciated. Please use the comments section to ask me any questions as well.  Best of luck on your wellness journey!