Autumn Immune Boosting

It’s that time of year when the kids are heading back to school and there’s a whiff of Autumn in the air.

Evenings are a few degrees cooler and you’re almost reaching for the central heating dial but telling yourself it’s ‘WAY too early’.

September is also one of the busiest working months of the year (for me anyway!); as we return from holiday and are confronted with just four months left of the year to do all the things we said we’d do in January but haven’t quite happened.

So, to help you keep up with the pace and ward off those school lurgies – here are some of my personal favourite immune boosting tips.

Get your gut into good health

It’s responsible for two thirds of your immune system, after all.

Your natural gut flora is unique to you and evolved over generations. Every time you take antibiotics or have a bad stomach bug, you wipe out large quantities of the good bacteria – the real troopers.

Invest in a good pre and pro biotic. There is some theorising that these can be particularly beneficial for people without an appendix (like me). But there’s enough there for a whole other blog.

This is a great book if you want to read more on the subject.

Refuel the vitamin tank

If you feel a sniffle coming on, nip it in the bud with lots of fresh smoothies. Ideally with all the pressed ginger than you can muster.

A supplement I swear by is Wellness Formula. The tablets used to be torpedo size and horrible to get down, but they now come in easy-to-swallow capsules. Always read the label!

Consider some herbal healing

My weak spot is my chest. I often fight colds very quickly but am left with a lingering cough.

My new found remedy is fresh thyme. Steep it in hot water for five minutes, strain, add some honey and lemon and drink up. It’s actually quite tasty and the antibacterial properties of the thyme are brilliant for clearing up chest infections.

I also find it a great cough remedy and much better than over the counter syrups.

Get some shut-eye