Healthy Booster Shots

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http://www.eyeweekly.com/wellness/article/47803 Booster shots Toronto

holistic health experts share their best tips on how to improve your

immune system to fight the running-around rundown blues.

BY Damian Rogers December 17, 2008 21:12 Helpful herbalsWhat

does herbalist Celina Ainsworth do when she feels a cold coming on? "I

think it must be because I'm around herbs all the time, but I almost

never get sick," says Ainsworth, who runs The Herbal Clinic &

Dispensary (409 Roncesvalles, 416-537-5303). She credits herbal tea,

which she regularly drinks in the evening, to keeping her in good

health. "There's something so comforting about a big cup of hot tea,"

she says, suggesting peppermint, elderflower and chamomile for everyday

use and well-known immune-boosters like astragalus for those times when

you know you're losing steam. "And add some ginger slices to the pot

with fresh lemon and a good quality honey."For tackling that

telltale tickle in the throat, she says, "My first instinct would be to

do a little gargle with rosemary, sage and thyme, with a pinch of

salt." (Insert Simon and Garfunkel joke here.) Ainsworth recommends

making a "nice, strong infusion" on the stove and gargling with it

while it's still warm. "Boneset is excellent for fever and colds, and

so is catnip, which will also help you relax," she says, pointing out

that stress has a big impact on the body's ability to fight off

sickness. For an easy, off-the-shelf option, the Dispensary

sells prepared blends in both tea and tincture form to boost immunity

(a mix of licorice, astragalus, cleavers, cat's claw, anise and

blupleurum) and soothe a cold or flu (a mix of elderflower, echinacea,

boneset, chamomile and peppermint).Eat less, eat betterForget

the "feed a cold" adage — if you're sick, heavy comfort food isn't the

answer. Vegan cookbook author and holistic nutritionist Jae Steele (www.getitripe.com)

says it's best to basically follow a detox diet: avoid caffeine, sugar,

white flour and dairy. But of course, that doesn't mean you should

starve yourself. A good, steaming bowl of soup can be one of the best

things for speeding up your recovery time. Steele includes several

helpful recipes in her book Get It Ripe (Arsenal Pulp Press), such as

Mighty Miso Soup and Immunity-Boost Juice. Ainsworth agrees

that eating as lightly as possible will help your body rest and

suggests taking all herbal remedies on an empty stomach. She recommends

traditional Chinese wei-qi soup, which combines herbs such as

astragalus with immunity-boosting mushrooms such as reishi and

shiitake. "It's good to make a big, stocky brew and sip it throughout

the day," she says.Naturopath Millie Lytle (www.millennialytle.com),

author of the popular blog Millie Says, keeps it simple. "When I'm

feeling rundown, I cut all the sugary treats, coffee and alcohol and

put myself to bed," she says. "Plus I keep a pot of a boiled tea of

sliced ginger, cinnamon stick and cloves on the stovetop, constantly

dipping, refilling and boiling up. Sometimes I add lemon, honey or

garlic. It really helps warm up the body from the stomach to the tip of

the nose to the toes."Smarter supplementsOne last word to the wise — it's not just what you take to get better, it's how often you take it. "You

can take vitamin C every hour," says Steele. "The key thing to be aware

of when taking anything anti-fungal, anti-bacterial or anti-viral is to

hit it frequently in small doses. Bacteria replicates really quickly,

so don't overload your system with one big whammy." She says cycling

through different methods of attack — say oil of oregano at noon,

colloidal silver at 1pm, a homeopathic remedy at 2pm — is the best way

to beat the bug. As for vitamin C, avoid commercial

preparations that include sugar. "The cell receptors that are

responsible for the intake of vitamin C are the same ones that absorb

sugar," Steele says. "If there's a competition between the two, sugar

always wins. And avoid orange juice — it's mucus-forming. Use fresh

lemon. Or parsley — parsley is an awesome source of vitamin C." The

best thing you can do is to skip some parties and catch up on your

sleep. "I hate those cold-medicine ads that promote the idea that you

should keep going," Steele says. "Your body is telling you it needs a

rest."