Flu Season Tips from Janet Witte, RN

Concerned about the Flu Season?  October 2009 Update

Here are some common sense suggestions that also includes products Healthy Generations recommends.

We’ve used this plan successfully for years to avoid getting colds and flu.   

Living pro-actively is the KEY to staying well.

1. Adequate sleep.  8-10 hours for adults is best.  The body regenerates and heals during sleep.  A good old-fashioned nap is good for everyone.  Sleep before 10PM is a deeper, more restful sleep for most individuals.  Children’s bedtime is best by 8-8:30PM.  They do their growing during sleep and need more sleep than adults.  Keep the bedroom as dark as possible.  Light interferes with restorative sleep.   

2. Routine.  Don’t underestimate the value of routine.  Constant change and disruption creates stress, and stress weakens your immune system.  Regular times for meals, bedtimes, bath time, etc., create structure that helps create a peaceful home.  Everyone thrives on the security that healthy routines provide. 

3. Plenty of healthy foods, especially fresh or frozen organic fruits and veggies.  Cut up organic fruits and veggies for snacks.  During the flu season especially, make pots of homemade vegetable or chicken soup with plenty of garlic (nature’s antibiotic), and organic chicken/beef stock if possible.  Avoid junk food--white flour, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine all weaken the immune system.  Plan ahead for simple, healthy meals.

4. Plenty of pure water.  It’s easy to become dehydrated in the winter time.  Water keeps the toxins flushed out of your system.  You need ½ ounce for every pound of body weight.  If you weigh 150 pounds, you would need about 75 oz of water a day.

Children need more water and less juice.  The #1 cause of daytime fatigue and fuzzy thinking is dehydration.  Our immune systems require us to be well-hydrated.  Bottled water is expensive; find a water purifier that does at good job for 18-32 cents a gallon.  Shaklee purifiers make pure, delicious water for just pennies a gallon.

5. Fresh air. Get outside often- enjoy the fresh air whenever you can. The EPA says the air in our homes is worse than the air outside.  Look for a purifier that decreases significantly all the known pollutants, and does it in a way that is economical (figure cost per sq. foot, and upkeep costs). 

6. Regular Exercise is important, but don’t overdo it if you’re feeling under the weather.  Too much exercise can sometimes cause stress on the body and further deplete the immune system, so to recover eat adequate protein and quality food and get rest. 

7. Regular Hand Washing & disinfecting is important to minimize transferring germs.  Keep hands away from your eyes.  Wash hands before putting anything in your mouth and after blowing your nose.  Common hand-sanitizers should be avoided, as they strip away the natural protection of the “acid mantle” of the skin, allowing germs to pass through.

We use Basic G to disinfect the laundry, bathrooms, doorknobs, phones, computer keyboards, etc.  When you clean with “G,” germs aren’t going to regrow for about 72 hours.  Germ regrowth with bleach is about one hour.  Lysol is effective against 8 of the most common pathogens, but “G” kills 32 different pathogens.  Basic G is approved for hospital use; is very concentrated and economical. 

8.  Supplement with Pure Whole Food Concentrates.  Even the best of diets has gaps. 

We recommend “Prescription for a Healthier Life” as the foundation for any wellness plan.  These provide the best possible nutritional insurance for a healthy immune.   These supplements also has a perfect array of supplements for children, from infancy to teens. The world’s best multi for kids, and Mealshakes healthy and delicious shakes that kids love.

 Says Janet Witte, RN:  “In my experience, as previous owner of two health food stores, I realized that there is nothing like these nutritional science to help boost the immune system.  It wasn’t until I found Shaklee products that I was able to build my immune system. 

For the past 20 years we have almost never been sick. I used to take handfuls of ‘regular’ vitamins from our health food store and was sick A LOT!”    Our daily Shaklee choices consist of Shaklee “Vitalizer” vita strips, Cinch protein shake, VIVIX and Nutriferon to keep the immune system strong.

 Our Shaklee Herbal Medicine cabinet contains Performance Sports Drink powder, Defend & Resist (Echinacea and more),odor-controlled  Garlic Complex, Sustained Release Vita C, Herb-lax, Alfalfa.  These all have a specific benefit in attacking bacteria, and increasing the effectiveness of your immune system.

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9. Our “GET-WELL” Concoction that works!!  You’ll want to make sure you have the ingredients on hand.

At the first sign of a sore throat, or feeling sick, chew (or swallow) 2 or 3 Defend and Resist tablets.   Per instructions on the bottle, repeat 3 times the first day.

If you start to feel really crummy, drink this:
add Shaklee Performance in a big mug (3 to 4 tablespoons of powder)  plus 3 crushed Defend & Resist tablets; 3 crushed Garlic Complex tablets, and 3 crushed Vita C.  (use a mortar and pestle to crush the vitamins, and then add to the Performance in the mug). Add very hot, near boiling water, stir and sip.  You’ll start to feel better right away.  Keep drinking this till you are better.  Performance replaces vital electrolytes; the vitamins and herbs start to immediately sooths the respiratory tract, strengthens the immune system, and goes after the bacteria. Repeat in a few hrs.

10. Keep your bloodstream more alkaline.  Disease thrives in an acid blood stream, and many foods raise the acid level. Junk foods; sugary foods, high trans-fat foods are extremely damaging to the immune system.

Shaklee’s Alfalfa helps make the blood stream more alkaline, has detoxifying properties.

11.  De-stress your lifestyle.  It’s OK to accomplish less.  Prioritize.  What’s really important?  Do you think your family is involved in too many activities? Avoid violence--on TV, in video games, etc.  Even the “nightly news” is often too much of an assault on a healthy mind and spirit.  Who needs to know every bad thing that happened that day. Regular supplements like extra Vita C, B Complex, and Stress Relief Complex are great natural supports if you’re under a lot of stress. 

12.  Take more time for beauty, for quiet, and for music.  Simplify your life.   Meditate/pray, take a nice long bath, go for a relaxing walk, do nothing/putter, enjoy your hobby, absorb the beauty of nature, etc.  Get and give a massage at home or find a professional--there are relaxation/energy points on the bottoms of the feet and the palms of your hands.  Cultivate Gratitude.  Literally count your blessings.

13.  Surround yourself and your family with people you love. Practice forgiveness; hug your loved ones.    Do some kindness every day.  Pay it forward!

14.  Pray and trust God ~ not last, but first.

Janet L. Witte, RN, Certified Wellness Educator                                                                    

The above is not intended as a prescription, nor a promise to cure any disease.

I highly recommend products from the Shaklee Corporation. They meet my requirements for exceptional purity, potency, and performance.  The FDA regards Shaklee as the “standard” to which all vitamin companies should adhere.

I highly recommend that everyone use the foundational nutritional products, and stock their “Herbal Medicine Cabinet” with the items listed in #8 and #9