Colder weather generally signals the upcoming cold and flu season, but did you know that it's not the cold weather that makes you susceptible?
 
The viruses that make us feel so gross this time of year enjoy the heat so are actually a result of the much closer quarters we share with everyone while we try not to go outside! Keep your immune system ready and your body healthy by following these tips for the season.

1. Wash your hands! Just like your mom used to say, washing your hands frequently, and especially before meals, is one of the best ways to make sure you'll stay healthy.
2. Get your flu shots! Immunizing yourself against the flu will not only keep you happy and healthy throughout the season, it will also help prevent the spread of the viruses to others.
3. Get enough sleep! Healthy sleeping habits lead to a healthy immune system. If you are avoiding a good night's rest, you may be putting yourself at risk for a nasty cold.
4. Keep exercising! Maintaining healthy habits will keep your body in shape to fight off the cold and flu viruses of the season.
5. Eat right! Make sure that your body has all the help it can get in the form of proper nutrition. Maintain your intake of essential vitamins and minerals, and limit your intake of sugars.
6. Smoking and drinking won't help. Both nicotine and alcohol disrupt sleep and health habits alike, which make them enemies of the season.
7. Look into the benefits of a Colonic! When the body encounters allergies or germs, it wants to get rid of these toxins by producing body fluids; hence the sneezing, watery eyes and noses during allergy season. The colon plays a role in throwing out toxins but if it is backed up, symptoms can intensify and affect the rest of body.

We found this excellent article on WebMD with tips on how to prevent a cold this winter. As you know, there are no known cures for colds and flu, so cold and flu prevention should be your goal. A proactive approach to warding off colds and flu is apt to make your whole life healthier. The most effective way for preventing the flu is to get the flu shot. It works better than anything else. But there are other strategies you can employ as well. Here are 8 tips you can use to help prevent colds and the flu naturally:

#1 Wash Your Hands
Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct contact. Someone who has the flu sneezes onto his or her hand and then touches the telephone, the keyboard, a kitchen glass. The germs can live for hours only to be picked up by the next person who touches the same object. So wash your hands often. If you can't get to a sink, rub an alcohol-based hand sanitizer onto your hands.

#2 Don't Cover Your Sneezes and Coughs With Your Hands
Because germs and viruses cling to your bare hands, muffling coughs and sneezes with your hands often results in passing along your germs to others. When you feel a sneeze or cough coming, use a tissue, then throw it away immediately. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow.

#3 Don't Touch Your Face
Cold and flu viruses enter your body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Touching their faces is the major way children catch colds and a key way they pass colds on to their parents.

#4 Do Aerobic Exercise Regularly
Aerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger quantities of blood; makes you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from your lungs to your blood; and makes you sweat once your body heats up. These exercises help increase the body's natural virus-killing cells.

#5 Eat Foods Containing Phytochemicals
"Phyto" means plants, and the natural chemicals in plants give the vitamins in food a supercharged boost. So put away the vitamin pill, and eat dark green, red, and yellow vegetables and fruits.

#6 Don't Smoke
Statistics show that heavy smokers get more severe colds and more frequent ones.

Even being around smoke profoundly zaps the immune system. Smoke dries out your nasal passages and paralyzes cilia. These are the delicate hairs that line the mucous membranes in your nose and lungs, and with their wavy movements, sweep cold and flu viruses out of the nasal passages. Experts contend that one cigarette can paralyze cilia for as long as 30 to 40 minutes.

#7 Cut Alcohol Consumption
Heavy alcohol use suppresses the immune system in a variety of ways. Heavier drinkers are more prone to initial infections as well as secondary complications. Alcohol also dehydrates the body -- it actually causes more fluid loss from your system than it puts in.

#8 Relax  
If you can teach yourself to relax, you may be able to rev up your immune system. There's evidence that when you put your relaxation skills into action, your interleukins -- leaders in the immune system response against cold and flu viruses -- increase in the bloodstream. Train yourself to picture an image you find pleasant or calming. Do this 30 minutes a day for several months. Keep in mind, relaxation is a learnable skill, but it is not doing nothing. People who try to relax, but are in fact bored, show no changes in blood chemicals.

BONUS: How Colonics can help
A clean colon - clear of the excess mucous -encourages the colonization of beneficial microflora, which strengthens immunity!

Resources: WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/11-tips-prevent-cold-flu

_As the cold and winter get into full swing, many of us will find ourselves suffering from the sneezing, wheezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes that accompany changes in temperature. But before you seek relief from harsh over-the-counter or prescription medications, prepare ahead with a PURE Colonic !   A clean colon-clear of the excess mucous-encourages the colonization of beneficial microflora, which strengthens immunity! Mucous forms in response to all kinds of irritants, so there are also some foods you should consider cutting back on (or eliminate altogether) during this time, such as wheat gluten, meats, and dairy products. Probiotic supplements (such as Culturelle) go a long way in helping your internal microflora garden grow.

Here are some helpful hints to help you take control:

1. Add a few drops of lavender oil to a pot of boiling water and breath in the relief!
2. Shower and wash your hair before going to bed instead of in the morning.
3. Invest in a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter.
4. Adjust your diet. Mouth itch when you eat apples and pears? You may have a tree-pollen allergy.
5. Try acupuncture

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