Q: How Can I Encourage Natural Healing of An Illness?

Coreen: Here are ten ways you can encourage natural healing, as well as prevent illness in the first place:

1. Exercise - This is very important for overall health and well being. It’s also good for preventing illness as exercise boosts the immune function. Mood and energy are greatly enhanced with regular exercise.  Stress relief through exercise is the number one reason it prevents disease and illness.  Exercise reduces the negative side effects that stress creates.  If you are already ill, be careful about adding exercise into your routine and consult a doctor if you are unsure whether something will help or hinder your healing.

2. Hydration - It’s important to keep your body as hydrated as possible since dehydration stresses the body.  Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water daily.  If you are ill, it’s likely you are dehydrated as well, so you may want to drink above and beyond this amount to help you body restore itself.  Herbal tea can be included in your water count, and is a healthy way to soothe the throat and nasal passages.

3. Eat a wholesome, balanced diet - Food out of a box, fried food, sugar, high carbs, or a diet that isn’t balanced with the proper amount of protein, fat, and carb at each meal and snack may increase your risk of getting the flu or cold or other illnesses due to the decreased ability to digest and absorb good nutrition.

4. Probiotics - It is VERY important to get enough healthy organisms into the colon.  Imbalance of healthy flora allows too much unhealthy bacteria to build up, allowing the body to get sick much easier.  My favorite is Bio K, which is a fresh mini yogurt type product.  It has 50 billion healthy organisms and because it is fresh (not freeze dried or powdered), it seems to have the fastest and most effective benefits.

5. Good Multi-Vitamin/Mineral - Take this daily to ensure your body gets all the vitamins and minerals it needs to function at peak level.  I prefer liquid because it increases your ability to digest and absorb all the nutrients.

6. Good sleep - Lack of sleep will decrease the immune system and set you up to be more susceptible to the flu and other illnesses.  If you are already ill, getting plenty of sleep - at least a few more hours than usual - is essential to resting the body so it can heal naturally.

7. Vitamin C - Take 500mg throughout the day to boost your immune system.  Ascorbic Acid may not be the best source for many people.  I recommend bioflavonoid Vitamin C with Quercitin.

8. Oregano Oil - This oil is good for viral infections; you can buy it in an oil form which you can drop in water, or you can buy it in capsule form.  Echinacea, garlic, grapeseed oil extract, and olive leaf extract, are all good for infections of any kind, but are especially effective in healing viral infections.

9. Vitamin D3 - This is very important for boosting the immune system.

10. Eat regularly throughout the day - Try for 4 meals per day, however 5-6 small meals might be even better if you can manage this with your schedule.  Not eating often enough can lower the metabolism and immune function since your body begins to use muscle for energy, which is a destructive and catabolic process and wreaks havoc on the body.

If this list is overwhelming, simply focus on one or two tips that are workable for you, and go from there.  These are wonderful natural healing remedies when combined, but they are also each effective and important just in and of themselves.  Here’s to your good health, prevention of and recovery from any illness that comes your way!