The start of the school year and the approach of cooler weather require our organism to adapt to the changing environment.
This adaptation process has an impact on the immune response, and so brings up the question of how to stay healthy throughout the fall and winter seasons. Maybe this is the first time that your toddler will enter daycare and you’re worried that she may come down with colds or even ear infections. Or maybe your 7-year-old had two colds that turned into lung infections last year and you’re wondering whether there is anything you can do to prevent that from happening again this year. Perhaps you’re a mostly healthy 70-year-old who had a bad case of the flu last winter and your doctor has recommended that you get the flu vaccine, but you’re trying to find out if there are other options.
Natural Ways to Support Your Immune System
These are common questions raised by our clients and we can very happily say that there are homeopathic and other natural ways to support your immune system. In the first place there is the adaptation to the colder weather by ensuring your body stays nice and warm. One of the important ways to do this is by “warming” your diet. Secondly, there are supports that strengthen the immune system before the season of viruses arrives.
One such support that the whole family, young and old, can take to prepare the immune system for those viruses, is a mineral complex called Copper-Gold-Silver Oligosol. This complex is not strictly homeopathic, but it is a mix of the three metals in a very small dose and in a liquid form that is easily absorbed and used by the cells. Just 2 ml once per day for anyone older than 2 years old (half the dose for younger ones) for one month strengthens the immune system as a preparation for all the fall and winter flus and colds.
Being prepared for The Flu
There are many viruses that can make us feel miserable and give us a runny nose, sneezing and sore throat. They can last a week, sometimes more and if we are run down, they can turn into a more serious bacterial infection. Your MD doesn’t really have any medical help for these virus infections. He or she will tell you to rest and drink lots of liquids. Only in the case of a bacterial infection does conventional Western medicine have anything specific to suggest, namely an antibiotic. Literally this means “anti-life” and does nothing more than killing the bacteria. The immune system does not become stronger and the experience of infections recurring after a course with antibiotics might make us think that they even have a weakening effect on the immune system. Unfortunately, overuse of antibiotics has meant that bacteria are becoming more and more resistant.
The “flu shot” also will not prevent these common viral infections. The flu shot is a vaccine that is meant to get your immune system ready for infection by injecting you with three very specific viruses that are that year’s influenza viruses. In fact, while the body is responding to the flu vaccine viruses, the immune system has less attention for other infections. It is not uncommon for someone who just received the flu vaccine to fall sick with another kind of infection or problem.
Homeopathic medicine, however, is designed to tonify your organism and increase your individual adaptability on all levels, mental-emotional as well as physical, so that your organism continues to function optimally through all types of stresses and adaptations. Your homeopath can determine which of the over 5000 individualized remedies best resonates with you as an individual. This “similimum” will assist you and your entire organism, including your immune system, to adapt to all new and changing circumstances. If you are interested in finding the right remedy for yourself, the MICH Intern Clinic is the ideal opportunity for you and your family to get your individualized remedies at a greatly reduced cost. If it’s not possible for you to attend our Clinic, then you would be well advised to find a homeopath through the Professional Directory of your provincial professional association.
Carla Marcelis, ND, DHom
Carla brings dedication, passion and expertise as mission leader to the MICH Honduras Clinic and to her role as Director and teacher at the Montreal Institute of Classical Homeopathy. Visit her webpage to learn more about her and to read all of her blog posts.