Prepare your immune system before you get sick this winter

How well you do at something often depends on your preparation. The same is true for preparing your immune system before you get a cold or flu. It makes sense to support your health so it’s well equipped to carry you through winter. You can protect your immune system before a cold or flu arrives. This increases your ‘resistance’, making you stronger against potential infections. Often, people with a good strong immune system generally get sick less, (and if they do, they bounce back quicker).

How do you get a cold or flu and what can you do about it?

There are three stages to an infection, and each provides an opportunity to build and strengthen your immune response to keep you healthy:

1. Resistance phase – preparation before an infection starts
2. Acute phase – infectious phase of illness
3. Recovery phase – recuperation after illness

These Chinese herbs work well together to increase your resistance and prepare your immune system for winter.

• Astragalus membranaceus
• Ligustrum lucidum
• Atractylodes macrocephala
• Codonopsis pilosula
• Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi)
• Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian Ginseng)
• Schisandra chinensis
• Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Licorice)

How can herbs strengthen your immune resistance?

The herbs mentioned above can help strengthen your capacity to resist infection in a number of ways:

• Help to strengthen immune function
• Stimulate the production of white blood cells (protects the body from infection)
• Help restore the body’s resistance to minor infections
• Support the traditional Chinese Yin organ-meridian systems to optimise resistance to disease
• Provide anti-inflammatory and mild detoxifying effects which helps support the immune system
• Increase the body’s ability to resist and respond to stress in a healthy way
• Improve stamina and enhances vitality

Chinese herbal medicine can also help during the acute and recovery phase of infection. Over the coming months we'll take a closer look , so you can get through winter in great health.

Mr Vitamins recommends

Fusion Health® Astra 8 Immune Tonic (now extra strength!) to help strengthen your resistance and manage recurrent upper respiratory tract infections, colds, flu and sore throats this winter. Find out more about Fusion Health® Astra 8 Immune Tonic Tip for kids: Fusion® Health Astra 8 Immune Tonic can also be given to children either as a liquid dose in juice or as tablets which can be easily crushed and mixed with food (raw honey works really well). ‘Ask a Naturopath’ in store for specific help with the correct dose for your child. For more on staying healthy this winter, check out our Top Tips for Winter Wellness. As always, whatever questions or concerns you have about your health this winter, all you have to do is drop by Mr Vitamins and ‘Ask a Naturopath’.