Mums a bit run down

She has been getting colds for most of the last 6 months. In this post I explain the steps she should take to strengthen her immune system and get back onto the road to health.

Steps to Recovery

Take supplements
Get blood tested
Remove Toxins
Take Probiotics
Eat food that boost the immune system

STEP 1 Take supplements

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can be the cause of poor immunity. I had a period were I was sick for about 3 months with various ailments about 3 years ago, it turned out that it was caused by a zinc deficiency. I was back to strength quickly once I had identified the problem. In most cases mineral supplementation for a limited period is a no risk or low risk and low cost option so once you have ruled out anything obvious by visiting a doctor it should be the next step .

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Potassium
Magnesium
Zinc
Iodine
Selenium
Calcium
Iron
Vitamin B
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Cod Liver oil

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Echinacea
Olive leaf

[/tab] [/tabs] All the vitamins and minerals above can often be covered off in one tablet although you must read the label because often they miss important minerals. An example of a multi vitamin that covers off all the vitamins and minerals above would be here at justvitamins.co.uk. You can also get herbal supplements however with these it is best to buy high quality supplements as cheap ones can be useless. An example of a high quality supplement with olive and echinacea can be found here. With fish oil it is also best to spend more as better oil does not repeat on you and taste as foul.

It can be dangerous to take iron supplements ongoing if you are male or post menopause.

STEP 2 Get Blood Tested

Vitamin b
White blood test
Cortisone levels
Thyroid
Liver

There are two other websites I found that recommend other things about blood tests that could be worth a look

STEP 3 Remove Toxins

Colds could be caused by high levels of toxins in the body. In addition illness can cause a build up of toxins (due to the body not taking care of cleaning up when your ill ). An anti toxin diet could help (one with high levels of antioxidants – fruit and vegetable such as broccoli).

STEP 4 Take Probiotics

Gut health is likely to have taken a hit if you have been on antibiotics so taking a probiotic or eating homemade sauerkraut would be a good way to restore the health of the gut.

STEP 5 Eat meals that are good for the immune systems

There are foods that boost the immune system and others that you should avoid when sick

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Some foods to avoid when you are sick would be

Gluten
Dairy
Eggs
Red meat

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Some foods to eat when you are sick would be

Antioxidants
- Green Vegetables
- Red Vegetables
- Fruit & berries
Source of Minerals
- Chicken soup or bone broth
- Lean poultry
- nuts
Herbs
Anti bacterial / Anti Viral
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Turmeric

[/tab] [/tabs] Dr Ben Kim has a large number of recipes on his site for meals that will strengthen the immune system. They look pretty nice some examples are

Other Things to Try

Keep Warm

Getting cold has been shown through trials to increase ones likelihood of getting sick significantly. I have seen it suggested that viruses live longer in colder environments (but not found any credible evidence of this). So keeping warm and the air warm may be something you may want to try.

Exercise

Light exercise can be good if you are feeling ill (depending on how bad you are) light yoga and things like Tia chi have been shown to boost the immune system.