The Herbal Pathway

Repost from September 2, 20219.

All products featured in this article are available at The Herbal Pathway!

Another school year has begun which means for most, the beginning of cold season! It doesn’t have to be that way!

Schools are a catch pool for germs, kids wipe boogers and sneeze out loud no matter how you teach them! With windows closed – there is no escape for germs or fresh air for kids. Kindergarten children are coming in with fresh immunizations which can shed the virus for weeks, the stress of new beginnings weakens immunity and that right there is a recipe for illness.

This could all be avoided in most part if parents were able to stay home with their sick kids, but that isn’t always possible. There is always someone who is sick, that can’t be helped, what you can do is stop the spread and protect YOUR child. Ensuring your child has the strongest immune system possible is key to avoiding or getting over illness quickly. Here are some great ways to try this!

1. Cut the sugar.  I know, how? Do a daily check of exactly what your kids eat and you will be shocked to see exactly how much sugar they get. From the morning cereal, to juice, to snacks for school, after school snacks, more juice, dinner, dessert. Sugar decreases the response time of your immune system to attacking viruses. In fact 1 teaspoon=3 hours decrease. This means, if your child has a virus – the “little army of good guys” isn’t going to be quick to defeat the enemy (or at least that’s how I explain it to my kids) Now, coininsiding with back to school is Halloween – and mark my words, right after Halloween is when the flood of sick kids start appearing and sugar is why! It’s not fair to cancel Halloween, but pacing their intake is a good idea. You should also consider Vitamin C and Probiotics to counteract the terrible effects of sugar.
2. Vitamin C. Vitamin C builds and maintains a strong immune system. Vitamin C is water soluble, so it leaves the body through urination, you should pace the doses through out the day. Don’t be fooled by Juice companies that say there is Vitamin C in their juice – more often than not the juice has been completely stripped of all it’s natural vitamins MONTHS ago in order to make it storable. Once it’s ready to ship to a store vitamins are reintroduced and not shelf stable after some time. Supplementing with Vitamin C also helps keep gums healthy, reduces bruising and helps to heal little cuts and scratches by holding back bacteria.
3. Probiotics. Probiotics should be taken away from any other medications. Probiotics keep the “Good Army” / bacteria, in your gut healthy and thriving as sugar is the number killer of Good Flora in the gut and all viruses love the gut! Probiotics may also help with colic, constipation, eczema and allergies! Does your child complain of stomach aches, gas and bad dreams at night? Try a Probiotic. These are chewable and tasty, you won’t have any trouble getting your kids to eat these every morning.
4. If they do get sick avoid mucus foods. Milk is mucus forming, as are bananas, red meat, cereal, yogurt and more. Mucus is good for us, it’s like magnet for viruses and bacteria to help it leave our bodies, but if your child has a bad phlegmy cough or congested head it maybe a good idea to avoid adding more mucus forming foods – just until they are healthy again.
5. Clean up your home & products. Toxins and chemicals in the environment and in our food play a huge role with our immunity and therefore our body’s ability to fight disease. Changing your laundry soap, shampoos, cleaning products to non-toxic versions will prevent the absorption of toxins in the body. If your body spends 80% of the time fighting toxins, only 20% is used to digest and absorb the nutrients needed from food.  Organic, grass fed, no hormone foods are also a great way to reduce your toxic load. Sure, organic CAN be more expensive, but if you follow the idea of eating seasonally you won’t be eating strawberries in January anyway (they are coming from countries far away and need pesticides and hormones for the journey north). Take a look at this list called The Dirty Dozen. This will help you decide which fruits and vegetables should be eaten organically. The Clean 15 is a list that shows food NOT on the pesticide watch list and don’t need to be eaten organically.
6. Cleansing Routines. The act of Dry Brushing is an ancient technique used to cleanse the body. You brush your skin up towards your heart to help activate the Lymphatic System. Your Lympth system is larger and more complex than your veins – yet unlike your veins the Lymph doesn’t have a “pump” so it doesn’t move unless YOU DO. Keeping the Lymphatic Systems moving because that is the “highway for toxins” and exactly how your body expels them.  Bathing in Epsom salts helps draw the toxins out of your body especially service toxins. It doesn’t take long, 20 mins in a warm/hot bath is all you need. Kids love baths so this s an easy go to. Dry brushing your child is also a great way to catch up and bond every night before a bath. Spending time with your kids one on one is a great way to ease any stresses and create a soothing bed time routine.
7. Sleep & Stress. When you think of stress you don’t usually imagine a 5 year old with world problems – but they do. The smallest things can stress out a child, new school, problems at home and …………… VIDEO GAMES! That’s right, have you ever watched an 11 year old play video games? They yell at the computer, their bodies on edge, their energy is charged!!! AND stressed. Especially before bed, getting rid of video games is a good idea. You want their heart rates to slow and relax not lay down and expect them to sleep pumped full of adrenaline. Ensuring your child is getting enough sleep is paramount to good health. At night is when their bodies detox and grow, if they aren’t sleeping they are allowing their immune system to grow and do it’s job.

Note to Adults:

Even as adults, if you don’t sleep how well can you function at work? How many coffees does it take to get you going? Well children aren’t getting coffee they are going to school tired and therefore it’s harder to learn.

Remember, feed your children a healthy low sugar breakfast with good protein and fibre – this will keep their immune systems strong and resistant to viruses.

The true test for any parents is this: YOU eat a bowl of sugar cereal and go to work. Is it enough? No. You will get a coffee, a muffin as you have the option to go to a store and refuel, your child in school doesn’t. They are completely dependent on the foods YOU pack them. So make sure it’s healthy, long lasting food that will get them through the day. It’s the only way you can expect them to learn……

PS, You should take Vitamin C and Probiotics daily too – your kids come home with viruses!