It’s ironic that I’ve written about cold prevention for this post as I’ve just fought one off! I was feeling a bit stressed over the weekend and wasn’t too surprised to wake up with the beginnings of a sore throat and stuffy sinuses on Monday morning, as I know stress can deplete my immune system.
So I’ve had the best prompt to use my own tips and have taken a drop of the powerful immune system booster essential oil blend that is On Guard from DoTerra, have been doubling up on vitamin C supplements with meals, drinking lots of hot herbal teas – I’m presently drinking a chamomile & honey, and staying warmly dressed.
I was also able to spend time on my mini trampoline and indoor bike this morning to create heat and try to sweat it out to uplifting music. I’ve also just been responding to what my body wants – I’ve been more hungry and craving chocolate/cake so have been having more fruit instead.

1 DoTerra On Guard – drinking some water with a drop of this essential oil blend in it has blasted away the early onset of a cold or mild virus several times for me and my family, and would be a fantastic addition to your cold and bug busting kit for your bathroom cabinet. This protective blend contains wild orange peel, clove bud, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary, its safe to ingest and is strong so one drop is literally all that is needed! On a trip to London in October I took this every day as a precaution especially for when on public transport surrounded by lots of people, and in the changing season when we do seem to be more susceptible.

2 Slow down – the fast pace of modern life, all our various work and home life responsibilities and expectations from others demands that we are on the go all the time. It seems it is the norm to keep pushing ourselves until we drop, ill, stressed, in pain or exhausted, or maybe a combination of all four. And so for many the only time we pause to rest is when we come down with something, which is our body’s way of making it’s own needs very clear. We weren’t designed to be on the go all the time, no matter how very important and endless our responsibilities are, it can be argued that this is a perception that can be challenged and one day or a few hours in a day away to rest is perfectly possible, can be planned for, and that we can ask others to help us.

3 Rest with a cup of tea – even just a ten-minute break, daily preferably, with a cup of tea and a good book or magazine (not social media online) will be of tremendous benefit, and shouldn’t be underestimated. Hot herbal, rooibos, fruit teas or hot water with a slice of lemon are relaxing and warming, and help us to feel good. Green tea is a superstar here as it encourages your body to produce more white blood cells – an important part of your immunity, and boosts your antioxidants. Not sure about green tea? I find it’s best and far less bitter if you take the teabag out quickly, quite literally after 10 – 20 seconds so the tea has a light green colour, and you still get the benefits of it - sometimes less is more!


4 Good quality sleep – turn off all devices in your bedroom at night completely so that you can switch off properly yourself, use an alarm clock to wake you in the mornings. A sunrise alarm clock that gradually increases light from 30 mins before wake up time is an excellent gentle way to wake up on dark mornings, I use one in combination with a radio alarm clock. Have a bath, read your book (preferably not a horror or thriller which is likely to stimulate some energising adrenaline), journal, meditate, do a crossword or whatever relaxing thing you like doing before bed after dinner. We can know all the right things to do to wind down but it’s so easy to forget out of habit. The key here is not to be on your phone, a computer or watching TV in the last hour or two before bed, as these bright screens tend to wake us up, stimulate our mind and confuse the pineal gland in the brain to think it’s daytime, not night.


5 Stomach is a frontline defender – the stomach and gut has its own immune system to protect you against any damaging bacteria, viruses and toxins that may be present in foods eaten, and against tummy bugs. The stomach acid you create (the first place where bugs are killed off) can be supported/strengthened by taking digestive enzymes such as zinc, caprylic acid and Proactazyme from Lily & Loaf, while Cytoplan is another supplier of high quality nutritional supplements that tests well for my clients. We all have different needs, this is something I can test for and keep an eye on with you during kinesiology treatments to cater for your body’s unique needs. Apple Cider Vinegar is an excellent support you can bring into your diet to bring your stomach acid into correct balance, I use Willy’s apple cider vinegar on raw or cooked veg salads.


6 Correct gut balance - high quality probiotics are an essential helper to bring your small intestine/gut’s immunity-boosting bacteria into proper balance especially after a course of antibiotics, which kills off all gut bacteria - beneficial or not - indiscriminately, or after a long time of eating junk food or a bout of ill health. We are far more likely to catch bugs if our gut flora is out of whack, so it really is worth investing in a bottle of good quality probiotics (taking 1 or 2 each night after dinner, before bed is best). In balance our gut bacteria also helps us to have and maintain good moods, which is an added bonus :)


7 Vitamins - we know vitamin C is important to take to prevent or recover from a cold more quickly, but vitamin A is also very beneficial – in the form of beta-carotene (from foods of plant/animal origins). It boosts your immune system by increasing the number of infection-fighting T-cells (T lymphocytes). Food sources for beta carotene include: carrots, dark green and yellow veg, yellow fruits, eggs, fish liver oil and liver. Zinc is also very helpful.
It could be that your body wants a course of herbal supplements, through muscle testing your body can tell me what it needs to bring your immunity back to full strength.


8 Vitamin L is for self-love – there is a connection between your self esteem and immunity via the thymus gland, which is also located in the heart area funnily enough. Young children should naturally have high self-esteem and a big, strong thymus gland, which helps protect them against bugs. The size of this gland diminishes as we age having built up immunity along the way, but that also means a lowered self esteem, so it can take more effort to have high self esteem as an adult especially after suffering knocks to your confidence through experiences in life.
Do you believe that you deserve to feel good about and love yourself? If part of you doesn’t feel this, it could be that there’s an underlying issue that’s blocking you, which I can help you address and release using another service I offer - PSYCH-K.


9 A shopping list of immune boosting foods – add a good variety of the following to your daily meals to help prevent or recover from colds etc: plenty of fruit and vegetables (fresh, organic if possible, frozen is good too) including oranges, apples, carrots and sweet potatoes, and green tea, garlic, turmeric, chilli pepper, salmon/mackerel, flax oil, good quality coconut/almond yoghurt, and chicken (to make soup with) are all good ones.


10 Fun ways to boost your immunity – stay warm by wrapping up during colder months, and go out for walks in nature to increase your levels of white blood cells, relax to peaceful music to lower cortisol levels and increase your levels of immune boosting immunoglobulin A, experiment with recipes for soups, stews, curries and other healthy meals – I like cooking a big soup or curry when I’ve more time, and freezing leftovers into portions. Having a cold shower may not be your idea of fun, but it does help your immune system! To warm up after being chilled down your body ups its metabolic rate also boosting your immune system. If you are already down with something, it’s best to focus on staying warm however.

What tips do you use to prevent or stop a cold in its tracks? I’d be interested to read them in the comments below.