The wintertime supplements one acupuncturist takes daily to ward off colds and flus

We get asked all the time what we do to stay healthy in the winter when almost every patient walking through our door has caught the latest bug going around. So today Amy is here to share with you the foods and supplements she uses on a regular basis to avoid getting sick.

You could basically call these my immune boosting “magic tricks.”

What I take on the daily:

There's very few supplements I take on a daily basis. I prefer to eat foods that naturally boost my immune system (lean protein, fruits and veggies, healthy fats) and avoid foods that I know act like kryptonite to my health (for me specifically, that's sugar).

Adding in superfoods daily like home-made bone broth (I like to sip it like tea), spirulina (I add it to my post-workout protein powder shake), and fermented foods (my faves are kombucha and sour pickles) help give my immune system the extra boost it needs during the winter months.

The only supplements that I take religiously in the winter are vitamin D, a probiotic, and a mushroom defense blend.

Living in Minnesota leaves me desperately craving sunshine and vitamin D during half the year, so I supplement with a higher dosage than the RDA (recommended daily allowance) and just get my levels checked yearly to make sure that I'm staying within a safe range.

Don't forget that the RDA amount of vitamins are enough to keep you surviving, not thriving. So, basically the RDA of vitamin D is enough to keep you from getting rickets, but not necessarily enough for have a sufficient vitamin D level in your blood. Make sure you check your levels with your doctor before you start on a higher vitamin D regiment.

As for a probiotic, I have a history of Crohn's disease so taking a probiotic is a non-negotiable for me. I know that years of steroid and immune-suppressing drugs took a toll on my microbiota and I'm doing all I can to build up my gut's defensive system again. After a not-so scientific study I accidentally performed on myself one time I was on antibiotics, I swore off all cheap probiotics stick to Therlac, Standard Process' Prosymbiotic, and Garden of Life's Raw Probiotic.

The thing about probiotics that most people don't realize, though, is that there are studies coming out by the dozens showing that probiotics are as helpful for your immune health as they are for your digestive health. Certain bacteria in the gut can even increase the number of certain types of white blood cells (T-cells for you health nerds).

The last thing I take daily though the winter is a mushroom defense blend. Now, I didn't start taking this because I had studied up on the most recent research or because mushrooms have a thousand year old history in Chinese herbal medicine. I basically was gifted a bottle one day and found that when I took them I felt freaking ah-mazing.

The first winter I took them daily was the first winter that I didn't even get so much as a sniffle through the entire cold and flu season. Now, I'm on my third winter taking them daily and I truly believe that they play a part as to why I haven't had a real knock-down-drag-out cold or flu in those three years.

Looking for these products in specific? You can find all of them, plus other reputable brands by making a patient account through our referral link on Wellevate. If you buy something through this link you won't pay a single cent more, but we'll get a small commission that helps keep the content flowing.

What I take to pull up my defensive shield:

Last winter, guy came down with the flu. Yep, the chills, fever, achey, painful flu. Now, I was about three days away from a week-long business trip and the last thing I wanted or needed was to get sick. So, I pulled out the real ammo. The things I keep tucked away for when there's a legitimate threat.

First up, was my homemade fire cider. (You can find a recipe for it in our DIY sinus care e-book!) I've found that if I take a shot of this a few times a day (up to every hour on the hour if I'm actually coming down with something), I can usually keep the virus at bay. This spicy blend packs a punch and is chock full of anti-microbial plants that kick the immune system into action.

Next, I started taking some Congaplex as a preventative measure. This is one of my favorite whole-foods based supplements for fighting off bugs, but it can also be taken in smaller dosages as a preventative.

If I start to feel a tickle in the back of my throat (my own body's illness tell, if you will), that's when I'll make a batch of homemade chicken soup and pull out my Chinese herbs.

I know that you probably want to know what Chinese herbs I take when I get sick, but guess what? I'm not going to tell you.

Chinese herbal medicine is incredibly individualized.

If you're going to take herbs, please talk to a board-certified herbalist first.

One formula might be spot on for your cold, but totally off the mark for another person's.Do not go to the health food store and buy a bottle of Chinese herbs because your friend took them once and they helped him/her/them. Go seek out a professional herbalist and get a prescription that's custom tailored to your needs. Or come see me - I'll help.

So, there you go! I hope this little voyeuristic dip into my medicine cabinet is just what you needed to get through the rest of the season a little more healthy.

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*The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.

Chinese Food Therapy for Winter

Winter solitude-
in a world of one color
the sound of the wind.
-Matsuo Basho

Brrrr. It’s chilly outside! Well, maybe it’s not chilly YET...but the crisp scent of snow will soon fill our noses, while the wind whistles it’s wintry tune.

As the seasons change

And so, with the change of season come a gradual change to our daily routine. We begin to bundle up when going outside, drink warm beverages more often, and maybe even follow the example set by the sun and go to bed earlier! As our outer environment slows down and becomes quiet, we humans naturally move into a period of hibernation and quiet activity. We take refuge in our warm homes and enjoy quiet seasonal celebrations with our friends and family.

So what does this have to do with Chinese medicine? Chinese medicine is one of many traditional healing systems which encourage us to observe our natural external environment in order to find the answers we need for inner health. Human beings are part of and subject to the same cycles that occur in nature- birth, growth, maturation, decline and death/hibernation. Every single one of us will follow this path at our own pace. It is what connects all of us to each other, and each of us to mother earth.

Winter is coming

This cycle is evident not only in our life span, but also yearly with the change of each season. We are currently moving into the winter season; the time when our natural surroundings decline and go into hibernation in order to strengthen themselves for the upcoming burst of energy they will need in the spring. Winter is a time of slow and steady work happening right under our feet as the earth’s energy moves deep underground to nourish and renew itself. In this way winter can be likened to sleep; a time during the yearly cycle to renew oneself by resting. In order to be healthy, humans and animals should follow earth’s example and utilize winter time as a time to replenish ourselves through rest and practices that repair/renew our bodies and minds.

According to Chinese dietary principles, there are particular foods and ways of eating which are most helpful during these colder days. To get a sense of this, let’s do a contrasting exercise.  What we might naturally be hungry for on a hot, sweaty day during the summer? Mmmm...watermelon! Hot days call for us to eat watery foods to replace fluids and electrolytes lost through sweat. Watermelon is one such food. It physically cools us down and help us to rehydrate. No wonder it tastes so good during summer picnics!

But our nutritional needs are very different during the winter. Watermelon doesn’t seem that appealing when it’s cold outside. Slow-cooked, warming food and drink like soup flavored with ginger, garlic and black pepper or a mug of sweet and spicy chai are what we crave when it’s chilly, and these are healthy choices that feed our bodies well during the cold months.

Warming the digestive fire

If we picture our digestive system as a steady fire that warms and breaks down our food, then it is important to note that this digestive fire functions at different levels according to the time of year. Summer is the height of our digestive fire and many of us enjoy and have no issue digesting plenty of raw, fresh foods at this time of year. We can eat salads and watermelon with abandon because our higher level of digestive fire will “cook” our food internally, meaning it will process food into the nutrition our bodies need.

But if we tried to eat similarly during the winter? Well, our tummies would not be very happy! Winter is when our digestive fire is operating at it’s lowest level. Our digestive systems need food which is already broken down and easily made into nutrition for our body. Cooking our food efficiently breaks it down before it enters our body, and our digestive fire is not taxed beyond its seasonal ability. Thus, we need to make sure the bulk of our food is eaten warm and well cooked when it is cold outside

I like to think of this as similar to pulling your sweaters and long pants out of storage for the winter, while packing away your tank tops and shorts; we change our wardrobe to match the season, so why wouldn’t we change the foods we eat and how they are prepared?

Want to learn more?

Interested in how to select and enjoy foods for the winter? Each practitioner at Constellation Acupuncture and Healing Arts is trained in helping you to eat seasonally and utilize food as medicine. Ask them questions at your next acupuncture appointment.

*The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.