BOLSTERING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND WARMING UP FOR WINTER
Hello, winter! A time of transition into hibernation vibes and, for some, being surrounded by snotty tissues. Winter is the season of water. As such, it relates to our kidneys and bladder, as well as adrenal glands. It is a time to s l o w down, to take stock of where we can simplify and say no, coming back into right relationship with our inner needs and releasing ourselves from the pressure cooker of life where we can. I’ve noticed a lot of us becoming sick in the last few weeks, and I do wonder if it’s because we are trying to remain in our summer/autumn energy, when it’s time to slow down. Of course, there are many reasons we can become unwell. Though considering how we are using our energy in winter is a wise move. We are much more likely to become rundown from overwork and putting pressure on ourselves to perform. Herein, let’s explore how we can align ourselves a little more with this shift in season, welcoming in winter vibes and supporting the kidneys and adrenals with this transition. And then, how we can generally support a robust immune system, create our own natural first aid kit, and boost our immunity when we do become unwell. Our main priorities are:
the kidneys and adrenals
Well balanced kidneys and adrenals—or our root energy—looks like well established vitality and the ability to be active and accomplish day-to-day tasks, without stress and overwhelm. There is a lovely balance of gentle nurturance with established action. This is where our Jing essence lives and winter is an excellent time to consider nourishing this essence and building it up as it is when it is most vulnerable.
the immune system
Our immune system is both our first line of defence, as well as what will fire up an army of white blood cells to detect and destroy invaders if they enter our body and attack. For this reason, ensuring we have good foundations in immune function will both prevent sickness (number one), but also provide a great army of defence if an infection does take hold (so we recover faster). Becoming unwell is not a sign of a poor immune system. Having some kind of cold or flu once a year can be great for supporting immune surveillance and promoting a robust immune system. However, we can consider our immune system to be compromised when we have recurrent infections, can’t seem to shake a cold we catch, or have residual symptoms that continue for longer than a week or two.
Building our natural first aid kit
Our body is well designed to feign off invaders, fire an immune response to clear out unwanted pathogens when they break through our barriers of defence, and convalesce to reboot the system. Knowing our body has self healing mechanisms, helps us to trust that mostly our body can move through sickness on its own (and it can be very beneficial for it too). It is not always ideal to abate symptoms or drive down a safe fever with medication, for instance, when this response from the body is designed to move us through sickness. Being sick is a time to recluse, slow down and remove the obstacles to heal, allowing the body to do its well trained job of getting you well. Having ways to manage a cold or flu when it kicks in, and prevent it from moving to an infective state (to avoid having to have antibiotics) is empowering.
WAYS TO BOOST IMMUNITY
Avoid and/or reduce things that knock out the immune system
- High caffeine/coffee consumption
- Alcohol and other drugs intake
- High sugar-laden foods
- Improper diet (i.e. not enough fresh fruits and veggies)
- Poor sleep habits
- Excessive stress
Increase supports that fire up the immune system
- Regular exercise for immunomodulatory benefits
- Balanced nutrition, with inclusion of lots of fresh fruits and veggies
- Using stress reduction tools from your toolkit (or building this toolkit up). Ideas: Body scans, meditation, calming activities like baths, reading, listening to soothing music.
- Cold water therapy (hello, morning shower minus the heat)
- Ensure adequate hydration (including more herbal teas can be helpful in cooler months)
- Supporting the lymphatic system and improving circulation (i.e. dry body brushing, body shaking)
- Include extra vitamin C foods. These increase our immunity and protect our inner landscape from oxidative stress associated with immune cell activity (helps clear up the debris): Kiwi fruit, citrus, guava, papaya, mangoes, strawberries, acerola cherries, blackcurrant, broccoli, parsley, rosehips (tea) and camu camu powder.
Getting some sunshine and having vitamin D levels checked
There is less sunshine in winter, so we need longer time outdoors to absorb vitamin D and include more vitamin D foods. Ensuring vitamin D levels are optimised by adding this marker to our routine blood work (looking at close to 100nmol/L as optimal; less than 75nom/L we move into suboptimal levels and it would be ideal to make a plan to improve; closer to 50nmol/L and below is deficient, greatly impacting our immunity). We can receive some vitamin D from oily fish, cod liver oil, egg yolks, shiitake mushrooms, liver and organ meats, but the sun is the gold standard.
Have our natural winter first aid kit handy for first signs of sickness
Having a kit of natural remedies ready for the first sight of a compromised system that assists the body to do its job of combating sickness is so helpful. Getting onto symptoms quickly means we could avoid the sickness going to our chest, sinuses etc. I created a beautiful handout for this: Click here to be taken to the download page.
Ways to stay warm in winter and support our kidney/adrenal function
- Grow and consume rocket. It grows beautifully in winter and as a bitter food, it will assist with digestion, which naturally slows in winter. It is also great for the liver and has a warming effect on the body.
- Swap coffee for alternatives like roasted dandelion root and chicory root. These are also bitter so provide the warming benefits as well as assisting with digestive and liver function. See my recipe below for my dandy chai, a favourite of mine to warm up in winter!
- Wear rubber soled slippers or shoes (not just socks) around the house. This ensures we keep our ‘root’ warm and doesn’t deplete our vital essences.
- Consume herbal teas and warming foods like stews, curries and slow cooked bonanzas with added broth to warm us up from the inside out.
- Prioritise root vegetables. Going with the theme of focusing on the root, our beloved root veggies like potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, radishes, beetroots, and onions ought to have a big place at our dinner tables to keep us grounded and nourished in winter.
- Keep a hot water bottle handy for warming up your core (also lovely for women to warm up their womb, especially during their bleed weeks).
- Include yin practices in our weeks. Ideas: Yin yoga (such a treat doing this in bed amidst lots of pillows and with a doona to keep us warm), yoga nidra, going for a massage or any kind of touch modality, meditation, meditative walks, journalling, creating a nourishing space to just be, basically most anything that slows you down.
- Invest in a neck gaitor. A well-loved and essential clothing item in my family, the neck gaitor helps keep our core body temperature warm and makes a world of difference on chilly days.
Dandy Chai Recipe
½ - 1 tablespoon roasted dandelion and chicory root
½ teaspoon dried ginger root
½ teaspoon cinnamon chips
2 cardamom pods, cracked
2 clove buds
½ teaspoon of honey, optional
1 cup of liquid of choice (coconut, oat, almond, soy or raw or organic milk)
In a mug, steep spices in hot water that just covers them.
Meanwhile, heat milk on the stove or in a milk frother.
Add the warm milk to the spices, stir well. Add honey is desired. Let steep for 5 minutes.
Strain the chai into a new mug to remove the spice mix. Enjoy!
