Here comes another winter. You either love it and take pleasure in its cool crisp days or dread its coming and count the days until Spring again. Either way, Winter comes with a unique set of environmental factors that demand our adaptation -although some of us stubbornly deny ourselves that and keep pushing through at the expense of our well-being. Here are some things to be mindful of and begin preparing for.
Colds are inevitable as are flu’s in some cases. Remember however that it isn’t just the virus and bacteria that determine whether and how sick your body gets.
It’s the milieu (the health of the host = YOU) as Pasteur so beautifully describes that determines whether viruses and bacteria make one sick or not and to what degree. So keep your gut well (as 70% of your immune system resides there) and that includes the good bacteria so don’t forget your fermented foods and may be even probiotics if needed.
Keep your Vitamin D status not just at adequate but at a healthy level (get your levels tested in January and if insufficient, increase your supplementation). Remember that you want to be closer to the mid-upper limit of the Vitamin D reference range on your blood work results (between 120 – 180nmol/L).
And lastly keep a list of self-care go-to’s when you begin to come down with something: High dose Vitamin C, gargling with salt water, steam inhalation with Eucalyptus oil (or eucalyptus & clove oil in the diffuser), vapo rub on the chest & feet, and immune boosting herbs and natural cough syrups. There’s nothing that can halt a cold or flu but the above list is the best in ensuring you bounce back in no time. Lastly, know that remedy’s such as Neocitrin and other cold/flu over the counters are nothing but a band-aide that actually weaken your body’s ability to fight off the cold or flu. With that said, there’s always room for Neocitrin (work that needs to get done, and sleep that needs to happen) and Antibiotics and other pharmaceutical interventions as well. However, know that with Acetaminophen you’re slightly weakening your immune system’s ability to fight off the pathogen so use only when necessary. And whenever you take an antibiotic, make sure to take a good quality probiotic alongside it and for at least 1 week after.
And how about energy versus hibernation? Firstly, why am pitting these two against one another? Because most of us are either struggling to boost our energy levels or completely given in and are in hibernation mode. The perfect balance is however somewhere in the middle. Winter represents the most Yin aspect in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Yin is the dark, cold, slow, inward energy; compared to the Yang of Summer whose energy represents light, hot, quick, expansive qualities. In TCM, the diet and activities in winter should be adapted to enriching yin 
and subduing yang. So, unless your low energy is due to an illness, it may be completely natural to feel a sense of lowered energy as compared to the Summer. Just as mammals who hibernate in Winter, we too need to adapt our lifestyle to allow for more rest. To relax the mind, calm our emotions and raise the spirit doing activities that help us turn inwards, with more self-reflection, quiet time writing, meditating, reading and other soul-nourishing activities. Blunt point: unless you’re unwell (physically or emotionally), there isn’t anything that’s going to raise your energy levels so please slow down, simplify your outer life and get in touch with your internal life this Winter!
Being indoors for too long can cause unhappiness, restlessness and discomfort and that can have a number of causes. One known factor for cabin fever or low moods is Vitamin D deficiency that comes about due to a lack of Sunshine and so don’t forget your supplementation and testing in January. Second, don’t forget the above step. Make plans to get in touch with your inner life and make a list of books to read, meditative nature walks to take, and find that one activity that helps nourish your soul. Being in denial of the above step in my opinion and experience can in itself bring unhappiness as you struggle to fight against the natural adaptation that is required. So, don’t expect the same level of active intensity as you had in the Summer. It’s okay to slow down and take this time to do some woodworking in the garage, or sit by the fire with a good book or bundle up for some slow paced mindful snow-shoeing in the forest.
If you’re already doing the above and still struggling to keep colds/flu’s at bay, finding your energy abnormally low or struggling with low moods, consider coming in for a visit. There may be other underlying issues leading to your health challenges.
