Fresh, cold autumn air has taken command when it comes to weather. With the cool season of the year, we also get colds. In order to be optimally prepared, we have collected the best tricks.
OIL PULLING
You can use it to arm your immune system in the morning right after you get up: every day before you brush your teeth, have breakfast or drink water, put a tablespoon of cold-pressed sunflower or sesame oil in your mouth, sip, chew and suck through the spaces between your teeth. Toxins and waste products as well as pathogens are bound to the oil. After five to ten minutes, spit it out and rinse your mouth thoroughly with warm water. Then brush your teeth.
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MOVEMENT IN THE FRESH AIR
Our recommendation: go out in any weather. Because, as is well known, there is no such thing as bad weather, just unsuitable clothing! So put on your wool sweater or rain jacket and off you go. Walks and physical activity outdoors support the immune system through the increased supply of oxygen. Movement also stimulates the lymphatic system, toxins are better transported away - this also helps the body. Tip: If you have a cold, go outside and take a leisurely walk. Runners who have a mild runny nose use gentle training to improve blood flow to the airways and thereby relieve them. But be careful: do not exercise if you have a fever!
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PIPE
Skin contact with cold water does not sound inviting in the cold season, but it mobilizes our strength enormously. Treading water according to Kneipp stimulates the blood circulation and thus strengthens the immune system. If you want to try it, put a non-slip mat in the tub and fill it with 12-16 degrees cold water. The cool water should extend to the middle of the calf when entering. Then wade in the tub for 3-5 minutes at a stork's pace (alternately lift legs completely out of the water). Then just pat your legs dry, put on socks and move around. Important: The bathroom has to be at the right temperature, and the body has to be warm. If you start to freeze, get out of the water and warm up.
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AVOID STRESS
Those who are constantly under pressure and always work to the limit of their abilities - be it because of work, family or leisure stress - get sick more quickly. Persistent stress causes fewer immune cells in the blood, which in the long term weakens overall health. Viruses and bacteria then have an easy time of it, and wounds take longer to heal. Tips for constant stress: Enter fixed relaxation times of at least two hours (e.g. for massage, reading or lounging) in the calendar. If that doesn't work, reduce the stress of your workout.
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IMMUNE STRENGTHENING FROM CHILDHOOD
If the kids are often with their peers, they pick up a lot of viruses and bacteria. That's a good thing, because that's how your defenses are trained. Studies show that daycare children are more often ill in the initial phase due to early contact with pathogens, but develop a better immune system as a result. Breastfeeding also strengthens the defenses of babies: breast milk has a positive effect on the intestinal flora, which is important for the immune system. Children should also eat well, drink enough, sleep a lot and, if possible, be outdoors in all weathers.
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INTO THE SAUNA
Anyone who regularly undergoes a sweating cure all year round will sustainably strengthen the immune system. Going to the sauna helps to increase the number of white blood cells in the blood, to detoxify the body and to train the thermoregulatory system. When it's cold, we freeze less and the body doesn't lose as much heat. Tip: A weekly sauna prevents flu-like infections. Those who are sick prefer to leave it in order to protect the cardiovascular system.
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SOS TIPS FOR COUGH & THROAT
Should our body not be able to fight off the common cold despite all efforts, here are a few home remedies to alleviate the suffering: It is best to fight scratches in the throat with antibacterial sage tea. To do this, the dried leaves should soak in hot water for ten minutes, then strain and let cool. Gargle with the warm - no longer hot - tea three times a day. Ribwort plantain remedies coughs: drunk as a tea, it relieves irritation and also has an expectorant effect (herbs are available in pharmacies).
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RESTFUL SLEEP
Make sure you get enough sleep! Because while we are slumbering, our internal fire brigade works at full speed and carries out any repair work in the body, the immune system is strengthened. This works best at a bedroom temperature of 18 degrees and with a fixed sleep-wake rhythm: So even if it is difficult to go to sleep and get up at the same time. Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, and heavy meals before bed.
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NUTRIENT
Vitamin C (e.g. in paprika) and the trace elements zinc (e.g. in corn) and selenium (e.g. in grain) support the body's defense reactions. Tip: Organic products have a higher nutrient content than conventional ones.
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AVOID INTERFERENCE FACTORS
If we boycott our health with little exercise, smoke and alcohol consumption, we become more susceptible to pathogens. Obesity can also throw us off balance: more inflammatory substances are released in the blood. The immune system is constantly preoccupied with this problem and cannot fight off other infections as well. Tip: Change your way of life step by step. Going for a walk more often, skipping every second cigarette, going to nutritional advice.
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FORCE BREATHING
Babies still do it right, but in adulthood we have often forgotten it: belly breathing. In order to regain your knowledge, it is best to train for a few minutes in the evening or in the morning in bed. Take a deep breath, fill your stomach and lungs with oxygen and slowly breathe out again. Correct breathing boosts the immune system, strengthens the lungs and also relaxes.
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HERBS AND SPICES
Many of the plants that we use in the kitchen act in a similar way to medicines. Horseradish, for example, is antibiotic, contains a lot of vitamin C and goes well with many meat dishes. Turmeric promotes the formation of so-called T cells, which are important for fighting diseases. This can be used, for example, to refine rice. Chilli is also a good friend of the immune system: the heat stimulates the blood circulation in the mucous membranes, viruses can be rendered harmless better.
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HEALTHY EATING
With "superfoods" one can maximize the body's defenses, thus preventing colds, flu and even cancer. That is the message of the new book "Superimmun" by Joel Fuhrman (Riva Verlag, € 16.99). Crucible vegetables such as broccoli, kohlrabi or cauliflower should therefore be on the menu every day if possible. It is most effective for the body when it is thoroughly chewed raw or finely chopped and added to a stew or soup. A particularly large number of immune-boosting isothiocyanates are released.
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TAKE CARE OF THE INTESTINES
How our immune system is doing depends to a large extent on one organ: around 70 percent of defense cells live in the intestine. His health is important to protect us from intruders. Tip: Eat a lot of fruit, vegetables, yogurt, as well as whole grain products and long-chain carbohydrates (potatoes, whole grain rice), but little meat and, if possible, no sugar.
