Strategies for Keeping Healthy This Winter

Here are some helpful strategies for staying healthy during cold and flu season.

1. Get plenty of rest. Winter is a time to slow down activities, to rest and relax, to look within. It is a time of introspection. Get plenty of rest, at least 8 hours of sleep a night.

2. Eat plenty of foods in the color of the rainbow - red, green, yellow, orange and purple. That means lots of fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants, bioflavonoids, carotenoids and other health-promoting compounds that enhance the immune system.

3. Cut down on sugar. Refined sugar is inflammatory and suppresses immune function, making you more susceptible to illness, including chronic diseases.

4. Get plenty of exercise. Daily exercise promotes positive mood and also enhances immune function. Find something you enjoy doing. If you have a hard time getting motivated, it can sometimes be helpful to find a buddy to share these activities with.

5. Supplement with a good multi-vitamin, vitamin C and vitamin D. OK, I know vitamin D is everywhere in the media this past year, but the research is overwhelmingly positive. Vitamin D has profound effects on the immune system. Check out Dr. Cannell's site for a plethora of research in this area. http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/
Dr. Cannell recommends adults supplement with at least 5,000 iu in the winter months. You can also get a vitamin D self-test kit through this website to measure your serum levels. It is recommended you test your serum levels before supplementing and then again in 3 months to see where you are.

6. Take elderberry syrup. See my previous blog posting on elderberries (http://marinherbalist.blogspot.com/2008/09/many-virtues-of-elder.html). Science has demonstrated that elderberries help protect the cell walls against viral attack. Elderberry syrup can be taken as a preventive prior to getting ill, and also has been shown to decrease the severity and length of influenza should you get sick. I make a very tasty, alcohol-free Elderberry Syrup which you can purchase on my website at http://northrosebotanicals.com/. It's a local favorite in my community... who knew medicine could taste so good!

7. And finally, do what you love and love what you do. Laugh - Love - Give Thanks. Life is what you make it!

Many blessings to you and your loved ones!

Herbal Gift Making Workshop

Want to learn to make great herbal holiday gifts (for yourself and others)?

I'm gearing up to teach an herbal gift making workshop and would love to hear from the community on what you'd like to learn to make? I've created a poll which can be found to the right of this posting, just below the Subscribe section. Please select any items that interest you and feel free to leave a comment on this post. Class will be held in early November in the San Geronimo Valley.

United Plant Savers - Stewards of Healing Herbs

United Plant Savers is an organization I have been involved with more many years. Their mission statement is to protect native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada and their native habitat while ensuring an abundant renewable supply of medicinal plants for generations to come.

With the growing interest in plant medicine and herbalism, it is so important now more than ever to think about the origins of the herbs you purchase. Is your chamomile being picked by immigrant workers who work very long hours in deplorable conditions and paid a wage that isn't enough to put food on their tables? Chamomile that is ecologically grown and harvested by people who are paid a living wage and have a reverence for the herb and our planet is GOOD medicine.

I would like to share this wonderful You Tube video I recently stumbled upon about United Plant Savers. Many of my mentors and herbal teachers speak with such eloquence and passion. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.



To find out more about United Plant Savers, please visit their website as http://www.unitedplantsavers.org/

Many Green Blessings!