...said every mom with a young child or children.


This is probably one of the top frustrations of moms, parents, (everyone!) right now.


Doctors predicted that this cold and flu season would be a bad one as our immune systems get re-exposed following a long-term isolation period. Unfortunately for some, viral colds can turn into nasty bacterial infections such as ear, lung and sinus infections, leading to antibiotic use.


This blog post is aimed at you, mama/parent/teacher/caretaker (or person who is not a caretaker but STILL gets sick ALL the time). First of all, this doesn't necessarily mean there is something majorly wrong with your immune system- this is happening to MANY people and it's actually quite normal for our kids to be catching many illnesses in the daycare/preschool years. And maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you could just focus on getting your littles better, but then YOU get sick which makes everything that much harder. But that doesn't mean there is nothing you can do to support your health.


So, how can you optimize your health so that you can show up a better version of yourself to take care of the others in your life, not have to miss so much work, and avoid taking antibiotics every month??


Let's get the basics out of the way, then get to some things you might not have put much thought toward.


The Basics:


  • Personal hygiene: hand washing, covering your mouth, etc.

  • Basic nutrients: vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc, etc.

  • Optimal quality and quantity of sleep whenever possible

  • Neti-pot sinus rinsing

  • Maintaining regular exercise (but not over-exercising)


If you need help with these basics, reach out to your naturopathic doctor!


Let's Go Deeper:


1. The Stress Connection


Our stress response is very tightly intertwined with our immune system. Did you know that the hormone cortisol is a potent anti-inflammatory? That's why cortisol-like compounds (corticosteroids) are used in injections and creams to treat all kinds of inflammatory conditions. 


This anti-inflammatory effect helps to "contain" the immune response, but with chronic stress, the immune system can become "resistant" to cortisol, leading to higher and higher levels, which has its own set of issues.


So what can we do? Most of us can't just quit our jobs and go to the beach. But sadly, doing nothing about our stress for too long will likely only make your immune responses less effective and your illnesses worse and longer-lasting.


The first thing you can do is to take small moments for yourself to do the basic things that we mentioned above (because if you're crazy busy, you're probably not doing those things).

  • Are you taking time to take your supplements? Or are they just wasting space on the shelf?

  • Are you prioritizing sleep over social media scrolling?

  • Are you making exercise a habit?

  • Another "basic" move (though it seems hard for patients to put into practice) is to practice meditation and/or breathing exercises to calm your stress response.


Second is to do a stress audit in your life. Identify all the areas of your life that are stressing you out and see if you can identify 1-2 that you can make changes in to reduce that stress. Examples:

  •  Can you set some boundaries at work so that you are not pulled in every direction at every moment?

  •  Can you ask for help from family or friends?

  •  Can you hire some help at home such as a cleaner/housekeeper?

  •  Can you cut down on some commitments?


Third, especially if you really can't take anything off your plate, or only some things:

  • Support your adrenal glands and immune system with targeted nutrients and herbs recommended by a naturopathic doctor (PS not all adrenal support is the same), which brings us to our next point...


2. Use Stronger Medicine


Do you feel like you are taking all the things for immune health but they just aren't cutting it? And you STILL find yourself heading to the doctor for antibiotics? Or just suffering for weeks on end with a never-ending cold?


You might just need something more potent and/or specific to your concerns, which can be recommended by a licensed naturopathic doctor. For example, there are many herbs that have an antibiotic effect but don't almost wipe out your healthy microbiome like antibiotics do. There are also herbs that affect very specific areas of the body, like the sinuses or the lungs.


Having some of these things on hand can really help you bite back at those illnesses as soon as they pop up.


Let's get your immune system back on track- book in with one of our ND's today!