Our favorite aids for surviving the season
This might sound crazy, but we want to talk about winter. We know, it’s just now beginning to feel a tiny bit like fall, but like it or not, winter is coming soon. That means colds, flu, winter blues, dry skin, cracked hands and a world of other maladies will be lurking for any opportunity to move in and occupy your world.
We thought it might help you get prepared if we shared some of our favorite products for keeping the winter beasts at bay.
Anita: Elderberry extract tops Anita’s list on winter favorites because of its anti-viral properties. She takes a single dose daily all winter, but if she’s exposed to someone who is sick, she kicks up the dose to 2-3 times daily. But it’s not just getting sick Anita works to prevent. “Winter is really hard on my hands. The corners of my nails are prone to crack and bleed, and they become very tender. Using Savannah Bee Beeswax Salve several times a day really helps prevent that.” Anita also has extremely sensitive skin, the kind that reacts to all sorts of chemical ingredients. To keep her skin moist and free from reactions, Anita uses either Acure Nourishing Body Lotion or any of Aubrey’s Body Lotions, but Aubrey’s Sea Buckthorn lotion is her favorite.
Barbara: Her winter favorite is Derma-e Vitamin E 12,000 IU Crème. Last winter, Barbara used this product nightly at bedtime. It kept her skin moist and protected it from severe dryness. She loves its mild fragrance. Next she chose Solaray’s Vitamin C with Bioflavinoids, for all the good things vitamin C does. She takes it daily but doubles or triples the dose if she gets cold or flu symptoms. She also raves about Gaia Herbs Quick Defense. “It really works! I found I can depend on this product as long as I take it at the onset of my symptoms.” She first tried Quick Defense when she got cold symptoms the day before an airplane trip to Chicago. “I took 2 capsules 5 times a day for 2 days and increased my vitamin C. I was symptom free in two days!”
Christine: With a son in school, Christine’s whole focus on winter is keeping him well. Like Anita, Christine depends on elderberry extract. She uses it daily and finds her son is healthy when other kids are getting sick. She’s used several of the products we carry: liquid extracts, gummies and chewable lozenges. The other thing she’s adamant about is keeping kids on a good multi-vitamin to nourish the whole immune system. She prefers food-based vitamins like Nature’s Plus Animal Parade or MyKind Organics Kids Multi Gummies. Like many of us, Christine also deals with dry skin in winter. She chooses Derma-e Intense Moisture Body Lotion, either fragrance free or Lavender/Neroli. “These products are very hydrating and a little goes a long way. Lavender/Neroli is very calming to the skin as well as to the mind, helping you relax after a shower or bath.”
Sue: When it comes to colds and flu, Sue’s top choice is Herbs Etc. Respiratonic. “Containing Echinacea, Osha and other potent herbs, it uses plants that are expectorant and anti-microbial. It’s always in my cupboard.” Should she get swollen glands, from either a cold or even allergies, she also reaches for Herbs Etc. Lymphatonic. “This stuff is amazing. It contains herbs known as lymphatics, plants that help the lymph glands move through all the waste from inflamed/infected sinuses. I recover sooner when I use it.” Last, like many of our customers, Sue can be susceptible to the winter blues. “When the days get shorter we get less sunlight and then we make less serotonin. When I begin to feel the winter blahs, I start taking Source Naturals 5-HTP. It’s a serotonin precursor and it works quickly for me.”
One more thing: Something none of us mentioned but we all do is keep up our levels of vitamin D. It can reduce your risks of getting sick.
We hope this helps you stay happy and healthy all winter!
