Why it's Good to Get Sick (and You Should...at Least Once a Year!)

You know those people who say they never get sick? Well, they may not be as “healthy,” as they think. In my practice as a Clinical Nutritionist, I found that, often times, my least healthy clients were the ones that, "hadn’t been sick in years."

WHY GETTING SICK IS A SIGN OF HEALTH

A strong, healthy body is responsive. When you experience a cough, a runny nose, achiness, or a fever, these are signs that your body has detected a pathogenic (harmful) invader and it is responding. Each of these is a mechanism that your body has evolved to fight infection. For example, a sneeze is the body’s way of expelling, or, pushing out, an irritant.  

A person with a healthy, responsive immune system will typically get sick 1-2 times per year.

GETTING SICK MAKES YOU STRONGER

Every time you get sick and support your body with the right nutrients to heal (see my top tips below) you strengthen your immune system and help train it, in a way, so that the next time it encounters that pathogen, it can fight it off before it gets you down.

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM ALL YEAR LONG

  • Drink bone broth – all year long. (Shop Now)
  • Eat plenty of probiotic foods such as fermented veggies, yogurt & kefir (with no added sugar).
  • Limit sugar intake and sources of hidden sugar in things like ketchup and beverages.
  • Eat plenty of vegetables.
  • Rest. 8 hours a night. Every night. Everyone.
  • Drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water daily to help flush toxins, and add a pinch of high-quality sea salt for proper electrolyte balance. 

WHAT TO DO IF YOU DO GET SICK

While I believe that getting sick (occasionally) is a sign of a healthy immune system, this does NOT mean that you shouldn’t go to a doctor or consult a health care professional if you’re sick. There are some sicknesses, such as meningitis, that can be extremely dangerous if left untreated, so, it’s important to consult a healthcare professional at the first sign of illness. I strongly recommend that everyone find a trusted health care provider to work with regularly – whether that’s a holistic practitioner or general practitioner. That way, when you do get sick, you have someone who knows you and can give you guidance based on you, your body, and your medical history.

MY FAVORITE NATURAL WELLNESS REMEDIES

 General Cold & Flu: 

Glandular Formulas for immune support (rebuilding & acute):

Sore Throat:

Cough:

(Note: you want to take a cough "control," not "suppressant")

 Sinus Infections / Non-Productive Cough (no mucus)

Ear Infection / Earache:

Fever:

If fever is present use Standard Process calcium lactate (see below) – check with your practitioner for recommended dosage and protocol. 

General:

  • Avoid ALL sugar and sugar drinks - sugar shuts down the immune system for up to 5 hours. No fruit juice, etc.
  • Bump up the bone broth (85% immune system is in the gut) SHOP NOW

 

Why calcium for a fever? 

When you have a fever, the body uses calcium to aid the white blood cells in fighting pathogens. If it doesn’t get the calcium needed from food, it will produce a soaring fever to try and leach out calcium from the bones. Giving the body calcium needed to aid the white blood cells can lower the fever response. Suppressing fever with Motrin and Tylenol is not a good idea, as it blocks the body’s ability to utilize the calcium and heal on its own.

 

XOXO

Sharon

 

NOTE: This blog is NOT intended to provide medical advice or treatment. Please always consult your primary healthcare practitioner before implementing any supplementation or treatment protocol.

3 comments

The January 12th blogpost “Why it’s Good to Get Sick (and You Should…at Least Once a Year!)” is excellent. Thank you. So for those of us who don’t remember when we last had a natural fever response, there is still hope of improved immunity. Its done through hormesis (beneficial body stressor) which, in this case, is via induced hyperthermia. What is hyperthermia? It’s the deliberate creation of a core body fever by use of personal single-person far infrared sauna. Here is a link to a comprehensive explanation and walkthrough via several embedded educational videos:
https://trulyheal.com/detailed-instructions-truly-heal-with-fever/
Also, Dr. Rhonda Patrick PhD, summarizes the benefits of heat stress in numerous studies on her website. Just do a search on her name and heat stress / hyperthermia. Here is one such video: https://youtu.be/aHOlM-wlNjM

Steve Labo March 11, 2019

Sharon!
🙏 You are really great at what you do!

Renee March 11, 2019

Love this!!! Great advise and tips! I can’t live without my bone broth soups everyday!! Thank you! 💗

Shawna March 11, 2019

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