Yuck! Winter colds. Or really, any season of cold. They pause my family’s progress, wipe out my energy and leave me feeling all round awful and a bit depressed. You too? Well, I wish I had a super easy one pill answer to curing those nasty colds, but I don’t. What I do have is a few favorite supplements that have proved well in fighting off and shortening colds for myself, my husband and our children.
With so many options to fill your medicine cabinet, I’ve received a handful of emails asking exactly what I and my children take. I’ll divide this up into promoting wellness and then preventing and fighting colds. Be advised, I am not a doctor or any sort of health practitioner. I’m just a mom who has read and researched, consulted my healthcare community and tried a number of products to find what works best for us.
PROMOTING WELLNESS
First step in fighting a cold is to avoid one in the first place. On a regular basis we take these supplements to promote wellness and build immunity.
- Vitamin D – I buy this in bulk at Costco.
- Fish Oil – I’ve taken both the lemon liquid gel and these gummies.
- Probiotics – My preference are the Jarro Dophilus probiotics because I can easily swallow them or open then up and sprinkle into yogurt, applesauce or a smoothie for the kids and I. BioGaia drops are another great option for babies and young children.
In addition to these wellness supplements. Our family also visits the chiropractor regularly. You can read more about our experience with chiropractic, especially for children here.
PREVENTING AND FIGHTING COLDS
So, the cold bug is floating around work or school and everyone is dropping like flies. How do you keep your family healthy? When I catch wind of a bug (cold or otherwise) we add these supplements to our regimen. We’ve definitely avoided catching illnesses and tend to recover faster than most. I give much thanks to these supplements for that!
- Vitamin C – Emergen-C! I make a a cold cure cocktail with 8 oz quality orange juice, 2 packets of Pink Lemonade Emergenc-C and drops of this elderberry zinc echinacea blend. You won’t even know you’re sipping “medicine”!
- Elderberry – I prefer drops due to my cocktail, but you can also buy lozenges. You can even make your own elderberry syrup!
- Echinacea – If taken separately you can opt for pills or a tincture option. I’m a tincture girl because I can easily mix them in my drink.
- Baby and Children Homeopathics – I’m a big fan of Hylands. Especially their Vitamin C and Tiny Colds.
- Essential oils – A drop or two of an immunity blend diluted with coconut oil and rubbed on feet works wonders for fighting off colds. If you’re dealing with sniffles or a cough, I love oils that offer respiratory support too.
Not a supplement, but worth mentioning … water and rest. Both are key to preventing and fighting off cold germs. Especially if you’re nursing. Colds can hit your milk supply hard so push that water, and push breast milk and its powerful antibodies onto your nursling. And truly, even a bit of expressed breast milk in a smoothie or homemade popsicle (blend breast milk with a bit of fruit puree and freeze) will do your non-nursing children a huge favor. And then lay low and rest. Both to give your body extra energy to heal and to keep from spreading germs.
Each of the products I linked I have personally used, but there are many other brands that work well. This post was just speaking from my personal experience and what I recommend. Feel free to chime in with your favorites so we can share knowledge and all stay healthy!
What are your go to supplements for staying well and fighting colds? Let us know in the comments section!