Some people are panicking and some are having a laugh over the mass buying due to a possible Corona virus epidemic. It isn't worth going into a panic this stress response will only put your immune system into the exact environment to welcome colds and viruses. It is wise to wash hands thoroughly (I'm sure we all do anyway) , hand gel (not sure how cleaning these actually are but if you have any essential oils, some drops of oils like thyme and marjoram added to your container wouldn't go a miss (don't add more than 5 - 10 drops of each )). Other cleaning ideas is using four thieves vinegar.
we can never guarantee that a person won't catch something, but we can take care of our immune systems. Many colds and Viruses are caught by ingesting droplets that contain the virus, and by ingesting I mean they get down into the digestive system. Our digestive systems are actually not classed as being inside of us , the digestive tract is more like a channel or tube that runs right through from mouth to anus. This tube absorbs nutrients from our food and waste is passed back from our inner organs back out into the digestive tube as waste. Due to so much passing through the walls of the intestines there needs to be a defence system built in , and this is created by the lining of the intestines being skin just like we have protected all body outer surfaces and these outer surfaces are coated with healthy bacteria that protect us from external invasions, we call these bacteria in the gut our good flora or microbiome. Keeping our stress levels in balance, getting plenty of sleep and eating a healthy diet all help to keep the immune system healthy. keeping the microbiome healthy is also very important, we can top this up by taking probiotics and prebiotic. If your digestive system is in a poor condition please don't go and instantly take high levels of probiotic ( see your local medical herbalist, either myself or one close to you , which can be found at https://nimh.org.uk/find-a-herbalist/ )
Fermented Probiotic foods and supplements and prebiotic
Some examples of common probiotics to take as part of a balanced diet are;
bio live yogurt
sour cream (crème fraiche)
kefir
water kefir or coconut kefir
nut or seed butter
fermented nut milk
fermented drink from beetroot called kvass
sauerkraut
kombucha tea
probiotic capsules
organic brown rice
rice bran
Oats and Oat bran
Sour dough bread
other ways to help the gut is to heal the lining with foods like
bone broth
fish broth
mushroom broth made with oriental mushrooms
have plenty of fresh vegetables and a little fresh fruit with a balanced diet avoiding processed food and refined sugars. Try and eat organic as much as possible and pasture fed meats where possible too.
here is a link to a few good recipes ;
there are many other good foods that are good to add in with your cooking
spices
turmeric
ginger
cinnamon
garlic
parsley
are just a few and we must not forget to add a little high quality Honey and drink herbal teas as a quality herbal tea always have health benefits . Your local Medical Herbalist and Member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists could make you a Herbal Tea to suit you and any ailments you may suffer.
