How to support yourself as the season changes to Autumn
Support your immune system as the season changes
Hello everyone,
As ever, the year is rolling along and the weather is catching up with a feeling
of Autumn. I know plenty of people who love this season, possibly not all the heavy
rain, although my youngest is a real rain lover.
Which season or weather do you prefer? This is often a question I ask my
homeopathy clients, and their response can help me to understand their
whole picture and differentiate between remedies I may prescribe for
them.
You may be susceptible to becoming unwell when the
weather changes and if this is you, it is a useful thing to mention when
consulting with a homeopath. If you hate the damp, or love the cold
weather, or are better in the sun or feel worse for heat, all these aspects
that form part of who you are, can inform and support the decisions a
homeopath makes when deciding on treatment for you.
So, AUTUMN and how to help yourself keep as well as you can in
order to do the things you love :)
1. Get out and about in the fresh air as often as possible
...especially when there is some autumnal sun to make the most of
vitamin D opportunities.
If you can, get into the light as early in the day as possible, this helps
regulate our circadian rhythm which responds to daylight. It also calms
our nervous system, which in turn helps our immune system stay strong.
In addition, movement will help our digestion, our mobilty, and our mood.
Walking barefoot on the ground is known to be another beneficial way of
grounding, literally, and also a way to calm your system. A few minutes
will be enough to feel a difference.
2. Keep hydrated
No surprise here..yet sufficient water in our bodies helps to transport
everything around, including the vitamins and minerals from our food;
keeps our blood flowing and delivering oxygen to all our cells; and helps
regulate our temperature.
If all this is happening because we are well hydrated, then our bodily
systems can function optimally, which in turn promotes good immunity,
and puts us in a good place to recover more efficiently when we do
become 'under the weather'.
3. Add in more probiotic foods
At each meal if you can.
As over 85% of our immune system is in our gut, it is vital to keep it
healthy with a good balance of beneficial bacteria.
Fermented foods are an excellent source, such as sauerkraut, natural live
yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, miso, sourdough bread, apple cider vinegar and
fermented vegetables. Fermented foods can be made at home, see a link
below, but can also be bought. Read the labels carefully, organic is good
where possible.
Currently I am using organic sauerkraut from Our Green Shop in my local town
Bridgnorth, found in their fridge, price £2.96 and lasts me easily a month.
I add it to sandwiches, salads, to a baked potato or at the side of any
meal. It took me a little while to adjust to the taste of it, but now I am
easy with it and definitely notice the difference in the comfiness of my
digestion.
Another supermarket buy is Yeo Valley organic kefir yoghurt, I add this to
my breakfast muesli, or to fruit and this is available from Sainsburys and
other stores.
4.Soups and stocks
Warm and nourishing for the colder weather, and can include as many
fresh vegetables as you can add. Include beans or chicken for protein,
garlic and fresh ginger grated in as antivirals, and fresh herbs.
5. Mindset, or ‘relax and feel better’
When we do feel unwell, this is giving our system chance to have a clear
out, and to reset.
The urge to rest and relax that we feel when 'poorly' is our body guiding
us to do just that in order to engage our parasympathetic nervous system
which needs to be in play to promote healing. Incorporating activities in
your days and weeks that enable you to relax helps to keep you in
balance and resilient, whether you are coping with health or illness.
These 5 habits that I have mentioned above are basically good
foundations for our health all year. However, there is always a little more
we can do, and to add them in as the winter poorly season gets underway
is a positive thing to do.
Which might you try this month? Something you have done before but
which has lapsed... or maybe you could try something new?
For myself, I am working on adding in fermented foods more regularly as I had
lapsed with this! and am always trying to get out and walk more than I currently manage.
If you would like help from me to support yourself in regaining some balance and vitality as the season changes, please do get in touch.
Anne-Marie Shilling LCCH ARH
Homeopath @ Balanced Health with Homeopathy
