How many people are sick at the moment!? I mean seriously! I was thinking myself so lucky not catching anything…until one morning I woke with the dreaded razor blade throat! Even the healthiest of us can get sick on occasion but the difference is…we recover so much quicker!

My daily nutrition includes lots of immune boosting nourishing, anti-inflammatory foods with lots of veggies, no dairy (accept now I am pregnant…I have goat milk yogurt on occasion to help boost my calcium and probiotics), limited gluten (spelt sourdough on the weekends or sprouted grain bread), no refined sugar…

…oh on that point get this juicy finding…

Consuming 8 tablespoons of sugar (equivalent to one 12-ounce can of soda) can reduce the ability of your white blood cells to destroy invading pathogens by 40%, according to the Environmental Law Centre of the United Kingdom. The immune-suppressing effect may begin within 30 minutes of ingestion and last for up to 5 hours! I always say refined sugar is the devil!

…and immune boosting supplements like natural forms of Vitamin C (e.g. camu camu), reishi, broccoli sprouts, glycine, DHA, zinc, and a medicinal mushroom blend, to help support my body.

However! As I said even the healthiest of us can get sick…often when we are pushing ourselves a little too hard, and when we aren’t getting enough sleep (which was what I was doing!). We are then forced to rest. I love how the body has ways of making you do what is needed…hopefully you listen and heal well!

So…what is it I do when I get sick…Sudafed, Strepsils, and cough syrup? HELL NO!!! As soon as I feel something coming on I gargle the colloidal silver (1 tbsp morning and night) and swallow…

Before antibiotics, silver was used in medicine, recognised for it’s antimicrobial properties. Silver can be toxic if used regularly however, so I don’t recommend this be your regular go to if you are someone that gets sick often (I would be recommending you get your diet and gut checked out, which I can help you with if interested in knowing more). Wellness Mama has a great blog about silver that you can read here.

…I get on the olive leaf extract…tastes fowl as a liquid medicine (better absorbable form if you can handle it…and great for a sore throat gargle…but I sometimes wimp out and opt for the capsules!)

Research suggests that olive leaf extract may reduce the infectivity and inhibit the replication of viruses that cause colds, influenza and lower respiratory tract infections. It has also been shown to stimulate phagocytosis, which may enhance the body’s response to a viral infection.

…I make a conscious effort to get out in the sun for my vitamin D…granted if you aren’t in the Queensland climate this may not be an option when you get sick, so consider a Vitamin D3 supplement instead! This should be part of your daily support so if sunlight is a rarity for you (even those in hot climates that cover themselves in sunblock or clothes, or hide indoors in the aircon) be aware you may be low in vitamin D. A rough guide is 20 minutes in the sun daily, but this is dependent on your location, time of day, skin tones etc so it obviously is very variable. I haven’t used it but there is an app to help determine how much you may need here. If you give it a try be sure to comment your findings!

Vitamin D is a key factor linking innate and adaptive immunity.

…Fire Cider!…this is packed full of nature’s antimicrobials including apple cider vinegar, ginger and turmeric roots, garlic, horse radish, chilli, herbs, lemon, and sometime kombucha and sauerkraut juice. Shot it or drink as a warm tea with a little manuka honey. You can find recipes online or buy ready made from various sources. I love Buchi Fire Cider!

…and finally my doTERRA essential oils! I make a roller bottle blend mixing fractionated coconut oil OnGuard, Melaleuca, Clove, Oregano, Basil, Coriander, Lemon, and Frankincense and roll it on me throughout the day. At bed time I place a drop of each on my feet and rub my feet together (no hands). AI also diffuse some Easy Air and/or OnGuard to help keep my sinuses open through the day and night. If you want setting up with an account to buy these beautiful oils, or if you are local to me on the Sunshine Coast, Australia, and would like a free oil party then let me know!

And voila! I was down for one day then back to feeling good from my core!

I would love to hear your tips and recommendations…I know onion and garlic wrapped around the feet at night is supposed to be a goodie, anyone tried!?

When looking at prenatal supplements recently and during discussions with my peers I learned more of the importance for copper and zinc balance. Please keep reading…this isn’t just associated with pregnancy!

Copper is an essential trace element required for proper organ function and numerous metabolic processes. Zinc is important for immune support and it plays a role in cell division and cell growth, so is very important for proper growth and development, as well as wound healing, and the breakdown of carbohydrates. Copper and zinc compete for the same absorption sites, hence can impact the absorption of each other. The ideal ratio being somewhere between 8:1 and 12:1 zinc to copper. The tolerable upper intake level (TUL) for zinc is 40 mg for adult women and men. The TUL for copper is 10,000 ug/day for adults.

Copper and zinc are also associated with taste and smell and so can impact appetite. Excess copper can cause people to skip meals and crave more spicy, sugary, or salty food to stimulate their taste more.

This is where my interest first peaked having suffered with Anorexia nervosa. You can see how a copper/zinc imbalance can be potentially lethal for people with eating disorders as it can lead to further food deprivation, and increased imbalances and deficiencies.

Copper excess also increases the risk of yeast and viral infections (some of which contribute to chronic fatigue), immune deficiency, abdominal pains, headaches, prolonged and heavy menstrual cycles (which zinc supplementation may reduce), depression, and postpartum depression.

This is where my interest peaked a second time! Having suffered with depression, anxiety, and anorexia, I am classed as being more likely to develop postnatal depression. After attending my first Mindful Mum’s class at the hospital, one mother had been diagnosed with postnatal depression after her first baby and is now suffering with it again during her second pregnancy…I wanted to find out more to see if I could help her, and also prevent this happening to myself!

During pregnancy we often become much more diligent with our diet and supplementation to ensure we are getting the right nutritional support, well I certainly have anyway, and like many, I take a natal supplement to support the growth of my babies. Like most multi vitamin supplements, it of course contained copper. Now copper is highly prevalent in people’s diets. Our water pipes are commonly made of copper so we get a dose in our drinking water, and it occurs in many foods including almonds, avocado, beans, broccoli, buckwheat, chocolate, lamb, mushrooms, pork, prunes, sunflower seeds, legumes, liver, quinoa, asparagus, kale, chia seeds, goat cheese, and wholegrain cereals…many foods we consume as pregnant ladies and even as healthy women in general!

Zinc on the other hand…well I read at http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au that 85% of Australian females are deficient in zinc. I can’t find a research paper to confirm this, but it doesn’t surprise me if true. As an FDN Practitioner, we may recommend clients supplement with zinc to support their immune system as this is also impacted by gut health; a foundational area that we address in healing. Some foods containing zinc include beef, capsicum, egg yolks, herrings, liver, milk, oysters, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, seafood, and yeast. Whilst we may consume most of these foods, I think it’s quite clear that copper/zinc imbalances could easily be very common.

Some other disorders associated with copper excess include hypotension, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, PMS, paranoid and hallucinatory schizophrenias, calcium accumulation around joints causing stiffness, premature aging, irritability, fatigue, amenorrhoea, pyroluria, miscarriage, metallic taste, liver and kidney failure, tachycardia, dyslexia, green stool, dizziness, childhood hyperactivity, and autism. Any mild abnormality or impairment of liver function can lead to copper excess.

Note: legumes and wholegrains contain phytates that prevent zinc absorption so ensure you soak, heat, sprout, or ferment them sufficiently before eating.

We must, however, remember that adequate copper levels are essential for the growth of new blood vessels, wound healing, and recovering from heart attacks and strokes, so please don’t think it’s the enemy! If we supplement excessively with zinc we may suffer copper deficiency increasing our risk of cardiovascular dysfunction,

This blog is to purely make you aware that this imbalance can exist, and you may want to investigate this more if you have a history with depression, an eating disorder, fatigue, or immune issues. Zinc deficiency testing is a good start; you can get a simple test at your chemist to give you a rough idea if this may be present. If you know you are zinc deficient, or you have pyroluria/pyrrole disorder (an inability to properly absorb B6, magnesium and zinc), then you may want to investigate further with a HTMA (Hair, Tissue, Mineral Analysis) test, which I can run for you.

If you are suffering with postnatal depression, depression in general, lack of appetite, fatigue or any other malady, then please don’t hesitate to schedule a free 20-minute consultation to see how I may be able to help you on your journey back to feeling good from your core!