Winter-Proof Your Immune System

We dig into how to cut sick days short with rest, simple food shifts, smart supplements, and real-world routines that fit family life. We also clear up winter health myths, from “the cold gives you a cold” to the lure of the late-night second wind.

• honoring immune signals with rest and isolation
• easy nutrition wins with soups, broths and teas
• mindful fasting during fevers while staying hydrated
• early supplements that shorten colds and are kid friendly
• daily preventatives including vitamin D, C, zinc and elderberry
• practical hygiene with handwashing and saline nasal sprays
• stress supports like ashwagandha and better sleep routines
• kid bedtimes for hormone and immune health
• sugar and stress season reframe and alcohol awareness
• fresh air benefits and debunking cold weather myths
• avoiding the second wind and choosing recovery

If this episode spoke to you, please follow the podcast and leave us a quick review. It helps other moms find our community and feel supported too. And if you have a friend who could use a little encouragement, share this episode with her.

Transcript

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Why Winter Illness Spreads

SPEAKER_01 0:32

All right, hello, and welcome back to another episode of Unapologetically Mom. Today we are going to be talking about our immune system and all of the fun things that we can do to help boost our immune system, especially now that we're in like our winter months and the sun is up like very little of the day, and all of the cold and flus and influenzas and all this stuff start to kind of be passed around this time of the year, especially if you have kids in daycare and school. And then the fun thing is that normally moms get it too. But yeah. Anyway, so Dr. Tanya, obviously, this is right in her wheelhouse. And so mostly I'm gonna be like interviewing her with questions because this is a great, great topic for her, and she's one of the most um best in the area for sure with information on this. So I guess first things first, Tanya. I think what what are the top say like three to five things that we can do on a regular basis to help boost our immune system?

SPEAKER_00 1:43

So that's a great question because I think we're all looking at this time of the year to like not get sick, right? Like it's a B when the kids get sick and you have to find alternative care for them or take any other work. Yes, especially if you own your own business, it's like you're not getting paid to not be there. Um, I don't have the luxury of like not showing up and still getting paid. Um,

Rest First: Honor Immune Signals

SPEAKER_00 2:03

but I think there's lots of things going around, and also I I want to, you know, also say that it's good to get sick every once in a while. It's a good challenge for your immune system. It's a good way to know that our immune system is actually working and fighting off the things that it needs to fight off. So I do expect that you'll probably get something.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

It's just so hard when you hear like people get like one thing, and then while they get that, and they're just like recovering for a week, then they get another thing, right? Yes. I mean, I understand why, like when your immune system is already fighting off something else, you are your immune system is weaker, and so then you're more susceptible to getting something else, right? Yep. And so I think it's in that time frame. What can we do?

SPEAKER_00 2:45

Yes. So the one thing is our body's really smart and it and it makes these immune complexes that make us crabby, they make us want to hide, and they make us want to sleep. And so if we can honor that and actually like take a break, not go shopping, take a nap, like actually honor the fact that our immune system is telling us to like isolate and rest, that's like number one. That's really hard to do in our society because it like we talked about last episode, the demand of the holiday is real. And so, but you have to take that time because most likely you got sick not only because you were bombarded with a bunch of you know cold flu particles, but you also were stressed, and cortisol will lower our immune system long term. So we want to make sure that one, we're managing our stress appropriately. If we do get sick though, which, like I said, is quite expected. I really like the rest, isolate, take a nap, do all of those things.

Soups, Broths, And Fasting Myths

SPEAKER_00 3:45

Also, there is a study that talks about taking and eating chicken noodle soup actually being beneficial for the flu and colds. Um, it actually shortens the duration of it about the same as Tamma flu, which is really hilarious.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Do you think that like bone broth is even more effective at that because it has like all of the like extra things?

SPEAKER_00 4:07

Yeah, so sipping bone broth, um, I mean, even just making your own. The study was actually done on Campbell's. Oh, really? Yes, like roast, canned, chicken, soup. So making your own is absolutely better. Um, but also just thinking about what you can do to kind of take some of the work off of your digestive system. And so thinking about things like you said, like smoothies and uh teas and soups and juices that are gonna give you nutrition, but take some of like the digestive work away so that your body can focus on healing is also a really great being like we're not eating things that are super hard to digest. Correct. Like don't go have a steak dinner and pumpkin pie when you're when you have a fever and a cold. Um, there's and people say it's a wives' tale, um, but like starving a fever, it's real, right? Like the idea to if you have a fever to actually fast is really beneficial. Um, so I don't want you to get dehydrated, right? But you also can totally go a couple of days without actually eating food, like solid food, and bring in the bone broths, bring in the teas, bring in the things that are gonna be warming and hydrating versus taxing to your digestive system. Okay. Um and a lot of people, oh, eat, eat, eat. You need to eat for your strength. No, no, you don't. Like you got plenty of reserves most of the time. It's like, what do you feel staying hydrated is the important part? Yes. So the liquid, the liquids for sure. Um, and then I know here in clinic Jenny has uh like LMT packets. I found some sipping bone broth packets that are really easy. They're they're grass-fed bone broth, like easy to add to hot water. Um, I also really like things like lemon and ginger and peppermint tea just as like a warming throat-soothing option.

Early Supplements That Shorten Colds

SPEAKER_00 6:00

Um, but if we're talking about supplementation, things that we should be doing, we really should be starting within the first 24 to 48 hours of feeling sick. Things that I like to start that early are things like colloidal silver. Um, another one is called V-Clear. It's actually an herbal product that shortens the duration of the common cold by three to five days, which outperforms Tamuflu all day, every day. Um, and so that product is really great. Another kids can take that too, right? Yep, there's a kid version. Yeah, yep, we have it at the clinic. Um, you can find it on our full script store, but it's called VClear. I keep it on hand. It's just something that we start taking right away. And then thinking about preventative things, elderberry this time of the year should be taken every day. Vitamin D should be taken every day. And then the other one I really like for kids because it's easy is vitamin C. So you can get vitamin C tablets, you can get emergency, you can get, you know, pretty much any sort of vitamin C tablet that can be eaten by a kiddo. A thousand milligrams or so is really gonna help keep that immune system functioning well.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

Right, because vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps kind of your body actually respond.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

Yeah, so it actually recycles glutathione, which is our main antioxidant. So it's like when those viruses start to like wreak havoc on your cells, we need glutathione for that. And glutathione is like the garbage truck that picks up all the trash. Well, if we don't have enough glutathione because we don't have enough vitamin C, uh, then we don't have enough garbage trucks to clean up the garbage.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

I like that analogy. And I think the last time we talked a little bit about immune system, you also mentioned zinc.

SPEAKER_00 7:39

So zinc is great to start taking at the onset of infection because it actually stops viral replication. So it tells the viruses to like stop replicating, stop making copies of yourself, which gives your immune system a little bit of an advantage to then say, hey, I can actually take care of the viruses that are here and they're not multiplying like rabbits.

SPEAKER_01 7:59

So what would be advantageous to take like daily? Like I take vitamin D daily. Is it beneficial for me to take vitamin C and zinc daily right now, too, even though I'm not currently sick?

SPEAKER_00 8:08

I think so, yeah.

Daily Preventatives For Families

SPEAKER_00 8:10

So I think vitamin C, zinc, elderberry, vitamin D, those are kind of the four things that I often will recommend kind of as like a to help, like a preventative. Yeah. Yep. Um, and then of course, like I shouldn't even have to mention it, but I'm going to washing your hands before, after, every time you do and touch something, because the likelihood of you touching your nose, your eyes, or your mouth are quite high. The other thing that I really like that's totally free, cheap, and easy is those saline nasal sprays. So think about how like you go to the mall, someone in front of you coughs or sneezes, you literally inhale all of the virus that they just sneezed out of their mouth. That goes straight to your nasal passage. So if we can clear those out and keep those bugs from replicating in that moist environment, the likelihood of you getting sick goes down. So if we can rinse those out morning and night, it sounds so gross, but that's where those viruses are replicating. That's where that virus and bacteria are hanging out, multiplying, and that's where they set up shop. And so if we can rinse those out and rinse those away before they get a chance to do that, it just keeps you healthier.

SPEAKER_01 9:18

Yeah, that's great. Well, and then you hit a hit out hit on it already, but talking about like if we're chronically stressed, if we're like go, go, go, go always, like and we're not managing stress somehow, whether it's like exercising, stretching, going for a walk, like whatever that might be, or reading a book, or whatever your your modality for hopefully decreasing your stress content is helpful. Um, what are other things that are easy to do to take or whatever? Like I'm I you know I love castorial

Handwashing And Nasal Rinses

SPEAKER_01 9:50

packs, but to help minimize stress as much as we can while we're going through this stress or this um, I don't know, cold and blue season.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

He um, so we actually talked about it last night at my house because I'm going on a trip to New York and I was like, oh my goodness, like I feel so stressed because I'm like packing and all the things. So planning and prepping ahead of time, super helpful to decrease your stress. Um, I like to do some adrenal supports this time of the year. Ashwagandha is probably one of my favorites. Um, it's one of those that you take and and you have to take it for more than a day, right? Like you take it and then you're like, oh, I didn't work. No, no, no. Like we're teaching the immune, like we're teaching the immune system and the stress response system how to manage stress differently. And ashwagandha is really good at doing that. It's gonna take like 10 to 15 days though to work. So, is that another one you could add to like your daily regimen? Yes, you could absolutely add um ashwagandha to your daily regimen. I would probably do it in capsule form. My children do it in liquid form. Um, I like the capsules. Also, getting really good sleep, right? So if you're not sleeping well at night, we got to talk about how to get you better sleep. Usually sleep is a stress problem and or a hormone problem. Um, and so if you're not sleeping well, I I need you to work on your bedtime routine. I have so many women who come in and they're like, Oh, I don't go to bed until 12 or 1. And I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We can't work on anything else until you start going to bed at a decent

Stress, Ashwagandha, And Sleep

SPEAKER_00 11:20

time. Yeah, but that's my only time free. I understand. But it is really messing up your hormones, it's messing up your adrenal glands, it's messing up your digestion, it's making everything harder. It's it's making your whole body work harder when you're not sleeping at the right time. I think it's like you're the best quality hours of sleep are before midnight. Yes, so every hour before midnight, we like to say it's worth four hours after. So I also was on Facebook the other day, and I saw this mom in a mom's group ask what time your kids go to bed. And it was astonishing to me how many kids people let their kids stay up until 10, 10:30, 11 o'clock at night that are, you know, in their like 10, 11. Oh my goodness, you guys, I'm sorry, this is probably a very unpopular opinion. Put your kids to bed earlier than that. They need more sleep, their little bodies need more rest than that. We're eight o'clock. Yeah. And but like, I don't care if you're 10 or 11 or 12, 11 o'clock is too late for a child to go to bed. It is not good for their immune systems, it's not good for their growth, it's not good for their growth hormone. And we wonder why kids have so many hormone issues and why they're sick all the time. It's because their bedtime routines are just as terrible as ours.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

Well, that, and then like they're crabby and they're upset, and that makes everything else harder too, right? And like especially for I mean both genders, but girls, I have, so it's like for when their bodies are going through puberty and stuff, like they need to have more and better rest. And so I go to bed at nine. So I like them like when I'm at eight, so I have a little bit of time in between. Yeah. Um, and I won't lie, like our youngest, she

Kid Bedtimes And Hormone Health

SPEAKER_01 13:00

she'll roll around and whatever, whatever, whatever, and probably until like 8:20 before she actually probably finally falls asleep. Our older one is like me, and pretty much within five minutes of my head laying on the pillow, like she's out. And um I guess I'm grateful for that. And even, yeah, even if they're just even in their bedrooms and it's like the calming time frame, we start that usually at 7:40. Like, that's helpful for sure.

SPEAKER_00 13:26

So bedtime routine for you and your children is really important. Um, and then I think the last thing that I would touch on would be, you know, it's not like we have cold and flu season necessarily, we kind of have sugar and stress season. And that's not my thought, right? Like that that's reality, is we just there's more sweets, there's more treats. But totally true. It's totally true. Think about okay, I just was talking yesterday, I was like, the amount of Halloween candy I've eaten since Halloween is appalling. And and it normally we just don't have those things in our house. Like, we don't have the bonbons and the twinkies and the Christmas cookies and the whatever as often as we have in this season. And so being mindful of your sugar intake right now, because viruses and bacteria love sugar, it also weakens your immune system, it causes more stress on your cortisol and your blood sugar, and that in and of itself is enough to cause you to get sick. And so just be mindful. Also, watch the cocktails, watch the sugar intake in your drinks, um, because those are really easy ways to like slip in extra sugar. Um, and then one thing I've been hearing that I just kind of want to dismiss and like is going outside and catching a cold. I have heard that so many times in in the last couple of weeks. I'm like, going outside into the weather is not going to give you a cold. Like, I know that's what your mom told you, but the cold weather isn't causing you to get sick. And all the other things,

Sugar Season vs Cold Season

SPEAKER_00 15:00

it's all the other things like going outside and being in nature and like breathing in fresh air, 100%, being in the sunshine, actually, vitamin N, right? Vitamin nature, like being in the outdoors is actually probably better for you anyway than just being inside all of the time. So, yes, don't go outside in your shorts and a tank top. Like, that's not what this season is for. But also don't be afraid to go outside if it's chilly. Wear appropriate clothing, go play outside, go get your exercise, like be active, and you're not gonna get a cold from the cold weather. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:38

I I mean, all of that is great information. And I think for a lot of people, like you may know some of it, but hearing it in a different light, or just even being able to be like, oh yeah, being mindful and just like reevaluating, like these are the bullet points that we just need to focus on, right? And like a lot of times it's um nothing crazy, it just is small steps to make make it a better, it's better season, easier season on yourself. And I think Tanya's totally right, where it's really easy to stay up late and like whether you're wrapping presents or you're prepping for whatever that I might be, but then the next day you feel terrible. I feel worse when I stay up past 10:30 than I do if I'm like I feel hung over. Yeah, and it's like I I had one drink, like this is ridiculous, but it's because I stayed up, I mean, an hour and a half to two hours past my normal bedtime, and then it's hard, it takes a couple of days to come back from that. And so, as much as you possibly can, like Tanya said, sleep is sleep is needed this time of the year. Um, and yeah, getting out and getting some movement, and it's because we're old now. Yeah, we are old now. It's more fun.

SPEAKER_00 16:48

I have to go to bed at 7:30. I stayed out last night too, like watching videos for my trip to New York, and this morning I thought, oh, I should have gone to bed earlier.

SPEAKER_01 16:58

I 9 o'clock, man. If I 9 30, I maybe could get away with, but uh past that it's it's tough for me the next day. We're just we're busy with the

Cold Weather Myths And Fresh Air

SPEAKER_01 17:10

kids. It's like from morning until I was thinking even yesterday coming home from um Finley Ed soccer until like 6 15. So we're like home at 6 30. And I was like, I left home 11 hours ago, and I have been constant since I left, right? And no wonder why I'm tired. Like it's not, I don't think there's anything wrong with me. I think like when I look at how much activity and movement I did with my job and with the kids and all the pieces, I didn't sit down, so of course I'm tired. It's been 11 hours of moving around. Yeah, but I did sleep really great last night, so I feel better today.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

And I think one of the other things that I will often mention to people is this, oh, I get a second wind. Yeah, ignore it. Ignore it like you ignore your children when they're yelling mom at you. It's like a stress response, isn't it? It's like the fighter place that turns on. Like, just ignore it. Just if you get that second wind at like nine o'clock and you're like, now I'm gonna clean the whole house top to bottom, just remember that. Dr. Jenny and I said, knock it off and go to bed because one, you're you're gonna feel like crap the next day. You're just fueling the elevated cortisol, you're just suppressing your immune system more. Um, and and just give yourself some grace during this season. You're bound to get sick. Give yourself some rest, like treat yourself to some, you know, downtime and some cozy, cozy Hallmark movies, like whatever, whatever floats your boat, but just know that this too is part of the season. Let's just try to get through it without

Routines, Second Wind, And Grace

SPEAKER_00 18:40

weeks and weeks and weeks of sickness.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

Yes. Okay, so all of the supplements that Tanya mentioned, we will post the link in our show notes um as this episode drops as well. But if you have any questions, um please reach out. Have a great day. Thanks so much for spending a little time with us today. If this episode spoke to you, please follow the podcast and leave us a quick review. It helps other moms find our community and feel supported too. And if you have a friend who could use a little encouragement, share this episode with her. Thank you for listening, and remember, you are doing an amazing job.