Mushrooms have the power to boost your immunity

When you feel a cold or the flu coming on, you might start popping extra Vitamin C tablets or make a steaming pot of chicken soup, but would you ever guess that eating mushrooms could have prevented that cold or flu from arriving in the first place?

Mushrooms are a traditional element of Chinese medicine and have been respected for hundreds of years for their immunity-boosting power. Modern science backs this up, as recent studies have shown that mushrooms boost immunity and even help fight the growth of tumors.

According to a story by the Reuters news service, mushrooms are “powerhouses for boosting the immune system.” One study found that even the humble white button mushroom protected mice from harm when they were exposed to a chemical that triggers colon inflammation.

Mushrooms can be taken as an herbal remedy, or just added to your everyday diet.

Which mushrooms boost immunity and where to buy them

Extracts of cordyceps, ganoderma (also called reishi), coriolus, maitake, shiitake, and others are popular for promoting immune function. Extracts can be a convenient way to get a daily dose of mushrooms.

People’s Herbs, located in Portland, OR, sells mushroom extracts. Your local Whole Foods store offers several immune-boosting mushroom extracts in pill form. Medicinal mushrooms can also be ordered online here. And your local grocery store likely carries mushrooms that are good to include in your diet, like the button mushroom, shitake mushrooms and oyster mushrooms.

What is it about mushrooms that make them so good for our immune systems? We’ll explore that in our next post.

How to avoid colds and the flu in 5 easy steps: Step 5

Step 5: For men: don't have sex | For women: take preventive measures during your period

This one is pretty straightforward. The key thing for men is to avoid sex because it causes a loss of one of the body's vital substances called Essence. For women, they lose essence when they menstruate and thus are more vulnerable to catching a cold during their period.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Essence is vital for health and energy. Losing Essence for men in this way when they are sick will definitely prolong a cold and exacerbate symptoms. Awareness will help you here. If you become aware of your cold recovery time both when you have sex and when you abstain you will definitely learn to abstain from sex if you want to get well quickly. For women, consider following some of these steps or other cold preventing habits you have during your period. This is especially useful during cold and flu season.

Extra Credit: Slow down

This one—like step 3—can be difficult to do if you mostly feel fine. You probably feel well enough to go out with friends or continue to workout or do whatever fun thing you had planned. You don't need to stay inbed all day sleeping - although that would certainly help. Just do a bit less of whatever you would be doing normally. Postpone social engagements, go to sleep earlier, skip a workout at the gym. Within one or two days you can go back to your normal schedule knowing that you saved yourself anywhere from two days to two weeks of feeling much worse and missing even more!

Recap

If you want to have fewer colds and flus and spend less time feelingbad when you do catch one then follow the steps outlined above. Below I've provided a graphical representation of the two years before and after I started following these steps myself. You can easily achieve the same results!

This is my own actual experience. I don't even follow all the steps all the time! In general, the steps are numbered in order of importance -although the last, resting—is always a good idea if you're not feeling well. As you get better at dodging and limiting colds, you'll get a feel for what works best for you. When you become aware of the power of these steps and your own determination to be well, you will be amazed at the ability you have tostop getting sick!

Here is a table summarizing the steps for you:

5 Steps to Stop Catching Colds

1. Learn to recognize and take action at the first sign thatyou're catching a cold.


2. Take the classic Chinese herbal formula Yin Qiao andlarge doses of vitamin C.


3. Temporarily stop eating and drinking these things:coffee, alcohol, sugar, dairy, wheat and raw foods.


4. Eat Soups and Congees


5. For men: don't have sex | For women: take preventive measures during your period
   

• Extra Credit: Slow down

I hope you find this information helpful. Drop me an e-mail and let me know how you make out following this advice. I can be reached at jayzambelli@gmail.com, or leave me a comment.

Good luck with your improved health!