Winter Wellness Supplements

*Reminder that all of this information is for educational purposes only. Please consult a doctor or other healthcare practitioner before starting any new supplement regimen. Depending on your lifestyle and healthy history, some of these may not be right for you.

Note: Where you source your supplements from is very important. Not only do you want to make sure they have actual potency, but you also want to make sure you are buying from a place that has high standards for storage and transport. I recommend sourcing products directly from the company, from a reputable retailer or through Fullscript, an online platform that ships straight to you.

Want to shop my favorites and save 10%? Most are available here: FULLSCRIPT

Daily Supplements: We take these every day, year-round.

  • Good quality multivitamin - My kids take Hiya. Sean does Athletic Greens. I alternate between AG and MindBodyGreen’s Ultimate Multivitamin right now. Other good options are Phytomulti by Metagenics, Thorne’s Basic Nutrients 2-Day or Designs for Health’s Metabolic Synergy.

  • Vitamin D - Most sources are good. Ideally you are getting a D3+K2 combo in a liposomal form.

  • Probiotic - My favorites are Seed, Just Thrive and Megasporebiotic. Seed has an option for kids and Just Thrive is safe enough for a newborn in the right dosage.

  • Omega 3 - This is the most important supplement to find a good, clean source. I like Nordic Naturals and Life Extension brands because of where they source the fish and the sustainable farming practices they use. Algae options are also good but usually cost more - if you are vegan, this is your source.

Daily Supplements Next Level: If there are a lot of sick kids in my community or we have a big event/trip coming up, we take these daily. They are all fine to take daily but not necessary EVERY DAY.

  • Propolis

  • Elderberry - antiviral

  • Mushrooms - No, not that kind. A mushroom blend is super supportive of your immune system. Try Thorne’s Myco-Immune.

  • Daily Immune Booster Support - there are a lot of great blends out there to choose from. If you are considering one of these, see if they already contain elderberry, in which case you don’t need to double up. Herb Pharm has Rapid Immune Boost for adults and Kids Immune Fortifier. Wishgarden Herbs has Kick-Ass Daily Immune for adults and Daily Immune Builder for kids. And I love Needed brand’s Immune Support for the whole family. If your choice does NOT include them, you could also consider adding in Vitamin C and Zinc.

Okay, now someone in your house is sick. The best way to stay safe is to kick them out and let them back in only when they are all better ;). The next best options are below. First, start with the Daily Supplements Next Level. Then see below my top tips by illness. The key is to start treating it as soon as possible for best results.

Hydration Is Key: Fluids are more important than food when you are fighting an illness. Staying hydrated can help speed up recovery time and help your body flush out the invading pathogens. Drink up!

Cold / Runny Nose:

  • Echinachea - viral fighting

  • Propolis Nasal Spray

  • NAC - if there is a lot of mucus and congestion, this will break it up and reduce inflammation. Also helps replenish glutathione, the body’s master antioxidant.

  • Oil of Oregano - if you think a secondary bacterial infection has occurred, this is a potent antibacterial. This has a strong taste so mix it into some OJ.

  • Steam inhalation - sit in the bathroom with the shower on hot and the doors closed. Bonus points for adding a drop or 2 of eucalyptus oil on the shower floor to help open those nasal pathways.

  • If super runny nose, avoid dairy as it can increase the mucus.

Cough:

  • Honey

  • RespiGuard Glycerite by Wise Woman - antiviral, antibacterial, will help break up mucus OR Lung Expectorant by HerbPharm

  • Elderberry Syrup

  • Children’s Chestal Honey by Boiron

  • Humidifier - my favorite is by Canopy because you can just throw it in the dishwasher to clean.

Fever: If it is not a high fever, I let it run. The fever is there to kill the invader, so let it do its job!

  • Cold Wet Socks - when your child goes to sleep, put on cotton socks that are wrung out after being dipped in cold water. Then put on dry wool socks on top. This will stimulate circulation and keep their immune system fighting all night.

  • Lemon balm

Sore Throat:

  • Wise Woman Throat Mist - decreases pain and kills pathogens

  • Herb Pharm Soothing Throat Spray (just choose this one or one above, not both)

Ear Infection:

  • Herb Pharm Kids Mullein garlic oil. Or you can make your own at home - I do this all the time and my kids have not taken an antibiotic for an ear infection since we started.

  • Warm compress - will provide relief and increase circulation

Antibiotics: I try to avoid antibiotics and only use them as a last resort because they don’t just kill the bad bacteria. They wipe out all of the bacteria in your gut and the good bugs in there make up 70-80% of your immune system and you have literally spent a lifetime cultivating them. That being said, antibiotics are incredible medicine and absolutely have a time and place. If you take them, I recommend taking Saccharomyces Boulardii strain probiotics at the same time. Once your course is over, help rebuild your gut microbiome by staying consistent with your probiotic and increasing your probiotic rich foods in your diet (think yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, hard cheeses, some vinegars, etc.)

NSAIDS: We also avoid NSAIDS as they are well known to irritate your stomach as well as negatively modulate the composition of our gut microbiota. Examples of these are Advil, Ibuprofen, Aleve. As an alternative, we use Arnica.

Acetaminophen: Yup, we also avoid this if we can help it. Acetaminophen reduces our stores of glutathione, our master antioxidant, and we need that more than ever when we are sick. See also above as to why I let fevers run. IF we are miserable, have a high fever, or need to take something to be comfortable so we can sleep; we shop Genexa brand because it produces cleaner products than many others on the market, such as Tylenol.