Everyone knows that awful feeling… Those first twinges of a sore throat or difficulty swallowing. Maybe it’s the slight headache with some tightness in the shoulders, or a unusual chill or extra sneeze… Whatever your first symptoms are, there’s something you can try to prevent illness.
The first line of defense is to go see your acupuncturist. They can help properly diagnose what’s going on in your body and help boost your immune system to fight off the invasion. Think of the cost-savings of NOT missing work, times however many people live in your house, plus the doctor copays and prescriptions… It’s well worth the visit.
But if you can’t do that, it’s okay. I have a FOOD THERAPY recipe for you that my kids even love! Take green onions/scallions and chop them into small pieces all the way down to almost the white-haired roots, at least a 1/2 cup. Combine this with a small container of organic tofu broken into small pieces in a frying pan with the oil of your choice, and stir fry them until the tofu is warm and the scallions are softened.
One addition to the recipe my family enjoys is scrambling an egg in the pan as well. It helps with the “new” tofu texture and adds a familiar flavor.
If you eat a plateful of this, your pores will open, and you’ll sweat a little, clearing your “defensive” energy channel along the spine and stimulating your immune system. And hopefully, you can avoid missing workdays, piles of used tissues, and feeling bad for days or weeks. (By the way, I keep my fridge stocked with scallions and tofu just in case–the earlier you intervene, the better the result.)
There are also acupressure points that can be massaged, but that is a discussion for another day…