Immunity Boosting Cocktail - "The Silver Shot"

Every season is a great season for sharing! Love, smiles, hugs, high-5's... so much Good Stuff that can only be realized when shared with others.

In the process, sadly, we sometimes share and receive some not-so-good-stuff... germs, bacteria, viruses. You know what I'm talking about.

We know the basics, but I'm going to touch on a few and then share an extra step we take around my house... the silver shot! (I do have links to some of the ingredients, but I don't get kickbacks or anything. I'm just sharing what has benefited us.)

Wash your hands & use hand sanitizer. I know it's simple, but it's not insignificant. Just take a moment and think about all the things you touch during the day that other people also touch: the digital pen at the checkout, the gas pump, door handles, pens at the polling station/ bank/ doctors office/ etc. While you may have good hygiene habits and feel sure you're not leaving anything behind, you have no idea about the hundreds of people that were there before you.

Limit touching. This one can be hard for some us touchy-feely types, but there are modifications you can make to reduce your risk. Reach out and touch a shoulder or do a fist bump instead of shaking hands. Do a nice Christian-side-hug in place of full frontals to avoid breathing each others air. There are some instances where a hand shake is unavoidable, so just be sure not to touch your face or mouth until you're able to whip out that hand sanitizer you keep with you.

Heal your gut. OMG, I know... this is a whole blog post, nay... a whole book on its own! This is so important and many people don't even realize the connection between their gut health and their immunity. It's real, friends!! What you eat matters... in all the ways! As I learn more about this, I will definitely share. In the meantime, do a quick Google search and familiarize yourself with it. It can be overwhelming, but even starting with one change is better than not starting at all.

The Silver Shot. This is our go-to of choice at my house when we start to feel that tickle in our throat or anything else that has us less than our best. We also do this once or twice daily as a preventative measure during those special seasons of sharing the 'bad' things. There are 2 main ingredients (listed first, below), and the rest is really just a matter of taste and can be adjusted to your liking.

• Silver - Nature's Anitbiotic. (1 teaspoon) There are lots of options out there, but I have 2 favorites: Starr Walker's Super Silver Molentrate and Sovereign Silver Hydrosol. These seem to be the safest and most effective for long-term use.

• Vitamin C Powder. (1/4+ teaspoon) Not just any vitamin C will do! If you're taking one that is only ascorbic acid, you're only using the steering wheel of a car! (that analogy is not mine. If I can find where I read it, I will come back and give credit). The best I've found is Starr Walker's Super C powder. It also has Niacin, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, L-Lysine, L-Cysteine, L-Glutathione, Citrus Bioflavanoid Complex, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, and Alpha D-Ribofuranose. To be honest, I don't even know what a few of those are, but I didn't want to leave any of them out. :)

• Luke-warm water. (to taste) Because many of these ingredients are heat sensitive, it's best to use mildly warm water. Hot water can create a comforting wassail-like beverage, but it has the potential to kill off the very things we're trying to get into our system. Bummer.

• Raw Honey or Stevia Drops. (to taste) Manuka honey is the best, as far as being antibacterial, but it's pricey! Like, I stand in the aisle looking at it, thinking... do I?? And the answer is: only if I promise not to use it in hot liquids. And because of that, I don't use it in my favorite version of the silver shot. Heat kills those valuable enzymes, and while my water may or may not be hot enough to damage them, I'd rather take a chance with the less expensive, yet still beneficial, raw honey. I've even been known to forego the honey and use some SweetLeaf Stevia drops when I'm after the more comforting hot beverage.

• Cranberry Concentrate. (to taste) It's important to not confuse this with cranberry juice. Juices often have added sugar and it takes a much bigger serving size to get the antioxidant whammy-effect that the concentrate delivers. Cranberry has lots of benefits, which you can read about here. Just be sure to get a quality, non-sugar-laden version. I have also used organic lemon juice. Not quite as tasty, but still effective.

Mix all those things up and drink it down! The taste will depend on how you mix it, thus the 'shot' portion. Different strokes for different folks, and sometimes it's just easier to get it down fast.

I hope you find this information beneficial. To your health and wellness, friends!