It's that time again; Back to School Season and along with it, that dreaded virus/bacteria-petri-dish aka 'the classroom'.
Or is it?
From an herbal perspective, it's not necessarily the sudden introduction of bacteria and viruses that your child is exposed to which causes the 'cold'. Chances are high that most kids are feeling relatively healthy after summer vacation. So the looming question is, why do those who enter the classroom, including teachers, after a long summer break suddenly fall prey to colds and flus? One very logical answer can be found in the concept of a "transition". Meaning that, it is possibly in the transition from summer vacay to the mundane and popularly perceived and promoted drudgery of the classroom that causes the stress which results in a 'cold'.
Stress is the number one cause of lowered immunity. Whenever we suddenly become stressed, the many opportunistic pathogens that a healthy immune system can keep at bay when life is experienced in a relaxed way, are suddenly able to express themselves. That sudden expression of the opportunistic pathogens are what result in our bodies feeling like we are 'coming down with something'. This theory basically says that back to school colds are not 'caught' by fellow students or teachers or anything living in the mythological petri dish of the classroom. The theory states that colds arise in an immune system which is challenged by stress when in a tough transition. Going from summer vacation to suddenly studying and sitting in a classroom everyday is a pretty big shift in behavior and our biology notices and responds to such dramatic changes.
The answer to this apparent dilemma: Have foresight and strengthen the immune system before the transition is upon you. If you're gearing up to face the "Back to School Challenge, then try meeting it with a renewed understanding of the Cold Snap Challenge: Consider adding Cold Snap to the daily supplement regimen every day. We suggest 1-2 capsules twice a day until school starts. Then, during the back to school transition, increase the dose whenever an "unwanted guests" appears to be expressing itself. At that time, using the powder version is most efficient, though keeping Cold Snap capsules on hand at all times is ideal. The quicker ColdSnap is taken when the immune system appears to be crashing from stress, the faster the intruder will be surrounded and knocked out. By periodically adding a boost of Stomach Chi to these efforts, your success in strengthening the immune system should increase. (For more info, read our blog on Stomach Chi Formula).
Good Luck and Praise Education!! School is FUN :)