This time of year you might be flooded with campaigns encouraging you to support your immune health, with tag lines like “get in early before flu season”, or the classic ‘tips and tricks to stay well this winter’, but deep down you’re thinking, “I don’t think I recovered from last winter…”

This is something we often refer to as Never Been Well Since (NBWS).

For you, this feeling has been ongoing for months, or even years. You might be able to trace it back to an illness, a stressful time, or a medical procedure (perhaps there was even some antibiotics involved…), or maybe you just can’t remember the last time you felt like yourself. You find yourself picking up every cold going around, never feeling properly refreshed after a full night’s sleep, you’ve lost your appetite, and struggle daily with brain fog and low motivation.

What can be tricky, is that these subtle symptoms often fly under the radar. Blood tests can look ‘normal’ and your symptoms can be brushed off as poor sleep, as “Mum brain”, stress or exhaustion from your job, or better yet you might hear this doozy: ‘you need to drink more water’, which can leave you feeling invalidated and frustrated.

From a naturopathic perspective, we look deeper into the body and investigate why the body hasn’t been able to fully recover in the first place. This may involve exploring factors such as nutrient depletion, gut health, chronic stress, post-viral immune dysregulation, inflammation, blood sugar balance, sleep quality, or the long-term impact of stress and trauma on the body. The answer is never one-size-fits-all, but what your body often needs, is a chance to catch up.

A chance to regulate and refuel.

Start with creating and maintaining a structured bedtime routine with the same sleep and wake times.
Prioritise gentle exercise like walking, stretching, or Pilates to help your body function optimally without causing excess stress and strain.
Fuel your body with antioxidants like organic berries, kiwifruit and citrus, leafy greens, green tea, and good quality dark chocolate, and don’t forget to fill your meals with as many herbs and spices as possible. Top of Form