How I Supported My Immune System During My Umrah Trip This Year.
I was very fortunate to go to Umrah this year, and WOW what an experience. What everyone tells you is nothing compared to how you will experience your Umrah trip yourself. But everyone says the same thing, that going to Umrah can make you really sick and get what we call the “umrah cough.” It's a dry, nasty cough that doesn’t go away. It can linger for weeks in your system and make you feel fatigued, tired, and occasionally result in pneumonia. How do I know? Because I have experienced it and not because I went to Umrah, because my husband went months before and brought it to our household. Aside from washing your hands and wearing a mask, my experience prepared me to make my own pilgrimage in a healthier way, and I wanted to share the supplements and medications I brought and took on my trip with you all below.
WHAT I TOOK DAILY
I took a few supplements daily and religiously. It helped keep my immune system up, and when I felt a little twinge of a sore throat or a cough, it kept everything at bay. This is what I had on hand with me.
The tablets I used are called REACTONZ. I never tried this until my Umrah trip, but now I’m a HUGE fan. It tastes delicious and is packed with nourishing ingredients like Vitamin C, Zinc, Manuka Honey, Propolis, and Rosehip. I took one tablet daily. Caution- It is, however, high in sodium.
I also took additional vitamin C in gummy form. I love the brand Nordic Natural and took these gummies. They contain 500 mg of vitamin C to help your immune system function and provide antioxidant support. My kids also stole a few gummies. They have a slightly sour, tangy taste.
I have been a fan of Dao Immune Support since the start of COVID. It works like allergy/cold medications, soothing the lungs and drying up the nasal passages. It includes an herbal remedy, Yu Ping Feng San, an ancient formula used for over 800 years to strengthen immunity, prevent colds, and treat respiratory issues. I drink these on the plane, when I travel anywhere, when I feel allergy symptoms, and around people who are sick. You can take one packet with warm or cold water daily, but it's only for kids 12+. You can get a discount with my code: ALEXANDRA at checkout
The number one way to clear out any virus and infection is to clean your nasal passages DAILY. A study found that Japanese children rarely get sick because they come home, gargle with salt water, and flush their noses with saline spray every single day. After reviewing numerous studies on how nasal irrigation can flush out diseases and viruses and prevent illness, I began using it daily and continue to do so. I also make sure to do this for my kids and have been using nasal sprays since they were babies. PLEASE NASAL IRRIGATE with saline spray and gargle with salt water at the first signs of a cold or sore throat. You will THANK ME later.
This is the Nasal spray that I used on my trip. There are many different ones to choose from so get whatever you prefer. I have also used a colloidal silver product before, called Sovereign Silver Bioactive Nasal Spray.
THE GUT IS THE WAY TO HEALTHY LIVING. I tell my clients all the time that their gut health is essentially what keeps them healthy. If you are not absorbing the right minerals and nutrients into your bloodstream, or if you have a “leaky gut,” you are probably getting sick often, having trouble digesting your food, experiencing allergy symptoms, and so many other issues. The best method for treating your gut health is to take probiotics, which are healthy bacteria, to help the lining of your intestines. Probiotics compete with harmful bacteria for resources and space, preventing them from attaching to the gut wall. It helps your immune system by reducing inflammation in the gut lining and strengthening the gut barrier, preventing harmful bacteria from entering the body. It's found in fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, saurkrout, and kimchi, but I think it's also important to take supplements daily. Especially when you are traveling and eating food overseas that might affect your stomach. Trust me, you'll either have constipation or diarrhea when traveling abroad and eating food that isn't cleaned properly.
I personally love the brand SEED; however, many of my clients initially experienced constipation. However, taking it daily will start to regulate your bowel movements. I have also provided an alternative probiotic I recommend called Physicians’ Choice 60 Billion Probiotic.
My children took the SmartyPants pre- and probiotic gummies daily as well.
Multivitamins
Unfortunately, most people do not get enough nutrients, so we need to supplement. Also, if you have been to Mecca, the food isn’t that healthy. It's burgers and fried chicken, carbs of rice and meat, and not that many vegetables. Sorry to say the food wasnt that great. You can get fruits and vegetables at local markets, but given the time constraints, you typically go for fast food. So keep taking multivitamins. Although I’m not trying to get pregnant and my postnatal days are long gone, I still like taking Mary Ruth Vitamins' prenatal and postnatal vitamins gummies. They also have a liquid version, but for traveling, it was easier to snack on multivitamin gummies. I like their multivitamins in general, so any of their items are great to keep.
For my Kids, they took Smarty Pants Organic Multi and Omega-3 vitamins.
Last but not least is Zinc picolinate. I take one capsule daily and increase it to two if I feel I’m getting sick. I get it from the brand called Pure Encapsulations, which is clean, easy to take, and never hurts my stomach. Zinc supports your immune, digestive, metabolic, reproductive health, and tissue and cell regeneration.
I have been sharing Amazon link suggestions, but I also have a Fullscript Pharmacy. Anyone can join, and it gives you 20% off any supplement every time! You can also trust that it’s the real supplement from the Fullscript account. You can join here.
WHEN I STARTED TO FEEL SICK OR SLIGHT SORE THROAT
Allegra tablets
My cousin, an MD, once told me that allergy meds work just as well as cold meds because they do the same thing: they dry up mucus and support lung health. Allegra relieves sneezing, runny nose, itchy watery eyes, sinus congestiona nd passage ways. I know I’m a Chinese herbalist and love all the herbs I use, but sometimes, when you need something to work fast and effectively, medicine is okay to take. It's OK TO TAKE WESTERN AND EASTERN MEDICATIONS. You don't have to be stuck on just one kind of medicine. So when I started feeling sick on day 3, I began taking Allegra 1/2 tablet in the AM and 1/2 tablet at night. You can take one tablet daily, but I found it more effective to halve the dose. It helped my breathing, since I have mild asthma and the dust is really bad in Mecca, and it also dried up my runny nose.
An alternative herbal remedy for allergies is also the Dao Immunity support I mentioned above.
THESE ARE THE BEST SORE THROAT DROPS YOU WILL EVER FIND, HANDS DOWN. I don't want to gatekeep anything, and these Chinese sore-throat drops are everything I want in a cough drop. Kids will NOT like it, but I love the way it feels in my throat. A cooling, mentholated sensation that also soothes the throat. Ingredients include:
Honeysuckle Flower
Peppermint Oil
Eucalyptus Oil
Luo-Han-Guo Fruit
Tangerine Peel
Star Anise Oil
I also continued to take everything from the first list every day.
WIPES, DISSOLVABLE SOAP, HAND SANITIZER
If you are using public bathrooms in Mecca or Madinah, you will not find soap, paper towels, or tissue paper anywhere. Make sure to keep that in your bag and keep it handy. The best advice I received from a friend was to get dissolvable soap, which you can find unscented if needed during Umrah. I have linked everything and will also create a separate blog post with an Umrah packing list to help you soon.
These are great to keep in your bag, especially if you need to wash your hands when you are performing Umrah. It is unscented, dissolves in water, and can be easily taken in any kind of bag. There is no soap in any mosque or at the Haram. Also, make sure to keep napkins or tissues with you.
My Favorite Hand Sanitizers
If you want to prevent illness, please keep hand sanitizer handy! I sprayed my kids’ hands and used wet wipes everywhere I went. I believe it really helped them avoid getting sick on this trip because they can’t help touching their faces after touching everything else, and my kids are older (10 and 8). They still like to grab everything they see, and if millions of other people grabbed it too, you know what happens next: a cold.
I love Honest hand sanitizer sprays
Also kept these single-use Wipe that Tush flushable wipes just in case the washer spray wasn’t doing the trick.
So that’s it! I will continue to update this list if I forget anything, but I hope it helps you avoid getting sick on your Umrah trip or any trip, to be honest. Always make sure to wash your hands and wear a mask to prevent getting sick. Share any other tips in the comments below! Happy Healing!
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