How to Tap into Holistic Wellness this Flu Season

CHICAGO — An older man in a three-piece suit stood by the register, a violet tie draped loosely around his neck like a scarf. He chatted with the woman behind the counter, laughing with his whole body and making profound claims like, “Every community needs this,” with a healthy nonchalance.

It felt like he had stepped in from a portal to another time. Or maybe he was exactly who one might expect to find shopping at Merz Apothecary, Chicago’s hub for holistic medicine since 1875.

Wellness in today’s age of social media can be overwhelming, with new supplements and recipes trending every week. This flu season, colostrum is all the rage. But for wellness rookies, it may be hard to justify a $100 immunity-boosting powder, regardless of the hype.

But Lisa Frye, long-time Merz customer-turned-herbs-and-tea-production specialist, said holistic wellness looks different for everyone.

“It’s about supporting your body and its natural function,” she said.

Wellness, like for the man in the suit, doesn’t have to be complicated, experts say. And it might already be a part of your daily routine.

• Back to basics

Frye encourages people to prioritize sleep, hydration, nutrition and exercise. When it comes to holistic medicine, “It’s lifestyle first,” she said.

Focusing on these essential wellness elements will give your body the support it needs to function properly, she said.

• Drink your plants

While coffee and tea may already be a part of many people’s daily routines, they are packed with nutritional benefits, Frye said. A cup or two a day is a simple way to absorb valuable nutrients, though she may be biased. She created two immunity blends: a green blend for curbing oncoming illness and a red blend for recovery.

• Experiment with supplements

“If you take them, you’ll never die,” Devyn Kerpan, sales associate at Merz, said she once overheard a coworker say about Super Lysine, a supplement abundant with vitamin c, garlic bulb, echinacea, propolis and licorice root, all of which work to boost the immune system.

Registered pharmacist Olesya Ruspynka suggests echinacea, an anti-bacterial that stimulates the immune system. “My parents are European,” she said. “Anytime they were sick they made their own remedies that they found in their backyard, and they taught me that it was always food and plants and vitamins that kept us healthy. It was always, ‘Let’s go see what we can grow.’”

• Get your flu shot

“It’s all about integrating functional and western medicine,” said Camilla Husseini, sales and fragrance specialist at Merz. While holistic wellness does focus on natural properties, it doesn’t negate going to the doctor. It is about finding balance between preventing and treating illness, and giving your body the support it needs, Husseini explained.

• Keep it simple

Hope Harrison, a wine seller from Austin, Texas, came to Merz in search of natural deodorant, but shared her home recipe that she makes when she feels sickness coming on.

“I always drink an apple cider vinegar, garlic, honey, hot water, cayenne pepper kind of drink,” she said.

She also recommended oil of oregano but warned that it “tastes gross.”

Julia Gordon is a graduate student at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and an occasional contributor to Patch.com