Understanding and Supporting the Body During Winter Illness

Hi I’m Sammy,

Your Good Farm in-house nutritionist. Here to bring you essential information on nutrition, diet and permaculture gardening - in a bite size, easy to understand, science-backed way.

Understanding and Supporting the Body During Winter Illness

Modern medicine has done extraordinary things. Antibiotics, emergency medicine, surgery, intensive care, and acute interventions have saved countless lives and remain essential.

At the same time, much of modern healthcare has become heavily focused on symptom management. Across many conditions, the primary goal is often to suppress symptoms rather than ask why the body produced those symptoms in the first place. This reflects a broader shift away from viewing the body as a network of interconnected systems and towards managing symptoms in isolation rather than understanding the root cause.

This can be helpful to understand during cold and flu season, especially for parents navigating childhood illness. Many of us have been conditioned to fear fever, stop every cough, dry every runny nose, and return to normal functioning as quickly as possible. However, many symptoms developed as protective survival mechanisms shaped over millions of years.

This does not mean suffering should never be relieved or that medication is never appropriate, especially when there is pain, disruption to sleep, or significant distress. Rather than automatically suppressing symptoms, it can be helpful to understand what those symptoms are doing, when intervention is necessary, and how to better support the body through illness. In many cases, this approach may lead to better short- and long-term outcomes.

Fever: An Intelligent Immune Response

Fever is one of the most feared symptoms, particularly in children. Yet fever is a highly regulated immune response. When the body detects viruses or bacteria, immune cells release signalling molecules that raise the body’s temperature set point. This temporary rise in temperature creates an environment that may make it harder for certain pathogens to replicate while simultaneously enhancing aspects of immune function.

Research suggests fever may help:

• increase immune cell activity
• improve pathogen recognition
• reduce replication of some viruses and bacteria
• support the coordination of the immune response

Fever also changes behaviour in important ways, especially for children who may find it difficult to rest. When we develop a fever, we often become tired, less social, less hungry, and more inclined to sleep. These changes help redirect energy toward immune defence and recovery, creating conditions that support healing.

This does not mean all fevers should simply be ignored. Infants, breathing difficulties, dehydration, lethargy, persistent high fevers, or signs of serious illness always require medical assessment. But many mild-to-moderate fevers during common viral illnesses are part of a normal and protective immune response.

What Happens When We Suppress Fever?

Many common medications such as paracetamol (Panadol) and ibuprofen (Nurofen) work by reducing inflammatory signalling involved in fever production. These medications have a role in situations mentioned above, however, it is also important to understand that suppressing fever changes the immune environment the body intentionally created.

Some research suggests fever suppression may:

• reduce certain aspects of immune efficiency
• prolong viral shedding in some infections
• potentially lengthen aspects of illness duration
• alter inflammatory signalling pathways involved in recovery

Treat the Child, Not the Thermometer

A holistic approach to fever support focuses on the child, not just the temperature. Rather than becoming fixated on a number on the thermometer, it is important to consider the whole picture. How is the child behaving? Are they drinking fluids, resting, responding to those around them, and breathing comfortably? While temperature can provide useful information, it is only one piece of a much larger clinical picture.

Hydration, rest, sleep, nourishment, nervous system support, and comfort measures can all help create the conditions that allow recovery to occur. Rather than immediately trying to suppress a fever, the focus is often on supporting the body's innate healing processes while remaining attentive to signs that medical assessment or intervention may be needed.

Mucus, Runny Noses, and Coughing

Mucus plays an important protective role. Mucosal surfaces act as one of the body's first lines of defence, helping trap pathogens, particles, allergens, and debris so they can be removed from the body.

A runny nose is often a drainage mechanism, while coughing serves an important purpose by helping clear mucus and secretions from the airways. Although these symptoms can be frustrating, they are often part of the body's efforts to remove irritants and support recovery.

Many cold and flu medications work by drying secretions and suppressing these responses. While symptom relief may sometimes be appropriate, completely shutting down mucus production and drainage may not always support the body's longer-term recovery process.

This is one reason some people feel temporarily "better" while medicated, only for symptoms to return once the medication wears off. In some cases, the body may simply be continuing the work it was already trying to do.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics can be life-saving when needed. However, most winter colds, flus, and many upper respiratory tract infections are caused by viruses and therefore do not respond to antibiotic treatment.

Research suggests that a substantial proportion of antibiotic prescriptions for respiratory infections are unnecessary. Alongside contributing to antibiotic resistance, antibiotic use alters the gut microbiome, which plays an important role in immune function and resilience against future infections. Recovery from illness is therefore not only about eliminating pathogens, but also about rebuilding and supporting the body's microbial ecosystem.

Oli's Salty Lemony Broth

Since my eldest daughter was little, she has been accustomed to drinking broth, particularly when she is sick. In fact, she often intuitively asks for it when she feels unwell.

It is perhaps the simplest and most therapeutic meal to offer during illness. It can be as simple as broth sipped from a thermos on the couch or built into a more substantial meal depending on appetite. I always try to have a couple of frozen jars of broth in the freezer ready to go.

Broth provides hydration, electrolytes, minerals, and easily digestible nourishment at a time when appetite is often reduced, and the body's resources are being directed toward recovery.

Ingredients

• 2 cups quality bone broth or stock (homemade or store-bought)
• a pinch of mineral-rich salt
• a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a knob of butter when serving
• optional: rice noodles or leftover rice
• optional: shredded chicken
• optional: finely grated organic carrot, organic diced pak choy, sauerkraut

Method

Warm the broth gently and add the salt and lemon juice. Add any extras and simmer until heated through. Serve warm in a bowl or thermos.

What's in My Winter First Aid Kit?

• Natural chest balm: We love Kiwiherb Chesty Rub.
• Garlic & Mullein Ear Drops.
• Quality vitamin C powder and Zinc.
• Herbal remedies for children containing elderflower, echinacea, ribwort and mullein.
• Herbal remedies for adults containing echinacea and Andrographis.
• MediHerb Sore Throat Spray.
• Essential oils: Lavender, eucalyptus and peppermint for diffusers, steam inhalation, or a couple of drops in the shower or bath to create a steam-like effect.
• Natural saline spray or a neti pot.
• Epsom salts for baths
• Probiotics
• Juniper MediBalm for wind-chapped lips and dry noses from frequent nose blowing.

Essentials to Have on Hand in the Kitchen Over Winter

• Fresh ginger for making strong ginger tea, particularly soothing for sore throats.
• Raw Australian honey. Honey can be soothing for sore throats, straight from the spoon.
• Quality mineral-rich salt for gargles, neti pot rinses and homemade electrolyte drinks.
• Concentrated or frozen broth.
• A whole chicken in the freezer for making chicken soup.
• Australian garlic. Choose Australian-grown garlic. Much of the imported garlic available in Australia is treated with sprout inhibitors and fumigants that are restricted or banned in some countries.
• Organic oranges for freshly squeezed juice. Store-bought juices are often high in sugar and easy to overconsume, whereas squeezing oranges yourself naturally encourages a more moderate intake.
• Lemons.
• Water kefir or kombucha. When sick, sometimes plain water just does not cut it, especially for little ones, so something bubbly and fermented can hit the spot.
• Sage, thyme and oregano: Easy herbs to grow in the garden or in a pot and pick fresh throughout winter. These herbs contain compounds with antimicrobial activity. A strong herbal tea, sipped regularly throughout the day, may help support the upper respiratory tract and reduce viral adhesion to the mucosa.
• Keep a couple of Good Farm Shop meals in the freezer for times when energy is low. My top pick would be our pasture-raised coconut chicken curry for its comforting nature and mild spice profile, which may help clear the sinuses. Serve with brothy rice and plenty of lemon.

Further Reading

If there is one book I believe every parent should leave hospital with, alongside their newborn, it would be Healthy Kids, Happy Kids by integrative paediatrician Dr Elisa Song.

Dr Song combines conventional paediatrics with functional and integrative medicine, helping parents better understand children’s immune systems, microbiome health, inflammation, nutrition and nervous system regulation. Her approach is evidence-informed and empowering for parents trying to navigate modern childhood health.

Other books and authors that have strongly influenced the broader functional and ancestral health perspectives, and the root-cause approach to health explored throughout this article and previous articles, include:

The Paleo Cure by Chris Kresser, exploring the foundations of ancestral health, inflammation, gut health, sleep, stress, and modern chronic disease through an evolutionary lens.

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Morell, a book that helped reintroduce traditional food preparation methods such as broths, fermentation, slow cooking, and nutrient-dense ancestral foods back into modern kitchens.

Deep Nutrition by Dr Catherine Shanahan, exploring how traditional diets and fat-soluble nutrients influence long-term health, development, and resilience across generations.

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, one of the most accessible and important modern books on sleep, circadian rhythms, immune function, and recovery.

The Dirt Cure by Dr Maya Shetreat, particularly valuable for parents, exploring how nature, microbes, food, and environmental exposures shape childhood immune development.

Aside from being The Good Farm in-house nutritionist, I also help people one on one. I'm currently still on maternity leave but you can find me at: www.sammytruswell.com.au

Disclaimer
This article is intended for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace individual medical advice. Always consult your healthcare practitioner regarding your specific health circumstances.

References

Evans, S.S., Repasky, E.A., & Fisher, D.T. (2015). Fever and the thermal regulation of immunity: The immune system feels the heat. Nature Reviews Immunology, 15(6), 335-349.

Mackowiak, P.A. (1998). Physiological rationale for suppression of fever. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 26(3), 519-520.

Eccles, R. (2005). Understanding the symptoms of the common cold and influenza. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 5(11), 718-725.

Gombart, A.F., Pierre, A., & Maggini, S. (2020). A review of micronutrients and the immune system: Working in harmony to reduce the risk of infection. Nutrients, 12(1), 236.

Hao, Q., Dong, B.R., & Wu, T. (2015). Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2015(2), CD006895.

King, S., Glanville, J., Sanders, M.E., Fitzgerald, A., & Varley, D. (2014). Effectiveness of probiotics on the duration of illness in healthy children and adults who develop common acute respiratory infectious conditions. British Journal of Nutrition, 112(1), 41-54.

Smith, S.M., Schroeder, K., & Fahey, T. (2018). Over-the-counter medications for acute cough in children and adults in community settings. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2018(11).

World Health Organization. (2023). Antimicrobial resistance: Key facts.

Oduwole, O., Udoh, E.E., Oyo-Ita, A., & Meremikwu, M.M. (2018). Honey for acute cough in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2018(4).

Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner.

Song, E. (2024). Healthy Kids, Happy Kids: An Integrative Paediatrician's Guide to Whole Child Resilience.