Are You Using Cold Remedies Thinking Your Immune System Is a Switch?

Cold and flu “season” isn’t really about germs alone. Germs are constant. What changes is the terrain — the internal environment of the body. When that terrain is under-nourished, inflamed, stressed, and depleted, the immune system can’t do its job. Then everyone goes scrambling for remedies instead of fixing the foundation.

Here’s what’s actually missing 👇

By: Marcy Schoenborn

1. The Immune System Isn’t a Switch — It’s a System

Most people treat immunity like something you “turn on” when you feel a tickle in your throat.

Reality check:

• The immune system is built daily

• It requires raw materials, not reactions

• You don’t boost immunity — you support it

If your body has been running on caffeine, ultra-processed food, low protein, and erratic blood sugar… no amount of zinc lozenges or elderberry syrup is going to override that.

That’s like trying to fix a broken leg with a heating pad.

2. Blood Sugar Instability Is the Silent Immune Suppressor

This one is huge and almost never talked about.

Chronic blood sugar swings:

• Increase cortisol

• Suppress immune cell activity

• Increase inflammation

• Reduce white blood cell efficiency

So when someone eats “healthy” but is under-eating, skipping meals, or living on carbs with little protein or fat — their immune system is already compromised before the virus shows up.

This is why so many people say:

“I eat really well and still get sick.”

Eating clean is becoming an overused term, most people I talk to that think they eat clean are missing the mark. 

3. Your Gut Is the Immune System

Roughly 70% of the immune system lives in the gut.

If digestion is off, immunity is off. Period.

Common things that quietly weaken gut-immune function:

• Chronic stress (reduces stomach acid and enzyme output)

• Low protein intake (immune cells are protein-based)

• Repeated “detoxes” and extreme restriction

• Overuse of quick-fix supplements instead of food

When the gut lining is irritated or under-nourished, the immune system stays reactive instead of resilient.

4. Micronutrient Deficiency Doesn’t Always Look Like Malnutrition

This is where people get defensive.

You can eat:

• Organic

• Plant-forward

• “Clean”

…and still be functionally deficient.

Why?

• Poor absorption

• Depleted soils

• Chronic stress increasing nutrient demand

• Years of dieting and restriction

Your immune system needs minerals and cofactors daily to mount a response. If those reserves are low, your body will triage — immunity drops down the priority list. You don't get these minerals from electrolyte packets filled with more chemicals than nutrients.

That’s not failure. That’s physiology.

5. Stress Is an Immune Event

Every stressor — emotional, physical, metabolic — pulls from the same stress bucket.

When cortisol is chronically elevated:

• Inflammation increases

• Immune signaling weakens

• Recovery slows

• Sleep quality drops (another immune hit)

So when people say:

“I got sick out of nowhere”

It wasn’t nowhere.
It was weeks or months of depletion finally showing up.

6. Cold & Flu Remedies Are Not the Problem — Misplaced Reliance Is

There’s nothing wrong with supportive remedies.

The issue is using them as:

• The first line

• The only line

• The replacement for nourishment

Remedies can assist the body.
They cannot replace what the body lacks.

You can’t patch chronic under-fueling with a tea.
You can’t override years of stress with a capsule.
You can’t out-supplement poor digestion.

The Hard Truth (And the Empowering One)

People don’t get sick because they didn’t take the right remedy.

They get sick because:

• Their body has been compensating for too long

• Their immune system is running on empty

• Their nutrition is inconsistent, not supportive

Real immune strength comes from:

• Stable blood sugar

• Adequate protein and minerals

• Digestive support

• Nervous system regulation

• Consistency over intensity

Not panic buying supplements when symptoms hit.

Bottom line:

Colds and flu aren’t failures — they’re feedback.
They’re the body saying, “I’ve been holding you up… and I need more support.

Real health doesn’t come from reacting faster — it comes from supporting better. If you’re tired of chasing symptoms and want to understand what your body has been asking for all along, that’s exactly where my work comes in. Reach out and let’s see if my program is the right next step for you.

 https://forms.gle/8wGzmWbjA7DCaDSQA

Why We Chase Remedies Instead of Prevention (Behavior + Physiology)

Humans Are Wired for Immediate Relief

• Immediate symptom relief activates reward pathways, while long-term prevention does not produce fast feedback.

• This is well documented in behavioral neuroscience and health psychology.

Citation:

• Ainslie, G. (2013). Impulsiveness and Self-Control. Psychological Bulletin.

• Baumeister, R. F., et al. (2007). Self-regulation and health behavior. Health Psychology.

Stress, Cortisol, and Immune Suppression

Chronic stress:

• Suppresses immune cell function

• Reduces lymphocyte production

• Increases susceptibility to viral infections

Citations:

• Segerstrom, S. C., & Miller, G. E. (2004). Psychological stress and the human immune system: A meta-analytic study. Psychological Bulletin.

• Cohen, S., et al. (2012). Chronic stress, glucocorticoid receptor resistance, inflammation, and disease risk. PNAS.

Blood Sugar Dysregulation Weakens Immunity

Unstable blood glucose:

• Increases inflammatory cytokines

• Reduces neutrophil and macrophage activity

• Raises cortisol and adrenaline

Citations:

• Jafar, N., et al. (2016). Hyperglycemia and immune dysfunction. International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

• Delamaire, M., et al. (1997). Impaired leukocyte functions in diabetic patients. Diabetic Medicine.

(Important note: this applies before diabetes — repeated glucose spikes still impair immune response.)

The Gut–Immune Connection (~70% of Immunity)

Gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) plays a central role in immune regulation.

Disruption from:

• Poor digestion

• Stress

• Inadequate protein and micronutrients

leads to impaired immune signaling.

Citations:

• Round, J. L., & Mazmanian, S. K. (2009). The gut microbiota shapes intestinal immune responses. Nature Reviews Immunology.

• Belkaid, Y., & Hand, T. W. (2014). Role of the microbiota in immunity and inflammation. Cell.

Micronutrient Deficiency & Immune Function

Even mild or “subclinical” deficiencies impair immune defense — before overt deficiency symptoms appear.

Key point: you can eat “healthy” and still be deficient due to stress, absorption issues, or prior restriction.

Citations:

• Gombart, A. F., et al. (2020). A review of micronutrients and the immune system. Nutrients.

• Calder, P. C. (2020). Nutrition, immunity and COVID-19. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.

Protein Intake and Immune Cell Production

Immune cells, antibodies, and cytokines are protein-based.

Chronic low protein intake:

• Reduces antibody production

• Weakens immune response to pathogens

Citations:

• Li, P., et al. (2007). Amino acids and immune function. British Journal of Nutrition.

• Calder, P. C. (2006). Fuel utilization by immune cells. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society.

Sleep, Recovery, and Immune Readiness

Sleep deprivation:

• Lowers natural killer cell activity

• Increases infection risk

Citations:

• Irwin, M. R. (2015). Why sleep is important for health. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience.

• Cohen, S., et al. (2009). Sleep habits and susceptibility to the common cold. Archives of Internal Medicine.

Why Prevention “Doesn’t Feel Urgent”

Low-grade inflammation and nutrient depletion:

• Accumulate silently

• Produce vague symptoms

• Are easily normalized

Until the immune system fails under load.

Citations:

• Libby, P. (2007). Inflammation and chronic disease. Nature.

• Furman, D., et al. (2019). Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease. Nature Medicine.