Here in Los Angeles, we are having wild fires after a typical Los Angeles dry, hot summer. As if our lungs didn't have enough to contend with - namely, L.A. smog, the fires are burning and all sorts of crazy materials beyond the brush and bushes, the homes, the paint, the chemicals, are permeating the air.  Additionally, the temperature are fluctuating - sometimes 30 degrees in a 20 hour period. The body is thrown into flux. And then... You add the pervasive social and communal stress of the economical, geo-political climate that we are living with....WHEW!
  What to do?
1.  Exercise - hike, yoga, swim, cardio - get your Endorphins going naturally - you need them!
2. Develop a calm sleep routine - bath, book, bed. The triad (mind, body, and spirit) need the rest!
3. Eat well - forgo the processed, canned, white flour, white sugar. Go for the fresh - fruits, veggies, grains, legumes, enjoy in moderation free-range, preferably organic dairy, meat, fish.
And if your diet isn't all that regular or great - make sure you are taking some whole food based supplements.
The girls have their favorites, Ellah (age 2) LOVES her DHA fish oil chewable orange flavored soft capsules (I tasted it and don't get it). Lishai (age 7) takes 2 Perfect Food  tablets to supplement the her veggie intake (enzyme rich, easy to digest greens - grasses, veggies by the Garden of Life Company www.vitaminshoppe.com have them for a great price). I love the Garden of Life products and use there practitioner line called Original Medicine in my practice.
 4. Laugh - even if you need to fake it at first, take your clue from 2-5 year olds - they laugh over the silliest things - it reduces the harmful stress chemicals that cause illness and disease.
5. Favorite supplements - Essential Fatty Acids (flaxseed, borage oil, evening primrose, fish oils) - no one gets enough in their diet; CoQ10 and Alpha Lipoeic Acid - Liver function enhancement, brain food, anti-cancer - very helpful for urban living, Goji juice - by Freelife (my kids take it out of the fridge when they are getting sick and ask for it, yet don't go for it at any other time. I try to do 2 oz a day), Garden of Life Perfect Food tablets - bse despite loving salads - most of us don't get enough of these greens, Cal/Mag - for sleep, muscles, all women need calcium - most don't get enough
6. 8-10 glasses of water a day. Try to drink them before 5pm otherwise it may keep you up at night peeing.
7.  Positive Thoughts - get a good relaxation CD to listen to to meditate, do self-hypnosis, visualization -
This list isn't the be all end all but these are positive steps to keeping the immune system strong in hard times.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:  If you are feeling overwhelmed with all that is occurring. Think about this... A Garden needs to seasonally be fertilized - yes it is stinky and full of sh-t - but it is fertile ground for new seeds, ideas, creation. We need this sh-tty situation to grow! Also - gardens need to be pruned - so it is a perfect time to cut back the excesses and see the beauty in the pruning process and result.

Namaste!