Breathe easy! Boosting your gut-lung connection for October

October always feels like the month when the universe hands you a tissue box. The leaves start falling, the kids start coughing, and someone in the house is always sneezing. Cold germs travel faster than gossip in a small Welsh village. And if you’ve got asthma or are infection-prone, October is notorious for flare-ups — damp air, mould spores, smoke from the first wood fires. It’s basically the Olympics for your lungs.

Your gut and lungs: Ant & Dec of your body

Here’s the twist: your lungs don’t actually work solo. They’ve got a secret partner-in-crime down in your belly. Yep — your gut and your lungs are best mates. Scientists call it the gut–lung axis. Translation: if your gut microbiome is cranky, your lungs are going to sulk too.

How the gut-lung axis actually works

• Immune crosstalk: Around 70% of your immune system lives in your gut. Happy gut bugs send balanced immune signals up to the lungs. An inflamed gut? That’s when your sniffle becomes a chesty cough, or asthma goes into overdrive.
• Metabolite messages: Gut microbes turn fibre into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These travel through your bloodstream to your lungs, dialling down inflammation and boosting defences against colds and flu.
• Barrier function: A leaky gut lining = systemic inflammation. That extra “background noise” makes lung tissue more vulnerable to viruses, allergies, and wheezing.

Think of your gut like the boiler room of your house. When it’s working smoothly, the whole system runs warm and balanced — every radiator heats evenly, no strange clanks in the pipes. But if the boiler is off-kilter, the knock-on effects spread everywhere. The lungs are like radiators at the top of the house — the first to sputter if the system below isn’t running right.

October = stress test for your immune system

This is the month your immune system earns its stripes: kids back at school, damp days, shorter light. Everything conspires to put pressure on your lungs. That’s why feeding your gut bugs is one of the best ways to protect yourself right now.

Beans, lentils, squash, leeks, garlic — perfect October stew fuel. And don’t forget the big hitters: kefir + Complete Prebiotic. They keep your microbes producing those lung-protecting SCFAs, helping you breathe easier when the seasonal onslaught hits.

My secret weapons: “Get Me Through the Day” Tea and CG Oil

Afternoons in October are tricky — it’s dark by teatime, the goats are wet half the time, and the old immune system can feel like it’s got a knock in the engine. This is when I reach for my Get Me Through the Day Tea, a blend of herbs that have been used for centuries to support body and mind:

• Rosemary leaf – wakes up circulation and sharpens focus (basically a herbal reboot button).
• Vervain leaf – traditionally used to steady frazzled nerves and support lung health.
• Peppermint leaf – clears the head, soothes digestion, and has mild antimicrobial powers.
• Mugwort leaf – grounding, immune-supporting, and gently stimulating.

Together, they’re like a pep talk in a mug — calming your frazzle while giving you the stamina to power through the day without falling face-first into the biscuit tin.

My other secret weapon for breathing easy through the cold season is CG Oil. I invented this particular blend of essential oils years ago, when Rich was battling MRSA — and it’s been lab-proven effective for that purpose. It also does a sterling job against a host of other pathogenic nasties! Inhaling essential oils in steam is one of the best ways I know to zap a cold before really it gets a foothold. But a word of caution: just because this combo of essential oils is natural doesn’t mean it’s wimpy! This blend is so strong it can literally melt plastic and kill grass. So always treat it with respect, never use neat and dilute carefully. If you feel a sniffle coming on, don’t wait — act immediately and consistently. Boil a pan of water, add three drops of CG Oil, pop a towel over your head, and inhale the steam for three minutes. Repeat up to three times a day until the congestion eases.

Quick action plan: 3 things to do for your gut-lung axis this week

1. Start your morning with kefir + Complete Prebiotic — fuel your gut bugs to produce those anti-inflammatory SCFAs that protect your lungs.
2. Swap your afternoon coffee for Get Me Through the Day Tea — keep calm, carry on, and give your lungs some herbal support.
3. Inhale 3 drops of CG Oil in a pan of freshly boiled water at the first sign of congestion. Repeat 3 times daily until congestion disappears.

Take care of your gut this October, and your lungs will thank you – because we don’t want you to be THAT person coughing through the Halloween party, sounding spookier than the decorations! 🎃👻

Stay warm, stay microbial, and breathe easy…

Hugs,

Shann.x

Founder/Director Chuckling Goat

The Most Iconic Female Personality to Watch in 2025, CIOThink Magazine

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