What runs through your head when you think of the holidays? I was recently down to Waterloo, Iowa, visiting friends, and the mother made the statement, “I don’t think I’m going to send out cards this year.”

And I said to myself, what is society doing to us once we’ve become adults? It’s simple: over-commercialism. It overwhelms us. We see Christmas trees in the stores before Halloween in some cases. As children, we look forward to the holiday season for a variety of reasons. It involves travel, food, gifts and friends and family.

The latter isn’t always what carries cheer with it. But, either way, we devise ways to navigate through it, deal with the in-laws and try to just survive the season. Moderation isn’t limited to food and spirits, but in most cases family as well.

One practice that has died down over the years is the tradition of the sleigh ride. My grandmother grew up in southern Minnesota, and back in the 1920s her mother would load up a bunch of charcoal in a metal bucket, wrap blankets around it and put it in the middle of the sleigh while Pa hitched up the horses. And you know the rest of the story, hot chocolate and kolaches.

The winter was so bad that getting around was impossible. Anybody pulling into the yard was a welcome visitor. Even the train got stuck. My cousin Alton said that back during the winter of ’36 they organized more than a hundred men to dig out the train, but the next night a snowstorm filled it all back in and the train sat until spring.

The winter lasted so long that year that the kids looked forward to going into the big city of Hayward because it was a dose of civilization. Today, we have to look at the same symptoms they experienced back then. Anxiety and depression can be minimized by setting up activities. Avoid sitting around. Get involved in community activities such as church groups. Or set up a sleigh ride, even if it’s in an old Ford pickup.

Now on to the side effects of the holidays. Not every dinner is a Norman Rockwell painting. Food poisoning can be self-induced or inadvertently ingesting a dose of botulism from contaminated meat. Botulism is a type of food poisoning associated with contaminated meats or oxygen-tight tins of fruit or vegetables. A swollen tin may indicate the presence of gases produced by botulism, with potentially lethal neurological effects.

Honey should not be given to infants under 1 year of age, due to the possible contamination with botulism. Symptoms may appear within four hours or as late as eight days. Some of the common symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, cramping, distorted vision, weakness, complications with the respiratory organs leading to paralysis.

Botulism isn’t the only bacteria to ruin a merry season. There is also E. coli, Shigella and the toxin secreted by Staphylococcus bacteria. H. pylori infection and urinary tract infection will benefit from cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon). According to the Mayo Clinic, “Based on early research, cranberry may reduce the ability of Helicobacter pylori bacteria to live in the stomach and cause ulcers.”

Speaking of botulism, if you’ve been thinking about royal jelly, make sure you already have a healthy immune system. Bee products already contain a high level of bacteria, but the royal jelly is what is fed to the queen bee to make her more fertile, live five to six years instead of two months, and produce 3,000 plus eggs a day for five years. But that is all she is fed. Make sure you know where your honey comes from, what the source the bees collected the nectar from and make sure it is absolutely grown in the USA. China mass produces everything, including bee products, and it is the least sanitary.

Then there are food allergies. If you are entertaining, make sure you inquire if a new family member has any allergies to nuts or other foods. Don’t let a holiday turn into a trip to the emergency room.

There are several things we can do to prepare our bodies for the Season of Food. Build up your digestive track. A lack of hydrochloric acid and pancreatic enzymes can imitate food poisoning. Including probiotics to your diet will dramatically boost your immune reaction to potential food-borne illnesses. It will help with maintaining proper digestive flora (good bacteria) required for digestion, including acidophilus.

Acidophilus is the active culture in yogurt. It helps with symptoms such as gas and bloating, constipation and lactose intolerance. I have been experimenting with acidophilus pearls myself. I’m not a big fan of diary because of all the unknowns in it today. Acidophilus also comes in a dairy-free product that you can buy over the counter. Start now and you can get your digestive system prepped and ready to go for the upcoming season.

As with anything dietary, start slow and see how your body reacts. If you’re pregnant, nursing, or taking prescription medications, consult your health-care practitioner prior to use.

What can you do for initial effects of food poisoning? First, resist the urge to purge, unless it’s coming out no matter what. Don’t take antacids. Your body is reacting for a reason. Just like with mild fevers, let it burn. It’s burning the infection. Let the stomach acid do its thing. And get plenty of electrolytes, as found in sports drinks. The more fluids the better.

Your body will want to get rid of the toxins, so make sure it has an avenue. And there is the medics’ choice, activated charcoal. You can pick this up at GNC or other health food stores. Taking two capsules a day is a good health measure, but in an emergency, call the hospital. The activated charcoal absorbs toxins, thus minimizing the absorption through the digestive tract.

So, in closing, make the season a festive memorable one by treating it like a Whitman’s Sampler. Moderation and pass it around. Oh and stay away from the shrimp cocktail. It is loaded with mercury, and one of the leading causes of mercury toxicity from over indulgence.

Dr. Thomas Coffman is the medical director of the British Clinic Health System, host of Integrative Medicine Radio, and author of various books on homeopathic psychology, ancient Egyptian medicine, and “Managing the Spectrum.” Coffman lectures for the British Institute of Homeopathy in the United States and England.