Tips for Avoiding The Flu and Colds This Season
I opened the window, and influenza! You can’t go anywhere right now without being offered free groceries for getting your flu shot. Let’s face it, for some reason, people’s immune systems are often challenged in these winter months.
Have you considered the following, though? Let’s say you and I are both around someone who sneezes in our direction. You get sick, and I don’t. Was it chance, or that you got more “flu particles” than I did? Or is it that some people are more able to adapt to stresses of a chemical, physical, or emotional nature? Is it the soil, or the seed?
The good news is that there is plenty you can do to equip your immune system with the resources it needs to thrive this season. Avoiding colds and flu all together is ideal, but the occasional, mild, immune system challenge is actually good for you (use it or lose it). Expressing symptoms briefly and recovering quickly will allow you to come out with a stronger and more prepared immune system.
So, here they are. Steps you can take to achieve a macho immune system during the holidays, so that you can enjoy time with your friends and family!
Step One: Get Rest!
Come on, you know this already! Now is the time to put this principle in action. Now for the magic numbers: 7-9 Hours per night. Research shows adults need this much sleep to function at their highest potential. Plus, it will boost your mood, memory, hand-eye coordination, and immune function! Who doesn’t need those qualities during the holidays?
The unfortunate truth is that increased stress and holiday deadlines make getting enough sleep difficult this time of year (especially if you’re sleeping in your nephew’s twin mattress, after flying across the country to visit family). Try some of the following un-winding tips to calm your mind and get some zzz.
- -Diffuse some calming essential oils such as chamomile, lavender, orange, and grapefruit.
- -Try a warm shower or bath just before bed- Good for cleansing toxins you built up during the day, and relaxes the body and mind.
- -Chamomile tea before bed can be just enough to take the edge off and help you fall and stay asleep.
- -Turn off the electronics at least an hour before bed. The lights and stimulation keep your mind working overtime long after you’ve fallen asleep-resulting in a lesser quality sleep pattern.
- -Mindful meditation any time of the day has been shown to fight insomnia and get your body into a “relaxation response”. Ohhhhmmmm
Step Two: Sack the Sugar!
We all “try” to avoid sugar, but why? Yes it’s bad for your teeth and yes it can help you pack on the pounds. Did you know that high cholesterol has been proven to be a result of a high sugar (NOT FAT) diet and that whenever you eat sugar, you are distracting your immune system from whatever it is fighting off at the moment.
There are a ton of yummy desserts to enjoy during the holiday that use sugars that are lower on the glycemic index, meaning they are absorbed into your system slower. It’s a start! Check out the link below for a healthier option to just about any dessert you may be craving this season.
Step Three: Get on the Juice
Fresh pressed, organic, and raw juice is a great way to get a super-dose of antioxidants and vitamins. Be aware of a high sugar content, though. When you have juice minus the fiber, you will get a blood sugar spike (eg. drinking apple juice spikes your blood sugar whereas eating a whole apple helps slow the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream). If you are adding fruit to your juice regimen (better to keep it out), you may want to go the way of smoothies instead of juice. Berries are high in antioxidants and low in sugar. If you are buying your juice, beware of the pasteurization process, which turns complex sugars into simple sugars. This will spike your blood sugar and elicits a strong insulin (inflammatory) response. We use a Vitamix and a strainer to make fresh juice and don’t strain for smoothies. Here is my recipe for a “Flu Away Shot”.
“Flu Away” Shot
1 inch Fresh or 1 TBSP Ground Tumeric
1/2 tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
1TBS Organic, Raw, Wild Honey (nature’s anti-flu medication)
Juice of One Organic Lemon
Blend and Strain, Enjoy immediately!
Step Four: Get your Nervous System Checked
If you think Chiropractors only treat back pain, boy are you missing out! Did you know that gentle, spinal and cranial corrections have been shown to boost the immune system and help the immune response?
Chiropractors were initially licensed in America after the their success with patients suffering from the Spanish Flu of 1918. This flu ENDED WW1 and more people died from this flu than soldiers in WW1. The following figures show the success Chiropractors had with the Spanish flu, success that would lead them to official licensure after fighting for it for years:
- “In the state of Iowa, medical doctors treated 93,590 patients, with 6,116 deaths – a loss of one patient out of every 15. In the same state, excluding Davenport, 4,735 patients were treated by chiropractors with a loss of only 6 cases – a loss of one patient out of every 789.”
https://www.danmurphydc.com/Rhodes_Flu.pdf
A properly functioning system of joints, nerves, and muscles allows your brain to know what is happening in your body and your body to receive proper information about fighting off invaders, from your brain! This has been proven and is the forefront of Chiropractic research. If you are “crack shy” we use gentle corrections, with neutral positioning and no audible crack or forceful rotation. Chiropractic care is safe for adults, pregnant women, children, newborn babies, and the elderly. We specialize (and are very passionate about) pregnancy, families, and pediatrics. Check out our website for our holiday specials!