Get Ready for the Cold and Flu Season

 

I know, I know…  How many times have I heard that before? I know that’s what you’re asking yourself right now.  The reason you hear it so much is that you don’t listen to all the good advice that’s passed around and the result is that you get sick every year.

This year let’s all try something different.  Let’s all try to follow good advice and maybe we’ll all be healthier and happier for it.

Wash your hands after sneezing, coughing and contact with other people.  Wearing a mask in areas of large crowds can be helpful.  In Japan, people with the cold or flu wear a mask to be polite and not spread their illness.

Eat healthfully.  Don’t get pulled into the holiday trap of eating too much sugar.  Sugar helps feed all the bacteria that wants to get a foot hold in your body.  Add some extra fruits and vegetables to help counter the effect of the sugar you do eat.

You should be taking a variety of nutritional supplements.  Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, Echinacea, zinc and some probiotics (like bifidobacterium and lactobacillus).  These supplements all support your immune function in one way or another.  The least familiar of these are the probiotics which support immune function by regulating your colon by maintaining the proper permeability.

If your colon has the bad bacteria is at high levels it becomes hyperpermeable and this allows larger than normal debris to pass through the colon wall.  This debris causes an immune response and makes your immune system hyper responsive and therefore weaker.

Next, be sure to get enough rest.  The proper amount of sleep is paramount to a strong immune system.  Most adults require between 4 and 8 hours of sleep per night.  The right number is only gauged by good, restful sleep that you feel refreshed after, not the number of hours of sleep.  If you have some sleep disturbances you should go back and read my last post about insomnia here.

I have written many times about the connection of chiropractic and the immune system.  There is a particularly informative post that you can read by clicking here.  Chiropractic increase immune function by improving the function of your nervous system which of course regulates your immune system.

I hope you enjoyed this post.  Please let me know what you think.  I would love to share your experience.