Don’t just survive the cold and flu season- THRIVE!
Keys to naturally boosting your immune system all year long
Well, it’s that time of year again- a time when the sweaters and boots come out from hiding, the leaves begin to change and noses begin to run. If during this time you find yourself running to stock up on cold medicine, vaccines and Vic’s Vapor rub that could slather a small army consider a healthier, longer lasting approach this season- natural prevention.
When we cover up symptoms with medications we are only masking the problem, not getting to the cause. It’s kind of like spraying Fabreeze over a trash can of rotting fruit, it will mask the smell for a little while but you’re only going to get rid of it by taking the trash out. In addition, the flu shot contains Mercury (a known neurotoxin in the form of Thimerisol), Glycol (a component in antifreeze) and Formaldehyde (the stuff they preserve cadavers with). If you dumped those chemicals in your local water supply you’d get arrested.
Here are 8 easy steps you can start taking now to naturally boost your immune system, all year round:
1) Probiotics: A typical American diet, including antibiotic usage, will disrupt the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. When 75% of our immune system lies in our gut you can see how this could cause a problem. Feed the good bacteria with a probiotic supplement.
2) You Are What You Eat: Say yes to antioxidants (berries of all sorts, avocados, leafy greens etc) and no to the sugar that feed bacteria. When you limit the intake of sugar you starve those diseased cells and they die, leaving only the healthy cells to reproduce.
3) Remember that thing called sleep? Get some.: It is during REM sleep that most of the restoration and regeneration of our healthy cells occur to assist our body with healing. 8-10 hours a night is recommended.
4) Get your family regularly checked by a chiropractor: Research has shown that chiropractic boosts the immune system after one adjustment by %110 by increasing immunoglobulins, B-lymphocytes (WBCs), pulmonary function and other immune system processes. Further studies have shown that children and adults under regular chiropractic care have fewer medical and emergency room visits, take less medication and are sick less often in any given year.
5) Hydrate! Stick to water and skip the sugary juice. Shake up plain water by diffusing it with fruits and veggies that are packed with vitamin C like cut up organs, lemons, limes and cucumbers (a personal favorite!). Half your body weight in ounces of water is recommended.
6) Manage Stress: We live in a stressful world which is hard to avoid, making it even more important to take time for yourself to just STOP, breath some fresh air and relaaax. Chronic stress is the number one cause of chronic illness in the U.S. so teaching your children de-stressing techniques now will benefit them for a lifetime.
7) 15 minutes of sunlight daily: Vitamin D naturally stimulates the immune system, liver enzymes and decreases adrenal production of the stress hormones.
8) Learn to listen to your body: It always does the right thing at the right time. Instead of ignoring your body’s warning signs by covering the symptom, let the body build its defenses and fight it off naturally.
For more information on health and wellness visit my blog at http://www.highpointchiropractor.net/blog/ and as always, Stay Well.
From the Dr. Kim’s monthly health column in the Jamestown News. Dr. Kimberly Snider lives in High Point, NC with her fiancé Dr. Joe Fonke. They both practice at High Point Chiropractic and are expecting their first child in December. Dr. Snider is a family care practitioner with hundreds of hours of continuing education classes and certification in caring for infants, children and pregnant women through chiropractic care. In her spare time she loves spending time with her family and friends, seeing movies and party planning.