Going into fall we see the signs for “flu shots available” pop up everywhere. There are better ways to protect yourself from getting sick during the colder months of the year (and all the other months). The major problem we have going into the holiday season is people tend to stay inside. For good reason of course, it’s much warmer inside. One of the problems is that we decrease the amount of Vitamin D we get from the sun. Vitamin D plays an important role in keeping our immune system boosted.

Another big issue we have is an increase of sugar during Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. If you understand how sugar is detrimental to the body, it’s not hard to see why people get sick more often during the colder months of the year. Sugar is a wonderful food source for all the bad bacteria in the gut. When you increase your sugar intake, you decrease your immune system. (As most of the gut is directly connected to your immune system!) Combine that with increase of alcohol at parties, extra food consumed, less getting out and exercising, your immune system starts to tank and sickness is inevitable.

Elderberry Syrup

A fantastic way to keep your immune system boosted during the year is to take Elderberry syrup! You can either make it or buy it from the store. Elderberries have been used for hundreds of years for their health benefits. Many believe that elderberries fight off the flu due to antioxidants found in the berries. They also support the immune system and fight off colds.

There are several types of elderberry plants. The most commonly known is the Sambucus nigra. In a current study researchers found compounds in the elderberry could directly inhibit the flu virus’s entrance into cell and replication. The researchers used commercially cultivated elderberries. They were applied to cells before, during and after they had infected the cells with the flu virus.

The juice from the berries were effective at stopping the virus from infecting the cells. They also found that the juice inhibited replication after the cells had been infected with the virus. Elderberries contain Vitamins A, B and C, iron, potassium and a good source of fiber.

Supplements

-Echinacea cuts the chances of catching a common cold by 58 percent. It also reduces the duration of the common cold by almost one-and-a-half days. *Published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases. The best way to take echinacea is to start taking it when you first notice cold symptoms and continue it for a week.

-A Cochrane review concluded that “zinc is beneficial in reducing the duration and severity of the common cold in healthy people, when taken within 24 hours of onset of symptoms”.

-Vitamin C plays an important role in nutrition and immune defense. When coming down with a cold higher doses are needed, as most of the population are already deficient. A study that was conducted in 2011 on the effect of vitamin C can be read here. If you are a smoker or a child of smokers, you are more likely to come down with a cold more often than a non-smoker. Smoking interferes with absorption of vital vitamins and minerals (just one of the many reasons to quit!)

Boosting the Immune System

So how to you boost your immune system and stay healthy during months of less sunlight? Here are just a FEW of the things that help keep the immune system functioning properly.

• Eat a healthy diet. This means get a balanced meal with lots of fruits and vegetables.
• Stay away from sugar!! This includes extra breads and flours!
• Drink water instead of soda, juices or milk.
• Make sure they are getting enough sleep at night! Kids 1-4 years old should be getting 11-12 hours of sleep a day. Older kids and adults need about 9 hours of sleep a day.
• Take vitamin C and zinc.
• Play outside in the sun for at least 30 minutes a day and skip the sunscreen if you can, or supplement with a good quality Vitamin D. Your body needs Vitamin D to help fight viruses and keep you healthy.
• Take Elderberry syrup, echinacea,
• GET ADJUSTED!

Chiropractic Care

The chiropractic adjustment helps boost the immune system. The entire nervous system is encased in the spinal column. The nervous system is responsible for everything that happens in your body. Adjustments increases antibodies in the blood and decreases anti-inflammatory response.

When you start to notice you are getting sick, those symptoms are only 10% of what the body is actually doing. (Symptoms are always last! You have to have a break down in the system before you notice something is wrong first.) The other 90% is changing your posture, sending inflammation into your body and sending stress hormones into your body which produces “illness”.

Every spinal adjustment directly affects the information going to the brain and the brain then will heal the body. Maintenance adjustments (or adjustments once or twice a month) can drastically help your body cope with invaders (such as bacteria or stress hormones) and help prevent issues.

To help prevent problems and sickness go get adjusted! Call us if you have any questions on how we can help. Along with the things listed above, adjusting can help prevent sickness and can help you get well quicker when you are sick. So if you have waited too long and already have a cold, get in to see us or a chiropractor close to you!

Chiropractic can also help you sleep better at night. <— If that is an issue you also deal with.

~Dr. Lacey~
Carder Chiropractic Clinic, INC.
El Reno, OK 73036