According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu virus is constantly changing. Each winter a different strain finds its way into our communities. With the peak of illnesses occurring between December and February, now is the perfect time to learn how to prevent the flu from finding its way into your body, and you can do it naturally!
Starting with the obvious, use tried and true hygiene measures. In addition to washing your hands regularly and thoroughly, cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, ideally with the crook of your elbow. If possible, avoid close contact with those who are sick and, if you are sick, avoid close contact with those who are well.
Exercise can help you have a Flu-Free winter. Studies show exercising regularly reduces the likelihood of acquiring a cold or other viral illness. In one such study, consistent activity cut the risk of contracting a cold by 50 percent, and cut the severity of symptoms by 31 percent among those who did catch a cold. It’s a well-known fact that exercise improves the circulation of immune cells in your blood. The job of these cells is to neutralize pathogens throughout your body. The better these cells circulate, the more efficient your immune system is at locating and defending against viruses and other pathogens that may otherwise opportunistically overrun your body.
See your Chiropractor! Research shows that chiropractic can boost your immune system and promote wellness in ways that can help you ward off colds and the flu. Many doctors’ and their patients have noticed chiropractic adjustments have helped prevent or reduce the duration of colds and flus. While some argue that the common cold is a self-resolving condition, “some preliminary data from an ongoing asthma trial show that chiropractic manipulation increases immunoglobulin A levels and decreases the levels of glucocorticoid cortisol, a major component of stress,” says Anthony Rosner, PhD, LLD, FCER director of education and research. So if nothing else, the connection between chiropractic and cold relief could be through stress reduction. Visit your chiropractor regularly to keep you and your family well!
Managing stress in other ways too will help you manage illnesses. When researchers from Carnegie Mellon University infected study participants with a common cold virus, those who had reported being under severe stress were twice as likely to get sick. Chronic stress is capable of turning on and off the expression of genes that directly influence your likelihood of getting sick. A research team from Ohio State University that has long worked in this field suggests that psychological stress affects the immune system by disrupting communication between the nervous system, the endocrine (hormonal) system, and the immune system. These three systems “talk” to one another using natural chemical messages, and must work in close coordination to be effective. The Ohio State research team speculates that long-term stress releases a long-term trickle of stress hormones. These hormones affect the thymus, where important immune cells are produced, and inhibit the production of proteins that stimulate and coordinate white blood cell activity. Find the stress reduction techniques that are right for you to boost your health.
Now Let’s Talk About Diet:
Most dieticians and natural health care practitioners recommend getting all of the vitamins and minerals you need from whole foods versus supplements. This means eating a variety of fruits, veggies, lean proteins and keeping what grains you do eat, whole grains. Some immunity boosting foods to consider include oranges, broccoli, and even mushrooms.
If your diet contains a lot of refined sugars, grains and processed foods, instead of giving your body the fuel it needs to function optimally, you’re giving it more toxic elements that it must overcome, leaving it more susceptible to colds and flus. Too many carbohydrates in the form of sugars, breads and pastas are very unbalancing for your gut flora. Sugar is fertilizer for pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungi that can set your immune system up for an easy assault by a respiratory virus. Eighty percent of your immune system lies in your gastrointestinal tract, so controlling your sugar intake is crucial for optimizing your immune system.
Making sure you ingest plenty of beneficial bacteria in the foods you eat or through probiotic supplements is also crucial. In one study, 3- to 5-year-old children who received either a single strain or combination of probiotics twice a day for six months had reduced fever by 53 percent and 73 percent respectively
Decreased coughing by 41 percent and 62 percent
Reduced runny noses by 28 percent and 59 percent
Reduced antibiotic use by 68 percent and 84 percent
If you suspect your diet is not providing you with all your micronutrient needs — maybe you don’t like vegetables or you choose white bread over whole grains — taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement brings health benefits of many types, including beneficial effects on the immune system. More is not necessarily better; one needs to focus on quality over quantity. Build your immunity naturally through these supplements:
Vitamin D
About 15 minutes of direct rays per day can help raise your levels of vitamin D, a supplement that has been shown to help fight off many different types of infection. You can also increase your vitamin D intake by eating foods such as salmon and other fatty fish, eggs, cheese, and mushrooms. Vitamin D helps boost virus-killing immune cells calls CD8 T cells, which reduce the symptoms and durations of illnesses like colds and flus. A 2010 study showed children taking just 1,200 IUs of vitamin D3 per day, which is considered a low dose, were shown to be 42 percent less likely to come down with the flu.
I believe optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the most important and least expensive actions you can take to help strengthen your immune system and protect against getting sick. It is very easy to have your vitamin D levels monitored to confirm your levels are therapeutic at 50-70 ng/ml year-round. Most MD offices and many DC offices can provide the simple blood draw.
Garlic
Garlic has been used as a health food for more than 5,000 years for it’s immune boosting properties. In addition to existing evidence showing that garlic improves cardiovascular health and inhibits carcinogenic activity, a random clinical trial conducted in Great Britain investigated the effects of garlic supplements on incidence and duration of the common cold. The garlic treatment group, which took the supplement for a period of 12 weeks between November and February, had significantly fewer colds than the placebo group and recovered faster, if infected.
Vitamin C
The role of vitamin C in prevention and treatment of respiratory infections has been widely researched. Some studies suggest that vitamin C can affect the duration or severity of respiratory symptoms, and some suggest that vitamin C can reduce susceptibility to colds.
Tea
Green and black teas have been studied for their effects on the cardiovascular system and cancer and show promising results. A recent Harvard study looked at tea’s role in boosting the immunity system. Participants who drank five cups of black tea a day for two to four weeks increased their levels of interferon, an important immune defense hormone, up to four times normal levels.
Zinc Lozenges
Zinc lozenges are another home remedy for fighting winter viruses. A recent study on zinc gluconate glycine lozenges in school-aged children showed shorter cold duration and fewer colds with the therapy.
Use these tips to have a happy, healthy flu season!
Sources:
1. Kawakita K, et al. Preventive and curative effects of acupuncture on the common cold: a multicentre randomized controlled trial in Japan. Complement Ther Med 2004 Dec;12(4):181-8.
2. Ali S, Hayek R. Effect of chiropractic treatment on the endocrine and immune system in asthmatic patients. Proceedings of the International Conference on Spinal Manipulation, Toronto, Ontario, CANADA, October 3-5, 2002, pp. 57-58.
References
3. Aranow C. Vitamin D and the immune system. Journal of Investigative Medicine 2011;59(6):881-886.
4. Influenza (Flu). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm
5. http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-boost-your-immune-system
6.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/06/flu-attack.aspx
Photo Credit: William Brawley https://www.flickr.com/photos/williambrawley/4195919691/in/photostream/