Cold and flu season is upon us. While a cold won’t kill you they certainly take the zip out of your step, lower your energy, and make life less enjoyable. The good news is there are several things you can do that will maximize your body's function that can help you avoid being taken down by a cold or flu. In this article, we would like to discuss many common things that can give you a boost, gentle exercise, nutrition, rest, and then discuss Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic care which can maximize your body's healing potential.
Cold and Flu Prevention
There is an old saying it’s easier to stay well than get well. Don’t wait to form good health habits as a reaction to a health crisis. Form good health habits when you are well so you can minimize a crisis in the first place.
Prevention is a multi-pronged natural approach that can pay big dividends. Once you form daily rituals that support good health you are on autopilot.
Optimal Nervous System Function
The nervous system is the master control system in the body. The brain and brain stem send nerve impulse messages down through the spinal cord, out a spinal nerve, and they control every single cell in your body, including the immune cells.
Making sure that the spine is functioning optimally is one of the best things you can do for your health and your immunity. Our Los Angeles upper cervical health care offices have been helping patients for 18 years maximize their health through a uniquely precise, gentle procedure called the Blair Upper Cervical Technique.
Our Upper Cervical Chiropractors assess the health and motion of one’s upper cervical spine and spinal joints to make sure your nervous system is at its peak potential. Chiropractic adjustments restore spinal joint range of motion and assist with your nervous system’s ability to run without interference.
Chiropractic adjustments can also boost the immune and lymphatic systems. (1) The lymphatic system is what carries waste out of the body. Making sure this system is able to run as cleanly and clearly as possible is imperative in cold prevention. So regular chiropractic adjustments for a healthy and preventative lifestyle are a great idea.
What is the Blair Upper Cervical Technique?
What exactly does an upper cervical chiropractor do? Blair upper cervical chiropractors are specially trained to locate and correct structural misalignments in the upper cervical spine, called subluxations. While the goal of Blair upper cervical care is not to treat sleep apnea, it’s improvement can be a side benefit of removing nerve interference in the upper cervical spine.
Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractors take precise imaging in the form of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) or digital x-ray to determine the exact direction of joint misalignment. This works because the joints in the neck are mirror images of one another.
Therefore, if a whiplash or other injury damages the soft tissue and ligaments that support normal joint motion the joints can become misaligned. Imaging the joints will allow the doctor to see how you are out of alignment and the angulation of your joints.
This information is then used to make a precise spinal correction unique to the individual's misalignment and anatomy. Once corrected, the patient is then monitored overtime to ensure that the body is healing, and the correction is staying in its normal range of motion. If on subsequent visits the vertebrae have misaligned again another correction is administered. If the objective tests indicate that there is no interference and the vertebrae are in their proper range of motion, then no correction is necessary.
Proper Hydration
In a book titled, “ the bodies many cries for water”, author Dr. BATMANGHELIDJ elucidates how people, especially in today’s fast-paced lifestyle, are chronically dehydrated. You should be drinking about half your body weight in ounces of water each day.
So water in tea, or mixed with other juice drinks -- none of that counts. If you drink caffeinated beverages or alcohol, those actually deplete your body of water. Therefore, it’s wise to then increase the amount of water consumption ounce-for-ounce based on whatever else you’re drinking. Water makes up approximately 70 percent of your body weight and it’s essential for every single cell to function in your body. Chronic dehydration can be a drag on your immune system and your health.
Optimal Amounts of Sleep
Your body requires rest. When you are asleep your body is healing and repairing. Deep sleep is an absolute must for good health. Not getting enough sleeping lowers immunity, cognition, happiness, and is an all-out assault on your health. While each person requires different amounts of sleep it is recommended that you get at least 8.5 hours of sleep. Increasing the amount of rest and sleep you get can be a great aid in optimizing your body's function.
Proper nutrition
Eating a well balanced organic diet is paramount to good health. You become what you eat. That statement should scare the heck out of many of you. Or hopefully, scare you to eat better!
Foods to Avoid
White flour
White sugar
Processed foods
Sodas
hydrogenated oils
Foods to Increase
Fruits
Vegetables
Whole grains( except wheat)
Superfoods( wild blueberries, chlorella, spirulina, freshly squeezed juices, wheatgrass juice)
You become what you eat. Each decision you make at breakfast, lunch, and dinner is either building health or destroying it. Make it a habit to make good choices.
Exercise
There is an old saying, “Movement is life.“ Moving the body promotes proper oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Your cells need proper levels of these gases to properly ward off infection and for you to be as healthy as possible. Exercise also promotes proper lymphatic drainage and movement through muscular contraction. The lymph system is connected intimately to the immune system and it functions better when your body moves.
Exercise is also known to boost mental state by increasing the release of endorphins. Endorphins are the “feel good” chemicals. It is well known that a placid mental state is an immune system booster. Move your body- it pays big dividends.
One more note on exercise. Overtraining, or working out too hard or too often can have the opposite effect. Overtraining decreases immune function. Do not overdo it. Listen to your body and start slow and build your activity levels over time.
Immune Boosting Supplements
It is clear in the literature that there are many natural supplements you can take that can increase your body's immunity and make you less susceptible to colds and flus.
Recap on Things You Can do To Build Immunity and Help Yourself Avoid Colds and Flu
- Get regular check-ups at the Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractor
- Get at least 8.5 hours of sleep
- Move your body but do not overdo it
- Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables
- Drink half of your bodies weight in ounces of water
- Take immune-boosting supplements such as vitamin c, elderberry syrup, and take probiotics(coconut kefir)
In order to best suit yourself for moving through this season without catching a cold, start with regular Upper Cervical Chiropractic checkups. Follow up those adjustments with proper water consumption and 7-9 hours of sleep nightly. Don’t forget, move your body daily. Exercise in order to help yourself stay healthy, not just to stay physically fit or to drop some pounds. Your immune system will thank you.
If you or a loved one is looking to maximize your health for the cold and flu season our Los Angeles offices offer a FREE consultation.
