6 Natural Tips to Avoid Colds & Flus!
How many times have you gotten a cold or a flu over the years during winter? For myself and many others, it feels like a countless number.
However, I’ve gotten much better over the years at staying healthy during these winter months by using the following tips. I bet these tips will work for you as well.
Here’s 6 all natural tips to avoid getting a cold or a flu.
More Vitamin D. According to researchers from Queen Mary University of London, people who had the lowest vitamin D levels and then took a regular supplement had half the incidence of colds, the flu and other respiratory infections as those with low vitamin D levels who took no supplement. I feel like that statement speaks volumes - take 2000IU of Vitamin D each day this winter, you’ll be better off for it.
Exercise! Okay, we all know that moderate exercise leads to a stronger body and immune system overall, I feel like that’s pretty common knowledge. But how about when you’re on the “brink” of a full blown cold? Many people think that becoming sick means needing complete rest and that no one should be exercising when they might be sick. However, studies have concluded that there’s not much of a difference in how the body responds to exercising when it is fighting a cold virus. Some people in the study also said they felt better from their exercise session in spite of their oncoming colds. So the tip here is to get some good exercise in to avoid getting sick and if you’re already feeling a bit under the weather, it still might be a good time for a little more exercise.
Less sugar. According to Jim Howenstine, M.D., humans can’t turn sugar into vitamin C as other animals can; glucose and ascorbic acid compete with one another in the human body, meaning that a diet high in sugar equals lower levels of vitamin C. Also, inflammation spikes with high sugar levels in the blood - inflammation itself can feel like a flu as symptoms of inflammation include:
Fever
Chills
Headaches
Loss of appetite
Joint swelling and stiffness
Keep your sugar levels low and you’ll be better off this cold and flu season.
More sleep. This one’s pretty elementary. Get more sleep and rest when you’re at risk of getting sick - your body will be better rested and in a better place to fight off infections.
More hand washing. This is funny, when I was researching my point for getting in more Vitamin D, I came across this in the same article: “Probably the single most effective measure you can take to avoid getting sick during the cold and flu season is to wash your hands often and keep them away from your eyes and nose.” Even articles promoting other ways to avoid colds and flus mention how important hand washing is for avoiding colds and flus. Make sure you keep that hand soap nearby this holiday season to stay healthy.
Get an adjustment. I’m a chiropractor and I am a FIRM believer that adjustments are critical when it comes to avoiding a cold or a flu. When a vertebrae or vertebras are out of position, proper communication within the central nervous system is hampered. White blood cells, used by the body to attack virus and germ threats, are not sent to the proper places in the proper amounts that the body needs because the central nervous system is out of whack, out of alignment. When your spine is aligned and you’re adjusted, your central nervous system will work properly and your body will act and react in the ways it needs to in order to keep you healthy.
Thanks for reading, I hope these tips help you stay healthy this holiday season.
As always, feel free to meet with me any day at Mission Hills Chiropractic in Lake Forest, CA and I’d be happy to talk health tips with you :)
Dr. Nardeep Jawanda is an expert chiropractor, practicing daily in Lake Forest, California at his clinic, Mission Hills Chiropractic.
Dr. J, along with his chiropractic partners at Mission Hills, have a mission to help people get and stay out of pain with regular chiropractic adjustments.
Some people say these are the best chiropractors in Lake Forest or even the best chiropractors in Orange County. We agree with those people.
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