Three Tips to Boost Your Immune System to Avoid Colds & Flu!
Can you believe that school is already back in session? It seems like the summer just flew by.
The kids are heading back to school, summer vacations are behind us, and the holiday season is around the corner.
Typically, at this time of year people knuckle down and get refocused. Moms and dads get super busy making sure the kids settle into their new class or school, they start to think about what they want to get done before the holidays, and they put a big effort into their jobs and/or businesses.
All these activities are great, however when school starts, kids are in their classrooms with lots of their friends, breathing the same air, using the same “tools”, sharing the same resources. With that comes its own set of problems--germs spread, bacteria grow and before long your precious child comes home sneezing and coughing, having caught a cold or flu from one of their classmates.
If your immune system is not in peak condition, it’s only a matter of time before you fall victim to that same cold or flu…and then you swing into reactionary mode to recoup as quickly as possible. You run to the pharmacy and grab all the cold and flu medications to alleviate and cover your symptoms until it passes, but let’s face it having a bad cold or flu is miserable right? The coughing, sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, headache, body aches…yuck!
Let’s do everything we can to help prevent you and your family from going through that this year. While there no guarantees when it comes to avoiding common colds and flus, here are three simple, effective, and of course, natural steps you can take at home to build up your immune system now before the sneezing starts!
1. Add more immune building foods to your diet!
Natural, organic foods such as garlic, onions, vegetables, seeds, and fruits all provide your body with the nutrients your immune system needs to become and stay strong.
2. Supplement with vitamin D!
By this time of the year, we are getting little if any vitamin D from the sun due to the latitude at which we live. If you have stopped your vitamin D for the summer get back on it now. I recommend vitamin D supplementation from birth until death. I also encourage you to get your vitamin D levels checked annually; I do not agree with the standard reference ranges so if another provider orders your vitamin D test and you are a patient be sure to share that information with me so I can give you guidance on the proper dosage. Getting your vitamin D levels checked ensures that you are taking the right amount.
3. Consider probiotics and/or fermented foods!
Research shows thatprobiotic supplements reduce the incidence of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Head to your local health food store and pick out a good probiotic or message us to learn more about the broad selection of probiotics we stock (both shelf-stable and refrigerated). Feel free to ask me at an upcoming appointment about other supplements to help you stay healthy this season besides vitamin D and probiotics. Including fermented foods (yogurt, kimchi, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, etc.) in your diet daily is another phenomenal way to support your gut microbiome and immune health.
Along with these three recommendations, let’s not forget about all the routine health tips such as, get plenty of sleep, drink water to stay hydrated, limit alcohol intake, exercise frequently…you know the routine.
It may not sound all that exciting, but when your co-workers are sneezing around you, you will appreciate that you took these preventative measures!
As always if I can help in any way, feel free to call the clinic for an appointment.
Rachel Oppitz, ND
