What you can do to prevent the flu
Regardless of whether or not you or your family have decided to get a vaccination there are a few things that you can do to help prevent or if those nasty symptoms sneak up on you, can help you fend off the flu faster:
-Hygiene:
-WASH your hands – seems like such an obvious “to-do”, however most people do not wash their hands as often as they should, and especially during the flu season.
-Cover your mouth – not just mom’s ole’ saying. Be sure however, that you use the inside of your elbow to cover when you cough or sneeze. You won’t be shaking hands, or turning door knobs with your elbows, so it is important to get into a new habit.
-Tissues – Keep tissues with you so you can easily and quickly wipe away a runny nose or hand one off to a sniffley stranger.
-Wash Clothes/Sheets – By regularly washing your bedding and clothing you will help your chances of washing those “bugs” away as well has decreasing chances for recontamination.
-Nervous System Health:
-Get your nervous system checked – Ensure that your immune system is functioning at an optimal level. You can do this by going to a Chiropractor. There are other areas of health care that address your nervous system health as well like acupuncture, craniosacral therapy and even yoga can help.
-Exercising – Oxygen is your body’s friend. Be sure you get some good exercising in where you can breathe in and out getting oxygen to all of your tissues, cells and organs.
-Diet:
-Water – Make sure this time of year you are not skipping out on your water. You really need to be drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water. For example if you weigh 160 pounds, you need to be drinking 80 ounces/day. That is ten 8 ounce glasses. Easy, two per meal, and one glass between. Done.
-Fruits/Veggies – Again, seems obvious, but these food items are a much better choice than anything process since they have fighting powers! The nutrients in the various fruits and vegetables can help boost your immune system and keep your energy up. Also, try to choose fruits high in antioxidants (help to eliminate free radicals – – a bad guy in your body).
-Organic – I know, I know.. whaa whaa.. pricey. Listen, if you shop smart, you really won’t spend any more by choosing SOME organic options, the important ones. For instance, based on government data, the following conventionally grown fruits/veggies contain the highest amount of pesticides, so you should choose THESE as organic options:
-Fruits: Apples, Pears, Grapes, Peaches, Nectarines, Cherries, Strawberries
-Veggies: Potatoes, Celery, Bell Peppers, Carrots, Kale, Lettuce
A good rule of thumb when choosing what to buy organic, is to look at the skins of what you’re buying. If it has a thick skin (i.e. pineapple, avocado) it will absorb less pesticides.
-Supplementation:
-Vitamins – It is very important to be sure that your body has plenty of what it needs to help fight off the inevitable germs and viruses it will come in contact with. Taking a GOOD multi-vitamin is vital, however during flu season; I know in my family we are sure to take a little extra of Vitamin C, Calcium and of course Vitamin D.
-Test your vitamins – Ensure that your not only choosing an efficient vitamin for your body’s good, but also for the good of your pocket book. A great way to do this is to simply drop your vitamin/supplement into a glass of water (please make sure the glass is clear). A quality supplement will completely dissolve into mush well within an hour. If after one hour your vitamin is still holding strong, throw it away, it is a waste of your money. Your body is not able to absorb all of the nutrients in a timely manner.
These are some great tips to get you started to a natural path of flu and sickness prevention. Dr. Brienne Gindele of Gindele Family Chiropractic will also be giving a 30 minute talk on natural flu prevention where he will be touching on all of these points in a bit more detail on Nov. 13 from 11:30 a.m. to noon at Crispers on U.S. 41 in Ft. Myers. If you can make it please RSVP by calling (239) 936-5545.