Cold and Flu Helpful Tools.

Cold and Flu

It’s that time of year where the sun goes into hiding in the pacific NW which means vitamin D levels plummet resulting in colds and flus commonly termed the “cold and flu season.” Big pharma had done a wonderful job marketing this said season which turns in to big dollars for their products. What people need to know is that cold and flu season isn’t a death sentence and can be successfully navigated naturally.
The health of your immune system resides in your intestines. The immune system is an interactive network of organs, cells and proteins that protect the body from viruses and bacteria or any foreign substances. The immune system works to neutralize and remove pathogens like bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi that enter the body, recognize and neutralize harmful substances from the environment, and fight against the body’s own cells that have changes due to an illness.
The cells of the immune system originate in the bone marrow, then migrate to guard the peripheral tissues, circulating in the blood and in the specialized system of vessels called the lymphatic system.
When our immune system is working properly, we don’t even notice it. It’s when the performance of our immune system is compromised that we face illness. Underactivity of the immune system results in severe infections and tumors of immunodeficiency, while overactivity results in allergic and autoimmune diseases.
The immune system is an interactive network of organs, cells and proteins that protect the body from viruses and bacteria or any foreign substances.
When our immune system is working properly, we don’t even notice it. It’s when the performance of our immune system is compromised that we face illness.
Plants, herbs and minerals can be used to prevent and fight infections due to their antimicrobial and immune-boosting properties.

Some of my favorite go immune boosters are:
Vitamin D-
Research studies have demonstrated that this fat-soluble vitamin is essential to the function of your immune system. However, while important to prevent a cold and the flu, supplementation during a cold may not shorten the length of the illness.19
That being said, suboptimal vitamin D levels will significantly impair your immune response and make you far more susceptible to contracting colds, flu and other respiratory infections, so it's important to make sure your levels are optimized.

Vitamin C-
There is evidence that this water-soluble vitamin will shorten the life of your cold. People with higher blood levels also have a lower risk of death from all causes.Typically the higher the dose the better but one is limited to a relatively small amount with oral vitamin C. You can go much higher with IV or liposomal C. I personally use liposomal vitamin C 3 to 4 grams every hour when I get sick or for friends and family that get sick with great results.18

Water-You're probably well aware of the fact that your body is composed mostly of water, which is needed for a number of physiological processes and biochemical reactions, including but not limited to blood circulation, metabolism, regulation of body temperature, waste removal and detoxification.

Garlic-Garlic is known for its powerful antibacterial and antiviral properties. It also helps fight infection from yeasts/fungi and worms.

I strongly recommend you include raw garlic in your diet as well, but when you do the fresh clove must be crushed or chopped in order to stimulate the release of an enzyme called alliinase, which in turn catalyzes the formation of allicin. Allicin, in turn, rapidly breaks down to form a number of different organosulfur compounds. So to "activate" garlic's medicinal properties, compress a fresh clove with a spoon prior to swallowing it, chop it finely to add to a salad, or put it through your juicer to add to your vegetable juice.
Like many natural foods, it's difficult to confine garlic to just one or two benefits, as it appears to offer benefits throughout your body. Garlic is rich in manganese, calcium, phosphorus, selenium, and vitamins B6 and C, so it's beneficial for your bones as well as your thyroid.

Bone broth-Bone broth is a great place to find all of the valuable amino acids, collagen, gelatin and trace minerals. In fact, there are dozens of different nutrients found within bone broth, many of which can’t be obtained easily from other commonly eaten foods. That’s partly why there are so many incredible bone broth benefits.
By regularly drinking bone broth or using it in recipes, you can help promote healthy gut integrity while reducing permeability and inflammation. Here are the six major bone broth benefits.

Apple Cider Vinegar-
Cold viruses increase the acidity of your body. To fight the virus, take a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar each day. This reduces the acidity and apple cider vinegar has acetic acid that helps prevent the growth of viruses

sleep-
Lack of sleep has been linked to a laundry list of medical disorders from a negative impact on your immune system to dementia.
Sleep has a strong regulatory influence on your immune system and promotes the influence of cytokines stimulating the interaction between antigen-presenting cells and T-helper cells necessary for your body to fight virus infections.8
When you're sick (and even when you're not), most people need between about eight hours of sleep a night and plenty of rest during the day.

NO SUGAR-
self care: chiropractic
Neural dysfunctions due to spinal misalignments are stressful to the body and cause abnormal changes that lead to a poorly coordinated immune response. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to boost the coordinated responses of the nervous system and immune system
Massage
making sure your lymph nodes are clear
anti oxidants
yoga
Meditation has significant positive effects on heart rate, brain function, stress reduction and blood pressure.4 Research also has demonstrated that mindful meditation, or the practice of purposefully paying attention, has lasting positive effects on brain function and your immune system.5
Imaging demonstrated an increase in activation in the left frontal region of the brain associated with lower anxiety, and blood work showed larger increases in antibody production in participants who meditated in the study. Meditation is an option for both treatment and prevention of colds.
good quality sleep
exercise If all your symptoms are above your neck, such as sneezing, sniffling and watery eyes, then breaking out in a sweat is generally considered safe. Your immune system functions better when you exercise regularly and is a good preventative measure.6
Walking, jogging, yoga and slow biking are among the best exercises when you have a cold, while endurance sports, team sports, weightlifting and exercising in the cold weather are among the worst.7
Exercise may help you feel better but may not shorten the length of your cold. If you are involved in strenuous exercise it depletes the energy needed to fight the virus and can actually make your symptoms worse.
Zinc
Zinc is nutritionally essential for immune function. Zinc lozenges and powder are available for use during a cold or the flu that can shorten the length of your cold if you have a slight deficiency.16 Your body uses these micronutrients in a balanced state. Too much zinc interferes with copper bioavailability and too much iron can reduce your absorption of zinc. Foods rich in zinc include lobster, oysters, beef, crab, pork, cashews, chickpeas, chicken and Swiss cheese.17

And let's not forget that the endocrine system is the third leg in the stool of neuro-endocrine immunology. The endocrine system's main players are epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), nor-epinephrine, and cortisol. These molecules are produced in the adrenal glands, endocrine glands which have direct connections with the nervous system by way of a division called the sympathetic nervous system. Cortisol in particular is a stress hormone that inhibits the immune system (which is why stress really can make you sick!) So if the sympathetic nervous system is too "turned on" due to stress and subluxation, it can increase the adrenal glands' synthesis of cortisol, in turn affecting the immune system. Subluxation promotes this exact situation (see here for and article abstract and here for an full article describing this). Chiropractic care is the only way to detect and eliminate subluxation. If you or someone you know always seems to be sick, subluxation could be at the root of the problem - and the only way to find out, is to have your spine checked!