Tips To Boost Your Immune System during Cold and Flu Season

October begins cold and flu season. Every year at this time of the year, the CDC begins their drumbeat to promote the yearly flu shot to everyone 6 months old and older.  The CDC.gov website reports that the 2016-2017 flu vaccine will protect against only 3 types of flu viruses.  Only a few paragraphs later, the CDC states “Flu viruses are constantly changing so it’s not unusual for new flu viruses to appear each year.”  The fact is that last year’s flu vaccine was a major flop with only an 18% effectiveness rate.  The reality is that even with a flu shot, you may still come down with the flu.
In today’s fast-paced society, we’re bombarded with various forms of stress that can wreck havoc on our immune systems. As a Greenville, SC chiropractor I am particularly interested in helping my Greenville chiropractic patients overcome these stressors in order to maintain a healthy and balanced life. Outside of the chiropractic adjustment, let’s take a look at three nutritional tips that will help chiropractic patients boost their immune system during cold and flu season.
Our immune systems run at their best when our body is functioning at a high level of health.  A proper diet can’t be ignored. With a proper diet your immune system is better equipped to ward off many contaminants and microbes that try to invade the body through normal day-to-day activity.

Nutritional Tip #1 — Get Your Vitamin D

Vitamin D is known for strengthening bones and teeth by helping the body absorb calcium. People who get too little vitamin D may develop soft, thin, and brittle bones, a condition known as rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.
But did you know that it is also known to offer sufficient protection against a wide range of illnesses and chronic diseases like cancer? In addition, it improves the body’s natural response to bacterial infections like tuberculosis and helps to increase the production of antimicrobial peptides which are very important in boosting the immunity during cold and flu season.
Since each patient’s health situation is different, ask your chiropractor how much vitamin D you need for optimal health.

Nutritional Tip #2 — Get Your Veggies

In culinary terms, vegetables are edible plants or their parts, intended for cooking or eating raw. You can quickly find what foods are in the vegetable group by visiting ChooseMyPlate.gov.
Vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels (all from the brassica family) produce chemicals that are know to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and boost the body’s immune system. One great way to make sure you’re getting all of your vegetables for the day is through juicing. If you’re new to juicing, check out this great resource on juicing vegetables.

Nutritional Tip #3 — Avoid Alcohol

Many chiropractic patients are health-conscious. However, some patients may be oblivious to the entire concept of healthy living since our society is geared more toward sickness care instead of true healthcare. Regardless, maintaining a healthy diet is absolutely essential to maintaining a strong immune system. One way to do this is by avoiding or reducing alcohol consumption.
Why? Research has proven that alcohol can cause immunodeficiencies that, in return, can make you more susceptible to tuberculosis, bacterial pneumonia and many other communicable diseases.
In addition, the use of alcohol is linked to cancer. Although many people in our society consume it for recreational purposes, it is important to note that alcohol is a drug that can poison your body and deplete you of essentials vitamins and minerals. Therefore, zero alcohol consumption translates into a super strong immune system.
If you need even more convincing, simply visit the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s website to learn more about alcohol facts and statistics.
To discover more nutritional tips that will help you build a stronger immune system, especially during cold and flu season, make sure you talk to your chiropractor. If you’ve never been to one, give us a call. We’d love to help guide you toward a more healthy lifestyle through safe and effective Greenville chiropractic care!
Eastside Chiropractic PA
3014 Wade Hampton Blvd., Taylors SC 29687
864-292-6777
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