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Dr Greg’s 10 Easy Tips to Beat the Seasonal Flu/Swine Flu
I know this is potentially a scary time for all of us—especially those with young children who attend school. I am NOT here to tell anyone what to do or not to do—that is simply not my job. Nor my intention.
What I AM trying to do is have everyone learn all the facts, find out information for themselves—so we can all make informed decisions. It bothers me greatly that we rely on such over-exposure and poorly reported information on the flu/swine flu. As you can tell, I have developed an entire section here on the website for all to read—and I sincerely hope you take advantage of that—and do what you have to do as a responsible adult/parent/citizen—make the informed decision!!!
If you decide that you are not comfortable getting any kind of flu shot, I have some very basic, easy and inexpensive ways to combat this issue (and so many others—this healthy protocol can help in tons of other physical issues as well). So if I had to give a ‘what can I do to protect myself’ list, here is what I recommend:
- Get your sleep!! Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu.
- Try and stay away from excess sugar (especially artificial sweeteners!!). Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately, and as you likely know, a strong immune system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness. Be aware that sugar is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice. This is so very important as we are right at the Halloween season and rapidly approaching Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah and New Year’s (holidays should never provide us with an excuse to let ourselves go and eat anything—that is just silly).
- Try and keep your stress levels controlled. No one is immune to stress—it is a part (and a natural one, too) of everyday life. To those who say they have no stress—they are simply either ignorant or lying to themselves. The healthiest people are the ones that can keep calm and cool and happy at most times. We all face some stress everyday, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness.
- Take the wonder vitamin (which is actually not really a vitamin) D. I carry a very good brand in the office and can recommend others for you as well. This is not so cut and dry—you can spend time outside (if you have the chance) and get much of your Vitamin D levels that way. But as we get into the winter, this gets harder and harder to accomplish. So the alternative is to take this in pill or capsule form. Most of the time—these are very small and easy to take. The FDA recommends 400 units a day, and has tried to up that recently to 800 a day. This has been shown to be woefully short of what your body REALLY needs. We should be taking Vitamin D in the form of D3, and we can start at a very basic level of 4,000-5,000 units a day. Now I do recommend that each person get a simple blood test for Vitamin D levels, and then a new and personalized recommendation can be made. Studies (included in this section of the site) have shown if someone is getting sick-upwards of 10,0000-20,000 units can be taken a day—until the illness is gone (and it will go much faster with this habit). This may be one of your most important strategies for maintaining optimal immune function against all disease, not just the flu. Vitamin D has been well documented to increase the production of over 200 antimicrobial peptides that fight infection.
- Keep up your exercise or begin a simple program. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads.
- Take Omega 3 Fatty Acids. I carry a very good brand in the office, and this is simply one of the most important substances our bodies need to maintain health.
- Perhaps the easiest of all—wash you hands frequently. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap for this -- antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.
- One thing specific to my office that you can do—get a ionic/detox foot bath. This is a 30 minute or less, easy and great feeling procedure that can be done at any time. And this can knock out many of the nasty superficial and annoying toxins that have accumulated in your body. I am running specials on this—mostly because you should think of this idea like you would exercise or dieting—one time treatment is fine—but a course of treatments is better. Whether you are sick (and you may still do a treatment if you are!!!) or don’t want to be—this is a great option. A good starter protocol would be to have 3-5 treatments over a month—you will be so happy you did and amazed how much better you can feel.
- Nasal irrigation. One of the simplest ways to keep your nose and throat clear of bugs and irritants to your system, is to go to any grocery store/pharmacy and pick up a nasal irrigation system. Medi pack makes a great and inexpensive packet—all these things simply offer is a bottle to use for your nose and some custom packets to add to the bottle and some warm water. You simply wash out your nose and throat—two major areas where bugs can reside. If you did this 1-2 times a day for the winter season-)along with the other ideas listed above—I bet you would notice a great difference.
- Get your chiropractic adjustment!!! I know this may seem like a novel idea—when it comes to the flu (or any other illness!). BUT, if you are under the impression that an adjustment is simply for pain relief or just relieving some discomfort—you are selling it very, very short. When your spine is aligned—your nervous system (your brain and spinal cord) are functioning at their optimal level. And when you are running at as close to 100%--your body can do amazing things—like fight off any illness. That is the way we were made, that is what our bodies were meant to do!! There is also a huge, direct connection from your nervous system to your immune system—when they work in unison—you stay healthy!! You want your immune system firing on all cylinders, and one of the best ways to make sure of that—is to get your spine adjusted. It really is that simple.
If you follow these 10 easy steps, you will enjoy a very healthy winter season—free of illness, pain and discomfort. Not medicine, shot or over-the-counter remedy was made better than our own bodies—and if you can help yourself—just a little bit—you will go a long way to long term health and wellness.
That is it—not terribly difficult. If you have any further questions or comments—by all means, let me know!!!
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