How to keep your immune system up naturally this fall season
The nightly news has been broadcasting information about the new flu vaccine that is available to everyone this upcoming flu and cold season. What a lot of people don’t know is that it is difficult to predict the right strand of the virus as it mutates several times throughout the population. Because of this, many people who do get vaccinated still end up with the flu.
The flu vaccine is actually an attenuated (dead) form of the flu. It also contains mercury which has potential negative health effects. The vaccine was never meant for healthy people, only for elderly, immune compromised individuals, or people who would die if they contracted the flu. In fact, last year, they had the wrong strain of flu. 82 million people were vaccinated but the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) reports “Only 3 to 14% of those who got vaccinated were protected against the flu…”
A lot of people are worried that if they are around someone who is sick they are likely to “catch” their germs. If it were as easy as sitting next to someone sick to ‘catch’ their sickness, doctors and nurses would be sick all the time! This certainly is not the case. In fact, you might notice that sometimes if one person in your household gets sick, not everyone in the same household will end up getting the same sickness. It varies from person to person. That’s because getting sick is actually a reflection of the strength of your own immune system. The immune system is what fights off bacteria and viruses from infecting your body. Your immune system is controlled and regulated by your nervous system which controls the entire body.
There are several drug-free ways to keep your nervous system and in-turn your immune system strong and healthy such as:
- Getting plenty of rest. When our bodies do not get enough rest to replenish cells and heal, our bodies’ immune system will be compromised. Be sure to sleep a minimum of 6 hours per night.
- Drink plenty of water.Water seems to be one of the biggest solutions to many conditions and diseases. This is probably because our bodies are made up of 70% of water!
- Take a mulit-vitamin daily. Vitamins and minerals are a key ingredient to making cells that contribute to your immune system.
- Exercise regularly. Exercise keeps your body healthy and stronger which will destroy bacteria and other foreign substances that enter your body.
- Manage your stress level. When excess stress builds up in the body, it destroys cells because oxidants build up in the system. This will destroy many important cells including the immune system’s components in keeping your body healthy. Find a way to channel out your stressful days by either exercise, relaxation techniques, yoga, mediation or whatever source you find most helpful.
- Get your spine adjusted. Keeping a healthy spine and nervous system can help to increase the immune system and prevent many injuries and aches in the future!
Remember, getting sick is NOT as easy as being close to someone else who is sick. Keeping your immune system and nervous system healthy is a more realistic approach to keeping healthy this fall season! For more information on this subject, email me at drhaque [at] haquechiropractic [dot] com
