With the flu season well underway, I find is very interesting how people just accept the fact that “They are going to get sick this year, so let’s just get it over with already.”  Every year it is exactly the same mind set.  People doom themselves to a 1-2 week span of time in the fall and winter season where they think it is absolutely inevitable that they are going to have to put their lives on hold and be out of commission from the world due to the horrible “sick and cold bug”.  I used to be the same.  I would wait, wait, wait for my time to get the bug every single year because I thought it was just “normal” to get sick once a year in the winter season.  Well news flash: IT’S NOT NORMAL TO BE SICK!  It’s normal to feel good and function good.  If your body is sending off symptoms of sneezing, dizziness, nausea, coughing, congestion, or any other typical symptoms associated with the bug; then your body is giving you a hit in the face telling you something is not normal and not functioning correctly.  So let me tell you what to do about it, so you can not only get rid of sickness efficiently and quickly, but also prevent it from occurring in the first place!

Personally, I have went from getting strep throat and colds every year in the winter months throughout my teen and college years; to now I can not even remember the last time I have been sick.  I credit it all to healthier living and taking better care of myself.  First of all, your nervous system and immune system are like peas and carrots when it comes to their relationship with one another.  When one is not functioning correctly, and impacts the other one tremendously. Recent research shows a connection between chiropractic adjustments and immunocompetence. The literature suggests that the nervous system plays a role in the modulation of the immune response and that chiropractic adjustments influence T and B lymphocyte numbers, natural killer cell numbers, antibody levels, phagocytic activity and plasma endorphin levels.  So my first recommendation for cold and sick care is of course “Go see your chiropractor, and get adjusted!”  It may sound cliché considering I am a chiropractor; however, I am not making up information and facts just because it is my profession.  Chiropractic adjustments have been researched over and over again to be a proven mechanism to physiologically boost an immune response and the immune system as a whole.  Clearing out that nerve pinching and subluxations within the nervous system truly can decrease duration of sickness and actually prevent it from coming in the first place!

Secondly, look at your diet, nutrition, and supplementation.  Are you eating healthy on a regular basis?  If you have deficiencies in your diet, what are you doing about them?  People use to think the key to not getting sick was Vitamin C all day every day.  Well times have change, and vitamin C is no longer the key player we use to think it was.  Vitamin D, echinacea, zinc, and garlic are all readily available vitamins and minerals that have been found to treat the sick and cold symptoms more quickly than over the counter drugs or prescriptions.  Another important aids to the immune and nervous system relationship are probiotics and prebiotics in order to ensure the good bacteria in your gut are not only healthy and thriving, but also reproducing and fighting for you.  Optimal Chiropractic also carries a wide range of whole food vegatarian supplement line that is not only the best quality in the medical market today, but it is also specific to any cold or flu symptoms that you may be experiencing.  Call our office to schedule an appointment at 219-661-8680 or stop in and we would love to tell you about the Standard Process supplements and how they can improve your health dramatically.

Lastly, look at your day to day lifestyle.  Are you engaging in day to day physical activity?  I’m not saying living in the gym, I am saying are you exercising your muscle? Going on a walk or bike ride?  Are you keeping toxins and stress from over consuming your life?  These are daily things that you can control that play a huge impact in your overall health.  And do they physically make you sick if you do not have them in control?  OF COURSE!

Do something for yourself this year, and don’t wait for the flu to hit you.  Attack and fight it before it’s even here so you do not have to put your life on hold for weeks being miserable!