It’s getting to be that time of year. I’m excited for the weather to turn cooler and the leaves to start changing. It’s the best time to be in the woods, but it’s not the best time to be stuck in bed with a fever, coughing and blowing your nose constantly. However that is also what the new season tends to bring. This week I’ll cover some tips on how to protect yourself during cold and flu season.

First lets clear up some myths about getting colds and the flu. You don’t get sick from going outside without a coat, or with a wet head. (You can still use these on your kids to get them to wear a coat if you want. I won’t tell.) It isn’t the fact that it is cold out that causes us to get sick more often in the winter. The reason we get sick more in the winter is we aren’t outside enough to get proper amounts of vitamin d. Even if you are spending time outdoors in winter, here in the northeast the sun isn’t strong enough to make sufficient amounts of vitamin d. I covered this in detail in the last newsletter if you want the full story. The short version is we need to be supplementing in the winter. The second reason we get sick more in the winter is also because we are inside with the house or office closed up and passing our germs back and forth more frequently.

This brings us to our next tip to avoiding getting sick. The cold and flu are caused by viruses. The viruses that make us sick need a way in to our system. Just being on our hands because we touched something a sick person touched isn’t enough. You would then need to touch your mouth, nose or eyes to get the nasty critters into your system. That is why washing your hands regularly is important. Regular soap is enough! You don’t need to use anti-bacterail soap. Many of the things that make us sick are viruses not bacteria, anti-bacterial soap will not help. It does nothing to viruses. It doesn’t matter if the bacteria and viruses are dead or alive when they are washed down the drain after washing your hands. All that matters is that they are off of your hands before you touch your face or eat something. What anit-bacterial soap will do is wash into our water supplies and poison our fish and wetland creatures. It also makes bacteria stronger and is part of the cause of anti-bacterial resistance to many of the antibiotics we have.

Getting enough rest is also very important. While we are sleeping our body is hard at work healing, repairing and regenerating. Being fatigued all day will lower our resistance and make us more likely to get sick when faced with the viruses that are present.

This is also not the time to neglect your diet and nutrition. Sure we may be craving heavier comfort foods in the dull winter months but you still need to be getting plenty of quality nutrient dense foods. That still means lots of fruits and vegetables. Mom was right chicken soup really is good for you! Load it up with plenty of veggies and you’re all set for a warming, comforting, healthy meal.

If you do lose the battle with the bugs and get sick all you need is rest, healthy food and plenty of fluids. A fever is a natural healthy response by the body. You should not be taking anything to try and reduce it. Our body is much smarter than we are. It will raise the internal temperature just enough to fight off the invading viruses and not harm us. Once the job is done our temperature will return to normal.

Of course since staying healthy is about making sure you have a strong immune system, stay regular with your Chiropractic adjustments! The immune system, just like all the systems in our body, is under control of the nervous system. Chiropractic adjustments keep your nervous system flowing properly to keep the rest of your body running at it’s peak.

Use these tips to stay healthy this cold and flu season!