Natural Ways to Enhance your Immune System during the Winter Months

As the owner of your body, you are in charge of your health, and when it goes off the rails, you need to take control to get back on track. But what happens when you keep getting sick? When, just as you are coming out of one cold, you immediately you catch another? It’s a massively frustrating complaint that most people are all too familiar with. But as unpleasant as recurring ills can be, they are your body’s way of asking for some help, some attention, and perhaps a little extra TLC.

Physical symptoms in the spine or recurrent colds are pointers that something in the  nervous system is out of balance – and not just an annoying disruption that must be extinguished and carpet-bombed with medications like antibiotics or NSAIDS. The challenge is, every day, we’re all exposed to a dizzying array of stress and  pathogens. Especially those of us who work in offices and, maybe the most vulnerable, parents of school-aged children. But the trick is figuring out how to toughen up your spinal and immune system so that you don’t catch every cootie that rolls through home, office and school yard.

When a new patient comes in complaining of recurring spinal pain or sickness or seemingly high susceptibility, my job as their chiropractor is to play detective and help them get to the root of what’s ailing them. I recommend daily spinal hygiene and an essential immunity boosting program to every patient to begin repairing and resolving whatever is causing them to be out of balance.

• DO A TWO-WEEK ELIMINATION DIET  — to detect and then remove irritating foods that weaken immunity
• ADD PROBIOTICS — to your diet to help balance the bacteria in your gut and strengthen immunity
• PRIORITIZE SLEEP – which is a natural immunity-booster, and make time for downtime during your day as additional immune support (when you’re under-rested, immunity tanks)
• ENSURE ADEQUATE VITAMIN D – with sensible sun exposure and/or vitamins
• DO NOT TAKE ANTIBIOTICS AND NSAIDS INDISCRIMINATELY – limit their use as much as possible to keep immunity and gut lining strong
• ADD COCONUT OIL – to your diet. It’s a natural antimicrobial to help heighten immunity
• MAINTAIN REGULAR CHIROPRACTIC SPINAL ADJUSTMENTS - to stimulate your immune system
• BE LIBERAL WITH SPICES – cook with immunity-boosting spices like garlic, ginger, and turmeric

A final note: Step away from the hand sanitizers, antibacterial wipes, cleaning products and so on. They’re not effective at killing germs and regular exposure to most microbes actually helps keep our immune system strong and healthy!