It’s that time of year again! Feeling drowsy, run down, under the weather or fatigued? Don’t worry, so are millions of other Americans! The fact of the matter is, the constant hustle and bustle of life nowadays is definitely challenging. I see it every day in my practice. I get asked, “why am I in a funk?” The answer for many people is that they are living life in a Sympathetic “high stress” environment and are subjecting themselves to unhealthy amounts of chaos. Life is a game of adaptability. You see, human beings were not designed to live life in a sympathetic “fight or flight” state. In fact, one of my jobs as a Chiropractic Physician is to clear the nervous system of pressure so your body can work the way that it is designed. This is accomplished by balancing the sympathetic nervous system (autonomic) with the parasympathetic nervous system. The goal of this is to take pressure off and balance the very system in our body that is responsible for everything. This includes modulating the immune response.
Think about it, is there really such a thing as cold and flu season? Does the cold and flu virus just “die off” or decide not to infect people 2/3 of the year? Or is it that the weather changes and fluctuates? Is it the different allergens that may bloom? Is it work or family issues? The change of the new year from winter to spring time is when many people develop a dampened immune system because they are under stress. What does stress do to the body.. it opens it up for sickness. So the answer to my question is no, there is no such thing as a season where ONLY during that time can you catch the cold or flu. Rather a correlation to increased infection rates of cold and flu happens from fall to spring for a variety of different reasons.
Steps to Take
So what steps can we take to increase the immune response? Well for one, limit the amount of physical, chemical and emotional stress in your life. Secondly, get your spine checked and the nervous system evaluated/adjusted if necessary by your neurologically based chiropractor. Third, it’s essential to have proper supplementation through nutrition or supplements. Research shows that the average person who is under neurologically based chiropractic care in conjunction with a proper essential nutrient regiment exhibits a 200% increase in immune function. It’s no secret that your immune system needs certain components to work well. We as Americans just don’t supply it correctly! If you’re looking for an easy way to introduce supplementation into your diet that supports healthy immune function consider DC Labs Immune Boost and DaVinci Labs Acute Immune Benefits. Products such as these contain bioavailable Echinacea, Astragalus, Ginger Colostrum, Vitamin C, Zinc, Gluconic DMG (an Amino Acid), and Maitake PD- Fraction (synthesized from the Maitake Mushroom). This unique tailored blend enhances the immune system through activation of macrophages, T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells, which boost the efficiency and potency of your immune system to fight off pathogens. In the meantime, take care of yourself, think good thoughts and remember health isn’t linear and should be uniquely tailored to you!
