Baby, It’s Cold Outside!!! – How to Build a Strong Immune System in Winter Months

As winter in Austin Texas heads into the stretch run of cold grey, and an occasional sunny-warmer day, there is a higher percentage of patients who begin to come in the office saying, “Dr. D, I’m sick. What should I do? What are your recommendations?”

Ultimately, it’s best to treat your body well and keep your immune system strong so you can avoid getting getting sick over the winter– but this is not always the case and it’s also important to understand that catching a cold or getting the flu is not necessarily a bad thing either.

A healthy immune system doesn’t mean you’ll never catch anything (although you’ll catch much less of what’s going around if you are healthy), but it means that if you do catch a bug and your immune system is doing its job, you’ll have milder symptoms and get over it quicker.

Your body is an incredible complex of systems all working together. And your immune system is interactive, totally integrated, and constantly communicating with the other systems of your body. How those systems communicate plays a part in producing you and your current state of health.

So, if you do ‘get sick’ and your body’s fighting something, what can you do?

7 Steps to Boosting Your Immune System:

No Sugar – Simply put, sugar cripples your immune system. Your body uses Vitamin C in your immune system to fuel your white blood cells. It fights colds to cancer sores to cancer. Sugar, or glucose, in the blood stream will compete with Vitamin C to get into your cells. Less Vitamin C in the cells means an impaired ability of the white blood cells to sweep up and kill bacteria.

Sugar also robs your body of nutrients like zinc, which is important factor in your body’s ability to fight infection. Sugar suppresses your immune  system.

Drink Water – How many times do I ask whether or not you’re hydrated? Water is absolutely essential and critical for all cell functions in your body.

Dehydration promotes the production of Histamines, which are the mucus promoters in your body. So dehydration causes mucus, inflammation, and swelling. Whether we are fighting something, whether we are in the best health of our lives. We want to be fully hydrated. All of the time, not simply sometimes!

Best practice for daily requirements of water is to divide your weight in half and drink that number in ounces every day.

Eat Fermented Foods — f you are serious about boosting your immunity, then adding traditionally fermented foods is essential.

One of the most healthful fermented foods is kefir. Kefir is an ancient cultured, enzyme-rich food full of friendly microorganisms that balance your “inner ecosystem” and strengthen immunity. Besides kefir, other good fermented foods include natto, kimchee, miso, tempeh, pickles, sauerkraut, yogurt (watch for sugar), and olives.

Friendly bacteria have a powerful, beneficial effect on your gut’s immune system, your first line of defense against pathogens, and aid in the production of antibodies.

Go nuts over coconuts —
Besides being excellent for your thyroid and your metabolism, coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which converts in your body to monolaurin. Monolaurin is the actual compound found in breast milk that strengthens a baby’s immunity.

A great deal of research has been done establishing the ability of lauric acid to enhance immunity. This medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) actually disrupts the lipid membranes of offending organisms.

When selecting coconuts and coconut oil, make sure you choose organic ones that are unrefined, unbleached, made without heat processing or chemicals, and are non-GMO.

The coconut oil we have in the office is a perfect choice and one of the best around!

Get Plenty of Rest – The immune system requires a lot of energy to work. When you notice that you’re tired, your appetite is suppressed, and you’re low on energy, your body is diverting energy to your immune system. Instead of taking drugs so you can rush off to work, listen to your body and get some rest. Stay home, stay warm, allow your body to use the energy to feed your immune system, and get healthy. When you sleep, your body is rebuilding new, healthy tissues. Staying up late only slows down this process.

Eat Simple – Your energy needs to go to your immune system, not your digestive system, when you’re fighting something. stay away from pro inflammatory foods such as dairy, gluten, wheat and refined grains. They promote mucus build up and inflammation.

Eat plenty of whole foods, like vegetables which are loaded with water and the phytonutrients your body needs. And if you’re only going to eat a small amount of food, make sure it’s nutrient dense food that will bring energy and life into your system.

Also, be careful to not load up on too many fruits– as they contain a lot more sugar than we’d like you to have while your fighting something.

Boost Your Supplements – Supplements are exactly that…supplemental, not a Replacement to whole foods. While supplements will never be as good as wholefood, they do have their place in enhancing how our body’s work!

Supplements helps because our lives are so fast, stress is greater than ever, and it’s hard to get all the foods we need in our diet every day.

Whole food supplement – for multivitamins Of course last month I talked about the Vemma Liquid Multi we now offer. This is my new go to supplement and by far a superior product than most I’ve come across.

Probiotic – to replenish the normal bacteria in your gut. Probiotics come in a variety of sorts– and I’d recommend that you get a Full Spectrum probiotic which contains more than 1 or 2 strains of bacteria!

Omega 3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil) – decreases inflammation and builds up the immune system

Vitamin D – it’s critical to your immune response. Get sunlight, spend time outside, or supplement with a natural source.

Zinc – great for the upper respiratory tract and fighting infections.

Get your Sweat on — Make this special tea from a combination of herbs that synergistically cause your body to sweat — which is very desirable if you want to eradicate a virus from your system. And then drink it hot and often:

• Elderflower (this has been used for hundreds of years for flu)
• Boneset (eupatorium)
• Yarrow
• Linden
• Peppermint
• Ginger

Let Your Body Fight – Your immune system will get stronger and smarter if you let your body fight. If you interfere and
suppress it because it’s more important for you to be comfortable rather than healthy, your body will get weaker and not be able to defend itself properly in future attacks.

Chiropractic Adjustments – Nerve irritation suppresses your immune function. Specific Chiropractic adjustments decrease nerve irritation, restore balance in your body, and restore your parasympathetic (rest and repair) state. Adjustments increase your white blood cell count; it’s measurable.

Chiropractic patients have been shown to have a 200% greater immune competence than people not under chiropractic care. Getting adjusted boosts your immune system.

What kind of body are you building?

How you live your life, the choices that you make everyday, will determine the health and vitality of your systems, including your immune system. Every single decision we make in our life will either move us closer towards health or move us closer towards sickness, disease, and death.

What choices will you make to boost your immune function AND your health?

How to do a perfect squat

A sound functional squat is something that you will discover is not only essential to every athlete but in fact every human-being must demonstrate in order to be healthy and pain-free.  The squat is no more an invention of a trainer or coach than is walking or running.  It is a vital, natural, and a functional component of your well-being.

Most of the planet’s inhabitants do not sit in chairs; they squat.  Meals, defecation, and gatherings are all performed in a squat position and never in chairs.  Only in the modern world do we find ourselves sitting in chairs, couches, benches and stools.  This comes at a loss of functionality due to the degeneration and de-conditioning of bone, joints, soft tissue, and muscle.  If you think about it, if the human species was intended to spend so much time sitting we would have been given 4 legs attached to our backsides instead of 2.

Occasionally there are athletic trainers, health-care providers, or physical therapists that say that you should not squat.  In nearly every instance this is pure ignorance on the part of the practitioner.  A question that should be asked to these individuals is “by what method should your patient get off the toilet?”

In a similarly misinformed manner you may have heard that the knees should not be bent past 90 degrees in a squat.  This is an argument that is quickly resolved when asking that person to sit on the floor with their legs out in front of them and then stand without bending their legs past 90 degrees.  Without getting on their feet in some awkward manner they will never get off the floor in a functional manner without bending at least one knee past 90 degrees.

Not only is the squat not detrimental to the knees, when done correctly it is actually rehabilitative of painful, damaged, or delicate knees.  In fact, if you do not squat properly, your knees cannot stay healthy regardless of how free of pain or discomfort you are.  This is equally true of the hips and back.
On an athletic front, the squat produces solid core strength and it is the ultimate hip extension exercise.  Since powerful and controlled hip extension is the foundation of all good human movement and elite athleticism it should be the cornerstone of everyone’s training.
It is entirely possible to injure yourself by squatting incorrectly, but it is also very simple to bring the squat to a level of safety matched by walking.

Here’s how it’s done:

Start with your feet shoulder width apart and the toes pointed slightly outwards. When ready to squat, you must keep your mid-section tight by contracting abdominal muscles and accentuating the normal arch in the low back. The movement is initiated by sending your butt back just as if you were going to bump a car door closed with your rear if your hands were full. Descend by sinking into the squat being mindful of keeping your body weight in your heels so that the knees do not extend past the toes. Lift your arms for counterbalance and keep your chest tall as you descend while maintaining a tight midsection, being careful not to surrender the arch in your low back. Stop as low as you can, preferably so that the fold of the hips descends past the knees, and make sure your knees stay pressed outwards and not caving inwards. Upon rising exert your force to the outside of your feet as if you were trying to rip a piece of paper between your feet. Stand tall at the top of your squat to complete your full hip extension.

Paleo Chocolate Mousse

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large very ripe banana
• 2 small ripe avocados
• 1/3 cup cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3-4 tablespoons raw honey (or substitute maple syrup, Stevia, or agave nectar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract)
• Chopped nuts, cacao nibs or unsweetened organic coconut (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Using a food processor, blend avocados, bananas and honey until smooth.
2. Add in cacao powder and vanilla extract and blend until mixed
3. Adjust the amount of cocoa or honey to your tastes.
4. Sprinkle with nuts or other topping if desired
5. Enjoy immediately, or chill for laterthen serve it up with a shovel.

Parents who want to maximize their child’s health should take a proactive approach in their growth and development. Here are a few major strategies that you can implement to keep your child healthy and help them reach their potential.

Understand that your child’s brain and nervous system control and coordinate every function of the body.

This includes the immune system and how the body heals and regulates itself. It is essential to make sure your child’s spine and nervous system are developing and functioning properly. The primary goal of a chiropractor is to look for factors which cause the nervous system to function improperly. Subluxations, or minor misalignments of the vertebra, are the most common cause of nervous system interference. Just like a pinched nerve in your neck can cause pain in the arm, organ systems like the digestive or immune system can be affected when its nerve supply is compromised. In children, the most qualified physician to locate subluxations is a chiropractor who specializes in pediatrics.

Recognize the warning signs.

Believe it or not most subluxations (spine misalignments) do not cause pain! Infants may show difficulty sleeping, breastfeeding or have issues with digestion (colic and reflux) and elimination. They may show a tendency to hold their head to one side or prefer breast feeding from one side. Without the language to explain what’s wrong, some newborns exhibit unexplained crying or a lack of appetite.

Toddlers may experience repeated ear and respiratory infections or chronic sinus congestion. Subluxations are often found in children who suffer from chronic earaches. An impaired nerve supply can make their middle ear and eustachian tubes susceptible to fluid buildup or even infection. Traditional treatment usually involves the antibiotic amoxicillin. However, a recent study showed that children taking amoxicillin can actually compromise their immune system making it twice as likely to have recurring ear infections.

Adolescents may experience asthma, headaches, bedwetting, stomach pain, hyperactivity, behavior problems (ADD) and frequent colds and infections. A common symptom during adolescence, especially in girls, is an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine called a “scoliosis.” Alert parents may notice that a high shoulder or low hip make clothing fit poorly. Back and leg pain may be present. A thorough chiropractic examination can help detect scoliosis in its earliest stages. Safe and natural chiropractic care has helped many young women avoid braces, surgery and the psychological effects of this underlying deformity. Other posture abnormalities such as a tilted head, rounded shoulders or hunchback warrant a chiropractic evaluation.

Chiropractic is safe and effective.

Tailored to their age and weight, a child’s treatment often requires no more pressure than you’d use to test the ripeness of a tomato. A chiropractor who specializes in children uses techniques to make the child comfortable during their visit and insures there is no pain or discomfort involved with treatment. At our office, kids look forward to their adjustment and often run and jump right up on the treatment table. As a parent, it is important to find a chiropractor which understands the benefit of “early” chiropractic care and the importance of creating a warm and friendly office environment.

Know the role of exercise and nutrition.

Remember to set healthy eating habits and avoid foods high in trans-fats, refined sugars, fruit juices and processed foods. Exercise is also paramount in maximizing the health, coordination and fitness levels of your child. It is important to limit the use of television and computer so they remain physically and mentally active. A healthy diet and proper exercise will ensure that they maximize their immune system and brain function, provided that they maintain their spinal care and remain subluxation free.

A final thought: Remember, chiropractic care for children is different from that for adults. If your child suffers with any health condition or seems to be failing to thrive, he may greatly benefit from chiropractic care. A pediatric chiropractor successfully treats children with these conditions and more on a regular basis. Parents should add a chiropractor who specializes in pediatrics to their healthcare team.

In this life I have met LOVE, HEALTH, PEACE & JOY!  I have come to realize that they all need a permanent place to stay.  So I am committed with all my being that Family Health Chiropractic is such a place.