By Dr. Erik Johnson
Love and Health Chiropractic
Now is the time to do what you can to boost your and your family’s immune systems. Cases of COVID-19/Delta variant are on the rise. Kids are back in school. And the fall flu season is just around the corner. In addition to heeding the good advice of the Kent County Health Department, you can take five easy steps to make yourself less vulnerable to colds, flu, and COVID. 1. Eat. 2. Drink. 3. Move. 4. Sleep. 5. Align!
1. Eat healthy foods. When fall activities take a bite out of your time, avoid falling into the fast-food trap. The time you spend cooking healthy foods from scratch today may well save you time and money spent on illness tomorrow. Nutritious local fruits and veggies are still in season so make them most of your plate. On its website, the Mayo Clinic talks about the importance of good foods to the immune system, sharing that recent studies have identified a few key nutrients as being critical to immune cell growth and function: Iron, zinc, and vitamins A, C, D, and E.
2. Stay hydrated. I suggest drinking half your body weight in ounces of water each day — if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water. According to Johns Hopkins Health Library, your body needs water to power the lymph fluid, which helps your immune system fight off sickness. Water also helps you to maintain a normal body temperature.
3. Exercise. Though they may seem like opposites, both exercise and sleep provide huge boosts to your immune system. According to WebMD, people who don’t exercise regularly get more colds than people who do. WebMD advises, “Try to get regular, moderate exercise, like a daily 30-minute walk. It can help your immune system fight infection.” Exercise also relieves stress that also puts a damper on immune function.
4. Sleep. This is just as important. Adults usually require at least eight hours a night, children and teens more than that. People who don’t get enough sleep are more apt to catch colds or other infections.
5. Align your spine. Published studies have established that the nervous system controls the immune system — a compromised nervous system can cause the immune system to function less than optimally. Other studies show that a single chiropractic adjustment stimulates increased immune system activity for hours after an adjustment Chiropractic adjustments correct spinal subluxations and can help restore this communication link.
Regular chiropractic wellness care keeps your body, and your immune system, functioning the best they possibly can for a lifetime!
Dr. Erik Johnson DC is a chiropractor at Love and Health Chiropractic in Wyoming at 1586 44th Street SW.
