Boosting your immune system for a healthy winter

Firstly, your body is strong, intelligent, and has an amazing ability to adapt to the environment (that includes colds & flu)

I'm sure we can all agree upon how incredible the human body is when we stop to consider...
A human baby is grown from 2 cells without any external help
You never have to concentrate and command your body to heal a wound or a broken bone
 You don't concentrate on digesting your food or detoxify any alcohol you drank

It intelligently does all this for you (pretty rad, huh)

The same goes for your immunity. This intelligent system is working round the clock to clear out any unwanted invaders

There are however some things YOU CAN DO to help BOOST your bodies natural ability to adapt and function at its best

1. Decrease your stress
Increased stress = decreased immune function! That's right, real or perceived stress (fear, worry, anxiety) will cause your brain to release the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones are very very effective at SHUTTING DOWN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM FUNCTION. The brain becomes concerned with survival and will switch to fight & flight mode. It will put all energy into running and fighting a threat and move away from the rest & restore mode. It is well known that surgeons will use these hormones during organ transplant procedures to prevent the immune system from rejecting the foreign implant.

Wind up in the mind with busy schedules, to-do lists, deadlines, and rushing around can turn on the fight/flight response in the central nervous system. One tool we share with practice members to support their nervous system between their wonderful adjustments is the practice of mindfulness.

Mindfulness teaches us to respond rather than react to stress or events in life helping decrease overwhelm, anxiety, and stress. By being fully present, aware of where we are and what we are doing in the present moment we are able to regain control of the thought train that can sometimes take off leading us to overthink about events of the past or fret about the future.

2. Ensure your nervous system is communicating clearly

Get adjusted by your Chiropractor 
Your body’s ability to adapt is dependant on the quality of the messages the brain received from the environment. We live our life through our nerve system. Our sensory organs pick up information from the outside world and send this information along the nerves, up the spinal cord (which lives in your spine) to the brain. Your amazing brain then organizes this information and controls + coordinates a response.
Chiropractors ENSURE the spine is not interfering with the ability for your brain to receive and send this vital information so you can adapt to an ever-changing world

3. Make sleep a priority

One of the most underrated tools to help us rebalance and recharge is sleep. The average adult should be getting between 7-9 hours per night (I know I can be guilty of not getting that!) and children require even more. It’s time to switch off Netflix and start some wonderfully nourishing sleep habits. You will never wake up thinking gee I am so glad I stayed up for another 40 minutes to watch another episode of (insert latest binge-watch here)

Ensure you are getting 8 hours per night. The immune system requires large amounts of energy to function at its best. While we sleep our brain and body get to work. The sympathetic nervous system (the fight/flight response) gets a chance to chill out, stress hormones drop, muscles relax, blood pressure drops, the immune system clears up inflammation and infection and we restore and rejuvenate.

4. Fuel
Make sure you are getting the good stuff going in. Isn’t it amazing mother nature provides us with the right nutrients at just the right time of the year? Winter vegetables and fruits such as broccoli, garlic, spinach oranges are all known immune boosters. Try to eat as close to nature as possible doing away with highly processed foods with nasty additives and preservatives. Nourishing our wonderful body with foods bursting with nutrients, vitamins and minerals go a long way in improving our ability to be resilient against colds and flu.

5. Increase your Vitamin C, D & Zinc
Vitamin C - a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent and deal with an infection. Find it in citrus fruits
Vitamin D - especially vitamin D3, helps fight viral and bacterial infection. Find it in oily fish – such as salmon, sardines, herring, and mackerel
Zinc - needed for the normal functioning of white blood cells. These cells go and capture bacteria and pathogens in the bloodstream. Find it in lean meats, poultry, eggs, seafood, beans, peas, and lentils, nuts and seeds

‍6. Movement
Studies indicate the influence exercise has on the immune response depends on factors such as regularity, intensity, duration, and type of effort applied.

Moderate-intensity physical exercises stimulate cellular immunity, while prolonged or high-intensity practices without appropriate rest can trigger decreased cellular immunity, increasing the propensity for infectious diseases

At times of high or higher than normal stress and pressure, we encourage practice members to look at the way they are moving their bodies
If the nervous system is revved up in the go-go fight and flight mode often high intensity, heart-pounding workouts with loud thumping music and yelling trainers can further add stimulation to remain in a survival fight/flight state that suppresses immune responsiveness

We suggest making some changes to the way people move when they are highly wound up looking at implementing and adding some restorative, mindful exercises such as yoga, pilates, or walking in nature to help bring balance, ease and calm back to the mind and body

7. Time in nature
Have you ever just known you need some time outdoors in nature?
It's not hard to understand why being cooped up indoors without natural light and fresh air can leave us feeling drained and fatigued.
Nature helps us pause, become present and disconnect from the stressors of day-to-day life.

In winter obviously, we wear more clothing and spend more time indoors. Between May-August exposure to the sun is important and suggested in the middle of the day. Sunlight is absorbed by the skin to produce vitamin D and beta-endorphins, which are hormones known to boost the immune system, promote relaxation and a sensation of well-being, and improved mood

We are in the driver's seat of our health and we can if you choose to be proactive support, nurture, and grow our health and vitality

 At Flourish we are here to help & support you and your family grow health, naturally.