Improving your Immune System to Prevent the Flu and Other Illnesses

By Sigal Dory, DOM, AP, CIT

The Swine Flue: Was it propaganda?  If so, to what end? And what is your role in prevention? Is washing your hands or wearing a mask going to make a difference? 

The list bellow is great for you anytime.  You have all to gain and nothing to lose by following the guidelines:

1. The first thing you can do to improve your immune system is to get enough sleep.  What is enough sleep? An Adult requires 7-8 hours while a teenager requires 8-9 and a grade school child, 9-10, toddlers 10-12 and newborns 16 hours or more.

 2.  The second thing is to reduce stress.  With the economy being not at its best and many people unemployed, that is easier said then done for many.  What can you do to help reduce stress?  An evening walk, and afternoon at the beach, a Yoga class, a Massage and believe it or not if you never tried it before, Acupuncture works miracles for your stress level.

3.  Eat well and take your Vitamins.  What does eating well mean when it comes to dealing with pathogens?  Eat cooked vegetables and fresh but ripe fruit for vitamins and antioxidants.  Use garlic, onion as they are naturally anti viral and yellow spices such as turmeric as they are anti inflammatory and thereby help your immune system.  If you are starting to get sick, discontinue your regular vitamins and follow eating recommendations in number 5.

4.  Drink sufficient water.  How much is enough?  Eight glasses a day is the MINIMUM amount of water that should be consumed daily.  It takes five glasses just for your heart to function correctly with three more to support liver and kidney function.  Increasing your water intake to 3/4 to a full gallon of water a day helps to keep you clean and hydrated.  It is also the best anti inflammatory solution thereby benefiting your body’s immune system.

5.  If you feel that you are starting to get sick, discontinue protein and sugar intake until the symptoms go away.  Why?  Most pathogens are very much like us.  As protein helps us make more cells, grow and repair, it similarly does so to help the growth and the multiplication of the pathogen that enters our body.  What to eat?  If you do not have an appetite, drink only water for a couple of days.  You will not die, but the pathogen will.  If you have an appetite, eat cooked Green vegetables and rice as they do not nourish the pathogen as
well as proteins and sugars.

6.  Avoid the vicinity of sick people.  This is always wise, but not always possible.  Yes, sleep in a different room from your spouse.  Do not hug your sick child, pet them instead.   Eat separately. Have them use a designated chair/sofa in the living room.

 7.  Get regular, ongoing Acupuncture and Chiropractic adjustments to help your body help itself.  How much is needed?  People are different and their conditions are varied.  As a rule, a bi-monthly maintenance/ Acupuncture session and a monthly adjustment are extremely beneficial.  If you have underlying problems, more could be needed depending on the problems.

 8.  Purchase Immune supporting supplements and Anti Viral Herbs.  Your local health food stores, Wellness centers, on-line vendors,  Acupuncturists etc. carry Natural Immune enhancing as well as Natural Anti Viral formulas.  Talk to your practitioner about it.  Some examples are:  Thorne products:  Vitamin D to fend off impending viral attack, IM-Encap to enhance immunity, Phytogen tor reduce inflammation in the body, Myco-Immune to enhance immunity and Arabinex especially for pediatric patients immunity.
 

Plum Flower products:  “Gan Mao” for flu and cold,  “Chuan Xin”  anti viral, and “Universal Benefit” for severe pathogenic attacks. As suggested above, talk to your practitioner first to see what is best  suited for you and your Constitution.  Remember that adults of all ages and weights as well as children of different sizes do not have the same doses or even recommendations as adults, so let your practitioner know if intend to use the products that are given to you for any of your household members.

Dr Sigal Dory is an Acupuncture Physician and a board-certified graduate of the Florida Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Her Yoga training is from White Lotus Institute & she teaches a free health class every Saturday at 11am . You can contact Dr. Dory at A Therapy Above, 727-518-2268;  
www.ATherapyAbove.com