Hey hey, ya'll.
So unless you live under a rock, you know that now, more than ever, we need to have a well-functioning immune system! Not only do we have "flu" season going around, but we also have the lovely thing called COVID- 19 baring its nasty head to the world.
From the get-go, lets just talk about these things. What are they? Both the flu, and COVID-19 are viruses. They cause viral upper respiratory infections. (Think cough, congestion, sneezing, fever and whatnot.) Both have the ability to lead to more concerning conditions. Pneumonia is the one that we want to look out for the most. Who is most at risk of these viral infections? The two major populations that we see being most affected by this, and in a more severe manner, are the elderly, the immunocompromised, and people with underlying conditions. (Think lung disease, heart disease, diabetes.)
Part of knowing how to prevent yourself from getting sick is knowing how these viruses are transmitted and how the body's immune system functions.
These viruses are spread mostly from person to person by water droplets. Basically, this means spit. So coughing on people, sneezing on people, and licking people are going to be the easiest way to spread these things.
Now, we also have to understand the immune system and how it works. Our immune systems are the systems in our bodies that take care of these less-than-fun "bugs". When the immune system is working well they can detect these foreign pathogens and eliminate them without causing much of an illness, or any at all!
Sometimes, our immune system doesn't work at its highest potential, because the communication between the brain and the immune system gets jumbled and can't communicate as well as it needs to in order to identify and remove threats such, such as the flu.
How do make sure that we give our bodies the best chance of fighting off these pathogens?
1) GET ADJUSTED BY A CHIROPRACTOR
When your spinal column (that bony structure that protects the spinal cord) is properly aligned and each segment is moving properly, the brain can send and receive messages from the immune system more efficiently. As those bones get out of alignment and they stop moving properly, the signals don't pass through as well sometimes delaying and jumbling those messages. This makes it harder for the immune system to do its job.
As a chiropractor, my job is to find those spots that aren't moving properly and re-align the spine so that the brain and ALL bodily systems, including the immune system, can communicate effectively and efficiently. We do that through specific, gentle chiropractic adjustments.
Research has also shown that when a person is adjusted, their immune system can be boosted by 200% in some cases!!! Don't you think that would definitely help?!
2) Wash your HANDS!
Ok, I know that this has been beat to death by this point. But, it's SUPER IMPORTANT! Washing your hands properly and often helps stop the spread of these pathogens. Whether that be from someone else to you, or from you to someone else. This is the GOLD STANDARD when it comes to preventing illness. Even though these viruses are usually passed through the air from person to person directly, they can still live on other surfaces for a period of time. We touch things ALL THE TIME that could have a pathogen on it with the potential to make us and others sick.
Please, please, please be washing your hands with soap and water often!
Does hand sanitizer work? Yes, kinda! When you are in a pinch and don't have somewhere you can go wash your hands, then yes, hand sanitizer will get you by! But, don't rely on it more than you rely on good, old-fashioned soap and water.
3) Make sure you're eating a HEALTHY diet full of WHOLE FOODS!
When I say WHOLE FOODS, that doesn't mean that's where you should shop, it means that you should be eating less processed foods! Make sure that you are eating your vegetables, fruits, and proteins! These foods have all the essential nutrients you need to keep your body and immune system healthy. The immune system NEEDS vitamins and minerals from food in order to function properly. That's why Vitamin C and all the B vitamins are soooooo important in providing immune support.
Yes, you can supplement your vitamins, but make sure they are HIGH QUALITY or they won't do you any good. Supplementing vitamins does not mean that you can eat whatever you want, either. Another thing to take notice of to keep a healthy immune system and body, is limiting processed sugars and flours. Bacteria and viruses feed off sugar (and flour breaks down into glucose, which is a sugar). Plus, sugar, gluten, and dairy tend to cause inflammation in the body, and subsequently cause a decrease in immunity....
Moral of the story..... eat healthy food and limit processed foods and sugars!
4) Practice social distancing
For introverts such as myself, this one is pretty easy. Social distancing does not mean being afraid to go outside, but it means to maybe not get as close to Joe Coughs-a-Lot over there. We tend to practice this innately because we don't want to be close to someone who seems sick.
That also means avoiding places where there are a lot of people in a small area. So, that means probably avoid Wal-Mart right now because people are going crazy over toilet paper.... (if you read this after March 2020, you may not understand). But in all seriousness, being in close confines with people causes illness to spread more rapidly because, we have to remember, that some people may not have symptoms (because their immune system is BOMB), but are carrying the pathogen with them.
5) REST and try NOT to stress
We forget how important reducing stress and resting is when it comes to healing and staying healthy. When we are anxious over too many things, our immunity decreases because our bodies can't focus on making it work efficiently; they're too worried about any immediate danger that we might be in (think of being attacked by a bear). When we are stressed and anxious, our bodies start priming themselves to have to get out of a situation quickly, which means it's not focusing on much other than ways to either help you physically fight something or someone or to run away from it.
Resting allows our bodies to make our immune function a priority, thus allowing it to detect and eliminate the pathogens.
At the office
Ok, I'm sure you're wondering what we are doing here at PFC to help amidst this chaos. Well first of all, we are ADJUSTING!!! Because, like I explained earlier, being adjusted helps boost the immune system! But, we are also being diligent on making sure everything is clean and sanitized. You can rest assured our tables are getting baths OFTEN and so are my hands!!! Also, I will also let you know that I am also being regularly adjusted so MY immune system is at top notch.
I am here to support you to prevent illness in your family and also to help you fight it if you do catch a bug!!!! If you're not feeling well and still want adjusted, PLEASE let me know!!! I will never turn you down for an adjustment, but we may have to switch times or days so we can lessen the spread of whatever might be going on in your body.
If you have questions, please send me an e-mail, DM, text, whatever and I'll get those answered for you!
God Bless,
Dr. Dai