FLU Prevention

Hygiene:

•WASH your hands – seems like such an obvious “to-do”, however most people do not wash their hands as often as they should, and especially during the flu season.

•Cover your mouth – not just mom’s ole’ saying. Be sure however, that you use the inside of your elbow to cover when you cough or sneeze. You won’t be shaking hands, or turning door knobs with your elbows, so it is important to get into a new habit.

•Tissues – Keep tissues with you so you can easily and quickly wipe away a runny nose or hand one off to a sniffley stranger.

•Wash Clothes/Sheets – By regularly washing your bedding and clothing you will help your chances of washing those “bugs” away as well has decreasing chances for recontamination.

Nervous System Health:

•Get your nervous system checked – Ensure that your immune system is functioning at an optimal level. You can do this by going to a Chiropractor. There are other areas of health care that address your nervous system health as well like acupuncture, craniosacral therapy and even yoga can help.

•Exercising – Oxygen is your body’s friend. Be sure you get some good exercising in where you can breathe in and out getting oxygen to all of your tissues, cells and organs.

Diet:

•Water – Make sure this time of year you are not skipping out on your water. You really need to be drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water. For example if you weigh 160 pounds, you need to be drinking 80 ounces/day. That is ten 8 ounce glasses. Easy, two per meal, and one glass between. Done.

•Fruits/Veggies – Again, seems obvious, but these food items are a much better choice than anything processed since they have fighting powers! The nutrients in the various fruits and vegetables can help boost your immune system and keep your energy up. Also, try to choose fruits high in antioxidants (help to eliminate free radicals, a bad guy in your body). Example is Broccoli, this vegetable is literally packed full of immune boosters, including; Protein, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Selenium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.

Diet:

•Organic – I know, I know..pricey. Listen, if you shop smart, you really won’t spend any more by choosing SOME organic options, the important ones. For instance, based on government data, the following conventionally grown fruits/veggies contain the highest amount of pesticides, so you should choose THESE as organic options:

•Fruits: Apples, Pears, Grapes, Peaches, Nectarines, Cherries, Strawberries•Veggies: Potatoes, Celery, Bell Peppers, Carrots, Kale, Lettuce•A good rule of thumb when choosing what to buy organic, is to look at the skins of what you’re buying. If it has a thick skin (i.e. pineapple, avocado) it will absorb less pesticides.

•NO SUGAR – This time of year sugar seems to control every social aspect of your life. Halloween, Thanksgiving, The Holidays (Christmas parties, etc.) and New Years. This is the time of year when everyone struggles with their diet, but mostly due to the amount of sweets. Sugar is an immuno-depressant, meaning it weakens your immune system. If you really want to help your body and prevent getting sick, sugar should be a NO NO this time of year. All good things in moderation.

Supplementation:

Vitamins – It is very important to be sure that your body has plenty of what it needs to help fight off the inevitable germs and viruses it will come in contact with. Taking a GOOD multi-vitamin is vital, however during flu season; I know in my family we are sure to take a little extra of Vitamin C, Calcium and of course Vitamin D.

Test your vitamins – Ensure that your not only choosing an efficient vitamin for your body’s good, but also for the good of your pocket book. A great way to do this is to simply drop your vitamin/supplement into a glass of water (please make sure the glass is clear). A quality supplement will completely dissolve into mush well within an hour. If after one hour your vitamin is still holding strong, throw it away, it is a waste of your money. Your body is not able to absorb all of the nutrients in a timely manner.

Probiotics – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia – dietary supplements of live microorganisms thought to be healthy for the host organism. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: "Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host". Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria are the most common types of microbes used as probiotics; but also certain yeasts and bacilli are available.At first, probiotics were thought to beneficially affect the host by improving its intestinal microbial balance, thus inhibiting pathogens and toxin producing bacteria. Today specific health effects are being investigated and documented including alleviation of chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases, prevention and treatment of pathogen-induced diarrhea, urogenital infections, and atopic diseases.

Fever:According to the Patient Education and Counseling journal, parents tend to treat high temperatures much

more aggressively than health professionals do. Only 43% of parents knew that a fever below 100.4 ° can be beneficial to a child, in contrast to 86% of doctors who responded to the survey. The parents also said they’d

treat that low fever, even with no other symptoms.

“Give me a fever, and I can cure any illness” -- Hippocrates

Although fever is a purposeful process to releases stored calcium from bone reserves, it is better to supply calcium in the diet rather than withdrawing it from bones. The pasteurization of milk alters the available free

calcium. In turn, pasteurized milk is not a good source of free calcium.Calcium Lactate is regarded as a good source of ionized calcium to utilize in overcoming and/or preventing

calcium deficits and thus fever and febrile seizures.The benefits of fever are:More antibodies – the cells trained to specifically attack the exact type of invader your body is presently suffering from, more specific than any pharmaceutical.More white blood cells – the good guys; to fight off the invading bugs More interferon – which blocks the spread of viruses to healthy cellsWalling off of iron – bacteria feeds onIncreased temperature – directly kills microbesThe chiropractic friendly way to treat a fever is to support it unless it rises too high or too quickly. A fever of

102 ° F to 103° F is considered the optimal defense against microbes. Temperatures like these heal the body most effectively. Fasting or eating foods such as broths and water until the fever breaks and rest are the best supports. Even when a child appears sleepy on the outside, the body is working hard on the inside to carry

out all the functions described above.

Chiropractic & Massage

• Nervous System Health

• Prevention/Wellness

• Massage Therapy

• Rehabilitative Care

• Active Care

• Nutritional Counseling

1560 Matthew Dr. Ste I Ft. Myers ~ (239) 936-5545 ~ www.GindeleChiropractic.com